Dear Parents and Friends of Holy Cross,

A very warm welcome back to Term 4 to all, and many blessings from the holy places of my recent pilgrimage through Ireland, Rome and Assisi. Our students and staff have entered this last term of the school year with enthusiasm and plans for great faith and learning experiences.

A Pilgrim in Rome: Walking Through the Doors of Hope

As "Pilgrims of Hope”, early last week, our Diocesan pilgrimage group of principals, teachers, office staff, along with our Director of Schools Peter Hill, and Bishop Brian Mascord, visited Rome, during this special once-every-25-years event in the Catholic Church: the 2025 Year of Jubilee! 

A Jubilee is like a super-special, whole year dedicated to God’s forgiveness, renewal, and fresh starts!

• In the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible), the Jubilee was a time every 50 years when debts were forgiven, and the poor got their land back. It was a year of freedom and fairness.
• Pope Francis and now Pope Leo have called us to a year of hope and to being a Pilgrim. As "Pilgrims of Hope." this means choosing to see the good in the world, being kind to one another, and bringing God's light to people who might be sad or struggling. We can all be a sign of hope!

A key part of the Jubilee is the opening of the Holy Doors (Porta Santa) in Rome. Imagine a very beautiful, heavy door in a church that is sealed shut with concrete or bricks for 24 years. Then, when the Jubilee year begins, the Holy Father, the Pope, ceremonially knocks the wall down to open it! More information- A history of the Holy Doors.

The doors are opened in four major Basilicas (big, important churches) in Rome:

1. St. Peter's Basilica (The main church in the Vatican). We celebrated a very special mass in one of the small chapels in the Vatican Grottoes, located on the lower level of Saint Peter’s Basilica, consisting of a system of vaults built between 1590 and 1591 to support the floor of the Renaissance building and houses many tombs of past popes.
   
   
2. St. John Lateran (The Pope's Cathedral in Rome)
3. St. Paul Outside the Walls
4. St. Mary Major. Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest Marian church in Rome,
   
   and regarded as the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world. Pope Francis was laid to rest at Santa Vatican Grottoes are located on the lower level of Saint Peter’s Basilica, and consist of a system of vaults built between 1590 and 1591 to support the floor of the Renaissance building. Maria Maggiore on the afternoon of Saturday, 26 April 2025, following a funeral procession from Vatican City.Francis became the first pope to be interred outside the Vatican since Leo XIII in 1903, and the first pope interred in Santa Maria Maggiore since Clement IX in 1669.

I was especially moved by our visit to Santa Maria Maggiore, walking through the Holy Door, praying in front of the tomb of the late Pope Francis and sitting silent in prayer and reflection at the relic of the Holy Crib, the manger in which Baby Jesus was laid to rest. For this, Saint Mary Major is often also referred to as the “Bethlehem of the West”. The first Christmas night Mass was celebrated here and Pontiffs have been keeping this tradition alive for centuries. Take a virtual tour here 

Lastly, we were blessed to be present at the Pope’s general Audience which occurs every Wednesday in St Peter’s Square. Our own Bishop Brian sat with many other Bishops from around the world, and had the wonderful opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV!

What the Holy Door Means for Children ?

We can explain this tradition to our students simply:

• Jesus said, "I am the gate" (John 10:9). The Holy Door is a powerful symbol of Jesus.
• Walking through the Door is a bit like walking back to Jesus. It symbolises renewal and accepting God's mercy and forgiveness. It's a fresh start with God, where we can leave our old mistakes behind and promise to try harder to be a good person.
• Every Time We Enter Our Classroom, Church, or Home: We can remember the Holy Door and choose to walk through it with hope in our hearts, ready to be kind and full of God's love. We can even decorate our classroom door as a special "Door of Hope" as a reminder!

How Can Families Participate?

We encourage you to discuss the Jubilee at home. You don't need a passport to be a Pilgrim of Hope!

• Be a "Hope-Giver": Encourage your child to do simple Acts of Kindness or Works of Mercy—visiting a lonely neighbour, praying for someone who is sick, or helping with chores without being asked. These are tangible ways to spread hope.
• Family Prayer: Use this year as a time to say the Our Father prayer together with a new focus on forgiveness and remembering that God loves us.
• Local Pilgrimage: Consider making a short family pilgrimage to your local Parish Church or Diocesan Cathedral. A pilgrimage is any holy journey done with prayer in your heart.
• Cathedral Jubilee Pilgrimage and Feast Day Celebration- Sat 6th December, 10am–7:30pm @ Venue: St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong
• Jubilee Pilgrimage Day: Our Souls and Prayer - Sat 6 December, 10am–3pm @ Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church

May the remainder of the 2025 Year of Jubilee be a time for your family to be truly Pilgrims of Hope, growing in faith and kindness.

STAFFING NEWS

Staffing Announcement

Schools across our Wollongong Diocese, including ours, continue to be in a period of recruitment. In our profession, as with many other professions, growth, change and improvement are an integral part of our employment and vocation.

I congratulate Christopher Whitehall on his recent appointment to St Therese’ West Wollongong from 2026. Holy Cross has been his first school for the past 10 years, and this opportunity to now expand his teaching experience in a different school setting is one we know he will embrace with the same commitment and passion he has given here in our school community. I know you will join me in  acknowledging Chris’s service and thank him particularly for his contributions over recent years to co-organising our school’s sporting events such as Athletics and Swimming carnivals, and gala days for our primary students.  He will be missed and wish him well as he embarks upon his next challenge. Our leadership team is currently in the process of recruitment to replace both Miss Facci and Mr Whitehall.

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: 

World Teachers Day

Next Friday, 31st October we celebrate World Teachers Day around Australia. This is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally. We are honoured to teach at Holy Cross and we are very aware of how fortunate we are to be a part of this community.

May the peace of Christ be with you,

Milena Colussi
Principal

SRC - Friendship Day Mon 3rd Nov

Our SRC have commenced planning the event Friendship Day, a day promoting students to extend their friendship network. Friendship Day will involve students completing a range of craft and sport activities, and culminate with a Colour Run event. 

Students will require a white shirt for their child/ren for this event. 

Parent Volunteers: We are seeking expressions of interest of parents who are able to assist with setting up and assisting with the Colour Run from 1:00-3:00pm on Monday 3rd Nov. Please contact Mr Lindsay Burns if you are able to assist burnsl03@dow.catholic.edu.au

LOVE. LEARN. LIVE PODCAST - Episode 3 STEM MAD CHAMPIONS!

Episode 3 of our school podcast ‘Love, Learn, Live’ podcast is out now! – Join our Holy Cross students, staff, and special guests as we share stories, school news, reflections, and celebrations of our Catholic values. Whether it's classroom insights, exciting projects, or reflections on our journey in faith, this podcast gives a voice to the heart of our school. Tune in to each fortnightly episode and stay connected with the vibrant life of Holy Cross! Available on Spotify now!

Podcast Link or search ‘Love. Learn. Live’ within Spotify.

Lindsay Burns
Assistant Principal

October - The Month of the Rosary

The Catholic Church designates October as the Holy Rosary Month. The term "Rosary" translates to "Crown of Roses," signifying that when individuals devoutly recite the Rosary, they symbolically place a crown of roses on the heads of Jesus and Mary. These celestial roses, being everlasting in their beauty, will never wither or lose their charm.

October 7 was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Church chose that day to honor Our Lady of the Rosary because a great victory took place on October 7. The decision to designate October as the month of the Rosary stems from the Church’s desire to extend its thanksgiving to Our Lady for victory in the Battle of Lepanto from one Sunday to a whole month

During this month the students have been praying the rosary as part of class prayer. Also the students have offered the opportunity to pray the rosary before school on Thursday mornings with Mrs Turton and Mr Burns.

Year 2 also made their own decade of the rosary in class and prayed together.

Christmas Art Competition

A huge congratulations to Florence Kent from Year 6 who made it through to the Wollongong Diocese’s Christmas Art Competition. Florence attended the official opening Wednesday evening with her family and her artwork, along with 41 others from across the diocese will be displayed at Wollongong City Art Gallery. The exhibition will be open from 4 October through to 30 November at the Wollongong City Art Gallery. (Corner Kembla and Burelli Streets, Wollongong. Art Gallery opening details: Tues - Fri 10am-5pm and Weekends 12-4pm. All are welcome to visit the gallery.

Jersey Day and Crazy Sock Mufti Day - Socktober to Support the work of Catholic Mission

Today, the school donned crazy socks and team jerseys in a spirited support of the Socktober campaign by Catholic Mission. The students learned about the remarkable initiatives undertaken by the Catholic Mission in Zambia. If you would like to know more about the work of the Catholic Mission - this link provides further information.

We wish to express our appreciation for your generous contributions and applaud the commitment demonstrated by our Mini Vinnies.

In Peace, Mrs Debbie Turton 
Religious Education Coordinator

Term 4 Monday Morning Prayer 8:50-9am - If you have the time, we warmly welcome you, our parents, to join us every Monday morning on the Top Playground COLA, as we gather to start the week and pray together.

Parish Masses - As a parish catholic school, we seek to enable opportunities for our community to encounter the mass. Each term, our classes attend a weekday parish mash, as well as whole school masses for important Feast days. Parents are always welcome to attend. :

Sunday Parish Mass - Families are of course always welcome to attend the Holy Cross Parish Sunday Masses. 

YEARS 3-6

Year 3 have been learning about the reciprocal nature of division and multiplication, and how each can help us with the other.

Exploring addition and subtraction strategies has been a key focus in Year 4, with students finding that different strategies are effective in different contexts. For example, it’s best to complete 200-99 with the compensation strategy (200-100, then give 1 back).

Year 5 have been in the “learning pit”, challenged by having to represent fractions in multiple ways. Students found it extremely helpful to make labelled number strips for fractions from one whole to eighths. Students have found it really helpful to make representations in multiple ways, such as visual segments of a circle and fractions written with a numerator and denominator.

Year 6 have been learning about the order of operations (brackets, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction). Sam in Year 6 explains that “BODMAS” is extremely important and stands for Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction). Everything has been challenging but when I kept to it, it became easy the more I did it. Taking it slow, breaking it down has helped me a lot.”

REPEATED REMINDER

Emergency Management at Holy Cross

Over a school year, as part of the school’s WHS procedures, we conduct a range of emergency drills. This term we conducted a playground based evacuation and a Lockdown (from classroom time). Your children are shown safe ways to respond, listen and follow teacher directions to a safe place.

Bushfire Management Plan

Bush fire areas are a natural part of the Australian environment and occur regularly.  When threatened by bushfires, people will often leave it too late to make critical decisions.  This Bush Fire Management Plan has been developed for Holy Cross Primary School Helensburgh with rigorous consultation with the Rural Fire Service and aims to provide a clear and effective tool for the school to use during a bushfire emergency. The Bush Fire Management Plan is reviewed annually in consultation with the Rural Fire Service, prior to the Bushfire season. In 2025, for the 2025-2026 Plan, this consultation occurred on 21/9/25.

Please carefully read the following Parent Notification - Bush fire Emergency Plan. 

Of particular note:

It is important to understand that during the Shelter in Place procedures staff, students and parents/visitors on site will not be allowed to leave until advised by emergency services (RFS, POLICE) that it is safe to do so. Parents are asked NOT to attend the school site. It is advised that no parent should be travelling on roads during these events. 

The Rural Fire Service encourages parents to download and observe the Hazards

Near Me app, as this will be updated with information regarding Hazard Reduction operations as well as active fire locations.

Students are also asked to bring a bottle of water to school each day.  

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Our schoolwide focus for PB4L in Weeks

AWARD ASSEMBLIES IN TERM 4

Our school assemblies in Term 4 will be held fortnightly on even week WEDNESDAY afternoons beginning at 2:30pm, under the top cola. Any change to the time will be communicated to parents via Compass. 

Dates for Term 4:

• Week 4: Wednesday 5th November including Kindergarten’s Celebration of Learning
• Week 6: Wednesday 19th November, including Principal Awards
• Week 8: Wednesday 3rd December
• Week 10: TUESDAY 16th December

Important Dates

PARENT COURSES AND WEBINARS

Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) Conference – Supporting Families:

Working Together in a Modern World

On 25 October 2025, the Council for Catholic School Parents (CCSP) is hosting a special anniversary celebration conference for all NSW/ACT parents and carers with children in Catholic schools! It’s going to be a value-packed day of connection and collaboration where their expert presenters will provide specialist advice on parenting in a modern world.

Dr Justin Coulson: co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's Parental Guidance and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au 

Michelle Mitchell: sought-after author and speaker on parenting tweens and teens

Daniel Principe: a passionate youth advocate and educator, and nominee for Australian of the Year.

This conference will cover areas such as managing technology with young people, consent and respectful relationships, cybersafety, building your child’s resilience, sleep, managing anxiety, screens and brain development, supporting your child’s learning at home and at school and more!

Date: Saturday 25 October 2025

Time: 8.30 am – 3.30 pm (doors open at 8.00 am)

Location: Novotel, 350 Church Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150

Parking is available at the venue, Novotel Parramatta, for a day rate. Please contact the hotel for more information: (02) 9630 4999. Other options include Eat Street Parking. Novotel Parramatta is offering special rates for conference guests. Please call the reservations team on 02 9890 0850 or email novotel@nmsp.com.au to book and advise them that you are attending the conference. Valid until 9 October 2025, subject to availability at the time of confirmation.

Buy a ticket here: Supporting Families: Working Together in a Modern World Registration.

Find out more and book here: https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/2025-conference

ONLINE PARENT COURSES

Parent courses are also available through OnLine Training for parents seeking information or support around understanding ADHD and Autism and can be accessed via the OLT website.

Short courses are self-paced (approximately 2 hours) and include a variety of topics, with parents only able to enrol in only one course at a time.

NAVIGATING THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES

From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account, giving them more time to develop important skills and maturity. The age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube as well as other platforms.

Last week, eSafety launched new pages on the social media age restrictions hub, designed to support parents and carers, educators and young people, as we all prepare for the restrictions to come into effect.

We understand that as parents and carers you will be seeking clear information, practical advice, and support to help navigate the upcoming social media age restrictions.

Check out this eSafety link-  Social media age restrictions and your family. It includes answers to frequently asked questions, as well as tools to prepare for the changes with under-16s, including a get-ready guide and a guide for starting conversations with young people about the social media age restrictions and its impacts.

eSafety is also running webinars for parents and carers. Find out more at one of these webinars “Social media age restrictions explained – a guide for parents and carers”.

Social Media and our children    The Parent Pulse: Social Media and Our Children

From 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.

Your voice matters. By completing this survey, you are helping Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) understand the real experiences, challenges, and hopes of families in our Catholic school communities. The insights gathered will directly shape our advocacy with Catholic Education authorities and Government, ensuring that the needs and perspectives of parents and carers are heard at the highest levels.

Your input will guide us in championing initiatives that strengthen learning, wellbeing, and partnership between home and school.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L65CL58

THE CHANGING FACE OF CYBERBULLYING: HELP PROTECT YOUR CHILD ONLINE

For parents and carer of young people in primary and secondary school

Presented by the eSafety Commissioner

AI tools are evolving fast – and some are being misused in ways that can harm or exploit children and young people, including through the creation of deep fakes and digitally altered images. This 45-minute webinar covers how these technologies are being used, their impact and how to support and protect your child. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

WELCOME TO TERM 4 – IT’S LIBRARY CHRISTMAS RAFFLE TIME!

Our students are very excited to see the return of the Library Christmas Raffle and there are lots of Christmas-sy prizes on offer.

Students get a raffle ticket when they return and borrow/renew their Library books so it is important that they bring their Library Bag and books in on Fridays so that they don't miss out on an opportunity to get a ticket. As the saying goes..."the more tickets, the more chances!"

The raffle is drawn in Week 9.

Good Luck everyone!

A FEW FRIENDLY REMINDERS…

* Library borrowing is on FRIDAY this term.

* Last borrowing day will be Friday of Week 7. This allows a few weeks at the end of the term for mandatory tasks to be completed, ie Stocktake, as well as chase up any outstanding books.

* At Holy Cross, all students are expected to borrow each week. It is important that students bring their Library Bag – if it is lost, any waterproof bag will be acceptable. Library bags are important as they protect our books from water spills and damage.

CHRISTMAS BOOKS ON OFFER FOR BORROWING – BUT IT’S ONLY OCTOBER!

Although Christmas is not for a little while, at Holy Cross we allow our students to have access to our Christmas Book collection from the start of term 4. This is because our students can only borrow up to Week 7 this term so we would like them to have as much opportunity to enjoy these special books as possible.  

We have many students who just love these books and last Friday was no exception with the vast majority borrowing from this collection. The collection includes many picture books, novels, recipe books, craft books and factual stories.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 7

Book Club Issue 7 catalogues were sent home last week. Orders are due by 3

November 2025.

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.

Happy reading everyone!

Sue Murray
Library Co-ordinator

Oztag Stars Head to Nationals!

A huge congratulations to five of our talented Holy Cross students who represented their region with distinction at the National Oztag Championships in Coffs Harbour over the weekend!

We are incredibly proud to announce that Noah, Jack, and Blake (Year 3 Students) were selected to play for the U9s Stingrays Team, where they put on a fantastic performance, making it all the way to the Semi-finals!

Equally impressive were Nate and Lachlan, who competed fiercely with the U12s Stingrays Team, securing a strong spot in the Quarter-finals.

Their dedication, skill, and teamwork are commendable. Well done to Noah, Jack, Blake, Nate, and Lachlan on this fantastic achievement—you've made the Holy Cross community very proud!

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.

Social Media Age Restrictions

What you need to know from 10 December 2025: Australian young people under 16 will not be allowed to create or hold accounts on certain social media platforms.  

Why? Social media age restrictions.

Delaying account access allows more time for young people to build digital literacy and greater resilience.

How will it work? Under the law, the responsibility lies with the age-restricted platforms to find and deactivate existing accounts held by under-16s and to prevent under-16s from creating new accounts. There are no penalties for under-16s who access an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers.

Social media platforms. The age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as other platforms.​ A more comprehensive list is attached in the flyer links below.