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Last Sunday’s Gospel…
Luke’s Gospel tells the story of John baptising people. The people actually thought he was the promised one. Even though we are preparing for the birth of a baby, the story is in the Advent readings because it shows the people of the time had to wait for a very long time for their promised saviour.
From the Principal...
We have had an extremely busy time! I am very pleased to be able to report that our staffing is nearly complete. I have been able to secure a teacher for Year 3, just this morning, Ms Kaitlyn Bartlett. She is going to prepare a message for her class so I will send that out as soon as possible. I have also employed Ms Sarah Napier who will be doing PPT and executive release in Year 3 for Ms David. Both are very keen to work with us at Holy Family and come highly recommended. With the appointment of a diverse learning needs teacher in the coming days, all will be complete.
We have had a very exciting day today moving the new furniture into Years 3-6. I just couldn’t stop the children from helping – they were amazing! When the classrooms are set up I’ll share photos with you. Of course, I hope you will soon be able to come in and see for yourselves!
Thank you all for the beautiful presents that are coming my way. Though it has been a challenging year, it has brought out the best in us working as a community and I have been very grateful for your support. We are a very strong and happy school community for our children because of all you contribute to the school so thank you all very much.
I pray you have a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends and the Christ Child who brought light to the world 2000 years ago. May that light shine on all of you and those you love this Christmas.
God Bless,
Michelle Rolfe
Principal
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REPORT with Mrs Deanna David
Greetings and many blessings to you all. Here are some updates and resources that I feel will be of benefit to you
Sacrament Update
We recently celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation as a community. It was lovely to see families coming together, including the children’s sponsors.
On Saturday we celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion as well. The students had spent a lot of time preparing for the sacrament. We thank the parents, carers, teachers, parishioners, parish secretary Ms Michela Donovan and Fr Sean for presiding over the sacrament.
Thank you and Goodbye to Fr Sean and welcome to Fr Henry Adler
We thank Fr Sean for being the parish administrator for almost two years. He has been very busy between our parish, Mittagong and Bowral parish. We are especially grateful for Fr Sean working hard to ensure our children received their sacraments this year
We welcome Fr Henry Adler to our parish community and look forward to getting to know him.
Christmas Art Competition
Many of you would already be aware of this great news, but in case you missed it… We are so proud of Hanna Shortland for becoming a finalist in the Catholic Education Office Christmas Art Competition for her Christmas artwork of the Three Magi.
She also received a special award called the “Star of Hope” award - based on the idea that when we learn, read, think, reflect on the Christmas story that we are inspired and given hope for the future. Well done Hannah!
We also thank Ms Winarczyk who organised the students during remote learning.
Child activity based on this week’s Gospel reading:
If you would like inspiration for prayer or to explore how to pray in different ways, go to the prayer page on – Artisans of Our Ongoing Formation.
Digital To Know, Worship and Love books and Understanding Faith
Your children’s class teacher should be posting work every so often linked to the Digital to Know Worship and Love texts. You don’t need to wait for a lesson to get online and have a look at this beautiful and useful resource.
See the login and password details below:
Username: wingleburn
PW: wingleburn
Season of Creation
Podcast: Ripples Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parents on-going spiritual formation. It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. See the link - you can either download the files as podcasts or listen to them directly from the website.
Weekly Mass Online:
Many parishes are providing a live streaming of Sunday Mass so that we may all participate in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Bishop Brian and other clergy are live streaming Mass every Sunday. If you are interested, go to their Facebook page:
Uniform
I would like to thank all of you for all your support with school summer uniforms. Can I please ask that all items of uniform purchased follow the schools uniform guidelines in the Parent Handbook.
Just a reminder about a few things: (Please see the images)
- School bags these can be purchased from Lowes. All students should have the Holy Family school bag with the school crest on the front.
- School sport shoes are to be predominately white with white shoelaces.
- School leather shoes are to be leather with black laces or buckles.
Regards,
Miss Alana Stroligo
Assembly Awards - Week 8
We are really missing having families on site, but we were able to hold an outdoor awards assembly for K-2 and another for Years 3 - 6. It also happened to be Pajama Day!
Principal’s Medallions
Principal’s Medallions are very special awards that students receive when they reach 300 stickers. This takes many years and a lot of hard work! We were hoping to be able to have parents on site with us when we gave these out, but we were unable to, due to the current restrictions in place.
Video of our students receiving their awards
Congratulations to the following students:
Cameron, Chloe, Davitah and Sophia
Assembly awards Week 10
We had our final assembly for 2022 on the grass outside the school hall so we could assemble together!
Infants Class Awards
Kinder Class Awards
Year 1 Class Awards
Year 2 Class Awards
SPLICED 2021
During the year some students were selected to be part of a special program for Gifted and Talented students called SPLICED (Stretching Potential through Learning In Interactive Challenging Environments).
The students have worked extremely hard on their areas of interest under the heading of "The Power of the Imaginative Mind". Some of the student's work will be launched on a CeDOW Website later in the week.
Click here for a presentation of the work the students have completed:
The SPLICED students also received recognition awards at this week’s assembly - congratulations to all involved and to Mrs Baker for her work supporting the students and their learning with their SPLICED work:
Year 6 Farewell Mass and Dinner
Last Thursday evening, we were so pleased to be able to celebrate the end of primary school with our Year 6 students and their families. We began the evening with mass, celebrated by Fr Sean. We were able to give thanks for the last seven years of schooling and for the love and support of the students’ families and the Holy Family staff.
We then went to Ottimo House to share a meal together. During the dinner, our school Captains, Melanie and Ethan addressed us, as well as the Year 6 teachers and Mrs Rolfe. Our Year 6 awards were also presented. Congratulations to the following students:
Sr Bernadette Award:
Sophie Gebrael and Harry Roach
Diligence in Learning Award:
Delilah Thomas and Hudson Prenter
Excellence in Learning:
Jeevan Reanson and Anna Joseph
Jeevan, Anna, Delilah, Hudson, Harry and Sophie
It was a night of fun and celebration as our students entertained us all with their dances! We wish you well, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Class of 2021!
Twelve festive ideas for the holiday break
The school year is over and the much-anticipated holiday break can begin! It’s an exciting time for kids, but for parents it can be a love-hate time of year, with long days ahead filled with potentially bored children.
To help out, we’ve put together a list of twelve festive ideas to keep the kids occupied through the break.
#1 Time at home: approach the time off with the kids as an opportunity to reconnect with them - find out what they would like to do. Perhaps put some restrictions around screen time first.
#2 Play board games - board games can be fun! Get the whole family involved in some classics like Pictionary or Monopoly - perfect for if the weather isn’t looking too good.
#3 Encourage reading - instead of screens, encourage your kids to read books, either together or individually. If they prefer something more interactive, try the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books to get them engaged.
#4 Audiobooks - if reading gets a bit hard, try listening to audiobooks together. These are particularly good for a long car journey. Try Audible for a wide range of titles.
#5 Education apps and games - there is evidence to suggest that apps can be educational tools. If screen time is too hard to regulate, you can at least keep them learning. Try out some of the apps listed in this HuffPost article.
#6 Get outside - step outside into the fresh air and play. If you have a patio area or nearby wall, use large (easy to clean off) chalk for drawing and games.
#7 Create an obstacle course - get the whole family using their creative juices to make an obstacle course in the backyard, or if you want to go large, use the local park.
#8 Community events and activities - at this time of year plenty is going on in your local community - carol singing, kids playgroups and sports clubs are all there to keep your kids occupied. Check with your local community centre or council.
#9 Libraries - Similarly, your local library will have a list of holiday activities for the kids. Check their website or ask next time you go.
#10 Get creative - there are plenty of Christmas jobs to be done at this time of year. Get your kids making Christmas cards or decorating plain wrapping with their unique designs. You could even let them loose on the tree!
#11 Spend quality time - the festive period is sometimes the only time of year when the whole family has free time. Make the most of it by spending it together without work, school or phones distracting you.
#12 Visit grandparents, family and friends - it’s a great time of year to catch up with family and reconnect with old friends. Plan some time with the people who make you happy.
With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can make the school holidays fun, educational and full of quality time spent with family and friends.
The resources in our Parenting HUB are put together by our family specialists who work with families across Sydney every day. If you would like to know more about this topic you can call our professional Parent Line NSW counsellors on 1300 1300 52 for individual advice. To contact Catholiccare Wollongong ring our office at 02 4227 1122 and additional resources are available on our Facebook and Instagram pages. #alwaysconnected.
Disclaimer: This article does not give professional advice. The contents constitute general information of a summary nature of interest and relevance at the time of publication. You should not rely on the contents as professional advice but should seek, formal advice in particular matters relevant to your particular situation.
With the end of term approaching, I thought I might provide some of the activities that might be of interest to your children and young people for the holidays. Feel free to share this widely with your networks.
EVENTS BY LGA:
Bankstown/Canterbury: Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- https://www.cbcity.nsw.gov.au/community/community-services/children-families/school-holidays-programs, includes scavenger hunt, art programs, aqua park fun, dungeons and dragons, photography, kayaking, music, learn to surf, bingo, movie marathon, animals and heaps more!
- See attached: Jan 2022 School Holiday Program Belmore Youth resource Centre Program.
Fairfield - Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- https://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/Whats-onincluding Christmas decoration making including wreath making, Terrarium making events, knitting and crocheting group, Storytime, Music producing, lego and ozobot madness, movies, Mad lab STEAM learning, Events at Fairfield library, Bonnyrigg library, Whitlam Library and more
Liverpool – Check out all the events listed for all ages at
- https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/community/your-community/school-holidaysIncludes Skating, scooting and BMX events, Basketball, Football, Arts, Christmas crafts,
- Casula Powerhouseart camp programs incl sketching, clay, movie making, music and more,
- Liverpool LibraryEvents including Robot detectives, kung fu master classes, CSI forensic science, Chess and more,
- Liverpool Regional Centre– Arts programs in story writing, collecting and more.
Camden – Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- 30+ Things to do for under $20,
- See attached: Cool off in Camden
- https://www.camden.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/event-calendar/ includes a range of events and activities including Santa’s Studio, Aboriginal Biscuits and Bush Tea, Magical Edible Garden and more!
- Check out https://www.camdenkids.com.au/for events including movies, Christmas comedy, and pirate theatre!
Campbelltown – Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- 30+ Things to do for under $20
- Check out a bunch of events for children, young people and the family at https://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOnincludes events at Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown Library, and others, including Dungeons and Dragons online, arts and crafts, reading and storytelling clubs and events, film and tv program, sport events, dance events and more
Wingecarribee – Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- 30+ Things to do for under $20,
- See attached: WHATS ONincludes skate events, movie events, beach excursions, pool events, gaming events, get skilled courses for jobs, silent disco and cultural art workshops
- Keep an eye on: https://www.facebook.com/highlandsycfor events at Highlands Youth Centre
- https://www.wsc.nsw.gov.au/Events-Directory - Creative arts, festival of lights, Music and Water themed events, some even combine both!
Wollondilly – Check out a range of great events for all ages at
- 30+ Things to do for under $20
- https://www.wollondilly.nsw.gov.au/home/events/
- including the Summer Beach Bus and keep an eye out for Summer Fest on January events including!
- More at : https://www.activeactivities.com.au/directory/category/school-holiday-activities/location/nsw/sydney-region/macarthur-and-camden/
Visit the NSW Health website for the latest information on COVID-19.
| Wednesday 15 December, 2021 | Last day for students |
| Friday 17 December, 2021 | Last day for Staff |
2022
| Tuesday 1 February, 2022 | Years 1 -6 return |
| Tuesday 1 Feb - Monday 7 Feb, 2022 | Kindergarten 'Best Start' Assessments |
| Tuesday 8 February, 2022 | Kindergarten begin |
| Friday 25 February, 2022 | P&F AGM |
| Friday 8 April, 2022 | Final day for Term 1 |