Prayer for those affected by drought

God of all creation hear our prayer; bring us rain to renew the ground,

to replenish our dams, to activate seeds,
to bring the possibility of some reward
to those who have worked so hard.

We turn to you in faith and hope. 

We pray for our communities across the

Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn,

and all affected by drought in the Great South Land.
We pray for all those who live under the shadow of drought.

We pray for those who work with the land,
for farmers and their families, for those who rely upon the land for their life and relationships.

We pray for contractors, merchants and truck drivers, for rural counsellors and support workers, for all in our rural communities.

May the revitalisation of your Spirit
present in miraculous and truly human ways,
be with all of us as we move forward into the days ahead.

We pray too, for justice; for fair prices for our stock, our wool and our grain.
We pray for governments, banks and corporations – may they be driven by wisdom, generosity, justice and compassion.

We pray for each other,
keep us aware of the needs of those around us;
for those who are struggling,
and those carrying heavy burdens.

Restore those who are far from you
with the knowledge that they are loved and valued.

Give them not just a sense of renewal,
but a sense of hope and purpose for lives
that are finding the journey hard.

Bring us rain to renew us, Lord.

We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Week 4

Please keep in your prayers Emma McDonnell and her cousin Ben who is also unwell. Her family greatly appreciate all your support and prayers. I was able to visit Emma on Tuesday and she is making remarkable progress. Emma was able to walk short distances unassisted, is doing physio sessions and we had a great chat. Emma is no longer in the acute care ward which is a great indicator of her improvements. She is very worried about her students and we have assured her that we are taking care of them and that she needs to focus on getting better. We are holding meetings at present to decide on the best way forward in terms of a teacher for Kindergarten this term and will let parents know as soon as a solution is resolved and a decision made. We thank Susie Alexander for stepping in at short notice during this time.

Please also pray for Fr Joshy and his family and friends. Fr Joshy’s home region has been effected by massive flooding and his family has needed to be evacuated. An enormous amount of rain has fallen and we pray for the safety of all in the region.

Year 7 Information Evening

Thanks to Ms Erryn Marsay for running another successful Year 7 Information Evening. Thanks also to our wonderful Year 7 students who acted as guides. The feedback from all present was highly complementary and all our students proved their leadership capabilities during the evening. Thanks to Sianne Marsay-Turner and Jack Douglas who spoke highly of their experiences at Sacred Heart, representing the Student Leadership Team admirably. Thank you to all these students for volunteering to assist and to our staff who ran sessions during the evening in the various classrooms to showcase our facilities.

Enrolment applications for Year 7 are due by Monday 20 August.

Kindergarten enrolments

Kindergarten enrolments officially closed on 1 August, however if any parents are still considering Sacred Heart as an option, we would love to be able to have 2 classes in 2019. Only 3 or 4 more students would ensure this can happen and would allow us to have 2 smaller classes. Please ask any parents you may be aware of to contact the front office for further information.

Letters of offer for a place in the 2019 Kindergarten class will be sent out soon.

Small Schools Rugby League Finalists

We congratulate our U13 and U16 boys Rugby League teams for their fine efforts in Dubbo this week. Whilst not successful in winning the grand finals, they were supportive of each other, came together to play great games of football and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship. All involved are congratulated on their achievements. We thank Andrew Alderman for managing, John Hogan and Mick Nasser for coaching and all the parents who were able to travel to Dubbo to support our teams.

Annual Satisfaction Survey

We are required to send out a satisfaction survey each year. Your input is important in our decision making processes. Please remember to respond in terms of the last 12 months as we compare responses from one year to the next and our goal is to respond to concerns previously raised and celebrate what is working well.

An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified. 

Our school is provided with all responses and these are shared in a variety of ways with the school community as School Leadership Team, Student Leaders, School Board and Staff.

The surveys will be launched via email on August 20 and close on August 31, 2018 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey on 20th August, you can access and complete the survey at the following link:  https://www.research.net/r/sacredheartparent2018

Students from Years 3 to 10 will also be asked to complete a survey at school and all staff will also complete a survey.

With blessings,

Mrs Janet Cartwright

Principal

janet.cartwright@cg.catholic.edu.au