Reflection

We are entering an exciting new chapter in the life of the Church as we welcome our new Pope, Pope Leo XIV, following the conclave that recently took place. As a Catholic school, we rejoice in this significant moment and celebrate the beginning of the new Pope’s leadership in guiding the global Catholic community.

Our new Pope brings with him a wealth of experience, wisdom, and a heart full of compassion. Like Pope Francis before him, he is committed to spreading the love of Christ, promoting peace, and caring for the poor and vulnerable in our world. As we look ahead, we are filled with hope and anticipation for the ways in which he will inspire us all to live out the Gospel values of love, kindness, and service.

In this time of transition, we invite our students, families, and staff to join together in prayer for the new Pope. Let us ask God to guide him in his leadership, that he may continue the mission of the Church with humility, compassion, and wisdom. Let us also pray for our Church community worldwide, that we may all grow in faith and work together to build a world rooted in love and justice.

Vision Moments

As noted in newsletters last term, Holy Family is embedding the principles of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness throughout school life as we believe that they support our school vision which is to be a ‘A welcoming Catholic school community that endeavours to bear Christ to all’.  

We want Holy Family to be more than just a school focused on excellence in learning. We aspire for it to be a place that works in partnership with parents to shape beautiful children that are ultimately empowered to become the best they can be. 

As you know, one of my favourite parts of being principal is being in classrooms and on the playground to connect with our staff and students and be inspired by them. It fills me with hope to witness the love, connection and respect displayed by our wonderful students and staff. Please see below some moments that I am grateful for over the past fortnight:

• Our P&F who organised the Mother’s Day Stall - which brought a smile to our students’ faces

• Jaden (2 White) comforting a classmate who was sad

• Ileini (3 Blue) for showing compassion to a classmate who needed extra help

• Miss Morabito for her dedication to all aspects of her teaching and notably, her commitment to the Dance Group

• Bryson (2 Blue) for his maturity and compassion for others

I could spend all day listing similar moments like this within our community. Like Christ, these students have inspired many others to work towards becoming the bearers of Christ’s love.

Pilgrim Passports

Jubilee 2025 - Year of Hope. In response to Pope Francis’ call to embrace the historic tradition of pilgrimage, Bishop Brian Mascord has designated the following locations within the Diocese of Wollongong as official Jubilee pilgrimage sites for the Holy Year. Visiting these sacred places provides the faithful with a unique opportunity to participate in the grace of the Jubilee plenary indulgence.

To enhance the pilgrimage experience, the students of Holy Family received a Pilgrim Passport, specially designed for Diocese of Wollongong pilgrims. This passport includes:

• Instructions on obtaining the Jubilee indulgence.

• Prayers for pilgrims to deepen their spiritual journey.

• A comprehensive guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

• A dedicated space to record and stamp visits at each designated pilgrimage site.

Bishop Brian Mascord will personally visit each pilgrimage site during the Holy Year to impart the papal blessing. Please consider visiting these sites around our local diocese as this is an opportunity for families to connect, pray together, and journey through this year as joyful disciples of Christ. 

For more information about the pilgrimage sites, follow the link attached below.https://www.dow.org.au/media-resources/jubilee-year-of-hope/

Mother’s Day Celebrations and Open Classrooms             

Last Wednesday, our P&F held their annual Mother’s Day stall. I’d like to thank our parent volunteers for their work in ordering and organising the gifts and being there on the day to support our students in purchasing gifts. The children really enjoyed purchasing gifts for their mothers, grandmothers and significant others.

Last Thursday was a wonderful day of community. We had so many parents, carers and grandparents come to enjoy open classrooms, a picnic lunch and a liturgy. The numbers of people in attendance were unexpected, but so very welcome! We were more than happy to bring out extra seats to celebrate together. To those of you who were able to come, thank you - you could see how excited the students were to have you with us. The energy was very high. I’d like to thank you all for making the time to be there. I know some of you couldn’t be there for various reasons and we missed you! I’d also like to thank our extremely dedicated staff for their hospitality and welcome to all of our visitors.

Solar Panels

Many of you are aware that last year, Campbelltown Catholic Club gave us a grant to purchase solar panels. Our parish also felt that solar panels are an important energy source and decided to make a financial contribution which ensured we were able to purchase a larger system. I am pleased to inform you that we saved approximately $4000 in the first quarter of the year when compared to last year’s bill. We thank Campbelltown Catholic Club as well as our Parish for their support and we are very pleased that our solar panels are conserving energy and also money!

Decodable Readers

Thank you to our P&F for approving the purchase of a full set of decodable readers. I am pleased to inform you that all 1200 books have arrived. We are now ready to accession the readers and get them ready for use in the coming weeks. 

Kindergarten Interviews

There have been a very large number of applications for Kindergarten in 2026. Miss Laidlaw and I commenced Kindergarten Interviews last week. The first two days were very rewarding and we are very impressed with the children and families. We have three more days of interviews in the coming weeks followed by a discernment process using the Catholic Education Office’s enrolment policy criteria. Offers of enrolment will be sent to families in Week 9 of Term 2 as per Diocesan guidelines.

LOWES Uniforms

We have been in contact with Lowes at Minto and have been informed that a number of different sized girls’ winter uniforms are not yet in stock. They have informed us that they are in the warehouse, but they are unsure as to when they will be in store. Please be assured that any student who doesn’t have a winter uniform next Monday when the official transition to winter uniform takes place, can continue to wear their summer dress with stocking or socks to keep warm. We are in constant contact with Lowes so we will keep you updated with information regarding the delivery of uniforms.

Newsletters

We are trialling sending out newsletters in Weeks 3, 6 and 9 of the term during Term 2. We will then ask for your feedback at the end of the term. 

In all things at Holy Family, Give Thanks.

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