Dear Parents and Carers,

Our Term 4 value at SHPS is gratitude …

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life

is the foundation for all abundance”            Eckhart Tolle

We have had a wonderful start to term 4 with the completion of the inner courtyard refurbishment. This beautiful outdoor space is already being used for learning and play. You can find pictures of the area on the Facebook feed on our website and below in this weeks Newsletter.

Today’s book parade was amazing and once again highlighted the creativity and skill of our families. It was very sad that you could not join us because of the current restrictions. We extend our gratitude to the gift of Mrs Borgia who not only organised this event but also created the outstanding display at Westfield Woden this week using your children’s creative responses to this year’s nominated books.

Mr Mitchell has recommenced lunchtime bike club (we appreciate the extra effort for parents and thank you for your support). The children are really enjoying getting out and about on their bikes together. Lunchtime gardening club is continuing with Mr Fox and we are reaping the benefits of fresh produce. These extra opportunities at SHPS are helping to cater for the diverse needs of our children and supporting their wellbeing.

Take care and God bless,

You Have Choices

When parents focus on the decisions children make we teach them that they have a say in their behaviour.  This can start when children are toddlers and can continue into adolescence and beyond. It’s an empowering concept that balances personal empowerment with personal responsibility, two character traits highly valued by schools, community groups and employers.

In this article Parenting Ideas founder Michael Grose shows parents how to use choices to develop a sense of empowerment and personal responsibility in their children.

VIEW ARTICLE

Family Meetings

In a year of close proximity to our family members and the message to stay at home, it might sound like a surprising suggestion to bring the family together for a meeting.  Family meetings provide an opportunity to create a forum for intentional, values based discussions and decision making. Implementing family meetings before a specific problem arises is a great way to embed the practice and the degree to which your children participate.

This guide offers a comprehensive guide to family meetings, why they are important and how to run them effectively. 

view details

Webinar: Parenting Like a Cat and Dog

Effective parents use more than one style when communicating with their families. They know how to alter their style to suit the situation.

In this webinar, Michael Grose uses cat and dog metaphors to introduce parents to two diverse styles of parenting. This will increase their ability and confidence to manage, nurture and build relationships with their children. The cat-dog approach to parenting is fun, easy to use, respectful and maximises parent effectiveness in challenging situations.

View webinar details

Yours faithfully,

Book Week Thank You

Thank you to all for your enthusiasm, effort and time in making Book Week 2020 a wonderful day. I have also enjoyed the photos of our Book Week exhibition at Westfield Woden with the students proudly showcasing their artwork.  They have all done themselves and Sacred Heart proud. 

Congratulations to the students who submitted a photo of the display, you have each WON a $5 Scholastic Book Voucher. Keep an eye out for an email detailing how to redeem your voucher.

Mrs Borgia 

BOOK CLUB Issue 7 Due Wednesday 28th of October

Whole School Sports Day

As a make up for the missed Athletics Carnival from earlier in the year and as a celebration of the NRL and AFL Grand Finals this weekend, we will be running a series of sports activities this Friday 23rd October with the whole school. Students will participate in their house groups across a variety of different sports and games.

Students must wear their school sports uniform bottoms for this day. We welcome students to wear AFL or NRL supporter tops, t-shirts of their house colour or their sports uniform. Students must wear appropriate footwear so they can safely participate in all activities.

Ride to School Week - All Week 3 (26-30 OCT)

Just a reminder that all next week is Ride to School Week. We are encouraging students along with their parents and carers to ride to school throughout the week. There are prizes on offer each morning for participants.

We have our whole school ride morning on Friday 30th October where teachers will meet at our community walk and ride locations from 8:20am and set off towards school at 8:30am. We will have the music pumping and plenty of fresh fruit on arrival at school. There will be a big prize draw for participants that morning, with some prizes provided by the Trek store in Phillip.

Looking forward to seeing plenty of mini peletons rolling into school next week!

Year 6 Highschool Transition

Throughout Term 4 the Year 6 students will be working in small groups with Mrs Natasha Barrenger to support High School Transition. Some of the topics being covered will include frienships, self-esteem and being organised fror high school. We hope this may promote discussion at home in anticipation for next year.

BOOK WEEK ARTWORK DISPLAY - WESTFIELD WODEN

 There is still time...

Sacred Heart's Book Week artwork is on display at Westfield Woden, Centre Court until Sunday 25^th October. All students created artwork inspired by the CBCA Shortlisted Books.  

Community Council Connections     

Term 4, here we are! What a year it has been. On Tuesday we held our final Open Community Council meeting for 2020. It was a time to reflect on achievements this year, and to close out activities and finances.

 Despite the shenanigans of Covid-19, our community has remained strong and we have delivered improvements to our school environment.

• The children are loving the new interior courtyard. This project has taken a four-year fundraising effort to come to fruition. I am sure you will all agree it is worth it! The design provides tranquillity, creative inspiration, and multiple usable spaces for teachers and children to learn and play. We’ve also upgraded storage lockers, smacked on fresh paint where needed, continued work on the bathroom refresh project and funded a fabulous new indigenous reflection and native edible garden.
• The school support to parents and carers for the challenges of remote learning was amazing. Many in the meeting commented on the great and clear communications, availability and flexibility of teachers and the community continuing to stay connected whilst homebound. Our term 1&2 Open Council Meetings provided a valuable forum for parents to ask questions and seek clarity on Covid-19 impacts.
• The move to online Zoom-based meetings for the Council has made it easier for parents and carers to attend. While this was driven by the conditions this year, it has set a new way of operating to allow more to participate and will continue going forward.
• Our K-6 program provided a cohesive approach to how we position and promote our beautiful school and its community. This has been used extensively in multiple presentations throughout the year and introduced a new pamphlet for use in enrolments and marketing.
• The introduction of the YMCA Holiday Care program is a great win for our community, driven by the Council to make a smaller and more accessible care program available. The team is continuing to work on summer vacation plans, taking into consideration the lack of air conditioning in the hall during January.
• The Community Council provided support and resources to the school through its QA registration this year, which is part of a five-year renewal cycle. Positive feedback was received on strong improvements to school grounds, school strategy and operations.
• The spirit of our community has continued to shine throughout very difficult times. Our community has supported each other and our teachers, from small to large things, to keep us connected.
• Our 50^th committee did fantastic work in planning a multitude of events and activities to celebrate our anniversary. Unfortunately, many of these are pushed out. However, the Throw Back Thursdays on Facebook, the 50 aerial photo, the special edition year book, the commemorative photo for the front entry, and a community fundraising activity (watch this space!) all proceeded. Thanks team!
• We are in the socials! This year, more than ever, our school has opened its doors online through Facebook to share with parents and carers the fantastic work of our children. The celebrations, awards, events, everyday activities and features have given everyone a greater sense of what happens in the school. We’ve had media opportunities and regular promotion by the CE for the great initiatives undertaken this year.

What a year! We are still going, its only week 2…the Council is working with the school to investigate the potential of an in-house playgroup for three-year olds, new avenues to drive enrolments, strengthened support for our student welfare resources, empowering children through resilience programs, planning for 50^th celebration activities, and generally living the school value this term of Gratitude.

Sarah Lloyd 

President Community Council

Courtyard

The courtyard is all finished and the children have been out there this week enjoying the new space for various activities.

Book Week Parade

This morning the students and staff enjoyed the exciting Book Week Parade where the children showed off their amazing costumes.