ANZAC Day March

The spirit of the ANZACs was well and truly alive at Mackay’s annual ANZAC Day March. Our students and staff marched with pride and respect to Jubilee Park. Our Drum Corps students lead our College with enthusiasm and confidence through the streets of Mackay. Thousands of people lined Mackay’s CBD to honour and pay tribute to those participating in this year’s ANZAC Day March.

Holy Spirit College has proudly been participating in this long-standing Mackay tradition for many years. Our College Leaders, Rory, Elise and Liam laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in Jubilee Park on our College’s behalf.

A special thank you to Sandy McLellan - Assistant Principal (Students) for coordinating our ANZAC Day Prayer Service held at the College, and for organising staff and students for the Mackay ANZAC Day Parade through the streets of Mackay. A big thank you to our staff and students for supporting our ANZACs by attending the ANZAC Day main parade and other services around the Mackay Region.

Year 6 Visit

Last week, we welcomed Year 6 students and their teachers from Emmanuel, MacKillop, St Brendan’s and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary schools. They experienced a day in the life of a Year 7 secondary school student.

We thank Mr Kyle Danns - Dean of Students (Year 7) for his organisation of this event and our staff and students for making it such a wonderful day.

Last Tuesday evening, we warmly welcomed interested Year 7 in 2026 students and their parents/caregivers to our College.

We were overjoyed by the interest shown for Year 7 in 2026 by the astounding attendance on the evening. A special mention and thank you to our MC for the evening, Fraser S (Year 7), and Saje C (Year 7) for sharing their Year 7 experience, so far. Over 180 of our students volunteered their time on the evening to assist staff with this event.

These events don’t just happen. It takes a team of dedicated staff members to stage such an event. A big thank you to Anne Miles - Assistant Principal (Curriculum), Louise Sheedy - Administration Officer (Events), and our Maintenance staff for their precision in organising our Year 7 in 2026 Information Evening. We are looking forward to the upcoming Year 7 in 2026 Student Interviews on 9 and 16 June.

‘Tell Them From Me’ Surveys

As part of our School Improvement Process, Holy Spirit College will be conducting surveys for Teachers, Parents and Students this month.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning Survey, which will ask for opinions on a range of topics about our College. This is a confidential survey, and we, at Holy Spirit College, will not see any individual responses as the surveys are being conducted by a company called The Learning Bar.

As we value the role of parents and carers within our College community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at HSC. The surveys are an important part of our College evaluation and School Improvement Process.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You will be able to access the Parent Survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL link which will be emailed to you on Friday, 9 May 2025.

Students will be completing their survey during school time on Tuesday, 20 May 2025. Their survey measures topics such as emotional and social well-being, physical health, and behaviours and attitudes that are predictors of student success.

The final reports will give our College important information which will help in planning for the future. Thank you in advance for completing this survey, as your responses will help shape the future direction of Holy Spirit College.

If you have any questions about the survey, please don’t hesitate to contact Leeza_Arnold@rok.catholic.edu.au

Month of Mary

This month, we celebrate the Month of Mary, a time when we express with intensity our love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. In May, it is tradition to pray the Rosary at home with your family. I would like to encourage everyone to experience the beauty of praying the Rosary with your family throughout the month of May.

Mother’s Day

As you are aware, on 11 May we celebrate Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all our Mums and the mother figures in our lives! I hope you all have an enjoyable day on Sunday.

Prayer

Loving heavenly Father,

We thank you for our mothers and the mother figures in our lives.

We pray in gratitude for their selfless love, comfort and guidance.

We are grateful for the love of our mothers, their selflessness and ongoing support.

May we never take for granted the sacrifices that they make for us every day.

On this Mother’s Day, we ask that you bless all mothers with health, strength and wisdom.

May they always feel your love and presence in their lives.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Blessings,     

Alison Wales - Principal