Dear Parents and Friends of Holy Cross,

We are almost at the midpoint of Term 1! We have already had many great events with Year Six enjoying Camp, our Opening School Mass, our Student Representative Council (SRC) off to a great start, this week’s Meet & Greet sessions with teachers, and more to come!

On Monday afternoon, we open our gates to new families (and sibling families) seeking Kindergarten enrolment for 2026, with our Year Six students ready to be fabulous guides as they share all they know and love about our great school and community here at Holy Cross! 

HOLY CROSS FETE

Most significantly, our annual FETE is coming up on Saturday 15th March, organised and run by our amazing P&F, and the volunteering of you, our parents, on the various class stalls.  Our amazing Fete committee are well and truly in final preparations these last two weeks! If you have not yet responded to class stall rostering requests, I strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Many hands make the workload on the day lighter for all, and by helping out for a short time, it also enables everyone to enjoy the rest of the day as well!

We will open our Fete at 9:45am, with Acknowledgement of Country, and a short song and movement from each stage (K-2, Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6), before the FETE starts officially at 10am.

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC PARISH PRIMARY SCHOOL’s VISION AND MISSION

Throughout last year, one of our identified improvement goals was to review our school’s Vision and Mission statements. Through a process of reflection and refinement, informed by student, parent and staff feedback, supported by our Parish Priest Fr Paul, and facilitated by Gary Quinn, (Team Leader, Staff Spiritual Formation, Catholic Life, Education and Mission, CEDoW), I am pleased to be able to present our revitalised statement of who we aspire to be (Vision) and how we together, in partnership, can go forth to bring about the mission of Christ’ work in our school in the way we and our students can LOVE (our faith), LEARN (education) and LIVE (wellbeing) life to the full (John 10:10).

Words are just that- unless they are understood, brought to life, and recognised in word and action. Our “bringing to life” of our Vision and Mission will be a key focus of this year. More Soon!

P&F AGM  

Congratulations to our 2025 P&F Executive Team: 

President: Melissa McCallum

Vice President: Jess Duguid

Treasurer: Anthony Muscat

Secretary: Meryn Murray

I know this team will be very well supported by all the you!

THE PLACE OF TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM

Our school’s Annual Improvement Plan’s impact on improving students’ faith, learning and wellbeing is highly dependent upon the ongoing professional learning and capacity building of our staff. Our staff, as part of Catholic Education Diocese of  Wollongong, engage in a range of contemporary, challenging and rigorous professional learning. Research tells us that teacher quality is the biggest in-school factor responsible for improved student outcomes, so professional learning is very much an integral part of any school’s improvement agenda. When we invest in teacher professionalism, we invest in every child’s learning. 

Our school’s professional learning plan for our teachers includes staff meetings before and after  school, Staff Development Days, onsite professional learning (half days and whole days) as well as offsite professional learning days. Some of these will require teachers to be given time away from face to face teaching. I am very mindful of ensuring a balance around these, and our professional teachers are very conscious of ensuring that continuity of learning for their class of students remains regardless of who is teaching them. When teachers attend professional learning, they plan the day's work and communicate with the casual teacher regarding the needs of students. 

The professional learning opportunities that staff attend willI be included in each fortnightly newsletter. 

May the peace of Christ be with you,

Milena Colussi
Principal

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Each year, CEDoW schools action a focused annual improvement goal. Our focus is:

2025 Annual Improvement Goal

Students will report increased levels of engagement and achieve personal learning growth in Mathematics and Reading. Some strategies we are actioning:

• Semester 1- Maths focus. Teacher Professional Learning and planning, supported by our Instructional Coach and Leadership Team;
• Using data effectively (formal and informal classroom based assessments which inform teachers about where students are at, and where to next and informs their programs and teaching to meet students at their level, both supporting and challenging their learning.
• Developing student understandings and how they can identify and talk about their own engagement in their learning of maths.

We also have ongoing action around our broader 4 year Strategic Improvement Plan 2024-2027 Priority Areas:

1. Living Our Catholic Identity: By 2027 our community will deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith and appreciate the meaningful role it can play in our lives today.

• In 2025
• Revised Vision & Mission - re-launch and bring the Vision and Mission to life this year. 
• Faith formation plan aligned to the Vision and Mission.

1. Student Centred Learning and Wellbeing; By 2027 students are agents of their own learning and wellbeing.

• In 2025
• SRC implementation
• Building further on a shared understanding of what student voice and agency looks and sounds like.
• Using a Student Engagement Continuum- a way students can talk about how engaged they feel when learning.
• Staff Professional Learning (with St Pius Unanderra) Berry St Education Model (BESM) for Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
• Parent Information session- student engagement and SEL

1. Excellence in Teaching: By 2027 all students will be engaged, challenged and have maximised their learning growth.

• In 2025, Teachers are experts in the English and Mathematics syllabus documents.
• HCH Vision for Learning developed (informed by our mission statement and CEDoW’s “Faith, Learning and Wellbeing Vision for Learning Framework” launched this week).
• Assessment informs teaching and learning.
• Students experience expected growth in Maths and Reading.

Our progress towards these goals in 2025 will be shared with our parents and wider community throughout the year. 

Important Update for all Parent/Grandparent Volunteers & Contractors: New Visitor Management System for School Sign-Ins

We are excited to announce the implementation of a new Visitor Management System designed to streamline and enhance the safety and efficiency of signing in at our schools. This system will change the way parents and visitors sign in, ensuring a smoother and more secure process.

Important Steps for All Parents:

Token for Onboarding Process: If you have previously provided the school with your Working With Children’s Check number you will receive an email with your token via email shortly. If you would like to start volunteering, please click on the link provided below to complete the new on boarding process. 

Click here to complete the NEW on Boarding Process

Clearance for Volunteering: Once you have completed the onboarding process, you will receive clearance from the Child Protection team from the Catholic Education Office, allowing you to volunteer in our schools.

Quick Sign-In App: To make the sign-in process even simpler, CEDoW have introduced a quick sign-in app available for download from both the App Store and Google Play Store. This app will allow you to sign in quickly and efficiently whenever you visit the school.

Click here to download the Quick Sign-In App

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we transition to this new system. Our goal is to ensure the safety and security of all students, staff, and visitors. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS!