Team Infinity’s Radin Gharavi, Dana Gharavi, James Hanlon, Maverick Phoonsiri, Eric Burakowski and Ella Burakowski receiving the trophy.
TEAM Infinity from Holy Cross recently competed in their second successive FIRST LEGO League national championships at Macquarie University on December 2, catching the eye with their ban the plastic bottle project.
The team finished 13th out of 68 in the Robot Game, were awarded 2nd Place for Gracious Professionalism and have had their work recognised in Parliament.
Team Infinity won the 2017 FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Baulkham Hills regional tournament on November 9, the second year they have taken out the title.
Team Infinity, made of six talented and motivated primary school students, won the Robot Performance Award and the Champion’s Award, winning nomination for the nationals.
The winning team, Radin and Dana Gharavi (Matthew Pearce Public School), Ella and Eric Burakowski (Holy Cross Primary School, Glenwood), Maverick Phoonsiri and James Hanlon (Castle Hill Public School), were expertly guided by coach Aram Vatanpour, who holds a master degree in mathematics from University of NSW.
”It is more than robotics and programming, it is fun and the skills they learn will last a lifetime, such as problem solving, teamwork and gracious professionalism,” Mrs Vatanpour said.
In the competition, teams build Lego-based robots and develop research projects based on a real-world challenge which changes annually.
“Besides robotic design, the team were required to research a problem regarding water, find new or existing solutions, and to share their knowledge and ideas with the community,” Mrs Vatanpour said.
Team Infinity has been trying to reach out to organisations (who are the main consumer of plastic water bottles), sharing their concerns and alternative solutions such as using portable water stations from Sydney Water which are free to hire.
See Michelle Rowland’s comments in Parliament regarding Holy Cross students’ efforts to ban plastic bottlesSee the recent article in The Daily Telegraph about Team Infinity
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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12 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Today, we celebrated our school Feast Day! ✝️✨ While the official Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on September 14th, our school community gathered together today to celebrate our unique identity, founded on the Cross. We shared in the Eucharist and remembered Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for us—a constant reminder of His call for us to “Live Life to the Full.” After Mass, Father Jolly blessed our beautiful new foyer cross! ✝️✨ More than a piece of art, this cross powerfully reflects our Catholic faith and our Holy Cross identity. The Tree at the Centre: Jesus is the trunk, deeply rooted in our faith. We are the branches, called to grow and share his message with the world. The Surrounding Cross: A daily reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s enduring love, and the hope of new life. We want to thank two High Schools from our Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese: St John 23rd for supporting us with our band and choir during Mass, and CathWest, who graciously made our cross. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
What a wonderful morning celebrating all the incredible fathers, grandfathers, and father figures in our school community! 💙✨ Here is a look at how we spent our Father’s Day celebration today: Father's Day Breakfast: We kicked off the morning with an early Father's Day breakfast. Father's Day Liturgy: We came together in prayer, reflecting on the love, guidance, and strength our dads provide every day. Special Student Presentations: Each grade took to the stage to share what they love most about their dads. Classroom Activities: Dads joined the kids in the classrooms for fun collaborative games and some friendly competition. Picnic Lunch: We wrapped up the celebrations enjoying lunch together in the sunshine. Thank you to all the father figures who joined us and made today so memorable, and to our staff and parent volunteers who helped bring it all together. Happy Father's Day to all our amazing dads this weekend! Check out some of our favourite moments from the day below 👇📸
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12 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Today, we celebrated our school Feast Day! ✝️✨ While the official Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on September 14th, our school community gathered together today to celebrate our unique identity, founded on the Cross. We shared in the Eucharist and remembered Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for us—a constant reminder of His call for us to “Live Life to the Full.” After Mass, Father Jolly blessed our beautiful new foyer cross! ✝️✨ More than a piece of art, this cross powerfully reflects our Catholic faith and our Holy Cross identity. The Tree at the Centre: Jesus is the trunk, deeply rooted in our faith. We are the branches, called to grow and share his message with the world. The Surrounding Cross: A daily reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s enduring love, and the hope of new life. We want to thank two High Schools from our Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese: St John 23rd for supporting us with our band and choir during Mass, and CathWest, who graciously made our cross. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
What a wonderful morning celebrating all the incredible fathers, grandfathers, and father figures in our school community! 💙✨ Here is a look at how we spent our Father’s Day celebration today: Father's Day Breakfast: We kicked off the morning with an early Father's Day breakfast. Father's Day Liturgy: We came together in prayer, reflecting on the love, guidance, and strength our dads provide every day. Special Student Presentations: Each grade took to the stage to share what they love most about their dads. Classroom Activities: Dads joined the kids in the classrooms for fun collaborative games and some friendly competition. Picnic Lunch: We wrapped up the celebrations enjoying lunch together in the sunshine. Thank you to all the father figures who joined us and made today so memorable, and to our staff and parent volunteers who helped bring it all together. Happy Father's Day to all our amazing dads this weekend! Check out some of our favourite moments from the day below 👇📸
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
A few more shots of the Book Week fun at Holy Cross today 💜💚 The students had a great time dressing up, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit by renowned author Tim Harris ✍️
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
This morning we held our annual Book Week Book Parade and it was another exciting event for our community! 💜💚 The students had a great time singing and dancing as they paraded their costumes for everyone to see. Well done to everyone for getting involved and making it so much fun! Big thanks to Mrs Morris and Mrs Calabritta who did an awesome job of hosting the event!
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Celebrating 40 years of Catholic education in our Diocese! 🎒✨ On Wednesday, our student representatives attended the annual Education Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta. This special Mass brought together students, staff and parents from across the Diocese of Parramatta to celebrate their vital role in the mission of the Church. Adding to the joy, this year's service coincided with the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese of Parramatta, marking four decades of rich history, learning, and community across our Catholic school system. We are so proud of our student leaders for representing our school at such a meaningful event!
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
21 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Thank you to our Year 2 students who shared their learning with us this afternoon! 💜💚
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
18 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Well done to all eight students who presented speeches at this morning’s school final of the Voice of Youth competition 👏 Special congratulations to Amelie and Xavier who have been chosen to represent Holy Cross at the Upper Hills Cluster Final next week 💜💚
17 Aug 2026
From Facebook
This week our Year 2 students had a blast learning all about forces with the team from Fizzics Education 🥼🔬🔭
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to all students who ran, jumped and threw at the Blacktown Zone Athletics Carnival on Tuesday. We had some amazing results, many students making finals or placing top 10 in their events. Special congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the Parramatta Diocesan Carnival: Neil B 🥉Long Jump Leanna F 4th 100m Brendan F 4th Long Jump Louis H 🥇800m Nicholas H 🥇Discus Aarick K 4th 800m Ava L 4th 100m 🥉 200m 4th Long Jump 🥈Shot Put Yuvraj M 🥈Long Jump Alana T 🥇Shot Put 🥇Discus Thank you to all the parents who came and cheered all our students on!
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Today, our school community gathered in prayer to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 🙏💙 Through our liturgy, we reflected on Mary’s life of faith, her trust in God and her humble response to His call. Mary reminds us of the importance of saying “yes” to God and following Him with courage and love. 💚💜
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