Dear Sacred Heart Community,

I am currently writing this from our annual Archdiocesan Principal’s Retreat. I will be away until next week, and I appreciate the opportunity to step away and spend valuable time with my fellow colleagues in reflection and discussion. Thank you for allowing me this time away.

A lot is happening in the coming weeks, so please take note of the important dates and details below.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Today, we gathered as a school community to observe Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. Lent is a season of reflection, prayer, and preparation leading to Easter. It is a time for us to consider our relationship with God and others, to practice self-discipline, and to focus on acts of kindness and generosity.

It was fantastic to see the Parish community joining us for Mass. Their presence reinforces the importance of this sacred season and reminds our students that our faith is a shared journey. As we journey through Lent, let us encourage our children to reflect on how they can show love, kindness, and forgiveness in their daily lives.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Many of our Year 4 students will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this Thursday evening. This is a significant milestone in their faith journey, as they experience the grace of God's forgiveness and love. Reconciliation is a sacrament of healing, where we acknowledge our mistakes, seek forgiveness, and renew our commitment to living as followers of Christ.

Thank you to our dedicated staff and parents who have played an essential role in preparing our students for this important sacrament. Your guidance and support ensure they approach this moment with understanding and reverence. Please keep these students in your prayers as they take this meaningful step in their faith.

Year 5 and 6 Camp

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Year 5 and 6 camp in Berry, NSW. It was a fantastic experience. Our students were a pleasure to look after, demonstrating resilience, teamwork, and enthusiasm. They truly represented our school and their families with pride.

Thank you to our dedicated staff members, Ben, May, and Amy, who accompanied our students. Attending a school camp is a big commitment for staff, as we are responsible 24/7, but the rewards are immense. The students stepped out of their comfort zones, tried new activities, and built lasting friendships. It was a wonderful experience for all involved!

Swimming Carnival

Our annual Swimming Carnival will be held next Tuesday. This is always a great community day, and we look forward to another wonderful event. Reminders can be found in this newsletter. Parents and spectators are most welcome! It should be a fantastic day!

NAPLAN

All students in Years 3 and 5 will commence NAPLAN on Wednesday. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is an annual assessment measuring students' reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy skills. It provides valuable data for schools to track student progress and identify areas for improvement.

Students cannot study for NAPLAN, so it is important they do not stress or worry. We have done plenty of practice tests, so they are familiar with the format. It is crucial that students arrive on time each day, are well-rested, hydrated, and have had a good breakfast. Best wishes to our Year 3 and Year 5 students—you've got this!

Harmony Day - Friday 21st March

We will celebrate Harmony Day with our usual colourful parade and classroom activities. More information to come.

Working Bee – Friday 21st March (3:30-5pm)

We are planning a Working Bee for Friday, March 21st, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm and encourage parents and students to come along and help spruce up the school! Please mark this in your calendars. Many hands make light work!

Jobs earmarked for the Working Bee include topping up sand in sandpits and weeding and mulching garden beds. Please bring along any tools to assist (shovels, spades, rakes, weeding equipment, wheelbarrows, etc.). This is a great way to contribute to our school community, and it’s only for 90 minutes! Please join us—I’ll shout you refreshments afterwards! Claim the date!

Year 6 Assembly

Our first assembly of the year will be held next Friday, 14th March, led by Year 6. The assembly starts at 2:40pm, and all are welcome to join us.

Book Fair

The Book Fair this week has been a great success! The fair is open until Friday morning. Thank you to everyone who has supported it. Your enthusiasm for reading helps foster a love of books in our students, and we appreciate your contribution in making this event so successful. Thanks to Trish Iles for coordinating our fair.

A friendly reminder that this Monday is a public holiday—Canberra Day! Enjoy the long weekend and take the opportunity to spend quality time with your families.

Wishing you all a blessed and reflective Lenten season.

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

Principal

Uniform Policy

Our summer and sports uniforms are being worn with pride by most students across the school. Thank you to all families for supporting our uniform policy.

As we reach the mid-point of term, it’s time to think about winter uniforms. Our uniform shop is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings for trying on and purchasing and via Qkr! for online orders. We have an extensive range of second hand items available at very reasonable prices and are always thankful for donations of items you no longer need. Just chat with Tracey Kane to organise everything you need. 

See our Uniform Policy, including photos of our winter uniforms, on our website click here

Uniform reminders:

• Black school shoes (not sneakers) are worn with the standard uniform.
• Hair accessories should be simple, in natural or school colours only.
• Hair is natural colour, with even grade. Hair that is shoulder length needs to be tied back.
• Winter trousers are navy in colour and formal in style. We do not wear cargo style or stretch leggings.
• Always put names on items as it makes reuniting the item with your child so much easier. Our lost property cupboard is in the hall, giving families easy access to search for a missing item. We are still looking for a person to help us with lost property. Could it be you?

Photos of school happenings

Choir is going well on a Thursday mornings with Mrs Riley.

Having fun inside with Mrs Wode’s blocks.

Our Kinder Parent Meeting was a time to share how school works for our littlest people and new families.

Online Subscription with Reading Eggs and Mathletics from 3P Learning

Children in Kinder and Year 1 have access to Reading Eggs via a login which can be used at school and home. Teachers will provide you with the details and guide you to make the best use of this online program for learning.

 

“ABC Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.”

Children in Years 2-6 have access to Mathletics via a login which can be used at school and home. Teachers will provide students with login details and set tasks to make the best use of this online program for learning. Mathletics also has a ‘live’ section for building quick recall skills.

“Transform the way your students learn maths with Mathletics, the world’s leading online maths program that builds confidence through personalised learning, exciting games and mastery challenges.”

Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about these online subscriptions

Yours in working together

Kerry Wode

Compass Notifications

Please refer to Compass for the following notifications:

• Community Council AGM- Thursday 13th MArch 6pm
• Reminder - Book Fair
• 2025 Class Parent Representative

Clothing Pool Opening Hours

Wednesday: 8:30-9am

Thursday: 8:30-9am

Friday: 8:30-9am

Orders can also be submitted on QKR and then your order will be delivered to your child's classroom.

AFL

This week marked the beginning of our AFL clinics this term. They will run for 4 weeks, on a Monday. Thank you to those parents who adjusted their sports uniform days. We appreciate your help in this. The updated sports uniform days were put in the newsletter last week. 

Swimming Carnival

We are now within a week of our carnival. There are a few reminders;

Students come to school dressed in their sports uniforms with their swimmers underneath.

Students who have nominated to swim in any race (100m, 50m, 25m) will be swim tested upon arrival by the lifeguards at the pool. If your child does not pass this swim test to swim in the races, they will then change to novelty only. 

The carnival concludes approximately 2pm with the first round of buses arriving at 2:15pm (8yrs & above).

If you have nominated as a volunteer, you should have received a pass into the pool brought home by your eldest child. Your jobs will be allocated for the day upon arrival.

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered, we appreciate your help. 

Years 5 and 6 last week went off to camp at Berry. They had a great time doing various activities over 3 days.

Last week we were lucky to have GWS Giants players Toby Bedford, Harry Himmelberg and Max Gruzewski visit Sacred Heart. It was great to see the Giants up close, and we wish them well in the 2025 season.

Kindergarten spent some time yesterday learning about the tradition and significance of pancakes being enjoyed on Shrove Tuesday. As Lent begins tomorrow they have been learning about Ash Wednesday and how this is a special period of time that prepares us for Easter.

Fr Emil came down on Tuesday and burnt the palms to produce the ashes for Ash Wednesday today. Students helped burn the left over palms from last years Palm Sunday.

Today, we celebrated as a Parish Community Ash Wednesday. 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period (not including Sundays) of fasting and repentance leading up to Easter.

Today’s Gospel called us to the three great opportunities for renewal and enrichment during the season of Lent.  

 Prayer – strengthening the connection with God and the whole human family 

Fasting – making individual sacrifices and turning away from selfish concerns

Almsgiving – offering something of ourselves or giving material help, with a focus on others.

 Lent is about transformation, as we move outside our individual concerns towards selflessness and care for others. We also look for ways to build the way we relate to others through the relationships we have with God's people. 

 At Sacred Heart, we encourage our students to think about how they can offer something to someone else, who most likely needs it more than they do and what can you do to be a role model to support them in this journey. 

The season of Lent began today, Ash Wednesday (5th March), which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion 2025 is ‘Unite against poverty’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion.

This week each student will receive a Project Compassion box for their donations. The school will collect all boxes and donations till the end of Term 1.

This week your child will bring home Issue 2 of the Scholastic Book Club. Orders need to be returned by Wednesday, March 26. Thank you for supporting this program, as the school receives rewards to put towards resources for the classrooms.

Orders from Issue 1 will be sent home this week.

This week the Scholastic Book Fair is at the Sacred Heart Library. The fair is open on Thursday from 8:15 to 9:00 am, during lunch time for students who bring money to purchase item and 3:15 to 4:00pm. On Friday we will be selling items from 8:15 to 9:00 am.

There is a variety of high-quality books, posters, sharpeners, erasers, pens and pencils for sale. The school receives rewards from the sales, which we use to buy classroom resources. We hope to see you at the Book Fair.

Playgroup this week we shared photos of our pets and played with play dough.