Ash Wednesday, COVID, Open Morning, Lego Club, Ukraine Prayers and Home Study Day

Ash Wednesday

This week, the whole K-12 College participated in the Ash Wednesday Mass, as it was live streamed throughout the classes, where students were also sprinkled with ashes.   Ash Wednesday is a significant day in our Liturgical Calendar, and it signifies the commencement of Lent. Lent is a season of fasting and prayer in the lead up to Easter. Ashes were sprinkled on our foreheads symbolising the dust from which God made us. They also symbolise grief; grief that we have sinned. As the Ashes are applied, the words spoken remind us that we are made from dust and we shall return to dust. The ashes come from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. 

COVID  – Parent Support and Quarantining

According to Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology from King’s College in London, where there have been millions of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19; “symptoms are much more like a regular cold, particularly in children and those who have been vaccinated, and fewer general systemic symptoms, such as nausea, muscle pains, diarrhoea and skin rashes.”  There are now a number of resources providing child specific information for families, including this video from Perth Children’s Hospital and on the WA Health website, HealthyWA here.

Quarantining at Home

Close contacts are required to isolate in separate living spaces from their families (e.g. their bedroom).  Where a close contact is unable to effectively isolate from siblings or parents, those sharing the living space with the close contact are also required to quarantine.

If your child needs to quarantine and requires your care during this period, you will need to quarantine with them. Families should choose which caregiver is to quarantine with your child for the entire quarantine period. If brothers and sisters cannot adequately separate from the close contact, they should also quarantine with you. Some older children may be able to quarantine independently in a separate area of the house, if they do not require hands-on care.  The family needs to ensure they take extra precautions and have no interaction with the close contact.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, other family members quarantining with them will be at risk of developing COVID-19 and will be required to complete an additional quarantine period, as directed by WA Health. Siblings of close contacts can still attend school if the close contact is able to isolate away from the rest of the household.

Virtual Tour – Saturday 12 March

Due to COVID restrictions, our College Tour is going virtual! Please encourage friends and family to participate in the Tour to help make an informed decision about being educated at HCC. Year Seven places for 2023 are filling quickly, as well as Kindergarten places for 2023. Places in our Junior School are well sought after, so please do not delay. All year levels will be considered. RSVP to attend http://www.holycross.wa.edu/forms

Bishops Call for Peace in Ukraine

The Australian Catholic Bishops (ACBC) media release and prayer for Ukraine.

Learning with Lego

The first few weeks of Lego Club have been very enjoyable, with many students showing their skills and having a go at creating and designing. We have been rotating a year group each week face to face and the remaining students have been engaging online via See Saw with online tutorials and special guest presenters from Lego Masters! 

The WA Brick Society have asked our club to display some of the student Builds at the next Inglewood Night Markets on 18 March. Our Learning leader for the Arts, Chris McRae, will send more information if you are interested in attending. Congratulations, students!

Home Study Day

Tomorrow is a student free/study day and the College will be closed due to staff professional development.

We continue to prayer for all of our Community members, and  those affected by the devastation of war and floods.   

Thank you.

Julie Hornby

Principal