All students at Holy Cross participate in swimming lessons at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre. Our programme focuses on water safety, swimming technique, and confidence in the water. Extension opportunities are available for students ready to challenge themselves in activities such as kayaking, mini polo, diving, and snorkelling.
As part of the national Bikes in Schools initiative, our tamariki have regular access to bikes, helmets, and on-site bike tracks. This programme, supported by the Bike On New Zealand Charitable Trust, promotes physical activity, teaches bike safety, and encourages sustainable travel habits. It also ensures every child, regardless of background, can experience the joy and freedom of riding a bike.
Each week, our Year 7 and 8 students attend specialist technology classes at Mt Cook School. These sessions offer hands-on learning in areas such as Workshop, Food Technology, ICT, Electronics, and Soft Materials. Through this programme, students gain practical skills, experience with tools and digital technologies, and the opportunity to explore future-focused pathways.
At Holy Cross School, we are proud to celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our community. Our cultural performance groups provide opportunities for students to connect with their identity, express themselves through music and movement, and share their culture with pride.
We have two main ropū: a Junior Syndicate group for Years 1–3, and a Middle & Senior ropū for Years 4–8. These groups learn and perform waiata, haka, and traditional dances from a range of cultures, showcasing the richness of our school whānau.
This year, we are also excited to have a dedicated performance group of 50 students representing Holy Cross at the Catholic Schools Cultural Celebration at St Patrick’s College. This is a wonderful opportunity for our tamariki to perform with pride, celebrate their heritage, and stand tall in their faith.
Our cultural group programme, which includes kapa haka and Pasifika performance, supports students to express identity, language, and stories through song, movement, and drama. These activities are part of the Performing Arts strand in the NZ Curriculum, helping students build confidence, collaboration, and a strong sense of belonging. Practiced for the middle and senior syndicate are held on Monday and the junior syndicate is on Wednesdays
Kete Tūmanako – Basket of Hope (Service & Leadership Aspirations)
At Holy Cross, leadership means serving others with love. Our Leadership Kete helps senior students grow as leaders through our core values of whānau, aroha, and YES! – saying yes to faith, service, learning, and others.
Leadership at Te Rotokura is grounded in ako – reciprocal learning – where tuakana and teina grow together through reflection and action. Our students are guided by the words of Romans 12:10:
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”
Our leadership programme offers a range of opportunities, including:
These roles allow our students to lead with integrity, humility, and purpose—reflecting the values of our Catholic faith and te ao Māori.
We are lucky enough to offer our students FREE lessons with Arohanui Strings. Arohanui Strings is a Sistema-inspired early intervention music education programme, and registered charitable trust, running groups in Taita, Stokes Valley, Wainuiomata, Mt Cook, Miramar and Newtown.
We teach strings, brass and woodwind.
We are part of a visionary global movement transforming the lives of children through music.
We are able to offer FREE instrumental lessons in keyboard, drums, piano, guitar and bass guitar for our senior students. This is due to the generosity of the Richard Horsham Trust.
We are now a ‘model’ school for Garden to Table and are regularly visited by other schools for inspiration. Throughout the year there are numerous extension activities students can take part in including the ‘Root to Tip’ competition where students are challenged to create a dish sourced from their local garden that uses all of the plants.
As well as a comprehensive programme of fitness and PE during school time (including our Bikes in Schools and swimming programme at Kilbirnie Pool), we offer the following extension activities in sport.
Term One
Term Two
Term Three
Term 4
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