Principal's News

World Events

Again on our news and social media feeds, we have seen some horrific scenes. The reality is, that these challenging events have been occurring for a long time and impacted so many innocent lives. 

Having lived in Australia, I am incredibly privileged not to have experienced these events, whilst I know that some of our families have experienced it first hand. So all I have is empathy for all people in the middle of these crisis, and I continue to pray for peace in these regions. 

If your family is impacted, please do come and let us know, as we will need to pay particular attention to the wellbeing of your child during this challenging time. 

What we need an eye for is to protect our students from these images, so I encourage all families to monitor any use of the internet, as some of the scenes could cause significant distress for our children. 

Grandparents Day 

We welcome all appraisal people in our students' lives to visit next Friday morning and join in class. There will be some bites to eat, that our cooking club will prepare. The real focus will be you joining in class with our students and spending some of the most precious resources of all…..time. 

MACSSIS Data

Last week we received our data for our annual surveys we complete with staff, students and families. 

The data was very pleasing, with almost all results showing well above Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools Average results. Our student data and staff data were very strong, but pleasingly, we were able to gather data from our families, thanks to those 9 families that filled out the survey. We know it is quite lengthy, so we appreciate your feedback. 

One area for growth is a section tilted ‘Barriers to Engagement’ for families. This covers many areas, including families own experience of school, communication processes and approachability of staff. I can assure you, our teachers want to engage more with families, but we need to find ways to make you feel very welcome and comfortable within school grounds. This will be work we will commit to moving ahead. Most pleasing is that the overall measure of School Climate and Catholic Identity were extremely strong amongst all stakeholders, which shows that Holy Family is a great place to be, and that whilst we welcome people from all backgrounds, the school is centred on the mission and love for one another that Jesus taught. 

Confirmation

This Saturday night, a  number of our students will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. I am extremely proud that these students have chosen to follow their faith more deeply and particularly acknowledge the gifts they have been given and commit to use them to support others throughout their lives. I’d like to express our thanks to Mrs Pauline Moran who prepares all these students, but also leads the school in Religious Education, to create the environment that is distinctively Catholic, yet also welcoming of all people!  

Breakfast Club

Not many other schools are quiet at the school bell, but we are. That is because most students are already here. This morning, we had 42 students in our Breakfast club, listening to music, having something to eat, just generally starting in a really positive mindset. Thanks to St. Vinnies who support this, but also to Glenis who leads it. A real credit is to some of our senior students, particularly Goai, Lorrianne, Jullianne, Mara and Deborah who make sure all the food is ready and people get what they need. 

Grant Application

Last week, we completed an application for a grant of $2.4 million dollars for the school. Whilst there are no guarantees, we now have a clear master plan that we will begin sharing with the community. This vision is a clear sign of commitment to the future of this school, within a community undergoing significant change and growth with many new townhouses being built and new people arriving to the area. 

Prep Transition

Our Prep transition will begin on the 9th of November. We still have a few spots available. The Prep Transition will run on the 9th, 16th and 23rd of November from 9:30am to 11.00am, with the final day on the 23rd of November running until 12pm.