ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Mufti for Max Day
As many of you would be aware, our former student Max Doohan passed away suddenly in March of this year. Max’s family are still very much involved at Sacred Heart with brother Archie in Year 4 this year, and Mrs Fiona Connolly and Mr Julian Doohan still active in our parent community.
I taught young Max in Year 6 in 2018. Max was a happy student who was well mannered, compassionate. I remember him as a quiet boy who would never brag about what he could do or what he knew. He was humble. He was a good friend. Max was a hard working and enthusiastic young boy with some great talents. He did very well in English and Maths, but did very well in Science and Visual Arts. He wanted to be a Scientist when he grew up. A lot of teachers have many memories of Max. All of the teachers who I have spoken to have agreed that was very talented, but above all, he was kind.
To celebrate Max’s life, we organised a fundraiser in conjunction with Max’s family for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute with students wearing all the colours of the rainbow! Although we do not yet have a final number for funds raised on the day, our students, teachers and many parents have commented on the success of the day. Thank you all for your generosity.
Would you like to volunteer at Sacred Heart? Here’s how!
Thank you to all of those parents who were able to attend our Parents as Educators information session yesterday. Information about how to volunteer in classrooms, what is required, and also how to help your child in the home was discussed. If you would like to hear some great tips, particularly in the area of helping our younger students to read and practise their skills, we would highly recommend you view the recording of the session.
If you would like to volunteer in classrooms, there is a process to follow. The steps are:
- Complete a Working With Children Check (often referred to as WWCC). The Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a requirement for anyone who works or volunteers in child-related work in NSW. It involves a National Police Check (criminal history record check) and a review of reportable workplace misconduct. Results of a National Police Check can take up to 4 weeks to be received. A WWCC is valid for 5 years. More information about the WWCC and how to apply for a WWCC can be found at the Service NSW.
- You will need to complete SCS Child Safe Communities (CSC) Contractors and Volunteers Working with Children (WWC) Accreditation Process. This process involves being inducted in child protection, reading and understanding the obligations and procedures under the relevant child protection legislation and SCS policies, as well as providing their Working With Children Check (WWCC) clearance number for verification by SCS. More information can be found at the Sydney Catholic Schools Child Safe Communities site.
- You will need to attend or view our Parents as Educators session. This was conducted earlier this week and can be viewed here.
Although this might look like an exhaustive process and might make some shy away from volunteering, we strongly encourage as many parents to persevere through the process as possible. This process just ensures that our students are protected at all times.
Our teachers, staff and students all very much appreciate the care and generosity of our parents and volunteers. Given the tumultuous year that was 2020, we would love to have parents and volunteers coming back into our classrooms as soon as possible.
Update regarding Enrichment entry processes
Earlier this year, we let parents know about our processes regarding entry to Enrichment in Numeracy and Literacy for students in Years 2-6. We mentioned that we would be utilising the CogAT assessment to help in determining the most eligible students. After much difficulty working with an international company to set up, introduce and administer these assessments, the CogAT process will be abandoned this week in favour of the AGAT (Acer General Ability Test) assessment. The AGAT assessment has been assigned to our students in Y2-6 this week, and we aim for completion within the week.
We hope to inform students and parents about Enrichment groups next week. We also thank you for your patience throughout this difficult period of assessment!
Mr Nick Brierley
Assistant Principal