Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to existing families and a special welcome to the new families joining Holy Name School this year.  I also welcome (NEW staff) to the school community.

I have been extremely grateful to the parents who have introduced themselves to me and welcomed me into the school community.  Positive relationships are at the heart of successful partnerships, and I look forward to continuing to meet parents throughout the school year. 

As a brief backstory, I have had the privilege of being a Principal for the past fifteen years in Catholic Educational WA working in remote, regional and metropolitan schools.  I am now blessed to have the opportunity to serve Holy Name School.

As the school Principal, my focus will be on continuing to develop a learning community that is Christ-centred and Child-focused.  

Simply, this means that the safety, wellbeing and educational outcomes in all domains will be my focus.  And I hope this aspiration is shared by all members of the school community.  That as adults, we put our egos to the side and work collaboratively to ensure the decisions we make, support each child to develop their full potential in an environment that is safe and supportive.

I recognise that at times this will be difficult.  Schools are complex places and conflicts will occur.  When this does, I encourage all families to follow the Diocesan process which is to contact your child’s teacher and work together in the best interest of the child to resolve the problem.  The official process is available HERE. 

As we commence the school year, let us work together to ensure our children have the greatest opportunity to succeed and fulfil our mission in creating an environment where each child has authentic opportunities to Belong, Learn and Serve.

God Bless

Ben Doyle
Principal

Welcome back to school everyone!

I hope you had a lovely Summer break with your families. We have hit the ground running at Holy Name in 2025.

I would like to welcome Mr Ben Doyle to our wonderful school. We all look forward to working with Ben to continue to offer your children a great educational experience.

Sport

We held our school Swimming Carnival last Thursday at the Aquatic centre. Thanks to Mrs Quilter and Ms McKinnon for organising the event and for all staff and parents who helped to ensure the carnival ran smoothly.

The Swimming Champions were:

Last Monday, our HNS Swim team travelled to Taree to compete in The Manning Regional Carnival. Thanks to Mrs Quilter, Mr Doyle and Ms Simon for accompanying the team. We had some good results on the day and Age Champions will be announced on Monday.

The next carnival will be the Diocesan carnival to be held in Newcastle on Wednesday, February 26^th. Please see the following flyer for information on Primary Sport from the CSO.

Uniform

Please ensure that your children are in full Summer uniform. The school hat is a compulsory part of the school uniform and needs to worn whenever the student's are outside. Shoes and socks are to be plain black - no stripes or logos. Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied back. Jewellery is to be kept to a minumum - sleepers/studs in ears, a watch and a signet ring are allowed. No dangly earrings, large hair decorations, painted nails or coloured hair.

Thank you for supporting us in this area.

Attendance

Attendance at school is compulsory and important. If your child is unwell, please advise on Compass or ring the office please.

Start times

Children are supervised at school from 8.30am. In the afternoon, supervision is until 3.15pm (excluding children who catch buses.) If you require care outside of these hours please contact St Nicholas OOSH.

Welcome

Welcome to Holy Name School, where Belonging, Learning and Serving, In His Holy Name is at the heart of all we do. As the new year begins, I would like to welcome our new Principal Mr Ben Doyle. The staff of Holy Name look forward to getting to know Mr Doyle and working alongside him in this Jubilee Year of "Pilgrams of Hope". As our year begins, I warmly welcome new familes and returning ones. We welcome back Mrs Praschinger from maturnity leave, Mr Pomplin returning to the role of Gifted Education Mentor (GEM) and Miss Flannery as our 0.2 Release Teacher. Our school community also welcomes Miss Frost, Miss Johnston, Miss Duggan, Mrs Allport to their new teaching appointments and Miss Campbell as Learning Support Teacher. The beginning of the year is a time of change for both students and families and it has been wonderful to see how well everyone has been settling into their new classes.

In my Religious Education News reports, I hope to give you all the information you need about Masses, Liturgies, Religious Curriculum, Catholic Social Teaching, Pastoral Care, Parish Sacramental Programs and Parish news at Holy Name, so that you are informed and may then join with us to celebrate in our community of faith. Next week we celebrate our Welcome and Investiture Mass, on Friday 21 February at 11:30am in the Holy Name of Jesus Church. All grades will be attending, Fr John Vo Vien is celebrating this mass and parents and carers are welcome to join us at this liturgical celebration. At the conclusion of mass, our School Leaders will read their committment pledges and be presented with their 2025 leadership badges.

Upcoming Liturgical Events for your Calendar 

Week 4      Pancake Tuesday   4th March Holy Name School Grounds beginning at 3:30pm All Families welcome (see flyer below)

                Ash Wednesday Mass 5th March Holy Name of Jesus Church 9:30am Yr 3-6 attending. Parents and Carers most welcome to attend.

                Ash Wednesday Infants Liturgy Mary MacKillop Hall, Holy Name School K-2 attending. Parents and Carers most welcome to attend.

Parish News

Parish Based Sacramental Program

The Catholic Parish of Forster Tuncurry's Sacramental Programs are registrations are now open for parents and cares to enroll their children for the Sacraments of Initiation (Confirmation and Eucharist) and Reconciliation. Attached is a letter from Fr John Vo Vien (our Parish Priest) and the Sacramental Team, explaining how to register and also the dates for preparation and when students will receive these sacraments. 

Holy Name of Jesus Weekend Mass Times 

Saturday Vigil Mass 5pm    Sunday 8am or 10am 

Regards,

Genevieve Williamson

Religious Education Coordinator

A Great Start to the School Year!

Welcome back to another exciting school year! It has been wonderful to see all our students arriving with bright smiles, ready to reconnect with their friends and teachers and continue their learning journey in their new grades. The energy and enthusiasm in the classrooms have set a positive tone for the year ahead. Our dedicated teachers have been busy establishing routines and expectations to ensure a smooth transition into the new academic year. It has been inspiring to see the different ways in which they have fostered a strong classroom culture, encouraging positive work habits and nurturing relationships that will support learning and growth throughout the year.

One of the highlights of the past few weeks has been observing the fantastic work happening in our Year 1 and Year 2 reading groups. These sessions are already running seamlessly, a testament to the consistent and effective pedagogy that has been in place across our Kindergarten to Year 2 classes over the past two years. The commitment of our teachers to building strong literacy foundations is clearly paying off, as students engage confidently in their reading activities.

Our primary grades are also back into learning mode with their study of rich texts and beginning their writing units of work. We look forward to seeing our students continue to thrive, explore new challenges, and achieve their personal best. 

First Week Of Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten students have had a wonderful first week of school and are settling in beautifully. Our new kinder friends are enjoying learning routines, making new friends, and embracing the excitement of school life. Each morning, our students have eagerly participated in Successful Foundations time, engaging in play-based learning, exploring provocations, building friendships, solving problems, and expressing their creativity.

Library borrowing has been a huge hit with the Kinders, and the students have thoroughly enjoyed their Learning Hub lessons with Mrs Arrow and Music sessions with Miss Reynolds. A highlight of the week has been spending time with their Year Six buddies, especially when they visited to share stories with us.

We are so proud of our Kinders and look forward to watching them grow in confidence throughout the term!

Have a wonderful fortnight ahead!

Mrs Suzie Monks

Primary Coordinator

Grandmaster Faye Shacklock is offering Taekwondo lessons on Thursday afternoons at HNS. Please see the attached flyer for more information.