This is the birthday of the author, Kenneth Grahame, who wrote the book “The Wind in the Willows” In that book, two of the characters, Rat and Mole, paddle the boat upriver very early one morning. As the sun rises, they sense that they are in the Presence of some Divine Being, and they feel called to worship:

‘Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two animals passed through the broken, tumultuous water, and moored their boat at the flowery margin of the island. In silence they landed, and pushed through the blossom and scented herbage and undergrowth that led up to the level ground, till they stood on a little lawn of a marvellous green, set round with Nature’s own orchard-trees: crab-apple, wild cherry, and sloe.

“This is the place of my song-dream, the place the music played to me,” whispered Rat, as if in a trance. “Here, in this holy place, here if anywhere, surely we shall find Him!”

Then suddenly Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror - indeed, he felt wonderfully at peace, and happy - but it was an awe that smote and held him and, without seeing, he knew it could only mean that some PRESENCE was very, very near. With difficulty he turned to look for his friend, and saw him at his side, cowed, stricken, and trembling violently. And still there was utter silence in the populous bird-haunted branches around them; and still the light grew and grew.

“Rat!” he found breath to whisper, shaking. “Are you afraid?” “Afraid?” murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. “Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet - and yet - O Mole, I am afraid!” Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads, and did worship.’

Let’s remind ourselves in silence that God is with us and we are in his presence…

Week 6

URGENT MESSAGE

From the beginning of Week 7 (Monday 12 March), NO student who has not returned their general permission note (sent home in Week 1) will be able to leave the school grounds for any purpose. This includes sport, excursions, etc. PLEASE ENSURE your child returns the note asap if they have not yet done so. Teachers will be sending reminders home with students next week. All teachers have been given a list of students who are not to leave the school grounds until the note is returned.

Lent

Good Friday is a reminder that sooner or later, life deposits us all at the cross. It is a gathering place for the world's sorrow, its wasted efforts, its tormented people, its unimaginable catastrophes and its utter silences. It is also a place of forgiveness. Good Friday reminds us that for 2000 years the cross has been more than an important symbol for Christians, it is the focal point for the pain of personal suffering and of God's forgiveness.

The first Good Friday gave Christians a focal point where they can direct their sense of loss. From His isolated position on the Cross, Jesus was all too aware of the reality of loss: betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, deserted by His disciples and, seemingly, even by His Father which lead him to call out 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me'. Unbelievably, in His time of greatest loss Jesus was able to utter the words of forgiveness: 'Father, forgive them….'"

Sometimes in the midst of 'loss' we might need to forgive ourselves, take away the blame we feel that we did not do enough for a person who died or that God didn’t do enough to prevent a catastrophe. Maybe our anger towards another person who caused us financial loss or the loss of a friend or a loved one has caused our life to become bitter and soured. If this is the case, then maybe we should take our loss to the Cross, and, in due time, be inspired by the message of forgiveness that is always there.

Family Fun Maths Night

It was a joy to come together with 90 of our parents, students and family members at the Family Fun Night with a Maths focus on Tuesday evening. It was a very excited (and noisy) group who played together, learning new ways to engage with games that lead to better understandings for all with regards to numeracy.

The importance of playing card, board and dice games with our children cannot be underestimated. The skills and attitudes that are learnt during this time are very beneficial to the learning and development of our children. Often we, as parents are too tired or not in the mood to play games. If the only homework our children did when they are young was to read for 10 minutes every night and play a game, you would see a significant shift in your child’s attention, ability to be a “good” winner, develop skills in taking turns, sharing and learn resilience when a game is ‘lost’.

More and more as our children don’t play these types of games that require interaction with others, particularly of mixed ages, they become unable to cope with the social and emotional skills that are necessary throughout life. We encourage all parents to make a special time to play games with their children to assist in this development. If you are unsure what to play or how to play, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a quick chat about possibilities.

Parents took home a list of games (and their rules) that assist numeracy development in particular, as well as some research which highlights the significance and importance of playing games with our children.

My favourite comment from the evening was “Mrs Cartwright, you shouldn’t have put Maths in the name of the Family Fun Night. I didn’t want to come and Mum made me. I had heaps of fun but I didn’t expect to!” It’s time to change the bad wrap that Maths can sometimes have, and help our children understanding that working mathematically and problem solving IS in fact fun!

Thanks to Kate Maher, Natalee Litchfield, Susie Alexander, Brad Winsor, Lyne Witenden, Emma McDonnell and Nicky Trinder for their assistance on the night and to Emma Deep who assisted with organising supper.

SchoolTV

On 22 February the The Healthy Body Series was launched on SchoolTV. Topics will include:

• Diet and Nutrition
• Exercise
• Eating Disorders
• Body Image
• Sleep
• Mindfulness

We all know that diet and nutrition is vital to your child’s development and growth, but are you aware of the effects it has on your child’s brain development and how it can impact their academic achievement? In this era of convenience, it is easy to reach for pre-packaged and processed foods to cope with busy schedules. However, these foods are usually packed full of sugar and salt which can have adverse health effects. Making a habit of reading food labels can help reduce the risks. It can also help to stabilise your child’s energy, improve their mood, maintain a healthy weight and improve their general wellbeing. In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for teaching your kids about the benefits of incorporating a healthy diet and good nutrition. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition and we always welcome your feedback.

This is the link to the current edition:  http://shcoota.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/diet-and-nutrition

Previous articles, resources and videos are able to be accessed through this site.

With blessings,

Mrs Janet Cartwright

Principal

Changes to the calendar

2 weeks ahead

Sacraments of Reconciliation & First Eucharist:

Currently our S2 students are preparing for the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Reconciliation. Mr Dan O’Brien is the Sacramental Co-ordinator and has led a vibrant and engaging preparation for the students. He has been ably supported by a team of facilitators from the parish. We thank Dan and his team for guiding the students in another step along their faith journey. Please keep the following students in your prayers over the coming weeks.

Zara Bodycott, Scarlett Chambers, Emily Dickson, Katherine Diwa, Declan Emery, Alexander English, Patrick Golden, Joshua Harris, Henry Hazlet, Mia Hines, Blake Holder, Brock Holder, Leila Ismay, Amarli Kelleher, Ellie Lake, Evan Lonnen, Lachlan Monaghan, Isaiah Monteleone, Mia Nalder, Sean O’Brien, Lucy Paterson, Sophie Roberts, George Smith, Eliza Tozer,  Nellie Ward, Jake Winsor

 Year 6 Reflection Day:

Last Wednesday our Year 6 students went on their Reflection Day. The theme of the day was “Let Your Light Shine”. They are an outstanding group of students and wonderful leaders for our Primary school in 2018. Much of the morning was spent in revisiting the school’s theme for 2018 – “Reach for the Stars” and they examined their own personal goals in light of the theme. The rest of the day was spent reflecting on and examining how the light of Christ shines in their relationships with others, God and themselves. It was a fantastic day spent with a wonderful group of students. Many thanks to Mrs Maxwell who assisted on the day.

Sister’s of Mercy THANKYOU to the school:

Sister Angela Jordan from Mercy Works wrote to the school thanking our community for their wonderful contribution. The proceeds from our Rice Day and first Uniform Free for the year, were sent to them. She expressed great thanks for our school’s ongoing commitment to this important way of helping the Sisters of Mercy continue in their mission work overseas. Again THANKYOU to all who contributed.

LEAD – School Leadership Trip:

Last Sunday and Monday our six senior Student Leaders went to Canberra to join with many other leaders from across the Archdiocese. They were immersed in opening new horizons for spreading joy and what it means to be a leader in a Catholic School. They had the opportunity to reflect on what they wanted their leadership to look like in our school in 2018. There will be some reflections from them in next week’s newsletter. 

~S1 Miima Assembly~

Swimming for Sport.

Primary students (Yr3-6) will swim for sport each Thursday in Weeks 1,4,5 and 6. Please ensure students have $2.50 for pool entry, swimmers, rash shirt/ shirt, towel and sunscreen.

Secondary Students will swim or do water based activities for sport each Friday in Weeks 1,2,3, 5 and 6. Please ensure students have $2.50 for pool entry, swimmers, rash shirt/ shirt, towel and sunscreen.

CE Survey

The CE would like to gather feedback form families in regards to sporting representative path ways.  If families who have been involved in representative sport or would like to be could follow the below link and complete this survey, it would be very beneficial.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q8HL3N3

SSA Annual School Holiday Netball TID Camp

The Southern Sports Academy is offering a School Holiday Netball Camp to be held at the Equex Centre, Wagga Wagga on the 17^th- 20^th April 2018.       

The camps are a valuable opportunity for children of all skill levels to receive top quality coaching. We are excited to announce that former NSW Swifts player, Jackie Murphy, will again host our Junior Netball Camp this year and will be joined by a panel of experienced coaches including Southern Sports Academy Coaching staff, special guest coaches and Southern Sports Academy athletes.

This year players between the ages of 7 and 10 will be attending on Tuesday 17^th and Wednesday 18^th April, while the players aged between 11 and 14 will attend on Thursday 19^th and Friday 20^th.

^{Further information and registration forms available from Mrs Maxwell}

Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to Lachlan Sedgwick, Maddie Brown, Zoe Guthrie and Macey Leahy who have all been selected to represented the Archdiocesan at the CCC swimming championships later in the term.

Archdiocesan Winter Sports Trials

Well done to these students who travelled to Queanbeyan and Yass on Monday to compete in the Arch Archdiocesan Winter Sports Trials

Congratulations to the below students who have been selected in various Archdiocesan Winter Sports Teams.

NRL Well-Being Assembly

Thank you to Cameron Woo (NRL development officer) who presented a very interactive well-being presentation on Tuesday 6th March. The students were very engaged with strong messages of respect, belonging, healthy eating and being active.

Some photos

Primary Dates:

Friday 13th April Sacred Heart Cross Country

Secondary Dates:

Friday 9^th March Secondary School Triathlon

Tuesday 13th March Years 7-9 Tag League – Young

Wednesday 28th March Combined Sec C-G/Wagga Open Touch Trial-Wagga

Wednesday 4th April Secondary Rugby League Trials-Forbes

Friday 13th April Sacred Heart Cross Country

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE:

From now on some CCC sport nominations will be completed on line. Parents interested in nominating their child for particular sports need to read the attached PDF document and visit the website to nominate their child. www.csss.nsw.edu.au. Further information will be sent home when students return an expression of interest note.