This week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week with open classrooms on Monday and our official Open Day yesterday. It was a wonderful opportunity to share with others what our great school has to offer. 

Our Open Day was a resounding success with so many new families coming to visit our school. A huge thanks to Mrs Imlach for coordinating this event and to all of my staff and our parents for their support with the set up, preparation and expo.

I am also delighted to announce the P&F Executive for 2024:

President: Claire Tynan-Woodlock (Yr 2 & 5; Allum Yr 7 & 8)

Vice President: Kate Montgomery (Yr 5 & 6)

Treasurer: Stewart Old (Yr 2; Allum Yr 7 & 10)

 Secretary: Victoria McEvoy (Yr 2; Allum Yr 8 & 10)

We are excited to welcome this talented team and look forward to the innovative ideas and initiatives they will bring to our community. Congratulations.

EASTER COLOURING IN COMPETITION 

Lots of prizes to win. Please return your entries to Belle Property, Mosman. An entry card was in your child’s bag earlier this week. 

School Photos

School photos are this Friday. Photos are taken throughout the whole day, a class at a time. Students should wear their full summer school uniform. Please ensure you have ordered your choice of photo package online.

Sacred_Heart_School_Photos.pdf

NAPLAN

Students in Year 3 and Year 5 participate in NAPLAN starting next week. All students need their own headphones and the NAPLAN Locked-down browser on their iPad. Please charge iPads each night. Our schedule is as follows:

You can find further information about NAPLAN on the following link: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers

Zing Activ

Years 3-6

Tickets for the Interschool Dance Challenge went on sale this week and all students in Years 3-6 and their families are invited to attend.

Dance Fever Challenge - Tuesday 9th April

Venue - Hordern Pavilion

Time - 6pm (doors will open earlier) finish approx. 8.15pm

Parents are required to transport their child to and from the venue. We are not able to organise a bus to this event for many reasons including the impact on teacher supervision and our administration staff.

What to wear

Showdance - whole school 

This is the dance that our whole school will compete in. This year, the students are dancing to a ‘90’s theme mix’ and should wear the following:

• White T-shirt
• Denim shorts mid thigh if possible or jeans (shorts are easier to dance in) 

Ballroom Dances - individual choice 

Students can choose their own outfit to wear over their white t-shirt & shorts. This could be a dress, pants & shirt, dress & top, pants & top. There are no change rooms in use, so children will just take off their ‘top’ layer of clothing when it’s time for the showdance.

Years K-2

Our Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 students have also been busy learning dances this term and we kindly invite our Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 parents and carers to join us for a ‘Showcase’ performance. The students will show you some of the dances they have learnt and then be ready - as I’m sure your child would love you to join in a dance or two as well. This is a really fun morning so we hope you can attend.

Years K-2 Showcase Performance - Wednesday 10th April 

Venue - School Playground

Time: 9am

Pickup and Drop off

Safe and efficient drop off and pick up is the responsibility of all parents and carers.  In addition to our reminders in newsletters and Compass, our P & F have also included information in their newsletter. The school Police Liaison Officer has also asked highway patrol to monitor that everyone is adhering to rules. Please be reminded that fines apply for breaking the rules though most importantly, it is the safety of our students and all in the community that is of most importance.

May God’s love be with you. 

Jane Taylor

Supporting Project Compassion this Lenten season- CARITAS AUSTRALIA

During Lent, we prepare ourselves for Easter by giving things up that we don’t need. If we give something up for Lent, we can simply donate what we would’ve spent, to the Project Compassion box in support of Caritas Australia. We don’t expect the children to ask mum or dad to give the money to donate. Each child might like to give something up, for example, instead of buying a special treat, everyone could simply save the coins & donate them to the Project Compassion box. The money raised will be collected and used to help communities in need. So this year, why don’t you give it up for Lent? Through Project Compassion, your efforts will make a difference for communities around the world!

School Grade Masses- parents are warmly welcome to attend! 

Each grade will visit the Church once a term to join Friday Mass at 9:15am. Parents are most welcome and we would love to see you there!

This Friday 8th March- no grade Mass due to school photography day.

Next Friday 15th March- Year 4 Grade Mass @ 9.15am

Friday 22nd March- Year 3 Grade Mass @ 9.15am

Enrolments for the Confirmation Sacramental program close today!! 

If your child is in Year Six & making their Sacrament of confirmation, please enrol using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebliW7Tj54LRJCIPEMwILH2ukxImCpYlU6dp0NEjogjrUBjA/viewform

Term One Family Masses

All are warmly welcome to join our Sacred Heart Family Masses, Sundays at 9:00am followed by a delicious morning tea in the Parish Hall grounds. We hope to see you there! This Sunday, 10th of March, Year One families will be assisting with special Mass jobs and morning tea. Thank you!

Holy Week Reflections

Join us on Holy Thursday, 28th of March to celebrate our Holy Week Reflections as we prepare for the celebration of Easter. Holy Week Reflections will be held in the Church this year, beginning at 9:30am with each grade focusing on a different part of the Holy Week journey.

Kindest Regards,

Miss Kristen Jackson

Religious Education Coordinator

International Women’s Day

On Friday March 8 we will recognise and celebrate International Women’s Day. A day to highlight women's achievements. To raise awareness about discrimination and to take action to continue driving gender parity. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 is “Inspire Inclusion.” When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

Grow Your Mind Program:

Kindness is Contagious

In the K-2 classes our focus this week has been to understand how being kind can have health benefits for all of us. We discussed how Kindness is contagious and shared the ways in which we can be ‘bucket fillers’ at school.

Save the date - WEEK 8 - Nutrition Zoom with Karina Savage

Have a wonderful week and remember to keep refilling that cup.

We are now in the 4th week of Lent : 

Through Lent, we journey to develop a closer relationship to God. The 40 days of Lent should be filled with reflection, service and prayer. Remembering the three traditional pillars of lent are, 

Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving 

Here is an idea of a craft activity you may like to do as a family. 

Make a cross with things you find in nature. 

This simple and inexpensive craft is a great way to work together as a family to create something special. Using things only found in nature, such as sticks or rocks, create a cross in the ground or glue to a piece of cardstock or cardboard. Talk to your little ones about why the cross is often associated with Lent and Easter. 

You could attach a little card and write your family's names with a prayer of gratitude. 

Sunday 1st March we celebrate World Day of Prayer. 

World Day of Prayer Australia is celebrated on the first Friday of March each year to encourage christians to engage in personal prayer and lead in communal prayer. The theme this year is “I beg you, bear with one another love”

https://www.worlddayofprayeraustralia.org

Dates for Holy Week Masses: 

Community Reconciliation 

Tuesday 26th March - 7pm, Sacred Heart Church 

Easter Triduum 2024 

Holy Thursday Mass of the Last Supper

28th March - 7pm, Sacred Heart Church

Good Friday 

Sacred Heart Church & Blessed Sacrament 29th March - 10am, Stations of the Cross 3pm - Passion of Christ 

Easter Vigil Mass 

Saturday 30th March - 7pm, Sacred Heart Church 

Easter Sunday 

9am, 11am & 5pm, Sacred Heart Church

7:30am & 10am, Blessed Sacrament Church 

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are more than halfway through Term 1 and what an eventful six weeks it has been in the sporting sector.

To start us off, just another reminder that our first Sacred Heart sporting event of the year will be the school’s Cross Country which will be held at Allan Border Oval on Tuesday the 12th of March for students in Year 2 to Year 6. We are still looking for parent volunteers to assist in walking classes to and from the venue, so please let me know if that’s you!

With our first sporting event coming up, please be reminded that SCS requires additional steps for parents to volunteer. If you are looking to volunteer for any sporting events this year, please read the communication on Compass sent at the end of last year and ensure to complete every step.

On to the next story, we have had a few students progress in their sporting trials in their following sports. What a great effort they have shown and we are looking forward to their next results.

• Rugby League: Flynn Daggett, Henry Pearson and Iggy Findlay
• Netball: Emily Dynon and Maddie Montgomery
• Swimming: Junior Boys Relay Team (Jack Slater, Oscar Colwell, Thomas Lee and Louis Timmins), Zachary Meacock, Saoirse O’Riordan and Olivia Persinger for their individual events.

On Monday 4th of March, we had a total of 19 students represent Sacred Heart at the Conference 1 Swimming Championships. It was a tough competition with 36 schools and 680 students in attendance competing. We would like to congratulate the following students on their progression. 

• Zachary Meacock: Boys 11 Year Olds 50 Meter Backstroke & 11 Year Olds 50 Meter Butterfly
• Saoirse O’Riordan - Girls 11 Year Olds 50 Meter Breaststroke
• Olivia Persinger - Girls 12-13 50 Meter Breaststroke
• Boys 8-10 200 LC Meter Freestyle Relay: Jack Slater, Oscar Colwell, Thomas Lee and Louis Timmins

It is, with great joy that Sacred Heart was able to obtain a sporting grant for Term 1. Part of the money contributed to having Sacred Heart’s Netball Coach Jacqui Donoghue assist with teaching netball skills for Year 1 to 6. The remainder of the money has been used to have coaches from Football Australia run soccer games on an additional day for students in Year 3-5 for four weeks. We are looking forward to this initiative.

With this, students at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School - Mosman now have a chance to see the Socceroos stars live in action! They take on Lebanon on 21 March at CommBank Stadium. Get 10% off your tickets! Refer to the flyer below and visit this link to access the tickets.

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=SOCLEB24&eg=PRESALE&ep=COMMUNITY

Lastly, Sydney Catholic Schools are thrilled to share with you a range of exciting holiday opportunities for your child/ren during the school holidays. Prepare them for a holiday experience filled with joy, growth and unforgettable memories with their friends attending these active offerings:

• Fencing: Ages 8 - 16 year old
• Golf : Ages 9 - 14 year old
• Table Tennis : Ages 9 - 15 year old
• Girls Football : Ages 8 - 12 year old

Equip your child with skills, a love for physical activity, and nurture their spirit of competition, all while having fun. For detailed information and to secure a spot, visit the following link:

https://sport.syd.catholic.edu.au/scs-outsidehours/holiday-camps

That’s all for now in sporting news. I look forward to giving you all further updates on our student achievements. Until next time! 

Kind Regards,

Miss Austrie Calizar

Sports Co-ordinator

As part of the Green Schools Collective, the Environment Team attended a meeting after school at the Marine Science Institute at Clifton Gardens. They were enthralled by an engaging presentation on the conservation of seahorses and were treated to a guided tour to meet the super seahorses themselves. Such an amazing opportunity for our Year 6 Environment Leaders. They were bubbling with enthusiam before and after the event. Special thanks to Green Schools and SIMs for hosting this wonderful experience.

At Sacred Heart we are focussed on our Catholic mission to be stewards of creation. We do this through our focus on the garden and reducing waste. 

For this reason, we aim to be waste free everyday. This means that:

• students are asked to bring a waste free lunch box to school everyday if they can 
• if waste is brought to school it is to be brought home
• bins are available for composting and recycling only not for waste

To help retain our focus on reducing waste in our school, tallies will be conducted on Wednesdays, so we can measure our progress. Congratulations to 1 Blue and 3 Gold for leading the tallies with the most waste free lunches so far this year. Keep up the great work!

Students had the opportunity to work in the garden on Friday, exploring produce including massive potatoes, cucumbers, mangoes, grapes and tomatoes. There was great excitement as students identified and tasted these hidden gems. Students also helped to harvest, fertilise and prepare the beds for the next season of planting.

Each week a ‘greener cleaner’ student from each class is chosen to be part of the Friday gardening team at lunch time. Garden club, by all accounts, has been a busy and fun experience. The Year 6 environment team provides a list of jobs and  supports students involved in culling weeds, replanting herbs, watering plants and even tasting a little produce. Our garden beds are ready for the next round of  planting. It will be an exciting few weeks ahead!

Mrs Petersen,

Deep Learning Co-ordinator

The Year 6 Science and Technology team are off to a great start. They have been upskilling in new technologies and drones and have launched lunch time Tech Club. Students in Yrs 3-6 have been learning about expectations for Safe and Wise iPad use at school and the Science and Tech team have been assisting students in younger grades to set up their technology platforms for the year. 

This week, as part of International women’s week over 30 girls from Stage 3 are spending their lunchtimes participating in the Girls Day Out STEM Challenge. Students are completing several challenges using a variety of augmented reality, AI and coding apps. They have been collaborating to solve problems and supporting each other to be successful. A wonderful group to have the privilege to spend lunchtimes with. 

This week, Year 1 enjoyed learning about materials and mixtures in a hands-on incursion with Fizzics education. Whilst Year 4 engaged in a range of experiments as part of a physical world workshop exploring concepts of heat, conduction and convection. Students collaborated with peers on a range of activities. Exclamations of surprise and joy were heard all around as the students made their scientific discoveries.

Mrs Petersen,

Deep Learning Co-ordinator