Academic Reports

Students’ Semester 2 Academic Reports, Kindergarten - Year 6, will be made available to parents via the Compass Parent Portal tomorrow, Friday 8 December. If parents would like to discuss their child’s Report with their class teacher in Week 10, please contact the school office.

2024 Staffing

I am pleased to announce the following staffing arrangements for 2024:

Kindergarten - Mrs Melissa McEntee & Mrs Bernie Baker 8.50am - 12.00pm (Mon-Thurs)

Year 1 - Miss Elise Facci

Year 2 - Mrs Debbie Turton & Mrs Natalie Baker (Thursdays)

Year 3 - Mrs Anne Rowles

Year 4 - Mr Jeff Bôdy & Mrs Natalie Baker (Fridays)

Year 5 - To be determined

Year 6 - Mr Chris Whitehall

Instructional Coach - Mrs Natalie Baker (Mon-Wed)

Diverse Learning and Gifted Education - Mrs Jenny Mirevski (Tue-Thurs)

Indentured Casual - Mrs Lucy Barbuto (Mon-Wed)

PE - Mrs Kate Boyle (Fridays)

Music/Drama - Mrs Kat Feil (Fridays)

Library - Mrs Kate Jennett (Fridays)

Senior School Support Officer - Mrs Erin Maguire

School Support Officers: Mrs Jo Carroll, Mrs Sue Mapp, Mrs Sue Murray, Mrs Larissa Timmins, Mrs Kim Attenborough

Transitioning between grades is an important part of our overall School transitioning process. This includes teachers sharing pertinent information regarding the students they taught this year to the teacher who will teach them in 2024. This process has begun and will continue next week. Students will spend time with the teacher they will have next year on Thursday 14 December. 

2024 Return to School

Students in Years 1-6 will return to school on Wednesday 31 January wearing their Sports Uniform.

Kindergarten students will begin on Wednesday 7 February wearing their Sports Uniform. Kindergarten students will be at school for the full day, 8.50am - 3.00pm.

Dates for the Remainder of the Year

Friday 8 December -  Swimming Carnival

Thursday 14 December 

- 9.30am End of Year Mass and Year 6 Graduation Ceremony

- 12pm - Year 6 to Helensburgh Pool

Friday 15 December - Christmas Concert and last day of 2023 for students

Students’ final day of the year is Friday 15 December, 2023.

Tuesday 19 December - Last day of 2023 for staff

Pertinent Dates for Term 1

All school dates can be found on our school calendar -

Pertinent Dates Include:

Wednesday 31 January - First day of school for Years 1-6

Wednesday 7 February - First day of school for Kindergarten

Wednesday 14 February - Ash Wednesday

Wednesday 14 & 15 February - Year 6 Camp 

Monday 19 February - P & F Annual General Meeting

Saturday 2 March - P & F 2024 Family Fun Day

School Fees by Instalment

NEW FAMILIES TO OUR SCHOOL

School Fees are invoiced as an annual account, due for payment in full 30 days after invoicing. However, many families elect to pay their school fees by regular instalments and as a new family to our school, we would like to offer you this
option. If you wish to take up this offer, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request, either email it to
instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2024 school fees. Your school fee statements are emailed to you and they will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying
by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment
request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITH INSTALMENTS

If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments eg Weekly to Fortnightly

EXISTING FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITHOUT INSTALMENTS

If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2024 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2024 school fees. Your school fee statement will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date depending on the frequency you have chosen eg Fortnightly, Monthly, etc.

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you currently have a child or children at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request
carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment eg Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

SPLICED

SPLICED  (Strengthening Potential through Learning in Interactive Challenging Environments in the Diocese of Wollongong) is a high potential and gifted education initiative allowing students to think and respond critically, creatively and contemplatively to a conceptual unit.  The unit this year; A View From Afar: Examining and Dissecting, Marvelling and Wondering Through a Wide-Angle Lens has allowed students to explore an  area of investigation of their choice. Students throughout the diocese presented work in the categories of The Arts and Humanities, Global Issues, History, Human Living, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Spirituality, Sport, Technology and War. The students involved in the SPLICED program were: Isabella A, Tom A, Mia A, Joseph F, Amos L, Amelia R, Maya R, Lee K.

The following students were successful in having their work acknowledged in the SPLICED book and published on the SPLICED website.

Isabella A - Year 6

Movement of Our World

Viewing the huge environmental changes through the eyes of a 10 year old over the decades

Isabella’s story shares a girl’s perspective of the world from 1989 to 2023 and her positive outlook on the world as an adult as a result of living through these times.

Thomas A - Year 6

Zoom

A Boy on a Bike: Mind, Body and Soul 

Thomas’ insightful and personal look into his world, via his bike and his spiritual and emotional connections to it. He invites the reader to view his bike through his eyes, engaging them in his poetic prose and capturing their imagination through his illustrated artwork.

Mia A  - Year 6

Stitches

Piecing the Patches of my Life Together

Mia’s creation of a patchwork quilt captures her time during primary school.  Each panel has been designed to present a pivotal moment in her school life. 

Joseph F - Year 6

A Life in Pictures

What Rubber Cannot Erase

Seven years of school life presented in pictorial form.  Joseph has hand drawn key events in each of his primary school years resulting in a collage of his school memories that 

Lee K - Year 4

A Journey Through Domino Toppling

A Guide to Building and Creating Domino Patterns

Lee’s book aims to guide the discerning reader with a selection of domino builds with increasing complexity.  Lee invites the reader to explore the physics behind domino toppling coupled with mathematical formulas.

Amos L - Year 5

Biomimicry 

How imitating nature benefits human living

Amos’s magazine article educates the reader on the importance of biomimicry and the various and potential uses in today’s world

Amelia R - Year 5

Imagination Blossoms

Our imaginative mind leads to innovations, dreams, theories and creations.

Amelia’s artwork is inspired by her interest in the beauty of flowers and the fascinating characterics of our wondrous galaxy.

These students have spent many hours working on their areas of investigations, at school and at home and presented a wide variety of literacies. We are all so proud of everything these students have achieved.  The students also showcased the multiple literacies they have been working on in the Library, our own Holy Cross SPLICED Launch. A diverse array of projects were displayed and the SPLICED students were excited to share their work with other students in the school.

There will be a video launch of the SPLICED website, Tuesday December 12 at 7PM, which contains all these students' work. Their published work is now accessible to a worldwide audience. 

I would encourage you to go to the SPLICED 2023 website and view the amazing work of our students. Congratulations to all of these students. They have done a wonderful job. https://spliced2023.dow.catholic.edu.au/

Holy Cross SPLICED Launch

STEM MAD

The STEM MAD Student Showcase is a celebration of student learning designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address real-world problems and demonstrate the particularity of Catholic Schools; encouraging students to make a difference (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good. This aligns with the papal call for action in Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home and demonstrates how students in Catholic schools take action that matters. Congratulations to all of the students who participated in STEM MAD.  

This year, five teams from Stage 3 presented their research, innovation and prototypes to Mr Llamas, an education officer in learning technologies and innovation from the CEDoW. We are very pleased to announce that two teams went on to win the following CEDoW Awards:

• Laudato Si Award: The Seed Library (Keira P and Alice B)
• St. Francis Care of Animals Award: Koala Mittens (Isabella A and Lilly C)

Nationals

Subsequent to this, Keira and Alice, the innovators of The Seed Library went on to be recognised as an award finalist for the Best Application of Maths in Context (Primary) at the National Awards.  We are so proud of you. What a wonderful accomplishment and a testimony to your dedication and hard work.  

A huge congratulations to Keira, Alice, Isabella and Lilly. We are so proud of your commitment to making a difference in our community and the success of your achievements.  

Keira P and Alice B

KOALA MITTENS - St Francis Care of Animals Award Winner

Lilly C and Isabella A

Library News

A VERY SPECIAL GIFT!

This week, our Library was gifted with a very special text from one of our Year 4 students, Lee Kelleway. As part of the SPLICED program, Lee completed a comprehensive guide titled ‘A Journey Through Domino Toppling’. Lee (with the assistance of Mrs Mitrevski) gifted a copy of the guide to the Library and from a quick flick through, I believe it will be a wonderful addition, particularly for all our domino lovers! Thank you Lee for your thoughtfulness and I personally look forward to delving into it in more detail!

LIBRARY BOOK RETURNS

All outstanding Library books are now overdue and must be returned to the Library as soon as possible. If your child still has Library books, they can bring them to school any day.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB Issue 8

Book Club Issue 8 orders are due anytime now, all parents who ordered will receive a courtesy call to find out whether they would like to pick up from the office or send home with their child - just in case there are some Christmas pressies ordered!

SOME THANK YOU's FROM ME…

• Our wonderful P&F for their continued support of funds to attain wonderful titles – this has allowed me to purchase student requests, teacher requests and special interest titles.
• The parents who take home books to cover – this is such a vital job and there are simply not enough hours in my day to get this done – so appreciative!
• Mrs Duffin and Mrs Jennett who have always supported my passion for getting our students to read and above all, love books. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do half the crazy things I come up with!!!
• Our lovely staff, who entrust me to provide them with quality resources or work with me to make sure student reading needs can be explored and encouraged.
• The fantastic HCH students, who get excited to come to Library and able to find something that interests them – I love talking with each of them about what they have selected.
• And lastly (but not least), my Library Warriors, who without them, I could not do what I am able to achieve and our Library would simply not function efficiently without them.

Happy holiday reading everyone!

Sue Murray
Library Coordinator

Our school canteen run by Mrs Donovan, is opened three days each week, Wednesday & Thursday breakfast & lunch 1 and Friday Breakfast lunch 1 & 2 serving yummy treats and hot food. And don't forget homemade pizza's on Wednesday's!

Canteen Menu 2023.pdf

Canteen Menu 2023 _pdf 92.51 KB