We have just finished the penultimate week of Term Two and staff and students are deserving of a two week break at the end of next week. The last day of Term Two for students will be Friday 25 June and students return Tuesday 13 July. The Front Office will be open on Monday 12 July for any enquiries. Staff will be busy learning the new school system COMPASS that will manage all our communications, attendance, reporting and wellbeing. There will be slightly different processes that will be implemented from next term and we hope that it is smooth and trouble free for all concerned.

It has been a very busy and full term and we are thankful for all the opportunities and lessons that we have covered this entire semester. As we move into the holidays it is with a tinge of sadness that we inform the community that Mrs Litchfield has made the difficult decision to move her little family back home to Cooma. We are very happy for Natalee and Dylan as they move closer to family. Mrs Litchfield has been a wonderful member of our school community and we wish her every happiness and success. We hope that she will always visit and hold a special place in her heart for our school. Mrs Niddrie has also completed her contract and has left to await the impeding birth of her first child. Kaitlin has very capably fitted into our school community and she will be missed by all but especially her 2N students. We wish Kaitlin and Jack every blessing as they begin this next exciting stage of their lives. Finally it is also my task to inform the school community that after 38 years as an important member of the Sacred Heart staff Mrs Pam Gehrig will no longer be the librarian for our school community. Pam began as the ‘Cooking and Sewing’ teacher all those years ago and has continually risen to the challenges of meeting our school needs and adapted to be the highly skilled teacher that she has become in so many different areas. Mrs Gehrig will be resigning to spend more time ‘smelling the roses’ and spending time with her family and travelling. We wish her every happiness and blessing as she and Daryl enjoy life and thank her for the plethora of ways she has continually given to our students and school. These fabulous ladies leave a big hole in our community and they have contributed so much to our school over many years but we are confident that we will be able to replace them with equally dedicated and passionate staff members. We are currently advertising for replacement staff and we will inform the school community as soon as we know the replacements.

Next week the Semester One reports will be sent home. Primary staff have endeavoured to make contact with all parents prior to the reports going home to name successes, areas of development and growth and ways to continually move forward. There will also be the opportunity to follow up the report with a parent teacher interview in Term 3. Information will be contained with the reports about the process for booking an interview. Our Secondary reports will also be sent home including the specific breakdown of the skills, attitude and effort for the Engagement with Learning criteria. Opportunities for Parent/Teacher/Student interviews will also be outlined in the report package. Please make contact with the school if you do not receive your report/s by the end of term.

Over the holiday period the school is investing in the installation of split-system air conditioning units for all classrooms across the school. This is a significant financial commitment to the infrastructure of our school and we hope that this will help our students to learn in a comfortable and conducive environment. This is possible because of the continual commitment that parents and families make to meeting school fees. Thank you for your support.

Congratulations are extended to Lara Wilson, a former student on being named School Captain of St Scholastica’s in Glebe for 2022. This is a wonderful achievement. Our students consistently go on to fulfil positions of leadership when they move onto senior schools. We pride ourselves on building invaluable leadership skills in our students to take into the wider world. Our history of this level of achievement is very impressive.

This week our two Small Schools Rugby League teams (U14s and U16s) travelled to Wagga Wagga to compete in the next level of the State-wide competition. Both teams were successful in progressing the final round and they played with maturity, pride and as a committed team. Ms Withers and Mr Murray were effusive in their praise for the boys in their manner and their efforts. Please read the report later in the newsletter for more details. Thank you to Ms Withers, Mr Murray and the enthusiastic parents who supported the teams on Tuesday. We look forward to the grand finals in Bathurst in August.

Next Friday we will celebrate our School’s Feast Day – the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The school community will come together for Mass to be followed by a BBQ lunch and then K-10 activities. This is a lovely way to finish the term and we hope that all students will be present to mark this special occasion as a student body. Parents and friends are most welcome to join us but please remember to sign in with the QR code in line with continuing COVID protocols.

This year we have been fortunate to have the excellent services of Mrs Sam Price as our student counsellor to help support students as they navigate various issues in their lives. Sam has been inundated with referrals and requests from students, parents and teachers to meet with her. However, her time is finite and she is making every effort to see as many as she can. She does triage the students to best meet the most pressing needs but please be patient with the process. We have made enquires for an increase in counselling hours but this is has not been granted…..yet! We do appreciate that accessing counselling services locally is problematic and the services are not readily available. We have made this obvious to CE in the hope that they may increase our hours.

Next week we will also be taking new Kinder families for 2022 through the school as they begin the transition program for their young children to school. This is also a timely reminder for anyone who knows of any prospective enrolments for 2022 to please make contact with the school and likewise, please contact the school if your child has alternative intentions for schooling for 2022.

Remember: If you can be anything…be kind!