Dear parents and friends of Holy Cross,

Our Mother’s Day celebrations held last Friday were truly wonderful. The importance of community was on full display as we honoured the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in our lives. Once again, our students experienced the privilege of being part of a well connected community. Well connected communities promote belonging and connectedness which is why the deepening of relationships through events such as Mother’s Day are so important. 

On that note, I would like to announce the upcoming retirement of one of our long standing members of the Holy Cross community, Mrs Sylvia Richardson. After 20 years of working as a School Support Officer at Holy Cross, Sylvia will finish up on Friday 27 May. We will celebrate Sylvia’s retirement and give thanks for her contributions to our school at a Farewell Liturgy on Wednesday 25 May. Details of this liturgy will be shared next week.

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 students who sat NAPLAN tests during the week. NAPLAN results are used by the school and system to identify progress trends, identify future areas of focus and celebrate achievements. Our students were focussed and gave their very best. We are very proud of them.

Wishing everyone well and thanking you for your support of Holy Cross.

God Bless,

Kaylene

Celebrating Laudato Si' Week (16-24 May 2022) 

Next week we celebrate Laudato Si’ Week. Laudato Si' Week is a weeklong event marking the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on creation care. It is a time to listen and respond together to the cry of creation, rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si' to life and continue to work to care for our common home. 

Next week class groups will participate in activities that allow students to learn about and take action to care for our natural environments. On Wednesday 18 May at 2:40pm the school will come together to share their class learning and acknowledge this special week. Parents and friends are invited to join us.

First Holy Communion

Over the next few weeks our Year Three students along with their families will be preparing for their First Holy Communion. I would like to encourage families to participate in 8:30am Sunday Mass. During these Masses Father Paul will be inviting the children making their communion to the altar during the preparation of the Eucharist and will be explaining the rituals of Communion. Additionally, there are two preparation meetings for both parents and children to attend. These will be on Thursday 19 May and 2 June at 6pm in the parish hall. If you have any questions about this sacrament please contact the Parish office. 

Da Vinci Decathlon - Congratulations: Two Third Places!!

The Da Vinci Decathlon is an annual inter-school academic gala day designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of students.  This year for the first time, eight students from Holy Cross in Stage 3 competed in 10 academic disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. Nathaniel, Ripley, Daniel, Isabella A, Joseph, Madeline, Mia A and Madeleine proudly represented our school.  It was wonderful to see the students working together towards a common goal.  Congratulations to the team for successfully achieving third place in Art and Poetry.  It was wonderful to see the huge smiles on the students’ faces reflecting their love of learning throughout the day. 

National Walk Safely to School Day

Mother's Day Celebration

Library News - Sora

During Week 1 of this term,  we were fortunate to have Mr Jim Gallagher from the CEO who revised Sora to our Years 2-6 students.  Sora is a student reading app developed by Overdrive that  provides our students with access to ebooks and audiobooks. Mr Gallagher trained the students in how to use Sora and its features.

For those students who were already familiar with the Sora App, Mr Gallagher was able to refresh their usage of Sora and how to correctly navigate any of its new features. We also found out today that one of our primary students has already borrowed 467 books through the library using the Sora reading App. How fantastic is that!

Happy Reading Everyone,

Mrs Barbuto

New Student Furniture in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2

Our Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students are delighted with their new learning desks and chairs. They look great and are super comfortable. Last year, the Stage 2 furniture was also updated which now leaves just Stage 3 which will be updated early next year.

New Playground Games on the Bottom Playground

Our students are super happy with the new playground games on the bottom playground. Snakes and Ladders, Hopscotch, Handball Courts, targets and more! These were completed during the holidays. Thank you to the P&F for funding these additions.

Assemblies in Term 2

In Term 2, our assemblies will be held fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons at 2.30pm.

Next Assembly: Tuesday 17 May @ 2.40pm

Canteen

The Canteen is open Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.

Transport NSW Campaign – Bus Flashing Lights 

The Bus Flashing Lights is a quarterly state-wide campaign from Transport NSW to remind motorists that they must: 'Slow down to 40 when bus lights flash'.

In Term 2 this year, the Bus Flashing Lights campaign ran between Monday, 25 April and Friday, 29 April 2022. 

The bus flashing lights messaging has been incorporated into the wider School Zones campaign at the beginning of each school term since 2018.

Key reminders include:

• Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children
• Motorists must slow down to 40km/h when overtaking or passing a bus displaying flashing lights

Motorists can help keep children safe by:

• Sticking to the speed limit and following the road rules in school zones
• Slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing
• Looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones, or along bus routes
• Giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic

Key messages for families include:

• Families have an important part to play in keeping children safe around roads
• Never drop off or meet your child on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop or call them across the road – always drop them off or meet them on the same side of the road as the bus stop
• Remind your children to always wait until the bus has gone before choosing a safe place to cross the road

The Bus flashing lights – Communications Toolkit provides a variety of ways to be involved in this campaign including useful websites, e-newsletters, and social media platforms along with a variety of posters and brochures flyers schools can purchase free of charge.

Illawarra Disability Options Expo

The annual Illawarra Disability Options Expo will take place on Thursday, 26 May 2022 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Fraternity Club, 11 Bourke Street, Fairy Meadow.  

The Expo helps link people with a disability and their carers to over 70 product and service providers. In addition to displays and information desks, the Expo will feature an NDIS information session (10.30 am - 11.30 am).