The Exec Address

Principal Address

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2026 academic year at Maronite College of the Holy Family. We welcome especially all new staff and families.

We are mid-way through term 1 and everyone is back into business. Teachers are focused on explicit teaching and students are encouraged to engage and participate in numerous opportunities afforded them. Our Parent Association is also rearing to go with evets.

We are pleased to introduce a new leadership structure this year.

• Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning will lead our instructional approach, curriculum delivery, and student learning outcomes.
• Deputy Principal – Wellbeing will oversee student welfare, pastoral care, and social-emotional development.
• Deputy Principal – Operations will manage the daily running of the College, ensuring systems and resources support our mission effectively.

This structure has been designed to provide greater accountability and clarity, ensuring every student is supported and challenged across all aspects of College life.

Our theme this year - Rise Through Challenges - reflects our commitment to building resilience, raising standards, and embracing a growth mindset. We will encourage our students to strive beyond their comfort zones and take ownership of their learning journey.

There are two areas I wish to focus on throughout 2026:

1. Academic Focus: High Expectations, Explicit Instruction

With the support of ISNSW, we are implementing a comprehensive teaching and learning program focused on explicit instruction. Staff will engage in targeted professional development to ensure all students receive clear, structured, and high-impact lessons. Through this, we aim to strengthen critical thinking, deepen content understanding, and improve academic outcomes across all year levels.

1. Behaviour and Responsibility: A Shared Standard

Creating a learning environment that is safe, respectful, and focused requires the cooperation of every student and the full support of families. We are reinforcing clear expectations around student behaviour, grooming, uniform, and participation. All students will be held accountable for how they enter, engage and exit each learning environment, as well as how the move around the College and playgrounds, as well as represent MCHF beyond our gates. We ask parents to support staff in upholding these standards so that all students can thrive.

We deeply value the support of parents who work with us to instill discipline, purpose, and ambition in their children. Together, we move towards remarkable achievements.

The upgrading of our administration facilities is nearing completion and we look forward to welcoming all visitors into a new admin area. In addition, our Masterplan has been submitted and we anticipate commencement of major developments in 2027, pending approval. Our Master plan launch will take place on 13 March with important Federal and State Members attending this special occasion.  

Thank you for your continued partnership, trust, and commitment to the College’s mission. We look forward to a year of purpose, growth, and shared success.

With gratitude and partnership

Sr Margaret Ghosn

Executive Principal 

Deputy Principal- Wellbeing 

At Maronite College of the Holy Family, student wellbeing is at the core of our mission. Inspired by the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family, we are committed to accompanying our students in the realisation of their potential by fostering a safe, respectful, and connected learning environment where every student can thrive.

An essential component of wellbeing is the clear and consistent standards we set as a community. 

Through our Multi-tiered System of Support (M.T.S.S), we have established shared expectations for behaviour and learning both inside and outside the classroom. These routines, including respectful conduct, positive engagement in learning, and responsible movement and behaviour in shared spaces, provide students with the structure they need to feel secure, focused, and ready to learn.

High expectations are a key component of our MTSS, which is inclusive of Student Uniform and Grooming standards.

Wearing the College uniform correctly reflects pride in our identity and respect for oneself, others, and the wider College community. When standards are clearly defined and consistently upheld, students develop a stronger sense of belonging, accountability, and personal responsibility, all of which positively impact learning and personal growth.

The influence of these standards is greatest when there is strong alignment between home and school. Parents and teachers play a vital role in modelling expectations and reinforcing messages around respect, responsibility, and effort. When students experience consistent guidance from the adults in their lives, they are more likely to develop resilience, self‑discipline, and positive learning habits.

Our wellbeing practices are firmly grounded in the College values of Faith, Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Collaboration, and Resilience. These values guide our interactions, shape our learning culture, and support the development of adaptable, reflective, and confident learners who are well prepared for the future.

Central to this work is the strength of collaboration and connection within our MCHF College community. 

Wellbeing is a shared responsibility, nurtured through positive relationships between students, staff, and families. By working together with openness, care, and mutual respect, we create a culture where students feel supported, valued, and empowered to achieve their best.

Thank you to our families for your ongoing partnership. Together, through high standards and strong collaboration, we continue to support the holistic growth and wellbeing of every student at MCHF.

Wishing you all a great start to 2026.

Warm regards,

Mr Andrew Pearn

Deputy Principal – Wellbeing

Deputy Principal- Teaching and Learning 

Welcome to a brand-new year at our wonderful College. Our focus for 2026 in the academic space is to raise achievement levels in our students through modelling high expectations, strong work ethic and clear-thinking processes. In summary, the teachers are working on precision in their delivery of Explicit Teaching routines, so students have clarity of what they are learning, why they are learning it, as well as clear direction on how to achieve those things.

Consistency of Approach

One of the ways we are going to address this is by having a consistency of approach to all classroom settings. The poster below is displayed in every learning space, is in diaries, teachers have this on their lanyards and students have been briefed on these processes.

Research indicates that the largest variation in student achievement is due to differences between classrooms in schools, rather than between individual schools. A study from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found that 82% of variation in student achievement arises from within schools, while only 18% is attributed to differences between schools. This is why we are ensuring these differences are minimalised at MCHF.

Cumulative Learning Growth

We congratulate the class of 2025 on their outstanding achievement, and we recognise the hard work and years of application that went into the achievement of those results. We offer our sincere congratulations to Emily Farah, who was the College Dux. We are so proud of what Emily achieved, and we wish her and the fellow graduands of 2026 every success in the future.

While ATARs are the measure to rank students for the purpose of university entry, what makes teachers particularly excited is a rarely reported HSC metric of the Cumulative Learning Gain (CLG).

 The CLG is the difference between a student’s actual HSC performance and their statistically expected performance. This is a combined measure of the value the teacher adds to the student's learning, and the effort and pure hard work the student puts into their study.

NAPLAN

Will be occurring in Week 7. Teachers have been working since last August on a numeracy focus of vocabulary of worded problems, and the literacy skill of getting student's thinking on paper. These are our whole-school foci and were assigned in response to 2025 NAPLAN results. 

Please look out for communication from our Head of Curriculum, Ms Georgette Dalla for information on the practice NAP site all can use, as well as when your child will have a ‘practice session’ so they are familiar with the testing platform.

We have been running bi-weekly comps for classes and Homerooms with NAPLAN style questions, so your child should be becoming more familiar with the testing space and what is expected of them.

Parent Lounge

This year, the Parent Lounge is a space for you to speak to members of the Executive, and teachers about queries you have about any aspect of life at MCHF. Once a month, the IT team, Andrew Pearn (Deputy Principal – Wellbeing), and I will be available for 45 mins to answer any questions you have. Want to discuss tips on how best to help your children study? What to know how to increase the font on your phone? Want to know why our policies are the way they are? These are the questions you can bring, and we will endeavour to address all matters, in the relaxed environment of the school.

Wishing all parents and students a wonderful Term 1, and I look forward to seeing everyone grow and thrive.

Many thanks

Emma Dettling

Head of Curriculum

Dear Staff, Parents and Students,

It is my pleasure to warmly welcome you to a new academic year at our College. Each year brings with it fresh opportunities for growth, learning and achievement, and I am confident that 2026 will be no exception. As a community, we have set high expectations for teaching, learning and engagement, and I am encouraged by the commitment already shown by staff, families and students to work collaboratively toward these goals.

To our parents of students in Kindergarten to Year 6, the Stage-Based Parent Handbooks have now been released on the Parent Portal. These handbooks provide clear summaries of key College policies, an overview of what your child will be learning throughout the year, assessment schedules and important dates to keep in mind. I encourage you to take the time to review these documents as they are designed to support you in staying informed and involved in your child’s educational journey.

For our Secondary students and families, the Student Handbooks have also been issued. These resources outline key College policies, provide the full assessment schedule for the year, and break down when tasks are scheduled each term. Students are encouraged to use these handbooks as organisational tools to help them plan, prepare and take ownership of their learning.

This year, NAPLAN will take place in Week 7 for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. I encourage parents to work alongside their children as they prepare—whether through regular reading, practising numeracy skills, or simply building confidence. Our teachers will continue to support students through targeted preparation in class.

As we embark on this academic year, I look forward to partnering with our entire College community. By upholding high expectations and supporting one another, I am confident we will enable every student to succeed and flourish.

Wishing everyone a positive, productive and inspiring year ahead.

Kind regards

Ms G Dalla