So much has happened since I last wrote for the newsletter. We had the most fabulous day for our inaugural Canberra Goulburn All schools Coota Volleyball. It was a fantastic opportunity for the town and regions to come together to be part of this wonderful Cootamundra tradition. We had 47 teams from around the district and beyond (Goulburn, Young, Gundagai and Tumut) enjoy the facilities provided by the Coota Beach Volleyball Committee (we are very grateful for their support). I have attached the clip which shows some of the action (the photos were taken by our amazing Art Teacher Mrs Anne Cooper). Also a big thank you to Mr Winsor and his dedicated  committee for all their efforts. Also to the hard working P & F under the guidance of Mrs Heather Gammon (catering Coordinator),  Mrs Sonya Ward (P & F President) and Mrs Kim Sannazzaro (P & F Secretary). We were blown away with the generosity of the school community with all of the donations for the catering stall. I have never seen so much “stuff” so generously donated. We also appreciated the families and staff members who came down to the courts to help set up and pack up. This event is now on all the regional carnivals It is the start of a wonderful tradition for Sacred Heart and the Beach Volleyball Carnival. Save the date: 16 February 2024!!!!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFbPp_p6HQ/CpY_QlJIxAsdskAvSwwCVQ/watch?utm_content=DAFbPp_p6HQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

Our wonderful swimmers were exceptional at the Western region Carnival yesterday from all reports. We came away as second placed overall with several champions in their age groups – Toby Westaway, Zoe Lake and Jake Harris were named as age champions. Congratulations to all who swam and conducted themselves with distinction. We have many students who have made it on to the next level.

A reminder that some COVID-safe protocols that have remained. This includes the need for parents to remain OUTSIDE the fences at pick up in the afternoons. This helps the teachers to manage the pickup and to monitor the students leaving the school grounds. Thank you for your help in this!

We are hopeful that fees will be sent out very soon but at this stage they are still ironing our issues with Central Schools and secondary colleges around family fees etc. We are aware that many are anxious to start their regular payments, and this is appreciated. Hopefully we will know in the coming week when fee statements and regular BPays can begin. A reminder that if you would like to request a fee remission then you need to complete a new application each calendar year. Please contact the Front Office for a 2023 Remission form.

This week we hosted four very successful information sessions. Kinder, Stage 1, Year 10 and year 7 were very well attended by parents and the information presented by our dedicated staff was invaluable. If you need any information because you were unable to attend any of these sessions, please contact the respective Coordinators/teachers for booklets or details.

NAPLAN testing will soon be upon us. It is now to be held in the weeks 15 March to 27 March. These are important to collect data around areas of need and strengths in the school’s teaching. Please talk to the class teacher if you are concerned about your child or they seem anxious about the process. More information is attached later in the newsletter.

Photo day is rapidly approaching, and we hope that we have maximum attendance on the day to record our beautiful students for 2023. Please mark 31 March in your calendar as Photo Day – all students are required to be in full summer uniform. Information and ordering instructions will be sent home soon.

Don’t forget to make sure you can access COMPASS for all information. If you have difficulty logging on then please see the girls at the front Office. All payments now will go out through COMPASS pay and we are striving for a more sustainable paperless workflow. There is a need to nominate a closing dates for consent and payment to allow processing. This places added urgency on completing all forms and payments well before the due date. This is a feature of the COMPASS portal that closes off consent and payment which makes late payments more challenging.

This week we officially welcomed our new Assistant Principal Mr Ryan Forsyth. He has recently been the acting Principal of Adelong and he is very enthusiastic and excited about the challenge of helping to lead our school. We look forward to sharing the 2023 journey with him and all that he can offer our school community.

This year we will work to be the kind of school where we strive to be kind all the time!

Remember, if you have to chose between being extraordinary or kind, be extraordinarily kind.

God Bless