Dear parents and friends of Holy Cross,

Yesterday, our school community gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross. This special day for our school provided the perfect opportunity to also acknowledge some very special people in our lives - our Grandparents. As such, our Grandparents Day and Feast of the Holy Cross were celebrated alongside each other culminating in a vibrant and joyous day.

Thank you for your support of our school

God Bless,

Kaylene

Confirmation

On Wednesday night, the Helensburgh Parish community came together to Celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with many of our Year Six students. The confirmation candidates were in dialogue with Bishop Brian about the work of the Holy Spirit. With the support of their Sponsor they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Congratulations and may you continue to develop in your faith journey. 

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.

Congratulations to Ruby, Leni and Joseph from Year Five and Maddie B, Lucas and Lara from Year Six whose artworks have been selected for the Wollongong competition. We wish these students the best in the next stage of the competition. 

National Day of Mourning - Thursday 22nd September

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently announced that Thursday 22 September 2022 will be a public holiday for the National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

All schools in the Diocese of Wollongong  will be closed on this day and your child will not be required to attend.

Due to this the Parish Mass scheduled for Thursday 9am will not be taking place.

Scripture Focus

This fortnight our school scripture comes from John’s gospel and is a reminder to be faithful and to have trust in God. Some ways we can show we are faithful and people of mission are; to talk about Jesus, follow the school expectations, help those in need, engage with scripture and be active participants in Parish masses and celebrations. 

John 14:1-6

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going.”Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

Miss Emily Costello
Religious Education Coordinator

Socktober 2022

On Tuesday, Mrs Jennett, Mrs Baker, Maddie B and Will attended the Diocesan Catholic Mission Launch at St Thomas Moore in Ruse.

Acknowledgment of Country Workshop

By Mia G and Anthony (Year 5)

On Tuesday 6 September, some students with an Indigenous heritage were selected to participate in a rewriting of Holy Cross’  Acknowledgement of Country  to be shared with the school on Indigenous Literacy Day.  The purpose of this workshop was to allow students to have a deeper understanding of the importance of Country and our connection to the sacred land and elders. 

We were honoured to welcome Marley H’s grandmother, Cate Baillie, to our school. She is a Darud woman from the Booreberongal tribe, who are direct descendents of  Yuramundi. Miss Baillie spoke to us about her Indigenous heritage and the importance of honouring and respecting our elders.

Our outdoor session began with us mindfully walking around the playground.  We then placed our hands on the grass, closed our eyes, and focused on the sounds and the feel of nature around us. We wanted to have a further connection with our land so that we can take care of it more. We learnt that when the Gymea Lilies bloom, it indicates that the whales will approach our waters. When the lilies start to wither, the whales will migrate South.  We also learnt about different totem animals belonging to certain tribes.

Afterwards, we moved into three groups and composed Acknowledgement of Country statements suitable for Kindergarten, Stages 1-2, and Stage 3. We hope that with this adjustment to our school Acknowledgement of Country, each class can develop a deeper understanding of the importance of Indigenous culture, our traditional custodians and connection to Country.

Our official change to Summer uniform is the first day of Term 4, Monday 10 October. However on warmer days in Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 3, students have the option of wearing Summer uniform. We thank you for your support in ensuring students wear polishable black, leather school shoes with the regular uniform. Please find the Uniform Policy attached.

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 students for their participation and focus during NAPLAN tests in May. We are very proud of each student and our overall results were once again very impressive. 

Congratulations to Mrs Timmins

Following a recent recruitment process to fill a permanent School Support Officer position, we congratulate Mrs Larissa Timmins who is the successful applicant. Mrs Timmins has worked as a School Support Officer in a temporary capacity for several years at Holy Cross and we are thrilled to welcome her as a permanent member of our staff.

Scholastic Book Fair: 12-16 September

Our Book Fair is well underway and has been very well received by our parents/carers and students! Last chance to purchase will be:

Friday, 16 September: 8.30-9.00am

There have also been a number of very generous donations to our Library which I can’t wait to share with our students. The student/family donating the book will be the first to borrow it!

Borrowing Reminder!

Just a friendly reminder that there will be NO BORROWING THIS FRIDAY (16 September) so students are not required to bring their Library Books in.

Happy Reading!

Mrs Sue Murray

Library Coordinator

If you have a spare hour on Friday’s from 10am to 11am and would love to help out in the canteen whilst getting paid, I would love to hear from you.

Your help would really be appreciated.

Thanks Jo

Keeping kids motivated during Term 4

As children start thinking about the end of year, Christmas, and summer holidays, it can be hard to keep them motivated to do their best in term 4. 

• Child Psychologist Eleanor Mackey offers the following tips: 
• Acknowledge that you understand it is difficult to stay focused. Let them know this is something we all experience sometimes.  Be careful not to label your child as “lazy” or “unmotivated”.
• Encourage and praise your child when they are staying on task or completing work.
•  Help your child list out the big and little things that need to get done. Put those tasks on a calendar so they can see what they need to do each day.
•  Schedule time each day to do homework. Some will benefit from getting their work done as soon as they get home, while others may need a mental/physical break between school and homework.
•  Find ways to motivate your child. Plan small rewards such as getting out of a chore or choosing a family movie or activity to encourage success. 

 More tips:

• Focus on the process of learning, not the results. That way, you cultivate a love of learning for its own sake.
• Use active listening by reflecting back what you hear your child saying to you, and then work with them to problem-solve. For example, “What I hear you saying is that you feel tired and over it. How can we work together to help you feel better about these last weeks of school?”
• Don’t make threats, offer collaboration and assistance instead
• Focus on your child’s strengths
• Gently remind them what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable but give them some agency in how they do things.

Have a great term 4.   

Doreen

Holy Spirit College, Bellambi

2023 Year 7 Orientation Day

Students who have enrolled in 2023 Year 7 at Holy Spirit College, are invited to attend the College’s Orientation day on Friday, 11 November 2022.

2024 Yr 7 Holy Spirit Enrolments

A reminder for Year 5 parents who are intending to enrol their child in Year 7 at Holy Spirit College, Bellambi in 2024. Holy Spirit encourages enrolment forms to be submitted to the college after Term 1, 2023 before the end of Term 1, 2023.

Cyberbullying and Online Drama: CCSP Webinar for parents and carers of young people aged 11-18 years

In partnership with the eSafety Commissioner, the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP) is running a free webinar designed for parents and carers of young people aged 11 to 18 years old. The webinar will include hints on how to start conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships.

The webinar will cover:

• starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships
• understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use

The webinar is being held on Tuesday 20 September 2022 from 7.30 pm-8.30 pm. Access the webinar flyer here.

Click here to register