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Dear Parents and Carers, 
Hope is a recurring theme in the pontificate of Pope Francis. In his letter for the promotion of the Jubilee Year the Holy Father stated:
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. This will indeed be the case if we are capable of recovering a sense of universal fraternity and refuse to turn a blind eye to the tragedy of rampant poverty that prevents millions of men, women, young people and children from living in a manner worthy of our human dignity. Here I think in particular of the many refugees forced to abandon their native lands. May the voices of the poor be heard throughout this time of preparation for the Jubilee, which is meant to restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone.”
As we embrace this Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Francis, let us all be inspired to strengthen our relationship with God and others in both word and action.
A HUGE welcome to both Angus and Alicia to our Sacred Heart family! We feel lucky to have you both!
OPEN DAY
We are looking forward to welcoming our prospective parents and children to Sacred Heart at our upcoming Open Day on Tuesday 4 March.
*Principal Address will begin at 9:30 am followed by expo, school tours and morning tea
REMEMBER siblings can begin the enrolment process now for 2026!
SHM P&F and Welcoming Committee
The P&F Executive Committee volunteers for 2025 are:
President: Claire Tynan-Woodlock
Vice President: Kate Montgomery
Shared Treasurer: Paul Graham
Shared Treasurer: Eimear O’Riordan
Secretary: Victoria McEvoy
Committee Members: Michelle Crone, Alex Lupis, Lorraine Lee
2025 P&F Meeting Dates:
Term 1 - 26 February **AGM
Term 2 - 14 May
Term 3 - 13 August
Term 4 - 5 November
Kathryn Pearson and Kate Pairman have kindly taken on the responsibility of the SHM Welcoming Committee. In this role, Kathryn and Kate will check in and welcome new families, give advice and support and answer questions in regards to settling into school. They will also be present at school functions and can be contacted throughout the year.
We thank all of our parent volunteers for their support, looking forward to a great year ahead!
Teaching Children Protective Behaviours: A Guide for Parent
Ensuring the safety and well-being of our children is a top priority for all of us. One crucial aspect of this is teaching them protective behaviours to safeguard against sexual abuse. Here are some key strategies and resources to help you navigate this important topic.
- Open Communication
- Encourage open and honest communication with your children. Let them know they can talk to you about anything, no matter how small or big it seems. Create a safe space where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.
- Teach Body Autonomy
- Educate your children about body autonomy. Explain that their body belongs to them and they have the right to say no to any touch that makes them uncomfortable. Use age-appropriate language to discuss private parts and the importance of keeping them private.
- Recognise and React
- Help your children recognise inappropriate behaviour and teach them how to react. Role-playing different scenarios can be an effective way to practice responses. Emphasise that it's okay to say no and to tell a trusted adult if something doesn't feel right.
- Online Safety
- In today's digital age, it's essential to teach children about online safety. Discuss the importance of not sharing personal information online and being cautious about interacting with strangers on the internet.
Resources for Support
Here are some valuable resources to help you further educate and protect your children:
- MOORE Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Offers a variety of resources reviewed by experts for credibility and utility[1].
- Keeping Kids Safe: Provides interactive resources and toolkits for different age groups to help children understand consent and recognise grooming behaviours[2].
- Bravehearts: Features a guide for parents and carers, along with information sheets on various topics related to child sexual abuse[3].
By equipping our children with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves, we can help create a safer environment for them to grow and thrive. Remember, prevention starts with education and open dialogue. Mrs Macourt and I will be working across our K-6 classes on this theme this term. Further information to follow.
References
[1] RESOURCES FOR PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND CHILDREN
[2] Keeping Kids Safe Resources for Teachers, Parents & Carers
[3] Free Resources - Bravehearts
PARISH COCKTAIL PARTY- invitation attached
May God bless all our families.
Mrs Leanne Meehan
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
NAPLAN
For parents in Year 3 & Year 5, we have scheduled our NAPLAN tests on the following days:
|
Wednesday 12 March |
Writing |
|
Thursday 13 March |
Reading |
|
Friday 14 March |
Conventions of Language |
|
Monday 17 March |
Numeracy |
In line with strict NAPLAN protocols, should a Year 5 student miss a writing test, they have the following day to make this up, with a Year 3 student having a few extra days to catch up. All students may catch up on the other tests during the NAPLAN test window, closing on 24 March.
After School care - SCECS
When the bell goes at the end of the day, our school has a process where we work with SCECS to ensure that all the children have arrived at aftercare. If your child is going to any extra curricular activity straight from school, before going to aftercare, please email SCECS directly so they are aware of what time your child will be in their care. This includes any children who go to Sports Club training or Bricks for Kids. Additionally, if you change arrangements for pick up of your child throughout the day, please also notify SCECS so that they can take your child off the roll. This will ensure that our teachers are not searching for children scheduled for aftercare though not actually there at 3:00pm.
Update on Absence Explanation Process in Compass
There has been a Sydney Catholic Schools change in the timing for submitting absence explanations in Compass.
In line with the NSW Education Act 1990 and the Sydney Catholic Schools Attendance Policy, as of the beginning of 2025, parents and carers will have up to 7 days following an absence to provide an explanation. After this period, any unexplained absence will automatically be recorded as such.
This means that any absences not explained within 7 days will show on your child’s Semester Reports as ‘unexplained’ and can not be retrospectively adjusted. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this very important area of student attendance.
School Photos
Our school photo day is Friday 7 March. You can now start to order your photos online. Please see the flyer from ‘The School Photographer’ with QR code and X2261EC49H order code. All orders are through the company directly and no orders are taken at school.
On the photo day - Students should wear their full summer school uniform including the correct shoes, socks and tie.
Visual Arts
Ms Liane Morris is our Visual Arts teacher. Being an artist herself Ms Morris is passionate about teaching the students the skills and concepts of art as well as expanding their knowledge of important artists and learning how to appreciate art in all its forms. Look at some of the wonderful art our Kindergarten students have produced in just two weeks.
Vanilla Blue Lunch orders - Flexischools app
Please update your child's class on the flexischools app so that they receive their order correctly. We are finding that some children are missing their orders as they automatically go to the class listed from last year.
Devices
We have noticed an increase in students trying to message or use mobile phones at school. Any mobile phone brought to school should be kept in students' bags and not used at all throughout the day. Smart watches should be kept on flight mode whilst at school. All messaging apps on phones, watches and iPads should be turners off at school. We ask for parental assistance with this matter, especially by not sending messages to your child throughout the day. If there is any urgent message, please email the office.
Chewing Gum
We have noticed an increase in the number of students bringing chewing gum to school. We ask for your assistance to ensure that chewing gum is kept at home.
Wishing you God's blessings.
Mrs Jane Taylor
Assistant Principal
Please look out for your Curriculum Newsletter, which will be sent via Compass from child’s teacher - or you may have already received it! These newsletters are designed to keep you informed about your child’s academic journey each term. They provide a clear and concise overview of the content being taught in each subject, to keep you informed and help you stay engaged with your child’s educational experiences.
By sharing this information, we hope to create valuable opportunities for meaningful conversations at home that reinforce and consolidate your child’s learning. Parents often ask, “What more can we do?” and the Curriculum Newsletter serves as a helpful guide for those moments. With homework generally focused on consolidating essential skills and concepts, the Curriculum Newsletter provides insights into how you can further support and extend your child’s understanding, if you wish to do so. Whether through thoughtful discussions, engaging at-home activities, or even family outings that align with their learnings, there are many ways to deepen their knowledge in a meaningful and enjoyable manner at home.
We encourage you to use the Curriculum Newsletter as a tool to stay connected with your child’s education and to support their learning journey throughout the year. By staying informed, you can help create rich learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom and foster a lifelong love of learning.
Thank you for your ongoing support in partnering with us to nurture your child’s academic growth.
Nerissa McCartney
PreSchool Engagement Visits
Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting several local preschools and meeting the children who will be starting their big school adventure in 2026. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and to help them feel more at ease with the transition to school. These visits are so valuable in building familiarity and excitement for the journey ahead. We can’t wait to welcome them—and their families—into our school community! If you know of any families considering joining us, be sure to invite them to our School Open Day on Tuesday, 4 March.
This year, Sacred Heart is participating in the Sydney Catholic Schools pilot program for My Mind Check—an evidence-based digital mental health and wellbeing check-in designed for Australian schools. As part of this program, students will take part in 30-minute check-in sessions at school, providing a snapshot of their wellbeing at that moment in time. These insights will help teachers better understand both individual student wellbeing and the overall wellbeing of our school community. This term, Year 2 and Year 4 will be the first grades to participate. Parents of students in these grades will receive more information very soon—so keep an eye out for this!
Have a great week!
Amanda Macourt
Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement
February is the month that is dedicated to the Holy Family, ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph.’ Thank you to the Year Six Mission Team for holding a lunchtime craft session in the Library last Friday, 14th of February, to celebrate the love of the Holy Family and the love of our own families. Students were invited to visit the library and to create a special love-themed card or craft to give to a member of their family.
The Kinder and Year Six Buddy Mass
was a fantastic turn out
last Sunday!
A very big thank you to the Kinder
families for providing morning tea, to
Year Six parents for serving morning
tea and to the Sacred Heart
families/students who volunteered to
assist at the Mass. Please see the
schedule for upcoming Family
Masses. This Sunday, all Sacred
Heart families are welcome to attend
the Parish Mass- there is no allocated
family group this Sunday. If you are
attending Mass this Sunday and your
child can assist (or you are able to
bring a small plate for the morning
tea), please fill in this google form.
Kristen Jackson,
Religious Education Coordinator.
February is dedicated to the Holy Family, a tradition that began in the 17th century.
Here are some ways to celebrate the Holy Family with your family in February:
- Pray together: Pray the Litany of the Holy Family or the rosary as a family to deepen your closeness and learn to forgive.
- Spend time together: Make time for quality conversations and bonding with your family.
- Treat each other: Take each family member out for a special treat to show them how important they are to you and God.
- Decorate: Frame pictures of the Holy Family and place them around your home. You could also add a statue or a Holy water font.
- Pray for sacrificial love: Pray for an increase of sacrificial love in your family, and that your love reflects God's love for all people.
- Learn about the Eucharist: Discover the relationship between the Eucharist and family life.
The Catholic Church dedicates February to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The special devotion to the Holy Family began in the 17th century. The Church considers the Holy Family to be the ultimate model for family life.
Also a reminder:
Our community playgroup is on this Monday 24th at 9am in the parish hall. Parents, grandparents, carer’s… All are welcome.
Tea/coffee & light morning tea is provided.
"Walking for Wellbeing" group every Tuesday morning at 8:45am. Meet at Cardinal St front gate. We walk for 45mins then morning tea.
SPaR - Stop, Pray and Reflect. Begins with morning Mass at 9:15am at Holy Family church. Then coffee & a chat for whomever is available.
Anna Macri
Family & Faith Educator
Dear Parents and Carers
The data collected during the February Census flows into the start of year planning and through to Catholic Schools NSW’s reporting obligations to the Bishops and also to other organisations such as the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC).
The February Census will be finalised from schools’ Compass data at midday on Friday 21 February 2025.
Please see attached Sydney Catholic Schools Privacy Policy and Standard Collection Notice for your information.
New SRC Students for 2025!
We are excited to announce the new Student Representative Council (SRC) members for this year! These students have been selected to represent their peers and promote positive relationships throughout the school. Please join us in congratulating the following SRC students:
- KB: Victoria Scharlack
- KG: Chloe Fitzpatrick
- 1B: Roy Malcolm
- 1G: Lottie Ugarte
- 2B: Isabel Roy
- 2G: Stella Wilson
- 3B: Emilia Knackstredt
- 3G: Zoe Allomes
- 4B: Georgia Gray
- 4G: Eleanor Jones
- 5B: George Drinan
- 5G: Olev Graham
We look forward to seeing all the great work they will do this year!
Enrolments are now open for our school for Kindergarten 2026 and will close 4th April, 2025. Start your younger child’s application now at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now.
Enrolments are also now open for Year 7 2027 for Sydney Catholic School applications from Year 5 parents. Open Day times are available at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/sibling-enrolment
Welcome to the second sporting edition of 2025! The year has already kicked off with many sporting trials occurring and our annual Sacred Heart Cross Country looming. Please read on for information.
On Monday 17th February, we had Eve and Elle in Year 6 represent Sacred Heart at the Conference Netball trials. The girls were competing for 18 available spots out of 67 to attend the Sydney trials, where they will also fight for a spot to make the Sydney Catholic Schools team. We congradulate Eve and Elle as they were successful in being selected to progress to the Sydney trials. Two teams of 9 were selected and will now represent Primary Conference 1 at the SCS Primary Netball trials on Tuesday 25th March at Netball Central, Homebush.
On Friday, we will also have three students from Year 6 playing in the Sydney Catholic Schools Basketball team in Wollongong. We wish Archie, Jorge and Lea the best of luck as they compete for a spot in the MacKillop team.
Next week we will have a few sporting trials occurring. On Monday February 24th, the following students will be attending the Conference Rugby League trial:
- Archie
- Jorge
- Iggy
- Conrad
On Wednesday 26th of February, we will have the following students attending Conference trials for Football (Soccer):
- Gisele (Year 5)
- Evan (Year 5)
- Hugo (Year 6)
- Zach (Year 6)
We wish all of the students above the best of luck as they all compete to progress to the Sydney trials.
While this is all occurring, Sacred Heart will also have Zachary Meacock away in Maitland for the week for the NSWPSSA Cricket Championship. If successful, Zachary will compete in the School Sport Australia Championships in Ballarat. Last year, Zachary was blessed to have competed in the SSA Cricket Championships in Adelaide. We wish him all the best for the results of his matches.
Parents in Year 4, 5 and 6 would have also received an email regarding PSSA AFL Trials for girls turning 10, 11 or 12 in the year of competition (2025). There will be 6 localised trials with all sectors (Public, Catholic and Independent) attending these trials. 6 teams will be selected to compete in a one day carnival. A NSW PSSA team will be selected to attend the School Sport Australia Championship. If you would like to express your interest, please refer to my email and complete any necessary documents. As students are competing for a place at a very high level, be sure to read the requirements carefully.
Student Requirements:
- AGE: Students must be turning 10, 11 or 12 in the year of competition (2025)
- Meaning it is open to students in Years 4 - 6, as long as they meet the age requirements.
- The student is to demonstrate a high level of skill development and talent in AFL
- The student is to have experience playing in regular AFL competition outside of school
- Mouthguards are mandatory for students to participate at the AFL trial
Tuesday March 11 will also mark our first Sacred Heart sporting event which will be our annual cross country for students in Year 2-6. This will be held at Allan Border Oval. The students will be required to run the following distance (or close to):
8/9 years - 2km
10 years - 2km
11 years - 3km
12/13 years - 3km
As our year begins with sporting carnivals coming, please be reminded that SCS requires additional steps for parents to volunteer. If you are looking to volunteer for any sporting events this year or in any capacity at the school, please be sure to have completed all the steps in the volunteer information pack. If you require this information or are unsure, please do not hesitate to email me or the office.
That’s all for now in sporting news. I look forward to an exciting year of sports and giving you all further updates on our student achievements throughout the year. Bring on 2025! Until next time!
Kind Regards
Miss Austrie Calizar
Sports Co-ordinator
The Turramurra store and the online ordering will be closed from Monday 24th February for stock take and system upgrades. The store and online ordering will reopen on Monday the 10th March.
We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Cowan & Lewis Pty Ltd