Dear Holy Family Parents and Carers,

Year 5 Retreat – "Journey with Jesus"

The Year 5 Retreat "Journey with Jesus" this week was a great success. We were pleased to welcome Year 5 students from OLPS West Pymble, St Thomas Willoughby, and St Philip Neri, who all engaged deeply with our students in the retreat activities. Throughout the retreat, students had the opportunity to pray, reflect, connect, and grow in their faith, as they journeyed together in a spirit of community. It was truly inspiring to see their enthusiasm and participation, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share this meaningful experience with our visiting schools.

Thank you to Simon Hyland, Jo Speck and Michael Paton from CSB, who contributed to making this retreat such a special and memorable occasion.

School & Parish Christmas Concert -Christmas Around the World

Finally, after months of planning the day has finally arrived! Tonight, we host our combined school and parish Christmas concert which will bring together the community in a spirit of joy and celebration.

Our Christmas Around the World concert will feature a variety of performances, including the band and strings ensemble, traditional Christmas carols, choir performances, and nativity scenes. This will be a great opportunity for the community to come together and share in the joy of Christmas. Sincere thanks to the many parishioners, students and families who have generously given their time to ensure a variety of cultural cuisines on offer. Enjoy the concert!

Kindy 2025 Park Meet Up

All families of Kindy 2025 are invited to a fun park meet-up on December 1 at 1:30pm!

This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to meet, make new friends, and get excited about their upcoming time in Kindergarten together.

Staffing Update

As we move towards the end of the school year, it is with mixed emotions that I share updates on some changes within our Holy Family staff. As we bid farewell to dedicated members of our staff who have decided to pursue new opportunities, we also eagerly anticipate welcoming new faces who will contribute to the continued success of our school community.

We say farewell to the following staff:

After many years of dedicated teaching at Holy Family, Laura Brady will be leaving us to take on a new role at Corpus Christi, St Ives. We are incredibly grateful for the passion, expertise, and commitment Laura has brought to our school community throughout her time here.

While we will miss her very much, we are excited for the new opportunities that await her and wish her every success in this next chapter of her career. We sincerely thank Laura for her many years of dedicated service and wish her all the best for the future.

We farewell Cathy Chapman, our amazing Learning Support Teacher, who has decided to take on additional responsibilities in the area of Diverse Learning at her other school. We thank Cathy for her incredible leadership, dedication, and passion in supporting our students and fostering an inclusive learning environment. Cathy’s contributions have made a profound impact on both her colleagues, parents and the students she has worked with, and she will be greatly missed by all. Her tireless efforts have helped shape our school community, and we are truly grateful for her outstanding work.

We sadly say farewell to Michelle Stewart, one of our amazing Senior School Office Support staff. Michelle has been an invaluable part of our team, and we are deeply grateful for her hard work, dedication, and positive presence in the office. Michelle will be moving to a school closer to home, and while we will miss her greatly, we understand and support her decision. Her contributions have helped make our school run smoothly, and her kindness and professionalism will be remembered by all of the Holy Family community. We wish Michelle all the best in her new role and thank her for all she has done for our school.

We welcome the following staff:

We warmly welcome Lynda Jones as the new Learner Support Teacher. Lynda has extensive experience and expertise in inclusive education and learner diversity and will bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to the role. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment and supporting the unique needs of each student will be invaluable to our school community. We are excited to have Lynda join our team and look forward to the positive impact she will undoubtedly make in helping all students reach their full potential.

We also welcome Sophie Trigona as our new Classroom Teacher. Sophie brings energy, enthusiasm, and a deep passion for teaching to the role. Her dedication to creating an engaging and supportive classroom environment will inspire and motivate her students to achieve their best. We are excited to have Sophie join our team and look forward to the positive contributions she will make to our school community. Please join us in welcoming Sophie and wishing her a fulfilling and successful journey with us.

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER

In order to assist with the transition of all students for 2025 we will be having a “MEET OUR NEW TEACHER” day on Monday 9th December. Students will spend some time getting to know their new teacher(s) and the children in their class.

Staff for 2025

Leadership Team
Principal	Mrs Pauline Dinale
Assistant Principal	Mrs Samantha Edwards
Religious Education Co-ordinator	Mrs Liana Stella
Wellbeing & Literacy Co-ordinator	Mrs Melissa Overton

Class Teachers
KG	Miss Alyce Keating
KW	Mrs Caroline Findlay
1G	Miss Sophie Trigona
1W	Mrs Carmel Hogan
2G	Mrs Lesley-Ann Bau-Gaspar
2W	Mrs Julia Busseler & Mrs Laura Nunn
3G	Mrs Liana Stella & Mrs Liz Maund (F)
3W	Mrs Rosita Dalle-Nogare & Liz Maund (M)
Year 4	Mr Chris Knapman
Year 5	Mr Jack Clarke
Year 6	Mrs Melissa Overton

Specialist and Support Staff
Learner Support Teacher	Mrs Lynda Jones (Mon to Thurs.)
Collaborative Coaching & Library Teacher	Mrs Samantha Edwards
PDHPE Teacher	Mrs Brigid McNally
Sport Teacher	Miss Ruth Bartos
Music Teacher	Mrs Leona Nash
STEAM Teacher	Mrs Julia Busseler
STEAM Teacher	Mrs Anna Hooke
Gifted Education & EAL/D Teacher	Mrs Caroline Dickinson
Learning Support Assistant	Mrs Anthea Hunter
Learning Support Assistant	Mrs Carolina McCawley
Parent Engagement Officer	Mrs Anne Gray
Administration
Senior Office Support	TBC
Senior Office Support	Mrs Anthea Thomas
School Marketing Officer	Mrs Patrice Abood
Canteen Manager	Mrs Monny Ng

Kindest regards,

Pauline Dinale

Principal

Click here to view our school calendar

	Term 4
Friday 29 November	Christmas Around the World Parish/School Christmas Concert 5pm - 7.30pm
Sunday 1 December	Advent begins Vinnies Brekky Van at Central (parents/parish team) Kindy 2025 Park Meet Up from 1.30pm
Monday 2 December	Colour Fun Run
Wednesday 4 December	Stage 3 Netball Gala Day KW End of Year Liturgy 2pm - library
Thursday 5 December	Year 5 students Leadership speeches for 2025 positions KG End of Year liturgy 2pm - library
Friday 6 December	Year 6 Graduation Mass & High Tea 1.30pm Stage 2 Netball Gala Day
Monday 9 December	Meet the Teacher for 2025 classes Year Two End of Year Liturgy 2pm - classroom Year Five End of Year Liturgy 2pm - classroom
Tuesday 10 December	Stage 3 Excursion to the zoo
Wednesday 11 December	Year Three End of Year Liturgy 2pm - classroom
Thursday 12th December	Year One End of Year Liturgy 2pm - classroom
Friday 13 December	Year Four End of Year Liturgy 2pm - library
Tuesday 17 December	Holy Family Talent Quest
Wednesday 18 December	Advent Mass 10am followed by disco & pizza Term 4 concludes for students
Thursday 19 December	Staff Development Day

Please CLICK HERE to read the Parents Charter from Catholic Schools Broken Bay.

Coles Development

Last week the site has made some progress, see below items that were achieved:

Hebel install for Level 4 Tower B
Waterproofing planter boxes in podium area
Continuing of windows install on Level 3
Hebel continuing level 4B
Continue the painting to the façade on all elevations
Continuing the balustrade install throughout the Podium and Level 4 areas
Continue timber flooring on level 1
Continuing joinery on level 2
Continuing tiling on level 2

Over the coming week we anticipate the progress of the below.

Continue of windows install on Level 3 & 4
Commence floor levelling Level 3
Hebel continuing level 4B
Continue the painting to the façade on all elevations
Commencing coating planter boxes in podium area
Continuing public domain work
Continuing rough-in in 4B
Commencing waterproofing wet areas on level 3
Commencing Sheeting level 2 lobbies
Commencing tiling on level 2B
Commencing stone benchtops in level 1 & 2
Commencing door placements on level 1
Commencing placements of locks on doors
Commencing internal doors in level 1

Tuckshop

Tuckshop on Monday 2nd December - Morning Tea Only.

The last day for the Tuckshop for 2024 is Thursday 12th December

Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers!

Volunteering at Holy Family?