GIVING THANKS

GRATITUDE  MASS

On Wednesday we celebrated our Gratitude Mass.  It was a wonderful opportunity to gather as a College community to give thanks for the many gifts we have received this year.  Thank you to Fr Bona who presided at the Mass, Mr Muller for coordinating preparation for this Mass and to Mr McRae for coordinating the Music.

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

The final College Assembly was held this morning.  It was a good opportunity to celebrate the year and to acknowledge achievement and effort.  The Assembly finished on a high note with the Year 4 entertaining those gathered with their Christmas song. Thank you to parents who joined us for the Assembly.  It is always great to see parents supporting their sons and daughter by attending College events.

 

STAFF

At today’s Assembly we farewelled the following staff:

Mrs Moolla – Principal’s Assistant and a member of our foundation staff

Mrs Louden - Teacher - Junior and Middle Schools

Miss George - Teacher - Junior School

Mrs Doherty - Education Assistant - Early Learning

We wish each of these people well as they embark on the next stage of their journey.

 

We also wished Mrs Ryan a restful break, as she will be taking long Service Leave in Semester One and thanked Mrs Shea who has been doing a short-term placement  this year in the Early Learning Centre.

 

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Last week we held our Middle and Senior School Swimming Carnival.  Congratulations to the winning House, Ozanam.  Thank you to Mr Parsons and the Physical Education Staff for their work in organising the carnival.  Thank you also to parents who came along to support this event.

 

COLLEGE BOARD

Last week we held the College Board Annual General Meeting.  Mr Marko Pasalich, Board Chairperson reported on the Board’s activities for this year and Mrs Jacqueline Sanders, Business Manager provided a summary of the 2016 Budget.  School Fees for 2017 were also presented and an informationpack with details regarding school fees has already been mailed to all families.  Mr Pasalich has been a Board member for the past six years and Board Chairperson for two years.  The maximum continuous term for a Board member is 6 years so Mr Pasalich will leave the Board this year.  I would like to thank Mr Pasalich for his commitment and support both as a Board member and Board Chairperson.  He has led the Board through a significant period as the College has expanded rapidly and significant building programmes have been completed to allow for increased enrolments.  Thank you to all Board members for their commitment to the College this year.

 

FRIENDS OF HOLY CROSS 

Friends of Holy Cross also held their Annual General Meeting last week.  Thank you to Mrs Susan Sorenson for her enthusiasm and commitment as President of Friends of Holy Cross and to the core team who have worked to ensure the success of many activities in all areas of LIFE this year.  Carols by Candlelight, organised by Friends of Holy Cross, was a wonderful community event and I appreciate the efforts of all who contributed to this inaugural event.

 

REPORTS 

Student Academic Reports for all year levels are now available in Parent Coneqt.  Please contact the College Office, if you have any difficulty accessingthese Reports.

 

FINISHING 2016  … BEGINNING 2017

The school year for students ends today and staff will finish next Friday.  The College Office will be closed from 16 December and will reopen on Monday, 16January.   The new Junior School Building, Fitzroy, will be ready for the arrival of the children at the beginning of the school year. An email to parents has been sent today which details some important dates for the start of the new school year. 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

At this morning’s Assembly I asked the young people to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas.  Amidst the busyness of  Christmas preparation I ask you to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, a Christian Feast celebrating the birth of Christ. The season of Christmas is about giving, but the real spirit of Christmas sometimes gets lost in the Christmas rush and an anticipation around what we are getting rather than  what we are giving.  Thank you to all the families who contributed in this spirit of giving by contributing items of food and gifts  to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.

 

A Christmas Prayer

            Christ is born in us today

            In order that he may appear

            To the whole world through us.        Thomas Merton

 

I wish all families a happy Christmas and a restful break. I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

M Connor