LIFE Week with Year 4

Wow, what a week! LIFE Week in Year Four was fast paced, yet very exciting!

We began the week with our Amazing Race activity. This involved travelling around the College campus to find a series of clues, which linked in with our Big Ideas question, Can you save me? We raced from below the LRC, to the staff room, to the toilets, to the oval, to the LRC and back to our classroom. We finished the race by creating a tourist boat which would not pollute the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Our creations were well thought out and some even included spare ores, in case the solar panels were faulty!
  

Tuesday was a highlight of the week, as we travelled to the Kings Park Naturescape. We participated in a workshop which allowed us to visit different types of vegetation and discuss the animals that might live there. We were also invited to create food chains and explore what would happen if a foreign species were introduced. We also played in the Naturescape which was a unique and engaging experience for everyone, even the parents! On our way back to Holy Cross, we stopped at Saint Joseph’s Church in Subiaco. The church marks the beginning of the Camino Salvado and is located on Salvado Road. Our discussion here connected with our Year Level patron, Dom Rosendo Salvado.

Amongst other things, we created our own video reports for the ABC’s Behind the News series. Every student was given a role to play including director, stylist, presenter or camera person. We wrote our own scripts, drew our own storyboards and edited the entire thing! It was a long, yet enjoyable process which allowed us to develop a multitude of new skills. We were so excited to share our work with our parents on Friday.

The Mini Olympics with the Pre-Primary students was an event not to forget! At first we assisted the younger students with the sack and egg and spoon races. This allowed us to demonstrate our leadership skills, which was great fun. Afterwards, we participated in the sponge and bucket relay, before practising our gymnastics poses. We ended with a messy game, called ‘Cheeto Toss.’ The pictures below will give you an idea of what this entailed.

We would like to thank our parents for their support during LIFE Week, both inside and outside the classroom. We truly could not have done it without you! Bring on LIFE Week 2017.

Miss George and Team 32

LIFE Week 2016: Year Eights take on New Norcia!

LIFE Week 2016 was a rich experience for the Year Eight cohort as they explored New Norcia and developed their personal gifts through their retreat days and Camino.

On Monday morning, the Year Eights departed for New Norcia, very excited to spend three days exploring this historic town and spending time with their peers. Thankfully the sun was out on arrival and the students spent three very busy days participating in a range of enlightening tours and experiences ranging from a tour of the town, to an exploration of New Norcia’s art and architecture, to building traditional Aboriginal housing and painting boomerangs. The students enjoyed meeting the staff of New Norcia and learning about the interesting cultural and historical background of the town. The camp focused on the question Culture Unplugged: Can New Norcia Survive Progress? The students gathered information for the documentary they will produce around this topic. They were interested to see just how a monastic town manages to function in a 21st century world.

The students also participated in some traditional camp activities such as the campfire and onesie quiz night. They nominated for a range of morning activities and enjoyed starting their day with something new, whether it be a visit to the old New Norcia bakery - complete with sampling some tasty treats - or stretching themselves with some yoga poses. 

The three day camp was a wonderful experience for the Year Eight students and they made the most of the opportunities offered to them. The visit to New Norcia was a very positive experience for everyone involved and is always a lovely way to reinforce the important connection that exists between Holy Cross College and the beautiful town founded by Dom Rosendo Salvado so many years ago.

On Thursday and Friday of LIFE Week, the Year Eights completed the next stage of their Camino along with a retreat day. The retreat focused on ‘Gratitude and Stewardship’ and was led by the talented team from Middle School Ministry. It was wonderful to see the students’ engagement with the leaders and with the topics and to watch them focus on their personal growth. The students also completed the next section of their Camino Salvado, beginning at Bells Rapids. The trek comprised some 17 kilometres and the Year Eights tackled the challenge head on. The cooperated beautifully as a team and demonstrated the positive and responsible attitudes that were characteristic throughout all their LIFE Week activities. 

LIFE Week 2016 was a great success and we look forward to returning to New Norcia in the near future to show the monastic community some examples of the Year Eights’ fantastic work.

Miss Emilie Reynolds

Year 8 Innovator

Pre-Kindergarten

There have been so many wonderful things happening in Pre-Kindergarten lately. The past few weeks have seen the children busy exploring nursery rhymes. It has been wonderful to see them excited about the rhyme of the week and the learning environments set up to explore a range of concepts linked to the rhymes. We have also been exploring basic positional language such as next to, on, under, in front and behind. 

During LIFE Week, we went on a mini-tour of the College. The children loved visiting the Office and meeting some of the staff, seeing the Cafe and playing on the new rope playground downstairs. It was lovely to see how excited the children were exploring some of the College and the observations they made in the various areas.

I hope that all of the Dads enjoy their Fathers' Day this Sunday, as well as the little surprises that the children have brought home to express their love.

Mrs Fretwell

Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Year Three LIFE Week

The Year Threes had a wonderful LIFE Week that focused on many different aspects of their learning. Our aim was to answer the Big Ideas question, “What would schools of the future be like?”

We visited Scitech and the planetarium to learn more about Science and to compare the way they help people understand concepts to how children had to learn in the olden days. Students also had the opportunity to experience an olden day classroom by dressing up in periodic clothing, to play olden day games and to use chalk and blackboards, as well as ink and paper. A highlight for the children was the strict teacher, eating oranges and drinking a glass of milk at recess, as well as playing olden day games. The students’ outfits were absolutely incredible and they really looked the part.

Students also had a day of box construction to create their school of the future. They had to design, plan, build and reflect on the school they created. They also used iMovie to explain the key features of their school, which were then linked to QR codes. During our learning walk, parents and relatives, had the opportunity to come through and view our olden day classroom and our schools of the future. They were very impressed with the quality of work the students produced, the learning they gained and the impressive technology skills they demonstrated.

We were fortunate to have Daniel visit us from the St Vincent de Paul Society to share the life story of Frederic Ozanam, our Year Level patron. We also played the chocolate game to learn more about opportunity – some people got an abundance of chocolate and others are less fortunate and had none. Daniel also took the items we collected for the blanket drive back to St Vincent de Paul. Thank you to all those families who donated blankets, scarves, beanies, or socks to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

We finished off LIFE Week with a shared lunch including a few relatives who spoke to the students about their memories and experiences of school. The students wish every week was LIFE Week and are already talking about what they might do next year in Year 4!

Miss Ravenscroft

Year 3 Teacher

LIFE Week in Kindergarten

During LIFE Week, the children in Kindergarten had the most amazing time cooking healthy food, exercising, planting donated fruit trees from Bunnings and visiting Mr Tutt’s workshop on Tuesday. Wednesday was a busy day with visitors from St John of God Ambulance, the Police Department and Fire Brigade. LIFE Week concluded last Thursday with a day of prayer and reflection, a Camino Pilgrimage to the Parish Church, visiting the new Olive Grove and learning about Frederic Ozanam with our Year 3 buddies. It was a wonderful week filled with a focus on the four pillars of Learning, Inter-relationships, Faith and Enrichment.

Mrs Borg

Kindergarten C Teacher

Year Two LIFE Week

What a busy time the Year Two students have had. They are exploring Life cycles in Science and are busy observing how the temperature affects the growth and development of mealworms. The mealworms are slowly changing and the students excitedly check them each day for changes! 

                                      

In Big Ideas, the students have been investigating the question, "Australia, what's our story?" This is involving how we can tell our story using other mediums instead of words. Through watching the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony, different Dreamtime stories, reading fairy tales and listening to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the students are identifying different methods of creating a story. They are also investigating how music can create a story through the adjustment of the tempo of the music and are learning compose their own piece of music. 

Pictures and sculpture have also created a story and during LIFE week the students have investigated the story of Australia further, through transport and literacy stories. They have observed how symbols tell a story, particularly focussing upon the story of Sr Irene McCormack and how our House symbols tell us the story of her life. 

LIFE Week was great fun and we were able to learn about different stories related to our lives and culture through fun and interesting activities. We would not have been able to do as many different activities as we did without all of our parent helpers who volunteered their time or donated resources to help. The Year Two class would like to express a big THANK YOU to all of our parents for their support. 

Mrs Ryan

Year Two Teacher

Update - Friends of Holy Cross

Wow, Term 3 is proving to be an exciting time for the Friends of Holy Cross.  We thank you all in advance for your support and involvement. Some important events coming up include:

Fathers’ Day Raffle – 31 August 2016

The Fathers’ Day raffle is closing soon so get your tickets in quick - the raffle is being drawn at the Fathers’ Day breakfast on Wednesday morning, so we are looking forward to sending some lucky dads home with a special raffle prize.  We have a golf bag as first prize and some other wonderful prizes on offer.  Spare order forms are available from the office. Closing date is 3.00pm Tuesday 30 August 2016.

Quiz Night – Friday 9 September 2016

Our Quiz Night is fast approaching – being held on Friday 9 September 6.30pm in the new Lyon Building.  Tickets are only $12 each – tables of eight.  Please get your table order forms in soon as we are limited to 20 tables.

We are urgently seeking an approved Manager for the Quiz Night and Volunteers to assist in the bar who have RSA certification.  If you can assist, please contact Susan Sorensen on 0417 967 067.

We have some wonderful donations from businesses far and wide, including a Scooter from Bike Force, Ballet and gymnastics classes, restaurant vouchers, BBQ pack from Bunnings, to mention a few.  Thank you to those who have brought in your small donations for the Quiz Night.  These will be used for the smaller raffle prizes.

Parent Camino Salvado Pilgrimage walk – Tuesday 13 September 2016

The next leg of the Parent Camino Salvado Pilgrimage walk is being held on Tuesday 13 September 2016 from East Perth to Guildford.  It is not necessary to have completed the first walk.  All parents, and even grandparents, are welcome to attend.  This is a marvellous way to experience what our children experience on their Pilgrimage walks and a great way to build your friendships within the College community.  Please return your form as soon as possible.

College Feast Day Celebrations – Friday 17 September 2016

Our College Feast Day Celebrations are fast approaching, being held on Friday 17 September 2016.  This event is a highlight for all in the school calendar.  The Friends of Holy Cross will again be providing a sausage sizzle for this special event.  If you are able to help with the cooking and serving please let me know

Next Meeting

Our next Friends of Holy Cross Meeting will be held on Tuesday 6 September 2016 from 9.00am to 10.30am. Come the the front office where you will be directed to the meeting room.  Tea, Coffee, and cake provided.  We would love to see you there

Save the following dates – Term 4

Wine and Cheese Night - Tuesday 29 November 2016

More details to come, but please save the date.  This will be a great opportunity for Parents to come together to celebrate our College community.

Carols by Candlelight - Wednesday 7 December 2016, College Amphitheatre

More details to come, but please save the date. This will be a wonderful festive family night and College community event.

If you have any queries about any of the above events, please contact Susan on 0417 967 067

Thank you to the parents who volunteer their time and efforts to make all of these events happen.  Please support the Friends of Holy Cross as we strive to make our College community the best it can be.

God Bless

Susan Sorensen

President, Friends of Holy Cross

Confirmation Retreat

Pitter, patter! The rain was soft, but it was still there. We walked over to the Church, managing not to get too wet. As soon as we got to the Church we saw the Year 6 class from Saint Helena’s Catholic Primary School. There were also some other children from a variety of non-Catholic schools who were joining us. We were divided into groups, 1 to 8, these were the groups we completed activities in. 

Sister Kath, who was running the program, welcomed us in. After she talked about the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we went off in groups to do the first activity. We had to sort information about Baptism and Confirmation into the correct headings. Then it was recess. 

After recess, we went back on the floor and talked about the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. We then did another activity that involved matching the Fruits of the Holy Spirit with their meaning. Finally, it was lunch and we were very lucky to have a sausage sizzle, that was provided by the Parish.

At the end of the day we had a small Liturgy. Then we walked very quickly back to school, so we didn’t get too drenched!

By Jordan and Regina

Year 6 students

 

  

Year 5 and 6 walk the Bibbulmun Track

STOMP! STOMP! How much further? My legs were sore, but I kept walking. As we walked the beginning of the Bibbulmun Track we came across a small river that was flowing beautifully. In my group there was Miss Armenti, Sharai, Cara, Geah and Ashton. Today we left from the Northern Terminus of the Bibbulman Track and on camp we will walk the Southern end. 

After 20 long minutes we took a break and then the track got muddy, making it even harder to navigate! We were 2km in when the track started getting steeper and slipperier. Then all of a sudden, as we turned to the left we saw a beautiful waterfall, so we took a photo in front of it and then kept going. After what felt like hours and hours, we finally reached where we would eat lunch and sit down! The spot we chose had heaps of ants, so it was funny seeing the other people moving as fast as Usain Bolt!

On the way back some people stepped in mud, and the noise it made was disgusting! After getting slightly lost with Mr Pisano’s group, we finally made it back to the start of the track, got back on the bus and drove back to school.

By Leah

Year 6 Learning Leader

On Friday, 12 August, the Year 5 and 6 classes began their hiking adventure. We were lucky enough to have Ms McMahon, Mr Falcone and Mr Pisano along with us as well as Miss Armenti and Miss Henderson. We began at the Northern Terminus of the Bibbulmun Track and walked a total of 7 kilometres. The point of the day was to give an introduction to the Camino walks we will be attending in our laters years of school.

The day started when we all arrived at school and walked to the bus. As we sat on the bus we eagerly waited to arrive. We arrived at the Northern Terminus of the Bibbulmun Track and stopped for recess. We boarded the bus again and drove to the Camel Farm. As we arrived at the Camel Farm we learnt that the road was closed. We made a U-turn and drove back to the Northern Terminus.

As we walked throughout the track, we were looking out for a sign on the trees. Next, we stopped to say the Pilgrim's prayer. Along the track, we came across a foot scrubber. It was to protect our native flora. We were all amazed with the view of the mountains as we walked along. We went down stairs, up rocks and past waterfalls. Finally, we stopped for lunch and rested as we talked.

After lunch, we took the same route up. We took some stops along the way to drink water. As we neared our bus, we started to get very tired. We got on the bus and drove back to Holy Cross.

We arrived back and we said the Prayer of Gratitude. We were all very tired and had a good day. We were dismissed and happy to be back in our school. We all can't wait until we start walking the Camino Salvado in Year 7!

By Ashton

Year 5 Student

 

 
 

Book NOW Quiz Night Tickets!

Friends of Holy Cross are hosting a Quiz Night to earn funds for the College and have some fun! Tickets are available NOW! Email: fhc@holycross.wa.edu.au