Come Away, Come Away to the Neverland ...

‘We do believe, we do believe, we do believe in fairies’ - this was the chant which could be heard coming from Da Vinci 2 during the last few days. After months of rehearsals ‘Peter Pan’ took to the stage and for three nights audiences have enjoyed the singing, dancing and humour of this children’s classic tale.  On Thursday we hosted children from Ellen Stirling Primary School for the matinee and the Year 3s were captivated by Captain Hook. 

We have welcomed a new staff member to our College Mrs Carolyn Jess has taken on the role of Community Relations Officer, a much needed role in our growing school.

This week we commence the final week of Term 3.  Middle School Reports will be issued via Parent Coneqt of Friday.   We will hold a Final Assembly and Learning Journey commencing at 1.45pm on Friday in the Learning Resource Centre.

Many thanks to the staff who have worked tirelessly to bring this musical to the stage - Mr Chris McRae, Miss Danielle Hodgeson, Miss Emilie Reynolds, Miss Laura Kendrick, Mrs Sherie Hope and Mrs Colleen Azzopardi.  Thanks to other staff and parents who assisted.  Well done students who were involved both in dramatic roles and as stage crew.  It was wonderful to see the level of talent and participation.  The backdrops for the show were magnificent and special mention must go to Casey Van der Merwe, Year 9 student, who drew and, with assistance, painted the backdrops.  Thanks to Friends of Holy Cross for organsing the supper for the performance nights and to parents who assisted and those who donated food.  A full list of acknowledgements can be found on the Life@HCC blog.

I will be taking Long Service Leave the first three weeks of Term 3. During this time Mr Jeff Allen, Deputy Principal of Kolbe Catholic College in Rockingham, will be Acting Principal.  We have had a strong relationship with Kolbe since our foundation and look forward to both schools benefiting from a sharing of knowledge and expertise during this period of time. Mr Ian Wilson, Deputy Principal, will return from his leave, at the commencement of Term 3.

I look forward to seeing you at the Assembly and Learning Journey on Friday.

Pathways to the Future

It is hard to believe we are meeting with Year 10 students and their parents to assist them in the process of selecting subjects for Year 11.  These students were our foundation students in Year 7 in 2010 and now they are preparing to embark on their final two years of schooling.  It is an important time for them as they reflect on possible careers and consider their pathway for Years 11 and 12.  I am looking forward to meeting with Year 9 students and their parents on Wednesday night to discuss their transition to Senior School in October (Spring Term).

SENIOR SCHOOL YEAR
Please note the following dates for the Senior School Academic Year (there has been an adjustment to the dates):
-  25 - 27 September (Winter Term, Week 10)  and 14 - 17 October (Spring Term - Week 1) - Examinations
- Friday 18 October - Year 10 and 11 Dinner Dance
- Monday 21 October - Senior School Academic year commences.

ORIENTEERING
Well done to Year 9 Orienteering students who competed in the WA School Orienteering Championships last week.  Congratulations to JoAnna Maynard who won her age division.  Thanks to Mrs DaVini for her work in preparing students for this event.  Results and photos are on the Life@HCC blog.

ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS
Congratulations to Mya Ubalde from St Helena’s Catholic Primary School and  Andres Arias Caceres from Aveley Primary School who have each been each awarded a half Academic Scholarship for Middle School, commencing in 2014.  Well done to both students, we look forward to welcoming them into Year 7 in 2014.  Thanks to all students who participated in scholarship testing.

Ms Mandy Connor
Principal

PERSONAL BEST

On Wednesday Frayne House celebrated their Feast Day, commencing the day with Mass and then joining together for a pizza lunch.  In the Mass we reflected on the faith and courage with which Ursula Frayne left her home in Ireland to travel to Western Australia to open the first convent school.  This school was called the Convent of the Holy Cross.   In naming Frayne House, representing the Learning Pillar, after Ursula Frayne we honour her as a woman who challenged each person to achieve their personal best in an environment which valued the respect and dignity of each person.

Personal best should be a value which is very much on the minds of Year 10 students at the moment as they consider their pathways through Senior School and beyond.  They have engaged in a number of activities to enable them to learn more about some of the opportunities available to them in life beyond school.  Last week Year 10 students and parents met with subject teachers following the issuing of reports and this week students and parents will meet with a staff member who will support them in the subject selection process.

On Thursday the Primary Da Vinci students had the opportunity to showcase their personal best in their learning.  Each Thursday morning a group of students from five of our regional Catholic Primary Schools participate in the DaVinci Science and Technology Programme at HCC.  This semester the students have focused on Forensic Science and seemed to particularly enjoy the fingerprinting.  We were pleased to welcome parents and grandparents to the College for a morning tea and to view the student’s work.  Thanks to Mr Wilson for his work in coordinating the Da Vinci programme this semester.

I am pleased to let you know that we have again received recognition as an Apple Distinguished School.  The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for schools that are recognised centres of educational excellence and leadership, who have demonstrated Apple's highest vision of a successful 21st century learning environment.  The selection of HCC as an Apple Distinguished School recognises our strong focus on learning and our  efforts in enhancing and extending this through innovative implementations of technology.  

Mr Ian Wilson, Deputy Principal, will be on Long Service Leave, for the last three weeks of term.  Mrs Anita Walmsley and Mr Paul Murphy will be taking on the Deputy Principal responsibilities in his absence.

Archbishop's Spirit Award for LifeLink

We were both pleased and humbled this week when Archbishop Tim Costello announced Holy Cross College as the winner of the Archbishop’s Spirit Award for LifeLink.  This annual award is announced each year at the LifeLink Launch and recognises a school's outstanding support for, and positive participation in, LifeLink.  Each year Holy Cross College supports LifeLink through the annual Sleep-out.  Last year, on one of the coldest nights of the year, over 90 students, staff and even a few parents slept out to learn more about the plight of the homeless and to raise money for LifeLink charities.  40% of the school community participated and raised over $5000.  However, the award is not based on the money raised, but on the way in which the school embraces the goals of LifeLink, educates students about the responsibility to care for those less fortunate in our community and promotes an ethos of caring and compassion to teachers, students, parents and the wider community.  At the LifeLink Launch Archbishop Costello quoted St Mary MacKillop who said ‘Never forget who it is that you are following’.  The Archbishop said, ‘In the end in our Catholic schools, in your Catholic school, the real reason for getting involved in LifeLink, for trying to be as generous and creative as you can in raising money to help people in need is because of your school has at its heart and as the reason for its existence the person of Jesus whose whole life was about reaching out to people in need and helping them so that they could live their lives to the full.’  Our College motto is Life to the Full and reminds us that we each have a responsibility to contributing to all people having the opportunity to live life to the full.  I look forward to our College community being inspired by the Archbishop’s Spirit Award to continue to work towards social justice in our community.
You can watch the LifeLink Launch Video at the following link
http://www.lifelink.com.au/schools/lifelink-day/2013-launch-video-photos

SOCIAL MEDIA
The College now has a Facebook page.  I encourage parents to have a look at this page - search Holy Cross College or go to https://www.facebook.com/HCCEllenbrook  Details of how to win an itunes voucher are on this page.  
We also have a twitter feed  - @Holy_Cross_Coll

Ms Mandy Connor
Principal