Dear Parents and Carers,

Thanks to all the dads who took time out of their schedule to be at school for Handball for Dads and Kids. The children loved you being there and these simple memories are what kids treasure the most. We have one more date to book the dads for a game of handball before the end of the year. Handball for Dads and Kids is on again in Week 8 Friday the 2nd of December at 8am. 

You will have seen the flyers for the Christmas Fair. To those families that have only joined the school recently this is a must see, must do, Sacred Heart tradition that you should not miss out on. It is Sacred Heart at its best with stalls, food, rides and lots of fun. There will be a number of flyers and notifications over the coming days outlining important details and times as well as requests to the community for help, for cakes and how to buy tickets.

This year the Christmas Fair will be held on Sunday the 27th of November. 

Planning for 2023 so far...

• Staffing is complete for 2023. You will receive an updated list at the end of the term. 
• Teachers are planning Scope and Sequences for their class that fit well with the new curriculums for K-2 in English and Mathematics.
• The Annual Improvement plan for 2023 has been written with a focus on continuing the curriculum work in Mathematics and Wellbeing that Scared Heart has begun.
• Transition planning meeting with Miss Leanne Meehan and SCS executive has taken place and Leanne has met with members of the Leadership team and will return next week to meet teachers and staff.

Congratulations to our Zero Emissions Group who have worked solidly for the last two years on sustainability and waste reduction for Sacred Heart. I would like to acknowledge Ingrid Carvalho and Martina Petersen’s work in this area. Congratulations to our students team who won the Trash Hack competition for all Mosman schools run by Zero Emissions, sponsored by Mosman Council and Taronga Zoo. Please see Mrs Petersen's article on the win in this newsletter.

Thankyou to all parents who have supported IceBlock Friday- this is a graduation tradition at Sacred Heart that assists in raising money for the Year 6 students to offset graduation costs.

Kindergarten Orientation 2023 this Friday

Our Kinder Orientation will be held this Friday the 11th and Friday the 18th of November. We are looking forward to welcoming our new Kindergarten class for 2023 on both of these mornings. 

Amadeus Concert

Years 3-6 have been learning an instrument all year. Do you want to hear what they sound like as an orchestra? Please come along to the Amadeus Concert on Thursday the 17th of November at 9.15am in the playground. The Amadeus tutors have prepared the students for this event and they are very proud to show you what the children have learnt.

9:15 - 10:30am CONCERT

Running order:

1) Yr 3 & 6 Combined String Ensemble

2) Yr 4 Band

3) Yr 5 Strings

4) Yr 3 Band

5) Yr 4 Strings

6) Yr 5 & 6 Combined band

Swimming Carnival - Volunteers

Thank you to the parents who have volunteered for the Swimming Carnival next Friday. It has been a number of years since we ran a carnival so we appreciate all the help we can get for this very special event.

Today you will receive your newsletter in two different formats. The new email with a link should be able to open the newsletter directly without logging into Compass which will make it easier to access. Please let us know if this method works for you.

Our calendar is constantly being updated. The most recent version is on Compass and the side of the newsletter. Please see some important dates below:

Regards

Julie Caldwell

At Sacred Heart, we are aiming to build consistency across the school regarding expectations on homework. Our teachers work hard to ensure that homework is an engaging and meaningful experience, and we would like to work with our parents community to support our homework program. We recognise that parents are the first educators of our students, and your support will mean that students are engaged, organised and complete their homework on time and with purpose. 

We would appreciate your opinions about what homework could or should be, by completing this very brief form which should only take a few minutes.

Thanks,

Mr Nick Brierley

Assistant Principal. 

Sacramental Program

Year Three students participated in their First Reconciliation Retreat Day yesterday. We keep these students in our prayers as they prepare to make their Sacrament of Reconciliation next week.  

Year Three Sacrament of Reconciliation Ceremonies

5pm OR 6.30pm Tuesday 15th November at BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH.

5pm OR 6.30pm Wednesday 16th November at BLESSED SACRAMENT CHURCH.

Upcoming Masses and Liturgies

Friday, 11th November @ 11:30am- Remembrance Day Liturgy led by Year 4 

Sunday, 13th November @ 9:00am- Year Two and Year Three combined Family Mass

Sunday, 20th November @ 9:00am- Year Four Family Mass

Friday, 25th November @ 9:30am- Year One and Four combined Grade Mass 

Fun Faith Celebration with John Burland, Tuesday 22nd November

As part of our 100 year celebrations this year, and in preparation for Advent, the school community will join in celebrating with John Burland for a fun, faith-filled celebration day! 

The day will begin with a K-2 session in the School Hall from 9:00am to 10:30am. Parents are more than welcome to stay and join in! Years 3-6 will take part in their session from 11:30am to 12:45pm.

Thank you for supporting our Religious Education initiatives.

Kristen Jackson

Religious Education Coordinator 

We welcome the donation of any laundered and well presented uniform from any students that will be leaving Sacred Heart.  The uniform items can be dropped off at the school at any time and will be recycled into our Second Hand Clothing Pool. 

Please note that the next P&F meeting will be held on Wednesday 23 November at 7pm in the school library.  Ms Leeane Meehan will be in attendance.

All parents are welcome to attend. 

Vinnies NSW are currently looking for volunteers 18+ years for our Vinnies Support Centres.

Vinnies Support Centres are client-centred support and referral services operated by the St Vincent de Paul Society. They offer face to face support to those in the community who require financial, food or material assistance. The support teams work with our clients to offer the best possible assistance for their needs and connect them to the Society's Conference home visitation teams or Vinnies’ Services.

As a Vinnies Support Centre volunteer, you will assist staff with providing advocacy, referrals and support to clients navigating the appropriate services. Vinnies have a number of volunteer roles available including administration & reception support, assisting with client interview rosters, data entry and helping out with ad hoc duties as requested.

Vinnies Support Centres offer a friendly and supportive team environment, flexible volunteer hours (school hours available) and the opportunity to learn a variety of skills. Significantly, your volunteer contribution will make a tangible difference to the lives of those in your community.

If you are interested in hearing more about volunteering in a Vinnies Support Centre, or helping out in a volunteer capacity elsewhere, please contact the Volunteer Experience Team at volunteers@vinnies.org.au

Want to assist Vinnies but time poor? Keen to volunteer but need to be there for the kids?

Vinnies NSW are currently looking at what we can offer in terms of increased flexibility around volunteering. Covid 19 has encouraged many of us to reassess our priorities including where we spend our valuable time. The historical volunteer model of committing to a regular weekly time slot no longer suits our busy lifestyles.

The Volunteer Experience Team at Vinnies are looking to create a mailing list of volunteers who would be happy to volunteer on an ad hoc basis. Volunteer tasks may range from assisting packing Christmas hampers at a Vinnies centre for a few hours to committing to sharing a Vinnies Campaign via social media once a month. Once placed on our ‘Vinnies Support Volunteer Crew’ mailing list,  you will be contacted once a month via email to inform you of upcoming ad hoc opportunities.  To be placed on our mailing list and become a part of our valued Vinnies Support Volunteer Crew please email volunteers@vinnies.org.au . We thank you wholeheartedly for your contribution.