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Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,
In my long career as a principal I have worked in and visited lots and lots of schools. I have noticed that over time, individual schools develop their own “personality”. This is generally a product of things such as the values which the school holds, the interaction of the parents, students and staff and the leadership of the principal and senior staff. Of course, in a Catholic school this is also influenced by our faith, our Parish Priests and the broader parish community.
Another way of illustrating the personality of a school is to borrow a great line from that wonderful Australian movie “The Castle”. Quite simply, it is “the vibe”!
Indeed, Sacred Heart has a very special vibe about it. This is clearly evident in the professionalism and commitment to both wellbeing and quality teaching and learning demonstrated by staff and the support and encouragement of the parent community. Further, it is so obvious in the interactions between students and the great pride they show in their school.
I have noticed in particular that the senior students of Sacred Heart demonstrate strong leadership skills and a special sense of pastoral care towards younger students in the school. These are wonderful attributes and they too contribute to that all important “vibe” at Sacred Heart Catholic School Mosman.
Next week, our community will have an opportunity to complete the annual Tell Them From Me survey. The data gleaned from this survey helps to inform current and developing practices at Sacred Heart. In short, if there is something successful at the school, we would love to hear about it! If there are challenges to be addressed, we would love to embrace that too. The end goal of any data collection from our community about the school is to provide the best educational experience for the students at Sacred Heart.
With best wishes,
Steve Conlon
Acting Principal
Mufti for Max Day
As many of you would be aware, our former student Max Doohan passed away suddenly in March of this year. Max’s family are still very much involved at Sacred Heart with brother Archie in Year 4 this year, and Mrs Fiona Connolly and Mr Julian Doohan still active in our parent community.
I taught young Max in Year 6 in 2018. Max was a happy student who was well mannered, compassionate. I remember him as a quiet boy who would never brag about what he could do or what he knew. He was humble. He was a good friend. Max was a hard working and enthusiastic young boy with some great talents. He did very well in English and Maths, but did very well in Science and Visual Arts. He wanted to be a Scientist when he grew up. A lot of teachers have many memories of Max. All of the teachers who I have spoken to have agreed that was very talented, but above all, he was kind.
To celebrate Max’s life, we organised a fundraiser in conjunction with Max’s family for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute with students wearing all the colours of the rainbow! Although we do not yet have a final number for funds raised on the day, our students, teachers and many parents have commented on the success of the day. Thank you all for your generosity.
Would you like to volunteer at Sacred Heart? Here’s how!
Thank you to all of those parents who were able to attend our Parents as Educators information session yesterday. Information about how to volunteer in classrooms, what is required, and also how to help your child in the home was discussed. If you would like to hear some great tips, particularly in the area of helping our younger students to read and practise their skills, we would highly recommend you view the recording of the session.
If you would like to volunteer in classrooms, there is a process to follow. The steps are:
- Complete a Working With Children Check (often referred to as WWCC). The Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a requirement for anyone who works or volunteers in child-related work in NSW. It involves a National Police Check (criminal history record check) and a review of reportable workplace misconduct. Results of a National Police Check can take up to 4 weeks to be received. A WWCC is valid for 5 years. More information about the WWCC and how to apply for a WWCC can be found at the Service NSW.
- You will need to complete SCS Child Safe Communities (CSC) Contractors and Volunteers Working with Children (WWC) Accreditation Process. This process involves being inducted in child protection, reading and understanding the obligations and procedures under the relevant child protection legislation and SCS policies, as well as providing their Working With Children Check (WWCC) clearance number for verification by SCS. More information can be found at the Sydney Catholic Schools Child Safe Communities site.
- You will need to attend or view our Parents as Educators session. This was conducted earlier this week and can be viewed here.
Although this might look like an exhaustive process and might make some shy away from volunteering, we strongly encourage as many parents to persevere through the process as possible. This process just ensures that our students are protected at all times.
Our teachers, staff and students all very much appreciate the care and generosity of our parents and volunteers. Given the tumultuous year that was 2020, we would love to have parents and volunteers coming back into our classrooms as soon as possible.
Update regarding Enrichment entry processes
Earlier this year, we let parents know about our processes regarding entry to Enrichment in Numeracy and Literacy for students in Years 2-6. We mentioned that we would be utilising the CogAT assessment to help in determining the most eligible students. After much difficulty working with an international company to set up, introduce and administer these assessments, the CogAT process will be abandoned this week in favour of the AGAT (Acer General Ability Test) assessment. The AGAT assessment has been assigned to our students in Y2-6 this week, and we aim for completion within the week.
We hope to inform students and parents about Enrichment groups next week. We also thank you for your patience throughout this difficult period of assessment!
Mr Nick Brierley
Assistant Principal
The fear of success - Part 2
In last week’s newsletter we spoke in depth about the importance of hard work when it comes to success and the value of making mistakes and failing. I hope those words prompted you to reflect on how you approach mistakes. They are really important.
This week we are going to talk about attitude. You may have heard the comment, “They have talent.” What is talent? Is this a good thing? The short answer is yes. Talent is the innate ability someone has towards a particular skill. Before I go on, yes talent is a good thing and some people are very fortunate to be naturally gifted in some things. But to put it into perspective, aren’t we all? What allows talent to flourish? This is the attitude of an individual. Your approach to all that you do to achieve your goals. How you look at challenges and what you perceive as challenges. Is it a problem? Or just something that requires a lot of work?
Looking at challenges or what we deem ‘problems’ as an opportunity for growth and progression creates risk takers. These risks are good! They push us to try more things that lead us out of our comfort zone. Moving out of your comfort zone, is how resilience is built. How confidence is built. Adding to our understanding of ‘mistakes will happen and that’s good’ will prompt us to try new things. Having the attitude to try new things and to do things that you never thought you could do! That’s exciting! Understanding that with time, doing the work and persistence, you can achieve many great things. Moving from the attitude from ‘I’m not very good at this’ to ‘I’m not great yet, but I can get better if I work at it’ will show a considerable shift in your approach to challenges.
It’s ok not to be perfect. It’s ok not to be the best at something. Attitude and your approach to work is everything.
I will finish with this final comment. If it’s important to you, never be too tired. If it’s important to you, there will never be an excuse to not practice more and you will never be too bored.
Sports News - Athletics Carnival
Our Athletics Carnival is fast approaching! Students will be walking to and from Allan Border Oval on Tuesday 25th May at 9:00am and walking back to Sacred Heart at 2:00pm. If you can assist either walking your child to and from the oval, please contact your classroom teacher, or assisting in an event for the day, please contact Mr De-Villiers. Please see the article in this Newsletter regarding volunteering at school.
Staff/Parent Vs Student Netball Competition
On the last day term 2, Friday 25th June, we will be hosting a Saff/Parent Vs Student Netball game. More details will come in the following weeks. If you would like to take part in this game (regardless of experience) please email Mr De-Villiers. Please note that you will need to be available from 1:45pm to 3:00pm on this date.
Fruit of the week - Bananas!
This week I have been really getting into Bananas! Musa in latin, Bananas are an absolute staple fruit in most households. There are 2 really great things that I really like about bananas:
- They are packed full of micronutrients! Potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Copper. Wait! Isn’t Copper a metal?
- They are the base ingredient for many super delicious meals! Banana Muffins (also a great game) Banana Pancakes and Banana Bread to name a few.
Bonus benefit! You can freeze them and make some great smoothies! You just have to peel them first. Trust me I know! One time I froze a Banana unpeeled. It wasn’t yellow anymore!
So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a bunch! Did I also mention Banana Bread?
Dear SCECS families,
- Any bookings made within 7 days will incur a $10 late booking fee
- Any cancellations made within 7 days will be charged the full cost of the day
- Children must be dropped off and collected in person by an authorised contact so they can be signed in and out of the service - for excursions you will need to sign a permission slip on the day or your child will be unable to attend
8 Cardinal St | Mosman NSW 2088
m: 0436 646 753
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ENROLMENT DOCUMENTATION
SCHOOL FEES 2021
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