We hope the glorious autumn days continue until Friday when we will hold our annual Sacred Heart Athletics Carnival. This is an important day in our school calendar and is a compulsory school day for all students regardless of their athletic predilections or abilities. We would love to see all our students from K-10 involved in the day and as many parents as possible cheering on all competitors. If you are able to assist on the BBQ or in the canteen then that would be gratefully received. Please contact the front office if you are able to assist.

So much has been happening over the past two weeks and the most pressing has been the increase in COVID infections amongst our staff. We have had a significant increase in infections and we have been grateful for the casual staff who have been able to cover classes. If your child is exhibiting symptoms please keep them at home to prevent the spread, especially to the more vulnerable of our staff and families. We are encouraging all our students to continue to use sanitiser at all times and return to COVID safe practices as much as is practicable.

The annual Year 7 camp last week at Camp Hudson was a wonderful time to all reports. Mr Alderman, Ms Wade, Mrs Maxwell, Mrs Maher and Mrs Black all gave glowing reports of the behaviour, engagement and attitude of our Year 7 students. Hopefully we will be able to include a report in coming weeks.

The CECG Cross Country was an opportunity for our students to demonstrate their exceptional athleticism on Mt Stromolo. Our students came away with some impressive results and we had many students who figured in the championship medals. Congratulations to all who participated. There will be a Sports report next week detailing for all our results and medal winners. Many students will progress onto the state level. Next week we also have three swimmers contesting the NSW All Schools for swimming at the Homebush Aquatic Centre - Halle Johnson, Jake Winsor and Jake Harris. We wish them safe travel and every success. We have also had two of our Year 10 girls - Josey Hoey and Hallie Kelly involved in the NSW CCC 16s Rugby League Trials in Wyong. We are yet to hear how they fared against some of the top female athletes in the state.

Last Saturday we held the first of our House Parish Masses. De La Salle House led the ministries at the vigil mass and also some of our new altar serving recruits were introduced to the Parish. It was lovely to have so many attend mass and be involved in the Parish. We hope that this is a tradition that will continue to grow and promote a more regular attendance at Mass for many of our staff, students and families. We are always in the Parish prayer and we are grateful for their prayerful support.

Last night we welcomed many new families to our school community who have enrolled (or are considering) enrolling their children into our 2025 Kindergarten classes. Mrs Chesworth and our Year 10 School Captains Thomas and Lucy led an informative session on what Sacred Heart has to offer . Thank you to our Year 10 students who also came and supervised the younger students so that their parents could fully appreciate the presentation. Our senior students are always willing to help out and this is one of the very best things about Sacred Heart, that we have a community K-10 that are always willing to support each other. Thank you to Emily Fry, Amelia Smith, Lucy Paterson, Tom Peacey and Ashlee Peacey for generously giving up their time.

Next week we will farewell our fabulous School Counsellor Laura Maxwell who will be taking maternity leave to wait for the impending birth of her first child. Laura has been an important asset to our school community and we wish her and Brenden every happiness with their new addition. We are still waiting on news of a replacement counsellor and we hope that we will be able to continue this important service in coming weeks.

Below I have included a copy of the latest information coming from ESAFETY that is important reading for any parent. The content to which it refers is very distressing but it is important that parents are aware of what is happening in the cyber space for their children. The attached resources are invaluable and well worth a read.

 Next Week is also a very important week in terms of recognising our First Nations people and the importance of Reconciliation week.  With the theme ‘Now more than ever’ for National Reconciliation Week 2024, it is a time to reflect and continue building momentum towards reconciliation in our schools and early learning services, workplaces, and broader communities. This theme invites all Australians to learn more about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and explore how everyone can contribute to promoting reconciliation in our everyday lives - in our homes, workplaces, and social circles. Our Year 7 students will be involved in the community recognition of reconciliation week with other Cootamundra Schools by participating in a walk to the Girls Home and cultural activities. More details will be made available as they come to hand. As a school community we will host a Reconciliation breakfast on Wednesday 29 May from 8am. Please join us to celebrate inclusion, diversity and harmony. It is also a uniform Free day and children are encouraged to celebrate by wearing their favourite colour.

The Infants department will celebrate the annual Infants Liturgy next Friday at 11.45am. Everyone is most welcome to attend this traditionally reverent, inspiring and joyful liturgy. It is always a delight to see our youngest students celebrate their faith and values in such a positive and happy manner., Thank you to our Infants staff for the preparation of our students.