Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for continuing to work in partnership with our staff to support your child's education. I hope you found your conversations with our classroom teachers fruitful and an opportunity to celebrate your child's achievements in Semester One.

These conversations provide valuable benefits for students when they focus on celebrating progress, sharing learning, and strengthening the partnership between home and school. Some key benefits include:

Celebrating achievements: Parents hearing positive feedback about their child's learning, effort, growth and strengths.
Consistent support: Parents and teachers develop a shared understanding of how best to support the student's learning and wellbeing both at school and at home.
Strengthening relationships: Students benefit when they see their parents and teachers working together respectfully with a common goal of supporting their success.
Improving communication: Parents gain a clearer understanding of classroom expectations, curriculum and assessment, enabling them to support learning more effectively.
Promoting student wellbeing: When discussions acknowledge the whole child—not just academic achievement—students feel valued, understood and supported.
Building trust: Positive, collaborative conversations foster trust between families and the school, creating a supportive environment for student learning.

When the focus remains on the student's educational journey, these conversations reinforce that the student is at the heart of every decision our staff make.

Inspired by Faith Symposium

Ms Pejic and I had the opportunity to attend the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Symposium this week. The focus of the Symposium was 'Inspired by Faith'.

One of the keynote speakers was Brother Bill Short (a Franciscan friar). I was fortunate to have Brother Bill lead me around the town of Assisi while sharing stories about St Francis and St Clare of Assisi while on a Study Tour a few years ago.

I went to Francis' family home and celebrated Mass in this space, a very moving experience for everyone in attendance. Another part of our visit was to go up to a space created for silent contemplation in nature with St Francis. Assisi is a town which leaves lasting memories.

Inspired by Faith: Following the Example of St Francis

"We are not simply made; we are wonderfully created by God with purpose,

dignity and love."

St Francis of Assisi continues to inspire people of all ages through the way he lived his faith. His life reminds us that faith is not only something we believe but something we put into action each day.

St Francis was known as a friend of the poor, challenging us to recognise the dignity of every person and to respond with compassion, generosity and kindness. He reminds us that we are called to notice those in need and to share God's love through simple acts of service and care.

He was also known as the brother of all creation. Francis saw God's presence reflected in the beauty of the natural world and treated every creature with respect. His famous stories of preaching to the birds and caring for animals remind us that we are entrusted with the responsibility of caring for our common home. As stewards of God's creation, we are called to appreciate, protect and nurture the environment for future generations.

Above all, St Francis was a lover of peace. His prayer continues to inspire people around the world to become instruments of God's peace by choosing forgiveness over resentment, understanding over judgement, hope over despair and love over hatred.

At Holy Family, we strive to follow the example of St Francis by living our faith each day through kindness, respect and service to others. As we continue our learning journey this term, may we remember that each one of us has been uniquely created by God. Together, let us care for one another, cherish God's creation and be people who bring peace, joy and hope to our school, parish and wider community.

We need to be a person for each other.

Our Diversity, Our Strength

Each family is encouraged to come to the school foyer and place a pin on their country of origin. Please take the time to stop and share this moment with your child.

Thank you to those families who have already done this.

Martial Arts Assembly

Last Friday Sensei Andrew came to Holy Family to present our Martial Arts students with certificates for achieving karate belts of different colours. These belts signify a student's rank, experience, and progression.

Students start with a white belt for beginners and advance through color ranks (such as yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, and brown) by passing grading tests, ultimately aiming for a black belt.

Each of these students display great dedication to arrive at school by 8am each Wednesday to participate in the Martial Arts class.

Congratulations to each of you on your incredible achievement!

Division Soccer

Our Boy's Soccer Team is participtaing in Division Soccer matches next Wednesday. Your community is proud of you and wishes you all the best!

Step Into Prep

It was extremely busy last week! We hosted our first 'Step into Prep' session for this year. Our Year 4 students joined these children in the library for the morning.

We look forward to seeing everyone at our next session which will be held in our Art Room on Friday 7th August.

2027 Prep Interviews

Miss King and I have had the privilege of meeting our 2027 Prep stduents and their parents this week.

We look forward to welcoming many new families to our community in 2027.

MACSSIS surveys

In 2026, our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings that students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our school. MACSSIS data benefits everyone within our school and provides valuable community insights on areas that each school can focus on. Our school believes it is important to encourage families to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.

The survey will be able to be accessed from Monday 31 August and needs to be completed by Friday 18 September 2026, and we would like as many families as possible to complete it.

A letter outlining how to access and complete the survey will come home in the coming weeks. We will let you know as soon as it has been sent home, so you can look out for it.

Holy Family Playgroup

'Holy Family Playgroup' is continuing!

Please phone our office to book in 9807 3300.

If you have a Working With Children Check and would like to go on a roster to help out please email office@hfmw.catholic.edu.au

Staffing News

Miss King will be on leave for the next 2 weeks (Monday 27th July until Monday 7th August).

Enrol Now

Enrolments for 2027 are strong. Please go to our website and download the enrolment form. Don't miss out!

https://hfmw.catholic.edu.au/

2027 Classes

Please notify the office if your family will not be returning to Holy Family in 2027.

office@hfmw.catholic.edu.au

Parents/Carers are also invited to email me if you have any student requests for 2027 by the end of this term.

jdavid@hfmw.catholic.edu.au

Term 3 Soft Plastics

Enjoy your weekend,

Julie David (Principal)

Term 3 Dates

July

Thurs 23 Parent/Teacher Interviews (3:30-6pm)

Wed 29 Division Soccer (Boys)

August

Sat 8 Feast of St Mary of the Cross

Sat 8 Parents and Friends Trivia Night

Fri 21 School Closure Day (Religious Education PL for staff)

Mon 24 Book Week Dress Up Parade (9:15am)

Wed 26 Year 5 and 6 Camp (Alexandra) 3 days

September

Tues 1 Father's Day Stall

Fri 5 Magnificent Men in Our Community Morning (Father's Day Celebration)

Sun 6 Father's Day

Fri 11 District Basketball (Year 5 and 6)

Wed 16 District Athletics (Year 3-6)

Fri 18 Term 3 concludes (1pm)

Mini Vinnies Action