WISHING YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMAS

On Thursday  night we held a wonderful end of year celebration with our Carols by Candlelight.  Thank you to Friends of Holy Cross and all of those involved in organizing this great community event.   The festive spirit was a reminder that now we are in Advent, this is the time of preparation for Christmas, which is just over two weeks away.  As we prepare for Christmas let us remember that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and make this part of our celebrations.  We celebrated our Gratitude Mass on Wednesday and Christmas should be about gratitude too – remembering all the good that has come into our world as a result of the first Christmas in the stable in Bethlehem.

Thank you to all of you for your generous donations to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.  These gifts will help someone who may have little to know that someone cares enough to help them celebrate the Christmas season.  As the year ends let us not forget to give thanks for all that has been good about this year.

One of the hard things at the end of each year is saying goodbye to people who are part of our College community and who will be moving on to new opportunities.   I wish students and families who will be leaving Holy Cross us all the best for the future.

Some of our staff will also be leaving Holy Cross to move on to the next stage of their journey :

Ms Jayne Hill has been with us for just a term. I thank her contribution, particularly to the Technologies Learning area.

Mrs Serena Georgiades came into the College in Term Two to assist while Signora Amatulli was on leave.  She has been flexible and generous in supporting the College and we will miss her wonderfully positive presence.

Mrs Marnie Barrett has taken on a short term contract this year while Mr Elliott was on leave.  I thank Mrs Barrett  for her generous commitment to Health and Physical Education and Science, as well as to inter-school sport.  Mrs Barrett also took on the role of Health and Physical Education Learning Area Coordinator for a short time while Mr Parsons was Acting Assistant Deputy. 

Mrs Pieta Bloxsom will relocate to Karratha with her family next year.  I thank Mrs Bloxsom for her work as a Year 4 teacher and with the Sacramental programme.  Mrs Bloxsom has also been involved in a number of extra curricular activities including the College Sleep Out.  I wish her well in her move north.

Mr Liam Benton  joined the staff of Holy Cross in the Spring Term of 2014.  Mr Benton has taught Chemistry, Science, Big Ideas and Maths.  He has been a great contributor in many areas of College life, including working with the band.  Last night Mr Benton shared his own musical talents as part of Christmas Carols.  I thank Mr Benton for his generous contribution to HCC and wish him well as he returns to his family in Melbourne.

Mrs Debbie Boylen joined the College in 2012.  She has taught predominantly in the middle years in Religious Education, English and Humanities and has played a key role in literacy support.  Mrs Boylen has also been involved in many extra curricular activities, these include coaching the swimming team and being a hairdresser for College productions.  When Mrs Boylen joined Holy Cross, this was a much smaller school and I thank her for her contribution to the growing College. Mrs Boyen will take her experience form HCC to Mother Teresa College as they take on their first Year 7 students.

Mrs Jacqui Sanders, our College Business Manager, is returning to live in London next week.  Words cannot express my gratitude for all she has done for this College.  Her commitment to Holy Cross has been tireless and her management of the last three stages of the building programme has resulted in amazing facilities that all of us enjoy every day.  We will miss her ‘can do’ attitude, her dedication to HCC and her positive spirtit.  I wish Mrs Sanders all the best as she returns to be closer to family in the UK.

Mr Harry Muller was the third staff member and the first teacher to join the staff of Holy Cross.  He commenced in 2009 before students started in 2010. At that time we had an office at St Helena’s CPS as we worked to establish the College.  Mr Muller established the Da Vinci programme, the academic extension programme, for students in Catholic primary schools.  At that stage having our own Junior School section of the College was just a dream – which has now come true.  Mr Muller has taught Religious Education, Science and Human Biology at Holy Cross.  He has also been our first Ministry Coordinator and has established ‘Giving Life’, the College Christian Service Learning programme.  He will leave a legacy at Holy Cross through the role he played in establishing our faith story.  Mr Muller has played a key role in developing the culture of pilgrimage at Holy Cross and was part of the first group of staff and students who walked a section of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.  

Ms Anita O’Donohue will be on Long Service Leave in Term One.  Ms O’Donohue has made a huge commitment to Holy Cross since our opening in 2010 and I wish her a well deserved break.

I would like to say a huge thank you to our awesome staff who do so much to make this a great community.  

Finally, thanks to our student leaders who have made a great start in their leadership roles, and to all of the students and parents in the College for your contribution to HCC this year.  Have a happy Christmas, a great holiday and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

A CAMINO PILGRIMAGE

I have just returned from walking the Camino de Santiago.  My pilgrimage started in St Jean Pied de Port, a small town in the Pyrenees on the border of France and Spain.  From there I walked to Santiago de Compostela and then to the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Finisterre, a journey of 900 kilometres.  It was an amazing experience – an opportunity to spend time on a pilgrimage with God, myself, others and nature.  Holy Cross College has a strong connection with pilgrimage and as I saw the Camino shells along the route it reminded me often of the College community.  Thanks to Mr Peter Collins for taking on the role of Acting Principal while I was on leave.

YEAR 6 TRANSITION

Year 6 students are ready to take the next step on their journey as they move into Middle School next year.  Parents, students and staff celebrated this transition with a Mass last Wednesday.   The Eucharistic celebration was followed by a delicious morning tea.  Thanks to Miss Kylie Henderson and Miss Aoife Hickey for their work in preparing for this special celebration.

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

We are now in the Church Season of Advent, a time of preparation for Christmas.  During this time we express gratitude for all the gifts we have been given this year and this will be the focus of our Gratitude Mass on Wednesday morning.  During Advent we also have a focus on giving and this is particularly expressed through out contribution to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.  Thanks to families who have donated so far to this appeal.  The Christmas Giving Tree is now in the College Office and families are invited to bring a gift for a child who may not receive one and place it under the tree.  The Pre-Kindergarten students celebrated the Christmas season with their concerts last week.  This week we will gather for Carols by Candlelight, commencing at 6.00pm on Thursday.  I hope to see many parents at both the Gratitude Mass and Carols by Candlelight.

SWIMMING EVENTS

Students in Years 1 – 3 have been developing their skills in the water as they participated in swimming lessons this week, The Middle and Senior Schools Swimming Carnival was held last Friday.  There was a great spirit of participation as the students joined in both competitive and novelty events.  Thanks to Mr James Parsons and the Physical Education Team for their work in organising the carnival.  Thanks to all the parents who came along to support.

2018 Student Leadership Camp

Are some people born leaders? Arguably, the answer is no. Some people may have a particularly charismatic personality that draws people’s attention, but unless they project a special vision that appeals to other people, that attention is likely to be short lived. Leadership is a privilege that is bestowed on the leader by a group of followers. The authority of leadership comes from the fidelity of the followers.

Our leadership potential is largely determined by our personality and habits. We all have the capacity to lead, but we might need to adjust or temper some of our more challenging characteristics.

Leadership is about the art of motivating, influencing and directing people so that they work together to achieve the goals of a team or broader organisation. It’s important for students to experience leadership opportunities during their schooling, to learn the art of building relationships within teams, defining identities and achieving tasks effectively. It also provides an opportunity to learn to identify and display effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Our 2018 student leaders enjoyed a two-day leadership camp on Friday, 17 November and Saturday, 18 November commencing with a short pilgrimage from St Mary’s Cathedral to St Joseph’s Church in Subiaco. Students then journeyed to the Catholic Education Centre in Leederville where Dr Tony Curry, Director, School Improvement, shared five essential ingredients of good leadership:

1. Sound relationships based on qualities such as mutual trust, respect, sensitivity, a sense of humour, truth and, most importantly, humility.
2. Know the people you work with – this means knowing and using people’s names and being interested (but not nosey) about their lives outside of school.
3. Leadership is based on service – the old adage, “Do not ask anyone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself”, remains as relevant today as it ever was.
4. Leaders need to be risk takers – the message, “If you don’t make a mistake, you don’t make anything”, is true.
5. Leaders need to work with people. That is, be collaborative, honest and loyal.

Students returned to school and participated in a number of practical activities to build a sense of team. The Student Executive Leaders stayed overnight in the Lyon Building enjoying a night of hospitality and camaraderie.

On Saturday morning, GRIP Leadership, an independent organisation which is focused on developing student leadership, delivered a practical and interactive training session for the Student Executive Leaders. Mr Ronan McGinniss, GRIP Managing Director (Marketing), highlighted four elements of the ‘Compass of a Leadership Team’:

1. Structure and roles;
2. Standards and Expectations;
3. Schedule of Activities; and
4. Statement of Success.

It was a great experience with a lot to ponder in the coming weeks. We are grateful to Mr Ryan Shelton, Ms Kelly Bond and Mrs Carla Pastorelli for giving up their time to to facilitate a most enjoyable and rewarding experience.

2018 Orientation and Transition Day

On Wednesday, 15 November 2017 Holy Cross College hosted an orientation day for students who will be new to the school in 2018. Around 230 new students from pre-primary to year seven enjoyed a fun day of activities designed to induct the students into the life of the College and build friendships in preparation for the new school year in 2018.

Parents enjoyed a tour of the facilities and an introductory seminar outlining the faith story of the College, along with details regarding the requirements and procedures for the commencement of the 2018 school year.

Students were introduced to the 2018 year-level teachers in the Junior school. A number of new staff members were present for the orientation day.

We welcome the following new Junior School teachers for 2018:

• Joanne Wright
• Annette Barron
• Megan Brown
• Anthony Davis
• Amy Edwards
• Deanna Russo
• Kate Dunstan

We also welcome a number of new teachers to the Middle and Senior Schools for 2018:

• Rachel Whan - Chemistry/Science
• Georgina Pratt - Dance
• Jessica Vaini - Digital Technology
• Rachel Rafferty - English
• Sharna Gregson - Human Biology/Science
• Leanne Murphy - Home Economics

The demand for student places at the College has been strong with an additional stream of classes added from year two to year six for 2018. Limited places are available in some year levels for 2018.

Holy Cross College has established an excellent reputation for its contemporary approach to learning and teaching within vibrant and flexible learning spaces, underpinned by the latest educational theories and technology. The success of the approach to teaching and learning is confirmed through NAPLAN results, which show consistent value adding across the years, as well as a student receiving a General Exhibition in the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) examinations. We hope to build on these outstanding achievements in 2018 and in the years to come.

We are looking forward to working together in partnership with our new students and families.