Dear Parents and Carers,

Wishing everybody a well earned and well deserved holiday break. If you are travelling take care and be safe. We look forward to seeing you all back here on the 12th October ready for Term Four.

Term Four we will welcome Mrs Julie Jillard (Learning Support Teacher) back from long service leave to resume her roll as a part of the Learning Support Team.

Take care and God bless,

ICAS Testing Dates.

The test will only be offered on this day. Times are to be confirmed but will probably be at 11.45am on the nominated days.

Students who have registered to complete these online optional tests, will use their usual device (normal ipad yr3-6, classroom iPad in Yr2). We will run a technical readiness session this Friday at school. If your child is absent we ask that you run the Technical Readiness Test at home to ensure the device is ready.

Students enrolled in the ICAS Spelling Bee require a lock-down browsers app called ‘JANISON REPLAY’. This browser will only be used for the Spelling Bee. Install the locked-down browser (LDB) app as per these instructions and then run the Technical Readiness Test

Early Intervention Literacy Plan

Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 classes will participate in an intensive literacy program during the first six weeks of Term 4. For 40 minutes each morning the class teachers, supported by the Learning Support Team, will target literacy skills. This program is in response to some of the needs and confidence we wish to build due to all the interruptions to schooling this year.

Yours faithfully,

Tournament of the Minds

Sacred Heart has continued our successful participation in TOM competitions. Congratulations to the students from Years 4-6 in our two teams, in the condensed version of TOM this year.

Sacred Heart Team 1 – were awarded Honours, with particular mention made of their clever use of ICT techniques, dramatic performance and clear narrative.

Sacred Heart Team 2 – were awarded Merit, with particular mention made of their use of original songs to enhance their musical format and clear demonstration of teamwork.

Road and Carpark Safety

We have had a couple of near-misses with children and staff crossing the roads around the school and in the school car park.

We ask all our community to slow down and keep a look out for others during those really busy drop-off and pick-up times for the safety of all. 

Book Week ( 19^th – 23^rd October) 

BOOK WEEK CHARACTER PARADE

Our Book Week Character Parade will be held on Thursday 22nd of October (Term 4, Week 2). Students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character and bring along either the book or a copy of the front cover. 

BOOK WEEK ART DISPLAY - Westfield Woden

In Library this term, the students have been busy creating artwork based on the Shortlisted books. The art will be displayed at Westfield Woden, in Centre Court for the duration of Book Week from Friday 16th October to Friday 23rd of October.

Seasons for Growth® Program
Learning to live with change and loss

Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At Sacred Heart we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called 'Seasons for Growth' which will commence in Term Four. This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research which highlights the importance of social support and the need to practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and support networks.
Every family will receive a notice in the near future with more details about the Seasons for Growth program. If you think your son or daughter would benefit from Seasons for Growth we would encourage you to talk to him/her about participating in the program.
Sacred Heart is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved. If you require further information please email the Front Office email

The latest parent guides from Be You to help in supporting your children.

Parent Guide 1 anxiety in children

Parent Guide 2 Gathering info about your childs experience of anxiety

Parent Guide 3 Supporting your child

Think You Know

An information sheet all about the various instant messaging apps that are available and how to manage them with your children. We encourage parents to remain vigilant with all social media and messaging platforms. We know children use these platforms more during school holidays.

ThinkUKnow Instant Messaging Information

Targeted Kindergarten Health Check concentrating on Vision and Hearing

For Parents and Carers of Kindergarten that missed screening for hearing and sight due to COVID we remind you of the below service. Please let the Kindergarten teacher know the results of the testing.

Canberra Health Services is offering a targeted kindergarten health check concentrating on vision and hearing.

These health checks are performed in clinics at the City Health Centre, Mondays and Fridays and there will be appointments most days in the school holidays.

An appointment can be made by phoning the Central Intake Line on 51249977.

ACT Junior Chess activities during the school holidays

If your child is interested in chess, there are a number of activities and competitions during the October school holidays within Canberra.

Please visit the ACT Junior Chess League website for more information or see Mrs Wode for a flyer.

www.actjcl.org.au/actjcl/  or http://groups.google.com/group/ACT-JCL

Clothing Pool - Organise your summer uniform now
Clothing Pool this term is by appointment only. Please phone the Front Office to book an appointment time. The days and times available are: Monday morning 8.30-9am, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon 12-2.15pm and Friday afternoon 12-3pm. Orders can also be made through the Qkr! App and then delivered to your child.

A reminder that shorts and skorts are navy. Sneakers are only to be worn on sport's days. Black shoes are worn on summer uniform days.

YMCA School Holiday Program
Holiday Care is confirmed for the October school holidays! Check the YMCA website for details. The program allows you to enrol for days that your children will love.

Those parents who are wanting their child/children to have piano lessons, can contact the teachers directly on the following contact numbers;

• Mrs Hildegarde Mendoza Phone: 0417 580 975
• Mrs Pam Cox Phone: 0418 442 203
• Mr Craig Mewett Phone: 0409 151 887 / 6278 7382
• Mr Michael Dooley Phone: 0424987337

Congratulations to our Year 6 students on receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation last week. Drawing on the gifts of the Holy Spirit helps us to find peace and contentment, as well as the strength and courage needed throughout life.

A special thank you to Fr. Richard and Megan Loughlin from Mary Help of Christians Parish. Also, to the staff and families for supporting the students in preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Stage 3 Leadership Experience  

On Friday 18^th September Stage 3 students and their teachers participated in the ‘Swing into Life Program’ at B.Firm Activity Centre. The students were put through some challenging individual and team building activities by completing a range of obstacle courses.

The day provided the students the opportunity to learn to communicate positively with their peers and important life skills like problem solving, listening, leadership and creative thinking.

The teachers were very proud to witness the comradery, teamwork and encouragement displayed by all the children. Their positive attitude and willingness to overcome the obstacles revealed their self-confidence and determination.

Dance

For the last five weeks of Term 3, all classes have experienced one dance lesson per week. Kindergarten have been focusing on fundamental loco-motor movements through lessons on dinosaurs, Australian animals, and fairy tales. In Stage 1, there have been some delightful examples of creativity in the students’ sea creature shapes and movements, as well as dance ideas from countries such as China, Japan, and South Africa.

Stage 2 experimented with the elements of dance and demonstrated great imagination in choreographing movement sequences about volcanoes, sport and body percussion.

The Stage 3 students have tackled choreographic devices through topics such as the Olympic Games, musical theatre, and some cultural dances. It has been wonderful to watch this group complete self-choreographic tasks with such enthusiasm and ability.

STAGE 2 Excursion to Birrigai

On the 14^th September, Stage 2 went on an excursion to Birrigai. We had a fantastic day learning about the Ngunnawal people and European settlement.

When we arrived we were given some really tasty Birrigai cookies to eat with our morning tea. We then met in the hall so that we could get organised into our family groups. We were pretending that we were early settler families and we had to build our own farms from scratch. It was extremely hard work. Even Governor Macquarie turned up to inspect our work at the end. We all passed the test.

In the afternoon we went on a really long bushwalk walking towards the hills looking at all of the significant Ngunnawal sites around Birrigai. One of the caves that we looked at had been used by the Ngunnawal people for at least 26,000 years. We also found out that Birrigai was a meeting place where many indigenous groups travelled long distances to eat bogong moths at Christmas time. They are meant to taste like peanut butter, however, we didn’t try any.

When we arrived back at school we were exhausted. We all had an excellent time together at Birrigai and we can’t wait for the next visit.

Spring

Mr Mitchell has been getting into the Spring vibe this week.

STEM

Over the last term the children have been engaging in various STEM based activities. They have been using Mindstorm, Robots, Spheros, Coding and Critical Thinking skills. Tomorrow is the culmination of their four week project.

Choir

The lovely sounds of choir will continue on Tuesday mornings next term. Thanks Mrs Hamilton and Mr Dooley

2W Art

Courtyard 

Construction on the new courtyard has started. This is a Community Council project funded through the amazing fundraising of our community.

Kindergarten Courtyard

The replacement sheds in the kinder courtyard are complete. We are very impressed with all the new storage!

Team Rising Star Tennis Academy

To All Parents, Members and Friends

Have the kids been stuck inside too long, not enough sport on offer yet due to COVID-19 restrictions or maybe they have been just that little bit lazy? If so, come down to one of RSTA's COVID-19 safe Tennis Clubs in the ACT or NSW and get the kids involved in some School Holiday Tennis Camps this coming school holidays. 

Our Term 3, 2020 RSTA School Holiday Tennis Camps dates are as follows:

Week 1 –Monday 28th September – Friday 2nd October 2020 ( 5 day Camp)

Week 2 – Tuesday 6th October - Friday 10th October 2020 (4 Day Camp) 

RSTA’s Term 3 School Holiday Tennis Camps will be conducted at the following venues in ACT and NSW:

North Woden Tennis Club,Hughes, ACT

Bungendore Park Tennis Club, NSW and 

Now at Braidwood Tennis Club, NSW 

RSTA has 4 different School Holiday Tennis Camp time options:

Tennis Whiz launch Pad Introduction to Tennis Morning Program - 8:30am-11:30am Recommended Ages 3yrs-5yrs

Technique & Tactics Half Day Program - 8:30am-1:00pm ( 5yrs-16yrs)

Technique & Tactics + Tournament Tennis Full Day Program - 8:30am-5:00pm (6yrs-16yrs)

Hot Shots Tournament Tennis Half Day Afternoon Program - 1:00pm-5:00pm (6yrs-16yrs)

 *All venues have daily and weekly program registration options to suit.

In order to register for RSTA’s School Holiday Tennis Camps please click on one of the links below:

North Woden Tennis Club - https://www.risingstartennis.com.au/holiday-tennis-program-info-registration/

Bungendore Park Tennis Club -https://www.risingstartennis.com.au/rstas-holiday-programs-bungendore-park-tc/

Braidwood Tennis Club -  https://www.risingstartennis.com.au/rstas-holiday-programs-bungendore-park-tc/ 

If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to call Frank on 

0438 258 624 (North Woden TC) or 

Dave (Bungendore Park TC & Braidwood TC) on 0424 295 634

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

 Regards

Team Rising Star Tennis Academy
0438 258 624
www.risingstartennis.com.au

FARRER PLAYSCHOOL ENROLMENT DAY INFORMATION FOR 2021 SESSIONS

Is your child turning 3 before 30 April 2021?

The FARRER PLAYSCHOOL is a non-profit, community based educational facility for 3 year olds. Our fully qualified teachers use a structured program to help the ‘Playschoolers’ develop the social skills and confidence that will be of value to them in their Preschool year and most importantly it is LOTS OF FUN!

Playschool sessions are held:

Monday 9.30am to 2.30pm @$60 per session

Tuesday 9.30am to 2.30pm @ $60 per session

Wednesday 9.30am to 2.30pm @ $60 per session

(Due to the popularity of our classes a child may only attend 1 session per week)

If you are interested in having your child attend one of our sessions, please come and fill out an expression of interest on our enrolment morning on

Monday 12 October from 8am

At Farrer Playschool,

Located next to Farrer Primary School Preschool Unit

(Please note positions are offered to children in accordance with our enrolment policy.)

Saver Plus

Holiday Happenings Click Here and  Click Here

Online Holiday Code Camp   Click Here

STEAM Click Here

Weston Creek Molongo Cricket Club  Click Here