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

Stage 3 Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition

Stage 3 have been working on their Christmas Art entries all term. Students firstly examined the works of famous artists, then had to reflect on five different Scripture passages and decide which one would be the motivation for an artwork. Students could create anything they liked and also had to accompany it with a 200 word reflection explaining their process and thinking. All artworks were then displayed in the library and staff were invited to vote for our winning entries. These were then entered into the competition. Our selected students from Holy Cross were:

Year 5 - Florence, Adelaide and Vida 

Year 6 - Amelia, Isabella and Mikaela 

The final shortlisted artworks were judged this past week and selected based on the best response to the criteria and were exemplary of Stage 3 reflective writing and artistic skills.  

We congratulate Amelia, who has been shortlisted. Her artwork will be exhibited in the Wollongong City Art Gallery for the The Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition Opening and Awards Night on Wednesday 16 October 2024. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 4 - October 27, 2024.

Stage 3 Public Speaking

Our Stage 3 finalists delivered their amazing speeches to their primary peers, parents and teachers yesterday. From themes on courage, “Life in 2075”, “Olympic success is measured by gold medals” ( or is it?), “It must be true it’s online” ( this post is true!) and “If I could meet anyone in the world it would be…” ( some very awe inspiring and notable people!), these students spoke with clarity, conviction, confidence and passion! Very proud of each and every one of you!

Special congratulations to our 2 students, Sophie (Yr 5) and Mattia (Yr 6) selected to represent Holy Cross at the CEDoW Regional Final next term.

STEM MAD Showcase - Innovate for Impact

STEM MAD calls on students to respond to our Catholic call to action and create a solution to a real-life problem to make a difference in the world. Students across our Diocese have been engaged in STEM learning experiences and we had 4 HCH teams selected to present their innovative creations last Wednesday at the Innovate for Impact showcase at the UOW Innovation Campus. This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their work and connect them with industry and the wider community.

Congratulations to Evie, Indiana and Isabel (The Hero Bear), Macie and Grace (My Book of Memories), Emma (Safe Spark) and Mattia (The Recycled Quilt) for showcasing your amazing prototypes and solutions to an authentic audience. We are so proud of your achievements.

Click on the link for a little snapshot of our Innovate for Impact showcase.  It was such a fantastic day!  Innovate for Impact

Further CEDoW STEM MAD Awards will be announced shortly along with those students who will be invited to attend the STEM MAD National Showcase in Brisbane.

Spelling Bee 2024

 Today we all gathered for the fun of our 9^th Holy Cross Spelling Bee. Each class held their own spelling bee heats and the worthy finalists all competed today for the honour of being the Spelling Champion for their Stage. We are very proud of all of our Stage Finalists.

And a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our Champions for 2024!

EStg1 Adele M, Stg1 Rafe D, Stg2 Henry M, Stg3 Mattia W

Bernadette Baker

Spelling Bee Co-ordinator
Learning Support

ASSEMBLIES in TERM 4

Our fortnightly school assemblies during Term 4 will be held under the top Cola on Thursday afternoons at 2.35pm. 

• Week 2 - Thursday 24th October

• Week 4 - Thursday 7th  November - Kindergarten sharing their learning

• Week 6 - Thursday 21st November, Principal Awards

• Week 8 - Thursday 5th December

• Week 10 - Final Assembly- TBC

Save the Dates

• End Of Year Mass and Yr 6 Graduation

Please note that our End of Year Mass and Year 6 Graduation Ceremony will be held in the church on Thursday 12 December at 9.30am. 

• Christmas Concert

This wonderful event will be held on Wednesday 18th December, on the playground, from 9:30am.

BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2024-2025 

Our Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) met with our local Rural Fire Service (RFS) personnel to complete our annual review of our school’s Bushfire Management Plan, which includes our Shelter in Place Plan. Our Wardens have completed a drill, our staff and students will complete this drill in our first week back of Term 4. This information is for our parent community:

Jo- Embed this document  (Link in our HCH drive ) or use the screen image below

PARENT TIPS - FROM OUR CATHOLIC CARE COUNSELLOR 

HELPING YOUR KID BUILD RESILIENCE

Resilience is an essential trait for children as it empowers them to navigate life's inevitable challenges with strength and adaptability. Beyond bouncing back from setbacks, resilience brings crucial life skills such as problem-solving, emotional regulation, and perseverance. It builds a positive mindset that encourages children to view obstacles as opportunities for growth rather than unbeatable barriers. Moreover, children with resilience are better equipped to manage stress, build healthy relationships, and achieve their goals, setting a foundation for long-term emotional well-being and success. By nurturing resilience early on, parents and caregivers play a vital role in preparing children to thrive in a world where resilience is not just a trait, but a foundation of personal development.

Here are some tips to foster resilience in kids:

Encourage Problem-Solving Skills: Teach children to break down problems into smaller parts and brainstorm solutions. This helps them feel empowered and capable of overcoming difficulties.

Promote Positive Thinking: Encourage optimism and a growth mindset. Help them reframe negative thoughts into more positive ones, emphasising the importance of learning from mistakes.

Teach Coping Strategies: Teach kids healthy ways to manage stress and emotions, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, physical activity, or creative outlets like drawing or writing.

Set Realistic Goals: Help children set achievable goals and celebrate their progress. This builds confidence and resilience by showing them they can accomplish things through effort and persistence.

Foster Supportive Relationships: Encourage strong connections with family, friends, and mentors. Having a support network helps children feel safe and valued, which boosts resilience.

Model Resilience: Children often learn by example. Show them how you handle setbacks and challenges in a calm and constructive manner, demonstrating resilience in your own life.

Encourage Independence: Allow children age-appropriate opportunities to make decisions and solve problems on their own. This builds self-reliance and resilience.

Validate Feelings: Acknowledge and validate your child’s feelings, whether they are positive or negative. This helps them develop emotional awareness and resilience.

Maintain Routine and Structure: Consistency and predictability help children feel secure and capable of handling change or disruptions effectively.

Provide Unconditional Love and Support: Let your child know they are loved and accepted no matter what. This gives them the confidence to face challenges knowing they have a safe emotional base.

By incorporating these tips into daily interactions and parenting practices, you can help your child develop the resilience they need to thrive in various situations throughout their lives.

Sara Ljuboja

School Counsellor

The Holy Cross Parish Bulletin is emailed to our families via COMPASS, but it is easily accessible on the Parish website: https://www.helensburghcatholic.org.au/bulletins