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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16 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Kindergarten and Year 3 enjoyed celebrating their well-earned reward days! π Kindergarten loved bringing in their favourite toys, sharing and playing together with big smiles all around π§Έππͺ Year 3 had a fantastic time wearing their favourite hats and enjoying a fun sports afternoon full of teamwork and energy π§’β½πββοΈ A wonderful way to celebrate students who continue to Live Safely, Love Respectfully and Learn Daily. We are so proud of you all! πβ¨
15 Mar 2026
From Facebook
πͺ© Get those dancing shoes ready! ππΊ Holy Family Primary is the place to be on Friday 20th March 2026 for our much-anticipated Holy Family Disco Night! With special guest DJ Bobo bringing the beats, itβs sure to be a night full of music, dancing and fun for our students. πΊ Kβ2: 5:00pm β 6:00pm π Years 3β6: 6:30pm β 7:30pm Parents and carers are warmly invited to socialise outside on P1, and our canteen will be open for snacks and treats throughout the evening. We canβt wait to see our students lighting up the dance floor!
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16 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Kindergarten and Year 3 enjoyed celebrating their well-earned reward days! π Kindergarten loved bringing in their favourite toys, sharing and playing together with big smiles all around π§Έππͺ Year 3 had a fantastic time wearing their favourite hats and enjoying a fun sports afternoon full of teamwork and energy π§’β½πββοΈ A wonderful way to celebrate students who continue to Live Safely, Love Respectfully and Learn Daily. We are so proud of you all! πβ¨
15 Mar 2026
From Facebook
πͺ© Get those dancing shoes ready! ππΊ Holy Family Primary is the place to be on Friday 20th March 2026 for our much-anticipated Holy Family Disco Night! With special guest DJ Bobo bringing the beats, itβs sure to be a night full of music, dancing and fun for our students. πΊ Kβ2: 5:00pm β 6:00pm π Years 3β6: 6:30pm β 7:30pm Parents and carers are warmly invited to socialise outside on P1, and our canteen will be open for snacks and treats throughout the evening. We canβt wait to see our students lighting up the dance floor!
13 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Year 2 had a fantastic time celebrating their reward with a Mufti Day and movie afternoon! π¬πΏ They earned this special treat by consistently showing our school expectations of being SAFE, RESPECTFUL and READY TO LEARN. π It was wonderful to see so many smiles as they relaxed, enjoyed a movie together and celebrated their hard work. Well done, Year 2! βπ
13 Mar 2026
From Facebook
βοΈ FIAT Fridays βοΈ Our FIAT group has been learning about Saint Francis of Assisi and how he lived our Catholic faith by loving God, caring for others and looking after creation. πΏ Inspired by his life, students wrote acrostic poems filled with words about faith, kindness and peace. β¨ Come and see them! Our poems are on display in the library for everyone to enjoy. π #faithinactioncspd
13 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Our Kindergarten students are living out the spirit of Lent in beautiful ways. β Through Head, Heart and Hands, they are learning what it means to follow Jesus each day.π€β₯οΈπ€ Head β exploring how Jesus taught his family and friends how to live a good and loving life. Heart β talking to Jesus through prayer in their own words, helping them grow closer to Him. Hands β shared their Lenten promises and showed what friendship looks like through their play. It has been wonderful to see their growing understanding that small acts of kindness and friendship are ways we can care for one another each day. π
11 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Year 3 explored the scripture βWhere two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.β (Matthew 18:20) βοΈ as part of our Religious Education learning about why we belong to communities π€. Students worked in small groups to collaboratively plan and lead a class liturgy π. They created elements such as an Acknowledgement of Country π¦πΊ, welcome, prayers for the community π¬, a prayer focus π―οΈ, and visual and dramatic presentations of the scripture ππ. They also wrote a reflection about their experience in their Soul Journals βοΈπ. It was a beautiful opportunity for students to see how faith, prayer, and community bring people together πβͺ.
11 Mar 2026
From Facebook
π Celebrating Success! π Congratulations to Year 1 and Year 6 for reaching their Safe and Ready to Learn reward this week! π Their commitment to Living Safely, Loving Respectfully and Learning Daily truly paid off. π§Έ Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful Teddy Bears Picnic, sharing a special day with their favourite cuddly friends. π§’ Year 6 celebrated with Bring Your Favourite Toy and Hat Day, showing off some fantastic choices! We are so proud of the way these students continue to show how they can our expectations. Well done! πβ¨
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07 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Celebrating our amazing Students of the Week who were recognised at yesterdayβs assembly! π We are so proud of the way they show how to Live Safely, Love Respectfully and Learn Daily. A big congratulations to Year 2 for leading us in assembly today. You did a fantastic job! ππ Well done to all of our superstars! βοΈπ
07 Mar 2026
From Facebook
Zooper Dooper Day was a HUGE success! π Our students had a fantastic time enjoying their icy treats while coming together to support Project Compassion β Unite Against Poverty. Thanks to the generosity of our school community, we raised $236, bringing us almost halfway to our fundraising goal! A big thank you to everyone who brought along a gold coin donation and helped make the day so fun while helping others in need. π π Mark your calendars! Our Big Walk for Water is coming up soon β stay tuned for more details. πΆββοΈπ§
06 Mar 2026
From Facebook
πͺ©β¨ SAVE THE DATEβ¦ and dust off those dancing shoes! β¨πͺ© The Holy Family School Disco is comingβ¦ and itβs going to be BIG! ππΊ Get ready for flashing lights, favourite songs, epic dance moves and plenty of laughs with friends. Whether youβve got the worm, the sprinkler or a signature spin move ready to debut, the dance floor is calling your name! πΆπ₯ π Date: Friday 20th March π Location: Holy Family school hall β° Time: K-2 5:00pm - 6:00pm Yr 3-6 6:30pm - 7:30pm Pop it in the calendar and start practising those moves in the lounge room! Letβs make it a night full of joy, energy and Holy Family spirit! πβ¨
05 Mar 2026
From Facebook
π¦ΈββοΈπ¦ΈββοΈ Superhero Day in Kindergarten! β Our Kindergarten students had a fantastic day celebrating Superhero Day as a reward for their wonderful efforts in showing how they can Live Safely, Love Respectfully and Learn Every Day. π From capes to masks, our little superheroes were ready to save the day while having lots of fun together! Thank you to our amazing Kindergarten students for being true heroes in our schoo
05 Mar 2026
From Facebook
This term in History, Year 2 has been exploring the question: βAs archaeologists π΅οΈββοΈ, how can we use stories π, images π¨, and sites π to help us understand the Ancient past?β πΊ To begin, we unpacked what an archaeologist does and the special characteristics they need to find clues! ππ¦ We have now started to explore the rich and diverse cultures and histories of Aboriginal Peoples and how they have recorded their stories through amazing images and sacred sites to allow us to understand the past. π£β°οΈ Year 2 created a fantastic display πΌοΈ to show their understanding and are now super eager to begin exploring Dreaming Stories! ππβ¨
03 Mar 2026
From Facebook
π Year 2 Assembly Invitation π Year 2 are looking forward to leading our next assembly and showcasing their learning! π Families are warmly invited to join us as we pray together and celebrate our award recipients πβ¨ We canβt wait to see you there! π