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Our Opening School Mass last Friday was a true celebration of all things that are great about Sacred Heart. We joined together to pray for a safe and productive year where we “live with courage and lead with love”. Our 2021 captains, India Bodycott and Jack Murphy outlined for their peers what this year’s theme means to them and for our school.
“Looking into this new year with all its possibilities, all the leaders and the entire Year 10 class are excited to leave our footprint on Sacred Heart, we can do this by planning new ideas to improve our school, coming up with fun activities for you all to enjoy, but most importantly doing our best to ensure this year provides our school with opportunities that we missed in 2020. We need to keep building on the strength and the courage that we found last year and turn this into a memorable year for all. We want to build on that foundation like all the leaders who have gone before us. Yes our school is welcoming, but we want to make it more welcoming, as Mrs Trinder always says yes this school is exceptional, yes this school is kind, but we want to make sure that everyone’s experience is that this school is exceptionally kind. Everyone has the right to feel like they belong, everyone has the right to contribute and to have a voice. It is our job to lead, but to also listen, it is our job to work but to welcome, it is our job to be a role model to all and a friend to everyone. Leadership is not wearing a badge but living up to the expectations of the students, our teachers, our parents and ourselves. We want to make a difference. With you by our side. We live with courage and lead with love because it gives everyone the opportunity to feel valued, to feel like they have someone to express their ideas to, to encourage and support them. We look forward to leading you through all that this year has to offer and we promise to lead our school with courage, love, faith and a strong mindset. So our school can be on our guard, stand firm in our faith, be courageous, be strong.”
Last night our very dedicated and enthusiastic P & F met to plan out fundraising options for the year and to continue preparation for the biannual Fete. This is a very important event to help raise valuable funds for resources for our students. It was so impressive to see the energy and generosity of spirit that this small band of parents expressed as they work for the benefit of our students. The Fete night promises to be a whole lot of fun and there are a range of different stalls, activities and food on offer. If you would like to help please contact Nancy Smith and Sharon Williams through the school and they will assign you a job. Keep 12 March free to come together as a community to support our students. The Fete will be held in the COLA on Sutton st and begins at 5. We hope to see you there.
This past week we have had a blitz on attendance and making sure that ours students are given every opportunity to learn. The consistency of being in class every day is very important for students to make connections, learn new skills and content and to consolidate what they have already been taught. Partnerships between school staff and families will mean that attendance problems are detected early and a consistent approach is used to support the child or young person. Regular communication between schools and families during periods of non-attendance helps everyone work together to support the child or young person to return to school. Please contact the school if you think that your child is anxious about attending. It's not unusual for students to sometimes be nervous or worried about going to school. But for some students, this worry can be excessive and can lead to school refusal. Recognising the signs that a child or young person might be experiencing social or emotional difficulties helps teachers take appropriate action. School refusal can be a flag for anxiety or other mental health issues. Recognising and responding to school refusal means that teachers might pick up on issues that would otherwise be missed. The child or young person and their family can also be referred to other services or professionals who can support them.
A reminder that tonight we will be hosting the Year 7 Information Evening and the Kindergarten Information Evening at 6pm We will also host the Welcome to Sacred Heart BBQ at 6.30pm for all our new families tonight. This is always a highlight of the calendar because it is a wonderfully informal way to meet new families and for them to be welcomed into our community.
Next week our Year 9 students will depart for the sunny South Coast for the excursion to Tathra that was postponed due to COVID. This will be a fantastic way to start the year and to learn new skills and try different things at Kianinney Camp. Thank you to Ms Buchanan for her organisation and enthusiasm and Mr Mooney and Mr Alderman for volunteering to attend. Our students are usually exceptionally well behaved and appreciative of the experience. Thank you to all the families who have made this experience possible with their support. We pray for safe travels and a memorable experience.
Our Annual Swimming Carnival will be held tomorrow and it promises to be a great success. Thank you to Ms Withers and Ms Van Kerk Oerle for all the additional work that goes into the smooth running of such a large event. We welcome parent spectators but remind them that there are new measures in place to comply with COVID protocols. They will be explained upon entry but essentially Parents must remain in the spectator area and are not permitted in the student zone. Students may move between the two designated areas. We hope you can spend some time with us tomorrow.
Next Monday night there will be an extra special Stage 1 meeting for parents to learn about the new literacy/reading program in our Infants classes. Teachers will outline what is involved, what has changed and how you can support your child. This will be a very informative evening and will hopefully equip our parents with additional skills to support their child with their reading and literacy skills. It will be held on Monday 15 February at 5.30pm in the Breakout space in the Infants building.
Remember: three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind. (Henry James)
Mrs Nicky Trinder
Principal
Happy Safer Internet Day 9th Feb. 2021.
Let’s keep our children safe. Below is the research from the eSafety Commission highlighting the importance of education around being safe online. The ‘Safer Internet Day 2021’ has a vast array of resources to assist families schools.
Digital lives of Aussie teens
The internet is an integral part of the digital lives of Aussie teens. While their high use of technology offers many benefits, there is a downside – negative online experiences.
This research provides a glimpse into the digital lives of teens, how they deal with negative online experiences, the types of information they need to stay safe online and the information sources that they trust. It also looks at the types of positive online behaviours in which they engage.
The research is based on a survey of 627 teens aged 12-17 in September 2020.
Key findings
Online lives
- Teens spent an average of 14.4 hours a week online.
- 9 in 10 teens used the internet to research topics of interest, watch videos, chat with friends and listen to music.
- 8 in 10 teens played games online with others.
Social media
- Teens used an average of four different social media services – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat remain the most popular app/platforms.
- TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) – has shown the greatest growth, from 12% of teens in 2017, up to 38% in 2020.
Negative online experiences
- 44% of teens had a negative online experience in the six months to September 2020.
- The top three were being contacted by a stranger or someone they didn't know (30%), receiving inappropriate or unwanted content (20%) and being deliberately excluded from events/social groups (16%).
- More than 80% teens took some form of action after a negative online experience.
Swimming Carnival - Yrs 3-10 (including 8yr olds from Stage 1)
Cootamundra Town Pool - Wed 10th February
Students expected at venue at 8:45am
It is encouraged that volunteers for the carnival complete the COVID-19 Infection Control training online at https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-infection-control-training
Thank you to all the people who have volunteered for timekeeping so far. The carnival would not run as efficiently without your assistance. We still have a few spots to fill in the afternoon time slot. If you are available to timekeep from 12-2:30 pm, please contact the front office or megan.withers@cg.catholic.edu.au.
Click here for Swimming Carnival Program
Primary Sport
Please note that Primary students (Years 3-6) will be swimming on a Thursday for Sport in Weeks 4, 5 and 6. Week 5 is also the Triathlon. A note will go home with students detailing further information.
Western Region swimming is held at Holland Park Pool, West Wyalong on the 22 February. We wish those who qualify on Wednesday the best of luck.
Secondary Sport
A note went home on the first day, outlining the dates booked for likely PE and Sport sessions at the pool. As with the nature of schools, these dates may need to change. Students will be notified of these changes via their ‘PDHPE’ and ‘Sport at SHC’ google classrooms and on their respective google calendars. Please read the note carefully and return the note to the front office as soon as possible. Change to payment method - The $30 was an approximate cost for all pool visits for the term. You do not need to pay $30 up front. Teachers will record when students attend the pool (including the Swimming Carnival and Triathlon events) and families will be invoiced at the end of the swimming season. If this is a concern to you please get in contact with Ms Withers as soon as possible.
For further information, see Ms Withers or go to the CSNSW Sport website and/or the Canberra Goulburn Sport nominations page via the links above.
For school teams to go away to gala days and competitions, students must return their note and money by the due date to be eligible to attend the excursion.
As always, if you are concerned about anything to do with PE or Sport, please arrange a meeting or get in contact with me so we can work out a solution. We want everyone to be involved in all aspects of school life, to the best of their ability and feel good about their experience.
I can be contacted at megan.withers@cg.catholic.edu.au or on 02 69422612 during school hours.
Regards
Megan Withers
