Filter Content
Dear Parents and Friends,
A very warm welcome to the new term. I trust that the time spent with your children over the holiday break was special. I thank you for having them so well prepared for the term ahead. Likewise, I would like to acknowledge the teaching staff who have been preparing learning programs over the holiday period to begin the term.
The commemoration of ANZAC Day has always been a very special occasion for me personally. My Grandfather fought at Gallipoli in the Lighthorse Brigade and I have had the privilege of being at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day in 2001 - an experience I will never forget. On Tuesday morning, I attended the Helensburgh Sub Branch dawn service along with our school captains and many Holy Cross students. I felt very proud of the representation of our Holy Cross community at the dawn service and was honoured to have read The Ode alongside Father Paul who led prayer.
Yesterday, we acknowledged ANZAC Day with a service at school and once again it was an opportunity to acknowledge and give thanks for the incredible sacrifice given by thousands and thousands of young men and women for our country.
School Cyclic Inquiry
Throughout this term, our school will engage in the School Cyclic Inquiry (SCI) process as part of our Diocesan Continuous Catholic School Improvement. The purpose of this process is to:
- Celebrate improvement (faith, learning, and wellbeing) at our school community over the past four years
- Engage in an authentic review involving all stakeholders (Parish, students, staff, and parents) to identify strategic priorities for the next four years.
The SCI was the focus of the Staff Development Day on the last day of Term 1. This was a highly successful day with great analysis and discussion of copious data sets including student learning and wellbeing data, teacher perception data and teaching programs. We were able to identify areas for celebration, areas of challenge and began to highlight areas to form our future strategic plans. Further data collection to support our SCI process will occur through the 'Tell Them From Me' survey which will be communicated to parents in the very near future.
LIGHTING THE WAY 23+
In the past two fortnight’s newsletters, I have shared two of the five focus areas that underpin the Wollongong Diocesan new strategic plan, Lighting the Way 23+: Formation In The Catholic Tradition and Student Learning and Wellbeing. Please find an outline of the third focus area Belonging In A Connected Community.
Belonging in a Connected Community
The aim of this focus area is to improve accessibility, communication and the experience at key transition points so all students and families, especially those who have experienced disadvantage, vulnerability or marginalisation, have the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging in their school community.
Outcomes and Indicators of Improvement
Students actively engage and feel safe and empowered to take co-responsibility for their learning and wellbeing at school
Progress towards this outcome will be measured by:
- Students’ self reporting that their voice is being heard and is actively influencing decisions about their safety, learning and wellbeing
- Students’ sense of belonging
- Student feedback on the support they receive from their school at key transition points
Parents and carers feel a positive sense of belonging, especially those who have previously felt disconnected from their school community
Progress towards this outcome will be measured by
- Parent and carer feedback on the enrolment and orientation experience
- Parents and carers’ sense of belonging
- Parent and carer participation and engagement in school life and student learning
Lighting the Way 23+ is a strategic plan that Holy Cross is very much aligned with. It will continue to provide guidance and direction for us as we move into the future always with the belief that every student is capable of improving in their learning and wellbeing while growing in their faith.
2023 ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Update
Goal 1 Improve students’ relationship with Jesus through the values of compassion, justice, hope and integrity.
Goal 2 By the end of 2023, all students will have increased their confidence and engagement in Mathematics so that all students achieve growth
On Monday, our staff attended a professional learning day along with staff from St Michael’s Thirroul. The focus of this day was to build a deeper knowledge and understanding of contemporary Numeracy research and pedagogies.
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Kaylene Duffin
Scripture Focus
The Road to Emmaus is a story from the Gospel of Luke about two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus and discussing Jesus' crucifixion. A stranger joined them on the journey and explained the scriptures to them, revealing himself to be Jesus during a meal. The story reminds us that God is always with us, guiding us, and Jesus' message of hope, love and compassion is still relevant today. As we continue to journey through this season of Easter it is important to keep coming back to these key values of what it means to be an active Catholic.
Road to Emmaus Luke 24: 28-33
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were open and they recognised him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’
The Easter Season
On Easter Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is the beginning of the 50 day Easter season. This season gives us hope and reminds us of the importance of our faith and living out this faith.
Today as a school community we celebrated Easter with a Mass. Thank you to Mr Bõdy and Year Four for leading us in this celebration and bringing to life the meaning of Hope.
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Save the date for the Sacrament of Holy Communion - Sunday 18th June 8:30am.
And the Parent and child workshops Thursday 25 May and 8 June 6pm.
Have you ever considered having your child Baptised?
If your child is not Baptised and you have been considering this or you would like to find out more about the process, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the leadership team via the school office for a chat, we would love to hear from you.
Congratulations Keira - ANZAC Award
Each year, the Helensburgh Sub Branch presents a Year 6 student with an ANZAC Award. The recipient is a student who demonstrates the qualities of ANZAC. This year, the award is presented to Keira. This is such a well deserved award. Keira is a young women who cares about others, shows responsibility and leadership and is such a true role model for others. Congratulations, Keira!
Mother’s Day Celebrations
Our school community will honour Mother’s Day on Monday 15 May. This celebration will include a breakfast, served from 8.15am, followed by classroom visits and concluding with a liturgy.
Our intention is to alternate each year between a High-Tea and a Breakfast celebration.
A Mother’s Day stall will operate on Friday 12 May.
Professional Learning
Recent Staff Professional Learning
Research tells us that the quality of the teacher is the greatest in-school influence on student achievement. Therefore high quality professional learning for teachers must be a priority to ensure improved teacher practice that leads to improved student growth. Recent professional learning undertaken by our staff this fortnight includes:
24 April 2023 - Staff Development Day - Numeracy
All Staff
26 April 2023 - Religious Education Standing Committee
Mrs Duffin
Assemblies
Our fortnightly school assemblies during Term 2 will be held on Wednesday afternoons at 2.35pm.
Week 2 - Wednesday 3 May
Week 4 - Wednesday 17 May
Week 6 - Wednesday 31 May (Principal Awards & Stage 2 Sharing)
Week 8 - Wednesday 14 June
Week 10 - Wednesday 28 June (Principal Awards & Kindergarten Sharing)
Uniform
The change from wearing Summer uniform to Winter uniform officially begins in Week 4, Term 2, Monday 15 May. Up until this date, there will be a transition period whereby students have the option of wearing either summer or winter uniform as appropriate for the weather.
Please Note:
½ zip polar fleece jumper with school logo can be worn under School Jacket or under Sports Jacket on cold days or by itself with the Winter or Summer uniform.
Term 2 Dates
A reminder that all of our school dates can be found on our Parent Calendar please add link
Tuesday 2 May - Diocesan Cross Country Carnival
Thursday 4 May - School Athletics Carnival @ Beaton Park, Wollongong
Friday 12 May - Mother’s Day stall
Monday 15 May - Mother's Day Celebrations (8.15am - 10.15am)
Wednesday 17 May - Year 1 Excursion
Thursday 8 June - Year 2 Excursion
Tuesday 20 June - Netball Gala Day
Thursday 22 June - P&F Disco
Friday 30 June - NAIDOC Week celebrations & Last Day of Term 2
HCH Child Safety Week
Library News
Congratulations Holy Cross Students!
Each term we are given the Diocese borrowing statistics from our CEO. Our borrowing stats are as follows:
Library Borrowing – 9th overall
SORA Borrowing – 8th overall
Total Borrowing – 10th overall
Considering we are the 5th smallest school out of 29 Primary Schools in our Diocese, our students should be really proud of their efforts. I believe these stats show our students commitment to borrowing which helps foster a love of reading. WELL DONE HOLY CROSS!
Book Covering Call!
If you enjoy covering books in contact (or find it therapeutic), we have a large amount of covering which needs to be done. If you are able to assist, please see the Office Staff who can give you a bag (or 2!)
Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC)
The PRC is well underway at Holy Cross and this is the term where the majority of reading is completed. Infants will receive their book selection in Week 2 for their teachers to read and Primary will have access to some ‘Easy Reads’ which can be borrowed.
Just a reminder that the Challenge is completed at school for K-2. Primary will have a dedicated Library Lesson at the end of this term to input their Student Reading Log.
New Titles Have Landed!
Thanks to the covering efforts of our wonderful parents, more titles are now available from our P&F Donation. They include…
- The Marvellous Manner of Water (Junior Non Fiction)
- Be Careful Xiao Xin! (Junior Fiction)
- The Kingdom Of The Lost series (Fiction Series)
- James Tedesco ‘Red vs Blue’ (Senior Fiction)
Term 2 Reminders
- Library borrowing for ALL STUDENTS is Friday.
- All students MUST HAVE A LIBRARY BAG to borrow. If a student has misplaced their Holy Cross Library Bag, a waterproof bag may be used.
- All Overdue Notices are emailed to the respective parent/carer.
LIBRARY WARRIOR
Introducing…Bella (Year 6)
What section are you responsible for?
I am responsible for Senior Fiction Series alongside Pippa.
What is your favourite book?
My favourite book is by far the Percy Jackson series but my favourite author is JK Rowling.
What do you love about being a Library Warrior?
What I love about being a Library Warrior is being able to sort through all the series and discovering new books I had never seen before.
What is your favourite Library task?
My favourite Library task is collecting all the series and putting them in the right place and the right order in the series.
Happy Reading everyone!
Sue Murray
Library Coordinator
NSW PSSA Swimming Championships
Once again, Eddie’s athleticism and determination was showcased as he competed at
the NSW PSSA Swimming Championships. Eddie produced amazing results, including three personal bests!
50m Breaststroke 14th
50m Freestyle 10th -PB
100m Free 8th - PB
50m Backstroke 8th- PB
Eddie competes at such a high standard and this requires an incredible amount of training. We are so very proud of Eddie and his achievements.
We love learning about the ‘out of school’ experiences and achievements of our students! Please email us a photo and a blurb about your child’s recent achievements so that we can add them to our newsletter!!
