Dear parents and carers,

In his message for Lent 2022, Pope Francis invites the faithful to sow seeds of goodness, so that we might reap a harvest of salvation for ourselves and others. Pope Francis based his Message for Lent 2022 on a passage from St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: 

“Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, 

if we do not give up. 

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10)

One of the reasons why Lent is such a special season in the Church’s Liturgical Calendar is this notion of Doing Good For All. Over the past few weeks, I have witnessed first hand this in action within our community:

• Project Compassion - embraced by our school and parish community to raise much needed funds so that we can do good for others
• Harmony Day - linked to Project Compassion and the importance of standing in solidarity with those less fortunate was brought to life by our Year 5 & 6 students who facilitated lessons for our younger students. Their message….doing good for others
• Buddy Program - observing each day the love and kindness our Yr 5 students give to their Kindergarten buddies and vice versa
• A grateful parent who chose to Pay It Forward and left a donation at the local cafe for staff 
• Caring Staff who take the time to stop during the busyness of their day to actively listen and authentically converse with our students

                                                       ….and the list goes on….

Pope Francis says that each year during Lent “we are reminded that ‘goodness, together with love, justice, and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realised each day.’”

We are blessed that we are a part of a community that values doing good for all.

Congratulations 

This week, our School was recognised by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) for the high gains our students achieved in the latest NAPLAN scores. Catholic Schools New South Wales, further acknowledged Holy Cross as one of 40 schools across the state for this outstanding achievement.

I am extremely proud of this achievement and although NAPLAN results are only one small part of our school’s story, it is testament to our staff’s willingness to continually improve and refine targeted teaching practice to improve student outcomes as well as our students’ drive and passion for learning.

The Director of Schools, Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong, Mr Peter Hill acknowledged our staff with a letter of congratulations:

Holy Cross Open Twilight Event

This year, we are holding an Open Day - or Twilight session to invite prospective families who are thinking of enrolling their children into our school to have a look around, meet our staff and enjoy some hospitality (aka sausage!). 

This event is being held on Thursday 31 March, 4.30pm-6.00pm. If you know of anyone who may be interested in enrolling at Holy Cross either for Kindergarten in 2023 or for students in other grades this year,  we would appreciate you sharing this invitation.

Mrs Kaylene Duffin
Principal