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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17 Sep 2026
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From Facebook
π»π Learning to Be Safe Online! π±π Today, Stage 1 students took part in an engaging Digital Safety incursion, exploring how to stay safe, respectful and responsible when using technology and navigating the online world. π‘οΈβ¨ Students learnt about making safe choices online, protecting their personal information and recognising situations where they may need to ask a trusted adult for help. π©βπ«π¬ It was a valuable and interactive day, helping our students build the knowledge and confidence they need to become safe and responsible digital citizens! ππ»
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π Global Environments | Year 6 ππΏ On Tuesday, Year 6 embarked on a hands-on βGlobal Environmentsβ excursion to Clifton Gardens, exploring how climate, vegetation and human impact shape our world. π±π Throughout the day, students discovered the cultural and ecological importance of World Heritage sites and learned how deeply humans depend on natural environments for essential food and resources. ππ Students put their learning into practice through a range of hands-on experiences, including building beach shelters ποΈ, trying hand-reel fishing π£, experimenting with waterworks π§, and catching bugs π to investigate local biodiversity. It was a fantastic day of learning, exploration and discovery! ππΏπ
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Year 2 has been exploring time in Maths! β° We looked at clocks π°οΈ learning how to read o'clock, half past, quarter-to, and quarter-past times. π Halfway through, we switched gears! βοΈ Now we are looking at the duration of different events β±οΈ and will be exploring a calendar π to countdown to different events... we might start with working out how many school days until the holidays!! πβ‘οΈποΈ π Year 3 Drama Literacy π During Drama Literacy, Year 3 explored the idea of accidents through the familiar story of Humpty Dumpty π₯β¨. Students used their bodies to embody different types of accidents, thinking creatively about how each situation might look and feel. They then explored the emotions of shock, determination, terror and pride π²πͺπ±π, using facial expressions, body movements and poses to communicate each feeling β all without saying a word! ππ
06 Sep 2026
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Heavenly Father, You entrusted Your Son Jesus to the care of Joseph, an earthly father. Bless all fathers and father figures as they care for their families. Give them strength and wisdom, tenderness and patience. Support them in their daily work, and let Your face shine upon them with grace and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. ππ» Wishing all the special men in the Holy Family community a happy Fatherβs DayβοΈπβοΈ
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π A special morning celebrating all the incredible people who take on the role of a father in our childrenβs lives! π We started our morning with a delicious Fatherβs Day Breakfast, bringing our school community together for smiles, laughter and precious moments shared with the special dads, grandfathers, stepdads and father figures who mean so much to our students. π³βοΈπ¨βπ§βπ¦ We then gathered for a beautiful Fatherβs Day Mass, giving thanks for the love, guidance, support and encouragement our dads and father figures provide each day. πβ¨ Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make our morning so special. π Happy Fatherβs Day to all our amazing dads and father figures! ππ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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π π¦ Year 2 Goes WILD! ππ§ Today, our Year 2 students headed off on an exciting adventure to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo! ππ¦ From discovering incredible underwater creatures ππ’ to getting up close with some of Australiaβs amazing wildlife π¦π¨, our students had a fantastic day of learning, exploring and making memories together! πβ¨ What a WILD day for Year 2! ππΎπ
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From Facebook
Celebrating Our School Community, Safely π 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 studentsβ privacy and online safety must always come first. Donβt worry, our socials arenβt 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. π± Families wonβt 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 studentsβ experiences. The way we share may be changing, but there will certainly be no shortage of wonderful things to celebrate. π 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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πΆπ A SYMPHONY OF STORIES! ππΆ Today, our school was filled with characters, creativity and a whole lot of BOOK WEEK MAGIC! β¨ππ In celebration of Childrenβs Book Week 2026 and this yearβs theme, βSymphony of Storiesβ, our students brought the pages of their favourite books to life! π 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. πΆππ« From magical creatures and courageous heroes to much-loved storybook characters, our school was certainly making some beautiful literary music today! π§ββοΈπ¦ΈββοΈπ»π A huge thank you to our wonderful families and staff for helping make today such a special celebration of the joy of reading. π πΆ Every story has a voice. Every book has an adventure. Together, they create our Symphony of Stories! πβ¨ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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From Facebook
β Vinnies Winter Sleepout β Faith in Action β Our students took part in a meaningful evening of prayer, meditation, learning and service as part of our Vinnies Winter Sleepout. Using Davidβs story and reflected on how quickly and unexpectedly people in our community can be one crisis away from homelessness. Students shared a simple meal of soup, a bread roll, fruit and water, before gathering in our Holy Family Prayer Garden for a Liturgy of the Word, where they led us beautifully in prayer and song. We finished the evening with a team-building challenge, constructing our own shelters. While this was a fun experience for us, it carried an important message, for many people, finding a safe place to sleep is not a game or a choice. It helped our students finish the night with a deeper sense of gratitude, compassion and responsibility to care for others. Through our Faith in Action initiatives, our Holy Family community has raised $1,277 so far to support the vision and mission of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and the important work they do supporting people experiencing hardship and homelessness. Thank you to our students, families and staff for continuing to put our faith into action.π Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Vinnies Australia