Dear Parents,

It is very evident that the tide has turned- and we are in WINTER! It still manages to surprise me how cold it can get in our beautiful Macedon Ranges, but thank goodness for the inventor of the puffer jacket!

Sometimes the most important thing you can do as a school leader is turn to the most important people in our school! I have been doing a little research this week, as I wanted to know more about what our students think are the best things about our school. I just had to share what they said, because it is pretty beautiful to read....

Ruby Yr 6: I love that we get to play sports at lunchtime without anyone getting into huge arguments. It’s also awesome when our teachers make learning visual instead of just saying random words—like in maths, when we actually get to go outside and use the environment to help us understand things and have fun. Plus, everyone here treats each other with respect.

Cooper Yr 4: There are so many nice people here and I have lots of friends. Our teachers explain heaps of stuff to us, so we always know exactly what to do and how we are supposed to behave. I know I just need to listen and be respectful. And we always help each other out when someone needs it!

Matilda Yr 2: I love playing on the big footy oval because there is so much space to run around! Learning is super fun here. I love drawing in my art book the best. Everyone is really kind to us, and we are always kind back!

Finnan Yr 5: I really love how everyone hangs out and engages with each other—we're all just really kind to one another. It's also awesome how the teachers explain everything so perfectly. They make it super easy to actually understand what we're learning.

Emma Yr 3: It is such a big school and the teachers are very nice. There is a huge outside area to play on! If I don’t understand something, my teacher explains it more easily so I get it.

Kade Prep: I love playing with the bigger kids in the other grades! Connect Ed is super good and I like learning this.

Eve Yr 1: I love some of our different learning like our 99 Maths. I like being at our school.

There are some truly beautiful themes that came through with these students' comments. It is obvious we have an amazing space to learn and play in. But I think what I found most special was the way the students care for each other and show kindness to one another. We are also so lucky to have a community of teachers who value and support our students. It definitely confirmed what I already knew- we have a beautiful community of students and families here!

I am currently in the process of finalising the prep interviews for 2027. It is so exciting to meet all these new faces that will be joining our community. If you know any families that are still looking to enrol, please encourage them to contact me as soon as possible. At this time of year, there is always a little bit of discussion about classes for next year. Please know, no decisions have been made around the make of classes yet, as I am collecting the data and looking at numbers. Also know that I will gather parent feedback when this happens- but this will not be for a little while yet!

REMINDERS

As we head into the end of term, a few important reminders for families.

School Term Finish

We will finish on Friday 26th June at 1:30pm for the term. This is because of staff time in lieu. On this day, no buses will be running (including the Gisbus) so families will need to make other arrangements. We also will be inviting all families to join us for an end of term Sausage Sizzle celebration. More information to follow from our marvellous PFA!

Term 4 Commences

Term three will commence on Monday 13th July. Originally, this may have been advertised as a closure day, however, given the one that we were forced to have because of the criminal activity, we have taken this one away. We understand that closure days come at a financial cost to families and, whilst the one this term was out of our hands, we wanted to try and support families. We hope this helps in a small way.

Thank you to those amazing families who helped out with the mulching last week and this week. There is still more to do, so if you have a spare minute on the weekend, please feel free to pop in and move some mulch under the play areas!

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead,

Jane Barlow

Acting Principal

jbarlow@hcnewgisborne.catholic.edu.au/principal@hcnewgisborne.catholic.edu.au

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.

Happy Birthday!