Dear Community of Scared Heart

It is my pleasure to contribute to our last newsletter for 2019. Mrs Staines wishes you to know she is recovering well and is wishing you a happy Christmas.

The theme of our graduation and end of year mass was ‘I Believe’, and the words of the mass are a fitting reflection to include here.

‘The American theologian, Joel Osteen once said, “I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.” Today is our chance to not only celebrate our life at Sacred Heart but also to pay our respect and genuine thanks to all those people that have helped us to develop our talents and build belief in ourselves to find success.

We come here today to give thanks and to pray that our lives continue to be guided by God’s steadfast love and mercy and that we may use our gifts of the Spirit to spread God’s love to others.’

And so, may I share that blessing to you all in this joyful season when we celebrate the peace and joy of the birth of Jesus. We know that God puts the right people, in the right place, at the right time to support us, to bring joy and to nurture growth. At Sacred Heart we have talented and dedicated staff, amazing students and community-minded families who continually work to bring peace and joy into the lives of others.

Staffing and Classes

As announced earlier this week, Matt O’Dwyer has accepted a position in another school for 2020. We wish him all the very best and thank him for his work as a teacher and curriculum cooodinator. The work he has done to set up curriculum, carnivals and events will be felt for many years to come.

You can imagine the hole this has left in our staffing plans. Thanks for your patience this week in waiting for announcements of classes for 2020 as we made new arrangements. Staff have been very supportive. A list cannot be published until the new year, as we are yet to finalise all positions. Class lists will be displayed in the front office and kinder courtyard noticeboard from 3pm today. They are correct at the time of printing.

We join with Our Parish - Mary Help of Christians in praying for relief from the drought. (Orginally published in The Catholic Voice)

In a departure from previous years, Mary Help of Christians parish at South Woden has forsaken the traditional Christmas tree and installed the dead branches of a Eucalyptus tree for its season of Advent.

“It’s designed to serve as a powerful symbol and reminder of the plight of our farmers and others battling the drought,” says Fr Richard Thompson.

“In recognition of that suffering and instead of the customary star, the ‘tree” has an upturned umbrella at its apex,” he said. “The umbrella will stay upturned until we have rain and only then will we turn it the right way up.”

“A ‘Prayer for the Gift of Rain’ is alongside the display and we invite parishioners and visitors to spend a moment in reflection and prayer at the tree,” Fr Richard said

Yours faithfully,

Kerry Wode 

Assistant Principal