Dear Sacred Heart Community,

As we journey through the season of Advent, we are reminded of the importance of preparing our hearts and minds for the joy of Christmas. Advent is a time of hope, reflection, and anticipation as we await the celebration of Christ’s birth. At Sacred Heart, we encourage our community to embrace this special season by spreading kindness, love, and gratitude. Let us take this time to pause amidst the busyness and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Carols – This Thursday
Our highly anticipated end-of-year community event, the Christmas Carols, will be held this Thursday evening, beginning at 6:00 pm. We ask that all students arrive by 5:40 pm to ensure they are ready to join their classes. This is one of the standout community events of the year, and we are thrilled to come together to celebrate the festive season.

Following the performance, we’ll host a free sausage sizzle. Drinks and Zooper Doopers will be available for purchase for $1 each. Feel free to bring your drinks and nibbles as we continue the celebrations.

All year levels have been practising enthusiastically, and we look forward to hearing their beautiful voices bring the joy of Christmas alive. To help make the evening extra festive, we encourage everyone to come in their Christmas attire and get plenty of Christmas cheer!

We are so excited to celebrate the end of the year as a community and look forward to seeing you there.

Reports Home This Friday
Semester Two Reports will be sent home this Friday. I have had the pleasure of reading through them, and they are a true celebration of your children’s learning and growth throughout the year. These reports provide valuable insights into their progress and achievements, and I trust you will find them beneficial.

Thank you for your essential role in supporting your child’s education. The partnership between home and school is vital and fostering it positively and collaboratively makes a significant difference to our children’s learning experiences.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s report further, please don’t hesitate to contact their teacher to arrange a meeting next week.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated staff, who have invested countless hours preparing these reports. We deeply appreciate their commitment to our students’ success.

KINDER NATIVITY

Our kindergarten students shone brightly during yesterday's Nativity play, captivating us all with their heartfelt retelling of the Christmas story. It was a great play that showcased their growth and confidence as they stepped into the spotlight.

We are so proud of our Kinders for their fantastic performance. From shepherds to angels, wise men to Mary and Joseph, each child played their part beautifully, bringing the Christmas story to life joyfully and enthusiastically.

Thank you to Mrs. Jessica Pearson-Lee, Mrs. Caroline O'Mara and Mrs Natasha Barrenger for their exceptional work in preparing this performance. Your dedication and creativity have helped these little ones grow so much throughout the year, and this Nativity play was a testament to your efforts.

To our wonderful Kinder families—thank you for your support and for sharing this special celebration with us.

Introducing Our 2025 School Captains
Following a thoughtful election process involving staff and student voting, we are thrilled to announce our student leaders for 2025. Congratulations to Lucy McCoy and Josephine Kitto, who have been selected as our School Captains, and to Rylan Gleeson and Jordan Mavroudis, our Vice Captains.

These students have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities, a commitment to our school values, and a passion for making a positive difference in our community. We look forward to their contributions as they take on these important roles next year. Please join us in congratulating Lucy, Josephine, Rylan, and Jordan.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Aleiya Thomas, one of our talented Year 4 students, who competed in the Australian Primary School Track and Field Championships in Sydney last week. Aleiya achieved an incredible milestone as the only 10-year-old from the ACT to qualify for the 200m final. She placed 6th overall in Australia, achieving a phenomenal personal best of 29.52 seconds, an improvement from her original time of 30.30 seconds.

Adding to her success, Aleiya also secured a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay. What an outstanding achievement! Congratulations, Aleiya!

A huge congratulations to Harry Bates, a Sacred Heart parent, on his incredible achievement as the 2024 Australian Rally Champion! Harry competed last weekend in Tasmania, showcasing exceptional skill and determination to secure the championship title. Congratulations!

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

Our last Friday assembly will be held at 2.40pm this week. Student awards will be presented at this assembly and the last awards for 2024 will be given out during the morning assembly on Friday 13th, Week 9.

We are a SunSmart School

The Cancer Council says: Be SunSmart!

• Slip on a shirt
• Slop on sunscreen
• Slap on a hat
• Seek shade
• Slide on some sunglasses

Use a combination of these sun protection measures outside when the UV Index is 3 or above. This week the UV Index has been at 10 or above - the maximum!

Fact: Australians generally apply too little sunscreen. This means they usually get less than half the protection stated on the product label. Children usually require approximately 1⁄2  teaspoon on each extremity.

Sun Safety Statement of Practice: We require students to wear a school hat when playing outside or to seek shade. Hats can be purchased via Qkr! Please ensure you put a name on your child’s hat.

Twilight Fair News

Feedback welcome

All those weeks and months of preparing for the Twilight Fair, and to think it was held only four weeks ago! Our talented, hardworking committee had their final meeting this week. We are proud of the huge event we all put together - which was not just about fundraising, but also about building community. Stay tuned for the final wrap up next week. 

More People to Thank

We wish to acknowledge a few special visitors who made our Twilight Fair the place to be on Friday the 8th. From local celebrities and sporting clubs, talented musicians, dancing and local services - you entertained us and added to the joy. Thank you:

• McGrath Irish Dancers
• Karilee Calisthenics
• Harry Bates Australian Rally Champion
• CBR Braves Ice Hockey champions
• ACT Basketball
• ACT Fire Brigade
• Father and son duo - Michael and Ezra Bray 
• Our student singers - Phoebe Yager, Isara Weragoda, Hayley Lachia & Iris Sharkey
• Our School Heartsong Choir with Mrs Riley

Another group of very talented people we need to thank are our Year 5 & 6 students. Supported by teachers, especially Mr Sweeney and Mrs Kelly, our senior students designed and operated Side Show Alley. The younger students were kept excitedly busy on the oval with all your challenging activities. Year 5 & 6, you were amazing and you earned $570 profit towards our fundraising total.

Remembering a very special lady in a wonderful way

Helene Rey was a devout parishioner of Mary, Help of Christians for decades and she considered it her family. She loved seeing the children come to mass and the joy being a part of our school and parish brought to families. Helene and her husband Claude helped in raising funds to build the new church in its present location. Before that, they were parishioners at the church in Farrer. She was in the Parish Choir and in the Friendship Group. 

Helene passed away last year. A dear friend of hers reached out to our school to set up a yearly donation to support our community in memory of Helene. Upon careful reflection we have decided to sponsor our Grandparents’ Day and Christmas Carols celebrations for the next ten years. We gratefully acknowledge the life and contributions of Helene and Claude Rey to our parish and pledge to use Helene’s legacy to continue to build our community.

Yours in the virtue of Respect,

Last Day of School,Monday 16th December

The last day for students is on Monday 16th December. If you plan not to have your child/children attend on this day could you please submit your absentee notes on Compass as soon as possible.

School Fees

A reminder that all 2024 school fees are required to be finalised by the end of the year.

Canteen

Friday 6th December, QKR will close for Friday lunch orders and clothing pool orders.

Compass

As we head towards the end of the year, we remind families to download their school reports off Compass. If you have a child leaving Sacred Heart you will no longer have their profile available come the 24th December.

Speech Therapy

Families wishing to access speech therapy at school, please contact Janica Morella. A speech therapist has had vacancies become available for 2025.

A wonderful morning celebrating our Grandparents and Grandfriends.

Thursday Kindergarten gave a beautiful rendition of the Christmas story.