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Dear Holy Cross Parents and Carers,
My son, Edward, is in Year 12 at St Andrew’s Catholic College. Recently he attended the ‘Year 12 Retreat’ and came home full of joy, invigorated by the experiences he had shared, clutching a bundle of memorabilia carefully archived by his Junior School teachers. We pawed over the memories they generated, then disappeared down a ‘worm hole’ together, emerging with the following pearl of wisdom gifted to him by his Year 2 teacher:
There’s something so special about the Irish way of speaking blessings. Their words aren’t just wishes, they feel like gifts wrapped in poetry, warmth, and a deep sense of love. This simple blessing carries such a lovely message: hope, kindness, and a gentle wish for goodness to come your way. The blessing prompted me to think about graciousness, a quality we don’t often name but one that shapes so much of the kind of people we want our children to become.
But graciousness isn’t just about good manners - though I’m always grateful for a well-timed please and thank you - it’s deeper than that. Graciousness is a quality of the heart marked by generosity of spirit, instinctive kindness, and the ability to truly see and care for others especially when it’s not convenient.
One of my favourite stories shared by my grandmother captures this spirit. It’s the story of a little boy in hospital nervously holding onto his one-eyed teddy bear before an operation. When a nurse went to take the bear, the surgeon gently stopped her and said, “Leave teddy there; he needs attention too”. When the child regained consciousness, teddy was snuggled against the pillow, and across his missing eye was the neatest bandage a skilled surgeon could devise. It was a small act, but it’s quiet, thoughtful, heart-led impact was enormous. This act of kindness teaches children that their worries matter, that care comes in many forms, and that love often shows itself in the smallest of gestures. In our faith tradition, we might say it’s a way of recognising the image of God in every person.
At Holy Cross School, we strive to model grace daily: to correct with patience; laugh with kindness; listen with care; and, respond with calmness, so that our students can learn how to be gracious, and how to carry grace into the world without us having to say the word.
Graciousness is, in many ways, God’s compassion made visible. It’s not showy or loud, it doesn’t demand attention, it just leaves a lasting mark on hearts, in homes, and within our community.
So, let’s keep modelling grace for our children. Let’s teach them to speak with kindness, treat others well, act with empathy, care deeply, carry themselves with quiet dignity, and live with hearts that are open to others.
Let me leave you with one more Irish blessing to carry through your week because they’re hard to resist:
Fondest regards
PRINCIPAL
Dear Holy Cross Family,
We would like to thank everyone for their patience and care whilst navigating a safe Stop, Drop and Go Zone. The recent sunshine and good weather has seen families utilising all ways of getting to school – walking, riding, parking and walking in, carpooling and using the Stop, Drop & Go Zone.
We ask that you continue to be patient and respectful for this short time of the day. We will continue reminding the kids, but for the most part they have been doing a great job of being alert and looking for your cars too.
School pick up areas and Stop, Drop and Go Zones can appear very busy and hectic, enough to cause any parent some anxiety. Police are urging parents to have a look at the current rules that apply around school pick up areas.
If you are a pedestrian, please only use designated pedestrian crossings and pathways.
This is just a friendly reminder on a few tips to help make this area run as smoothly as possible.
A promise to stay safe CLICK TO WATCH
Staff are on duty from 8:10am until 8:30am and then again from 2:50pm until 3:15pm. Please use the full time of duty to assist with traffic jams. Cars after 3:00pm can often drive in and out promptly. Students are safely supervised for the full duration.
Remember SAFETY of our students, your children is our top priority. We look forward to working together for the benefit of all. Thanking you in advance for your support.
Brad Henry
Assistant Principal
Commitment to Student Safety and Wellbeing
Holy Cross School is committed to being a safe and nurturing community of care, where the rights and dignity of all children and young people are upheld and protected, and where all students have a right to expect that our school will always act to protect them from any kind of harm.
At Holy Cross, concerns or reasonable suspicions we have about a student’s safety and wellbeing, or the behaviour of a staff member or volunteer which a student considers to be inappropriate, will continue to be managed in accordance with our Student Protection processes.
All adults have a responsibility to care for children and young people, to positively promote their welfare, and to protect them from any kind of harm. The interactions of Catholic Education staff with students take place in the context of the employee being in a position of trust arising from the nature of their role.
All of our staff receive annual and ongoing training in the area of child protection. Our Student Protection Processes and Guidelines document can be found by accessing the Cairns Catholic Education Website (www.cns.catholic.edu.au), Safeguarding Children page.
Parents and students should talk to the Student Protection Contacts (Sarah Hamilton, Stephanie Travers and Jo Cordwell) or the class teacher if there are any concerns about the safety and wellbeing of any student, or concerns about the behaviour of a staff member or volunteer which they feel is inappropriate. We take all reports seriously.
There are three super talented young people shining brightly in our school community pushing themselves to be ‘the best version of you’ outside of school hours.
- Vivienne D (3S) for excellence in VISUAL ART with her work, entitled “Night Travel” currently on display in the Courthouse Gallery as part of this year’s Cairns Children’s Festival.
- Evelyn D (1H) for excellence in VISUAL ART with her work, entitled “Blue Pencil Shoe” currently on display in the Courthouse Gallery as part of this year’s Cairns Children’s Festival.
- Kennedy C (4H) for excellence in SERVICE TO OTHERS raising over $900 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, placing 4th Top Fundraiser in Cairns.
Remarkable achievements for such young people. We are super proud of them all!
Please keep sharing news regarding your children’s achievements outside of school. We love sharing good news stories.
It was a glorious day on Monday and it was made all the brighter by our brilliant Holy Cross students. The girls worked well as a team, showed respect to their opponents throughout the day as well as great improvement in their game skills and understanding. As the pictures attest too - the girls had an 'AWESOME' day, and many were asking when the next AFL tournament will be held! A BIG THANK YOU to Matt Donovan who coached one of our teams and Ms Monk for keeping the girls (and Mr Russell) on track!
2025
| TERM 1 | Wednesday 29 January - Friday 4 April (10 weeks) |
| TERM 2 | Tuesday 22 April - Friday 27 June (10 weeks) |
| TERM 3 | Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September (10 weeks) |
| TERM 4 | Tuesday 7 October - Friday 5 December (9 weeks) |
TERM 2
MAY 27 - Soccer Gala Day (Year 6)
MAY 28 - 'A Taste of Harmony' Shared Dinner - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
MAY 29 - Year 1 Excursion - Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
MAY 29 - Cricket - Holy Cross vs St Andrew's - 3:00pm - Oval
JUN 3 - Confirmation Session 1 - Holy Cross Church - 5:00pm
JUN 5 - FNQ Chess Competition
JUN 10 - Pentecost Mass - Year 3 to Year 6 - 9:00am
JUN 10 - Confirmation Session 2 - Holy Cross Church - 5:00pm
JUN 13 - Holy Cross Connect Movie Night - 6:30pm - "Sonic"
JUN 17 - Holy Cross Athletics Field Day (Year 3 to Year 6)
JUN 17 - Confirmation Session 3 - Holy Cross Church - 5:00pm
JUN 18 - Holy Cross Athletics Track & Fun Day (Prep to Year 6)
JUN 27 - Last Day Term 2
TERM 3
JUL 14 - First Day Term 3
JUL 17 - PUPIL FREE DAY
JUL 18 - PUBLIC HOLIDAY - Cairns Show
TCN REPRESENTATIVE SCHOOL SPORT
TCN (Trinity Coast North)
REPRESENTATIVE SCHOOL SPORT TRIAL NOTICES
(10 - 12 Years)
Current TCN Calendar of Events, Trial Notices and the Peninsula permission paperwork required to be completed for representative trials are available via the Parent Portal.
TCN TRIALS
TOTAL FOOTBALL ACADEMY
HOLY CROSS SCHOOL CLINIC TERM 2
We're excited to announce that Total Football Academy will be running a school clinic at Holy Cross in Term 2.
Clinic details:
Start Date: Thursday, 1st of May
End Date: Thursday, 26th June
Time: 7:15am - 8:15am
Location: Holy Cross School
Ages: 7-12 years old
To register click on the link below:-
This program offers a fantastic opportunity for students to receive professional coaching, sharpen their skills, and build their love for the fame - all in a fun, inclusive, and supportive environment.
A Prayer for Kindness
Loving God,
Empower us with the strength today to show kindness in all that we do. Help us to open our arms to those less fortunate and extend our hands to those who may need it, so that they may see the goodness in our kind actions and words.
Help us to appreciate and be accepting of everyone's uniqueness. May we gently consider these differences as we journey with them. Help us to become more like you Lord, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to create the change needed in our world.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
from The Archdiocese of Brisbane