Dear Families,

I am currently attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference in Cairns. The theme for this Conference is 'hope, anchored in faith'.

Hope, when anchored in faith, offers school communities a powerful framework for navigating challenges and fostering a positive, resilient environment. This concept goes beyond mere optimism, providing a foundation for students, teachers, and parents to believe in a positive future and work collaboratively towards shared goals. It's a deep-seated conviction that despite present difficulties, there is a purpose and a path forward.

Keynote speakers highlight there are positive signs for our Catholic faith and Catholic Education in Australia. We need to be a faith of welcome and inclusion which listens.

It was a privilege to be involved in the Conference Eucharistic Celebration with over 1400 delegates and a choir of 400 students from the Diocese of Cairns conducted by Gen Bryant.

Bishop Joseph Caddy (Bishop of Cairns) was the main celebrant and many other clergy joined Bishop Caddy on the altar. These clergy included Archbishops of Brisbane and Sydney, Bishops, Priests and Deacons.

Sister Nathalie Becquart (French Catholic religious sister who has served as an undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops since 2021) spoke about the importance of the Synodality.

Synodality is a way of “journeying together” – of living out our faith – that calls for speaking and listening to one another and the Holy Spirit in order to find a path forward in addressing the issues facing the Church in our day as we work to carry out our mission of making known the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.

The objective of the 2021-2023 Synod was not to produce more documents, policies or procedures. Rather, it was to provide an opportunity for the entire People of God to discern together how to move forward on the path towards being a more synodal Church in the long-term, to foster a lived experience of participation, discernment and shared responsibility in furthering the Church’s mission in the world.

Trivia Night News

On Saturday night we had a very successful Trivia Night which raised $10,816 profit.

I would like to thank our small group of parents who work extremely hard behind the scenes to raise funds for our school.

Amelia and Ryan Younane prepared and presented a fun four rounds of Christmas Trivia. Thank you to Brooke Banbury and our other parents who sourced silent auction items and decorated the hall for the night.

The funds raised will go towards improving the learning and playing environments for your children. Congratulations to Johnny (Year 2I) for winning the Principal for a Day prize.

Prep 100 Days at School

On Monday 18th August our amazing Prep students celebrated 100 days at school. These students had a fun day of dressing up and participating in activities based around the concept of '100 Days'.

We are so proud of our Prep students and pleased that they are part of our school family.

Confirmation Commitment Masses

Last weekend our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates were presented to our Holy Family Parish community. Each student made a commitment to the Parish Family about receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

On Friday 29th August these candidates will receive this sacrament at St Patrick's Cathedral. Please keep these students and their families in your prayers.

Year 3 and 4 Performance

Our community is looking forward to attending our Year 3 and 4 Performance this evening.

Once again I would like to acknowledge our extremely talented Miss Rawlins and our students.

Miss Rawlins creates the script and teaches the choreography for each performance. This means she has 3 performances in one year. Thank you Miss Rawlins!

I am disappointed that I will not be able to attend this evening but look forward to seeing videos and photographs from the evening.

Good luck everyone!

RoboCup

A select group of Senior students participated in the RoboCup Junior competition at Clyde North last Friday.

RoboCup Junior is a project-oriented educational initiative that sponsors local, regional, and international robotic events for young students. It is designed to introduce RoboCup to primary and secondary school children. Created in a true cooperative spirit, RoboCup Junior encompasses not only vital STEM skills, but extends right across a school curriculum. The competition also addresses social development by encouraging sportsmanship, sharing, teamwork, understanding of differences between individuals and nations, cooperation and organisational skills.

Congratulations to our teams who achieved 4th and 5th place in this event!

District Basketball Round Robin

Our Girls and Boys Basketball Teams played in the District Round Robin last Friday.

The teams represented Holy Family in a positive light by displaying wonderful sportsmanship!

Thank you to our parents and staff who support these students.

Congratulations to our Girls Team who won this event!

Psychologist/Counsellor Opportunity

I have been investigating mental health/social skills support for our students and families at Holy Family School.

Last week I met with onPsych to see how this group could support our community.

I am pleased to say that they can offer psychological and/or counselling support.

onPsych is comprised of a team of experienced, qualified, registered and accredited psychologists, mental health social workers and counsellors who specialise in child and adolescent services. OnPsych works in primary, secondary, and special education schools from both public and private sectors. They work with individuals and in group sessions with students, parents and academic staff. In most cases services are provided with no out of pocket expenses and are bulk billed to the school, student or parent. The services are generally provided on site for easy access; noting that telehealth can also be an important part of support delivery.

Please read the attached information and email me jdavid@hfmw.catholic.edu.au if you would like to access this service. We need at least 10 students to have a psychologist onsite.

New Uniform Item

We have organised a new uniform item, a soft shell jacket, that is now available at PSW.

Please find updated item and price lists from PSW.

Car park

Just a gentle reminder that parents are not to park in the school carpark. We currently have a number of parents parking and dropping off or collecting children. At the end of the school day, parents who have parked are clogging up the car park. This is inhibiting staff exiting the carpark, and parents who have used the Kiss and Drop system as required.

Congratulations to the Ricupito family who have use of a car park this term, with their successful bid in the car park auction.

Father's Day (Special Friend) Celebration

Dads or a special friend, you're invited! Please respond the the note on Operoo for catering purposes. We would also love you to share a special photo of our dads/special friends. Please email to your child's classroom teacher.

'Step Into Prep' Sessions

We are looking forward to welcoming 3 and 4 year old children to our 'Step into Prep' sessions this term.

These sessions are for all children in the City of Monash. They can come along and experience some of the wonderful opportunities Holy Family School has to offer.

Please let your local kindergartens, family and friends know about this opportunity.

2026 Class Placements

Holy Family School is fortunate to have professional and dedicated staff members. Early in Term 3 parents are invited to email 2026 class placement requests to me jdavid@hfmw.catholic.edu.au

Please be aware that not all requests will be met but we will aim to do our best for each student in Years Prep to 6.

Prep 2026 Enrolments

If you have a child ready to start school in 2026 please submit your enrolment form to the office as soon as possible. We look forward to welcoming your family to Holy Family School in 2026.

Once you have enrolled your child -

You will be invited to attend and interview with school staff and your child to discuss how to 'best' transition your child to primary school
Your child will be invited to attend 'Step Into Prep' sessions late in Term 3
Your child will attend 5 Transition Sessions in Term 4
You will be invited to attend a Prep Parent Information Session in Term 4
Your child will meet their Year 5 Buddy at their final Transition Session in Term 4

Open Days

Open Days are held every Tuesday at 9:30am. Please go to our website to book a tour.

Our 2025 School Captains (Micah and Georgia) and Vice Captains (Xavier and Sienna) will support these tours.

Soft Plastics Recycling pick up

Thank you to all those families who have already volunteered this year to pick up our soft plastics recycling from school and drop off to the Monash Recycling Depot. Please find this term's roster for pick up.

2025 School Year Dates

Term Three Important Dates

AUGUST

Thur 21 Year 3/4 Concert (Avila College)

Mon 25 Book Week Dress Up Parade

Tues 26 Confirmation Reflection Day

Wed 27 Deputy Principal Conference

Fri 29 Sacrament of Confirmation (St Patrick's Cathedral) 6pm

SEPTEMBER

Mon 1 Julie on Long Service Leave

Thur 4 Father's Day Stall

Fri 5 Father's Day Celebration (8:30am - 10am)

Sun 7 Happy Father's Day!

Thur 11 R U OK? Day

Fri 12 District Athletics

Fri 19 Celebrate Term 3 Mass (9:15am)

Fri 19 Final Day of Term 3 (1pm finish)

Looking forward to seeing everyone next wee,

Julie David (Principal)

Garden Club