FINAL DAY OF 2025 SCHOOL YEAR

Tuesday 16th December (1pm finish)

Dear Families,

Thank you for such an incredible day yesterday!

I was pleased to see so many families at our final Mass for 2025 and then we continued this celebration into the evening with our Year 6 Graduation at Avila College.

As we come to the end of our school year, I offer my heartfelt thanks for the faith, support and partnership you have shared with our Holy Family community. To our families, staff and students who are leaving us, we hold you in prayer and send you with our blessing.

May God guide your steps, and may Mary, Joseph and Jesus walk gently with you into all that lies ahead. You will always be welcome here at Holy Family—this will always be your community.

2026 Staffing

I would like to welcome Zachary Flack to our teaching team. We are fortunate to be able to employ Mr Flack as he has worked at our school for a few years and he has engaged in our Professional Learning.

He has been eager to learn and goes beyond what is expected by reaching out and working with our Curriculm Leaders to improve his craft. Mrs Julianne Kelly (Learning and Teaching/Literacy) and Michelle Luong (Learning and Teaching/Maths) will support and guide Mr Flack in his first year of teaching at Holy Family.

Our wonderful class teachers for 2026 are -

Class	Teacher
Prep	Stephanie Italiano
Year One	Zachary Flack
Year Two	Kate Buffham
Year Two	Amanda Mase (4.5 days), Barb Grabau (half a day)
Year 3	Cristina Vezzu
Year 4	Michelle Luong
Year 4	Di Dimovski
Year 5	Andrea Smith (4 days) Barbara Grabau (1 day)
Year 5	Vicky Pejic
Year 6	Juliette Foenander
Year 6	Rebecca Lark

I am in the process of interviewing staff to provide release for Juliette Foenander (1 day), Vicky Pejic (1 day) and Michelle Luong (2 days).

Once decisions have been made, I will update you.

2026 Classes

Today our students met their class teacher and classmates for 2026.

This process commences in Term 3 and involves input from classroom teachers, all specialist teachers, the Learning Diversity Leader, Literacy Leader, Maths Leader, Wellbeing Leader, Principal and Deputy Principal.

This year we had over 150 requests to accommodate and we have ensured that each students has at least one of their chosen person that they work best with.

Semester Two Student Reports

I have had the pleasure of reading over 250 student reports in recent weeks.

On behalf of our students and their parents, I would like to acknowledge the dedication and care shown to our students by each member of staff throughout this semester.

Please take the time to sit down with your child when their report comes home next week and celebrate his/her successes.

Below is information on how to access your child's report.

School Improvement Plan

Our Leadership Team is in the process of finalising our School Improvement Plan for the next 4 years. This plan is based on data and findings from our Review Process.

Our draft goals for 2026-2029 are -

To improve student achievement in Mathematics, particularly in place value, in Years 1-6.

To improve student achievement in Reading, particularly in reading fluency, in F-6.

To improve student achievement in writing, particularly in building and extending Vocabulary, in F-6.

To strengthen Catholic identity through the student voice of F-6.

To improve student behaviour through embedding a consistent and responsive F-6 framework.

Presentation Sisters Bursary Award

I had the privelege of presenting one of our younger students with the Presentation Sisters Bursary award at our Mass and Graduation Ceremony last night.

This award is to continue the mission of the Presentation Sisters -

‘Their mission was again to help young women to grow into their best selves within the Catholic community. All in a new and strange world.’

The recipient of the award for 2026 is Violet De Lima!

Graduation Ceremony

What a night!

Our Year 6 students, families and staff had a wonderful evening celebrating 7 years of primary school at Avila College. We are fortunate to have access to celebrate in such a lovely space.

Thank you to Olivia Vesely (AFLW St Kilda Football Club) for speaking to our students as part of the ceremony. She signed with St Kilda during the first period of the 2019 expansion club signing period in August and made her debut against the Western Bulldogs at RSEA Park in the opening round of the 2020 season. Olivia has been able to overcome some injury due to her tenacity and relentless running. She was a member of the VFLW Team of the Year in 2019, she was the Southern Saints Best & Fairest runner-up in 2019, received an NAB Rising Star nomination in her debut season in 2020 and won the St. Kilda Best & Fairest in 2020.

Olivia spoke to our students about her journey to becoming an AFLW player and reminded them to be authentic to themselves. To be strong and pursue their dreams.

Year 6 Awards

Last night I explained how impressed I have been by the leadership displayed by our Year 6 students this year. These students have been wonderful ambassadors for Holy Family.

I would especially like to express my gratitude to our 2025 School Captains (Micah and Georgia) and Vice Captains (Xaver and Sienna). These students display exemplary leadership.

Faith, Life and Learning Award (Congratulations, Xavier Newell)

This award recognises the deep commitment of the recipient for their involvement in our vibrant Catholic school community. This student enjoys all aspects of the school curriculum and demonstrates a positive attitude to learning. They participate in individual and group activities with a high level of interest and enterprise. They are a kind, courteous and cooperative student, who interacts with respect towards teachers, classmates and other members of our school community. This person has achieved excellence in their academic achievements, has been a wonderful school leader this year and coupled with their gentle, polite nature is extremely valued by peers and staff.

Holy Family Spirit Award (Congratulations, Renee Rosli)

This award recognises the contribution of the recipient’s community actions and service to others. This person always shows kindness to others and is very humble. They notice what other people don’t notice and always lend a listening ear and helping hand to anyone in need. This person gives their time willingly to help out, such as organising volleyball games during breaks, and assisting with classroom organisation. They are a firm believer in equality and always help their fellow students in the classroom and on the playground.

Rotary Sporting Attitude Award was presented at the Rotary club of Waverley (Congratulations, Jacob Chila)

The recipient is chosen on:

Attitude rather than ability, displaying a genuine spirit of fair play and sportsmanship

Humble in victory and gracious in defeat

Always trying to the best of his/her ability

Supportive of teammates and courteous to opponents

Plays the game for the fun of the game.

This student has proudly represented Holy Family in District Athletics, Soccer, Basketball, and Futsal. A highly talented soccer player, they are set to play in the Youth National League (Tier 1 team) next season.

As House Sports Captain, they have been reliable, cooperative, and always willing to lend a hand when needed. This student approaches every task with great independence and responsibility.

This year, they also captained our District Soccer Team, where staff noted their exceptional leadership. They provided strong support to less confident teammates and skillfully managed those who were overly enthusiastic. This student’s ability to motivate and maintain team morale in challenging moments was outstanding.

They consistently demonstrate the highest level of sportsmanship, showing fairness, respect, and integrity in all situations. This person is an excellent role model for the students of Holy Family.

School Sport Victoria Academic and Sporting Achievement Medal (Congratulations, Ben Harris)

This medal recognises a student who has achieved a high level academically, combined with a strong sporting contribution to the school.

It is with great pleasure that we recognise this student's talent and dedication to sport. They have been a reliable and responsible House Sports Captain. This student has represented Holy Family at District Cross Country, Soccer, and Track and Field. They were also a member of our school Futsal Team. They have previously made it through to Regional Cross Country.

This person is a focused and determined student, who excels in all areas of the curriculum. They apply themself during lessons, responding to feedback and refining and improving the quality of their work. Maths is a particular strength of theirs, eagerly taking on extension concepts to challenge their thinking.Congratulations, Ben Harris.

Community Spirit and Leadership Award for Chisholm (Congratulations, Lauren Bernardo)

The Community Spirit and Leadership Awards recognise inspirational young people who make a difference to their communities and an important contribution to the civic life of their schools. This student is a true leader, who leads through example and encourages others to contribute not only to their school community but to the wider community. They display great kindness and compassion, and volunteer their time to support others in the school community.

This award was presented to Lauren at a ceremony on 21st November by Federal Member for Chisholm, Dr. Carina Garland.

Matt Fregon Presents the Norm Gibbs Award (Mikael Looi)

Norm Gibbs For the past 70 years Norm Gibbs OAM has been supporting communities. Norm is one of those amazing people who never tires of giving himself to others. His attitude is purely motivated by his spirit of service and care for others and through his actions over many years he encourages others to contribute through his association with the community.

The student receiving this tonight, also has a spirit of service and care for others, their dedication and leadership shining in every aspect of school life. A lovely person with a gentle nature, they are consistently respectful and deeply thoughtful of others. Academically, they are a genuine high achiever—a self-motivated learner who takes initiative, manages tasks independently and always seeks to deepen their understanding. Their determination and curiosity sets a strong example for their peers.

They read with confidence and sincerity at masses and presentations, demonstrating both poise and maturity. As a school leader, they have shown remarkable commitment: giving countless hours to extra-curricular activities and supporting the school community. A spirit-filled person inspired by selfless service, they are committed to achieving their best personally and academically, whilst always showing humility and kindness to others.

Presentation of 2026 Student Leaders

At the end of Mass we presented our 2026 Student Leaders and handed over the 'light of leadership' to our new School Captains (Lila and Cooper) and Vice Captains (Jamie and Joel). I look forward to supporting these students in their roles next year.

2026 School Fees

Our school fees for 2026 have been included in this newsletter.

The increase in fees was discussed at our School Advisory Meeting in August 2025. This committee agreed with the proposed increase and the form of Direct Debit for payment of Holy Family School Fees moving forward.

Holy Family Playgroup

Our school and Parish community will be launching 'Holy Family Playgroup' in 2026. This community endeavour will be held at Holy Family School once a fortnight for one hour and will be run by expereinced educators and volunteers. The sessions will commence on Friday 20th February at 9:30am.

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

Kind regards,

Julie David (Principal)

2025 School Year Dates

Term Four Important Dates

(dates as correct on 20/11/2025)

DECEMBER

Fri 12 Year 6 'Big Day Out'

Tues 16 Final Assembly (11:30am)

Tues 16 Last day of 2025 for students (1pm finish)

Wed 17 Staff Handover (2025-2026)

Have You Heard?