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.

Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

Special welcome to Maletina, who is new to Wellington and has joined Mrs Geraghty in Room 9. You will have a wonderful time at our school and will make friends who you will take with you to college. 

Our school's walls are full of exciting learning. I am in awe of our wonderful team here and what they do daily for our students. It has been very inspiring watching and listening to students prepare for the upcoming speech competition with confidence and beautiful diction.  

Sister Philippa, who has volunteered at our school, listening to students read for the past 8 years, is relocating to a residence in Upper Hutt. We are so grateful for the service and dedication she has given our school. We will have a special assembly later in the year to thank Sister Philippa.

Principal for a Day:

On Monday, I had the amazing Reid from Room 8, who helped me do my job as Principal for the Day. Reid, thank you for being such a great support to me. You were a wonderful sounding board and such a positive role model for our students to look up to. Here is a reflection from Principal Reid.

"On Monday, the 11th of August 2025, I redeemed my reward that I won at Musical Bingo Night to become a Principal for the Day. I was so excited the day before and was positive I should wear a suit to look sharp, slick and handsome. Once the bell rang for school time, Mrs Murfitt and I were heading straight to different classrooms where I worked with groups to help with their writing. After that, we went back to the office, where I filled in RAMS (Risk Analysis Management Schedule) for an activity that other kids and I would do. Once I had finished filling in the sheet, Mrs Murfitt and I went around all the classrooms and the playground to do a health and safety check to make sure all the kids would be safe. Mrs Murfitt and I  went to the second-hand area where we folded and tidied up most of the clothes (so please leave it tidy if you go in there). But once I thought we would have a break and just sit down, I went straight back to Room 6 where I got boxes to put all the biscuits in for the Marae and right after packing all the biscuits up, I spoke on the Intercom talking about reminders. After speaking on the Intercom, I went to lunch with Mrs Murfitt, Dougal and Sandy. It was delightful but we had to quickly get back to school on time. Once we got back to school, it was time to speak at the assembly. I talked about some more reminders that hadn’t already been said on Intercom. It was officially time to go home. I had a Marvellous day today and hopefully I can have another chance to win a prize like this again.

https://youtube.com/shorts/eEqvoqEbORI

You are welcome to join us at the Parish Mass on Friday in the Cathedral for the Feast of the Assumption at 12:10 PM.

Heavenly Father,

On this special day, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We thank you for her example of faith, humility, and unwavering trust in your plan.

Just as you welcomed her into your heavenly home, we pray that you will guide each of us on our own journeys. Help us to follow Mary's example and say "yes" to Your will in our lives.

May our school community be a place of love and hope, where we always strive to do what is right.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Have a wonderful week, and thank you for everything you do at our school. 

Arohanui,
Bernadette Murfitt
Tumuaki
Sacred Heart Cathedral School

What an amazing experience our students had at the Cultural Festival at St Patrick's College.

So many of our ex-students in the college performances.

Our students were simply incredible.

Words cannot describe how proud we were.

Thank you also to the amazing group of parents who supported us on the day. It is no wonder our children are so amazing.

Special thanks to Nik, Sue and Rachel, who were the support behind our performance.

https://youtu.be/cfrDUCQwnVM

Attendance continues to be a top priority for the government, which has set a target of 80% of students attending school for more than 90% of the term by 2030. To achieve this, schools must aspire to reach an average daily attendance rate above 94%.

Last week, 4th - 8th August, we were 91.04%.

Please use SchoolAppsNZ to report your child's absence to the school.

Election Day:  

Electronic voting is now open. You should have received an email from 'Myschool election' with an electronic  Invitation to Vote. This was emailed to our parents sometime last weekend.  If you did not receive this, please let the office know:  office@sacred-heart.school.nz. Voting closes at 4:00 PM on Monday, 8th September.

Candidates standing for this year's Board of Trustees election are as follows:

Last Thursday, our Middle Syndicate visited the Government House. Thank you to our parent volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to help out.

"Last week on the 7th of August, the middle syndicate had a field trip to Government House and we saw all the amazing rooms and prestigious furniture. As an activity, we made creative designs for our paper medals that we gave to our role models, like teachers, friends or family members. Our favourite room was the ballroom because of the beautiful decorations and chandeliers. We also learned about the present Governor General, Dame Cindy Kiro, and we also learned that she knights people and represents the King or Queen. We also had a quiz in the lobby about the Governor General and the rooms in her house. We had a really great time there and it was so exciting to see the grand Government House!"

By Zoe and Athena (Room 7)

You are invited to join us at the Parish Mass on Friday, 15th August at 12.10 PM in the Cathedral.

Our teaching staff will be attending a Paid Union Meeting on Tuesday (19th August). Our classes are covered, so there will be no disruption to whānau.

You are most welcome to join us for our bi-annual visit to Pipitea Marae on Monday, 25th August. The students are busy learning how to introduce themselves in Te Reo Māori. If you can help walk down to the marae, please fill in this Google form. The marae have requested that we give packets of biscuits as a koha for the visit. They will use them for the Monday night children's Kapa Haka group. We are asking each student to bring a packet of biscuits and drop them in the box by the office.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION:

Congratulations to Caelum, Magnus, and Sandy (Room 5), who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Sunday at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Ohariu.

GYMNASTICS:

Congratulations to Colette (Room 5),  Margaux (Room 6) and Violet (Room 7), who competed in the Capital Gymnastics EXCEL Competition on Sunday.

Violet was awarded 3rd place overall in the 10+ category. She came in first place in vault and second place in beam.

Ka rawe, Violet. Good work!

Skylar (Room 6) also competed in the Capital Gymnastics EXCEL competition. She was placed first overall, first place in floor, first place in vault and second place in beam.

Good job, Skylar!

BASKETBALL:

Sacred Heart Hoops (Year 3 & 4):

The player of the game was Lexie (Room 5) for her awesome effort and getting some points on the board!

11 August Game - The SH Hoops battled hard in a fast-paced match against the Ngaio Panthers, going down 16–28. There was plenty of hustle on defence and some great drives attacking the basket.

The player of the game was Trina (Room 5) for growing in confidence, finding free space, and scoring multiple baskets from well-timed passes!

Strong effort, Hoops — the improvement is showing every game!

Sacred Heart Dunkin Donuts (Year 7 & 8):  

Dunkin Donuts are doing really well this term. We have seen lots of improvement and fantastic team work!

2 weeks ago they won 23-7 against St Benedict’s.

Micaiah R10, was player of the game!

Last week they won 31-2 against Raroa

Zach, R8 was player of the game.

This week they won 28-17 against Newlands.

Lucas, R10 was player of the day.

NETBALL:

There were no netball games last Saturday, so no reports.

Hazel and Isabella (both from Room 9), and their Hip Hop team have officially qualified to represent New Zealand at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Prague this October!

To make this amazing opportunity a success, please support their fundraising efforts. Please see their attached details.

Thank you very much for your support. We’re incredibly proud of the girls and excited for this amazing opportunity ahead!

To purchase an entertainment book, click on the following link:  https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/

Don’t miss the chance to watch the movie, Tinā (Mother), now the sixth-highest grossing Kiwi film of all time. It tells the story of Mareta Percival, a Samoan teacher who, after losing her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes, finds herself teaching at an elite private school and using music to inspire her students and rediscover her own passion. The film is a box office success in New Zealand, praised for its heartwarming story and performances.

Event Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Event Address: Lighthouse Cinema, 52 Beach Street, Petone, Lower Hutt.

Arrival time from:  10:00 AM

Screening time: 10:30 AM

Ticket prices are: Adult: $25/ticket, Senior & Student: $20/ticket.

Tickets will be on sale after every weekend masses starting, 19th July 2025. You can also purchase your tickets online by scanning the QR code or by accessing the link: https://forms.gle/NKvqxuq9zbSwtJ2A7.

We are seeking sponsors to help make this fundraiser event special. Please contact Joy at (021) 048 1216 or mcsh.fundraising@gmail.com.