Dear Parents and Friends of Holy Cross,

I wonder how many of us watched Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass last weekend?

Certainly in my lifetime (six Popes!), the ones I recall most as a young person were of the last three.  The inauguration of a Pope is a significant event marked by ancient rituals and powerful symbols that hold deep meaning within the Catholic Church. 

Key Events of the Inauguration

• Popemobile Tour: Pope Leo began his pontificate with a tour through St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, greeting the crowds. This has become a symbolic way for the new Pope to connect with the faithful from around the world.
• Mass at St. Peter's Square: The inauguration mass was held in St. Peter's Square, attended by a large number of pilgrims, clergy, and world leaders.
• Reception of the Symbols of Papacy: During the mass, Pope Leo received the two most important symbols of his office: the pallium and the Fisherman's Ring.

Symbols of the Papacy

   The Pallium:

• The pallium is a white woolen stole worn over the Pope's shoulders.
• It is made from the wool of lambs blessed on the Feast of St. Agnes.
• The pallium symbolizes the Pope's role as the Good Shepherd, carrying the flock of Christ. It represents his pastoral authority and his unity with the Church. The three pins that adorn the pallium are said to represent the nails of Christ's crucifixion.

The Fisherman's Ring:

• The Ring of the Fisherman is a gold ring engraved with an image of St. Peter casting his net.
• It symbolizes the Pope's authority, which is derived from St. Peter, who was a fisherman called by Jesus to become a "fisher of men."
• The ring is a signet ring, representing the seal of faith entrusted to Peter.

These symbols are central to the inauguration ceremony, as they visually represent the transfer of authority and the weighty responsibilities that come with the office of the Pope. 

BISHOP BRIAN MASCORD VISITS HOLY CROSS SCHOOL AND PARISH

Next Friday 30th May, we will be welcoming our Bishop to our school and parish, starting with our Year 3-6 students joining the Parish Mass at 9am, followed by visits to our classrooms and a morning tea with staff.

Bishop Brian will also be visiting the Parish over the weekend. On Sunday after Mass, there will be a Morning Tea in the hall. Please bring a plate to share with others.

TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY- TERM 2

This term all schools in the Wollongong diocese will survey the voice of parents, staff and students in Years 4-6 via the 'Tell Them From Me' survey. The survey will provide important feedback which informs our work in designing improvement priorities that are responsive to the needs of our school community. We greatly value the role of parents and carers within our school community and would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School.

A detailed letter was sent via compass two weeks ago,, which provided parents with the details to complete the survey. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using this URL LINK :

http://tellthemfromme.com/g959x

We would appreciate parents completing the survey by Friday 30 May, 2025.

RECONCILIATION WEEK

Our commitment to recognising Reconciliation Week in schools is crucial for fostering a deeper understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contributions among students and staff. It provides an opportunity to learn about the journey towards reconciliation, reflect on past injustices, and engage in meaningful activities that promote positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. By embedding reconciliation into the school environment, we empower the next generation to become informed and active participants in building a more equitable and unified Australia. 

Holy Cross will be acknowledging National Sorry Day (26th May) and National Reconciliation Week (NRW) between 27 May and 3 June. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey—the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision. We have planned for a wonderful day of learning, cultural engagement and creative activities for Tuesday 3rd June, for all of our students.  

Bush Tucker Workshop ~ In preparation for one of the workshops for the day, our students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds will first be involved in a workshop next Wednesday 28th May from 1:30pm focused on learning about and selecting native plant species, including Aboriginal bush tucker species. They will be guided by a local horticulturist who has a wealth of knowledge and works closely with indigenous elders across a range of settings. Parents of these students are warmly welcome to join us at this workshop. They will then, with Mrs Colussi’s guidance, share some of their learnings on our workshop day, and together plant their selection of native and bush tucker plants in our school’s Yalunga Garden space.

ENROLMENTS FOR 2026 ARE OPEN

Enrolment Interviews are wrapping up in the final week of May. The online application form is accessible from the home page of our school website. https://www.hchdow.catholic.edu.au/enrol/

INTERVIEW BOOKING REMINDER : If you have a younger sibling enrolled, please hop online or call our school office to book a time for an interview. 

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: 

May the peace of Christ be with you,

Milena Colussi
Principal

Student Representative Council (SRC)

The SRC have continued to focus on improving options for play at lunchtimes. A new timetable to schedule use of the soccer fields has resulted in equitable access to the soccer fields for grades 3-6, and the SRC has introduced new clubs for further options for students at lunchtime including:

Tuesday - Dance Club

Wednesday - Quiet Games

Thursday - Deadly (Aboriginal Focus) Club

Friday - K-POP Club

The SRC have also re-organised the Wellbeing Wagons to give students further choices when on the Top and Bottom Playgrounds.

Library

Last Friday, Year 3-6 students participated in a workshop in the Library to learn how to track their progress in the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). It is outstanding to see that many students have actually already completed the challenge - congratulations! Students can submit via their personal portal set up on their iPads both books from the PRC list as well as their own identified books. Let’s keep the amazing reading!

Year 5 and 6 are learning in the Library about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have a strong connection to the land and sky, which are interconnected and integral to their culture. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have studied and used the night sky to guide navigation of Country, seas and waterways; predict weather patterns and understand the seasonal behaviour of plants and animals. The night sky is important to the foundation of lore, social structures, ceremony and initiation pathways.

Mary Help of Christians

On Saturday the 24th May, we commemorate the special feast of Our Lady Help of Christian’s. Mary is the patron saint of our country, Australia. As a school community we will pray to Mary who intercedes for us so that, “under her protection our country Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace.” The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. The Australian Catholic community remained faithful to Mary, and Australia was the first nation to choose her under the title, ‘Mary Help of Christians’ as principal Patroness. All parents are warmly invited to join us in prayer for our whole school Liturgy of the Word Friday 23 May at 9:15am in the Church

Rosary

During this month of May we have provided opportunities for the students to pray the rosary.

Teaching and Learning

In Religious Education this week the infants teachers came together to observe storytelling in Year 2.  The students in Year 2 were excited to share their learning with Miss Young and Miss Facci. 

In Peace,

Mrs Debbie Turton 
Religious Education Coordinator

Parable of the Lost Sheep: A book reading by Bishop Brian Mascord

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) warmly invites all families to join Bishop Brian Mascord in a very special online reading of the classic Bible story ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.

This unique online event, organised as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, will take place on Tuesday 27 May from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm. 

The first 100 registrations for the reading will be posted a free copy of the book to read along with Bishop Brian!

A link to Bishop Brian’s statement on the passing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is also available here

PARENT WORKSHOPS

Literacy Learning in the Early Years- Parent Workshops 

At these workshops, we will explain the learning process that children go through to learn to read and write, explain phonic knowledge acquisition and the importance of phonological awareness as foundational skills to later reading and writing development. Ms Young and Miss Facci will also explain the home reader and literacy consolidation tasks parents can support their child with.

Kindergarten - Wednesday 4th June 2pm (School Library)

Year 1- Tuesday 10th June, 2pm (School Library)

No need to register- just come along!

AWARD ASSEMBLIES

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

• Week 6:  MONDAY 2 June (inc Principal Awards) (due to Tuesday’s Reconciliation Day Activities)
• Week 8:  17 June (Year 3 sharing learning)
• Week 10: 1 July (inc Principal Awards)

PUBLIC HOLIDAY (KING’S BIRTHDAY)

• Monday 9th June

Last Day of Term 2 for Students- Thursday 3rd July

TERM 2 PUPIL FREE DAYS  

• Friday 4th July

Athletics Carnival Reminders

Details and permission requests have been sent to parents via compass. To help with our planning, please ensure that you have provided permission and indicated whether your child will require the bus return trip to school. As the day is a whole school carnival, students are expected to remain until the last event, unless they are sick or have an injury. If you wish to take your child home from the field at the end of the day, you will need to see your child’s teacher to sign them out.  

There will be an early departure bus from school for students who have nominated to run the 800m race. Students need to arrive at school by 8am.

Diocesan Cross Country Selection Trials

On Tuesday, 27th May, the Diocesan Cross Country Selection Trials will take place at the Illawarra Criterium Track.

We are proud to announce that the following students from Holy Cross have been selected to represent our school at this event:

Jesse, Archie, Lachlan, Cooper, Jack, Nate, Aidan, Willow, Sophie, Zara, Noah, Max, Vida, Ferdinand, Indy, and Lyla.

We wish our students the best of luck for their event! 

Whole School Sport Carnival Dates 2025

Please find below a reminder of these dates, they are also on the Parent Calendar.

Athletics Carnival - Thursday, 29 May Barden Ridge K-6

Swimming Carnival - Friday 5th December

Da Vinci Decathlon

The Da Vinci Decathlon is an annual inter-school academic gala day designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of students.  This year, two Holy Cross Stage 3 teams competed in 10 academic disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy. Our Year 5 team: Jenna, Max, Zoe, Zara, Charlie, Mila, Eden, Elise and our Year 6 team: Lachlan, Lee, Aly, Jesse, Vida, Sage, Indigo and Sophia proudly represented our school, competing against over 300 students and 20 schools.  It was wonderful to see the students working collaboratively to problem solve and use higher order and critical thinking skills. Congratulations to both teams for successfully achieving the following places:

Year 5

2nd: Engineering, 3rd: Cartography, 5th: Ideation

Year 6:

1st: Mathematics, 3rd: Code Breaking, 4th: Cartography, 4th: Legacy

It was a delight to see the huge smiles on the students’ faces reflecting their love of learning throughout the day. Though their minds were exhausted by the end of the day, the students thrived on the challenges and are already looking forward to next year. We are so proud of you all!

Number Line App

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE (PRC) UPDATE

Last Friday our primary students underwent their PRC training on how to put their reading lists into the website. As a result, there were many who completed the challenge, which is an amazing result – just look below at how many we had!

Champions for this fortnight are:

Year 3 – Fletcher

Year 4 – Archie, Ferdi, Hannah, Maggie, Alyssa, Josie, Henry, Leni, Airlie, Travis R., Buddy, Hayden, Lucy

Year 5 – Elise, Dominic, Sadie, Cooper, Layla, Jenna, Elsa, Patti, Khai

Year 6 – Sophia, Sophie, Jesse, Vida, Nate, Sadie

Congratulations to the above students!

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

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME (NSS) 2025

Once again, Holy Cross participated in NSS which was held on Wednesday, 21 May. This year’s story was Deborah Frenkel’s ‘The Truck Cat’. Throughout the day, each class had the opportunity to listen to the story and do an activity based on it.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 3 NOW CLOSED

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 3 closed on 19 May 2025. Parents with orders will be notified when they arrive at the school.

LIBRARY WARRIORS

An Interview With…Mina (Year 3)

Note from Mrs Murray: Mina is one of our newest Library Warriors. Mina has been working with Kalani to learn how to organise the Popular Fiction collection as well as assisting on Friday mornings with the returns. Mina has proven herself to be a valuable member of our Library team.

What section are you responsible for?

Popular Fiction and Popular Fiction Series

What is your favourite book?

I have two - the H2O series and Bratz series.

What do you love about being a Library Warrior?

I love helping Mrs Murray.

What is your favourite Library task?

Putting books away because it is fun and helpful.

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.

Bishop Brian Parish Visit Next Week

Bishop Brian will be visiting our Parish on Friday 30 May, Saturday 31 May and

Sunday 1 June 2025.

During this time he will be celebrating Masses, meeting with parishioners and visiting staff and students at Holy Cross school.

On Sunday after Mass, we will be holding a Morning Tea in the hall. Please bring a plate to share with others.

How to Help Your Child Navigate Friendship Challenges 

Friendships play a vital role in a child’s emotional and social development, helping them build empathy, communication skills, and a sense of belonging. It's important to encourage healthy friendships and provide guidance when challenges arise. If your child experiences conflict or feels left out, use it as an opportunity to listen without judgment, validate their feelings, and help them brainstorm positive ways to cope or resolve the issue. Teaching your child how to set boundaries, express themselves kindly, and choose supportive friends can empower them to build strong, lasting relationships.

Primary school kids often face friendship challenges like feeling left out, dealing with jealousy, or struggling with misunderstandings due to developing communication skills. They might also experience peer pressure, shifting friendships, or tension caused by bossiness or control. As children learn how to navigate these social dynamics, it’s important to support them by encouraging open conversations, helping them understand their feelings, and guiding them toward respectful and kind interactions.

Here are some tips on helping your child navigate friendship challenges:

Listen Without Judgment – Give your child a safe space to share their feelings and experiences without immediately jumping to solutions. 

E.g. If your child says, "No one wanted to play with me today," instead of saying, "I'm sure that’s not true," try: "That sounds really hard. Do you want to tell me more about what happened?"

Validate Their Emotions - Let them know it’s okay to feel sad, angry, or confused about friendship issues.

E.g. If they’re upset about a friend leaving them out, you might say: "It makes sense that you're feeling hurt. Feeling left out is never fun."

Teach Empathy and Perspective-Taking – Help your child consider how others might be feeling to build understanding and compassion.

E.g. If there was a disagreement, ask: "How do you think your friend might have felt when that happened?" This helps them see the other side.

Practice Problem-Solving – Guide them in thinking through possible ways to handle the situation respectfully and assertively.

E.g. If your child says, "My friend keeps telling me what to do," you could ask: "What are some things you could say if you want to make your own choice?" Then brainstorm together.

Role-Play Scenarios – Practice what to say or do in tricky situations so they feel more confident.

E.g. Practice saying things like, "I don’t like it when you do that. Can we play something we both enjoy?"

Encourage Inclusivity and Kindness – Reinforce the value of being a good friend to others.

E.g. If your child only wants to invite one friend to play, encourage broader thinking: "Is there anyone else who might like to join and feel included?"

Stay in the Loop – Stay connected with teachers or other parents to understand the social dynamics at play.

Sara Ljuboja

School Counsellor