Dear Parents and Carers,

This is my final newsletter for the year! What a year it has been!

As we reach the end of another school year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who makes our school the special place that it is.

To our students—you are the heart of this community. Your curiosity, resilience, and achievements inspire us every day. Watching you grow, learn, and shine this year has been a true joy.

To our teachers and staff—you are the foundation of this school. Your dedication, creativity, and care make all the difference. Thank you for your tireless efforts to create a nurturing and enriching environment for our students. Some of you will be leaving at the end of the year and I wish you all an abundance of blessings as you begin the next chapter in your journey.

To our families—you are our greatest partners. Your unwavering support, involvement, and encouragement are essential to our success. Whether attending events, volunteering your time, or simply cheering from the sidelines, you have been there every step of the way. HUGE THANKS FOR MY GORGEOUS HAMPER, I feel very spoiled!!

This year has been full of learning, growth, and shared moments that remind us why we come together as a community. As we move into the holiday season and a well-deserved break, I hope you take time to reflect on the accomplishments of the year and look forward to the opportunities ahead.

Thank you for your trust and partnership throughout this year. I wish you all a joyous and restful holiday season, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year for another chapter of learning and success at Sacred Heart. Please remember that Year 1-6 return to school on Monday 3 February and our Kindergarten children will return on Tuesday 4 February.

Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time of waiting and joyful anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. In the liturgy of the Church we await both the birth and the promised return of Christ. This week, we marked the first week of Advent with a special prayer at assembly where we lit our first Advent Wreath candle.

What do the candles mean?

• The first candle, called the “Prophet’s Candle,” symbolizes hope. The Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival.
• The second candle, called “Bethlehem’s Candle,” represents faith. Micah had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, forging a connection between King David and his coming descendent whose kingdom and throne would be established forever.
• The third candle, called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” symbolizes joy. To the shepherds’ great joy, angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too.
• The fourth candle, called the “Angel’s Candle,” represents peace. The angels proclaimed that Jesus came to bring peace on earth—He came to bring people close to God and to each other again.
• The (optional) fifth candle, called “Christ’s Candle,” represents purity and light. It is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Day, commemorating the arrival of the Light of the World.

We farewell Miss Sarah Morgan who has been a wonderful part of our school family—our Kindergarten teacher.

She has been the guiding light for so many young learners, shaping their first experiences of school with care, patience, and a whole lot of love. She has not just taught the ABCs and 123s but also planted the seeds of curiosity, confidence, and kindness in every little heart.

Sarah, watching you nurture each child with such care has been inspiring and a reminder of the incredible impact teachers have on young lives.

We are so excited for you as you step into this next chapter of your life at Loreto, Kirribilli and we know you’ll continue to bring light and joy to everyone you meet.

On behalf of the entire Sacred Heart community, thank you for everything you’ve done. You will be missed, but you will always remain a cherished part of our school family.

In 2025, we welcome the following staff to our Sacred Heart Family:

Miss Montana James

Miss James is an enthusiastic and motivated teacher having worked across the Diocese of Broken Bay. She comes highly recommended and has been commended for her great work ethic and initiative. She prides herself on building trusting relationships and creates positive and engaging learning environments that foster student growth. Miss James is very much looking forward to joining our Sacred Heart family in 2025, we are thrilled to welcome you, Miss James!

Miss Catherine Pringle

Miss Pringle is an experienced teacher who will join our Sacred Heart team in 2025. She is a compassionate educator with a strong interest in social justice and believes in empowering the new generation to be individuals of integrity and purpose. I had the pleasure of working with Miss Pringle at Blessed Sacrament before she moved interstate. She has now settled back in Sydney and is ready to contribute to the success of our school. Welcome, Miss Pringle!

Mr Jack Harton

Mr Harton comes to us with many years of experience in classroom teaching and leadership, more recently as an Assistant Principal in Ireland. He is an enthusiastic and energetic teacher who loves using a variety of methodologies to engage his students. Mr Harton has been credited as someone who can motivate his students and build lasting relationships. He has been working within our school over the past few months as a casual teacher and is very much looking forward to joining our team in a full-time capacity in 2025.

Mrs Sharon Roberts

Mrs Roberts will be teaching Drama and Music in 2025. She is a highly experienced educator and leader with extensive knowledge, skills and expertise in all facets of the Creative Arts. She has a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher, performing arts faculty head, Deputy Principal and 10 years as a Principal. Throughout her career she has championed Creative and Performing Arts Education as an essential component of holistic education. Her knowledge of the K-12 Drama and Music curriculum is extensive. At primary level, she has designed performing arts programs for students at many schools, delivered primary drama and music workshops and conducted annual auditions for some 200 prospective students who wish to gain a place in the selective Drama or Music stream at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. Mrs Roberts will work alongside Ms Liane Morris who will be our Visual Arts teacher. Warm welcome, Mrs Roberts!

Mrs Sarah Forrester

We welcome Mrs Sarah Forrester to our Administration team. Sarah currently works at St Thomas Catholic Primary School, Nth Willoughby where she will remain 2 days a week and at Sacred Heart 3 days per week in 2025. Sarah is a very experienced School Support Officer and uses all of the platforms within our school so that transition has been seamless. She has been working 1 day per week with Mrs Imlach and the team to begin handover. We welcome Mrs Forrester to our Sacred Heart Family.

Class Teachers 2025

Kindergarten Blue: Miss Jessica Hollingsworth     

Kindergarten Gold: Miss Montana James

 

1 Blue: Miss Catherine Pringle          

1 Gold: Mrs Juli Loveridge (M, T, W, Th)     

              TBC (F)

 

2 Blue: Mrs Bridget Choi (M, T, W)                

            Mrs Kylie O’Callaghan (Th, F)

2 Gold: Mr Daniel Nokes

 

3 Blue: Miss Abbey Adamo

3 Gold: Mrs Cathy Curran (M, T, W, Th)                              

              Mrs Veronica Hunt (F)

                                 

4 Blue: Mrs Emma McCoy                            

4 Gold: Mr Thomas O’Donoghue

 

5 Blue: Mr Jack Harton            

5 Gold: Mrs Marilina Watson (M, T, W, Th)                                

              Mrs Sue Loughland (F)

 

6 Blue: Miss Kristen Jackson (M, T, W) 

              Mrs Jane Tracey  (Th, F)    

6 Gold: TBC *we have been overwhelmed with the number of applicants for our positions but we want to ensure the best fit for our school so we will continue our recruitment for this role

May God bless all our families.

Leanne Meehan

Executive Principal

Thank you to all our teachers and staff for their dedication and commitment throughout the year, we are so lucky to work together. Thank you to all of our parents and carers for your support and for all that you do for our school, your generosity is truly appreciated. A huge thank you to the beautiful students for the enthusiasm you bring each day, it has been wonderful to see your learning growth this year. For all those students and staff who are leaving, I wish you all the best in this new chapter of your life. As Saint Mary Mackillop told us “We are but travellers here” and I thank you all for travelling with us at Sacred Heart, whether for a long time or just a short journey, you will be missed and we are blessed to have had you as part of our school community. 

P & F Thank you

To the P & F and all parents, thank you for my lovely hamper, which I will certainly enjoy, and for your generosity with vouchers for our staff.  

A wonderful evening was celebrated at Warringah Bowls as the final P & F social night for the year. Thank you to our P & F executive for all of their organisation of the night and it was wonderful to see so many of our parents attending such a happy and successful event. 

Christmas ‘Carols on the Court’ today

What an exciting evening for our students. They should be in their classroom at 5:15pm, ready to start at 5:30pm. Children come dressed in their costumes as advised. All students remain with their class teacher during the carols. They can not sit with parents and we ask parents to keep all ramps free so the children can move around easily. 

Open classrooms - Festive theme

Coming up on Monday - opening our classrooms with a ‘festive theme’ to finish the year. This event is an opportunity for parents to come into the classroom to see their child’s learning and Christmas work or activities displayed around the room.  

Monday 16 December

8:50 - 9:20 Kindy, Year 3 & Year 4

9:20 - 10:10 Year 1, Year 2 & Year 5 

Final assembly for the year 

Our final assembly for the year is Friday 13 December - 8:40 am.  During this assembly we will award:

• Academic awards - one student from each grade Kindergarten to Year 5 for academic achievement in the following areas: Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Deep Learning, Physical Education and Creative Arts. Our Year 6 Academic awards are given at their Graduation Mass. 
• Sacred Heart Blue Awards for Faith, Generosity and Courage
• Max Doohan Awards for Sport
• Arrowsmith Awards

Guard of Honour for Year 6 & other students leaving 

A beautiful tradition where the whole school makes a guard of honour to farewell our Year 6 and other leaving students for the final time. This will take place on Wednesday 18 December at 2:20 pm. We welcome all parents and carers to join in this event. 

Classes for 2025 and Meet the Teacher

Our teachers, Miss Monckton, Mrs Meehan and I have spent many days organising and much thought on classes for 2025 to ensure that we have the ‘best fit’ of classes for all our students. We have taken into consideration many factors including:

• parent requests or information
• teacher observations or requests
• academic and well-being needs of our students
• diverse learning needs
• social and emotional needs of our students
• friendships, ability to work together and overall class dynamic
• ratio of boys and girls in each class
• the mixing of both classes from this year Blue and Gold to form new classes
• student friend preferences and individual circumstances

As you can imagine, this is a very comprehensive process. When considering parent requests we have achieved one or two aspects of the request.  Some parents shared a list of many friends they wanted for their child and we ask for your understanding that only one of two of these can be achieved.  Some parents requested their child not be with another child and we have honoured this where possible. 

Every child completed a 'friendship hand' where they listed five friends that they would like in their class. The teachers clearly explained that they would have one friend in their class for next year. Our Year 6 buddies assisted Kindergarten in this process. We have checked student friend choices in line with their new class and are very happy to advise that every child has one friend of their choice for 2025.  Some children have more than one friend, depending on the class mix. 

Blue and Gold are the class names across our school. If your child is in the same colour class for 2025, it doesn’t mean they have stayed in the class while others have moved. All students from the Year level were joined and then mixed into two new classes. Please remember that at a two stream school, the children are mixed each year. 

Our classes for 2025 are now finalised and no changes will be made (you can imagine that after completing this process, changing even one child would have a flow on impact to others). Next Tuesday afternoon is our ‘meet the new class’ & teacher session which provides opportunities for students to hear about some of the learning and expectations for 2025. When your child tells you about their new class and friends that may or may not be with them, we encourage you to be positive about the year as this will be your child’s learning journey and a new class is a new opportunity for learning and friendships.  

NEW - Parent Information Handbook

We have recently been working on an all-new Parent Information site.  This will take over from the current Parent Handbook attached to our School Website and does not have a password to log in.

Please take the time to read it as it has much information regarding our school that is quite invaluable.  It will be amended as needs arise.

Merry Christmas

I wish you a beautiful Christmas with your family and friends, celebrating the joy of Jesus’ birth, and I hope that you are able to have some time to relax and refresh during this special time of year. 

We look forward to welcoming students in Year 1 - 6 on Monday 3 February 2025 and our new Kindergarten students on Tuesday 4 February, 2025.

Wishing you God’s Blessings, 

Jane Taylor

Assistant Principal

Second Week of Advent

We are now in the second week of the Church season of Advent, Peace.

On Monday, our school captains led us in prayer as we lit the candle of Peace.

May we all be instruments of peace this week. Our final Advent Prayer will be on Monday 16th of December where we will reflect on the third week of Advent, Joy

End of Year Whole School Thanksgiving Mass

Tuesday, 17th December 9.15am followed by the Parent Volunteer morning tea in the Parish Hall.

Family Masses

Year Four Family Mass this Sunday, 15th December. If your child would like to participate, please fill in this google form link here.

Vinnies Christmas Hamper Drive

Thank you Sacred Heart for the kindness and generosity that you have shown, in contribution to the Vinnies Christmas Hamper Drive. The Year Six Pope Francis Award students will assist with packing the Christmas hampers this week. Christmas hampers will be presented to Mr Peter Marshall from the St Vincent de Paul Society, at our Thanksgiving Mass next Tuesday, 17th December.

Year Six Religious Education Test

Congratulations to the Year Six students for their efforts in completing the Year Six Religious Education Test for 2024. Last week we awarded the recipients of the Distinction and High Distinction certificates.

SCS Christmas Story Art Competition

Congratulations to the students in Years 5 and 6 who participated in the SCS Christmas Story Art Competition for 2024. Although Sacred Heart artworks did not reach the finals this year, it in no way diminishes the time and effort the students dedicated to creating their pieces. Congratulations to Pamela Cedeno Stewart, Olivia Crone, Olivia Doughty,

Emily Feltham, Cole Mathews, Mia O’Callaghan, Clara Ugarte, Heidi Wilkins, Bennet Zhao and Matthew Zhao from Year Five.

Congratulations to Olivia Myburgh and Caitlin Swain from Year Six.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health is not only the absence of disease; it's a state of complete wellbeing.

The 5 dimensions of health and wellbeing are physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social.

With Christmas and the holidays approaching, this is my Happy Wellbeing Christmas Wish for you all.

Physical health - This week, if it's not part of a regular pattern, maybe try to find a way to take in a walk, catch a sunrise or sunset, play with the kids in the yard or throw a frisbee to the dog ... A drive to the beach for ice cream works too.

Mental health - Always a tricky one to see what’s happening, but if you can say you are cared for, that people value your contributions and that what you do - matters, then I think you’re kicking a lot of goals.

Emotional health - Not every day is easy. Not every relationship adds to our cup. In fact, many deplete us of our energy. But if you have a sense of purpose and have someone to talk to - then you’re probably doing ok.

Spiritual health - Everything about you indicates not only are you on point but you point others towards this - gratitude, compassion and empathy for others, your ability to build connections and community - it’s gold stars all the way and God really is on your side.

Social health - ok … so … sometimes there are imbalances here but never doubt that people aren’t interested in you or keen to see you - they are. Every time you surround yourself with your people,  they are fun times.

I hope to greet more of you next year, either at the front gate in the morning, at our community playgroup, Walking for Wellbeing group or at Wednesday morning mass followed by coffee.

I will continue to keep you & your families in my prayers. Stay safe over the Christmas break.

Something for the whole family to enjoy!

Christmas at the Cathedral

12 - 25 December 2024,

5:30 pm till 10:30 pm Every Night

Experience the magic of Christmas at our 14-day festival in the heart of Sydney! From 12th to 25th December, the forecourt of St Mary’s cathedral will come alive each night with food and gift stalls, live entertainment, and captivating roaming performers.

Don’t miss the breathtaking light projections onto the Cathedral, the highlight of this much- loved annual event, retelling the classic story

“A Christmas Carol”.

All are invited to experience the wonder of Christmas.  

Anna Macri

Family & Faith Educator

Encouraging Summer Reading for Continued Growth  

As we approach the summer holidays, it's important to remember that learning doesn't take a break. Maintaining the incredible progress your children have made this year relies on keeping their minds active, and there is no greater tool for this than reading.

Research shows that consistent reading during the holidays not only helps students retain the skills they've developed throughout the year but also ensures they are ready to tackle new challenges when school resumes. Conversely, a lack of reading over the break can result in a significant loss of literacy skills, sometimes referred to as the "summer slide." This loss can make it harder for children to catch up once they return to the classroom.

There is nothing more impactful for your child’s education than encouraging them to read every day. Reading strengthens their vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, and imagination, setting them up for success across all areas of learning.

Tips for Supporting Summer Reading

Here are some practical ways you can help your child maintain their literacy skills:

• Make Reading a Daily Habit: Set aside a dedicated time for reading each day, even just 15–20 minutes.
• Choose the Right Books: Let your child select books they are interested in to foster a love for reading.
• Explore Different Genres: Encourage them to try fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and graphic novels to keep things exciting.
• Read Together: Share a story with younger children or take turns reading chapters with older ones.
• Visit Libraries: Local libraries often run fantastic holiday reading programs with prizes and activities.
• Use Technology Wisely: Audiobooks and eBooks can be a fun alternative, especially during car trips or quiet moments.

Literature Recommendations:

• Storyline Online – Free video readings by actors.
• Epic! Books – A digital library with many free options.
• Goodreads Children – Lists of top-rated books.
• Australian Book Lists for Kids – Great Australian stories.

Make this holiday a time of discovery and growth through reading. Your encouragement and involvement can make all the difference. Every book they read is a step towards their future success.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful summer filled with new experiences and quality family time.

Thank you for a wonderful year!

Nerissa McCartney
Leader of Teaching and Learning

This term has been an exciting time as we introduced our new School Wide Positive Behaviours for Learning expectations: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind.

Students have thoroughly enjoyed earning Positive Behaviour Reward Tokens and voting for their preferred whole-school reward. The votes are almost in, and it’s looking like we’ll celebrate with a sport and free play afternoon topped off with refreshing ice blocks!

Our weekly class PAWS Awards have been a highlight, recognising students for their consistent positive behaviours, alongside our Merit Awards for academic achievement. These moments of recognition have brought smiles to many faces and have fostered a sense of pride across our school.

Thank you to all parents and carers for your invaluable partnership in supporting and promoting these positive behaviours. Together, we are building a thriving, respectful, and kind school community.

Here’s to continuing the great momentum into 2025! 

As the year concludes, I want to wish all our families a joyful and peaceful Christmas season. May your holidays be filled with love, laughter, and cherished moments. ?✨

I look forward to working with you all again next year!

Warm regards,

Amanda Macourt

Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement

Welcome to the final sporting edition of 2024! What an eventful year it has been with many sporting events, gala days, students representing MacKillop at State and so much more. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all of your support this year, especially to the staff and parents who willingly sacrifice their time to assist me with the running of these events. It is no easy feat.

To start us off, I would like to begin by notifying Year 5 and Year 6 parents for 2025 that expressions of interest for sporting pathways will open early next year. An email will be sent out in week 1 of school next year to register your interest. The sports included are netball, football (soccer), rugby league, rugby union, hockey, softball, diving, touch and rugby 7’s (girls only). For sports with a high level of interest, a physical in school trial will need to be held to select students. Please note that before registering your interest, students must meet requirements which will be listed on the information sheet with the link to register your interest. This includes but is not limited to:

• The student is to demonstrate a high level of skill development and talent in desired sport
• The student is to have experience playing in regular competition outside of school
• School requirements
• Age restrictions
• Selection trials are not come and try activities for students - Do not send students with limited experience

Zachary was given some great opportunities such as opening the batting for NSW and was one of the youngest students to participate in the championships. On his batting, he scored an amazing milestone of 54 not out off 53 balls which a year five student has never done in the tournament. Zachary was also commended on his wicket keeping skills.

One of the main goals in not only the championships but sport in general, is that Zach was able to make some lifelong friendships and further developed teamwork, resilience, sportsmanship and his leadership skills. He has already set a goal for next year in which we are rooting for him!

For information on any sporting events or holiday camps that will be offered over the school holidays, please read further.

CSNSW Sport Aquathlon

The 2024 CSNSW Sport Aquathlon is open to students in Catholic schools in NSW.

Parents register their child through the CSNSW Sport portal.

Timings

Heats from 8:30 am

Finals from 11:30 am

Distances

8 – 11 yrs 100m swim, 1km run

12 – 19 yrs 200m swim, 1.8km run

For more information go to link -

https://csnsw.sport/sports/csnsw-sport-programmes/aquathlon

 

Kick Off the Ultimate School Holiday Fun with Sydney FC!  

Exciting news for your little future football star this school holiday!  

Sydney FC are back with their popular Holiday Clinics this Summer - bigger and better than ever!

Whether your child is a beginner or ready to take their game to the next level, their 3-day clinics are filled with football fun, skill development, and making new friends.

The Three-Day Packages cost $310 and includes:

• Games, challenges, and skill-building fun from 9am to 3pm.
• Expert coaching with friendly, qualified coaches.
• Sydney FC training kit & hat.
• Three-Game Clinic Membership for the 2024/25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.

Sydney FC also offers Girls Only Clinics, designed to introduce girls to football or help them boost their skills, motor abilities, and decision-making. These clinics also focus on building teamwork, confidence, and social skills.

Girls Only Clinics – $119 (or $89 with kit) Includes:

• Fun from 9am to 3pm.
• Expert coaching with our friendly female coaches.
• Sydney FC Training Kit.
• Three-game Junior Membership.

Don’t miss out on the fun – let’s kick off the holidays in style!  

Secure your spot NOW https://my.sydneyfc.com/holiday-clinics

That’s a wrap for our sporting segment for the year of 2024. Thank you for bringing me such an eventful and great year in the world of sport and physical education. I wish you all a merry christmas and happy new year. May you enjoy this festive season with your family and loved ones and enjoy the break. I look forward to bringing you more news and sporting achievements in 2025!

Kind Regards,

Austrie Calizar

Sports Co-ordinator