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| 2024 |
|
| Friday 27th September, 2024 |
Assembly - Hall 2.10pm LAST DAY OF TERM 3 |
| Monday 14th October, 2024 |
PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Tuesday 15th October, 2024 |
STUDENTS RETURN - TERM 4 |
| Friday 18th October, 2024 |
P&F Disco - 5pm |
| Monday 21st October - Monday 9th December |
Kinder - Yr 2 Swimming lessons (Monday's ONLY) |
| Wednesday 23rd October, 2024 |
Yr 6 & Yr 3 Mass - 9am |
| Friday 1st November, 2024 |
All Saints Mass 9am - Whole school |
| Wednesday 6th November, 2024 |
Yr 5 & Yr 1 Mass - 9am |
| Friday 8th November, 2025 |
Kinder 2025 Playgroup - 9-10am |
| Sunday 10th November, 2024 |
Confirmation |
| Monday 11th November, 2024 |
Remembrance Day Liturgy - 11am |
| Friday 15th November, 2024 |
Kinder 2025 Playgroup - 9-10am |
| Wednesday 20th November, 2024 |
Yr 2 & Yr 4 Mass - 9am |
| Friday 22nd November, 2024 |
Kinder 2025 Playgroup - 9-10am |
| Friday 29th November, 2024 |
Kinder 2025 Playgroup - 9-10am |
| Wednesday 4th December, 2024 |
Kindergarten Orientation 9-10am & 10.30-11.30 |
| Friday 6th December, 2024 |
Parish Chistmas Carols |
| Wednesday 11th December, 2024 |
Kinder & Yr 6 Mass - 9am |
| Friday 13th December, 2024 |
Christmas Concert |
| Wednesday 18th December, 2024 |
Yr 6 Farewell & Dinner at Otttimo House |
| Thursday 19th December, 2024 |
LAST DAY OF TERM 4 |
As we come to the end of Term Three, on behalf of our wonderful staff, I would like to extend our gratitude for your support and partnership. Your involvement including; helping with homework, attending and supporting school events, or encouraging your child to do their best and to be kind and respectful, has been very important in making this term a success. We really value your commitment to your child’s education and to our Holy Family School community.
As we head into the school holidays, I hope you all enjoy some well-deserved rest and quality time together as a family. We look forward to welcoming your child back next term, refreshed and ready for new challenges and learning.
Term 4
Monday 14 October is a pupil free day. On this day the Staff will be engaged in professional learning and collaboration focusing on the new curriculum. The students return to school on Tuesday 15 October. You would have already received a paper copy of the Term 4 Overview. We hope this planner is helpful for you in knowing what events are coming up. I always tell the children to put it on the fridge or somewhere that you can refer back to it.
Kindergarten and Year 4 Excursion
Last Friday, our Year 4 students traveled to Wollongong to visit the Science Centre. They had a wonderful time and the staff who attended all reported that our students were beautifully behaved and thankful for the day.
On Monday, our youngest students experienced their very first excursion. It was a very exciting lead up to the day and I can happily say that everyone had a wonderful time and came back with huge smiles on their faces!
School Uniforms - especially shoes!
A reminder that from day one of Term 4, all students must wear their full summer uniform.
We have noticed that a large number of students have been wearing incorrect shoes and socks. Please take some time over the holidays to ensure that your children’s school shoes are as follows:
Shoes
Summer and Winter: Plain, standard black leather lace up traditional school shoes. Low heels - No deck shoes or boots. Girls may wear shoes with a buckle.
Sport: Predominantly white joggers that finish below the ankle (no
basketball or slip on styles) with white laces only
Socks
Girls—Summer and Sport: White and worn above the ankle.
Boys—Sport: White worn above the ankle
Boys—Summer: Grey or school specific worn above the ankle
NO anklet socks—no brand names
We will have a uniform check in Week One of Term 4. Once again, thank you for
your support.
STEM MAD- Innovate for Impact
Last Wednesday, Miss Hay and four students traveled to Wollongong to present their STEM MAD projects at the 2024 Innovate for Impact Student STEM Showcase at the UOW Innovation Campus. In collaboration with the Department of Education, this event featured around 75 students from 13 schools, showcasing 38 innovative projects aimed at making a positive difference in the world. Projects ranged from sustainable street lights to refugee apps, all blending STEM skills with a commitment to social impact. Students demonstrated solid problem-solving abilities and gained valuable feedback from industry judges and mentors, offering recognition and potential career pathways.
In all things at Holy Family, Give Thanks.
Mrs Amy Smith
Principal
Year 4’s Science Fun!
As 4 Blue and 4 White from Holy Family School entered the classroom, Mr. Leibrandt and Miss Roberts marked the roll. After that, the grade was on their way. The students walked to the bus and got on. The trip felt so long. The entire grade was excited, but after the one-hour mark, some people started to fall asleep. Of course, we needed energy to explore this exciting place.
Once we arrived at the science fair, we put our bags on the back rack and built helipads. After that, the grade started exploring the second floor. There were so many cool things to hold, touch, and play with. There was a robotic elephant, bubbles that looked like metal balls, and lots more.
Then we went to the bottom floor, and all the things there were even cooler. There was a ball launcher, mini parachute soldiers, propellers, and many, many more fun things.
Then, we went to the planetarium.
The planetarium was a lot of fun as we learnt about different planets, like how Jupiter is the biggest one, Venus doesn’t have any moons, Saturn’s rings are 90% water, and how Venus, despite being the second planet from the sun, is the hottest planet. We also learnt how Pluto was once considered a planet but fell just short of remaining one.
Additionally, we learnt about the Milky Way and how it got its name. It was named after a Greek myth about the goddess Hera, who sprayed milk across the sky. There are many galaxies, but the Milky Way is the one we belong to. There were a lot of cool scenes and interesting facts that we discovered.
We also explored liquid nitrogen. It looks hot at first because it's boiling, but don’t be fooled—it’s actually extremely cold! We saw how it made a rubber ball lose its bounce and caused a rubber band to lose its elasticity, with both of them crumbling afterward.
Now for the journey back: It was longer than the trip to the science lab. After the 1-hour mark, people started to fall asleep! Some even started to feel bus sick. But after a long ride back to school, we finally went home.
Rafael Natividad and Riley Antonio
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be commencing soon. The Parish Office has asked that you enrol your children into the program as soon as possible. This Sacrament is only for Year 6 children and above.
Here is the link to the Parish Website: https://www.hfi.org.au/2024/07/18/sacrament-confirmation-2024/
Workshop information:
23 September 2024 6:30 pm Session 1 - this is Week 10 of Term 3
(2 week break for school holidays)
14 October 2024 6:30 pm Session 2 - this is Week 1 of Term 4 (this is a Pupil Free Day at School)
21 October 2024 6:30 pm Session 3 - this is Week 2 of Term 4
28 October 2024 6:30 pm Session 4 - this is Week 3 of Term 4
4 November 2023 6:30 pm Session 5 / Rehearsal - this is Week 4 of Term 4
Sacrament of Confirmation Masses with Bishop Brian
10 November 2024 10:30am Mass & 12:30pm Mass
If you have any questions at all in relation to this Sacramental Program, please contact the Parish Office on 9059 4134. Thank you
Mrs Kathryn Hampton
Religious Education Coordinator
Belonging in a connected community is very important to us at Holy Family. We work hard to live out our vision to be a welcoming Catholic school community that endeavours to bear Christ to all. We aim to do this through the many opportunities for faith formation, high quality teaching and learning and robust PB4L (positive behaviours for learning) structures that are built on positive relationships and underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching. Our wonderful community celebrations involving our parents and carers, as well as our school’s Parents and Friends all help connect us as a community.
In addition to this, we know that many of our students participate in a number of extra curricular activities outside of school and we would like to celebrate some of these great achievements! These could include achievements in their Parish, music, sport, dance, drama, community service and community awards, to name a few. If your child has recently achieved something in an outside school area, please let us know! Details can be sent to info_holyfamily@dow.catholic.edu.au with the email subject ‘Belonging in a Connected Community’. We can then showcase their achievement in this section of our newsletter.
Basketball Gala Day
The basketball gala day was AMAZING! People who never played basketball got to experience it. There were so many other schools and it was so much fun! We all had a great day and learned some new basketball skills and how to play. There were really nice refs and coaches. If you have never done basketball before, I really think you should do the gala day. It was just so good! Everyone loved it and we made friends from all other schools. It was also non competitive so everyone had fun.Everyone's teamwork was amazing.
Everyone had so much fun playing the games. We also had very good sportsmanship. Also we got to make new friends isn't that amazing!
By Caitlin and Layla
Dear Families
The end of term 3 is here, and we are racing towards the end of the year. Here’s how to make the most out of these School Holidays
To help in sifting through all the fun activities, School Link have once again compiled a list of free/low cost activities and events across the region that might present opportunities for children, young people and families to have a chance to learn new skills, engage with the community and have a whole lot of fun! Please feel free to share with your networks and communities to share in the fun!
Time away from routine and support systems can be a challenge for everyone, so it can help to have some ideas handy of positive connections and engagement opportunities that might be available for free, or low cost in your area.
See below for information by council area:
EVENTS BY LGA:
o Mental Health Month -
o 5 Ways to Wellbeing Creative Arts project – With Prizes to be won! (See attachment Five Ways to Wellbeing)
o Taste Camden is back with Live music, celebrity chefs, food and drink stalls and more!
o Check out FREE monthly events with Outloud https://outloud.org.au/events/
o Go 4 Fun programs for Term 4 are also open for registrations: @ https://go4fun.com.au/
o For HSC Students –School Link have collated the events and supports in your local area to unwind, get space, or take time out– See HSC resources attached
o Tulip Time Festival – Southern Highlands – See the beautiful display of 75,000 colourful tulips!
o Celebrate Biodiversity Month – And check out a local hiking path, or local watering hole and enjoy all that nature has to offer! Biodiversity Resources - Sustainable Schools NSW or visit One of the National Parks eg https://www.nationalparks.nsw.
o And check out your local library events for more!
Camden
§ Free Basketball training – all welcome, but a focus for girls 12 -18 - “Pacifika Ballerz” and scan QR Code
o For the history buffs, check out UNLOCK Camden event https://camden-events.
o Taste Camden is back with Live music, celebrity chefs, food and drink stalls and more!
o Go for a walk, and complete the Nepean River Scavenger Hunt to make it interesting - https://www.camden.nsw.gov.au/
o Check out School Holidays programs with Big Yellow umbrella including Bunning craft, skate events, Naidoc event and fun days in the sun! https://www.yellowumbrella.
o Check out all the events at the council website - https://camden-events.
o 30+ Things to do for under $20,
o https://www.camden.nsw.gov.au/
o Check out Camden Kids for more activities
o Active Activities School Holiday Programs : More here – Art , Sport and more
Campbelltown
- Core Community Services Programs – “Sept-Oct Holiday Program” – Bowling, laser tag, Sydney Zoo, Aqua Gold and Tree Tops Adventure
- Aboriginal Dance Classes with Youth Hub (See AB Central Youth Hub)
- Skate Workshop – Leumeah – (See 1. Leumeah _TOTEM_POSTER)
- Free Basketball training – all welcome, but a focus for girls 12 -18 - “Pacifika Ballerz” and scan QR Code
o Check out events at Lifeline Macarthur’s Hub https://www.lifelinemws.org.
o https://www.campbelltown.nsw.
o 30+ Things to do for under $20
o Check out a bunch of events for children, young people and the family at https://www.campbelltown.nsw.
o Active Activities School Holiday Programs : More here – Art , Sport and more
o https://www.pcycnsw.org.au/
Fairfield
§ The Parks Community Activities: the Parks T3 2024
§ Core Community Services Programs – “Sept-Oct Holiday Program” – Bowling, laser tag, Sydney Zoo, Aqua Gold and Tree Tops Adventrue
o Check the Woodville Alliance Calendar for events - https://woodville.org.au/
o https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.
o https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.
o Active Activities School Holiday Programs : Liverpool/Fairfield here
o https://www.thejunctionworks.
o https://www.pcycnsw.org.au/
Liverpool
§ Board games and Mindfulness Art Workshops with the crew at Headspace at Edmondson Park (See:Flyer for Holiday Workshops V3)
§ The Parks Community Activities: the Parks T3 2024
§ Core Community Services Programs – “Sept-Oct Holiday Program” – Bowling, laser tag, Sydney Zoo, Aqua Gold and Tree Tops Adventrue
o Check out Liverpool Councils vast range of School Holiday programs including Basketball, laser tag, movie nights, lego, craft, mindfulness and more at https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.
o For HSC Students – Headspace Liverpool is running drop in sessions at Whitlam Library. Register at Headspace Mental Health Clinic Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
o Liverpool PCYC Holliday Programs - https://www.pcycnsw.org.au/
o Later in October (25-27th) – Primavera Festival – experience the delights of Latin American culture https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.
o Mid November (15-17th)– Pasifika Summer – Escape to the Pacific Islands in Macquarie mall https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.
o Check out other events hosted by council at https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.
o Visit the Powerhouse - https://www.casulapowerhouse.
o Active Activities School Holiday Programs : Liverpool/Fairfield here
o The Street University: Check out what’s on at https://streetuni.com.au/
o https://www.thejunctionworks.
o https://westernsydney.com.au/
NEARBY /OTHER OFFERINGS for the Holidays:
- NSW Office of Sport – FREE Holiday Break Camps : NSW Office of Sport For more information on School Holiday Programs https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/
sport-and-recreation-centres/ school-holiday-programs - Active Activities School Holiday Programs : More here – Art , Sport and more
- Check out your local Headspace centre, PCYC, or Youth Centre for more ideas.
Also please see attached the Optimistic October calendar from Action for Happiness, designed to promote optimism/positive thinking.
I wish you a safe holiday break, as we approach the final stretch of 2024!
Dear Holy Family Community,
My thoughts and prayers are with families impacted by the escalating hostilities in Lebanon.
It is normal and understandable to be experiencing a range of strong emotions at this time, including shock, grief, anxiety, hopelessness and fear.
STARTTS has services and resources that may be of support.
- Witness to War – A free national multilingual telephone hotline for people living in Australia who are affected by overseas conflicts. Free call 1800 845 198. Arabic-speaking Bicultural Client Support Workers are available to take calls.
- Counselling at STARTTS – STARTTS services are for people of all ages who have survived torture and/or trauma and are refugees, asylum seekers or from refugee-like backgrounds (including being impacted by intergenerational refugee-related trauma). Our closest office is located in Liverpool.
- STARTTS has produced an Arabic language video about our clients’ experiences of getting counselling at STARTTS
- Hints for Healing has produced an Arabic/English article and podcast for parents on how they can promote the wellbeing of their children in times of crisis.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me and to the school with any queries or concerns.
Warm regards,
Sarah