Holy Cross News 

Dear Families,

As we enter the final two weeks of Lent, the story of Lazarus reminds us of the profound value Jesus placed on relationship and friendship. On the weekend as our Year 3 students committed to a life of reconciliation in preparation for the Sacrament, Fr John shared that we are called to mirror this in our daily lives—reaching out to one another through challenges and fostering a community where Christ’s friendship restores us all.

While we teach our students that it is okay to "walk away and reset" during a conflict, this is only a temporary tool. Our goal is to help them understand how to make day-to-day relationships work and how to strengthen our community rather than simply walking away.

To help bring these lessons home, you might like to chat with your child about:

• The "Reset" Rule: Discuss how taking a break when we are angry is helpful, but the next step is always coming back to talk things through.
• Active Empathy: Ask, "What do you think your friend was feeling during that disagreement?" to help them see another perspective.
• Building Bridges: Identify one small thing they can do this week to strengthen a friendship or help someone feel included.
• The Gift of Presence: Talk about how just "being there" for a friend who is sad is one of the best ways to mirror Jesus’ love.

We hope you have a wonderful week and have the opportunity to spend time with friends and family during this blessed season.

Many Blessings

Eloise Meyer

Principal

emeyer@hcnewgisborne.catholic.edu.au

Congratulations SRC Representatives

We were excited to present the badges to our SRC representatives last week. Being a leader at Holy Cross means acting like Jesus taught us, listening deeply to others, treat everyone with kindness and doing the right thing. Let’s celebrate their commitment to serving our school.

End of Term Arrangements🐣✝️

 End of Term 1.30pm

With the end of the term fast approaching, we would like to remind families of our final day finishing time. Please note that school will conclude at 1:30 PM on Thursday 2nd April, slightly earlier in the day than previous years.

For students who usually travel by bus, please ensure you have made alternative transport arrangements, as buses will not be operating at this earlier time. 

If you plan to collect your children earlier than the 1:30 pm finish, please advise your class teacher or the office in writing. Providing this notice in advance helps us have your child prepared in the midst of a busy day. 

Prayer Gathering 9.15am

Additionally we will share a whole school Holy Week prayer gathering at 9.15am. As the most solemn time in our liturgical calendar, this gathering serves as a moment for our community to stand together in contemplation, reflecting on the journey of the Passion before we enter the Easter Triduum.

Easter Raffle 12.30pm

The day will conclude with the drawing of our annual Easter Raffle assembly at 12.30pm.

School Photos

School photos will be on Tuesday 24th March.  As this is a specialist day, we ask that all students come dressed in full school uniform. 

Hair should be tied back and correct socks and school shoes please. 

Junior students will have specilaists classes this day. They will need to come to school in full summer uniform (not sports uniform) and may  bring runners in their bag for PE if they wish. 

Urgent: nForma Medical Profiles Needed

To ensure the safety and well-being of every student, we require a completed medical profile for all children. This data is critical for classroom teachers and school management.

We know things can get a little busy, however we ask that you please log in to your nForma app and update your child’s health information prior to the end of Term 1. 

Thank you for your immediate attention to this important task! 

Catholic Education Week 

On Friday, our School Captains and Faith Leaders joined thousands of students and teachers from across the Archdiocese of Melbourne for a truly inspiring day. Our leaders represented us with immense pride, carrying our special ‘retro’ banner to honour our 30-year anniversary this year.

It was a wonderful opportunity for them to connect with the wider Church community and bring that energy back to our school. A big thank you to Nat and Zoe for supporting our students and making this experience possible.

We are so proud of our Holy Cross artists who had their stunning artworks exhibited as part of the Catholic Education Week Creative Arts Exhibition, particularly our  past year 6 students, and our current year 4 and 5 students.  Our 'Holy' Cow was a particular favourite  with the curators and the public. Well done to all involved. 

Open Car Park

We are pleased to share that over the last two weekends, our school car park has been open to the public to support local athletes and their families.

We are currently in active discussions with the Shire to establish a long-term arrangement. Our goal is to make our school facilities more accessible to the community on a permanent basis in exchange for school access to the Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Shire for their collaboration, and to our school and parish community for your ongoing support as we work toward this exciting partnership.

Follow Us

We are now including many reminders and updates on our social media pages. 

We encourage you to follow us 

https://www.facebook.com/hcnewgisborne

https://www.instagram.com/holycrossnewgisborne?igsh=MWFzNmxscnE4MDB6OA== 

All students attending Holy Cross Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.