A huge thank you is extended to our P&F, particularly our Year 3 parents, Emily, Kelly, Kate, Emma, Jacqui, Marissa, Caroline, Sarah, Sofe, Kate and Nicole for our beautiful Father’s Day Breakfast last Friday morning. Your effort and planning was so worth the outcome, I felt like everyone had such a wonderful morning interacting, playing handball and visiting the classrooms. The food was prepared and cooked with love and the atmosphere around the school was so amazing!

Thank you also to our wonderful Family Educator, Mrs Macri for the thoughtful gifts and to our REC, Ms Jackson and all of our teachers and children for their preparation of our beautiful mass. Much recognition should also be showered upon Mrs Conroy and Mrs Merillo, as well as our choir, for always making our masses even more special. Thanks to Ms Luscombe for all her work behind the scenes in many of our events, your efforts do not go unnoticed!

 Our School Counsellor, Bec Burrowes, will finish up with our school this week. Bec has been such a valuable member of our staff and has managed many challenging situations in her time with us. She supports our children with understanding, care and respect and I am beyond grateful. Bec works across both Sacred Heart and Blessed Sacrament and so she will undertake an effective handover process to ensure continuity of care for our children. Catholic Care will begin the recruitment process immediately. We wish Bec all the very best as she embarks on the next part of her journey in life.                                                                                           
Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with His disciples. It is where He instituted the practice of breaking   bread and sharing wine as symbols of His body and blood. The sacrament serves as a means of grace, spiritual nourishment, and a reminder of Christ's sacrifice for humanity. 

The participation of our children in Holy Communion is an important step in their faith journey. After weeks of preparation, our children will make their First Holy Communion over the next few weekends. I ask that you give your feedback on the Sacramental Program so that the Parish can continue to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our children.

Good News Story

Congratulations to Mason and Monique who helped to launch ‘Legacy Week’ at Martin Place on Monday.  Mason was chosen for the special honour of reciting the Ode to a wide audience and was gifted a special coin.  We are very proud of you both.

Deep Learning

Blending Fairytale stories with Science in Kindergarten !!  

Last week, our Kindergarten students dove into the enchanting world of "Jack and  the Beanstalk”. After exploring Jack’s magic beans and the towering beanstalk that reached the giant’s castle, the students were inspired to plant their own beans!

The children eagerly prepared their garden bed, digging small trenches and watering the soil. They examined two different types of beans and made keen observations, noting that the brown beans had white spots. They predicted that the spot might be “where the shoots come out to grow” and predicted that one bean type might grow bigger than the other, demonstrating great scientific thinking.

They practised reading the seed packets, sounding out each letter beautifully, and planted their seeds in neat rows “that made a pattern.” Each seed was carefully placed with its “seed door” facing upwards, ready to grow towards the sun. Once planted, the seeds were gently covered with soil. To add a touch of magic, the children chanted, “Abracadabra, make the green beans grow, pleeeeeaaaase!!”

CWF Fundraiser this Friday- QKR Gold coin donations and students are invited to wear Aussie green and gold colours AND/OR sports-related mufti. Let’s raise funds for the Charitable Works Fund by celebrating the achievements of our Australian Olympic and Paralympic competitors!!  

Upcoming Grade Masses, Fridays at 9.15am

(all families welcome to join)

• Friday 6th of September- Year 1 Mass
• Friday 13th of September- Year 5 Mass
• Friday 20th of September- Year K & 6 Mass

Sacramental Updates

Sacrament of Reconciliation Enrolments now open for Year 3 students who have been baptised Catholic. The online enrolment period will close on 14 Sept. Please click this link to enrol.

First Holy Communion Masses- Saturday 7th September, Sunday 8th September and Sunday 15th September

Parish News

Celebrations are in the air at Holy Family Parish! Congratulations to Father Phil who recently celebrated the anniversary of his Priestly Ordination.

Last weekend, the Parish also farewelled Father Mark with a special morning tea. The Sacred Heart Community gave Father Mark a beautiful send-off today at school. We are blessed to have had Father Mark in our school and parish communities. We sincerely thank him for the guidance and support throughout his years with us.

Pope Francis has asked that the year 2024 be dedicated to a “great symphony of prayer” as the church prepares for the Jubilee of 2025.

Here is a resource for you to browse, Teach Us To Pray see here.

It is a document described as a preparation document for the Year of Prayer, there is a wealth of great resources contained within its pages. We still have 3 months of the year to go as we prepare for the Jubilee 2025.

The Jubilee year will offer the faithful opportunity to participate in various jubilee events at the vatican & in their own dioceses. The great tradition of opening the Holy Door will begin when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of st. Peter’s Basilica on December 24, 2024.

The year of the Jubilee is to remind us that we worship and follow a god who brings freedom.

September 8th we celebrate the feast day of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

In fact, the month of September, the Church celebrates three Marian feasts in one week: the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8th September), the Holy Name of Mary (12th September) and Our Lady of Sorrows (15th September).

Congratulations to all the children who will be receiving First Holy Communion, with the first session on Saturday night. 

May God fill you with the Holy Spirit and make you one with Christ.

Many Blessings on your First Holy Communion day.

There is 1 more playgroup this term, Next Monday 9th September. Come along for toddler playtime & adult chit chat.

Term 4 playgroup dates for your diary. Please bring your toddlers & your friends with toddlers.

Join me for Prayer and morning tea Tuesday mornings at 9:15am in the Holy Family church. Across from the school, and also, Our walking group continues on wednesday morning after school drop off at 8:45am, leaving from the Cardinal St gate.

Many blessings

Anna Macri

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents and carers who attended our Parent Engagement Workshop back in Week 4 of this term,

‘Understanding your Child’s Numeracy Development’ in Kindergarten, Year 1, and Year 2. It was fantastic to see so many parents engaged and eager to support their child’s mathematical journey. 

I thought that sharing some of the main points covered in our workshop with our extended community may help some parents better understand and be able to support their children who may need consolidation of these foundational mathematical concepts and skills.

Just to recap, here are the workshop highlights we covered and discussed:

Understanding Numeracy Development

We explored how children develop numeracy skills from Kindergarten through to Year 2, with reference to the NESA Syllabus outcomes and discussed the key milestones for each year level and how these align with NESA’s expectations. These milestones are crucial stepping stones as students progress through their early years of mathematical learning.

We emphasised the Concrete, Symbolic, Abstract (CSA) approach, based on Jerome Bruner’s theory of cognitive development, where students: 

• Concrete: use tangible objects to understand mathematical concepts.
• Symbolic: use symbols and drawings to represent these concepts.
• Abstract: move towards abstract thinking - when the concept is well understood only then do we use abstract, symbolic notation,where they solve problems without needing concrete materials

We explained that at each stage, students build on their knowledge and deepen their understanding, ensuring a solid foundation in numeracy. Importantly, this process is not strictly linear; students may revisit earlier stages as they encounter new challenges or concepts, reinforcing and expanding their understanding over time.

Key Concepts and Skills in Number

We provided an overview of the key concepts and skills taught in each year level, mapped to NESA Syllabus outcomes:

• Kindergarten: Focusing on early number sense, including counting, numeral recognition, and simple addition and subtraction.
• Year 1: Expanding on place value understanding, developing addition and subtraction strategies, and introducing number patterns. 
  
• Year 2: Strengthening place value, exploring more complex addition and subtraction, introducing multiplication and division (symbolic), and problem-solving in a variety of contexts.

Throughout the workshop we highlighted how these skills progress according to the Concrete, Symbolic, Abstract (CSA) approach, with each milestone preparing students for the next level of cognitive development.

Practical Activities and Ways you can Support your Child at Home

Understanding how your child develops maths skills can empower you to better support their learning at home. We discussed some simple ways to help them along the way:

• Refer to your child’s learning goals in their report and/or provided by their classroom teacher 
  
• Focus on developing automaticity and mastery with number rather than wanting them to learn more e.g. fluent counting in Kindergarten, knowing double facts in Year 1, fluent skip counting in Year 2
• Counting objects during daily routines (e.g., setting the table, grocery shopping).
• Playing number-based games like card games or board games.
• Using maths in real-life contexts such as cooking (measuring ingredients) or budgeting pocket money.
• Encouraging children to explain their thinking when solving problems.

The Importance of Your Involvement

The overall benefit is your active participation in your child’s numeracy development. By understanding the curriculum, the foundational concepts and key milestones taught in these early years, you are not only better equipped to support your child’s learning but also strengthen the partnership between home and school. This collaboration between parents and teachers is key to ensuring our children receive the best possible education.

Thank you so much for joining our Parent Engagement Workshop and for your ongoing support. We appreciate your involvement in your child’s learning, and we’re excited to keep working together to make a positive difference in their education. 

Warm regards,

Nerissa McCartney

Leader of Teaching and Learning

Dear Parents and Carers, 

This week is National Child Protection Week. National Child Protection Week invites all Australians to play their part to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. This year, the theme is: ‘Every conversation matters’. It is important that we listen to, and value, what children have to say. Where possible, include their voices in decision-making and be advocates for their best interest. By speaking regularly with children about their personal safety and how they can protect themselves, as well as “tuning in” to their worries, children are more likely to trust us and feel comfortable to talk with us when something big is going on. Make your influence positive; start a conversation today with your children, listening to and valuing their voice.

Grow Your Mind - CONSENT

As part of the ‘Grow Your Mind’ Program the students explore Consent. Consent is defined as seeking and giving permission eg: giving hugs, borrowing things, and sharing. Consent means asking for and waiting to hear a ‘yes’. Respect with our hands, respect with our words and respect with our listening is highlighted in the program. The personal space bubble is used as a visual to explain that we all need our personal space and that we need to respect each other's bubble. When students know about giving and getting consent they are more likely to have healthy, safe and enjoyable relationships with others.

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

Amanda Macourt

Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to week 7 of the sporting edition for Sacred Heart. The past two weeks have been in full swing with a lot of sporting events and achievements.

On August 30th, Sacred Heart had four representatives for five events at the Pre to Post Athletics Championships at SOPAC in Homebush. All students performed so well and achieved great results. Please congratulate Gisele Camus who placed first in her 800m event and Olivia P for placing third in the senior girls long jump. These two girls will now be progressing onto the MacKillop Athletics (CPS) Championships on the 25th of September 2024.

Next week, Zachary Meacock will be setting off to Wagga Wagga for two days as he represents Sacred Heart in the MacKillop boys cricket trials. He will be competing for a spot in the NSW PSSA Cricket Championships Selection trials. Please wish him luck before he competes on Wednesday September 11 to Thursday September 12.

Yesterday on Tuesday 3rd of September, we had two sporting events occurring simultaneously. Our stage 2 students were finally able to experience their first interschool sports gala day with Sydney FC at Artarmon Reserve. I heard great reports from teachers regarding the day. On Wednesday 18th of September, stage 3 will be having their European Handball gala day. Year groups have been split into morning and afternoon sessions for the day. Parents are welcome to come along and watch, but please note that this is a non-competitive event and scores will not be counted as it is an initiative to increase participation in sport.

Also, on the same day, we had our Year 6 Netball girls participate in the NSWCPS Netball Gala Day in Penrith. Both teams were put through into the competitive championships for the 12/13 year old girls. It was a tough day with lots of competition but we were truly blessed by the weather. The competition was so close and fierce, that our girls even prayed to St. Sebastian who is the patron saint for sports and athletes for second place. Although we just lost to St Mary’s Orange who placed first, our Sacred Heart Peanut Butters team placed second overall. Congratulations to them, and to all the girls (Sacred Heart Jellies) who participated for their absolute stellar effort and sportsmanship. It was great to see the camaraderie, with some girls even making new friends with others going to the same high school. I would also like to give a big thank you and acknowledgement to Carrie and Kailey from Kellyville High School who came and umpired the games for us on the day and also to Mrs. Taylor for all of her assistance and allowing the day to happen. Also a big and special thank you and shout out to Fiona Dynon, Niall O’Riordan and John Persinger for driving the girls out and supporting them on the day. Thank you for all of your time and assistance!

To close us off, I would like to congratulate the Sacred Heart Sports Club netball teams who will be playing in the grand final this Friday night at 6pm. Congratulations to Sacred Heart 01 and Sacred Heart 02 for progressing. Please be sure to wish them the best of luck for their upcoming grand final.

Well, 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

Get ready to step into a world of imagination and innovation at our Creative Arts Exhibition!

When: Week 9 - Thursday 19th and Friday 20th September 

Where: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School - School Hall 

Join us to celebrate the vibrant creativity of our students as their artistic talents come to life. From dazzling paintings to inventive sculptures, prepare to be amazed by the wonders they’ve crafted! Your young Picassos and Monets have been working tirelessly, and we’re not just talking about the water spills and paint stains!

Here’s a delicious bonus: You can purchase a tasty sausage sizzle and a drink for just $5! But don’t wait—be sure to book your culinary delight on QKR before 10 am on September 11th to secure your spot at the sizzle station.

Come for the art, stay for the atmosphere, and let’s make this an event to remember!

We now have a lost property box located in the office foyer, unnamed items will remain in this box for a short period of time, before they are donated to the second hand uniform shop.