Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been great to see the students of Holy Name return this week for their first week of learning. We are all really looking forward to the completion of the building project and are sticking with our regular activities as much as possible with a few shuffles of rooms and classes. It's not easy but we know that it is a case of short-term pain for long-term gain and are focused securely on the finish line. We thank you also for your patience in this process.

Next Tuesday afternoon, 7th February, we will go ahead with our Parent Information sessions, welcoming you into classrooms to meet the teachers and begin to form the relationships that are so vital to each child's success in learning. When you visit, you may notice a stack of old desks, office furniture and bits and pieces under the covered space outside of Kinder. Most of these items will head to the recycle centre soon. We would be happy for any families who think they could recycle some of the products to let us know as we would be happy to arrange for you to take these home if they could be used. Please check them out when you're at school next Tuesday and email our administration office if you're interested in any of the items. I know that at least one of the round tables belongs to the Learning Hub and will return there following the completion of the work.

The information sessions will follow the timeline below.

3.30-4.00pm - Kinder, Year 3 and Year 6

4.00-4.30pm - Year 1 and Year 5

4.30-5.00pm - Year 2 and Year 4 

Following the information sessions, we will hold our first Parents & Friends gathering in the staffroom from 5pm. Our P&F President, Mr David Isbel plans to drop into each class during the information sessions to say hello and let you know about the work of the P&F in case you are interested in joining. This year is a rebuilding year for our P&F because many of our members were parents of the 2022 graduating Year 6 class. It would be great to see some new faces!

2023 Strategic Goals

The two main focus area for Holy Name this year include:

1. Mission & Justice - developing a plan for students to engage in actions as part of the Catholic Social Teaching Framework.

2. Learning - developing an expert teaching team who use effective teaching practices in English and Maths. We will be engaging with the research of Peter Sullivan for our Maths focus and monitoring the impact and use of the highly effective instructional strategies outlined by Dr Lyn Sharratt in her research. 

Part of this work will focus on using digital technology to improve our instructional strategies. We are excited to be moving into new areas of focus and will continue to keep our parents informed of our progress.

Wishing you all the very best start to the 2023 school year.

Yours sincerely,

Brooke Stephens