Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you to our families, staff and students for making Principal's Day such a memorable day for me.

2026 NAPLAN Results

We are delighted to share our 2026 NAPLAN results with our school community. Our Year 3 and Year 5 students achieved mean scores above both the National and State averages in all five domains — Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation, and Numeracy — with the vast majority of students performing in the Strong or Exceeding proficiency bands. These results reflect the whole-school approach to teaching and learning at Holy Family, including Explicit Direct Instruction, early identification and targeted support for every learner, and daily fluency practices such as Times Tables Rock Stars. Congratulations to our students on their fantastic efforts, and thank you to our dedicated staff and families for their ongoing support.

World Friendship and Sharing our Stories Day

We had a wonderful day last Friday celebrating friendship and culture.

Our students were engaged in card/board games with classmates. They created a quilt square celebrating their family and culture which culminated with a shared picnic in the quadrangle.

These squares will be put together to celebrate the diversity and cultures that we have at Holy Family.

Thank you to our Wellbeing Leaders and Mini Vinnies team for a fun day!

Operation Safety Blanket — Mini Vinnies Blanket Drive

Our Mini Vinnies are launching Operation Safety Blanket, collecting spare or old blankets no longer in use at home. All blanket types are welcome, provided they are clean and in good condition. Donations can be placed in the collection box at the Office Foyer from the 17th of August to the 4th of September, and every blanket will go directly to the St Vincent de Paul soup vans to bring warmth and comfort to people doing it tough this winter. Keep an eye out for a surprise Whole School Social Justice activity on Friday the 4th of September!

100 Days at School Celebration

Our Prep students had a fabulous day celebrating 100 Days at Holy Family School yesterday.

Thank you to our staff and families for making this such a memorable day.

Book Week Parade

Don't forget your costumes for our Annual Book Week Parade on Monday 24th August.

Weather permitting the Parade will be held in our quadrangle at 9:15am. Our Library Leaders will host this amazing Parade!

Don't forget toddlers and kindergarten children are invited to dress up and join in with our parade.

Year 3 Excursion

The Grade 3 students had an exciting excursion to Melbourne Museum. We visited the Ancient Rome exhibit, which helped us extend our learning after completing our Ancient Rome unit. We also explored the First Peoples exhibit, building on what we learned about First Nations peoples in Term 1. We then had the opportunity to explore the museum and discover many different sections such as the forest gallery with beautiful plants and animals, and also the science and life exhibit with the dinosaurs and bugs. We had a wonderful time!

Year 5/6 Camp

Our Year 5/6s are looking forward to attending their Year 5/6 camp next week at Alexandra Adventure Resort. Please see the dedicated camp page for further updates.

Staff Professional Learning

As educators in a Catholic School it is important for our staff to have the opportunity to nurture their faith.

Tomorrow our staff will head into Melbourne and spend time exploring the history of our Cathedral and the rich story of Mary MacKillop. I look forward to sharing reflections on this experience with all of you.

The program for the day is as follows -

Session One:

History of the building of St Patrick's Cathedral in relation to the historical context of the establishment of the Catholic community in the colony of Victoria prior to federation; significance of the neo-Gothic style as "Catholic" architecture; adaption of the Cathedral and precinct following administrative and liturgical changes after Vatican II. Features of the Cathedral that cannot be seen from the walking tour (upper spaces and the heritage objects in the sacristry).

Session Two:

The history and social context of Saint Mary MacKillop's birth at 7a Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (now the Memorial Garden at St Vincent's Private Hospital), focusing on the arrival of her parents in Melbourne, the relationship of the site to the neighbouring home of Melbourne's first Lord Mayer, and how the unexpected financial and housing insecurity that affected Alexander and Flora McKillop's family changed the direction of Mary's future vocation

Session Three:

Walking around the exterior and interior spaces of the Cathedral, making connections to features addressed in Session One and encountering other particular features such as the artistic and liturgical symbols in the layout and design of the Cathedral (including windows, furniture, mosaics, and art work), making connections to liturgical and theological meaning and significance. As time allows, also visiting St Mary MacKillop’s birthplace in Brunswick Street and ACU St Mary’s Chapel.

Staffing News

We would like to let our school community know that Kath Burman, who has been teaching in Year 5PB and 6HB on Thursdays and Fridays this year, will be leaving us to take up a longer-term position at another school.

We are so grateful for the dedication and care Kath has brought to our classrooms, and while we're excited for her next opportunity, she will be sadly missed by staff and students alike. We wish her all the very best in this new chapter.

Student Achievements

All Stars Karate Tournament was held in Bentleigh East, with over 40 competitors taking part across multiple divisions, representing All Stars clubs and locations from across Victoria.

It was fantastic to have three of our Holy Family students – Giada, Milan and Zane – give the tournament a go!

It takes a lot of courage to step up and compete, particularly as the divisions were made up mainly of more experienced blue and green belt students. They had some tough matches, but all three gave it a great go and should be very proud of themselves.

A special congratulations to Milan, who placed 3rd in his division!

Step Into Prep

We look forward to seeing everyone at our next session which will be held in our Library on Monday 24th August. Please come along and take part in our Book Week Parade at 9:15am on this day, followed by activities in our library from 10:30-11am.

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.

Your MACSSIS survey details have been packed, and will be sent home on Monday 31st August for completion.

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

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

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Julie David (Principal)

Term 3 Dates

August

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)

Fri 5 Step Into Prep- STEAM session

Sun 6 Father's Day

Mon 7 Mrs David on leave

Fri 11 District Basketball (Year 5 and 6)

Wed 16 District Athletics (Year 3-6)

Thurs 17 School Disco - Year Prep-2 (5:30-6:45pm), Year 3-6 (7-8:30pm)

Fri 18 Term 3 concludes (1pm)

Visual Arts