Tena koutou katoa. Nga mihi atawhai nui.

“Easter is the feast of tombstones taken away, rocks rolled aside. God takes away even the hardest stones against which our hopes and expectations crash: death, sin, fear, worldliness.” Pope Francis, Homily, April 2019

In our last week of another fraught Term, we can look forward in anticipation to our most important week of the Catholic calendar – Holy Week, where we remember the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that leads to the hope of the Resurrection.

As well as our Catholic rituals, is also a time to be with family and whānau and to spend the rest of the Term break relaxing and rejuvenating.

During this Term, we have focused on finding ways to continue doing those events and activities that are important to us – times of celebration and times to connect. Our powhiri on the first full day of the school year, held outside and recorded for others to share later, ensured the students who were new to Carmel were welcomed into our learning community. We were able to celebrate the success of our scholars with a live streamed ceremony from the hall. Our Dedication Mass was live streamed to the whole community, as was our Confirmation Mass that was postponed from last year. We have continued to hold online assemblies and House Masses, online parent teacher interviews, and meet the teacher sessions.

In the next three Terms, we are looking forward to being able to gather in person more frequently, to continue to build those whole community networks. We want to be able to welcome our parents back onsite so that they have the opportunity to be here in person to share in our celebrations.

In the meantime, relax, recharge and revitalise.

We proclaim the Resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able to share it with others. Pope Francis