Dear Parents and Carers,

Tomorrow we celebrate R U OK? Day. On this day we’re encouraged to start a conversation and ask, "are you okay?". By listening and giving someone your time, you

can show that you notice them and care. When someone is struggling, asking "are you okay?" can help them to feel less alone and better supported in seeking help. It can be hard to reach out when you’re going through a tough time. That’s why we’re asked to start a conversation that could help someone share what’s on their mind. It can also prevent little things from becoming a bigger issue. There are lots of resources online to help you feel more confident in starting a conversation. In preparation for R U OK? Day, you might like to explore the website www.ruok.org.au

FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST

Thank you to Karina Savage, Lindi Seve and the amazing team of mums for such a beautiful Father’s Day Breakfast last week.

Kathryn Pearson, Flori Pyke, Nat Isaac, Ali Roberts, Caro Briscoe, Sheree Camus, Jo Ruitenberg, Kami Dougherty-Sokulsky, Michelle Keaveny - you are all wonderful!

Thank you also to our P&F for supplying us with the coffee cart - a huge success and a lovely treat for our dads.

Thank you also to our wonderful Family Educator, Mrs Macri for the beautiful chocolates and gifts and to our Kindergarten children and their teachers for the special assembly presented to dads. Also, thanks to Ms Luscombe for all her work behind the scenes in many of our events!

CREATIVE ARTS EXHIBITION

Thank you Mrs Conroy, Stephanie Curran and all of the volunteers who have spent so much time preparing for this exemplary exhibition of art by our beautiful children. I know that the children are so thrilled to be able to share their work with family and friends. 

CONGRATULATIONS FATHER MATTHEW

Father Matthew Lukaszewicz was ordained on Saturday at St Mary’s Cathedral. We are thrilled for him and his family who joined him from interstate and overseas. Congratulations Father Matthew!!

DIVERSE LEARNING TEACHER 

I posted on Compass last week that Mrs Clare Miller, our amazing Diverse Learning Teacher, will be taking leave next year to spend some time with her family and experience some other life adventures. Mrs Miller has been a member of the Sacred Heart family for 6 years, contributing to the growth and development of our students and supporting all families.

As Mrs Miller prepares to embark on a new chapter in her life journey, I know you will join me in wishing her every blessing and much happiness. I am so grateful for her unwavering dedication, passion and commitment to providing our students with a diverse and enriching educational experience. She has not only imparted valuable knowledge but has also nurtured a sense of empathy, respect, and understanding among our diverse student body. Mrs Miller’s commitment to fostering an environment where every child feels valued, regardless of their background, has been truly commendable.

Thank you Mrs Miller for being an exceptional educator and person and for leaving an indelible mark on our school. I have cherished our time working together this year and I know that this decision was not taken lightly, but give yourself permission to do what makes you happy and enjoy the family adventures!

I have advertised this role and will begin the recruitment process so that Mrs Miller can help with onboarding and handover.

GOOD NEWS

Last weekend, Violet Olds (Year 1) competed in the District Eisteddfod in Penrith & she received the following results.

Violet competed in 4 vocal sections - being only 6 years old, the youngest age group she can enter is 10 and under. Competing against kids nearly double her age. Violet received marks of 98-99 in each section.

WINNER (1st) - Junior Championship

WINNER (1st) - Australian Song (10y/under)

2nd - Pop Song (10y/under)

H/C - Musical Theatre (10y/under)

CONGRATULATIONS, VIOLET. We are so proud of you.

Children finish up next Thursday 21 September as we have our Staff Spirituality Day on Friday 22 September. Children will return to school on Tuesday 10 October as we have our Network Syllabus Professional Learning on Monday 9 October.

Wishing you all a well-deserved break and thank you for another wonderful term.

May God bless all our families.

Leanne Meehan

 

Executive Principal

Uniforms

Thank you to all the students who come to school dressed in their correct uniform each day.  We ask that parents support our uniform policy by ensuring that the necessary items are ready for your child to wear each day.  Only Sacred Heart branded uniforms should be worn.  We have noticed that some children are wearing other sporting tops and advising that their uniform isn’t washed or wearing the wrong shoes and advising that they couldn’t find their correct shoes or left them somewhere.  No other jumpers or hats should be worn.  As per our policy “compulsory enforcement of our uniform policy enables consistency in dress standards throughout the school and is a way of identifying students who are part of the SHM community. If for any reason your child is unable to wear a particular item of our school uniform, they should provide a note from their parent/guardian advising the school of the situation and take appropriate steps to correct the uniform as soon as possible.”  Our uniform policy can be located on our website under School Life > Parent Information > Online Parent Handbook.  Remember the Parent Handbook is password protected to our SHM Community (Password is SHM2020). In summary:

The Summer Uniform is to be worn by all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 every day during Terms 1 and 4 except for assigned sport days. The formal uniform consists of the following:

Girls:
● Shoes Black leather school shoes (Lace up or Velcro)
● Dress Sky/Navy Stripe dress with SHM logo
● Socks Navy ankle socks

Boys:
● Shoes Black leather school shoes (Lace up or Velcro)
● Shirt Blue short sleeved shirt with SHM logo
● Shorts Navy tailored shorts
● Socks Navy knee high socks
● Tie - Boys must wear a tie everyday all year

As the warm weather has arrived, though is still unpredictable, we have a transition period of the last week of term 3 and first week of term 4, children can wear either their full winter or full summer uniform.  All students should wear their summer uniform starting Monday 16th October, Week 2. 

Sports Uniform - Sports shoes should only be worn on sports uniform days - not with our winter or summer school  uniform. 

A reminder of the policy around hair styles and standards:

Girls: 

Hair must be pulled back if long enough into a ponytail, pig tails, braid or plaits. They must be worn with an approved hair accessory such as navy ribbon or navy headband. (Flowers, patterns, colours of any kind are not acceptable).  

Boys: 

Hair styles for boys should be short and tidy and not grown or groomed in an extreme or exaggerated fashion. Hair should be evenly cut, a natural colour, worn off the face and should not obstruct sight. Hair must be at least a “number 3” cut. Dreadlocks are not permitted.  

Art Show

Thank you to Mrs Conroy, our teachers, parent committee led by Stephanie Bailey and the students for all their work for our Art show which starts tomorrow.  We are running the show over two afternoons, this Thursday and Friday, to give families more opportunities to attend. The afternoons will have a lovely ambience with amazing visual art, music and food.   

Canberra

Congratulations and thank you to our Year 6 students and the teachers who attended the camp in Canberra last week.  The children displayed exemplary behaviour and the tour guides at the venues visited - National Museum of Australia, Questacon, the National Portrait Gallery, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial, all commented on how respectful and engaged our children were.  The children learnt so much about the history of our country and political system as well as being able to have fun and enjoy time with their peers.  

Zing Activ - Gymnastics 

Next term we again partner with Zing Activ (formerly Dance Fever) to provide our Gymnastics program in line with the movement skills outlined in the syllabus  Each year level will have a 40 minute lesson on Wednesday each week.  

Scope IT

All of our students have attended sessions with Scope IT over the past two terms.  Year 6 have been coding electronic devices integrated with their natural disasters unit.  Year 5 looked at website design to create an informative display for their Gold Rush unit and Year 4 created Biomes for geography in Minecraft.  Year 1, 2 and 3 learnt about scratch coding linked to their science learning about forces, the earth's resources or living things and Kindergarten learnt junior scratch coding integrated with their fairytales theme. 

The lessons are always engaging and we thank them for working in partnership with our teachers, especially Mrs Petersen to develop our students' deep thinking skills.  Scope IT are returning next term for a one day Minecraft workshop with Year 2.  

Tech Club

Our Year 6 leaders continue to share their knowledge and skills during our lunch time Tech club.  Look at how students from Kindy to Year exploring Beebots, drones, spheros and our friendly talking Dashbot.   

Endangered Species

A big thank you to Mrs Tracey, Mrs Curran, Mrs Jackson and our Year 3 students for raising awareness across the school around endangered species week.  With a focus on the platypus, Year 3 students held an assembly to share many facts about this amazing animal and its habitat.  

Debating

Our Year 5 and 6 students have been participating in debating in class and some students had the opportunity to participate in the North Sydney/Harbour Network Inter-School Debating Competition.  Students from St Michael’s at Lane Cove came to Sacred Heart and our students have travelled to Blessed Sacrament and St. Mary’s to compete. 

Wishing you God’s Blessings, 

Jane Taylor

Assistant Principal

Father Matthew’s Priestly Ordination and Thanksgiving Mass

Congratulations to Father Matthew who was ordained into the Priesthood on Saturday, 9th September at St Mary’s Cathedral. Father Matthew celebrated his first Thanksgiving Mass on Sunday, 10th September at Sacred Heart Church, followed by a celebration in the Parish Hall. I had the privilege of attending the Thanksgiving Mass and it was truly a special occasion to be a part of. Congratulations Father Matthew! We are very blessed to have you as part of our parish. Father Matthew will visit Sacred Heart next Wednesday at the Blue Award Assembly for the school community to congratulate him.

Congratulations to all Year Four First Holy Communion candidates who made their Sacrament of Eucharist over the past weekends!  

Enrolments are still open for the Year 3 Sacrament of First Reconciliation and will close tomorrow- Thursday, 14th September. 

#RedforRedkite- Thursday 21st September

The students of Sacred Heart are invited to wear ‘RedforRedKite’ next Thursday, 21st September in exchange for a gold coin donation (please scan the QR code below or click this link to make a donation on the fundraising page.)

This fundraising event in support of the Redkite foundation, an organisation to assist families affected by childhood cancer. One of our Sacred Heart families was affected by childhood cancer in 2022. They would like to thank the Redkite foundation with the help of Sacred Heart! 

Upcoming School and Family Masses

School Grade Mass: Kinder & Year Six School Mass- Friday, 15th September @ 9:30am 

Family Mass: Year Three Family Mass- Sunday, 17th September @ 9:00am (please email kristen.jackson@syd.catholic.edu.au if you will be attending- we need Year Three family volunteers to bring a plate for the morning tea & children to do special jobs at the Mass, please.)

St Vincent de Paul Snack Pack items

A huge thank you to the families of Sacred Heart for your generosity in donating items to contribute towards the Snack Pack Vans Services. Our Year Six Mission Team and Pope Francis Award students will pack the Snack Packs as part of their contribution to the parish and wider community. 

Kristen Jackson

Religious Education Co-ordinator 

Dear Parents and carers,

Playgroup reminder: 

A friendly reminder that Playgroup takes place every Monday fortnight in the Parish Hall.  The next playgroup will take place in Term 4 on October 11^th from 9am -10:30am.  If you know anyone with a toddler from our school or from our community, please let them know. If grandparents are babysitting that day, please tell them to come along as all are welcome.

I would be happy to meet more of our school families, parents and carers at my Eat, Pray Laugh morning on Tuesdays at 9:10am. We begin with a 20 minute morning Mass then coffee and morning tea. It’s a relaxed morning - please join me if you can.

Our faith feast days to remember this week:

14th September - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross 

To celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, display a cross prominently in your home!
This could also be a great day to go through your home and ensure that each room has a cross or crucifix in it, which is an old Catholic tradition.

15th September - Our Lady of Sorrows 

We honour Our Lady of Sorrows in praying seven Hail Mary's while meditating on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Our lady of Sorrows is often depicted with either one or seven swords piercing her heart. Mary, in a unique way, willingly suffered alongside her Divine Son as he gave his life to save the world, and she felt the bitterness of his passion as only a mother can.                                 

Remember to pray a “Hail Mary Prayer” in her honour daily if you can.

A Conversation on modern slavery

If you have not heard of Sr Mary Leahy speak, she is powerful and you will be very moved with her testimony about the work she does with seafarers. 

If you cannot attend, please consider sending or collecting the following donations:

Preloved t-shirts, hoodies, jeans and shorts, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant, treats i.e. sweet biscuits, small novels, magazines and jigsaws, jocks and socks.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS       

Anna Macri

Family Educator 

It has been a busy term with all of our sporting events and achievements as we wrap up this term. Term 4 is going to be even more exciting!

First thing to note is that on Monday 18th September, Eloise Horan will represent Sacred Heart in the MacKillop Athletics Championships in her high jump event. Please wish her luck before her event as she progresses through!

During the school holidays, Sydney Catholic Schools is providing Year 5 and Year 6 students the opportunity to participate in the Wheelchair Rugby Holiday Program. This opportunity is open to students with and without disability. Students can bring their mates from school or come as an individual to unite and gain an understanding of how to play this great game with our guest coach and Paralympic Gold Medalist - Andrew Edmondson. SCS is now calling for expressions of interest from schools and families to join this exciting opportunity on Thursday 28th September at Rugby HQ, Daceyville. For further information, please see the flyer. 

Term 4 will be an extremely busy term with the Swimming Carnival occurring Friday 17th November. Any parents who can spare the time to volunteer would be greatly appreciated. It will be held at Lane Cove Aquatic Leisure Centre. Further details to come.

Also in Term 4 will be our Interschool Sports for Year 4 and Stage 3. This is a new initiative that was trialled in Term 2 and with its success, we are doing it again in Term 4. Please keep your eyes peeled for further information in the upcoming weeks.

There will also be sporting trials for Years 4 and 5 in regards to sporting Pathways. School trial information for Touch Football (boys and girls), Cricket (boys and girls) and Basketball (boys and girls) for next term is currently being prepared. Please note that any child that is planning to trial (for consideration to progress to MacKillop) must:

• demonstrate a high level of skill development and talent in the sport
• have experience playing in regular competition outside of school
• play at an Academy or Representative level

For any sports with a high level of interest, a trial will be required so I am looking for any parents who can assist with the trials for touch football and cricket. If so, please reach out!

Until next time.

Kind Regards,

Miss Calizar

Festival of Mosman

A huge program of events has been planned for this year’s Festival of Mosman, which will be held from 20-29 October.

The highly anticipated festival returns bigger and better than ever with favourite events such as Festival Opening Concert, Pets Day Out and OctoberFeast night market, as well as First Nations Cultural event, Children’s Fair, outdoor movie screenings, environmental activities and arts experiences.

A twilight concert at Balmoral Beach will kick-off the Festival on Friday 20 October, with crowd favourite, The Royal Australian Navy Band headlining performances by schools and groups. Two outdoor cinemas will be held at Mosman Village Green, with a live performance by Masha Mnjoyan, followed by a screening of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody on Saturday 21 October and a special Halloween showing of Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo on Saturday 28 October. The Festival will end on Sunday 29 October with much-loved Mosman’s Pet’s Day Out.

For full festival program visit festivalofmosman.net.