Dear Parents and Friends,

Kindergarten 2025

Our 2025 Kindergarten Transition to School Playgroups and formal Orientation session concluded this week. Our 2025 Kinder students had the opportunity to meet their Year 4 Buddies last week as well, and there was much excitement as they played together and got to know each other. We have siblings starting school and we also warmly welcome 15 new families to our Holy Cross community in 2025! 

Values at Holy Cross

Throughout the year, our students and staff have continued to make the links between our four values of Hope, Justice, Compassion and Integrity, our PB4L expectations and how we, as Catholics, can live out these values in our daily actions and words. We also share a scripture passage every Monday morning at assembly prayer, and provide examples of how the life of Jesus, or people in the scriptures demonstrate right and just ways of living, learning and loving. 

For example, next week’s scripture passage (Ephesians 4:32 and 4:1-6) reminds us all about the value of COMPASSION. How can we show kindness, care, understanding and forgiveness in our everyday relationships?

I encourage you to speak to your children about these values and how they can actively live them each day.

Student Leadership Policy and Procedures-  Parent feedback (via P&F meeting)

Thank you for the fantastic feedback, ideas and endorsements provided for the updated Student Leadership Policy. A further update has been made to reflect this. 

School and Vice Captains - Parents present support the move from one girl and one boy model (where gender nominations are not in balance). Consideration requested to be given to ensure that in the total 4, that both genders be represented eg 3 girls & 1 boy / 3 boys & 1girl ( Not 4 boys or 4 girls). 

Response- The voting process usually produces this outcome and this will definitely be looked at to ensure representation. The policy procedure allows for this if there is a gender nomination imbalance in any given year. 

SRC's from Yr 1-5. 

1. Suggestion to consider greater change, eg, each term to give more students a chance to have a go at leadership experience.  It was also suggested for the younger cohorts that perhaps there could be 2 reps per class so the children could support one another advocating for class ideas etc. There really is a strong desire among the parents to share leadership opportunities and recognition with as many children as possible.
   
   Response- either by semester (provides time for a cycle of voice to action experience) or termly (can be a shorter turnaround for ideas to be actioned) . We will trial a semester changeover in 2025, and review feedback for 2026. We will have a system of recording which children have had a turn so that we give as many students as possible, who desire to, to be involved.
   
   
2. Would every SRC student receive a badge? Response- Semester Model- yes. The P&F would be happy to also fund additional badges as well, diversifying the initiatives funded.

Sport / House Leaders

Clarify on policy/ flow chart that Sport Leaders are Year 6. Response-  Actioned 

Extra note: We can also consider encouraging Year 5 and Year 4 (Semester 2)  students as younger leaders to volunteer and step up prior to Year 6, to join the SPORT teams, assisting Year 6 Sport/ House leaders on a roster for various sport and playground equipment management. 

2024 ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PROGRESS

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

• Our staff further reflected upon our school’s Vision and Mission statements over two staff meetings recently.  As a result we have identified that many aspects of these reflect who we are, but may need some contemporising to also reflect our Christ centred mission.
• Last term, parent feedback was sought and contributions were shared in our Newsletter (26/9/24). Although minimal feedback was received, comments will be taken on board in terms of considering how we make our Vision and Mission statements child centred/ friendly.
• This term, this feedback and information will be drawn together to finalise a refreshed Vision and Mission, alongside a plan to also more actively bring this to life in our every day, to be more deeply known and articulated by all in our community.    

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

• Last term, we also consulted with our students about how they see their voice being enabled in aspects of wellbeing, play, faith and learning. Their valuable insights and feedback were shared in a newsletter (26/9/24), and have already informed aspects of our Student Leadership policy update, in terms of providing a more formal SRC structure across the school, and broadening their opportunities for voice and action.
• Our student Leadership Policy has been reviewed. Updates have been made to reflect more formally the various student leadership roles and opportunities we have for our Year Six students, as well as our younger students, with great feedback via our P &F recently as well.

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 engage with a third collaborative planning cycle in Mathematics, applying their learnings of the new syllabus to program, learning and assessment task design. Our leadership team and Instructional Coach also are working in and alongside our classroom teachers where possible. As a result, teachers have developed in their professional knowledge, capacity and confidence to plan effective and more engaging units of teaching from the new mathematics syllabus. 
• This term, we will be gathering mathematics student growth data through a variety of assessments. Our recent Place Value Assessment Tool (PVAT) data has shown positive trends of growth across all classes, either at or above expectations.

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:

Every Blessing,

Milena Colussi
Principal