Dear School Community,

Welcome back to a new term! It has been wonderful to be back at school and moving around the classrooms over the past two weeks. Checking in on each class, it is abundantly clear that every grade has settled back into their routines remarkably well, creating a calm and focused atmosphere across the school.

Welcome to Our New Families

We are delighted to welcome three new students to our school family this term:

Liam (P/1K)
Tyler (1/2C)
Finn (5/6F)

A very warm welcome to Liam, Tyler, Finn, and their families. We are thrilled to have you join us and hope you quickly come to love our vibrant school community as much as we do.

Staffing Update

By now, you will have all received the email regarding Eloise. We want to extend our thanks to Eloise for all her hard work and dedication to our school, and we wish her all the best in her next adventures.

I would also like to thank those who have reached out over the past week for support or clarification regarding the process moving forward. We must follow the official protocol closely, as soon as MACS advises me that the position will be advertised, I will share that information with you immediately. I love working at Holy Cross and will continue to work towards making decisions that will move us forward in a successful way. My absolute intention is to ensure that there is clear leadership in place to continue to support the school.

2027

As we look ahead, a primary focus for this term, with Zoe’s support, is ensuring we are fully prepared for a smooth and successful 2027. Building a strong, compassionate leadership structure is key to this vision, and I am especially pleased to share some important updates regarding our Wellbeing team.

First, Casey Gaunt will continue in the Mental Health in Primary Schools role. Having undertaken specialised training throughout 2026, Casey is exceptionally well-prepared to support our students and classroom environments next year. She will continue working on the Positive behaviour for learning team as well- to ensure we really build these areas across the school. We are grateful for the time and energy she is putting into these spaces.

Additionally, we have secured a dedicated Wellbeing and Diversity Leader. More information will be shared later in the term. We recognise how vital focus and guidance are in this space, and I have complete confidence in the care, insight, and positive impact both of these leaders will bring to our school community.

We are currently preparing to advertise our remaining positions. We hope to finalise these appointments very soon so we can confirm and share our teacher placements with you.

Bushfire Category Rating Update

I am thrilled to share some very exciting news regarding our school's fire season rating. After significant advocacy, extensive discussions, and ongoing communication with the relevant departments, the Victorian Government has officially adjusted our rating: our school is now classified as requiring closure on Catastrophic fire danger days only.

I know this decision will come as a huge relief to our parents, students, and staff alike, as it significantly reduces unnecessary disruptions while keeping our learning environment open. As always, the safety of our students is paramount, and we will continue to strictly follow government directives to ensure everyone remains safe throughout the fire season.

Thank you all for your ongoing support as we step into another great term together.

Before and Afterschool care

This has been a huge priority for us working on a solution since we were advised last week. At the moment, I am still working on finding a solution for this year. MACS is now organising a contractor for next year- so I am confident this will not be an issue moving forward for 2027. However, please know I am still in negotiations with companies to support us this year. I will keep you up to date as soon as I have more information.

Be digitally wise week

Next week marks Be digitally wise week. Be Digitally Wise Week is an educational initiative designed to empower students and school communities with essential cyber safety, digital literacy, and online wellbeing skills. Through interactive learning and age-appropriate resources, it helps young people build the confidence and critical thinking required to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Students will be working on tasks to understand this area of safety better. It may provide an opportunity for families to engage in conversations with our young people around expectations on devices and social media platforms.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our upcoming events- our Working Bee tomorrow and our Grandparents morning next Friday. Our community really comes together for these events.

As always, please reach out if you need any support.

Have a wonderful weekend

Jane Barlow

Happy Birthday!

OCTOBER