Welcome back to the 2025 academic year, with a very special welcome to our Year 7 families and all other families who are new to the College. I hope that this year is fruitful for you all and sees each member of our College flourishing and aiming for their personal best at all times.

The holidays seem a distant memory and the routines of school life have again swung into full gear this week. The vast majority of our students have begun the year most positively and are engaged and working hard in their lessons. The start of the school year is a special time and as the students look to the year ahead they should be hope filled and full of the knowledge that their fortune is very much in their own hands. The young men of Holy Cross are indeed fortunate, they have facilities second to none and a staff that are professional, passionate and experts in their respective fields. In short they belong to a community that exists solely for them!

My prayer is that each student grasps the opportunities that they afforded with both hands and works hard each day to be the very best version of themselves. 

Student Drop Off/ Pick Up

A polite reminder to all parents and carers to ensure that you are following the road rules and driving safely when on College grounds and in the adjacent streets. Please ensure that you are not using our neighbours driveways, including Cressy Road Early Learning Centre to drop students off at the College in the morning. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Compass Parent Portal

Compass is where you will locate important College information. I would ask all parents to check Compass regularly to ensure that you stay up to date with all of the College news.

Please ensure that any absences or late arrivals are explained via Compass. Students are expected to be on time for school each day and lined up ready to commence HCT at 8.45am. It is a College rule that 3 x Lates without a justified reason (eg, medical appointment) will incur an after school detention. 

Home School Partnership

The partnership between home and school is absolutely essential if each of our young men is to fulfil his potential. Take the time to ask your sons each evening how their day was, ask them if they have any homework, talk to them about their teachers and offer to read over their drafts. Although they will not always express it in the manner that you would hope for, I can assure you that all of our boys want their parents/ carers/ grandparents etc involved and interested in how they are progressing at school. Please reach out at any time if there is any aspect of your son’s education or development that we can support you with. 

iPad/ Laptop

The judicious use of Technology can add so much to the educational experience and our staff here at Holy Cross are innovative and creative with the ways in which they have the students engage with the curriculum through the use of their devices. 

I would ask that parents and carers conduct an ‘audit’ of their son’s device and speak with them regarding any games/ apps that they may have downloaded onto their iPad or laptop.

Right Place, Right Time, Right Equipment, Right Attitude

On our return to school I spoke with all boys regarding this very simple and very concise statement. In short it sums up the expectations we have of all members of our Holy Cross community. Not every student will have the academic ability to receive an A grade in every subject area, nor would we expect them all to represent the College in our A Grade Cricket team or as a part of our College band. What we do expect though, and make no excuses for, is for all of our young men to aim for their personal best in all aspects of College life.

Please take the time to discuss with your sons what the school, their sporting team or even your workplace would look like if everyone involved followed this simple mantra.

Wishing you all the very best for the weeks ahead.