Sacred Heart Central School Cootamundra eNewsletter

Welcome to Term 3!

What a busy start to Term 3 it has been. We started the term in our typical fashion of filling every day with lots of learning, events and activities. When the students returned on Tuesday we were straight into the learning in every classroom. We were especially grateful for the warm refurbished primary classrooms. The students appeared to be excited to be back with their friends and teachers. We have had a few changes of teachers over the holidays with Mr Alderman taking LSL and he is replaced by Mrs Witenden and Mr Turner. Mrs McPherson will take over the responsibilities of Year 8 PCA until the end of the year. Mr Bell will take on the role of job sharing with Ms Winsor in Stage 3D to allow Mrs Witenden to fill the Maths load. Ms Heggaton will continue for the Term in Stage 1B and Mrs Grundy will continue for the first four weeks in Stage 1M. We are blessed to have so many capable and willing teachers to step into vacant positions.

On Wednesday the 23 we could not have fitted another thing in. We celebrated a wonderful NAIDOC Mass focusing on the theme of Strength, Vision and Legacy. Our First Nations students led a respectful and inspiring Mass where the singing from the school was exceptional. Our choir led the enthusiastic singing under the guidance and leadership of Ms Wade. It was a fitting acknowledgement of the First Nations students and staff who proudly recognise their history and future. It was also important to celebrate the achievements of many of our First Nations community with the annual NAIDOC Awards. Harry Simons (Sport), Cash Fitzgerald (Arts), Alexis Carr (Leadership) and Mrs Kim Sannazzaro, (Community engagement) were recipients of the Awards for 2025. We thank all the special guests and families who joined us to celebrate this important event.

Last Wednesday we also welcomed Mr David de Carvalho, our new Executive Director for the entire Archdiocese to the school. It was very special to have him in our school for the NAIDOC ceremonies and also to meet with staff and students so that he could see how wonderful our school is and to see where we can take our school in the future. Our Students Leadership teams (Primary and Secondary) gave him a thorough, enthusiastic and honest tour of the school. The maturity that our students demonstrated in their abilities to discuss and answer questions was impressive. We hope that Mr de Carvalho will visit again soon.

This week we have many exciting events, no more exciting than the annual Infants picnic which follows the Infants Family Liturgy. This will take place at 11.45 on 1 August and we invite all families to join the school in a picnic on the Infants playground after Mass. Our community is one of the very best parts of our school and we proudly promote our efforts to be inclusive and welcoming. Additional details will be sent home closer to the event.

Our second afternoon of Parent Teacher interviews will be held this Thursday 31 July. Please log onto COMPASS to make bookings asap. This is an invaluable opportunity to meet with class teachers to discuss progress and areas for improvement in the coming semester. Please contact the Front Office if you have any difficulties logging appointments.

We are well into the final stage so our enrolment interviews and processes for 2026. Already we have met with new families and students in preparation for the transition programs that will begin in September. If you are considering enrolment of students or know of families who are considering our school for 2026 please encourage them to make contact asap as we are in the process of finalising staffing numbers for the new academic year already. Our second Kindergarten 2026 Information Session will be held on 12 August so we would encourage all families to attend to receive the information pertaining to the Kinder Orientation program.

The weather is definitely cold and miserable but the much-needed rain is a God send. There are lots of different viruses that are doing the rounds, and we stress the important of keeping your children at home if they are sick or displaying symptoms to alleviate the spread of germs. However, at the same time we are encouraging all children to be at school all the time, with the exception of illness, to continue to make the growth and progress that is so vitally important to meeting and exceeding all academic benchmarks. The NAPLAN results, together with our own assessment data are continually providing data for the teachers to use to continue to meet the needs of our students. Please contact the school if you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child to school as a matter of urgency.

As we move into the second half of the school year we are reminded that there is always a reason to be kind.

God Bless.

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal

NAIDOC Mass

On Wednesday students from across our Western region gathered to celebrate NAIDOC Week. Our school community was joined by students from Trinity Murrumburrah, St Mary’s Young, Hennessy Young, St Joseph’s Boorowa, St Anne’s Temora and St Joseph’s Grenfell. This year’s theme is of "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy" celebrates the contributions of past generations while also looking to the future and the leadership of young Indigenous Australians. It emphasizes the importance of passing on cultural knowledge, strength, and vision for a brighter future. Thank you to Kim Sannazzarro and our Secondary Firsts Nations People for our Welcome to Country, to our Stage 3 First Nations People students and infants’ children for the dance ‘Biyaami’ Rainbow Serpent Dreaming and Murray Izzard for playing the didgeridoo.

Infants Family Liturgy and Picnic

Next Friday we gathered to celebrate the Feast of St Anne and St Joachim (Parents of Mary) with the Infants family liturgy and picnic. We celebrated all members of our families and how each member is a special gift.

Upcoming Faith Formation Events

Week 2 - Friday 1 August 11:45am Family Liturgy (Feast of St Anne and St Joachim) and Family Picnic

Week 3 - Thursday 8 August St Mary MacKillop of the Cross Feast Day

Week 4 - Friday 15 August the Assumption of the Blessed Mary

Week 5 - Saturday 23 August 5:00pm O’Shaughnessy Lead Parish Mass

Week 8 - Friday 12 September Year 10 Shine Retreat Canberra

Week 9 - Wednesday 17 September Year 3 Reflection Day

Week 9 - Thursday 18 September Kindergarten Reflection Day

Week 10 - Thursday 12:00 noon 25 September Traditions Day Mass