Dear Parents and carers,

We are extremely lucky to be able to celebrate our Mothers, Mother-figures and Grandmothers this week with our Mother’s Day breakfast, prayer and open classrooms on Friday. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate each and every one of you so we look forward to welcoming you with love and open arms.

As a Catholic community, we should also recognise Mary, Jesus’ Mother. Her willingness to say “yes” to God’s calling is one which we try to emulate in our lives every day. Mary demonstrates the important role a mother plays in their child’s life, even if that child is the Son of God. We see her gentle guidance in Jesus’ formative years, and it was through Mary’s prompting that Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding in Cana.

I would like to thank our Year 5 class parents and all other parent volunteers for their preparation of the Mother’s Day breakfast and our wonderful REC, Ms Jackson for our beautiful prayer assembly.

MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS - Friday 12 May

• Breakfast (7:30am)
• Open Classrooms (8:20-8:40am)
• Assembly/Liturgy (8:40am)

We welcome the following students to our Sacred Heart family:

• Imogen Hance (Year 6)
• Mia Towey (Year 3)
• Alice Towey (Kindergarten)

We have noticed an increase in toys coming to school. This includes Beyblades and Pokemon cards appearing both in the classroom and on the playground. These items are becoming the source of increased conflict and/or upset because they get damaged, lost or traded unfairly.

Mrs Taylor and I have been monitoring this situation for a while and it has come to a point where learning and the well-being of individual students is being impacted. Students are distracted and dealing with such incidents is taking away from our core business.

In some cases, children do benefit from the use of sensory toys and fidget tools and so obviously this is still permitted if pre arranged with the class or diverse learning teacher. We also provide passive play equipment and activities at school for those who prefer that type of play during break times.

Please support our efforts by ensuring these items remain at home.

P&F Meeting

Thank you to our P&F Executive and parents for attending our meeting on Monday evening, it was so pleasing to see many new parents in attendance.

A few things to follow up below:

• P&F fundraising money: I can say categorically that any P&F money paid to a school stays with the school. The P&F income is recognised in the school's revenue and is present in the Operating Statement under Other Income. Most importantly the actual bank receipt of the money from the P&F is taken up in the school's own bank General Ledger account. The school then spends the money on educational resources for the children. I will always share where all money is spent.

• Mosman Consultation:
  • We had very high levels of participation from both schools with over 200 parents and staff contributing.
  • Everything that was shared through the forums, the feedback forms and the online portal has now been carefully reviewed and synthesized.
  • 3 things are very clear from the process so far, and this has been communicated to SCS:
    • There is a very high level of concern about the future structure of the school;
    • The timing of the process and decision making is adding to anxiety;
    • There is a sentiment that SCS needs to be both more visible and more front-footed about potential plans

• Family Educator role:
  • The Family Educator supports the principal in leading and implementing the Family & Faith project within the school.
  • Family & Faith initiatives provide opportunities for parents/families to encounter the Catholic faith and reconnect/engage with the faith life of the school and parish, as well as supporting family wellbeing.
  • The Family Educator role supports the evangelising mission of the Church and also assists in promoting the distinctive identity of Catholic schools.
  • The role plays a key part in responding to the New Evangelisation agenda and in the continuous improvement of our Catholic school system by supporting faith formation, evangelisation, and wellbeing of parents/families.
  • The role of the Family Educator plays a crucial part in building and maintaining welcoming school environments and building sound, respectful relationships between school, parents/families and the parish.
  • The myriad of quality initiatives, events and activities created and implemented by the Family Educator contribute to vibrant faith communities within our system of Catholic schools.
  • These initiatives are planned in the following domains:

1. 1. 1. Developing/Enhancing the faith life of parents.
      2. Connecting/Reconnecting/Enhancing family engagement in the faith life of the school.
      3. Connecting/Reconnecting/Enhancing family engagement in the faith life of the Parish.
      4. Supporting family wellbeing

• The Family Educator will primarily work in partnership with a range of stakeholders: the principal, parents, the parish priest and parish staff, the Religious Education Coordinator and a range of Church agencies and organisations.
• The Family Educator is part of the Family Educator Project and works closely with the Advisor: Family Educator Project and the Family Educator Regional Mentor.
• As a significant contributor to the religious leadership of the school within the Catholic school system, the Family Educator is required to be adaptable, creative and able to customise their work to meet the specific needs of the community.

May God bless all our families.

Leanne Meehan

PRINCIPAL