Dear Parents and Carers

The first Sunday of Advent is this Sunday the 29th of November.  On this day we begin the waiting and watching for the birth of Jesus. He said to his disciples:  “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” We will celebrate the beginning of Advent on Friday. 

The excitement is building for our first student led Christmas Fair. The budget has been agreed upon, the showbags have sold out, the tickets have been purchased, the weather checked, the orders have arrived, reporters are on standby… Our assembly to start the Christmas Fair will be well worthwhile tuning in at 8.40 on this Zoom link:

• • https://scscatholic.zoom.us/j/96323933966 

  • Password: christmas

Last week Year Five began their leadership journey with a special Year Five Leadership Day. The students of Year Five and the teachers had some special speakers for the day. We were lucky enough to hear from four Year Five parents who hold leadership positions in their working roles. Simone Hector-Constant, Brad McCarthy, Guy Holland and Dr James Edwards spoke to the children about the importance of listening to their colleagues, the values of faith, generosity and courage in leadership, staying true to their organisation's values, developing the skills for leadership in others and staying true to yourself as a leader. Thank you to these parents for taking time out of their busy schedules to prioritise sharing their wisdom with our new emerging leaders at Sacred Heart.

The  Big Blue Award recipients for this term were:

A number of parents filled out the TELL THEM From ME SURVEY last term. The survey results and comments are returned to the school. I have included a summary of the feedback from the survey questions and have collated the comments into major groups to provide you with feedback. The school’s responses are compared to the norms for all schools that the Tell them from Me company surveys.

The students in Years Four to Six filled out the student survey. The results of their responses were:

Social Engagement

The students scored themselves on or above the norm for positive relationships and participation in school life.

School Engagement

The students scored themselves above the norm for valuing the school and for positive behaviour at school.

Academic Engagement

The students scored the school above average for interest, motivation and quality of instruction.

The students showed very few of the early signs of disengagement from learning

• Our older students were very engaged compared to the norm.

The drivers for engagement in school are : 

• Quality instruction
• Positive teacher/student relations
• Positive learning climate
• Expectations for success
• Advocacy at school

Parents across all grades were surveyed:

The parents scored the school above the norm for: 

• Parents feel welcome at the school
• Being an inclusive school
• Safety at school - their child feels safe
• The school supports positive behaviour

The parents scored the school on average for:

• The school supports learning
• Parents support learning at home
• Parents are informed

Summary of parent comments from the survey:

The highest number of very positive comments were about the school’s:

Covid response, values, teachers, pastoral care, Principal, feedback and diverse learning.

The second highest number of comments said they valued the following about the school:

The community, networks, parents, sport and pastoral care from families to families.

A small number of parents comments related to a future challenge to improve the frequency of academic feedback.

Many thanks to the many parents who filled out the survey for 2020.

Character Strength liturgies begin next Monday. They are all being held in the church and all begin after 2pm. The date for each class is in the Compass calendar.

Lastly, we have staff who are training to co-ordinate Carline.  We would greatly appreciate it if you would ensure that your surnames are clearly displayed on your car visors and that the carline process is followed to ensure no delays.

Regards

Julie Caldwell

Thank for all the wonderful donations of milk cartons. Almost 500 were used to create our white Christmas tree. It really is beginning to look like Christmas at Sacred Heart.  Tune in on zoom for the big fun planned on Friday.

Vinnies will be holding its Christmas Appeal on the weekend of 28-29 November.  For the Christmas Appeal donors will once again be given the opportunity to donate at the weekend masses via Vinnies envelopes or tap and donate via EFTPOS.  In addition, donors will also have the option to donate online via the Vinnies Northern Suburbs Region Fundraising Page.

With so many people thrown into unemployment due to COVID-19, the demand for assistance is increasing enormously.

The local volunteers provide assistance to the needy in our region as part of Vinnies NSW.  All the funds raised in the Christmas Appeal will go to assist those in need within our parish of Sydney Harbour North.

To help Vinnies provide support for those in our community who need it the most we are inviting people to make a donation by clicking on the fundraising page link or by scanning the QR code in the Vinnies 2020 Christmas Appeal Flyer.

Thank you for your support.

COMPASS: