Team Teaching and Learning would like to welcome back existing families and extend a warm welcome to new families joining our Holy Cross Community. To begin the year we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to revisit information we shared last year about V9 curriculum implementation, Home Learning and Reading at Holy Cross School, plus highlight a few date claimers for your calendar.

This year, Holy Cross School in alignment with the Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns and Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority will implement the newest version of English Curriculum, V9. At Holy Cross, 2025 also sees us consolidating V9 Mathematics and Health and Physical Education (HPE) whilst beginning the introduction of V9 Digital Technologies. 

V9 English curriculum implementation aligns in our junior years with the Science of Reading to ensure students are reading decodable and authentic texts and are receiving explicit systematic synthetic phonic lessons. 

2025 sees Holy Cross School, in alignment with the Diocese, assessing all Prep to Year 2 students reading skills through the assessment platform of DIBELS. DIBELS is an assessment system that assesses the acquisition of early literacy and reading skills.The assessments are administered in Term 1, 2 and 4 to monitor student progress in the development of skills related to general reading outcomes. The DIBELS measures allow us to track students progress as well as detect students at risk of not reaching year level reading proficiencies. Along with DIBELS, we monitor the progression of comprehension skills in Yr 1 - 6 with both Probe assessments and reading comprehension tasks aligned to year level texts as indicated by year level curriculum.

Best practice and research-based teaching of reading is crucial for fostering literacy skills that are foundational to a student’s academic success and lifelong learning. By utilising evidence-based strategies and tools such as DIBELS at Holy Cross, we can effectively address diverse learning needs, ensuring that all students develop strong reading abilities. These practices are grounded in scientific research, which provides insights into how students learn to read and what instructional methods are most effective. This approach not only enhances reading comprehension and fluency but also promotes critical thinking and a love for reading.

READING AT HOLY CROSS SCHOOL

Please take the time to watch the attached three short videos detailing reading at Holy Cross. We are truly excited for the continued development of reading in 2025 and hope you celebrate your child’s reading progression each night as they break the code and respond to your questions about what they are reading.

HOME LEARNING

Home Learning at Holy Cross has 3 components: Compulsory, Optional and Encouraged activities.

COMPULSORY

Home Learning reflects the importance we place on reading which is why the only compulsory home learning required from every student is reading. 

Each week it is an expectation students borrow from the library to facilitate this compulsory requirement. In the junior years this will be in the form of both “Read with Me,” and library books of interest and in the senior years students will be asked to choose books of interest from both fiction and non-fiction. It is important to note, particularly with “Read with Me” books, whilst a student may be able to read some of their books independently, they still require you to assist them with language comprehension or the decoding of unfamiliar words. For a child to become a competent reader they need to practise the skills they learn at school to both decode and comprehend texts. This is why the partnership of you, your child’s first educator, for the acquisition of reading comprehension is essential. 

OPTIONAL

Optional activities are listed for families who would like to engage with activities to reinforce focus concepts or general year level skills e.g multiplication facts. 

ENCOURAGED

Encouraged activities are a matrix of choices that align with our school Charism. You will find activities to choose from under the banners of Relationships, Community, Service and Stewardship. As a family it is entirely your choice to engage with these activities in whatever capacity you are able.

Look out on the MyCE Mobile App - My School Tab in Week 4 of Term 1 and Week 3 every other term for your current Home Learning Document.

DATE CLAIMERS

Week 3 Wednesday February 12: Meet n Greet 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Please come along to meet your child’s class teacher and join us for a cold drink and sausage sizzle (gold coin donation).

Week 5: Student Led Conferences

Watch out for your invitation to book in to join your child as they showcase their learning goals with you. Coming soon. 

Yours in reading partnership,

Deb Scarborough
Leader of Teaching

EVERY DAY COUNTS

Holy Cross has a policy of encouraging 100% student attendance – all day, every day. 

School absenteeism and truancy can impact significantly on students' learning and wellbeing. Research shows that, higher student attendance is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Additionally, attending school every day helps children to build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience.

Every student absence requires a valid reason for absence. Acceptable reasons for non-attendance include illness, or significant medical treatment, participating in a school or regional sporting or other event, or attendance at a significant family event such as a funeral.

When a child is absent for any reason, the school must be informed via the MyCE App, Parent Portal, telephone, email, or personal contact from a parent/guardian. Verbal explanations, by a student or sibling, are not adequate. If there are unexplained absences, the school will contact parents via text, to ensure that parents are aware of the absence.

Unacceptable reasons include birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, sleeping in, looking after other children, minor medical check-ups or procedures, haircuts or leaving early for travel on school holidays (or returning late from school holidays). It is also unacceptable to miss school on a sports day or on a day when the school is celebrating a liturgy or Mass. These are normal school days and students and their parents must treat them as such - opting out is not an option.

Extended family holidays or temporary relocations that occur during the school term need to be communicated with the Principal. Absences may impact on student learning and assessment tasks, and will be noted in written reports.

Having problems getting your child to school for some of these reasons?

Having problems getting your child to school for some of these reasons?

• won’t get out of bed in the morning
• won’t go to bed at night
• can’t find their uniform, books, school bag …
• slow to eat breakfast
• haven’t done their homework
• watching TV
• have a test or presentation to do, have an assignment to hand in
• it’s their birthday.

A set routine can help

• have a set time to go to bed
• have a set time to get out of bed
• have uniform and school bag ready the night before
• have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
• set a time for daily homework activities
• speak about school positively
• be firm, send your child to school every school day including their birthday and the last day of term!

What should I do if my child won’t go to school?

You should contact the school as soon as possible for advice and support.

Communication at Holy Cross School has been a focus of the past twelve months as we have transitioned to the The MyCE Mobile App or Holy Cross School App. Holy Cross School, was the first Cairns Diocese School to be fully embracing this change and as such we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your commitment and positive reception to our MyCE mobile app. Our plan is that the Holy Cross App will become the one-stop shop for almost all communication.

In our continuous efforts to streamline and enhance communication, we will begin reducing the frequency of emails. This move aligns with our vision of fostering more direct, timely, and efficient connections with our families.

Given this transition, it's now more crucial than ever to ensure you have the MyCE mobile app downloaded, and notifications enabled. By doing so, you'll receive all essential updates, announcements, and school-related information right at your fingertips.

Below is list of all communications that would usually be sent via email, letter or Parent Portal, intended to highlight where information will land in the MyCE Mobile App:

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT LEARNING
(My STUDENTS TAB)

• Log an Absence (MyCE Mobile App)
• Parent Slips (Permissions) (MyCE Mobile App)
• Academic Reports (MyCE Mobile App)
• Child Timetable (MyCE Mobile App)

WHOLE SCHOOL EVENTS, INVITATIONS and GENERAL INFORMATION
(My SCHOOL TAB)

• Contact Information (MyCE Mobile App)
• Calendar (MyCE Mobile App / Facebook)
• Documents (MyCE Mobile App) (Copies of all letters and notices)
• Invitations (MyCE / Facebook)
• Newsletter (MyCE / Schoolzine/ Facebook)
• Term Dates (MyCE Mobile App)
• OSHC (MyCE Mobile App)
• PTO (MyCE Mobile App) (for Student Led Conference Bookings)
• Parish (MyCE Mobile App)
• Tuckshop (MyCE Mobile App) (Flexischools)
• Seesaw (Seesaw App)

YEAR LEVEL and CLASS INFORMATION and INVITATIONS

(My SCHOOL TAB)

• Class Newsletters (MyCE Mobile App - Documents)
• Class Events (MyCE Mobile App - Calender - Documents)
• Parent Slips (Permissions) (MyCE Mobile App)

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS, TCN and COMMUNITY EVENTS

• TCN Sports (MyCE Mobile App - Documents)
• Community Events (MyCE Mobile App - Documents)

TEXT MESSAGES TO PARENTS

• Unexplained Student Absence (Text Message)
• Emergencies (Text Message)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Parent Portal & MyCE Mobile App Set Up

Before accessing the MyCE Mobile App, all NEW families will first need to ensure you have set up access to the Holy Cross School Parent Portal. Please follow the link below to complete this step first. You will then use the same login and password to set up your MyCE Mobile App access.

If you haven't already:

• Download the App
• Enable Notifications: to ensure you don’t miss any important alerts.
• Regularly Check the App: For school news, updates, events, and other important information.

Please check your Settings under MyCE Mobile App to ensure you have allowed ‘Notifications’. The MyCE Mobile App is set up for limited ‘Notifications’ at this point as we are committed to only have ‘Notifications’ for most important information.

Who has access to the App?

All Parents and Carers who are listed as either a legal guardian and/or caregiver with Parent Portal access set up will have access to the MyCE Mobile App. It is not too late to download for free.

Where can I get the App?

To get started, simply download the MyCE Mobile App, using the links below, and sign in with your current Parent Portal login and password.  

Google Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.edu.catholic.cns.myce

Apple App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myce/id6449520177

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our support team at (07) 4050 6300 and Extension Line 2.

2025

2025 TERM 1

FEB 11 - Opening Mass - 9.00am

FEB 12 - Parent Meet & Greet BBQ - 5.00pm to 6.00pm

FEB 19 - 2025 Sacramental Program Information Evening - 6.00pm - Church

FEB 20 - Volunteer Induction Session 1

FEB 24-28 - Student Led Conference Week

FEB 26 - Volunteer Induction Session 2

MAR 4 - Shrove Tuesday

MAR 5 - Ash Wednesday Liturgy (Years 2-6) - 9.00am

MAR 12-14 - Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN

MAR 17-21 - Harmony Week

MAR 18 - Volunteer Induction Session 3

MAR 19 - School Photos 2025

APR 4 - LAST DAY TERM 1

LAUNCH OF 2025 SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM FOR THE NORTHERN BEACHES PARISH

The Northern Beaches Parish warmly invites families and carers of children who are at least in Year 3 to attend our Information Evening on Wednesday, 19 February at 6pm, to launch the 2025 Sacramental Program.

WHAT:  Information Evening – Sacramental Program

WHEN:  Wednesday, 19 February 2025 at 6PM

WHERE:  Holy Cross Church – Reed Road, Trinity Park

WHAT TO BRING:  ORIGINAL of the candidate’s baptismal certificate (for sighting purposes only).

RSVP:  Friday, 14 February via https://forms.office.com/r/58A0EEukw0

To access more information and complete the online enrolment form, please click this link:  https://forms.office.com/r/DNVWEK0nym

Thank you very much!

Take care and God bless,

Anna Jimenez
Sacramental Program Coordinator
Northern Beaches Parish
Catholic Diocese of Cairns
M:  0450 213 042