Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of another school term. The students have been very busy and I’m sure they are looking forward to their break. I again thank you for your on-going support of the school and the staff. Holy Cross is certainly a nice place to be and the way in which you as a parent community continue to be actively involved in the life of the school really enhances our school community.

Today the staff were involved in professional development surrounding developing the creative writing process. Throughout Term 4 students will be challenged to improve their creative writing and be adventurous in their approach. Please ask your children about their writing and how they are attempting to be more creative and engaging for the reader.

NAPLAN

Last week our Year 3 and Year 5 students received their NAPLAN results. As a school, our results were exceptional and we should be proud of our students and teachers. These results will be analysed and referenced against previous results and will help guide our strategic planning for the coming years.

For several years, Holy Cross has had a major focus on the development of literacy skills and early and on-going intervention. In 2019 there has been a particular emphasis on writing and enriching and engaging our talented students. Moving forward, numeracy will be a focus in the coming years.  Elements of the strategic plan for Holy Cross linked to a significant focus on raising the bar in regard to numeracy will be presented at our next P&F meeting on October 23.

Uniform

For the first two weeks of Term 4 please feel free to send your children to school in either full winter or full summer school uniform. 

Term 4 Dates

We have tried to add all dates for Term 4 to the attached calendar and will only change these dates in emergencies. Please add important dates to your diary as we would love as many parents, grandparents and friends to come along to the various celebrations and events throughout Term 4. Please note school will resume on Monday 14 October.

Mr Brendan Dickinson
Principal

Last week some of our Year Six leaders attended the Catholic Mission launch for 2019. The theme of World Mission Month 2019 is “Do not fear, for I am with you.” The focus country is Ghana, where the Church seeks to provide shelter, food, education, and life fulfilling opportunities for children in need, especially those with disabilities. 

Next term on Tuesday, 22nd October, as a school community we will have a Catholic Mission Sock it to poverty day. During this day you are invited to wear crazy socks, with our school uniform, in return for a gold coin donation. Additionally, we will be learning about the country of Ghana and participating in some activities to celebrate their culture. 

Miss Costello
and Year Six Leaders- Lucy, Abby and Emma. 

HOLY CROSS SPELLING BEE FINALS 2019

We Congratulate all the finalists and Stage Champions for a tense and thrilling afternoon of Spelling again this year.

Kindergarten: 

2019 Kindergarten Champion - Lachlan

Finalists - Lee, Sophia

Year 1 & Year 2: 

2019 Stage 1 Champion - Mia

Finalists - Mattia, Amelia, Nevra,  Isabelle, Thomas

Year 3 & Year 4: 

2019 Stage 2 Champion - Nathaniel

Finalists - Lila, Jed, Ripley, Lenny, Kymberlie, Flynn

Year 5 & Year 6: 

2019 Stage 3 Champion - Emma

Finalists - Ace, Thomas, Alex, Jacob, Sommer

It's been a great term, with lots of support from parents and friends for various fundraising and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who volunteered for, and supported, our Father's Day Stall.

We had some lovely feedback from visitors on Grandparents Day. Arriving at school to a delicious home-made morning tea after Mass made for a lovely welcome, and set the scene for a great day.

Matt Bell and Tom Ravelingien organised a Holy Cross Dads' Night, which was well attended. At this stage the dads are hoping to make this a per-term affair, so we'll keep you posted on future nights.

Our school disco last Friday was a great success. Lisa Faulkner did a fabulous job of transforming the infants' wet area into our very own nightclub, and Estelle Friedrich made the room rock with amazing tunes. The addition of a sausage sizzle this year went well. We are really grateful to all the parents who helped out on the night. We can't run events like this without your support, and it was great to have so many hands pitching in, and to see all of our kids having a fantastic time. Big thanks to Mr D and Mrs V for giving up their Friday night, and for starting early on Monday to put everything back to normal.

This term, the P&F paid for subscriptions for Reading Eggs and iMaths, as well as buses to excursions and sporting events. At our meeting this term, we also agreed to fund garden benches for Gardening Club, and discussed co-funding artificial turf for the top playground.

The best piece of news this term was that Michelle Walsh has agreed to take on the role of coordinating our 2020 fete. This is our biggest fundraising event of the year and we're hoping for a smooth and successful fete, which will require as many of us as possible helping out. Obviously, the more of us who pitch in, the lighter the load for everyone. We have our stall coordinators locked in, so our biggest need will be for people to give an hour or two of their time on the day to help work on stalls. Expect to see our fete preparations ramp up next term.

Have a great holiday! 

Mrs Lorraine Ashley, P&F President