Dear Community,

This Friday, we celebrate World Teachers' Day, a special occasion to recognise and appreciate the incredible work of teachers worldwide. I am fortunate at Sacred Heart to work alongside an outstanding team of dedicated, passionate, and hardworking teachers. They go above and beyond to nurture and inspire our students daily, helping them grow academically, socially, and spiritually.

Teachers play a vital role in shaping the future by guiding, mentoring, and caring for the next generation. They face numerous challenges, but their commitment never wavers. Whether preparing lessons, supporting students' well-being, or creating an environment where each child feels valued, teachers make a difference daily.

On this special day, I encourage all families to thank their teachers. A kind word or gesture can mean so much, and it’s a simple way to show appreciation for all they do.

To all our teachers, thank you for the tireless effort you put into your work. Sacred Heart is blessed to have such an exceptional teaching team, and I’m proud of everything you do for our school community.

Let’s celebrate our teachers this Friday!

Twilight Fair- November 8

The excitement is building for our biggest community event of the year—the Twilight Fair! Please mark your calendars because it will be an unforgettable afternoon of fun, food, and entertainment for the whole family. Please bring your friends, relatives, and neighbours along to make it an even bigger celebration!

Date: Friday 8^th November
Time: 3:30-7.30pm

But we need your help to make this event a success! We are still desperate for parent volunteers. It would make a difference even if you can spare just an hour. Please consider lending a hand to help with stalls, games, or serving food. Together, we can create a fantastic event for our school community!

Please see all the details below in this newsletter. We are so looking forward to the day, and we hope to see you all there!

Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival

The Boorowa Touch and Netball Carnival is tomorrow (Friday, 25 October), and we’re all excited about what promises to be a fantastic day in a beautiful country setting. Our teams are eager to showcase their skills in touch football and netball, and it’s sure to be a day full of fun and sportsmanship.

Just a few reminders for the day:

• Wear full sport uniform.
• Bring plenty of food for the day.
• Don’t forget water, sunscreen, and your school hat.

Please be aware that the traffic heading into Boorowa can get busy, so we strongly recommend leaving early to ensure you arrive by 8:30am.

Thank you to Mrs. Stumbles for all her hard work coordinating the day. It’s going to be a great experience for everyone!

Looking forward to seeing our students shine!

Congratulations

The ACT Children’s Week Awards were announced this week. We are honoured to have two wonderful people in our community receive special awards.

Mrs Katherine Wills, is a valued member of our Classroom Support Team. However, many would know Katherine best as the leader of Little Hearts Playgroup.  Katherine is tireless in promoting the playgroup within our community. She has creatively sourced materials to create a welcome and nurturing play space in our school. She connects playgroup families with the wider school community and ensures a rich and varied program that supports young people and their families. The success of Little Hearts Playgroup is a testament to the outstanding contribution Katherine has made to young people in the community.

Mrs Anne McNicol, a retired teacher and maths coordinator, was nominated by staff for the Exceptional STEM Volunteer Award, in recognition of her contributions to enriching the mathematical skills of the students and teachers at Sacred Heart Primary School. Anne’s maths education has made a lasting impact on the lives of many young people. Her dedication to fostering a passion for maths and equipping our teachers with critical skills to assist children struggling with mathematical concepts and extend those who quickly understand these concepts is truly commendable and deserving of this prestigious award. Anne can be seen in classrooms and playgroup around Sacred Heart sharing her joy in maths and connecting to community.

Both Katherine and Anne have made a substantial impact in the learning journeys of both staff and students, and enriched our entire community, through their generosity and dedication.

Grandparents Day- Friday November 29

We are excited to announce that Grandparents Day will be held on Friday, 29th November. This day is an opportunity to welcome our grandparents and special friends to Sacred Heart and celebrate their important role in our children’s lives.

It’s always a joyful day filled with love, laughter, and connection, and we can’t wait to share it with you. More details will follow soon, but please claim the date and let your grandparents and special friends know.

We look forward to celebrating with you on this memorable day.

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

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. 

Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful and showing appreciation for what is in our lives. Thankfulness and appreciation are a pathway to a life of happiness and well-being. When you pause and recognise all of the wonderful things in your life, you feel happier. Appreciation keeps us focused on what is already good in our lives, and opens up the doorway to more goodness to flow into our lives. Gratitude also equips us to handle setbacks and failures in a more resilient way. 

To build gratitude in our children, we encourage celebrating and expressing joy. Gratitude can be achieved through everyday experiences such as: 

• Saying thank you with a grateful heart
• Talking or writing about the things in our life you are grateful for (Gratitude Journal or a Blessings Book)
• Supporting a charity or giving your service to others
• Performing acts of kindness

“Joy springs from a grateful heart.” Pope Francis

Last Friday, on the 18th of October, Sacred Heart students, guided by Fr. Emil, prayed the Rosary for Peace and Unity in the World joining over one million children worldwide.

Your support is needed as we count down to the fair. A huge thankyou to all those who have already volunteered through signupgenius to help with a stall, set up, pack up and various donations. We have also had a number of very eager helpers come along to working meetings which has enabled us to power through a huge number of tasks.

An event this big needs many hands. We still have a number of timeslots not filled. An hour or two from every family will ensure that all helpers can have a break to enjoy the fair. To sweeten the deal we have a number of prizes reserved for volunteers only. 

Click here to visit Signupgenius to select the stall and timeslot you can support or visit the QR code below.

Donations update:

• We have enough clothes - thank you
• We are happily still accepting donations of good quality books, games, toys and household items (no more stuffed toys please!)  
• Food, items to borrow and prize items - Click here to see the list on Signupgenius or scan the QR code below.

Support for stalls:

• Plant stall - If you have any cuttings potted up, please start dropping them into school.
• Bake stall - We will be calling for cakes, slices, biscuits, confectionery for our famous baked goods stall. Start planning what fabulous contribution you can make and watch out for instructions coming soon.
• Craft stall - If you have been busy sewing, knitting or crafting you can start dropping your creations into school.

Support the committee:

• Our next working party is on Tuesday at 6pm. Come along!

Prepare for the Twilight Fair:

• All tickets bought by Monday 4th will be at a discounted price. Look for the flyer over the next days with instructions for a Fair Flower and All Day Ride Pass.
• Pick-a-prize raffle are already on Qkr! for you to purchase.

Prizes - You have to be in it to win it!

• Pick-a-prize: Pre-order on Qkr! or buy from our office or on the night. We have 7 fabulous prize packs to choose from. $10 gets you 5 tickets to place in the prize boxes of your choosing.
• Announcing our huge WINE CAGE to the value of $1000. Will you be the lucky holder of the key which opens the cage? Only 100 keys will be sold. Great odds! Keys will be $20 each and are sure to sell out quickly. See our advertising shortly
• Volunteer Prizes - 
• If your name is on the volunteer roster your child may have already received a small treat. This afternoon a second draw is to happen, with the lucky winner receiving an ‘All Day Ride Pass’. Another prize draw will happen next week.
• On the night a further draw will happen ‘for the adults’.  A voucher for a dinner out! 

Our school captains and Mr Austin welcomed their Royal Highnesses to Canberra soil this week! Our students were great ambassadors!