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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23 Aug 2026
From Facebook
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
20 Aug 2026
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Year 1 students have been making their own promises as they begin to explore the meaning of a covenantโa 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. ๐ Year 5 have been exploring the world of data! ๐ 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. ๐ฌ They will then use their data to create their own graphs and represent their findings visually! ๐๐
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23 Aug 2026
From Facebook
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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Year 1 students have been making their own promises as they begin to explore the meaning of a covenantโa 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. ๐ Year 5 have been exploring the world of data! ๐ 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. ๐ฌ They will then use their data to create their own graphs and represent their findings visually! ๐๐
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19 Aug 2026
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โ Vinnies Winter Sleepout โ Faith in Action โ Our students took part in a meaningful evening of prayer, meditation, learning and service as part of our Vinnies Winter Sleepout. Using Davidโs 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.๐ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Vinnies Australia
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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mary is being taken body and soul into heaven. The Assumption reminds us that Maryโs life was a perfect โyesโ to God, and because of that, she was drawn fully into His glory body and soul. It is a feast of hope. Her Assumption is not only a moment of triumph; it is a promise. A promise that holiness is not wasted, that love is not forgotten, and that every faithful โyesโ is gathered into eternity.
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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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๐ Year 5 Reward Day! ๐งขโฝ๏ธ Our first reward for following our school expectations! ๐ Year 5 enjoyed a fun-filled session at the local park, kicking off their reward with football skills, teamwork and plenty of energy! ๐ณโฝ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ A well-deserved morning of mufti, movement and fun! ๐๐
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๐ฐโจ Bake Sale for a BIG cause! ๐ Grab a delicious treat and help us shine a light on homelessness as we support Vinnies and our upcoming Winter Sleepout! ๐ ๐ ๐ช Treat yourself, make a difference, and spread a little kindness! โจ Every treat helps us put our faith into action. ๐
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Year 3 are the first grade to achieve their first reward for Term 3! ๐๐๐ป Today, they dressed up in mufti and had a board games afternoon! ๐งค๐งฃ๐งข Congratulations Year 3! Keep up the fantastic work you are doing โจโญ๏ธ
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Inspired by Mary MacKillopโs words, โNever see a need without doing something about it,โ we are called to continue her mission by caring for one another, welcoming all, serving those in need and bringing the love of Christ to life through our words and actions. Today we celebrate Holy Familyโs Josephite heritage with gratitude and pray that, like Mary MacKillop, we may be people of faith, hope and generous service. Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us. ๐๐
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๐๐ 100 Days Brighter! ๐๐ Our Kindergarten students celebrated 100 Days Brighter with a fun-filled day of activities, marking 100 wonderful days of learning, growing and making memories together. Over the past 100 days, our Kindergarten students have built friendships, discovered new skills, grown in confidence and embraced every learning opportunity with curiosity and enthusiasm. We are so proud of everything they have achieved and canโt wait to see what the rest of the year has in store. Hereโs to 100 bright days and many more wonderful moments ahead! โจ๐ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
04 Aug 2026
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โฝ๏ธ What a fantastic day at the Soccer Gala Day! ๐๐ We are so proud of every student who represented our school with outstanding sportsmanship, teamwork and determination. Whether celebrating a goal, encouraging a teammate or showing respect to their opponents, our students demonstrated what it truly means to be part of the Holy Family community. Thank you to our students, staff and families for making it such a memorable day. We couldnโt be prouder of the way you represented our school both on and off the field! ๐โฝ๏ธ #Teamwork #Sportsmanship
31 Jul 2026
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Grandparents are a treasured part of our Holy Family community. ๐ Thank you to all the grandparents and special loved ones who joined us for our Grandparents Day celebration. From our liturgy and open classrooms to sharing recess together, it was a joy to celebrate with you. Thank you for the love, wisdom and support you bring to our students each day. Happy Grandparents Day! ๐ผ๐
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โญ๏ธHoly Family celebrated Grandparents Day this morning! Here are a few special moments capturing the smiles and excitement of our students as they shared this wonderful day with their grandparents. Keep an eye out for more photos from our beautiful Liturgy, open classrooms and shared morning tea later today. Happy Grandparents' Dayโญ๏ธ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese #GrandparentsDay #celebration