Holy Cross Athletics Day, 2025

Tabloid Sports (Prep - Year 2)

This Wednesday at Dixon Field, our junior children from Prep to Year 2 participated in a fantastic Athletics Day, engaging in a series of fun and inclusive Tabloid Sports activities. With the support of our dedicated staff and parent volunteers, the day was a wonderful celebration of physical activity, teamwork, and school spirit.

The morning kicked off with children gathering for roll call and a quick snack before boarding buses to Dixon Field. Excitement filled the air as the children arrived and settled in to watch the first event, the thrilling 100m sprint. Cheers and encouragement were shouted from the sidelines as our senior children showcased their speed and determination.

Once the races concluded, it was time for the Tabloid Sports rotations to begin. Children moved through four engaging activities: Bean Bag Bungle, Circle Chase, Minefield, and the Sack Race. Each event was led by our fantastic parent volunteers, who guided the children through the challenges while teachers supported their classes. Whether it was dodging obstacles in Minefield, racing with sacks, or skillfully tossing bean bags, our children demonstrated enthusiasm and sportsmanship at every turn.

In between rotations, the children took breaks to watch the hurdles and long jump events, inspiring them with the athletic achievements of their peers. These moments provided opportunities for younger children to see the exciting opportunities that await them in their future years at Holy Cross.

A special thank you to our incredible Sports Coordinator, Casey Gaunt, for her organisation and to our staff members who ensured the day ran smoothly. We also extend our gratitude to our parent helpers, David Galloway, Renee Boddington, Lydia Fuss, Kim Haynes, and Sonia Cassar, for their time and enthusiasm in supporting our young athletes.

Throughout the day, house points were awarded not only for winning but also for outstanding sportsmanship, effort, and positive behaviour. It was fantastic to see children encouraging one another and embracing the spirit of participation.

As the final whistle blew and the children boarded the buses back to school, there was a sense of achievement and joy among all involved. Tabloid Sports Day was a wonderful experience, and we look forward to another exciting event next year. Well done to all our junior children for giving their best effort and making the day such a success!

Athletics Events (Years 3 - 6):

Alongside our juniors, our children from Years 3 to 6 also took part in the annual Holy Cross Athletics Day at Dixon Field. This highly anticipated event saw children competing in a variety of track and field events, demonstrating their athletic ability, sportsmanship, and team spirit. With pleasant weather conditions and a high level of enthusiasm from children, staff, and parent volunteers, the day was a resounding success!

The event commenced with children following a highly organised bus plan to travel to Dixon Field, ensuring they were ready to start the competition promptly. Upon arrival, a briefing set the stage for the day's activities, followed by the highly competitive 800-metre event. The children then rotated through various athletic disciplines, including long jump, high jump, shot put, discus, and triple jump, along with sprints and hurdles on the track.

A key feature of the event was the division between the District Events and House Point Events, allowing the children to participate at a level that suited their competitive preferences. Those competing in the district events aimed to qualify for the Macedon Ranges District competition, while those in the house point events focused on participation and team spirit. Parent volunteers played a crucial role in ensuring that both categories ran smoothly, encouraging all the children and celebrating their efforts.

Track events, including the 100m sprint and hurdles, were among the highlights of the day, with the children pushing themselves to achieve personal bests. The 200m races were strategically scheduled during the lunch break to ensure all children had ample opportunities to participate in their chosen events. The excitement continued into the afternoon with more field event rotations before concluding with the final 200m races for the 11- and 12/13-year-old age groups.

Throughout the day, ribbons were awarded, and results were carefully recorded by our dedicated team to ensure fair and accurate scoring. A huge thank you goes to our team of parent volunteers and staff members, including teachers and support staff, who facilitated events and ensured smooth transitions between rotations. Thank you to Bernie Stewart, who managed First Aid, which can be a big task on an athletics day.

The House Point competition added an extra layer of excitement, with children earning points for their house teams through participation, effort, and achievement. The results of the house competition will be announced in an upcoming school assembly in Term 2, where we will celebrate both individual and team accomplishments.

As the buses returned to school in the afternoon, children reflected on a day filled with fun, friendly competition, and a great sense of achievement.

Thank you again to our incredible parent helpers, who generously gave their time to assist with events, record results, and support our children throughout the day. Their involvement contributed to a well-organised and enjoyable experience for all.

Of course the biggest thank you must go out to our dedicated, hard-working, perfection-seeking Sports Coordinator Casey Gaunt, for once again organising a fair and fantastic day of athletics. It is a huge job to plan whole school events like this, however Casey always does the task beautifully. Thank you Casey, we look forward to our next whole school sporting event (next week), the HC Cross-Country Carnival!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2025 Holy Cross Athletics Day! We look forward to seeing our top performers represent our school at the district level in Term 3. Well done, Holy Cross!

Term 1 Lunch Clubs: Review

This term, our Lunch Clubs have provided children with additional opportunities to explore new interests, develop skills, and connect with peers beyond the classroom. From strategising in Chess Club to harmonising in Choir, creating in Art Club, problem-solving in Maths Club, and training hard in Sport Club, there has been something for everyone.

Chess Club - hosted by Luke Wenczel:

Chess Club has welcomed some passionate players throughout Term 1. From eager beginners to future grandmasters, there’s been a spot for everyone at the board. It’s been particularly nice to hear Year 1 children excitedly share stories of learning the game with their parents at home. These young players have quickly grasped the fundamentals and are always the first to arrive each week. We are excited to see what new moves the children learn over the break and can’t wait to continue the chess journey in Term 2!

Choir Club - hosted by Lisa Peake

Our choir has grown to over 30 children from Years 3-6. We started off the term singing songs from past performances and getting to know what it means to sing within a group. We are now working on our song that will be sung with Ubuntu at the upcoming performance on June 26th: "Colours" by Jason Derulo. This song was the Fifa World Cup anthem in 2018. The song will be sung as a duet with Ubuntu and is brand new to our choir, but we're working hard to learn the timing, melody and our parts. Next term, we will have the added task of learning our Confirmation hymns and parts of the Mass.

Maths Olympiad Club - hosted by Pat Piazza

Maths Club has been running every Monday with a mix of children from Year 2 and up, some attending regularly and others joining occasionally. A core group, including Olivia, Eoin, Bethany, Thomas, George and Asha, mixed in with other curious learners from Year 2 to 4 have been coming along each week to engage in problem-solving. We typically work through one or two Problems of the Week, discussing strategies, modeling solutions on the board, and exploring alternative approaches. Below are some samples of the problems we have worked through together:

Art Club - hosted by Jodie Davis

Art Club has been a creative and engaging space where children have explored guided drawing, bringing characters and objects to life with colour. So far, they have drawn bubble tea, Elsa from Frozen, Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, and a surfer. In addition to drawing, we have been crafting alphabet letters for the Discovery space, using natural materials like shells, sticks, seed pods, and paper. The children have enjoyed experimenting with different textures and techniques while contributing to a shared project.

Sports Club - hosted by Leonie Wallace

Sports Club has been a fantastic opportunity for children to trial for our many competitive sports teams throughout the year. From futsal and soccer to netball, basketball, football, and tennis, our senior children have had/will have numerous chances to represent Holy Cross in the sports they love. The club has also provided valuable training sessions, guided by our PE teacher Leonie, alongside dedicated parent-coaches and staff. Each Wednesday, break time has been filled with energy as different trials and training sessions take place. We look forward to Sports Club continuing next term!

P-2 Greater Western Water Incursion

This morning, our Prep – Year 2 children enjoyed an engaging incursion from Greater Western Water, learning all about the water cycle and the importance of water conservation. The children loved meeting Sammy the Snake, listening to the story of Donna the Raindrop, and taking part in a fun play to show how water moves through the environment. It was a fantastic experience that highlighted the vital role water plays in our daily lives!

Year 3 Bake Sale

Last Friday it was our Year 3's turn to host a bake sale. Although the weather was less than pleasant this time around, it didn't stop our families and staff from spending a few dollars on some baked and sweet treats to begin their weekend. A whole-cohort brainstorm among the Year 3 children resulted in the fantastic idea to purchase some futsal goals to support some of the smaller games of soccer that take place each break time. The children also wanted to set some of the bake sale profits aside to purchase some ornaments for our future wetlands garden. Once again, thank you to the PFA and all the Year 3 families for supporting the Bake Sale. The opportunity for children to have a voice in how the profits are spent has been invaluable in our efforts to keep children at the centre of everything we do.

NAPLAN 2025 – A Fantastic Effort from Our Children

Our Year 3 and Year 5 children have officially completed their NAPLAN assessments for 2025! Throughout the Writing, Reading, Language Conventions, and Numeracy assessments, they demonstrated incredible patience, concentration, and a positive attitude. Each day, they tackled their assessments with determination, showing resilience and focus.

We are especially proud of our Year 3 children, who participated in NAPLAN for the first time this year. When results are released later in the year, we will share them with families, celebrate the children’s achievements, and use the data to guide our ongoing efforts for continuous improvement.

A big thank you to our NAPLAN coordinator, Kate Johnston, for the time, effort, and care she put into making sure everything ran smoothly. Her attention to detail, thoughtful planning, and genuine care for each child helped create a calm and supportive environment.

Harmony Week

Last week as a school community we celebrated Harmony Week. The children explored Australia's cultural diversity, and discussed the value that diversity adds to a community. In classrooms the children discussed concepts such as inclusion and respect, and also compared diverse communities to a puzzle - every unique piece is important in creating a beautiful, connected picture. Throughout the week the children read books such as I'm Australian Too, by Mem Fox (see read-aloud below), they performed random acts of kindness, learnt how to say hello in multiple different languages, wore orange to show their support for diversity, and shared some (orange-ish) cinnamon donuts for a delicious morning tea together. A big thank you to all the children and families for supporting Harmony Week.

Inform and Empower