There was a true sense of joy in the air when Holy Family Primary, East Granville celebrated its 80th anniversary on the same day as St Mary of the Cross MacKillop was remembered for establishing the first Catholic school in Australia.
The celebrations began with an inspiring Mass and included a special blessing of a new learning space at the school.
Diocese of Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD reflected on some of the famous sayings of St Mary MacKillop including “never see a need without doing something about it”, “we are but travellers here” and “find happiness in making others happy.”
He said St Mary MacKillop saw a need to serve the poor and from that she founded the first Catholic school in rural Penola in South Australia and so Catholic education was born.
Australia’s Catholic education story includes the establishment in 1938 of Holy Family Primary East Granville Trongate Hall, newly purchased by Fr Halpin.
Holy Family’s Principal Yvette Baird said Fr Halpin asked the Sisters of St Joseph to look after the new school, and they did so for 50 years before the first lay principal Carmel Cannon took over the reigns.
Other past principals include Bernard Holland, Kevin Etherington and Sue Guilfoyle.
“However a school would be just bricks and mortar without one essential and valuable asset: the children who walk through the gates each morning with a smile on their face ready to live, love and learn,” Mrs Baird said.
“This has been our school motto - to live with hope, to love in hope and to learn for the hope of our world.”
In the spirit of the occasion Mrs Baird, along with her wonderful team of teachers, took to the church podium to add a splash of colour, music and song.
Following the Mass, Bishop Vincent blessed the school’s new learning space with the assistance of Holy Family Parish Priest Fr Andrew Bass.
Mrs Baird said she is very grateful of the new learning space which has already provided new possibilities and opportunities to cater for the learning needs of all the students.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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02 Sep 2026
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๐ ๐ฆ Year 2 Goes WILD! ๐๐ง Today, our Year 2 students headed off on an exciting adventure to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo! ๐๐ฆ From discovering incredible underwater creatures ๐๐ข to getting up close with some of Australiaโs amazing wildlife ๐ฆ๐จ, our students had a fantastic day of learning, exploring and making memories together! ๐โจ What a WILD day for Year 2! ๐๐พ๐
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Celebrating Our School Community, Safely ๐ You may begin to notice some changes in the way we share photos of our students on our public social media pages. We love giving our families a glimpse into school life and celebrating the learning, achievements, friendships, faith experiences and special moments that make our community so wonderful. However, as technology continues to evolve, particularly with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and the ways images can be accessed, altered and shared online, we are becoming increasingly mindful of how we share identifiable images of our students publicly. Our studentsโ privacy and online safety must always come first. Donโt worry, our socials arenโt disappearing! We will continue to celebrate all the wonderful things happening across our school, from learning and sporting achievements to liturgies, excursions, performances and special events. You may simply notice fewer full-face or individually identifiable photographs of students appearing on our public social media pages. ๐ฑ Families wonโt miss out! More photos and special moments will be shared directly with our families through Compass, providing a more appropriate space for us to celebrate and share our studentsโ experiences. The way we share may be changing, but there will certainly be no shortage of wonderful things to celebrate. ๐ Thank you for supporting us as we continue to navigate an ever-changing digital world while keeping the safety, privacy and wellbeing of our students at the centre of our decisions. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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๐ ๐ฆ Year 2 Goes WILD! ๐๐ง Today, our Year 2 students headed off on an exciting adventure to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo! ๐๐ฆ From discovering incredible underwater creatures ๐๐ข to getting up close with some of Australiaโs amazing wildlife ๐ฆ๐จ, our students had a fantastic day of learning, exploring and making memories together! ๐โจ What a WILD day for Year 2! ๐๐พ๐
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Celebrating Our School Community, Safely ๐ You may begin to notice some changes in the way we share photos of our students on our public social media pages. We love giving our families a glimpse into school life and celebrating the learning, achievements, friendships, faith experiences and special moments that make our community so wonderful. However, as technology continues to evolve, particularly with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and the ways images can be accessed, altered and shared online, we are becoming increasingly mindful of how we share identifiable images of our students publicly. Our studentsโ privacy and online safety must always come first. Donโt worry, our socials arenโt disappearing! We will continue to celebrate all the wonderful things happening across our school, from learning and sporting achievements to liturgies, excursions, performances and special events. You may simply notice fewer full-face or individually identifiable photographs of students appearing on our public social media pages. ๐ฑ Families wonโt miss out! More photos and special moments will be shared directly with our families through Compass, providing a more appropriate space for us to celebrate and share our studentsโ experiences. The way we share may be changing, but there will certainly be no shortage of wonderful things to celebrate. ๐ Thank you for supporting us as we continue to navigate an ever-changing digital world while keeping the safety, privacy and wellbeing of our students at the centre of our decisions. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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๐ถ๐ A SYMPHONY OF STORIES! ๐๐ถ Today, our school was filled with characters, creativity and a whole lot of BOOK WEEK MAGIC! โจ๐๐ญ In celebration of Childrenโs Book Week 2026 and this yearโs theme, โSymphony of Storiesโ, our students brought the pages of their favourite books to life! ๐ Just like a symphony brings together different instruments to create something wonderful, stories bring together different characters, voices, adventures and ideas to create a world of imagination. ๐ถ๐๐ซ From magical creatures and courageous heroes to much-loved storybook characters, our school was certainly making some beautiful literary music today! ๐งโโ๏ธ๐ฆธโโ๏ธ๐ป๐ A huge thank you to our wonderful families and staff for helping make today such a special celebration of the joy of reading. ๐ ๐ถ Every story has a voice. Every book has an adventure. Together, they create our Symphony of Stories! ๐โจ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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๐โจ BOOK WEEK IS HERE! โจ๐ Get ready to celebrate Childrenโs Book Week 2026 โ Symphony of Stories! ๐ถ๐ We have a fantastic week ahead filled with books, imagination and plenty of fun, including our Book Performance, Book Fair, Author Visit, family picnic and our much-loved Character Parade! ๐ ๐ Thursday 27 August is our BIG celebration! ๐งบ 1:40pm โ Families are invited to bring a picnic blanket or cushions, find a spot on the grass and share a book with your child. ๐ญ 2:30pm โ Stay and enjoy our Character Parade on P2! Students are invited to come dressed as a favourite book character and donโt forget to bring your completed Character Profile with you! We canโt wait to see our school come alive with a Symphony of Stories! ๐๐ถโจ
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๐ง BAKE SALE SUCCESS! ๐ง What a sweet success! ๐ A huge thank you to our generous teachers for donating delicious treats and to our wonderful students for showing up and supporting our Vinnies Bake Sale. Together, we raised an incredible $454 for our Winter Sleepout! ๐โจ Every cupcake, cookie and donation is helping us shine a light on homelessness and put our faith into action. ๐ฏ๏ธ๐ #Vinnies #WinterSleepout #FaithInAction #ShiningALightOnHomelessness Vinnies Australia
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