Kellie & Kate's Message (for the last time)
Dear Families,
We are so proud and grateful for the way our school community has come together to begin the new year. It’s a real privilege to be part of a community that supports one another and steps up in so many ways. From welcoming new families, supporting fundraisers like our bake stalls, to volunteering for excursions and sporting events, your generosity and involvement have been nothing short of amazing.
The ongoing encouragement and offers of support have meant so much to us. We love working with your children, they inspire us every day with their curiosity, kindness, and energy.
We’ve been lucky to begin each newsletter this term with exciting updates, and this final one is no different. This term alone, we’ve welcomed our new Prep students and families, celebrated St Brigid’s 150th anniversary, launched swimming programs, and even introduced two Highland cows and of course, the surprise arrival of Shorty!
Now, for our final newsletter, we are thrilled to share more exciting news: the appointment of our new Principal, Eloise Meyer. Eloise will officially begin next term, but she is excited to be visiting next week to meet the children and staff. We know she will receive the same warm welcome that defines our Holy Cross community.
We look forward to introducing her to our beautiful school, our unique surroundings, and the wonderful people who make Holy Cross such a special place.
As we prepare to welcome Eloise, we also want to take a moment to thank everyone, staff, families, and children for the support, patience, and encouragement shown during this leadership transition. It has truly been a team effort. We are proud of what we’ve achieved together and excited for the future ahead.
Whole School Athletics Carnival – A Huge Effort, A Great Day
On Wednesday, our whole school came together for the Athletics Carnival at Dixon Field in Gisborne, and what a day it was!
There’s an enormous amount of planning and preparation that goes into making a day like this possible, and we simply couldn’t do it without the incredible support of our volunteers. To have people dedicate their entire day to raking sand in the long jump pit, adjusting the high jump bar, measuring distances for shot put, discus and triple jump, timing races, recording results, and managing all the little jobs in between, it’s no small feat. It’s a huge day, but seeing our children try new things, encourage each other, and celebrate their achievements makes it all more than worth it.
In past years, only our Year 3–6 students attended the carnival. Last year, we introduced a new tradition by inviting our Prep to Year 2 children along as well. Not only do they get to cheer on their older schoolmates, but they also take part in their own fun with tabloid sports events. It adds a whole extra layer of planning and volunteer support but the joy on their faces makes it a no-brainer. For some of our Preps, the bus ride alone was a highlight!
A massive thank you to Casey, our Sports Coordinator, for her work behind the scenes. The number of lists, checks and re-checks needed to make sure everything ran smoothly was no small task. Casey, your attention to detail and dedication made the day a success, thank you.
More information and photos from the carnival can be found in this week’s Holy Cross Happenings.
Sacrament of Reconciliation – A Special Evening for Year 3
After a big day at Athletics, our Year 3 children came together on Wednesday evening to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation at St Brigid’s Church in Gisborne.
We were grateful to have Fr John from the Woodend/Lancefield Parish join Fr Vincent in supporting the children through this important step in their faith journey. The children were well prepared, having taken part in a family evening last week, attending Parish Commitment Masses over the weekend, and engaging in meaningful learning in the classroom.
Thank you to our Faith Leaders, Emma Barker from St Brigid’s, and Zoe Vandenhurk, and our Year 3 teachers, Emily Merrett and Cailin Prebble, for guiding and supporting the children throughout this process. And, of course, thank you to the families for their ongoing encouragement and presence during this special time.
Lent is a time of reflection and renewal in the Catholic Church, and a meaningful season in which to celebrate the sacrament of forgiveness.
More photos can be found on the Faith page.
Catholic Education Week
Last week, our school captains had the honour of representing Holy Cross at the Catholic Education Week Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. During the Mass, a new icon of St Patrick was unveiled and blessed by Archbishop Peter Comensoli. It was a very special moment to be part of, surrounded by nearly 300 schools from across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
If you're ever in Melbourne, we encourage you to visit the cathedral and see the beautiful new depiction of its patron saint.
As part of the Catholic Education Week celebrations, we were also proud to have the artwork of three of our former students, Alice Guthridge, Harley Gaunt and Abigail Fergusson, featured in the Creative Arts Exhibition at the Celtic Hall, at the Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne.
Congratulations to the children and to Mrs Kathy Shelton for having their work selected. The pieces were inspired by the Japanese art form Kintsugi, a technique that uses gold to repair broken pottery, symbolising beauty in restoration and strength through imperfection.
School Tours and 2026 Enrolments
We have had a good response to our school tours, and are looking forward to welcoming more prospective families tomorrow for our Saturday tours.
If you have family or friends with a child starting Prep next year, we encourage you to invite them to visit and see our vibrant learning spaces and the great work happening in our school. There’s no better way to experience the Holy Cross community than by seeing it in action!
Thank you to everyone who has helped spread the word, we appreciate your support.
Thank You to Our Volunteers – A Community Effort
We are so grateful for the many volunteers who support our school throughout the term. Just in the past two weeks, we’ve had incredible help across the school, from the Athletics Carnival and Easter raffle to painting projects and classroom experiences.
This week, Paul was back painting for us (thank you, Paul!), and the Fairmaid family led a felting session during an Art class, creating a hands-on, creative experience for the children. Last week, John from Hanging Rock Winery visited our Year 6 students to teach them about the fermentation process. He even brought a microscope so students could see the yeast at work! He explained how the skins influence flavour, and how mildew can impact grapevines, bringing science to life in such a practical, memorable way.
These rich learning experiences wouldn’t be possible without the generosity and expertise of our extended school community, and we can’t thank you enough.
Next week is the final week of term, and once again we are relying on our wonderful volunteers to help us finish strong. A big thank you to the PFA for organising the Colour Fun Run on the last day of term, following the cross country run. More details will be sent home on Monday.
We’d also like to sincerely thank all families who donated items for the Easter Raffle, your generosity helped create some truly fantastic hampers. A big thank you as well to the team who came together to put the prizes together. The raffle will be drawn on the last day of term.
As we head into the break, we hope you enjoy the beautiful Autumn mornings and have a happy and holy Easter. Easter Mass times are available on our Parish page and we encourage families to attend this important part of our Catholic calendar.
Thank you again for your ongoing support this term. We look forward to welcoming our new Principal next term and showing Eloise the same kindness and encouragement that make Holy Cross so special.
Kind regards
Kellie and Kate
All students attending Holy Cross Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.