Dear Families and Community,

As we look back on everything we’ve shared, we want to start by saying a huge thank you for making this year so incredible. Your presence and support have meant the world to us, and we are so grateful for the community that is Holy Cross.

Whilst we all take this time to pause and rest, we wish you a Christmas filled with deep peace, abundant joy, and many blessings. In a world that can often feel dark, let us continue to carry Christ's light into the world together, sharing His hope with everyone we meet.

Please stay safe, enjoy every moment of your break, and we truly can’t wait to see you again in the New Year.

Many Blessings from all of us at Holy Cross!

New School Finish Time

Please be advised that starting in 2026, the school day will finish at 3:25pm.

This is a small but important change to ensure we meet supervision requirements and align with end-of-day bus schedules. Please ensure your travel and pickup arrangements are adjusted to reflect this new time.

8:30 am: Students may arrive at school
8:45 am: Classrooms open
8:50 am: Learning begins
11:00 am: First Break (40mins)
1:30 pm: Second Break (40mins)
3.25pm: School Finishes

Note: Eating time takes place immediately prior to each break.

We hope that providing this information prior to the start of the new year gives ample time to plan ahead.

Staffing Update

We have one final staffing update to share with you all.

Leonie Wallis has recently accepted a position at St Anne's in Sunbury, much closer to home and her family. Fortunately, we are able to retain their expertise at Holy Cros for part of the week, but as their new schedule overlaps with our timetable by two days, we will be moving to a job-share model.

Starting in 2026, Leonie Wallis and Casey Gaunt will be sharing the PE role.

Leonie will teach PE for our junior classes Years P-2 on Tuesdays.
Casey will be teaching PE for our senior classes Years 3-6 on Mondays.

Casey has done an incredible job in the PE Co-ordinator space this year and will continue in this role with the support of Leonie for 2026.

This will also mean the 3/4S will now have Sheree Sullivan from Monday to Thursday and with Casey in the classroom on Fridays each week.

We look forward to a fantastic year ahead.

Specialist Days

To simplify our timetable, we are moving all Specialist classes to a single day each week.

Please mark the following days in your calendar:

Senior (Years 3–6): Every Monday
Junior (Years P–2): Every Tuesday

Please ensure students wear their PE Uniform on their assigned day. On all other days, students will wear the standard school uniform.

Welcome Walk Through Day

We are excited to launch a brand new initiative to start our school year! We invite all students and their families to join us for our Welcome Walkthrough Day to help everyone feel settled and ready for day one.

On Wednesday 28th January, between 12pm and 4pm, we're opening up the school for our school families. Think of it as a friendly meet and greet to say hello before the first day of school begins.

Come visit your brand new classroom! You can find your desk, check out your books, and get your spot ready for the year.
Say a big hello to your new Class Teacher and our wonderful Learning Support Staff and leaders.
Walk around the room and the surrounding areas, such as new specialist classrooms and shared spaces, to get a feel for your new location.
Ask lots of questions. This is a relaxed, low-pressure opportunity to chat with teachers before the first official day.
We would love to meet your family! They can see where you will be learning and meet the staff who will be supporting you this year.

The Uniform shop will be open between 12pm and 2pm on Wednesday 28th January during on the welcome walkthrough day.

We look forward to seeing you there!

nForma Portal

The Operoo platform is ceasing operations in Australia at the end of this year.

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving communication and streamlining school processes, Holy Cross will be moving to the nForma Parent Portal from the beginning of 2026.

The nForma Portal will become our central platform for many of the tools you currently use. It will replace:

Operoo
Attendance notifications
Student reports
First aid notices
Seesaw parent communications

This change will make it easier for families to access all key school information in one place.

Before the 2026 school year begins, you will need to:

Download the nForma app: Play Store App Store
Register using the email address currently on file with the school.
Update your child’s medical profile once your account is set up. Please note this part may be easier to do through a web browser rather than the app as some functions might be unavailable.

You will have received an email with a how-to guide attached. Please feel free to contact the school in the new year should you have any problems.

Thank you for your support as we continue to enhance the way we connect with our school community.

2026 Dates for diary

We are pleased to provide the initial school term dates to assist you with your forward planning for the start of 2026.

Please note that we are currently awaiting further confirmation regarding the schedule for the school closure days. We will circulate the final, complete school calendar as soon as this information is finalised and available.

Monday 26th January (Australia Day)	Public Holiday - No school.
Tuesday 27th January	School Closure Day (Staff only)
Wednesday 28th January	Welcome Walk-Through Day (12-4pm)
Thursday 29th January	Preps only return to school (½ day)
Friday 30th January	All students return to school (Prep ½ day)
Friday 6th February	Holy Cross Welcome Festival (Twilight)
Tuesday 24th March	School Photos

SchoolsOUT! Holiday Program

SchoolsOUT! Holiday Program will be running from Holy Cross during the summer holidays from the 5th to the 23rd of January 2026.

The Multi-Purpose Room looks amazing and worth investigating for one day or many. The program is open to all students, not just those from Holy Cross from pre-prep to year 6.

Visit SchoolsOUT! to find our more, or see the program and pricing here.

School Closure on Fire Danger Days

We would like to draw your attention to our processes for Fire Danger Days including the requirement to CLOSE the school on EXTREME and CATASTROPHIC fire danger days. Please visit 'Fire Danger Days' for more information.

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.

Holy Cross News

Leading us to God's mountain

19th December, 2025 · 19 Dec 2025

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