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Dear parents and friends,
Last week, I was privileged to attend the Diocesan Principal’s Retreat. This is an annual overnight retreat with a different focus each year. Experiencing the Divine was this year’s theme. For me personally, this theme resonated with the many opportunities I have daily to encounter Christ. I feel God’s presence all around me…albeit through the endless interactions I share with students, staff, parents, family and friends and through finding awe in God’s creation. I have always felt this…what I was reminded of during the retreat is that such an ‘awareness’ can be missing in others. Helping others ‘tune in’ to what is already around us is the responsibility of Catholic educators and I feel blessed to have this responsibility at Holy Cross.
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Our visit from Aboriginal education group, Gumaraa, last Friday was a highly valuable learning experience. The day began with a traditional smoking ceremony and ochre ceremony and from that point engagement was high. Our students’ knowledge of Aboriginal history and cultures was deepened and we are very grateful for the P&F for funding this incursion
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Today’s celebration of the Feast of the Holy Cross and Grandparent’s Day was a highlight of the term. Thank you to our very special Grandparents and visitors who were able to join with us today and spend time with their precious grandchildren. Thank you to Father Paul for celebrating mass with us today. Father Paul spoke of us being called by God to be a family and therefore loving each other and forgiving each other is what we are called to do. It was a very special day.
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Thank you to all of our parents and families for your support throughout the term. We have made fantastic progress towards our school’s annual goals, have celebrated Book Week, Literacy & Numeracy Week and Father’s Day, have cheered for the Matildas, introduced new lunchtime clubs and our garden is thriving thanks to our Gardening Club…to name but a few highlights. I wish you all a very safe and enjoyable school holiday break.
Thank you for your continued support,
Kaylene Duffin
Principal
2023 ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Update
Goal 1
Improve students’ relationship with Jesus through the values of compassion, justice, hope and integrity.
- Miss Costello and Miss Facci participated in a Co-Teaching Cycle that involved planning and teaching a Religious Education lesson in Year 1. This session focussed on the pedagogy of storytelling.
- Staff and students were recently surveyed (as they are towards the end of each term) to gauge the impact our work is having towards this goal. Once again, there is a consistent reference to scripture across all classes and there is a gradual increase of students’ self reporting of their engagement during RE lessons.
Goal 2
By the end of 2023, all students will have increased their confidence and engagement in Mathematics so that all students achieve growth.
- K-2 teachers participated in a collaborative planning day on Wednesday to continue their work on using the Understanding By Design approach to target the immediate needs of students. This approach is increasingly highlighting the need to challenge our students.
A Learning Walk was also conducted in the Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms to evaluate the impact of our teaching.
- Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers have visited each other in the classroom twice in the past fortnight to observe teaching practice, in particular questioning of students and quality assessments.
Confirmation
On Wednesday night, the Helensburgh Parish community came together to Celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with many of our Year Six students. The confirmation candidates were in dialogue with Bishop Brian about the work of the Holy Spirit. With the support of their Sponsor they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Congratulations and may you continue to develop in your faith journey.
Christmas Art Competition
Each year students in Years Five and Six are invited to take part in The Christmas Story visual arts competition. This is an initiative of the Catholic Education Offices in Wollongong and Sydney to celebrate and explore children’s creative and artistic ability in illustrating the Christmas story.
Congratulations to Mollyrose, Bella and Amelia from Year Five and Joseph, Ruby and Mia G from Year Six whose artworks have been selected for the Wollongong competition. We wish these students the best in the next stage of the competition.
An Invitation to Sunday Mass
Holy Cross Parish would like to extend a warm invitation to all our beloved school families to join us for Mass on Sunday mornings at 8:30am.
Attending Mass as a family is not only a wonderful opportunity to strengthen and nurture our faith but also a chance to deepen the bonds that unite us as a parish, school and a wider community.
Some things you may not know:
- Sunday Mass goes for one hour, 8:30 - 9:30am.
- We regularly gather for morning tea and a catch up afterwards.
- Every second week we have a children's liturgy which enables our kids to build some great friendships and learn about their faith.
We look forward to welcoming you and your family at our next Mass as we come together to celebrate the gift of faith and the joy of community.
Bushfire Management
Our Bushfire Management Plan has been reviewed and updated with rigorous consultation with the Rural Fire Service including a site visit yesterday. Below is pertinent information for parents - Notification for Parents - Bushfire Emergency Plan 2023-2024. It is important that parents understand the two options that will be available in the event of a Bushfire.
As per our Bushfire Management Plan, please note the following reminders:
- Please ensure the office is notified of any changes to your contact details.
- Students are urged to bring their own drink bottle to school each day.
- All staff and parents are encouraged to download the Hazards Near Me app to monitor fires nearby. This app has recently replaced the Fires Near Me app and also includes updates on flood, winds etc
Our site is regularly maintained eg fire trail at the back of the school mowed and clear, gardens maintained and gutters cleaned.
Uniform
Students will return to school in Term 4 wearing Summer uniform. We thank our parent community for supporting us to maintain high standards and expectations for uniform. The Uniform Policy is attached, however we would like to highlight the following points as we near Term 4.
- Sports shoes should be predominantly white or blue. Bright colours such as red and pink are not appropriate.
- School shoes should be leather - not boot style
- Hats should be worn to and from school and during all lunch breaks
- Hair styles should be modest - please ensure students return to school with appropriate hairstyles
Beginning in Term 4, reminder slips will be sent home to address consistent breaches of the uniform policy.
Public Speaking Competition
Congratulations to Emma B (Yr 5) and Isabella A (Yr 6) for representing Holy Cross at the Regional Diocesan Speaking Competition on Monday. Both girls delivered their speeches with confidence, clarity and passion, engaging the audience and the adjudicators. The standard was extremely high and we are so proud of each of them. Emma B placed 2nd in the Year 5 competition and will represent the Region at the Wollongong Diocesan competition in Bowral in November. This is a fantastic achievement - Congratulations, Emma!
Father’s Day
Thank you to everyone involved last Friday in the celebration of Father’s Day….to the wonderful mothers who cooked the BBQ, to the P&F executive for organising the raffle, to Lisa Faulkner and her wonderful parent helpers for the most precious Father’s Day gifts, to the staff who gave their time to serve the breakfast and for preparing the students for the liturgy, to Miss Costello and Miss Fiel for their organisation of the liturgy, to the students for the love they showed their fathers, grandfathers and father figures and most importantly to our special guests, our Holy Cross fathers, Grandfathers and Father figures. We also acknowledge our fathers and grandfathers who couldn;t be with us on Friday…we are mindful that work and other commitments can stop some fathers from being able to attend.
Assemblies
Our final assembly for Term 3 will be held on Thursday 21 September at 2.20pm. Principal Awards will be presented and Kindergarten will be sharing aspects of their learning. All are welcome.
Transition to Kindergarten Playgroup - 2024
Next Tuesday and Thursday, we will begin to welcome our 2024 Kindergarten students with the start of our Transition to Kindergarten Playgroup. This is a very important time for our community because not only do we welcome new students to our beautiful community, but also many new families. The remaining Playgroup sessions will be held in Term 4. We are pleased to announce that Mrs McEntee will be the Kindergarten teacher for 2024. Our students are in good hands!!
Emergency Management Procedures
As part of our Work, Health and Safety team, we have an Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) who are responsible for developing procedures and plans related to emergency management. Over the past two weeks, the ECO have conducted two emergency drills, Lockdown during Lunch time play and Shelter In Place in the event we ever need to enact this part of our Bushfire Management Plan. The ECO plan drills each term to ensure our staff and students are well prepared in the event of an emergency.
RUOK Day
Today we acknowledge R U OK? Day and are reminded to check in with our friends and family who may be feeling the impact of life’s challenges. The question R U OK? opens the doorway to a meaningful conversation and may allow someone to share authentically how they are travelling.
R U OK? is calling on all of us to let the people you care about know you're here, to really hear them. R U OK? conducted research to understand what a meaningful R U OK? conversation looks like for Australians in 2023.
People commonly mentioned three things:
- Trust: they need to know the person they speak to is someone they trust, and, for many, someone they are close to.
- Authenticity: they want to know the person asking them genuinely wants to hear answer.
- Environment: people prefer to have these conversations in a private space with enough time to share what they want to say.
We will acknowledge RUOK? Day with a specific Library lesson next Friday.
Professional Learning
Recent Staff 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 by our staff this fortnight includes:
4 September 2023 - Continuous Catholic School Improvement Network Meeting
Mrs Jennett & Mrs Duffin
5&6 September 2023 - Principal’s Retreat
Mrs Duffin
13 September 2023 - K-2 Collaborative Planning - Mathematics
Mrs MCEntee, Miss Facci, Mrs Hennock, Mrs N Baker
Final Day of Term 3
Students’ final day in Term 3 is Friday 22 September, 2023.
TERM 4 Dates
Please find pertinent dates for Term 4. All pertinent dates can be found on our parent Calendar
https://www.hchdow.catholic.edu.au/news-and-events/events/
Monday 9 October - Students’ first day of Term 4
Wednesday 22 November - 2024 Kindergarten Orientation Day
Thursday 14 December - 9.30am End of Year Mass and Year 6 Graduation Ceremony
Friday 15 December - Christmas Concert and last day of 2023 for students
Tuesday 19 December - Last day of 2023 for staff
Assistant Principal Appraisal
Every 4 years, Assistant Principals in the Diocese of Wollongong, participate in an appraisal process aimed at building their leadership capacity and supporting their individual professional growth. Mrs Jennett's Appraisal will be held on Monday 23 October 2023.
This process involves surveying staff, students and parents. Mrs Jennett is very grateful for your support and the time it will take to complete this survey in the coming weeks.
Pedestrian and Passenger Safety
Marvelous Maths
Rules: In this game, you always have nine cards in play. You try to make pairs that equal 11.
Check Mate
Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee
The Prime Minister’s Spelling is a national spelling competition for students in Stage 2 and Stage 3. It is an online competition designed to challenge students and improve students’ vocabulary, encouraging them to learn to spell in a fun environment. All students are timed and provided with the definition and word etymology if required. There are multiple rounds depending on how well the students perform. There is a school round, state/territory finals and a national final. The top 100 students from each state make it through to the state competition finals and then the top 3 go through to the nationals with an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister. From Holy Cross, a big congratulations to Mia A in Year 6 who progressed to the State Finals. The following students were awarded as our Class Champions for receiving the highest score. Well done to all participants.
Congratulations to our Class Champions:
- Year 3: Charlotte W
- Year 4: Sage G and Lee K (tied 1st place)
- Year 5: Indiana S
- Year 6: Mia A
Library News
PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE (PRC)
Our final Primary class to complete the PRC is…Year 4!
CONGRATULATIONS to all of Year 4 for completing the challenge!
LIBRARY LAST WEEK OF TERM REMINDER (WEEK 10)
In the last week of term, students are encouraged to borrow an extra Library book for holiday reading, which is an extremely popular practice at Holy Cross! By returning all your child’s books next Friday (22 September), they will be able to borrow the maximum amount.
LIBRARY WARRIOR
Introducing…Evelyn (Year 5)
What section are you responsible for?
I help Zoe put away the picture books and then help anyone else that needs it. I also am the Warrior that stacks the books for Mrs Murray before school so she can return them.
What is your favourite book?
I can’t choose – there are so many. I love all books, but I guess some of my favourites are the Graphic Novels by Raina Talgemeier like Guts and Smile.
What do you love about being a Library Warrior?
You get to hang out with the other Library Warriors. I also love helping out with the returns in the morning because you get to see all the cool books and reserve them. It’s just fun!
What is your favourite Library task?
I love sorting and stacking the books before school for Mrs Murray.
Happy 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!
