Dear parents and carers,

This week the process of appointing the Holy Cross School Captains and Vice Captains for the 2022 year, was finalised. Many of our Year 5 students presented a speech outlining their views of leadership and aspirations to be a student leader. Listening to these young people was truly a privilege. They spoke with authenticity and conviction. Their love of Holy Cross and their peers were clearly empressed.

As one of our candidates said, each and every Year 5 student would make a fantastic School Captain. Our current Year 6 Student Leadership structure includes two School Captains and two Vice Captains, as well as every Year 6 student being a member of our three school leadership teams: 

• Leaders of Living the Faith

• Leaders of Community & Wellbeing 

• Leaders of Learning 
  
  

I am thrilled to announce our 2022 School Captains:

School Captains - Madeline Bell and William Jukes
School Vice Captains - Aida Gellett and Daniel Tapp 

Congratulations! 

Staffing 2022

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Tami Hennock and Mrs Jenny Mitrevski will continue as members of our staff next year.

2022 Teachers and Grades

Kindergarten - Mrs Melissa McEntee

Year 1 - Miss Elise Facci

Year 2 - Mrs Tami Hennock (Mon-Thurs) & Mrs Kate Jennett (Fri)

Year 3 - Mrs Anne Rowles

Year 4 - Mr Jeff Bôdy & Mrs Lucia Barbuto (Wednesdays)

Year 5 - Miss Emily Costello & Mrs Lucia Barbuto (Thursdays)

Year 6 - Mr Chris Whitehall

Instructional Coach - Mrs Natalie Baker (Mon-Wed)

Literacy & Numeracy Support Teacher - Mrs Bernie Baker (Mon-Thurs)

Literacy & Numeracy Support Teacher - Mrs Jenny Mitrevski (Tue-Thurs)

PE - Mrs Kate Boyle (Fridays)

Music/Drama - Mrs Melissa Sommerville (Fridays)

TPPT - Mrs Lucia Barbuto (Fridays)

An effective Transition Program exists to support both teachers and students move into 2022. Teachers have begun spending time in the classroom of their 2022 students and will continue to meet colleagues to share as much information as possible about their students next year.

Kaylene Duffin
Principal

Advent

This Sunday, we enter into the Church season of Advent. Advent is a time when we prepare for the coming of Christ. 

The Wreath is an important Advent symbol. It is made in the form of a ring. The ring is a symbol of eternity, since it has no beginning or end. It acts as a symbol for God who has no beginning or end.

On Monday, 29 November, our students and staff will participate in an Advent Liturgy at school. Each class will be given a new wreath and candles for their prayer spaces. As we light each of the candles on the wreath over the next few weeks we reflect on what Advent means in our own lives.

Advent is a time of waiting. We often find ourselves waiting for things in life, sometimes with impatience and sometimes in excited anticipation. Advent is a time when we look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ.

Preparations for Christmas can be busy. Unfortunately, rather than being a time of quiet reflection, during which we look forward to the Light of Christ coming into the world, these few weeks can become a time of hectic preparation for a very commercial Christmas!

But Advent is the time to come and rest, to find comfort and peace in our God.

Prayer for Advent

God our Father, you loved us so much that you sent your only Son into the world to be our savior and friend. 

Bless us as we wait for the coming of your Son. 

Open our hearts so that we may recognize him when he comes and make him welcome - whatever form he might take. 

We make this prayer through your Son Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. 

Amen. 

St Vinnies Christmas Appeal

St Vincent de Paul Giving Tree

During Advent the Holy Cross Parish holds a St Vincent de Paul giving tree. The Tree helps to bring joy to the lives of those in need during the festive season. From Monday 29th November, gift tags stating the gender and age range of gifts can be collected from the afternoon pick up gates or the school office foyer. 

Please return the gifts to the Church or school by Friday, 10 December.

Christmas Art Competition

Each year students in Years Five and Six are invited to take part in The Christmas Story visual arts competition. This is an initiative of the Catholic Education Offices in Wollongong and Sydney to celebrate and explore children’s creative and artistic ability in illustrating the Christmas story.

This year two of our students made the Wollongong final, Matilda Year Six and William Year Five. 

On Wednesday evening the Wollongong Virtual presentation evening was held. Congratulations to Matilda who received a Highly Commended and to William who has made it to the Sydney Grand Final. We wish William all the best in the grand final. You can view the virtual gallery at https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/students/christmas-story-art-competition/resources/virtual-gallery-wall-christmas-story-art-2021

2022 Kindergarten Orientation

Throughout the week we hosted our 2022 Kindergarten students and their parents for an orientation to Holy Cross. It was wonderful seeing our young students meeting their teacher, Mrs McEntee and playing together in the Kindergarten classroom. 

As current Level 3 guidelines prevent our incoming students from ‘mingling’ with our current students, our Year 4 students were not able to meet their buddies face-to-face - a wave from the balcony was the best we could arrange! We do however congratulate Year 4 for the individual welcome videos they created for each buddy.

Entering Absences on Compass

Parents are able to enter their child’s absences if they are sick or have an appointment and only use the ‘travel’ option, once you have Principal approval. Principal approval is sought via completing Application for Extended Leave. Forms can be emailed to parents upon request or picked up from the school office prior to the absence. We appreciate your cooperation with this procedure.

Reports to Parents

Semester 2, 2021 Student Academic Reports will be made available to parents via their Compass Parent Portal on Wednesday 8 December, from 3.30pm. Parents of students in Year 6, who are not remaining in the Diocese of Wollongong are encouraged to print their child’s report. If parents would like to make an appointment to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss the report, please contact the school office. 

Christmas Mufti Day - Friday, 10 December - Fundraiser

A letter from Kai

To our wonderful Holy Cross community, 

In 2019, with the schools blessing, I was able to organise a food drive for stocking the kitchens in the ICU and Parents Hostel at Sydney Kids hospital, Randwick which was a hugely successful and grately appreciated gift used by many families in need, including our own. Many of these families arrived in the middle of the night from regional towns with nothing to eat till morning and shops opened.

We are able to run a fundraiser again this year and are asking for your kind donations in support of the Vascular Malformations Clinic so families like ours can continue their treatments in this ever evolving field.

My brother Asher has recently begun new treatments on his malformations that begin to remove veins from his neck and reduce the lumps around his airways increasing his chance of a normal life.

We are looking for any monetary donations that will be used to help with the funding of this clinic so Asher and many others like him can continue getting the treatment they need. Unfortunately we have already faced the prospect of this valuable asset being shut down due to funding issues inside the hospital system.

On Friday the 10th December, we will be having a Christmas mufti day. Students can wear Christmas themed clothing in return for a gold coin donation. 

Any donations will be welcomed and greatly appreciated by the many families who attend the vascular malformations clinic.

Kai Wallace, Year 6 Student

Congratulations, Eddie!

We are so proud of Eddie, Year 3, who has been named a Finalist in the NSW Sports Awards - ‘Youth With a Disability’ for his achievements in Surf Lifesaving. 

The winners will be named at a black tie event in January. Well done, Eddie!

Talent Quest

TERM 4