Dear Parents and Friends,

As we bring Term 3 to a close this week, I thank all of our parents and families for your support throughout this term. We have celebrated Book Week, Father’s Day, our school and Parish’ Feast Day and our Grandparents’ special morning tea and classroom visits. Our Year Six students were confirmed by Bishop Brian Mascord. We have cheered for all athletes, international and our own Aussies at both the Olympic and ParaOlympic Games, alongside the many achievements of our own Holy Cross students in sporting endeavours. We have celebrated many academic opportunities including STEM Mad, the Christmas Art Competition, Public Speaking, our annual Spelling Bee, our Kindergarten’s Living Things Expo and Year 1 students showcasing their Science Dioramas. 

New equipment, thanks to our wonderful P&F, for our  lunchtime playgrounds have arrived and will be introduced in Term 4, with additional active play equipment, as well as passive games in new Wellbeing wagons.  Our active WEN and garden club teams have thriving new growth and are harvesting of endive lettuce being delivered to Symbio for the Stuttering Frog Conservation project we contribute to. Many highlights alongside the fantastic daily learning opportunities our students experience and engage with.

For photos of all our events celebrated, please visit our school’s Facebook page, where we regularly post many photos of school events, celebrations and student achievements.

From all of us at Holy Cross, we wish you all a very safe and enjoyable school holiday break!

Staff and Students return to school on MONDAY 14th October

The Term 4 Printable Calendar will be shared at the start of next term. Most dates are already on our Parent Online calendar and can be viewed on our SchoolWebsite under the News and Events tab. Please click on View More Upcoming Events to see further events.

Staff Spirituality Day- Season of Creation

Last Friday our staff took time out to reflect on our role as stewards of this earth. We spent the day in prayerful reflection and consideration. At Holy Cross, we are committed to sustainable and ecologically sound practices and enable our students to learn, experience and act as they learn and grow to know the world around them and their place in it. 

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi being named the patron saint of ecology. We are called to hope and act together with Creation….

• To hope and act together with Creation we must truly listen to how and why Creation is groaning. We need to push for more action, we're more aware than ever of the problems.

• Creation is groaning. Creation is part of God’s revelation, we must learn from and with Creation to know how to hope and act for a better future.

• The African wisdom of Ubuntu teaches us that the sense of self is shaped by relationships with others. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a cosmic collective family to care for Creation. I am because we are, the same goes with Creation. We are nature, nature is us, we are God’s hands for global and cosmic justice.

What is the Season of Creation? (Video)

Pope’s Message- World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2024

As we come to the end of the Season of Creation, with St Francis’ Feast Day (4 October), you may wish to reflect upon which climate care actions you could as a family consider. (Catholic Climate Covenant, “Let Us Sow Hope - 2024 Feast of St Francis”).

2024 ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PROGRESS

Goal 1: Living Our Catholic Identity: In 2024, we will revise our school’s Vision and Mission. 

• We have sought feedback and ideas from our parents around our review of our school’s vision and mission. As a result, the small number of parent feedback given, centred around what they see, want, hope or desire for their child:

• Feeling safe in their environment and community, and encouraged to be themselves

• Following our catholic values and trust in their learning

• A nurturing and supportive school to teach and guide them.

• A school that is caring, compassionate and welcoming, meets students' needs academically - especially those that either need extra support or extension, 

• A school that reiterates the values and morals we teach our children at home and a school that puts its teachers first.

• All my expectations have been met so far, I am extremely pleased with everything Holy Cross has to offer

• To guide the children to be inclusive, excited about learning and growing. Give our kids the tools they need

• Providing a sense of community and “family” at school.

• Expect that any bullying or meanness to be squashed quickly.

• Consider how we word our Vision and Mission to be student centred as well, active statements.

• We will continue to work on bringing together all of the feedback to ensure that these are best reflected and updated as we review our Vision and Mission statements. 

Goal 2: Student Centred Environment: In 2024, we will develop a shared understanding of what student voice and agency is. 

We have sought feedback and ideas from our students about how they see their voice being enabled in aspects of wellbeing, play, faith and learning. As a result our students have had a voice and opportunity to both affirm a range of positive aspects about schooling life they appreciate and enjoy, and identify some key ideas for the future. These are some of the key themes captured:

• We will continue to work on bringing together all of the feedback to ensure that these are best reflected and updated as we review our Vision and Mission statements. 
• Our Student Leadership Policy and Procedure has been updated to include the introduction of a Student Representative Council (SRC), to formally enable student voice across the year levels, as well as more defined leadership action opportunities across School Captain/ Vice Captains, Sport House, Faith (Mini Vinnies) and Environmental (WEN)  Leader roles.

Goal 3: Excellence in Teaching: In 2024, we will develop alignment between curriculum teaching, learning and assessment in English and Mathematics. 

• All class teachers have continued to build upon their knowledge and expertise in understanding the new Mathematics syllabus, and are completing a third round of professional collaborative planning to program for Term 4 Mathematics. As a result, teachers are refining their development of clear Learning Intentions and Success Criteria based on syllabus Outcomes and Content, and, informed by assessment, are being discerning when programming the learning content. 
• Continued focus into Term 4 will be within classrooms, with our Instructional Coach and leadership team supporting and providing support, modelling and feedback on professional practice.

Professional Learning

Research tells us that the quality of the teacher is the greatest in-school influence on student achievement. Therefore high quality professional learning for teachers must be a priority to ensure improved teacher practice that leads to improved student growth. Recent professional learning undertaken or other professional commitments by our staff this fortnight includes:

Staffing Update

Every Blessing,

Milena Colussi
Principal