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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25 Aug 2026
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25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
In Maths, Year 2 has been learning about 2D shapes π. We explored the language of quarter-turns, half-turns and full-turns π. We used the Beebots π to strengthen our understanding of the language and compared it to the clock β° to discuss clockwise and anticlockwise. Check out our Year 2 mathematicians hard at work! πΊοΈ Mapping Our Way! π§β¨ Year 3 students have been learning how to draw and read maps using legends and symbols! ππ They have been practising how to use symbols to represent different features and using a legend to work out what each symbol means. ππΊοΈ Theyβre becoming confident little mapmakers! πβ¨
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πβ¨ BOOK WEEK IS HERE! β¨π Get ready to celebrate Childrenβs Book Week 2026 β Symphony of Stories! πΆπ 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! π π Thursday 27 August is our BIG celebration! π§Ί 1:40pm β Families are invited to bring a picnic blanket or cushions, find a spot on the grass and share a book with your child. π 2:30pm β Stay and enjoy our Character Parade on P2! Students are invited to come dressed as a favourite book character and donβt forget to bring your completed Character Profile with you! We canβt wait to see our school come alive with a Symphony of Stories! ππΆβ¨
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Year 1 students have been making their own promises as they begin to explore the meaning of a covenantβa special promise between God and His people. Through their promises, students are learning that covenants are about love, trust and keeping our promises to one another. π Year 5 have been exploring the world of data! π They have been interpreting a range of graphs and writing statements about what they noticed, before collecting their own real-time data by tracking how often they contributed to class discussions. π¬ They will then use their data to create their own graphs and represent their findings visually! ππ
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19 Aug 2026
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
15 Aug 2026
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12 Aug 2026
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π§ BAKE SALE SUCCESS! π§ What a sweet success! π 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! πβ¨ Every cupcake, cookie and donation is helping us shine a light on homelessness and put our faith into action. π―οΈπ #Vinnies #WinterSleepout #FaithInAction #ShiningALightOnHomelessness Vinnies Australia
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π°β¨ Bake Sale for a BIG cause! π Grab a delicious treat and help us shine a light on homelessness as we support Vinnies and our upcoming Winter Sleepout! π π πͺ Treat yourself, make a difference, and spread a little kindness! β¨ Every treat helps us put our faith into action. π
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π€ Parents, this one is worth your time! Friendships can be one of the trickiest parts of growing up, and itβs not always easy to know when to step in or what to say. This FREE session with Michelle Mitchell will give parents practical strategies to help children navigate friendship issues, conflict, boundaries and bullying. π Monday 31 August | 7:00β8:30pm π Nagle College, Blacktown Highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity! π
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Year 3 are the first grade to achieve their first reward for Term 3! πππ» Today, they dressed up in mufti and had a board games afternoon! π§€π§£π§’ Congratulations Year 3! Keep up the fantastic work you are doing β¨βοΈ
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From Facebook
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