Dear God,

You come to us in Jesus who teaches us that the way to happiness is through our love for one another.

Watch over the teachers, students and families of Sacred Heart Cathedral School as we try to be faithful to this teaching.

Help us to be a welcoming and joyful community, so that others may come to know your love and peace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

The Kapa Haka group will perform at Spark on Wednesday, 3rd July at 11 a.m. as part of their Matariki celebration. If your child is in the Kapa Haka performance group, please fill in the Google form this week to give permission for them to attend.

The following excerpts were taken from https://matariki.co.nz/.

Welcome to Matariki.co.nz, your comprehensive guide to celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year, in New Zealand. As the stars of the Matariki cluster rise in the winter sky, they signal a time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal across Aotearoa. Matariki is a special period that connects us to the land, the sky, and each other, through a series of events, traditions, and celebrations that are deeply rooted in Māori culture.

Matariki History and Cultural Significance

Matariki has a rich history and cultural significance in New Zealand, particularly within Māori communities. The celebration is deeply rooted in the country’s indigenous culture and has been passed down through generations. The name “Matariki” means “tiny eyes” or “eyes of god” in Māori and refers to the seven bright stars that make up the Pleiades cluster.

Traditionally, Matariki was used as a way to mark the start of the Māori New Year, which occurs with the rise of the star cluster. It was a time for harvesting and preparing the land for the coming year, as well as a time for honoring ancestors and engaging in cultural practices such as waiata (song), haka (dance), and kai (food).

Today, Matariki has become an increasingly popular and widely celebrated event in New Zealand. It is a time for all New Zealanders to come together and recognize the importance of Māori culture and its contributions to the country’s identity. Many events and activities are organized around the country to celebrate Matariki, including art exhibitions, concerts, food festivals, and cultural workshops.

87.89% of students were in class from 10th June to 14th June.

Please ensure that your child is at school every day unless they are sick or at a medical appointment.

High attendance and high academic achievement go hand in hand.

To put it simply, if your child is not at school, they cannot learn what the rest of the class are learning.

Please reach out to me if you have any issues at all around attendance.

https://info.health.nz/pregnancy-children/childhood-conditions/knowing-if-your-child-is-well-enough-to-go-to-school-guidance-for-parents

An excerpt from our recent Catholic Character Review:

A varied and rich prayer is an integral part of the daily routine of school life. All classes begin with daily prayer, there is karakia kai and prayer at the end of the day. Classes often have a roster with tamariki organising and running prayer time. A range of prayer styles is used, including Christian meditation. There is space and time for quiet personal reflection and prayer. Taking junior tamariki to Church each Thursday for personal prayer, gives them an authentic opportunity to encounter God in their own way.

Staff weekly prayer time is organised and run by all teachers on a roster, often relating to what is being taught in class. Administration and staff meetings always begin with prayer.

Teachers draw on their own spirituality to share with tamariki their faith life where appropriate. Some staff have taken advantage of staff retreat days which are offered annually.

Please be aware that the deadline for 2025 enrolment is 31st July 2024. If you have a child turning 5 in 2025 who you would like to attend our school, kindly fill out the enrolment forms and send them to the school by 31st July 2024. The school website has a copy the enrolment pack available for downloading and printing at https://sacred-heart.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SHCS-Enrolment-Pack.pdf.

If you have friends who are interested in sending their children to Sacred Heart Cathedral School in 2025, please let them know that enrolments close on 31st July 2024.

Archdiocese of Wellington Attendance Dues

We would like to thank you for your patience regarding the Attendance Dues invoicing and collection this year. Due to issues with the new software system and illness in the team, we have not met our standards of service delivery for which we apologise. The Cathconnect system parent portal should soon be up and running for you to check your outstanding invoices and balances. If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the Attendance Dues team, preferably through emailing dues@wn.catholic.org.nz  providing Child’s full name/Account number and brief details .

As we are expecting a large influx of queries, response times may vary, and we will get back to you as soon as we are able to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8sk8ik2sqA

Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora will provide a vision screening programme for all Year 7 students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School on Thursday (27th June) at 9:00AM.

• Vision - students will be advised of results at the time of screening. If further assessment is recommended, you will be notified by mail.
• Children who wear glasses and/or are under professional care and have regularchecks will not require a vision check from our service.

Non-consent - please notify the school if you do not want your child being screened.

This screening is not a full assessment of your child's vision. If you have any concerns, please see an optometrist.

National Public Health Service

Phone: 04 570 9740

Website: www.rph.org.nz

Congratulations to Sophia (Room 5) for her outstanding creative writing.

BASKETBALL:

Sacred Heart Ruamoko (Year 5/6 Div 1) vs Kilbernie Hornets lost 30-40. Player of the day was Milford (Room 6). Well done to the boys as you kept going and played as a team. Thanks to Brian for taking the team this week.

Sacred Heart Tangaroa (Year 5/6 Div 5) vs Brooklyn Swish lost 8-32. It was a tough game but the team gave all their best during the game. Well done for the team effort.

Sacred Heart Tawhirimatea (Year 5/6 Girls) lost 20-28 against Holy Cross Green. Great improvement from the girls this week. We had a couple away due to sickness, but the girls stuck it out and fought hard to the end. Player of the day was Violet (Room 6) for her awesome hustle and work in the defence. Special mention to Kundiso (Room 7) also for her work in defence.

Sacred Heart Dunkin' Donuts (Year 7/8 Div 6) vs Scots 5. We had a great energetic game and the team were excited to draw at 16-16. Player of the day was Jaylen (Room 8).

Sacred Heart Krispy Kremes (Year 7/8 Div 2) vs Holy Cross Gold won 27-24. It was a close game and great team effort by everyone.

NETBALL:

Sacred Heart Angels (Year 5/6 C) won 18-2 against Worser Bay NetStars. Great to see the team improve every week! Player of the day was Harper (Room 7) for her great communication and driving the ball down the court. Special mention to  Lyla (Room 6) for her defence and shooting.

Sacred Heart Ferns (Year 5/6 E) won 8-3 vs Brooklyn Fireballs. Player of the day was Violet (Room 6) for her work in defence and some awesome intercepts.

Go Team Sacred Heart Ace! Gosh it was a close one drawing 11 all with SWIS. Your team spirit and attitude is amazing. Thank you! Shout out to our Player of the day Esmé (Room 9) for strong defence in the goal circle getting lots of rebounds and being steady always looking for good space with passing.

Special thanks to New World Thorndon who have donated 400 bread rolls for our Matariki celebration with St Mary's College.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knu9Pi3eRZI

We are delighted with the news that the Up Foundation will sponsor the girls only basketball team. This is with the aim of encouraging more girls to play and develop love of participating in sport.

Going forward, we would like to have more basketball teams and need parents to help with running teams. No experience is necessary, it is about managing substitutions and developing good team spirit and resilience.

If your child would like to participate and you have the time to help out, please let us know by emailing Ann Stephen at ann@sacred-heart.school.nz.

Kia ora whanau.

We are excited to announce the upcoming U14 Representative Trials for all aspiring basketball stars! We are looking for players that are born in 2011, 2012, 2013.  Here are the key details:

 Thursday, 27th June and Thursday, 4th July.

 4:15 PM - 6:00 PM, Sign ins open from 3:45PM. 

 Akau Tangi Sports Centre

Court Assignments: Boys: Courts 3 & 4, Girls: Court 5.

Eligibility Criteria:

- Players must be between 11-13 years old on 31st December 2024.

- Players must live within the Wellington boundary or attend a Wellington-based school.

Tournament Details:

- Dates: 9th - 12th October 2024

- Location: Akau Tangi Sports Centre

We aim to field multiple boys' and girls' teams for the tournament. The final number of teams will be determined based on the registrations we receive.

Pre-Registration:To participate in the trials, players must pre-register using the following link: https://membership.mygameday.app/regoform.cgi?formID=112111.

This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to showcase their skills and be part of an incredible journey in basketball.

This is a reminder that enrolment applications for St Mary's College 2025 close soon on Thursday, 27th June.  

To purchase, click on or copy and paste this link: https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/10428y2