Dear Parents and Friends of Holy Cross,

Our School Fete was a wonderful event shining a light on the strong spirit of community at Holy Cross! Everyone’s time, effort, organisation, service, enjoyment and fun was seen everywhere throughout the day! There are many to thank but I especially wish to thank Jenny Amadio our Fete Coordinator, the Fete team, our P&F for all their hard work and many hours over many months in the lead up canvassing for sponsors, donations and the many prizes for the chocolate wheel and raffle!  A very grateful thank you to all of our parents who hosted and worked throughout the day on various stalls, assisted with the preparation for the day and very efficient clean up at the end of it all! A well oiled machine indeed, and, as noted in our P&F’s Fete Wrap up… it takes a village…. And what a wonderful village we have at Holy Cross!  Our P&F have provided a great summary of the day in this newsletter. 

NAPLAN 2025  

Congratulations to all of our Year 3 and 5 students who sat NAPLAN this year in the past two weeks. We are extremely proud of you for showing a calm, positive and confident approach. 

We thank Mr Bõdy and Mr Burns for the coordination of NAPLAN, and to Mrs Rowles and Mrs Brannon for the supportive preparation of their Year 3 and Year 5 classes this year.

STUDENT VOICE AND ENGAGEMENT AT HOLY CROSS

I encourage you to read the range of newsletter items in our newsletters, centred around our students, including  Student Learning Spotlight, SRC, Mini Vinnies, WEN’s Term 1 Environmental Highlights, Library Warriors and Sport sections. These are wonderful opportunities for our students to share their voice, show us their passions and interests, live their faith and proudly share their learning achievements. 

ENROLMENTS FOR 2026 ARE OPEN

Enrolment Interviews will commence from next week! The online application form is accessible from the home page of our school website. https://www.hchdow.catholic.edu.au/enrol/

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. 

The professional learning opportunities and official events that staff have engaged with the last two weeks: 

Attendance Matters

The attendance record previously known as “Extended Leave”, is now referred to as Extended Absence, and there have been some changes to the process.

Exciting Update to the Parent Experience: Streamlined Notification of Extended Absence form

What's New?

We're thrilled to announce the launch of our new online Notification of Extended Absence form. This user-friendly form simplifies the process for parents, eliminating the need for printing or downloading documents. Now, parents can conveniently complete the application entirely online.

Parents can also notify multiple schools simultaneously with a single upload of supporting documents. Parents are also required to notify your school if their student has siblings attending other CEDoW schools.

How This Benefits Parents

Accessing the application form is now easier than ever with the form working on both mobile and desktop platforms. Parents can complete the application electronically and can also send the application for multiple students across CEDoW schools.

Access to the New Form

When parents attempt to enter an absence note exceeding five days in the Compass portal, you will be directed to the parent attendance information document that has a link to the online form. 

You may also access the URL for the new online form here:  https://forms.dow.catholic.edu.au/to/yVv9DA.

May the peace of Christ be with you,

Milena Colussi
Principal

Student Representative Council (SRC) News

During Week 9 our SRC had a meeting and planned improvements for play at lunchtimes for Term 2. Term 2 will see the introduction of a new additional Dance Club, Lego and Chess Club as well as a Deadly Club for all to engage in learning about Aboriginal culture through fun activities.

Our SRC gathered student voice data from every class this week to inform the selection of a school mascot to use in promoting our school rules and expectations through new signage to be placed around our school. We look forward to seeing a new mascot, and new refreshed signage around our school this year.

PB4L

Our current behaviour focus has been on encouraging others to join in conversations and listening respectfully to others when they are sharing ideas or work. This focus highlights how we value what others can offer us, and we show this through intentional listening behaviours towards others.

Closing the Gap Day - 20th March

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement) remains the most critical policy platform for delivering improved outcomes for First Nations people. The National Agreement is a commitment from all Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to fundamentally change how we develop policies and programs that impact the lives of First Nations people.

For more information on the federal National Agreement go to

Kind Regards

Mr Lindsay Burns
Assistant Principal

Project Compassion 2025

Thank you for your generous donations and continued support of Project Compassion. Caritas Australia’s annual fundraiser raises funds for the world’s poorest communities. This week in our classes we focussed on the story of Irene from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Thanks to the support of Caritas Irene was able to get job training in order to make an income to support her family. 

PROJECT COMPASSION DAY at HOLY CROSS

On Tuesday 1 April our Mini Vinnies have organised a day to raise money for Project Compassion. STUDENTS ARE invited to wear SOMETHING PURPLE WITH THEIR SCHOOL UNIFORM. Also students are encouraged to all bring along a gold coin to donate to Project Compassion. 

The Mini Vinnies have also organised a BAKE sale for this day and will be

selling sweet cakes and treats for a gold coin donation for Project Compassion. Please bring along gold coins for this day to purchase these treats.

Some of the Mini Vinnies have also made Loom Band bracelets which will also be sold on this day for a gold coin or 50c donation to Project Compassion.

In class on this day, the students will also participate in a “Walk for Water Activity” where they will experience what it would be like to have to carry water long distances each day in countries that do not have ready access to clean water.

Let's make a real difference this LENT and support Caritas Australia on this special day. Special thanks to our Mini Vinnies Team and their parents for cooking up some treats for our Bake Sale.

First Reconciliation - Final workshop

Next Thursday evening our Year Three students will continue the sacramental journey for their Reconciliation. Over the next few weeks as they receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, we keep these students in our prayers as they learn the importance of acknowledging errors but that God’s love is always there for us. The final workshop will be held on Thursday 3 April at 6pm in the Parish Hall.

Journey with Jesus: We Walk the Way of the Cross 

On Tuesday 8 April at 11:45am (Under the top COLA) you are warmly invited

to journey through the Stations of the Cross led by our Years 4, 5 and 6 students.

The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Via Crucis, is a deeply significant and cherished Catholic devotion that invites the faithful to journey alongside Jesus in his final hours. This practice not only commemorates the events of Good Friday but also serves as a profound means of reflection on the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. Particularly during Lent, the Stations of the Cross provide an opportunity for us to meditate on the passion of Jesus, fostering a deeper understanding of His love and the redemptive nature of His suffering.

LENTEN PRAYER

Over the course of Lent each stage has lead our Monday morning assembly school prayer. Thank you to the students and staff for your participation in leading these prayers which are a really important part of our school life. Kindergarten and Year 1 will be leading the last of these Lenten Prayer gatherings on Monday morning 31 March. As normal our Monday morning whole school prayer is held under the top COLA at 8:50. They only go for about 10 minutes so if you are able to stay and join us, parents, grandparents and carers are most welcome.

Upcoming Masses/Liturgies

• Thursday 3 APRIL GRADE PARISH MASS: Yr 5 and Kinder (9am) 
• Tuesday 8 April STATIONS of the CROSS - Journey with Jesus: We walk the way of the Cross (11:45am) led by Years 4, 5 and 6.

In Peace,

Mrs Debbie Turton 
Religious Education Coordinator

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

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. 

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.

Award Assemblies

Our school assemblies in Term 1 will be held fortnightly on Monday afternoons beginning at 2:30pm. Any change to the time will be communicated to parents via Compass. 

• Wk 11: Monday 7 April- Principal Awards
  
  

IMPORTANT DATES

2025 School Photos

School photos will be held in Week 11 of this term on MONDAY 7th April. 

PUPIL FREE DAY  Friday 11 April 2025.

Term 1 Environmental Highlights

Term 1’s environmental initiatives started off with a great BUZZ with our own Mr

Bōdy conducting a Mini Bee Incursion at lunchtime in the library.

A big THANK YOU goes to Mr Bōdy for sharing his Bee knowledge, equipment and of course delicious honey with students.It certainly was informative, as well as a wonderful finger licking experience!  

Recycling with SIMPLY CUPS

Holy Cross is now a proud Simply Cups participant and encourages paper cup

recycling at school. Simply Cups is a wonderful resource for our school to educate our students and wider community to be more environmentally conscious and foster lifelong learning. You may have seen the collection units in use at the fete and now more permanently in key locations on the playgrounds, alongside our existing recycling bins already in place. When using the SIMPLY CUPS collection units, please follow the directions on the units and only place empty cups into the collection bins. No plastic cups or other drink containers like poppers to be placed into these units, so that cross contamination does not occur. Please use the other general waste or commingled bins for other waste products.

Well done to Mr Wong for being caught doing the right thing at the Fete.

CLEAN UP HOLY CROSS DAY 

Responding to Pope Francis’ Laudato Sí to Care for our Common Home

Every year Holy Cross participates in the National Clean Up Australia Campaign. We organise a closed school event on the Monday after the School Fete. This year the date fell on Monday 17th March. 

Schools Clean Up Day is a fun and engaging way to teach students about the responsible disposal of rubbish, resource recovery and the repercussions of rubbish dumped irresponsibly in the local environment.  After the school fete, we noticed lots of plastic cups and other rubbish on the playgrounds.

Every class participated in making a Holy Cross in the clean-up process. The students put on the gloves provided by the Clean Australia Campaign, marched around the school picking rubbish up and putting it into the biodegradable garbage bags. Then after the big clean up, the WEN leaders sorted the rubbish into the correct recycling bins.  

All the students did a great job beautifying our school grounds once again and their great team effort reinforced the concept that, "You are never too young to make a difference!” A big thank you for the wonderful school team effort and getting on board to clean up our beautiful little school.

FOGO Bins

At Holy Cross, each class has access to a FOGO bin, which are the small, green-lidded bins that are designed to collect food scraps, diverting them from landfill and turning them into compost. The term FOGO is an acronym for Food Organics and Garden Organics. 

After the morning Crunch and Sip, students are encouraged to put their food waste into the FOGO bins.

At Lunch One, the allocated FOGO student monitors then places their class bin on the table outside the Student Office entrance for collection by the School Support Officer on duty before the end of Lunch One.The FOGO bins are then emptied into the Subpods Compost bins. Compost worms and microbes live inside our Subpods and turn all the materials we feed them into rich compost. Our Subpods also act as the 'growth hub' for our vegetable gardens. FOGO bins are lined with disposable biodegradable  liners, which can be replaced as required by the WEN students.

2025 Newly Commissioned Eco-Ambassadors

On the 20th of March, our enthusiastic and newly selected Eco-Ambassadors, Jenna, Zoe, Zara, Mila and Seraphina attended the Primary Student WEN Day at St Brigid’s Gwynneville, where they were immersed in a day of ecological formation, inspiration and action. Ecological and spiritual formation on the day gave the students strategies to build their own capacity so that they can be leaders of ecological actions in their schools. The students were commissioned as Eco-Ambassadors and presented with WEN badges.

Before the event, the students had to create their own individual name tags utilising

recycling/repurposing principles. These environmentally unique name tags were then used as an icebreaker and  talking point with students from other schools. 

The students participated in a day of fun eco-themed activities, workshops, networking and ideas which has motivated them to develop a new passion for caring for and protecting the environment in creative and practical ways.

For one of the eco activities, the students had to create a, "No Sew T Shirt Bag", using an  old t-shirt. The purpose of the task was to repurpose an old piece of clothing and upcycle it into something useful, like a bag.

Our newly commissioned 2025 Eco-Ambassadors composed Holy Cross’ new Creation Prayer which will be used at our environmental celebrations and liturgies, especially throughout our Season of Creation in September.

Creation Prayer 

Creator God,
Friend to all living things.
The beauty and complexity of the Universe is in your hands.
You who have bought everything into being from the “Big Bang”.
You gave us a world of beauty and splendour.
Transform our hearts and minds to help us care for our common home.
Please forgive us for the times we have not cared for your creation.
We are grateful for your enduring love as we seek environmental justice for our world.

Amen.

What the new Eco Ambassadors students said: 

On the 20th of March, we were excited to be commissioned to become  the new Eco Ambassadors for 2025. We are now part of an existing great student WEN team that were commissioned last year and have been driving all the great green initiatives that are already happening at Holy Cross.

We are also part of an even greater team, Wollongong Environmental Network, where we all work together to promote Pope Francis’ Laudato Sí and care for our common home. 

We have some new ideas that we would like to put into action this year, such as:

• making sure every day at school has waste free lunches
• creating beehives for Stingless Native Bees
• reducing even more waste created from the canteen
• using Fogo Bins on the playground not just in the classrooms
• selling produce from our Veggie Patch to school community to raise funds for to purchase new plants and equipment for our vegetable gardens

Stay tuned for our new green action that we have planned for Holy Cross over the next two years.

Don’t forget that we have reusable limited edition Holy Cross Keep Cups ($10 each) and Sticky Beak Lunch Order Wallets ($13 each) for sale through the office.

Thank you for supporting our ecological conversion journey, as well as any new green initiatives planned for HCH this year and continuing to promote ecological conversion by your actions.

Mrs Barbuto
and Primary Student WEN Team

Managing Screen Time at Home: A Guide for Families

With iPads and other devices playing a big role in learning and entertainment, managing screen time at home is essential for maintaining a healthy balance. Apple’s Screen Time feature allows parents to set daily limits on apps, schedule downtime, and monitor usage to ensure children develop positive digital habits. Setting clear family guidelines—such as no screens at mealtimes, tech-free zones in bedrooms, and encouraging outdoor play—can help create a well-rounded routine. Engaging in conversations about responsible device use also builds digital awareness and self-regulation skills in children.

For a step-by-step guide on setting up Screen Time on Apple devices, visit:

Apple Screen Time Guide

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025!

PRC Champion for this fortnight is: Lachlan Butler – Year 6.

Congratulations Lachlan!

***Stay tuned to see who completes the Challenge next!***

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 2 NOW OPEN

At Holy Cross, we promote the Scholastic Book Club - Book Club is a great way for parents to provide their children with popular literature in a variety of genres which aids in encouraging children to read. And they also make great gifts!

Book Club Issue 2 catalogues have been sent home. These orders are due by 28 March 2024.

How to order:

• jump online to order: https://bookclubs.scholastic.com.au/
• if your order is a gift, you can nominate it online as ‘gift’.
• once the orders arrive, all parents are given a courtesy call.

PLEASE NOTE: all orders are done online, the school does not collect cash or cheques.

LIBRARY WARRIORS

Who are they?

An Interview With…Max (Year 3)

Note from Mrs Murray: Max has been a Library Warrior since 2024. Max consistently turns up on Fridays to assist collecting books in the morning and is now an expert in putting away our special interest books. He also gives up his Lunch 2 to put books away and is currently becoming familiar with Popular Fiction series.

What section are you responsible for?

Popular Fiction but I go all around where I am needed.

What is your favourite book?

 The Bratz series, with ‘Diamond Road Trip’ being my favourite.

What do you love about being a Library Warrior?

Helping out with all the library books.

What is your favourite Library task?

Being put in a section to sort.

2025 Cross Country

Understanding and Coping with Anger 

It's normal for children to feel angry sometimes, and it's important to help them understand that anger is a natural emotion everyone experiences. Let your child know that it's okay to feel angry, but it's how they handle that anger that matters. Teach them that anger doesn’t need to result in hurtful actions or words and encourage them to express their feelings in healthy ways. You can suggest techniques like deep breathing, counting to ten, or taking a break to cool down. Remind them that anger can be a sign that something is wrong, and talking about what made them angry can help solve the problem. By helping your child understand and manage their anger, you’re teaching them essential emotional regulation skills that will serve them throughout their life. Most importantly, let them know you’re there to support them through their emotions.

Here are some tips on helping your child cope with worries:

Acknowledge their feelings: Let your child know it’s okay to feel angry but remind them that it's important to express anger in a healthy way. Validate their emotions without judgment.

Stay calm: When your child is angry, model calm behaviour. Your own ability to stay composed can help your child feel more secure and teach them how to handle their emotions.

Encourage them to pause: Teach your child to take a moment before reacting when they’re feeling angry. A short pause can help them avoid impulsive actions or hurtful words.

Teach healthy expression: Show your child ways to express anger appropriately, such as talking about their feelings, drawing pictures, or engaging in physical activities like punching a pillow or going for a run.

Use deep breathing techniques: Teach your child to take deep breaths when they’re angry. Breathing in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth can help calm the body and mind.

Provide a "calm-down" space: Create a quiet space where your child can go to cool off and regain control of their emotions. This could be a cozy corner with a favourite book or calming toys.

Identify triggers: Help your child recognize what causes their anger, whether it’s frustration with a task or conflict with others. Understanding the cause can help them anticipate and manage their reactions.

Problem-solve together: Once they’ve calmed down, talk with your child about what caused their anger and brainstorm possible solutions. This helps them feel empowered and learn how to address issues without losing control.

Use "I" statements: Teach your child to express anger with "I" statements, like "I feel angry when..." This shifts the focus away from blaming others and encourages open communication.

Reinforce positive behaviour: Praise your child when they handle anger in a positive way, like taking a break or talking about their feelings. Positive reinforcement will encourage them to continue using healthy strategies.

Sara Ljuboja
School Counsellor 

Photo Competition

The Photography Competition held at our annual Holy Cross School Fete, displayed outstanding talent from students. This year we received 38 entries from Kindergarten to Year 6. From nature and landscape images to portraits and pets, the subjects and techniques shown to create these works of art were fantastic. 

LANSW State Track & Field Championships