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This day, Father,
may my eyes be opened
to see the beauty
in all that is ordinary - yet special -
around me.
May the glory of all that you have made
remind me of your presence
and lead me closer to you.
Amen.
Term 4
Welcome to Term 4! We are looking forward to another productive term, filled with many special events and milestones for our students. I trust that all had a relaxing term break and could find some precious time to spend with family.
Please keep our Year 12 students in your prayers as they begin HSC exams today. We wish all students the very best and hope that they achieve what they have worked so hard towards.
Please also keep our Year 10 students in your prayers. Our Year 10s have started their final term at Sacred Heart and we wish them luck as they knuckle down over the next few weeks to give themselves the very best chance in final assessments. Now is the time to put in some extra efforts to allow students to show what they are capable of and to give themselves choices at the end of Year 10. Good luck Year 10!
Rosary
Please join us at 9am as we come together as a whole school community on Friday 19 October to pray the Rosary. When we pray the rosary, we meditate on the events in Jesus’ life. There are the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
‘Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him’ (CCC 2708).
Upcoming P & F fundraisers
Our hard working P&F have quite a line up for fundraising during Term 4. The committees have been planning and organising to ensure some excellent opportunities to come together as a community and raise funds which will all be used towards resources for our students.
Tomorrow night we have the Colour Fun Run which is shaping up to be another fantastic family evening. There will be something for everyone and all ages. Enjoy a fuss free Friday night dinner at our BBQ with a range of delicious items available to purchase.
Registration from 5.00pm - 5.45pm with the “run” commencing at 6.00pm. Registration will be under the Cola in Secondary. The cost is $10.00 per person or $40.00 per family (immediate family). Prizes will be given for Best Dressed. Hair Colour and Bands will also be available for $2.00 each.
The 1200 ticket draw will also take place during the evening. We wish everyone who has purchased tickets luck! If you still have a ticket book and have not yet returned it to the front office, please do so urgently so that the draw can take place. There are still some unsold tickets – if you wish to purchase one you may be lucky enough to grab some of the final tickets on the night.
The Garden Viewing is coming up on Sunday 28 October with some fabulous gardens on the list. There are four excellent gardens to visit, see attached flyer, that begins at 10am until 2pm. Lunch is available at Marie and Pat Ryan’s. It will cost $10 per person to visit all the gardens.
We also have our Holy 13 Golf Day coming up on Sunday 18 November 10am to 3.30pm. This is always another great family day with not just the golf, but auctions, raffles and lunch. Please join us if you can!
Disco – Thursday 1 November
The Student Leadership Team will be running discos on Thursday 1 November at the Ex-Services Club. Year 3 to 6 disco will run from 5.30pm to 7pm and the Secondary disco from 7pm to 9pm. Snacks and drinks will be available to purchase on the evening.
The Primary theme is “Tropical Summer” and the Secondary is “Tradies”.
Our students were very keen to run another Disco this year and we hope that as many students as possible will come along to enjoy the evening.
In the aftermath of a huge New England snowstorm, a friend’s car got stuck driving down KJ Dell’Antonia’s driveway. So she and her four children bundled up and headed out with shovels. After freeing the car once, it slid into a snowbank, and they had to start again as the sun was setting. It was “hard, unpleasant work.” Yet after getting the friend safely on her way, one of the children turned to Dell’Antonia and said, “That was fun!”
This story is emblematic of the paradoxes and possibilities of daily family life. In her new book How to Be a Happier Parent, Dell’Antonia – the former lead editor of the New York Times Motherlode blog – writes about “how to create the best possible family life we can with the hand we’ve been dealt.”
According to her research and lived experience, happier parenting often involves reframing our expectations and approach to the tough spots of family life. From chores to sibling relationships, she recommends first changing how we think about those issues and then change what can be done.
Take family responsibilities. “A kid who has everything done for them begins to see themselves as a job for their parents instead of as a joy or a help,” said Dell-Antonia. This setup harms kids in at least two ways. It leads to an “an artificial sense of their own importance” while also undercutting the vital role children could play in family life.
“Everyone is happier when they are part of a larger community. For kids, the family is that community. When they are part of the day-to-day running of a household, it tells them, ‘I’m part of the team, and without me, things don’t work as well.’ They feel like they are a helpful and necessary part of their family.”
Viewing children as inherently capable changes our approach to interacting with them. “They can do things,” said Dell’Antonia. “But we mostly don’t let them.”
In other words, assume capacity, expect responsibility and keep the lines of communication wide open. This basic approach can help parents and children navigate perennial struggles such as sleep, schoolwork and screens.
Sleep and Teenagers
How do we change how we think about sleep? Abundant research confirms that lack of sleep can have cascading consequences – from poor mental health to emotional reactivity to impaired cognition.
A parent’s instinct might be to either attempt to impose sleep rules or take a completely hands-off approach. But a third way, said Dell’Antonia, is engaging teens in the why and then letting them manage the how for themselves. Instead of focusing on the consequences of sleep deprivation, identify the sleep benefits that will be most appealing to your child – from increasing their speed as an athlete to performing better in school. After all, the teenage brain is more motivated by the possibility of pleasure than by the fear of pain. “If you teach your kids why sleep is important and what it can do for them, they can genuinely want and learn to change,” said Dell’Antonia.
Parents can model this mental shift; “Don’t talk about it as ‘you have to go to sleep’ – it’s not a bad place to go! You ‘get to go to sleep.’ In fact, your morning self is begging you to go to sleep right now.”
Making healthy family sleep habits a reality might involve rethinking schedule – or overscheduling. For kids in multiple afterschool activities, after dinner marks the moment “you finally get free of other people telling you what to do,” said Dell’Antonia. “If they are of the mindset that they don’t get any free time, some of those afternoon activities might need to go. It might be too much. You can’t have better mornings without significant shifts in days and evenings.”
Homework Battles
“In my own research, homework appears among the top four of anecdotally reported stress points for parents,” said Dell’Antonia. “Homework seems to nip away at our feelings of satisfaction as parents,” especially when parents reported getting into regular arguments with their kids about it.
She has a simple message for parents caught up in homework drama: “It’s not your homework. It’s just not. It’s not your job to make sure it gets done. It’s not your job to make sure it gets back in the backpack. It’s not your job to make sure it gets returned to school. It doesn’t matter how it gets done – it’s that they learn how to do it themselves.”
This means parents have to take the long view – weeks, months, “even years,” said Dell’Antonia. If you are deeply entwined, you have to take steps to “extract yourself from the process.” For example, instead of editing a child’s essay, you could instead let them read it out loud to you so they can hear how it sounds to an audience. You can help them structure time and space to get work done – without hovering or micromanaging. If a child really needs more support – but you find yourself in a power struggle – talk to the teacher about options or look for an outside tutor or homework helper.
If family life is not tenable with the current homework pattern, she says to work with your child to shift the responsibility onto their shoulders and tell the teacher “when and if homework gets to you, it will be my kid’s work.”
Screen Time Dilemmas
“Screen time is tough,” said Dell’Antonia. “Life is totally different for our kids than it was for us. We can accept that it is scary and hard for all of us.”
The goal “is not to prevent your kids from using any technology in your house, but teaching them how to manage it out of your house.” After all, no one wants to “send a kid out in the world who is just going to play Fortnight until they run out of food and money!”
In her research, happier families have an ongoing family dialogue about their family’s values and how screens fit into that. And that means adults – not just tweens and teens -- are seeking to build and model healthier screen habits.
Once you have a shared vision, there are still details to work out. In her book, Dell’Antonia offers some questions you can use to start a discussion with teens -- whether at the dinner table or in the car. These include:
- How much screen time would you consider reasonable on a school night?
- Do you want to consume, or do you want to create?
- When is the latest you think you should be sending or receiving a text?
- Is it hard for you not to look at your phone while you do homework? What would help?
- What are some things you like to do on the weekend? How much of that time do you want to spend on watching things or playing video games?
- What will you do if you get a text that’s scary or sexy or otherwise worries you?
- When your friends are angry with one another, how do you see them using their online connection? How will you use yours?
What does a good parent-child conversation about digital habits look like? “It looks casual. It looks like listening. It doesn’t look like a checklist,” said Dell’Antonia. “Talk about a celebrity who did something stupid on Twitter. That’s an opening! Take every single opening to have a conversation. How does it make you feel when you see a picture of a party you are not invited to? What’s the problem with sending nude pictures? Teens are aware of this stuff. Find a way to make yourself a part of their conversation. If you’re slamming down rules that do not match their needs and understandings, you aren’t in it with them – you are making it all harder.”
Embracing the Happiness of Raising Teens
Parents of younger children often worried about how they will navigate the teen years, and how this will affect family happiness. Remember, said Dell’Antonia, “She is not going to turn into a different kid on her 13th birthday. This is still your child. There are still going to be great moments and bad moments. Bigger consequences, bigger relationships, bigger connections. I will have three teenagers this fall. It’s great, and in some ways, better.”
It’s not always easy to parent a teenager – but then, it’s not always easy to be a teenager. So when they are cranky in the morning or don’t finish their homework, “you don’t need to make it worse,” said Dell’Antonia. “When your kids are having a bad morning, you don’t need to chime in. They know they will be late to school. They know they will face external consequences. You can go with silence, you can go with positivity, but you don’t need to pile on to them ... and you don’t need to soak [their upsetness] into you.” At an age when they may want to pull away, let them know, in big and small ways, that they are an indispensable part of the family: “Our kids really thrive when they feel needed, when they feel important.” (Mindshift, 2018)
Exam Stress - Special Report
Students in their final year of school are considered a high-risk group for depression and anxiety. Sleep deprivation, diet and social media are some of the biggest issues faced by this group of teens. Therefore it is vitally important that a student's mental health is looked after as well as their physical health.
Keeping things in perspective for students and parents alike, can help prevent everyone getting overwhelmed. Although this final year is important, it is not necessarily the most important year of your child's life.
There are many strategies that students can implement to help themselves. Parents can provide support, not only emotionally, but also practically by keeping their child well-nourished and encouraging physical activity.
In this special report, parents will find useful tips to support their child during this often stressful time. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered here and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information.
Here is the link to your special report http://shcoota.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/year-12-exam-stress-special-report
Final Reminder
Primary Class groups 2019
As always, class groups are determined by a rigorous process involving a great many considerations. Teachers and the Primary Coordinator spend a lot of time determining class groupings and the earlier we have information the better. In exceptional circumstances we will consider parent requests (though these are not guaranteed) but are certainly taken into account.
Any special considerations need to be given to the Principal and they will be treated confidentially. All notifications will be handed to the incoming Principal for his/her information. If you have a special request, please note that previous requests will NOT be included. We often find that a year changes people’s opinions and circumstances and that previous challenges no longer exist. If you wish a special consideration to be taken into account for class groups/teachers for 2019, please either make a time with me to discuss by making an appointment through the front office or by emailing me by Friday 19 October 2018. No requests after this date will be considered unless they are due to a change in circumstances after this date.
Please note: It is impossible to guarantee a certain teacher given that teachers may be moved to different year levels or staffing may change in 2019. Whilst it is lovely feedback for teachers to know that your child has enjoyed their year with them, unfortunately this type of request cannot be considered.
With blessings,
Mrs Janet Cartwright
Principal
Stage 3M Class Mass
Stage 3 M will be celebrating their class Mass on Wednesday 24th October 10:30am. The theme of this mass will be Witness- We are all called to Spread the Good news of the Gospels. Family and Friends are more than welcome to join us.
Rosary Liturgy
On Friday 19th October at 9:00 am the school and parish community will be praying the Rosary for October the month of the Rosary. Stage 2 will let us in this prayer. All students will be supplied with Rosary beads but students are welcome to bring their own.
Soctober - Catholic Mission Month
Let’s Sock it to Poverty
Week 1 Term 4: All Students bring in a pair of old socks.
Week 1/2 Term 4: All Students create a sock puppet in class.
Week 2 Thursday 25th October: All students bring in coins to create a coin line in support of ‘Socktober’.
Students can wear bright, crazy socks on this day.
Money raised from this event will go towards supporting the Catholic Church and education in Myanmar
Catholic Mission supports the Catholic Church in Myanmar in a number of ways, including through funding, missionary collaboration and providing expertise in sustainability, and in 2016 Catholic Mission entered a five-year partnership with the Archdiocese of Yangon, and the dioceses of Kalay and Hakha. In 2017, Catholic Mission provided funding to support 326 catechists, including 82 in Yangon and 239 in Hakha. The Church in Myanmar has a strong focus on education as the key to moving forward, and is engaged in a range of education specific projects. These include building and funding hostels which ensure access to education for children who are disadvantaged or live in remote areas, some of whom are orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. Catholic Mission has supported the construction of two churches and a clergy house in Myanmar in 2017/18.
Upcoming Faith Formation special events.
Rosary Liturgy Friday - Week 1 9:05 am
Socktober-Catholic Mission - Week 2
Year 9/10 Weekend Mass 3 November 6:00 pm
Year 5 Reflection Day 21 November
Year 9 Leadership Day 22 November
Year 6 Thanksgiving Mass 30 November 12 noon
Stage 2 Weekend Mass 1 December 6:00 pm
Year 10 Farewell Mass 14 December 12 noon
Advent Liturgy 17 December 12 noon
Yours in Faith
Just a reminder to parents that the Midford girls school skort in navy with the Midford girls short sleeve Peter Pan school blouse in sky blue is an addition. The school dress remains part of the uniform and is not being phased out. Girls are able to choose to wear this uniform from the beginning of Term 4.
2018 Student Residential Address and Other Information
We have attached a copy of the notice from the Australian Government and Department of Education and Training regarding collection of residential data.
It is part of the new measures in determining Commonwealth funding for schools based on parental income data to determine socio-economic status rather than suburbs or postcodes. This information will be used in calculating the school funding entitlements for non-government schools.
You are not required to do anything except ensure your most recent details are correctly recorded at the school. Please read the Government notice very carefully and contact the SES helpdesk (details at the end of the notice) if you have any questions
2018 Student Residential Address and Other Information collection notice
Socking it to Poverty
Milo Cricket Gala Day
We have 50 students heading down to Albert Park this Friday to join in in the Cricket Gala Day. Students wear sports uniform and can bring their own bats.
PSSA Cricket
We wish Oscar Roberts all the best for next week as he travels to Barooga to compete in the NSW Primary School Cricket championships as part of the MacKillop Cricket team.
Secondary Touch Carnival
We are holding our annual Secondary Schools touch carnival on Friday 16/11/19. Year 10 parents assist with running the canteen. Offers of Parent assistance can be directed toward Mr Alderman. We are also looking for the assistance of a high number of referees. If we have anyone about to offer their time, please speak to Patrece Maxwell
Primary Dates:
TERM 4
Milo Cricket Gala Day Cootamundra - 19/10/18
Boorowa Touch and Netball Boorowa - 26/10/18
Secondary Dates:
TERM 4
Sacred Heart Annual Touch Carnival Cootamundra -16/11/18
