July 2026 Edition

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Newsletter Week 11 Term 2

Hastings Christian School

1 July 2026

From the Principal

A few weeks ago I shared some encouraging feedback from a member of the community about students from our school. I received further encouragement along those lines yesterday from Brian Morton, the president of the residence Association at Summerset in the Vines. The context for this feedback was a service opportunity that Lara Coates had arranged for her Music Students. The aim was to not only provide our student students with an authentic opportunity to perform to an audience but of equal importance, the chance to bless those they went to serve. As you will see from the feedback below this goal was achieved – and then some!

Gavin Clark

Principal

Good morning, Gavin,

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the very positive impact that the recent visit from your musical group and Lara had on the residents of Summerset in the Vines.

As principal, I thought you would be encouraged to know just how highly your school was spoken of following the programme. While the music and singing were of an exceptionally high standard, it was the character of your students that left the deepest impression on our residents.

Please convey our sincere appreciation to Lara for her outstanding leadership. It was evident that the students were extremely well prepared, and the programme reflected both excellence and professionalism. Many residents commented on how much they enjoyed the performance and remarked on the confidence, warmth and skill displayed by every member of the group.

What stood out even more, however, was the way the students conducted themselves throughout their visit. Every student presented themselves with genuine courtesy, respect and kindness towards our senior residents. They were approachable, friendly and attentive, taking the time to engage naturally with those they met. It was heartening to hear a number of residents comment that your students represented "the very best of today's young people". Such praise is not given lightly by an older generation and speaks volumes about the values that are being cultivated within your school community.

Thirty-four residents attended the programme, which is an excellent attendance for one of our village events. The response afterwards was overwhelmingly positive, and I have since received numerous requests asking whether the school would consider returning for another visit. That alone speaks of the lasting impression the students made.

Perhaps the greatest encouragement came after the programme had concluded. Several residents began asking what church the school was associated with and wanted to know more about the Christian foundation of the school. The conversation naturally opened the door to discussing the school's faith, its purpose and the gospel itself. It was a delightful and unexpected opportunity that arose because the students had already earned the respect and admiration of those present through the way they conducted themselves.

For those of us who are Christians within the village, this brought particular joy. Your students demonstrated that Christian witness is conveyed not only through words, but also through lives marked by humility, graciousness and servant-hearted love. Their conduct adorned the gospel, brought honour to our Lord, and strengthened our own endeavours to be faithful witnesses within the village.

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks to Lara and every one of the students. They should know that they did far more than present an excellent musical programme. They brought genuine joy to our residents, encouraged many hearts, and left behind a lasting testimony of Christian character. They are a credit to themselves, to their families, to your school, and above all, to the Lord whom they seek to serve.

Thank you for investing in young people whose lives reflect not only excellence in ability but also excellence in character. We would be delighted to welcome them back to Summerset in the Vines at any time.

With warmest thanks and appreciation, Brian.

HCS Board

We are pleased to announce that PJ Doyer has been appointed as the new parent representative on the HCS Board. We thank Jay van Maanen for his four years of service to the board as he has now stepped away due to other committments.

Student Reports

Reports for primary students will come home at the end of this week. Secondary reports will come home in the first few weeks of term 3.

Praise Night - Thursday 2nd July

Term 2 Music Wrap Up

Term Two has been brimming with opportunities for our student musicians to show the breadth of their talents and abilities. This began with our three groups who participated in the Chamber Music contest - congratulations to the Olrusa Trio, the Blue Maroons and The MnMs for their wonderful performances that were the culmination of many weeks of rehearsal and preparation. A special mention to Ruben Swart who was our only junior secondary student to play and I hope has inspired others to take that brave step next year!

Next on our musical calendar was our choir's participation in the Big Sing. I couldn’t be more proud of the beautiful job they made of this varied and complex trio of songs, but perhaps the loveliest takeaway from the experience was the response to our favourite song, Come To Me. We prayed at the start of the day that this beautiful song, based on the words of Matthew 11, would really reach into the hearts of our audience. Throughout the day and in those that followed, we received so much feedback about how it really did impact many of those who heard it. It even led to Isabelle having the opportunity to share the gospel with some students from other schools later that evening who were keen to discuss the meaning of the song with her!

Finally, on Monday we had the joy and privilege of playing a lunchtime concert to the residents of Summerset in the Vines, primarily as the Senior performance assessments, but also gathering in some Junior students to beautifully balance out our programme. Thank you, Makayla and Tyson for your willingness to learn some new repertoire and skills to be able to join us. We’re so glad you did. The residents delighted in not just the range of music and the students' abilities but also their personalities and demeanour. The whole event was a lovely way to bless others with talents that we know come from Him and our job is to curate and present those in the best way we can. They certainly did. Thank you every single student who has given their all in our musical pursuits this term. You have taken risks, worked so hard and stepped up at exactly the right moments to make some beautiful music that has been such a blessing to those who have heard it (and made more than a few proud parents a bit misty-eyed!). Thank you - Mrs Coates

Fia Fia Night

Kia ora whānau,

As we continue planning for our upcoming Fiafia Night on Thursday 23 July at 6pm, we are now asking families who wish to contribute a performance or bring kai to please sign up using the separate form.

Please note that sign-ups for performances and kai will close on Friday 4 July (the last day of Term 2). This deadline is important as it allows us time to finalise the programme, coordinate performances, and organise food contributions in preparation for the evening.

Ngā mihi nui,
Whaea Marie

Fiafia Night Participation Form:

FiaFia Night Attendance - Please join us

Kia ora e te whānau, all are invited to come along to our Fiafia night, regardless of whether you are performing or bringing kai. We are now gathering attendance numbers for the evening.

Please complete the short form below to let us know if you and your whānau will be attending. This information is important as it allows us to plan appropriately, including ensuring we have adequate seating available and can prepare well for the number of guests on the night.

Ngā mihi nui, Whaea Marie

FiaFia Attendance

New Vehicle

Last week we took posession of a new school van! As the school has grown we rely on our vehicles for transporting students to various events, trips, sports and camps so it's great to have be able to add another vehicle to our fleet :)

Hawke's Bay Hawks Visit HCS Basketballers

Big Barrel Hawke's Bay Hawks, who spent an hour with our primary and secondary basketball students. Dan Grida (Australia), Jeremy McLachlan, and Chase Jeter (USA) led a range of skills sessions and mini-games, giving our students the opportunity to learn from and interact with professional athletes. It was great to see so many students actively participating and enjoying the experience. A particular highlight was the chance for students to spend time getting to know all three players. We were also grateful for the opportunity to pray for them at the conclusion of the session.

We would like to thank the Big Barrel Hawke's Bay Hawks for generously providing tickets for a number of our students to attend tomorrow night's Hawks game. A special thank you to Bridget Rattray, Events Coordinator for the Big Barrel Hawke's Bay Hawks, and Davis Ataera from Get a Grip for their work in organising this opportunity for our students. It was a valuable and enjoyable experience for all involved.

Youth Ministry

Over the last eight weeks, up to 15 secondary school students have received training i how to run a youth ministry programme from Annaliese Smith and Benji Carey - Launchpad teachers (formerly Bible in schools). This training culminated in the students running a programme in B1 and B2, with Annaliese and Benji providing feedback at the end of the lesson. If the enthusiasm from the students in the primary classes Is anything to go by the students did a fantastic job!

Holiday reading?

Many students will have HCS library books out during the school break. Please take good care of these books and also use the holidays to look in your bookcase for outstanding books. Email library@hcs.school.nz to get an up-to-date list of books issued.

It is super important that all students are reading during the holidays, whether that is HCS books, public library books, recipes or signs around them. All public libraries in the region have holiday programmes and reading challenges.

Students also have access to a wide range of ebooks via HCS ePlatform. Use hcs.wheelers.co or download the app. Please ask your student for their ePlatform login details, contact Mrs Gardiner (library@hcs.school.nz) or register for a login on the site.

Student Achievements

Volleyball

Well done to the HCS B senior girls volleyball team, coached by Mr Northe, who were runners up in their division this term!

Debating

HCS senior debaters had a challenging, but successful, debating meet at Woodford House on Tuesday morning. Year 13s (David Franca van Dongen, Alex Vogtherr, Ellamae van Seventer, Meagan Kloosterman) won both of their debates and Year 12s (Nina Veenstra, Alice Paytner and Lily Fothergill - Year 11), lost one and won one. The students represented our school beautifully.