SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY (Friday 8th March)

Dear Families,

There are many exciting things still happening at our school this term.

Last week Chef David and Chef Justel cooked 260 pancakes in extreme heat. This was a wonderful example of service to our student community from our Principal and Parish Priest.

Thank you to the students who decorated and entered our pancake competition. One student from each class won a 'Kid's Cafe' voucher to enjoy at break times on Thursday and Friday.

The following day Father Justel celebrated two Ash Wednesday Masses to ensure all members of our school community could attend. Our Prep students have a 'rest day' on Wednesday so Father Justel came over to school the next day to discuss Ash Wednesday and Lent with them. He then blessed the ashes and placed a crucifix on the foreheads of each student to signify that each student is embarking on his/her Lenten journey.

We look forward to continuing to welcome our new families and staff at our 'Welcome Dinner'.

It will also be wonderful to see our community coming together for our BIG fundraiser 'Colour Explosion' and School Sports.

Money raised at our 'Colour Explosion' will go towards resources and playground upgrades for our students. We need to start saving to upgrade our oval and running track as this surface requires over $100,000 of work in the next couple of years.

Lent

2024 Student Leaders

Once again I am pleased to say that we have a strong group of Student Leaders in Year 6 this year. At Holy Family every Year 6 student is a Leader.

At Mass today our Year 6 students were presented to our school and parish communities and received their badges for this year.

I look forward to working alongside each of these young people throughout 2024.

A list of Student Leaders can be found on the next page.

TayTay Dance Party

Thank you to Mrs Curtain for organising a fun lunchtime last Friday where our students danced and say along to Taylor Swift songs. Students and staff had an amazing 40 minutes of fun!

There were some incredible costumes and colourful friendship bracelets. A day to remember!

P&F Welcome Event

I would like to extend my gratitude to the small group of parents who organised and hosted our 'Welcome Event' at the Mount Waverley Bowls Club. It was wonderful to see so many new families joining us at this event.

2024 School Advisory Council

I am pleased to introduce our 2024 School Advisory Council members to our community.

Justel Callos (Parish Priest)

Mark Petersen (Parish Representative)

Julie David (Principal)

Eithne King (Deputy Principal)

Amelia Younane (Parent Representative)

Daniel Trettel (Parent Representative)

Stephanie Wood (Parent Representative)

Nicole Mardell (Parent Representative)

This group meets once a term to share ideas to continue to build our amazing school community and strengthen our connection with our Parish.

We had our first meeting last night and will share the minutes from this discussion with our community.

Open Days

Our Open Days are continuing throughout this term.

Please let your friends and family know about these days and times if they would like to visit our school with the possibility of joining our Holy Family community.

School Car Park

Just a reminder that the school car park is reserved for staff and parish workers only. Parents need to find alternate parking across the road or in neighbouring streets, or use the 'Kiss and Drop' system. The 'Kiss and Drop' system works effectively when we can keep cars moving to the exit to Stephensons Road, especially in the afternoon. Staff needing to leave their workplace at the end of the day are having great difficulty due to the number of parents parking in the carpark. We thank you for respecting these arrangements.

Holy Family's Behaviour Curriculum Implementation

Our staff and students have already embarked on this journey by implementing our 'Behaviour Curriculum' to ensure each students feels connected and safe in our learning environments.

Our students have been rehearsing their 'entrance' and 'exit' routines each day with the support of our staff. I must say how impressed I am with the way each student has adopted these behaviour expectations and the calmness that this behaviour change brings to our school.

Schools' Clean Up Day

Next Friday 1st March is Schools' Clean Up Day. We will be participating in this as part of Clean Up Australia Day. If your child has a pair of gloves or some gardening tongs to assist with a safe clean up, please send them with them on the day.

2024 School Year

Term 1

February

Thursday 22nd February - Beginning of Year School Mass (Presentation of Year 6 Leaders)

Friday 23rd - Athletics Trial Day

Monday 26th - Open Day

Thursday 29th - Prep and New Families Dinner

March

Friday 1st - Division Swimming

Sunday 3rd - 2024 Prep and New Families Mass (10am)

Wednesday 6th - Open Day

Wednesday 6th - Parents and Friends Meeting (6:30pm)

Thursday 7th - School Sports (Finishes at 5pm) onsite

Friday 8th - International Women's Day (Inspire Inclusion)

Friday 8th - School Closure Day (Staff PL Lorraine Hammond 'Science of Learning')

Monday 11th - Labor Day (School Closure)

Monday 11th - Catholic Education Week (In the light of Christ)

Tuesday 12th - Open Day

Wednesday 13th - NAPLAN commences

Wednesday 13th - Reconciliation Information Night (7pm)

Friday 15th - Holy Family School Colour Explosion

Friday 15th - Summer Sport (Year 5/6)

Sunday 17th - St Patrick's Day

Monday 18th - Open Day

Tuesday 19th - VACPSP Conference (Julie/Eithne)

Thursday 21st - Sacrament of Reconciliation

Thursday 21st - Harmony Day (Everyone Belongs)

Friday 22nd - EMR Swimming

Friday 22nd - Summer Sport Gala (Year 5/6)

Sunday 24th - Palm Sunday

Wednesday 27th - Open Day

Thursday 28th - Holy Thursday (final day of Term 1) Students finish at 1pm

Enjoy your weekend with your family,

Julie David (Principal)