Dear Parents,

Thanks for taking the time to read our school newsletter. As we reach the end of the term, we would like to share some final announcements before we break for a well earned holiday for students and their teachers.

Term 3 from the perspective of our students

Despite the worries and troubles in the world around us, teaching and learning continues on with gusto at Sacred Heart. 

Although, one thing that is noticeably different at the moment is that our parents are unable to come to school and celebrate, help, see and support as they always have. It is hard for us at school not to have that in-person support, although we do know it is also hard for our parents who are so very desperate to participate in the life of the school. 

So to help parents understand what exactly has transpired at school this term in their absence, we have asked some students from each class to speak about their favourite things that happened in Term 3. Some found it very difficult to choose just one thing, but I’m sure you’ll agree that there is plenty of learning, engagement and achievement at Sacred Heart.

KGold

Charlie R - “My favourite thing this term is learning about how objects move in Science because the activities we get to do are fun.”

Molly D  - “My favourite thing is learning about fairy tales because they are entertaining and funny and good for your imagination.”

KBlue

Jack S - “My favourite thing was reading and writing about fairy tales. We created shoes that the elves and the shoemaker made in their story.”

Gwen H - “My favourite thing this term is doing Art with Miss Conroy. We learned about Jack and the Beanstalk.”

1Blue

Cole M - “My favourite thing was making chocolate crackles in Science. We were learning about mixtures and we could eat them at the end.”

Olivia N - “My favourite thing was planning the Science Fair for next term. I like the Talent Show and Art Gallery that we are planning to do on the day!”

1Gold

Ilaria L - “My favourite thing is designing shops. We have already made a bookshop, a coffee shop, a grocery shop and a playland. It helps us learn about money and how to add up what we make!”

Jude D - “My favourite thing is planning for Spring Fair. We are making our own stalls but we have to do research and make sure all of the stalls are COVID-safe! We have to be really careful.”

2Gold

Caitlin S - “My favourite thing was persuasive writing. We were asked to give persuasive speeches and my topic was ‘TV isn’t the best form of entertainment’. I really like writing about that.”

Joshua C and Archie H - “Our favourite thing was Deep Ocean Week. The best part was the watermelon pressure test which was a great experiment that showed what pressure really looks like!”

2Blue

Mason C - “My favourite thing was Maths. I really like doing Math Kahoots and using weights to estimate and measure objects in our classroom. Everyone worked in groups of three to work together. Tyler and Lucas were in my group and we learned together.”

Amelia G - “My favourite thing was speeches. I really like the public speaking competition. I wrote about the topic ‘Individuality’. This means we should be unique, we should be ourselves and be proud of who we are.”

3Gold

Bronte H  - “My favourite thing was the running relays with Mr D. We competed with our colour house. My colour house is Green. We didn’t win but it was really fun.”

Leo C - “My favourite thing is Enrichment Maths. I like it because it challenges me. The best activity was the game of ‘23’. I played the game at home with my Mum and my sister Isabella.”

3Blue

Mark R - “My favourite thing was the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Our class won! That means everyone in our class finished the Challenge. My favourite books that I read are ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ and ‘Dogmen’.”

Lucinda H - “My favourite thing was Enrichment Writing. The best thing was the Seven Sentence Stories. There are lots of rules and it forces you to express yourself with your vocabulary. It was definitely a challenge because you had to think hard about what words you will use.”

4Blue

Ailish R - “My favourite thing was creating edible soil. We have learned about soil and layers of soil. Mrs Edwards and Mr De Villiers helped us to construct edible soil using Oreos, chocolate cake, coconut, cookies and gummy worms. When we were finished, we took photographs and labelled our edible soil to show the different layers of soil.”

Scotch O  - “In our Science unit, we prepared dioramas and presentations for the class. We had different subjects that we could choose such as how shadows are formed, how tsunamis are formed or how bees collect honey. I chose to create my presentation about tsunamis.”

4Gold

Eoin O - “My favourite thing was creating Father’s Day cards and creating craft for our Dads. I really like working on activities that are hands-on. My dad was proud of what I made and he was very happy.”

Amelie W - “I really liked persuasive writing this term. In the past few days, our teacher taught us about how to plan persuasive writing texts using the OREO plan which stands for writing your opinion, your reason, an example followed by backing up with your opinion. That was the first time I’ve learned about the OREO plan. I wrote about the reasons why we should leave animals alone, and stop land clearing and promote conservation.”

5Blue

Alex G - “My favourite thing was the interclass athletics competition with Mr DeVilliers. It was good to be competing with other students. Even though we didn’t have an athletics carnival this year, we were still about to have a lot of fun with each other.”

Max F - “This term, we read two books as a class: “The War That Saved My Life” and “The War That I Finally Won” by Kimberly Bradley. We were able to Zoom with Kimberly and ask her questions about her books. It was interesting because we had our own ideas about the characters and settings, but she was able to explain her point of view as a writer. She was able to explain why she wrote the books and what inspired her to write them.”

5Gold

Sean T - “My favourite thing this term was debating. Debating is good because it means that six speakers are learning at once, we can get critical feedback and have fun. It is a challenge because the rebutts were very difficult to write and say. We were able to work in teams to help each other, research together and write together. We all get a better understanding when we work together.”

Poppy O - “I really liked the Incursions in Science Week. Science Week was all about the Deep Ocean -  we learned about animals and sea life as well as the layers of the ocean. It was interesting to hear that humans have only explored a small percentage of the ocean and even our most modern submarines can’t explore what is left. We were also able to see how germs spread by growing fungus with Dr Wylie after we swabbed door handles, basketballs and classroom items.”

6Blue

Heidi H - “We have learned lots in History this term. We have learned all about Federation, the Constitution of Australia and Magna Carta. We have done a lot of researching and fact finding, especially about Ned Kelly. We had a choice about whether to write a newspaper article about Ned or a wanted poster for Ned and his gang.”

Utsav P - “My favourite thing was Night of the Notables. The notable Australian that I have chosen to investigate is Ian Thorpe. I chose Ian Thorpe because he is a famous Australian swimmer and I’m a swimmer too. It was interesting to read that he has chlorine allergy. His greatest achievement was winning three gold medals in the Sydney Olympics, two gold medals in the Athens Olympics. Night of the Notables is good because you can learn about someone you are passionate about by creating videos, biographies and research posters.”

6Gold

Francesco S - “At the start of Term 3, we finished creating our Vivid circuit boards. It was a challenge to make the circuits work but it was really rewarding when you saw how good it looked. Creating designs like the Sydney Opera House was really fun. We were also able to use a lot of materials that we have never been able to use before.”

Veronica O - “My favourite thing was debating and public speaking. I really enjoy performing or speaking in front of large groups of people. My topic was that ‘Kids should read’. Public speaking was great because everyone was able to choose their own topic, but the teachers had to approve. We are all really excited to find out who the finalists will be!”

Ooshies and Beyblades

There is always something ‘new’ that drives our students to collect, to share and to play. At the moment, those new things are Ooshies and Beyblades. We are hearing more and more reports of these toys going missing, either through carelessness or theft. Obviously this leads to sadness and frustration on behalf of students but also on behalf of teachers and parents who try to make things right. 

We are asking students to ensure that their belongings are safe and secure within a zipped bag and are carried in bags or cases that prevent them being lost or scattered. We may look to ask students not to bring these toys to school in Term 4 if loss and theft continues, as it only serves to distract our students from their learning.

Live stream of Big Blue Awards via Zoom

Once again, we celebrate our Big Blue Awards this Thursday morning at 8.40am. Parents and friends within our community are more than welcome to join us via Zoom. We would like to remind all that attempt to join us, that you will need to have your video on and full name and surname presented upon entry or we may refuse entry or remove you from the stream.

Link: https://scscatholic.zoom.us/j/98459089469

Password: bigblue

We would like to again say a big thank you to Claudia Portale from McGrath Real Estate for her ongoing and generous donation of the awards for our students. 

As we prepare to close the school for Term 3 and begin to refresh the classrooms for Term 4, on behalf of the staff here at Sacred Heart, I’d like to wish you a restful and enjoyable break.

Mr Nick Brierley

Acting Principal

All students of 3 Blue completed this year’s NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.  Overall the school had over 100 students complete the Challenge. As a prize, these amazing readers received a collection of books for their own class library. Congratulations 3 Blue for a fabulous effort!--

COMPASS: