Dear Community,

Congratulations to many of our Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Friday and Saturday evening. These were truly special ceremonies filled with faith, joy, and community spirit.

We sincerely thank Father Emil for his pastoral and spiritual leadership throughout this important milestone. We are also grateful to Fr Richard Thompson, Vicar of Education, for presiding over the ceremony on Friday night with such grace and wisdom.

Special thanks go to Katie Imbriano, our Religious Education Coordinator, for her leadership in preparing our students for this sacrament. We also appreciate the ongoing support from the Mary Help of Christians Parish and our Year 6 teachers and staff, who were crucial in guiding and supporting our students on their faith journey.

Congratulations once again to all our newly confirmed students and their families. This is a particular time in your faith journey, and we are proud to celebrate it with you. May the Holy Spirit guide and inspire you in the years to come.

Twilight Fair- Friday 8 November

Our much-anticipated Twilight Fair is fast approaching! Please mark your calendars for Friday, 8 November, as we prepare for a fantastic evening of fun, food, and community spirit.

To make this event a success, we need the support of our wonderful parents. Even an hour of your time can make a big difference. Please consider signing up to help on a stall—your involvement is key to ensuring that this day is enjoyable for everyone.

Let’s come together to create a memorable and exciting community day. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Fathers Day

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Father’s Day breakfast last Friday morning. It was a fantastic start to the day, and it was great to see so many of you there, celebrating together as a community.

We want to express our gratitude to all those who helped with breakfast, setting up, and cleaning up. Your efforts made the morning run smoothly; we couldn’t have done it without you.

We hope all the fathers in our community had a special and joyful Father’s Day on Sunday.

Good luck Tournament of Minds Teams

Two of our talented Tournament of Minds (ToM) teams will represent Sacred Heart at the Australian National University (ANU) this Saturday. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication.

Tournament of Minds is an international problem-solving competition that challenges students to work in teams to solve complex, open-ended challenges. These challenges span disciplines such as STEM, the Arts, Social Sciences, and Language Literature. The competition encourages creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and the ability to think outside the box.

Participating in ToM offers our students numerous benefits. It helps them develop essential skills such as collaboration, time management, and communication. It also fosters a love for learning, as students are encouraged to explore new ideas and approaches to problem-solving in a supportive and stimulating environment.

Thank you to Mrs Wode and Mrs Filardo for coordinating our teams and Mr Fulton for assisting, too. We wish our teams the best this Saturday as they showcase their talents and represent our school. We know they will do us proud, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements!

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

STEAM news and equipment

We have an amazing community. We nearly have everything we need. Thanks very much for all the donations.

What do we still need?

• old shirts/smocks to protect their uniform from paint. An adult button-up shirt is perfect. Year 1 and 2 need these.
• 1.25- 2L plastic soft-drink bottles with lids.
• Pen lid, preferably without a hole in the top

I require the assistance of an adult helper on Wednesday mornings for the next 3 weeks during Kinder's STEAM lesson. I have one lovely volunteer to help with some craft, but would love another patient person. Could it be you? 9.30-10.30 Wednesday morning for 3 weeks. Email me if you could assist.

Yours faithfully,

Kerry Wode – Assistant Principal and STEAM teacher

If your child is not returning to Sacred Heart Primary in 2025, please complete and forward the following document to the school office. This information is required for class organisation and government accountability. 

It’s National Child Protection Week, and this year’s theme, “Every Conversation Matters”, is a timely reminder of how powerful everyday chats with children can be – especially when it comes to their online lives.  

The online world offers incredible opportunities but also has its share of risks we need to educate children about. Think of it like teaching a child to ride a bike. You wouldn’t send them off without practice or a helmet. The same goes for the online world – we need to ensure children are prepared and protected before they start navigating it on their own. 

A growing concern in Australia and around the world is child sexual abuse online. It’s a tough topic, but it’s one we need to address head-on. This issue is affecting children of all ages, showing up in different ways like non-consensual sharing of intimate images, tech-facilitated child sexual abuse, sexual extortion and the grooming of a child with the intention to abuse them online or in person.  

With 11% of teens aged 14-17 reporting they’ve been solicited sexually online, it’s more important than ever to create environments where children feel safe to speak up – whether they’re at home or school. 

So, what can you do? The good news is that as parents, carers and educators, you can take practical steps to make a real difference. Our research shows that when we strengthen the support systems around children, we give them the best chance to stay safe online. 

To help you get started, in this edition you’ll find: 

• New resources for parents and carers to help protect children from sexual abuse online 
• Virtual classroom webinars for students 
• Our new parent campaign 
• How we’re holding social media giants accountable to protect children online. 

Together, we can ensure children have the support they need to explore the online world safely. Let’s make every conversation count this National Child Protection week – and beyond ? 

Our new initiative for parents is focused on empowering families to feel confident about keeping their children safe online by using our parent resources. Starting today, you might spot some ads on social media promoting this initiative. We encourage you to join the conversation by sharing it with your family, friends, or school community and checking out our parent resources. 

Last Friday we celebrated our Fathers, Grandfathers and special friends with a beautiful breakfast and mass. The students had time to show off their classrooms and work that they have done. We would like to say a big thank you to all the Parents and Carers who volunteered at the breakfast.

Congratulations to the Sacred Heart students who celebrated their Sacrament of Confirmation last Friday and Saturday evening. The masses were deeply reverent with quite reflection and insightful homilies by Fr. Richard and Fr. Emil.

Thank you to our Parish Priest Fr. Emil, for guiding and preparing the children over the last few weeks. Thank you also to Melanie and Christina from Mary Help of Christians Parish and the wonderful parishioners who have been praying for the children.

Thank you to the families who have supported their children over the last few weeks preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. You have been crucial in nurturing their faith development.

We had members of the Sacred Heart Staff in attendance at the masses, to witness the children’s relationship with God made stronger through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for always being present in the faith journey of our students.

Congratulations to these children on making their Sacrament of Confirmation. We will congratulate these children as a school community at tomorrow’s assembly.

Lydia A                                  Madeleine K                                               

Felix A                                    Hayley L

Ella B                                      Olivia L

Arkin C                                  Eloise Mc

Holly C                                   Nicholas R

Anna D                                 Domenique S

Liera G                                  Aneka T

Matilda H                            Maiya W

Elliot H

Team RSTA's School Holiday Tennis Camps

Attention: All Parents,Members and Friends,

Team RSTA's School Holiday Tennis Camps will be commencing soon, don't forget to put your registrations in today. Click on the holiday camp you are interested in below to register:

Team RSTA Holiday Camps    

  Week 1:

Monday 30th September  - Friday 4th October 2024 (5 Day Camp) 

Venue:

Bungendore Park TC & North Woden TC

  Week 2: 

Tuesday 8th October  - Friday 11th October 2024 (4 Day Camp) 

Venue:

North WodenTC & Braidwood TC

More Info & what's included:

Suitable from ages 5yrs - 16yrs

Only Half day Options this term

All abilities welcome

Morning Tea ( 1/2 day) 

Afternoon Tea ( Full day)

Free use of Equipment

Free Sausage Sizzle BBQ last day of camp

Prizes & Giveaways

Fun & games

Safe & Secure environment

RSTA’s School Holiday Tennis Camps will be conducted at:

North Woden Tennis Club (NWTC), Hughes, ACT

Bungendore Park TC (BPTC), Bungendore, NSW

Braidwood TC ( BTC), Braidwood, NSW

If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to call Frank on 0438 258 624 (North Woden TC) 

If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to call Dave on 0424 295 634 (Bungendore Park & Braidwood TC) 

If you have already registered thank you and we look forward to seeing you all out on court soon!