Dear parents and friends,

A very warm welcome to our new families whose children began in Kindergarten this week. We are very grateful that you chose Holy Cross to entrust your children and we look forward to helping them thrive in partnership with you. Our 2023 Kindergarten students have enjoyed a smooth transition into ‘big school’ with incredible support from their Year 5 Buddies, Mrs McEntee, Mrs Timmins and Mrs Mitrevski. It is always such a privilege and joy to watch Kinder students connect with each other, develop their independence and develop a sense of belonging to their school. 

In 2022 staff, students and parents were given the opportunity to provide feedback about the strengths and areas of growth for the school. This feedback was used by staff and in consultation with the Catholic Education Office, the Holy Cross Annual Improvement Plan for 2023 was developed. This plan includes a focus on two areas:

• By the end of 2023, all students will have deepened their knowledge and understanding of our school’s core values through their increased engagement in scripture and prayer life so that they actively live their faith and live life to the full.

• By the end of 2023, all students will achieve learning growth and increased confidence and engagement in Mathematics.

Our progress towards these goals will be shared with our parents and wider community throughout the year. 

Thank you to all parents and carers for your ongoing support of our school. 

God Bless,

Kaylene Duffin

Beginning of School Year Mass

Next Thursday, 16 February at 9am, you are invited to gather with our school and parish community to mark the beginning of the 2023 school year with the celebration of Mass. 

Directly following the Mass, we will commission our 2023 School and Vice captains and our Year Six leadership teams. There will also be a special blessing for our new Kinder students. We hope you will be able to join us for this special celebration.

Ash Wednesday Mass and Lent

Wednesday the 22 February is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday is named after the ritual of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign for those who desire to repent. Ash Wednesday Masses are a simple but solemn service. As a school community we will have a school Ash Wednesday Mass at 9am. Family and friends are invited to attend. 

Lent is an important Catholic tradition. The season of Lent lasts for a period of forty days beginning on Ash Wednesday and ends with the celebration of the Easter Vigil Mass. During Lent, Catholics take time for self reflection and to help those in need. They do this through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Over the season of Lent, students will develop knowledge of these three areas. I encourage you to speak with your child/ren about this important Catholic season and what they are learning about Lent. 

Emily Costello
Religious Education Coordinator

Enrolment for 2024

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2024 are now open. If you have a child attending KIndergarten next year or you know of anyone who is thinking of enrolling their child, please encourage them to attend our Open School Twilight event on Tuesday 21 February, 4pm-6pm. This is an opportunity for families to visit the school, meet the staff and enjoy some hospitality (aka sausage).

Enrolment forms may be collected from the school office or via the school Website 

https://www.hchdow.catholic.edu.au/

Term Dates and Allocated Pupil Free Days 2023

All schools in 2023 will have seven Staff Development Days (Pupil Free Days). These days are provided to assist staff in the implementation of their school improvement priorities.Please find below these dates along with the first and last dates of each term. (Please note: we have one Pupil Free Day remaining that we have not yet allocated)

Term 1, 2023

• Pupil Free Days - 27 & 30 January 2023
• 6 April - Last day of Term 1 (Thursday) 

Term 2, 2023

• Pupil Free Day- 24 April (Monday)
• 26 April - First day of Term 2 (Wednesday) 
• 30 June - Last day of Term 2 (Friday) 

Term 3, 2023

• 17 July - First day of Term 3 (Monday) 
• Pupil Free Day -  18 August (Friday)
• 22 September - Last day of Term 3 (Friday)

Term 4, 2023

• 9 October - First day of Term 4 (Monday) 
• 15 December - Last day of Term 4 (Friday)
• 18 December - Pupil Free Day (Monday)
• 19 December - Pupil Free Day (Tuesday)

Assemblies, Term 1

Tuesday 14 February at 8.50am 

Tuesday 28 February at 8.50am - Stage 1 Sharing Learning & Principal awards

Tuesday 28 March at 8.50am - Stage 3 Sharing Learning & Principal awards

Whole School Sport Carnival Dates 2023

Please find below a reminder of these dates, they are on the Parent Calendar.

Cross Country - Tuesday 14 March @ Rex Jackson Oval, K-6

Athletics Carnival - Thursday 4 May at Beaton Park, Wollongong, K-6

Swimming Carnival - in Term 4 Date to be confirmed

Excursion Dates 2023

Years 3, 4 & 5 - Monday 14 August (Mary MacKillop Place, North Sydney & Art Gallery of NSW)

Year 1 - Wednesday 17 May (Science Center & Illawarra Museum)

Year 2 - Thursday 8 June (Wollongong Botanic Gardens) 

Kindergarten - Thursday 10 August (Calmsley Hill Farm, Rooty Hill)

All dates can be found on the Parent Calendar -

https://www.hchdow.catholic.edu.au/news-and-events/events/

Meet and Greets

Please make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher to provide any information, concerns or dreams you may have for your child this year. This information is important for teachers and helps to build a partnership between parent and teacher. Meet and Greet meetings will be held next week. Appointments can be made via the Compass Parent Portal.

Punctuality and Attendance

School attendance is an important indicator of academic and social achievement. Just one day a fortnight away from school equates to 4 weeks of school missed a year. The impact of consistent late arrivals or early departures has similar effects. Every minute counts, every minute lost can lead to gaps in students’ learning, confidence and socialisation.

Please note that the law requires us to inform you of our concerns around attendance. If a student has a number of unexplained absences or falls below appropriate levels of attendance, you will be informed. This will allow us to work together to improve attendance levels. 

Entering Student Absences on Compass

If your child is absent due to sick leave or a medical appointment, please inform the school by phoning, emailing or logging the absence onto the Compass via the Parent Portal. For any other leave, including Travel, permission must be sought from the Principal prior to the leave. Permission is sought by filling out the Student Leave forms available from the school office. Once this leave has been approved, the school will place the leave on Compass - therefore parents should not use the ‘Travel’ option on the Compass Parent Portal. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

Traffic Reminders

We appreciate your vigilance when driving and parking on MacMillan Street during student ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’. A free reminders:

• No Parking Zone - each school morning between
            8.30am and 9.30am
• Bus Zone - each morning 8.00am - 9.30am and            each afternoon 2.30pm - 4.00pm

The attached resources are worth reading. They are simple reminders to ensure our community remains safe.

Travel Pass for Students

Premier Charters has advised the following important information regarding students travelling to and from school using an Opal Card: 

• School students are required to have a valid School Opal Card or travel pass for the commencement of school in January 2023.
• As of Monday 13th February all students without a valid School Opal card or Child/Youth Opal card, will be referred back to the school by the bus driver 
• Parents and students are reminded to plan ahead and make sure their child knows which service/s to use and has a valid travel pass to travel.

Apply for a school travel pass or opal card: https://transportnsw.info/school-travel-apply

Students using School Opal cards are also reminded that they must tap on and tap off in line with the Student code of conduct https://transportnsw.info/student-code-conduct and Opal terms of use https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal/opal-terms-of-use

NCCD

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year. All schools in Australia must collect information about students with disability. The NCCD is a collection that counts: 

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability 
• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

The 2023 NCCD process has commenced. Further information is attached for your information.

Fact Sheet PDF is attached below

Website link is here

Let’s Chat about Maths!

P&F Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Holy Cross P&F Association will be at 7pm on Tuesday, 21 February at Helensburgh Hotel (upstairs meeting room). The Term 1 general meeting will take place immediately after the AGM.

The P&F is a team of volunteers that work closely with the school to make the most of school life at Holy Cross Helensburgh. In 2023, we need your help to continue this important work.

There are three ways that you can support the P&F:

Being on the executive. You will be part of a team that plans and runs meetings and oversees the finances of the P&F in consultation with the Principal. Executive positions are President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. It is possible for two people to share a position.

Being on a subcommittee. You will be part of a team that helps to coordinate and plan our school fete (usually March) or other fundraising activities.

Coming along to P&F meetings. We need parents and friends to come, engage with the committee, and vote on motions. Without attendees, the P & F cannot function.

A copy of past meeting agendas and minutes as well as other P&F information can be found on our Holy Cross P&F Facebook Page.

Holy Cross Primary School Helensburgh

On behalf of the Fete Committee

 

Holy Cross School Fete: SAVE THE DATE

SATURDAY, 18th March

 

We are so excited to welcome our families and community back for our 2023 School fete.

• All your favourites will be back including:
• Amusement Rides & Attractions
• Art Gallery & Photo Competition
• Bustling Market Stalls
• Fantastic food
• SideShow Extravaganzas
• Book and Plant Stalls

 

The Holy Cross Fete is an important annual event which contributes to a sense of positive community spirit and fundraises for school resources and initiatives. This year, money raised will go towards school sustainability.

Further information about the day and how you may be able to help will be distributed over the next couple of weeks, but for now please SAVE THE DATE to celebrate with us on Saturday 18th March. We look forward to seeing you all there!

 

Fete Co-ordinators
Holy Cross Helensburgh Parents & Friends Association