2025 Term 1 Week 10

From the Principal - Lisa Cavanagh

Dear Holy Name Families,

As the term comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the incredible achievements of our staff and students so far this year.  We have had students representing our school with distinction in swimming and trialing for Darling Downs teams in several sports.  We have had some fantastic growth from our students as our teachers and school officers supported our students’ learning.  This year has also seen an increase in our students’ attendance percentage – well done to all our families!  Every day matters and this attendance helps our children achieve their learning goals.

A massive thank you to all the families (and staff and students) who were interviewed as part of our SRIP process.  Your feedback on how we can continue to improve as a school and your affirmations are much appreciated.  We will receive our completed SRIP report next term, however, some initial feedback has been shared with us.  One thing that came out strongly in the interviews from all groups, was that Holy Name School was a safe learning environment where the staff know their students well.

Last week, our Student Protection Contacts attended their yearly additional training at Highfields.  Mrs Phyllis Melville, Mrs Anna Vaessen and Mr Christopher Byrne (our school guidance counsellor) joined me for the symposium.  One of the expert speakers presented the importance of creating safe environments for our children.  He ended his presentation by saying; “Great teachers make things safe.”  Thank you to all the GREAT teachers (and school officers) at Holy Name School who are making our children feel safe.

One incredible speaker at the symposium was Susan McLean from Cyber Safety Solutions.  Susan is a former Victorian Police Officer (27 years of service) and has extensive experience in the Cyber Safety field. Her eye-opening and forthright presentation was excellent, and I would like to share a few important points with our families.  The following points are taken directly from her presentation.

Tips for Parents on Cyber-Safety

• Know and apply the 50% rule. 50% of your job is to keep your kids safe online – 50% of your job is to make sure your kids are not causing harm to other kids online.
• No child under 13 years of age should be on any social media platform.
• Regularly check any devices used by your children. Any ‘red flags’ need to be reported (and then blocked).
• Be an active participant in your child’s life BOTH on and offline.
• Keep devices OUT of bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Know who your kids are talking to online and be aware of what content they are accessing.
• Be the most consistent voice in your child’s head.
• Notice subtle changes in your child and investigate.
• Learn the language of teens (and pre-teens) and the emojis used.
• PLUS – support each other and seek help if you are concerned.

Cyber safety is something that we take very seriously at Holy Name.  We will continue to work with families to educate and support our students as they navigate the online world.  If you would like to find out any further information about keeping kids safe online, please follow the link to the Cyber Safety Solutions website below.  As always, if you have any concerns or questions, you are welcome to contact the school for support.

Home - Cyber Safety Solutions

I would like to wish all our Holy Name community all the best for a safe, happy and Holy Easter break.  I am looking forward to my Long Service Leave, where Brendan and I will be participating in a pilgrimage in The Vatican and Assisi.  I know that I am leaving the school in Mrs Manthey’s very capable hands.  Congratulations to Ms Inskip on accepting the added responsibility of Acting APMI/Middle Leader, whilst I am away.  I return to school in Week 6.

God bless

Lisa Cavanagh

APMI - Kerri-Ann Manthey

We invite our school community to join us for our Holy Week Prayer Celebration, this Friday 04 April, at 8.45am in the MEAC.

As we gather with family and loved ones to celebrate Easter, let us remember the true essence of this holy day – a celebration of new life, redemption, and the promise of eternal love. May the Resurrection of Jesus Christ inspire us to live with faith, hope, and unwavering trust in God’s plan for each of us.

I extend my warmest wishes to you and your families for a blessed Easter filled with peace, joy, and the blessings of the risen Lord.

Blessings

Kerri-Ann Manthey

Sports Coordinator News

Prep - Tennille Kauter

Dear Families,

It's hard to believe we've already reached Week 10 of our very first term of school with the 2025 Preps! It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know each of your children and their families.

This term, we’ve had so much fun learning the alphabet through the Decodable Readers Australia program. It’s been incredible to see how the students have thrived. They are now starting to blend sounds and read simple words and sentences—an achievement that’s truly humbling to witness. The growth they’ve shown from the beginning of the term to now is remarkable, and we are so proud of their progress in all learning areas.

Beyond academics, the friendships and connections formed this term have been the most rewarding part of this experience. It’s been beautiful to watch the students grow not just in their learning, but in their ability to support and care for each other. We’ve spoken a lot about compassion and what that looks like here at Holy Name, and it's heartwarming to see these values taking root in the class.

Mrs. Thomas and I are both excited for the year ahead with this wonderful bunch of Preps. We can’t wait to continue this journey with them and to see even more growth, learning, and friendships in the months to come.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to what the rest of the year has in store!

Best wishes,

Mrs Kauter and Mrs Thomas

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Year 1 - Jodie Inskip

As Term One draws to a close, we reflect on the past ten weeks which has been filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences. It’s been such a joy to watch the students settle into the new year with enthusiasm and curiosity, and we’re proud of the amazing progress they’ve made in their learning journey.

Beyond the classroom, we’ve celebrated special occasions including birthdays, St. Patrick’s Day, and Harmony Day. These events have been wonderful opportunities to embrace the diversity and sense of community within our school.

When we asked some the students about their favourite memories this term, here’s what they shared:

• I enjoyed counting in Maths this term - AJ
• I liked writing sight word sentences - Layla
• I liked writing numbers in Maths - Harding
• I enjoyed the celery experiment in Science - Walter
• I liked we could play on the big playground - Vicky
• I liked that we got to learn lots of new things - Sophie
• I really liked music – Samson
• I enjoyed growing plants in Science – Adum
• I enjoyed all the rainy days because we stayed inside and watched shows - Jadzia
• It was fun to learn lots of new words and I am close to finishing my sight words – Ariadne
• I loved learning about Rainbow Facts in Maths

As we look forward to Term Two, we are excited to Welcome Ms Dunne for 5 weeks, and to continue building on this wonderful start to the year. Thank you for your ongoing support as we guide the students on their learning journey—we’re looking forward to sharing more memorable moments together next term.

Jodie, Phyllis and Josh.

Year 2 - Kirralee Bronkhurst

As we wrap up Term 1, it’s been a fantastic start to the Year 2 journey, filled with new experiences and exciting learning opportunities. Here are some things that the students have enjoyed this term. 

Annika - I enjoyed playing with my friends. 

Ajuur - This I've enjoyed learning about vibrations in Science.  

Zara - I've enjoyed learning new things in Science and I'm liking that I am making new friends.  

Grayson - I've enjoyed Science where we discuss what makes certain sounds and how vibrations are made, and I've also really enjoyed sport this term.  

Aaira - I have enjoyed learning all about collecting and anaslying Data and learning about telling Time in Maths this term.

Banjo - I'm looking forward to Cross Country and This Term I've enjoyed playing on the year 2 playground and in the classroom, I've enjoyed learning about telling the time in Maths. 

Tobias - I've enjoyed sport. 

Thiong - I've liked getting to know how to use a laptop. 

Marni - I've enjoyed learning about Place Value in Maths. 

Manuela - I've enjoyed creating my own character in English and using nouns, verbs and adjectives to describe my character. 

Gabby - I've enjoyed addition and subtraction in Maths this term. 

Benny - I've enjoyed learning about sound and vibrations in Science this term and also about living in relationship with Jesus in Religion. 

Lana - I've enjoyed learning about addition and subtraction in Maths. 

Victor - I've enjoyed learning about Maths, Religion, Science and English my favourite has to be learning about how to tell the time in Maths. 

Willow - My favourite thing is adding and subtracting in Maths. I have also liked Science and learning about sounds and vibrations. 

Ella - I liked Religion because I get to learn more about God. I've also enjoyed Science and doing balloon vibration experiment. I also like English and Maths as we are also learning about something new. 

Serenity - I've enjoyed adding and subtraction in Maths this term. I also liked Science and creating my own character in English. 

Amou - I have enjoyed learning everything this term, especially skip counting in Maths. English was also fun because we got to create our own character and describe them.  I enjoyed playing with my friends.  

It has been a wonderful first term, with significant progress across all subjects. We’re excited for the next term and the continued growth of our students!

Year 3 - Sarah McAllister/ Annie Roberts

Year 3 Mindful Monday - Service Activity 

As part of our ongoing commitment to community service and environmental conservation, Year 3 students have embarked on a special project to sponsor a koala. Her name is Tilly. She is 18 months old and loves adventures. This initiative is part of our Gospel Values in the Mercy Tradition service activity, which focuses on fostering compassion.

Last Monday, students engaged in activities that promoted empathy, kindness, and being stewards of the environment. Sponsoring a koala not only helps protect these endangered creatures but also teaches our students the importance of caring for all living things. Through this project, we aim to instil a sense of responsibility, Catholic social teaching and compassion in our young learners. We watched videos about koalas, learned about their threats and habitat, as well as ways we can support the work at Lone Pine Sanctuary and other conservation projects. 

Please find a link to the interactive map. If you would like to her visit her over the holidays, she is at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane.

Maptivate - Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Koala Experiences – A unique wildlife experience | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

We look forward to making friends with Tilly throughout the year and engaging in further environmental conservation projects. 

Year 3/4 - Stacy Mills

In religion we have learnt about different texts from the Bible. We have learnt about sacred myths and historical narratives. The creation story is from Genesis and teaches us how to care for our common home. Jonathan and Olivia

In HaSS we learnt that rules and laws are good to follow. We learnt that they keep us safe. We also learnt about the services that our local government provide for us. Vance, Elijah and Konnah

We liked that we found Maths easy this term and that it was educational. We actually had to use our minds and brains. It made it easier for our brains to think. Ella and Jessia

In English, we liked learning about ‘Blueback “and character traits. I really enjoyed reading this book about a groper fish. We learnt how to write narratives. Hutchie, Evodie and Angel

We learnt about food chains and lifecycles in Science. We learnt what a producer, consumer, decomposer, prey and predator are. We enjoyed doing an investigation about ants and what they preferred to eat. Grace, Heidi and Lincoln

In STEM we enjoyed doing cool things. We had to design an idea  about how to throw an egg out the window, so it would not break. We also had to make the fastest paper plane. Joelle, Bianka and AJ

Year 4 - Katie Green

Can you believe that term 1 is nearly over and Holy Week is upon us already? The year is flying by and, here in year 4, we have been very busy. Narrative writing was the focus of this term’s English unit and all students worked very hard to plan and create their own short narrative. Thank you to Mrs Wagstaff who worked with some students one on one to help come up with ideas and plan their narratives. The students were very proud of their final edit.

In our religion studies we have been focusing on the texts in the Old Testament. The students have been so inquisitive and asking many thought-provoking questions. Each child made a wonderful poster on how they can ‘care for our common home’ in the name of God and why it is important to look after God’s creation. The students had great suggestions and insights into this topic.

In maths, we have also been diving deep into learning about fractions, and we are now finding equivalent fractions. We have also been learning about large numbers and how the powers of ten can change the place value of the number. We had a lot of fun making our own 3D shapes and combining them to make new and interesting shapes. Our creative class loved doing this kind of maths!

Harmony Day this term was a real highlight for our class. I want to thank all the parents who made or brought food in for a little in-class party. It was a chance to try cuisines some of us had never had before and the students (and teachers) loved it.

Finally, I would just like to express what a positive start to the year we have had. All students are trying their best and have such great attitudes ready for learning when they come to school. What more could a teacher want! Keep it up year 4! 

Year 5 - Anna Vassen

It’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of the first term. We have certainly squeezed a lot of things in and we’re all looking forward to a holiday to rest and recover. This term the students created a Power Point presentation for their book review of The Twits. They also completed a portfolio to accompany their book study. We have worked really hard in Mathematics; learning our rolling numbers and tackling fractions and decimals. We have completed our HASS unit on Early Settlers, the First Fleet and First Nations People. With the help of the Library App and Click View, we found some interesting short documentaries that helped give a better understanding of what was happening at that time.

In Religion studies, students explored Faith and created some amazing personal faith symbols and explained why they chose certain aspects and why it meant to them. The class also finalised their studies in Science on Light. The students used their artistic flair to mix colours to create the light spectrum. Wishing all our families a safe and holy easter break.

Year 6 - Sandra Rosentreter

Religion – by Mayen Mayen and Oliver Chorley

This term in Religion we investigated what it means to live our faith. We looked at how prophets from the Old Testament called people to live their faith, and what their world was like. Reflecting on this, we asked ourselves what it means to live our faith today, and how we can be prophets too. Now in the season of Lent, we are looking at what it means to change our hearts and minds getting ready for Easter joy. 

English – by Sassi Woolmer and Athena Murchie

In English we have been reading “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown. While reading, we have learnt about how an author can develop characters and engage the reader. We enjoyed reading and discussing the problems and solutions that Roz and her friends faced on the island.   To’ bump-up' our writing, we have been practicing using different sentence starts, different types of sentences and playing with our language choices.  

Mathematics – by Zachary Harris and Ramesses Nyara

In Mathematics this year we are “Learning Through Doing”. We started with learning about graphs, specifically two-way tables and stem and leaf plots. We learnt more about fractions as fake guests at a fake party. We had to decide which table to sit at so we got the most chocolate cake (not real ☹). We also practiced multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and learned different mental strategies to add decimals together. Recently, we explored what the prefixes of different units of measure mean.  We had fun learning about the cross sections of 3D shapes as we made the shapes with play dough and cut cross sections using fishing line.

Science – by Naya Zahlouk and Matilda Raccanello

In science we have been learning about electricity as we experimented with circuits. Over the term we explored how energy is transmitted and transformed, how a torch works and how to draw circuits using symbols.  We identified and controlled different variables as we conducted fair tests. We conducted experiments to answer scientific questions. For example, “What affects the supply of electrical energy and causes a blackout?” and “What materials prevent the flow of electricity?” Everyone really enjoyed making switches and creating circuits with switches to control the flow of electricity to different rooms.

HaSS – by Akiit Chol and Maya Bittar

In HaSS we have been learning about how Australia became a nation, and why the different colonies wanted to unite as one nation. Using our laptops, we accessed the learning platform “Inquisitive” to find out about the significant people and events associated with Federation. We also looked at Australia’s system of government and learnt how it developed. Shockingly, we found out that not everyone was treated with respect as we explored human rights issues in Australia. Currently, we are finding out about the push and pull factors associated with migration. We looked at the Restriction Act of 1901 (White Australian Policy) and the ‘Dictation Test’ and couldn’t believe that this existed in our 

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