Dear Parents/Carers,

Tomorrow is the Feast of The Assumption of Mary, a day considered of such significance by the church that it is deemed a Holy Day of Obligation. 

Apart from providing us with an opportunity to honour the mother of Jesus, how does this Feast Day connect with our lives today? We can think of Mary’s assumption as the final act in the drama of her life of faith and discipleship. When the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah, she found within herself the courage and faith to say “yes” to all that God was asking of her. Mary lived a life of fidelity and obedience to God in union with her Son. This is what it means to be “in Christ”. This is what it means to be a member of Christ’s body.

Mary’s assumption is therefore a great sign and source of hope for us, for we too are called to be “in Christ”; we too are members of his body. In celebrating Mary’s assumption into heaven we do not celebrate something which places her apart from us. Rather we celebrate something which places Mary among us. Our response to God may not be as whole-hearted as Mary’s, but we too, like her, have borne the Son of God in our hearts. We have received him in the gift of the Eucharist and we are the bearers of his promise that “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day” (John 6:54).

This Friday we will celebrate Book Week with our annual Book Parade. Book Week is coordinated by the Children's Book Council of Australia and coincides with their Book of the Year Awards. Across the country, many schools, libraries and bookshops celebrate the impact that books have in a child's life. This year the theme is "Reading is My Secret Power." I hope that you can come along to our Book Parade this Friday starting at 12.00pm in the hall.

This year our school is working on a goal of reviewing our Vision statement. Staff have already spent time individually and collectively reflecting on what we truly believe and value when it comes to providing a Catholic education for our students. It is vital that we engage with the parents so that our Vision Statement is reflective of our whole community. We will be providing two opportunities for you to contribute, the first of which will be a workshop held at school on Tuesday 27 August. There will be two sessions for you to choose from, 9.00am and 2.00pm. Gary Quinn from the Catholic Education Office will be coordinating the workshop which will allow you to provide your personal insights into what you value about Catholic education at Holy Family. If you are unable to attend either of these, there will be a chance for you to respond to a brief survey.

Wishing you a safe and happy fortnight,

Paul Moroney

Please keep Mrs Shonine De Livera in your prayers. Mrs De Livera's beloved mother entered God's Kingdom last week.  May perpetual light shine upon her.

Book Week Parade:

A reminder that our Book Week Parade is to take place this Friday 16th of August at 12pm. 

Each grade will dress to represent a particular story. Please do not feel the need to purchase costumes for the parade. You are encouraged to use clothing and accessories you already have at home in a creative way!

Kindergarten – Winnie the Pooh series by A.A Milne

Grade 1 – Madeline series by Ludwig Bemelmans

Grade 2 – The Elves and the Shoemaker (fairytale)

Grade 3 – The Little Mermaid (fairytale)

Grade 4 – Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda

Grade 5 – James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 

Grade 6 –  The Lorax by Dr Seuss

Costumes are to be worn to school on the day in place of school uniform. Parents and friends are welcome to attend our Book Parade. Please note that the hall will not be open until 11.45am.

Toddler and Preschool Storytime:

All non-school age siblings of Holy Family students are invited to a Book Week Storytime to be held in the school library on Thursday, August 22 at 8.45am. Come along for a story from the Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlist! All children will need to be accompanied by an adult.

Over the next week and a half we will be transitioning from Skoolbag notifications to our new COMPASS system.  The new Compass notifications will replace Skoolbag in the same way (posting notifications, uploading newsletters etc).  We will use both systems to ensure an easy transitions until Friday 23 August when Skoolbag will no longer be available.  You should also use the Compass system to enter your childs absence notifications. Please ensure you have notifications turned on for Compass in your settings on your device.

GoFundraise platform and your Fundraising Portal is ready to start accepting fundraisers and donations for the St Benedict's Day colour explosion.

The Out Of School Hours (OOSH) child care has now changed over to CatholicCare in the Diocese of Wollongong.  The email is:  ingleburnoosh@catholiccare.dow.org.au  and the mobile is: 0417 482 787. 

Collegians Cricket Club Registrations 2019/20  -  Collies turn 50 this season Be involved

All interested junior cricketers are invited to register at playcricket.com 

Search for Campbelltown Collegians and follow the prompts.

Registration is $100 or your Active Kids voucher www.colliescricket.nsw.cricket.com.au

Go Collies!