END OF TERM

On Monday night we held a wonderful end of year celebration with our Carols by Candlelight.  Thanks to Friends of Holy Cross College and staff for their work in coordinating this wonderful 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 that first Christmas in the stable in Bethlehem.

 

Thank you to all families for their 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.

 

I am also delighted to tell you the wonderful news that we have secured funding to build a sports centre which include a double gymnasium.  We will commence building this state of the art sports facility in the middle of next year.  

 

I am pleased to let you know that Holy Cross College has once again been awarded as an Apple Distinguished School in recognition of innovation  in learning, teaching and the school environment.

 

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, some on a temporary basis and some to move on to the next stage of their journey :

 

Mrs Lowe will be commencing maternity leave today.  We will miss her wonderful spirit of innovation as she takes some time to have her first child and wish her well at this very special time.

 

Mr Anthony Davis will be taking Long Service Leave and we wish him a well-earned break.

 

Mrs Wright has created a wonderful atmosphere of learning for the students in the Pre-primary and has made a valued contribution as the Junior School Literacy Leader.   Mrs Wright  is returning to Kalgoorlie in 2019.

 

Miss Lester has been with us just over a year, replacing staff who are on leave.  Miss Lester has brought her creative energy to all of the areas in which she has worked - English, Drama and Technology. She played a key role in the College production. 

 

Mrs Croxford  has also been with us for just over12 months replacing staff on leave.  Her students have provided many delicious treats for us and given us great service as part of their hospitality courses. 

 

Miss Armenti commenced at Holy Cross College in 2016 as a graduate teacher and our very first Year 5 teacher. She has also been the Frayne Junior School House Representative.  Mrs Armenti has brough a great deal of positive energy and commitment to the early years of the Junior School and will be greatly missed.

 

Mr Buckley joined the College 5 years ago and has taught Physical Education and Maths.  For the last two years he has taken on the role of Sports Coordinator.   He has fostered strong relationships with his students and will be missed.

 

Miss O’Neill joined the College  has established an outstanding Visual Arts Programme across the K – 12 College.  In addition to teaching Art, she established a very popular art club and introduced an excellent annual art exhibition. Miss O’Neill will leave a legacy of student art work displayed around the College, including the Stations of the Cross and the colourfully painted pipes in the New Norcia playground.

 

Mrs Pastorelli took on the role of Mathematics teacher and McCormack House Coordinator in 2014 and this term has done an ourstanding job as Assistant Deputy Principal.  She has played a key role in developing Mathematics courses through to the Senior School and developed a strong and proud spirit in McCormack House.  Mrs Pastorelli had developed as an outstanding leader at Holy Cross College and will take these skills into her new role as Leader of Wellbeing at Newman College.

 

Ms O’Donohue will leave the Holy Cross at the end of this year to take on the role of Deputy Principal at Kolbe Catholic  College.  Ms O’Donohue  was a member of the foundation staff and it is hard to imagine Holy Cross without her.  She has played a key role in the development of this College and has had a very significant impact in all areas of LIFE.  She worked with a small team from the very beginning to establish a strong culture of rigorous contemporary learning. Words cannot express my gratitude to Ms O’Donohue for her support, initiative and innovation and her unstinting commitment to Holy Cross College.  She has been a wonderful member of the College Leadership Team  and a proud member of Ozanam House. She has truly left a legacy at Holy Cross.  At last week’s alumni event it was very evident just how much students who had been taught by Miss O’Donohue appreciate all she had done for them. Kolbe College will very fortunate to have such a passionate, capable and committed Deputy Principal.

I am appreciative of the work of each of these staff members for the key roles they have played in our growing College and wish them well for the next stage of their journeys.  I am deeply grateful to all staff for their generous commitment to Holy Cross College this year.  Thanks to the College Board, the Friends of Holy Cross and all parents who have enriched our community in 2018.  Thanks to our student leaders who have made a great start in their leadership roles and to all students in the College for your contribution to HCC this year.  I wish all families a blessed Christmas and a great holiday and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

 

A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS ...

The pictures below  portray the spirit of the many events which have taken place in the last couple of weeks.  Year 6 students marked their transition from Junior to Middle Schools by gathering   together with their families and teachers to celebrate Mass.  Pre-Kindergarten students won the hearts of the audience with their singing and accompanying actions at their Christmas concert.  Middle and Senior School students dived into the pool to compete for their Houses In a carnival which ended with McCormack House winning the shield.  Year 7 students held a Big Ideas exhibition for their parents and other visitors during which they displayed their learning  and spoke eloquently about their Passion Project.  Past students gathered for our first Alumni event - a very special  evening during  which many stories were shared.  It was wonderfull to catch up with students from the classes of 2014 - 2018 and to hear about their journeys in the time since they left school.

DA VINCI PROGRAMME

Students in the Da Vinci programme celebrated their learning for the year with a presentation for their parents.  The DaVinci programme gives students with high academic potential an opportunity to engage in specialist  activities in Science, Maths and Technology.  Each Thursday morning Year 5 and 6 students from St Helena’s Catholic Primary School, Good Shepherd Catholic School, Mary MacKillop Catholic Community Primary School, St Anthony’s School and St Brigid’s School participate in the Da Vinci programme at HCC.   At the Da Vinci Learning journey parents and school principals had an opportunity to view the robots the students had built and programmed.  It was great to see their enjoyment at the opportunity to create, to solve problems and to work as teams.     Thanks to Mrs Joanne Dipino for  her work in providing the students with challenging and stimulating learning experiences. 

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

I am looking forward to our annual  Christmas Carols gathering on Monday evening.  It always a wonderful festive event to celebrate the Christmas season end the  end of the academic year as a community.  Details can be found at https://www.holycross.wa.edu.au/news/lifeblog.php

END OF TERM

Classes finish on Friday 7 December at the usual time.  

Invitation to All Parents to Ms Anita O'Donohue's Farewell

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF OUR JOURNEY

Today we held our 2019 Orientation Day.  Students who will enter the College next year, from Pre-Primary – Year 7, were engaged in activities with current students.  The Junior School students ‘moved up a year’ and spent the morning in their 2019 learning spaces.  Current Year 6 students joined with incoming students for a day of activities which will assist them in transitioning to Middle School.  Parents also attended the College for information sessions. 

STAFF

Mrs Fiona De Courcier commenced parental leave last Friday.  We wish her well as she prepares for the arrival of her second child.  Mr Simon Falcone has taken on the role of Salvado House Coordinator. Mr Mat Smyth has been the acting House Co-ordinator of McCormack House this term; he will take on this role in a substantive capacity from the commencement of 2019.  Mrs Christina Davini has taken on the role of Assistant Deputy Principal – Inter-Relationships this term.  She has taken on some of Mr Collins’ responsibilities while he carries out other duties in planning for 2019.  During this time Mr Jarrad Pisano will be the acting House Co-ordinator of Frayne.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS – COLLEGE BOARD AND FRIENDS OF HOLY CROSS

The Annual General Meetings of the College Board and the Friends of Holy Cross will be held on Tuesday 27 November commencing at 6.30pm.  Friends of Holy Cross will host a wine and cheese event prior to the meetings, commencing at 5.30pm.

STUDENT LEADERS

Our Executive Student Leadership Team will participate in a Training Camp on Thursday and Friday.  They will be joined by the other Middle and School student leaders for the afternoon and evening and Friday.  This will be a great opportunity for the students to develop their leadership skills and to engage in team building activities.  Thanks to Ms Bond, Mr Pisano and Mr Shelton for their work with student leaders.

GRADUATION MASS AND ASSEMBLY

GRADUATION MASS

Principal’s Address

This year we have had a special focus on Frederic Ozanam and the Gospel values he represents – compassion and connection.

 

One of my favourite musicals is Les Miserables, based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name.  It is set in the French Revolution, the same time and the same place that Frédéric Ozanam lived. In Les Miserables the main character Jean Val Jean is a prisoner on parole for having stolen a loaf of bread in a harsh and unforgiving society.  Unable to find a place to stay on his first night out of prison he is taken in by a bishop who lives in an old monastery.  The bishop feeds him and gives him a bed for the night and during the night Jean Val Jean,  now  a desperate man, an outcast of society,   gets up and steals the silver that he has seen on the Bishops table.  He is picked up by the guards who recognise the silver as the Bishops.  He tells them the Bishop gave it to him but in scornful disbelief they drag him back to the Bishops house.

 

His response, ‘you forget I gave these also’, is so surprising - and it is Jean Val Jean moment of redemption.  It is probably the first time anyone has shown him compassion and he goes on to do good for others. 

He paid the good forward.

 

Tonight’s Gospel was the story of the washing of the feet, a symbol of servant leadership.  The Bishop models this, he is willing to ‘be with the poor and outcast’, which would have been quite unusual for a man of his standing at the time.  Ozanam lived in this same time of poverty and upheaval and  he too was a servant leader.  His response to the poor, at a time when there was no safety net of social security was one of compassion and people have continued to “pay it forward”.  Indeed Frederic Ozanam lived life to the full and from his short life he left a legacy of caring and compassionate communities

 

Like St Oscar Romero,  Ozanam took the long view - both of these men planted seeds that they did not see fully grown.   But these seeds did grow.  The St Vincent de Paul serves people throughout the world.   In St Peter’s Square on Sunday we saw the fruition of the seeds that Oscar Romero had planted in the joy of the people from a liberated El Salvador.  Neither of these men were perfect, they didn’t solve  all the problems of their communities, but they did what they could do,  

 

My  hope for the graduates is that you too can live life to the full and empower others to live life to the full through choices which embrace compassion and connection.

 

START OF SPRING TERM

Spring Term commences on Monday 8 October.  Year 10, 11 and12 students will be sitting examinations and Year 9 students will be commencing their transition to Senior School.  The students and staff who will be attending the Canonisation of Oscar Romero in Rome will fly out in Monday evening.  You can follow their journey at the following link - https://www.holycross.wa.edu.au/news/camino2018blog.php

CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS

Friday 14 September is the Feast of the Holy Cross and the day we celebrate our College Feast Day.  The Gospel for Feast Fay Mass included John 10:10. - ‘I came that you may have life and have it to the full.  This year we were blessed to have Emeritus Archbishop Hickey as the Main Celebrant at Feast Day Mass, concelebrating with our Parish Priest Fr Bona.    In 2010 Archbishop Hickey blessed and opened the first stage of Holy Cross College, at a time when we had just 69 students.  Yesterday 1000 students, staff and parents gathered for our Feast Day celebration.  During the Mass Archbishop Hickey blessed the pilgrims who will be travelling to Rome for the canonisation of Blessed Oscar Romero in October.  The Feast Day stalls and  activities raise money for House projects in Perth, New Norcia, Timor Leste, and Peru.  Thanks to Mr Collins, Mr Shelton and the House Coordinators for their work in organising Feast Day and to all staff, students and parents who assisted.

ITALIAN WEEK

Last week we celebrated Italian language and culture in the College. Activities included Italian cooking, quizzes and a showcase of work.  Thanks to Signora Amatulli, Signora Morlotti and Signora Smiroldo for all their work in preparing these wonderful learning experiences for the students.

LAST DAY OF CLASSES

Friday 21 September  last day of classes for Winter Term.  This is also the final week of classes for Senior School before they commence exams. Spring Term commences on Monday 8 October.

CELEBRATING THE ARTS

On Monday John Paul Botha, Year 11, was presented with the Ron Dullard Award for Christian Drama at the Final Concert of the Catholic Performing Arts Concert at Perth Concert Hall.   He accepted the award on behalf of the students who performed ‘The Way of the Cross’.  Holy Cross College also won this award in 2017.  Well done to all the students who were part of this performance group and to Mr McRae and Mr Shelton for their work with them.  

I am looking forward to the  Opening of the Arts Showcase on Monday 17 September,  The Showcase commences at 6.00pm and will include exhibitions and performances in visual and performing arts.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ATHLETICS SQUAD

Well done to the HCC Athletic Squad on winning today’s G division Associated and Catholic Colleges (ACC) Athletics Carnival.  Scores were close all day and HCC went into the relays in second place.  An outstanding performance in all relays (with six first places and two second places) placed Holy Cross in the leading position at the end of the carnival.  In addition to taking home the Overall Aggregate Shield, the squad also won the Senior Boys and Overall Boys Shields.  Thanks to the students for their great efforts and to Mr James Parsons, Mr Brendan Buckley, Mrs Christina Davini, Mr Gareth Elliott, Mr Simon Falcone, Mr Jarrod Parsons, and Mr Ian Wilson for their work in training the Athletics Squad.

 

CATHOLIC PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

Well done to all students involved in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.  This is a significant event which takes place throughout August with students participating in Drama, Dance and Music performances. Holy Cross College received the following awards.

• Ron Dullard Shield for Christian Drama- Secondary
• Outstanding Award for Christian Drama- Secondary
• Excellence Award for Christian Dance- Secondary
• Merit Award for Christian Dance- Primary
• Excellence Award for Secondary Drama Production
• Excellence Award for Secondary Solo Drama (Eva Ladyman- Year 9) 

Thanks to Mr Chris McRae for coordinating Holy Cross College’s participation in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival and to all other staff who assisted.

 

FATHERS’ DAY LITURGY AND BREAKFAST

Last Wednesday students gathered in the Olive Grove with their fathers and grandfathers for a special liturgy.  The Fathers’ Day liturgy celebrated the role of these special people in our lives. After the liturgy everyone was treated to a delicious breakfast.  Thanks to Mr Ryan Shelton, Mrs Cathie Lewis and all staff and students who assisted with the organisation of the liturgy and breakfast.

 

STAFF RETREAT DAY

Last Friday we held our Annual Staff Retreat.  The focus was on Blessed Frederic Ozanam and how he modelled the Gospel values of Compassion and Connection.  During the morning staff engaged in Christian Service activities.  These included giving service at St Vincent de Paul and other charity shops, Brother Ollie’s Wheelchairs for Kids project and at agencies which support refugees and homeless people.  A group of staff sang at Aegis Aged Care and others supported elderly people in a variety of settings.  Some of the staff cooked food and made up toiletry packs and delivered them to homeless people around the city, while others helped to assemble the new pews for the Parish Church.  In the afternoon staff took part in a pilgrimage walk during which they reflected on the morning’s experiences.  At the end of the Retreat Service we reflected on how service is a very important part of our lives as Christians and we are all called to do what we can do.

 

STAFFING

Congratulations to Ms Anita O’Donohue  who has been  appointed as Deputy Principal – Learning and Teaching at Kolbe Catholic College commencing January 2019.  Ms  O’Donohue is a foundation staff member at Holy Cross College and has done a great deal during the past nine years to build an excellent culture of contemporary learning.

 

The following people have been appointed to Senior Leadership Positions commencing 2019:

• Mr Ryan Shelton – Deputy Principal – Learning
• Mr Benjamin Bull – Assistant Deputy Principal – Faith

Mr Bull is currently the Head of Religious Education at Mercedes College and is also a member of St Helena’s Parish.

LIFE WEEK

Last week all students in the College were involved in LIFE Week.  It was a  wonderful week of authentic learning with students participating in Caminos, Retreats, camps, excursions, Christian Service, work place learning and university and TAFE visits.  Students visited and stayed in  Melbourne, Canberra, the snowfields around Perisher, Albany, New Norcia and Fremantle.  The City of Perth was the classroom for Year 9 students and various other locations provided rich learning environments for students in other year levels.  Thanks to staff who put a great deal of time and effort into the organisation of LIFE Week and to parents who assisted.  Thanks also to students for their great spirit of participation in this special week.

OSCAR ROMERO CANONISATION

Congratulations to John Topliss, Breannah Rigoli and Aimee Sorensen who have been selected to attend the Canonisation of Blessed Oscar Romero in Rome in October.  The students were selected by a panel which included a representative from CEWA.  Thanks to all students who applied to represent HCC at this very special event.  The students will be accompanied by Mr Ryan Shelton, Mrs Colleen Azzoardi and myself.  

CATHOLIC PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

I was privileged this week to attend the Liturgical Dance performances at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.  The students in the Primary and Secondary sections were outstanding in presenting re event, moving and deeply meaningful performances. Thanks to Miss Georgina Pratt and Miss Sharna Gregson for their significant commitment to working with the students to prepare for this special event. We are very fortunate to have such talented and dedicated staff at HCC. Well done to all students who have been involved in the Festival this week, performing in the Christian Drama section and in a number of different Music categories.  Thanks to Mr Chris McRae for his work in coordinating the College’s participation in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival and to all other staff who are assisting.  The Festival will continue throughout August.

PARENT CAMINO

A hardy group of parents braved the winter weather on Friday to walk a section of the Camino Salvado. Their pilgrimage took them through the beautiful Chittering Valley To the edge of the Julimar Forest.  Thanks to Mrs Susan Sorenson for her commitment to organising the Parent Caminos and to Mr Simon Falcone for accompanying the group.

HASS WEEK

Humanities and Social Sciences Week was celebrated at the College last week with performances, traditional food and quizzes. Thanks to Mrs Karen Taylor, Learning Area Coordinator, for working with the Humanities and Social Sciences Team to prepare the week’s activities.

Yandi Bursary Year 7 for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Students 2019 and 2020

From the very beginning Holy Cross College embraced the Aboriginal heritage of the land upon which the school is built. The College is situated in the local area of Coolamon, in the country of the Whadjuk Noongar people, the original custodians of the land. The Coolamon, or ‘Yandi’ in the Noongar language, is an Aboriginal word used to describe a vessel traditionally used by women to carry water, fruit and nuts, and to cradle babies. In recognition of this rich heritage the Holy Cross College logo features the Yandi in the cross-bar of the Cross, the central symbol of Christianity.

To further the College’s commitment to our Aboriginal heritage the College Board has made provision for the Yandi Bursary to support the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who seek a Catholic education where each student is challenged to achieve their personal best. The Bursary aims to recognise academic excellence, sound citizenship, strong leadership and a commitment to schooling. With a Catholic education at Holy Cross College, the College Board hopes to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with a springboard into a rewarding and successful career along with a solid foundation for making positive life choices.

Applications are invited from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who have a passion for learning and life, and who aspire to make a difference within their local community, as well as the wider Australian community.

Completed Application Forms must be submitted to the Principal, Holy Cross College,

18 Strathmore Parkway, ELLENBROOK WA 6069, by 4.00pm Friday, 31 August 2018.

Yandi Bursary Year 7 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Students 2019

Mrs Carolyn Jess posted on behalf of Ms Mandy Connor, Principal