Dear Holy Family Parents,

Special Morning Tea to welcome new students

Earlier this week, Mrs Edwards and I were delighted to host a special Morning Tea to warmly welcome the 19 new students who joined our school this year across Year 1 to Year 6.

The morning tea provided a wonderful opportunity for our new students to connect with staff, meet one another, and begin building friendships within our school community. There was a lovely atmosphere of positivity as students shared where they had come from and what they were most looking forward to at Holy Family.

During the morning tea, students participated in small group discussions with members of the leadership team. These conversations gave us valuable insight into their early experiences. It was very pleasing to hear that many students already felt welcomed and supported by their classmates and teachers. Several students shared that they especially enjoyed:

Making new friends
Participating in sport and playground activities
Engaging in hands-on learning tasks
The kindness of their buddies and classmates

As part of the morning, students also completed short feedback surveys. Their responses highlighted that:

They felt safe at school
They knew who to go to if they needed help
They were excited about upcoming learning opportunities
They appreciated the welcoming classroom environments

We were grateful for the honest and thoughtful feedback provided. It will help us reflect on and strengthen our transition processes to ensure every child feels a strong sense of belonging from their very first day at Holy Family.

The Season of Lent

The season of Lent invites us to pause and reflect on the values that deepen our compassion and strengthen our shared responsibility for one another. It is a time for reflection that creates space for growth, humility that grounds us in our common humanity, self-discipline that draws us back to what truly matters and generosity expressed through acts of compassion and kindness. This year, the 40-day Lenten journey begins today (18 February) with Ash Wednesday.

An Ash Wednesday prayer

Merciful God of infinite compassion, your creating power called us forth from the dust of the earth and your redeeming love fashioned us a new in your image.

In this, the acceptable time, lead us inward to be at peace with you and outward to be reconciled with our neighbour.

May we embrace the sacred discipline of Lent with broken, humbled hearts and so come to the blessed joy of Easter cleansed and renewed.

We ask this through Jesus, the Christ, who lives forever and ever. Amen

Open Day 2026

We’re delighted to share that registrations for Open Day 2026 are now open!

Our school community is our greatest advocate! If you have friends, neighbours, or colleagues with children starting school in 2027, we would love for you to share this opportunity with them.

Open Day Dates and Times

Wednesday, 4 March 2026 | 9:00am – 10:30am
Saturday, 30 May 2026 | 10:00am – 12:00pm

👉 Register for Open Day HERE.

Kindergarten 2027 – Sibling Information

Families with a child commencing Kindergarten in 2027 are kindly asked to complete the Sibling Information Form HERE. This information is essential in helping us plan ahead and determine sibling placements before offers are made to new families.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for being such wonderful ambassadors of our school community.

Kindy and New Families Welcome BBQ -TONIGHT!

We are excited to invite all Kindy and New Families to join us for a Welcome BBQ on Friday, February 20, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm for an evening filled with great food, fun, and community spirit. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to connect, meet one another, and build relationships as we prepare for an exciting school year ahead.

RSVP Here:

Siena Catholic College

We are delighted to announce that Catholic Schools Broken Bay is establishing a new K-12 co-educational College in Pymble from 2027. This new College, Siena Catholic College, will be the existing catholic primary school sites of  Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (OLPS), West Pymble, and Sacred Heart, Pymble. The Siena Junior Campus for students in Years K-4 will be located on the West Pymble site, and the Senior Campus for students in Years 5-12, will be located on the Pymble site. There will be a gradual transition to this structure over the next few years, with the first intake of Year 7 students being welcomed to Siena Catholic College in January 2027. By 2030 Siena will be a full K-12 College.

There will be an annual intake of Yr 7 students into Siena Catholic College, and students in our CSBB primary schools will be given preferential consideration for enrolment in Years 7-12. Students completing Year 6 in any of our CSBB primary schools have always had a pathway into St Leo’s Catholic College in Wahroonga and Mercy Catholic College in Chatswood; Siena offers an additional option in response to community feedback about the need for another Catholic College on the North Shore.

Families are warmly invited to attend the Siena Catholic College Open Days in March 2026 to meet key staff, hear about the vision for the new College, and explore the facilities and programs that will be available.

For further information visit the Siena website https://www.sienadbb.catholic.edu.au or email us at sienacatholiccollege@dbb.catholic.edu.au

	Term One - Thursday Jan 29 to Thursday April 2
	Term Two - Tuesday 21 April to Thursday July 2
	Term Three - Tuesday July 21 to Thursday September 24
	Term Four - Tuesday October 12 to Wednesday December 15

Week 5	Wellbeing Week
Wednesday 25 Feb	Caritas "We're crazy for Caritas" 7pm P&F Forum
Thursday 26 Feb	"Take 5" 5 minutes of meditation for families at 8.25 am each month Friendship Day
Week 6
Mon. 2 March	Harmony Day
Tues. 3 March	North Shore Swimming Carnival
Wed. 4 March	Open Day Caritas Crazy Glasses Day
Thurs. 5 March	Playgroup 8.45 - 10 am
Friday 6 March	9am Lenten Mass 2.10pm Assembly
Sat. 7 March	Reconciliation Celebration 1pm & 3pm at Killara
Week 7
Mon. 9 March	Holy Family Cross Country
Tues. 10 March	Broken Bay Swim Carnival
Wed. 11 March	NAPLAN Writing test - Year 3 & 5
Thurs. 12 March	NAPLAN - Reading test Coffee Connect from 8.15 am Ciao Down Lindfield
Fri.13 March	Caritas Crazy Sock Day
Sun. 15 March	Year 4 Youth Mass 6 pm
Week 8
Mon. 16 March	NAPLAN Language of Conventions test
Tues. 17 March	NAPLAN - Numeracy test
Wed 18 March	Caritas Crazy Hair Day

Fri. 20 March	2.10pm Assembly
Sat. 21 March	P&F Trivia Night
Sun. 22 March	10.15am Kindy & Buddies Children's Mass
Week 9
Sun. 29 March	Palm Sunday
Week 10
Thurs 2 April	Playgroup Holy Week Reflection Students last day for Term One

Please CLICK HERE to read the Parents Charter from Catholic Schools Broken Bay.

Holy Family Newsletter - Tel: 7256 2141 Email: hfl@dbb.org.au

Strength and Gentleness

Term 1 Week 4 · 20 Feb 2026

In this issue