On 15th March 1877 the first Test Match in cricket was held: Australia and England played in Melbourne, Australia.

It was five years later, in 1882, that England unexpectedly lost the Test Match at home against Australia. One of the newspapers reported the great shock - England had lost in the sport that the country had invented. The following “obituary” notice appeared in ‘The Sporting Times’:

“In affectionate remembrance of English Cricket which died at the Oval on 29th August 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”

Later that year, an English team in Australia was presented with an urn containing ashes. That trophy is now kept permanently at Lord’s cricket ground in London. The phrase has remained: whoever wins the Test Match is said to have won “the Ashes”.

I can think of times when others have let me down.

I remember when I have let others down.

I can think of times when people expected too much of me.

I remember when I haven’t expected enough of myself.

I can think of times when I haven’t felt appreciated.

I remember when I haven’t praised others for the good use of their talents.

And so we pray:

May we learn to value and appreciate one another, bringing out the best in those around us.

May what is not good die within us, and may we bring life to all we meet.

Amen.

Week 7

CHANGE OF DATE: Due to some travel issues for our Professional Learning organised with Kath Murdoch on 9 May we are now changing the date of our student free day for Staff professional learning to Friday 18 May. Our presenter will now be Leonie Anstey. Leonie is an educational consultant we have been working with over the past 18 months. She is a dynamic and knowledgeable presenter who will assist us with our continuing journey of “Challenging Learning”, the “Learning Pit” and ensuring we are meeting student needs for learning by providing differentiated learning in all classrooms. There will also be some further workshops with a focus on numeracy and mathematics.

This is the last day in the week of Naplan. Our make-up sessions for students will be held each afternoon for students – for example if they miss Tuesday mornings test, students will be able to sit on Wednesday afternoon, etc. If there are any students who still need to sit any tests on Friday, we will have supervision available and students are able to attend, sit the test and then return home.

Please make these date changes in your diary – 9 May is now a normal school day for students. 18 May will now be pupil free.

SAFETY REMINDER

We have a kiss and drop zone near the infants’ gate. This is designed to be literally used as a drop off (parent doesn’t get out of the car) or pick up (child is waiting inside the gate, parent park and child gets in the car) and go. It is not a parking area. Please do not park and wait for your children. It is a drop zone only.

Please do not park in the Presbytery. This is not parking for parents and our children walk along the footpath and cars entering or exiting can put our children in danger. Please find parking along the street (Morris, Thompson, Parker).

Uniform Committee Meeting

Thank you to the parents, staff and students who attended the Uniform Committee meeting on Monday afternoon. We greatly appreciate all your input and dialogue about providing the best option in uniforms for our students.

Several of the committee are now undertaking some further research with regards to possible options.

The two main items, which we will send a survey out about soon, are with respect to providing a ‘shorts’ alternative for Primary girls for the summer uniform and finding a sports short which is comfortable for the majority of our students and affordable for our families.

Up for discussion are:

1. Keep the Primary summer dress, but also have the option of navy skort with sky blue shirt. We have a lot of very active girls, who often hang upside down on play equipment, do cartwheels, etc and we would like an alternative for them to be able to play freely.
2. Sports shorts – our uniform policy currently states navy shorts with no logos. The vast majority of our students find that Canterbury shorts are more comfortable, flattering and longer wearing than other shorts we have been able to source to date. Many of our students wear these with the navy CCC. Smaller sizes are similar in price to other shorts, however for secondary sizes they can be up to $20 more than other shorts. We are currently looking at another possibility with a comfortable stretch fabric and wider leg to accommodate the variety of body shapes and sizes. When we have something for people to look at we will put out the survey to gain student and parent preferences.
3. Possibility of changing to a tracksuit pant which is able to withstand more wear and tear.

Decisions included:

1. No black socks. Continue with socks as specified in the current policy.
2. One plain ear ring to be worn in the lobe of each ear only (current policy)
3. Review of winter uniform (future meeting).

National Anti-Bullying Day and Harmony Day celebrations

We will be celebrating as a whole school on Friday 16 March these two important occasions. Parents are most welcome to join us at 11.45am as we reveal our special “rock river” to acknowledge that all students, families and staff are welcome and included at Sacred Heart and that we value and nurture everyone’s unique gifts. If you would like to join us, please sign in at the front office and come to the COLA.

I would like to thank and congratulate all our students who created posters for our poster competition. It was very difficult to judge but the messages from our students were loud and clear! The posters are now on display throughout the school and speak to the messages: “Imagine a World without Bullying” and “Be a Buddy not a Bully!”

Our student leaders will be running a range of fun activities to promote inclusivity throughout lunch time. All students will be moving to the Secondary playground to participate  as they choose (students can choose to sit and chat if they prefer). Activities include:  Parachute, Tug-o-war, Bubbles, Footy pass through a target, Skipping, Chalk drawing on concrete, Basketball and Netball.

At our school we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone. Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying.
You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens.  Stopping bullying involves everyone.

1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation.  After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what, where, when.  Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child.
2. Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’.
3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem.  While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option.  It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.
4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.
   
5. Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety. 
   
6. Check in regularly with your child.  Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings.  Your ongoing support is important.  

Discos

When:  Wednesday 21 March

Times:  Primary 5.30pm to 7pm, Secondary 7pm to 9pm

Themes:  Primary – Fluro, Secondary – Wild West

Cost: $3 each. Primary may have some glow stick items available at 50c each or
          3 for $1.

Parents are required to drop off and pick up all students attending the disco.

Tickets need to be purchased prior to the night. They are on sale from the front of the library on Thursday 15 March and Friday 16 March. The discos will only go ahead if sufficient tickets are purchased to make it worthwhile.

The Student Leadership Teams are requested to be at the RSL by 5pm to set up. Mr Brad Winsor will be there at 5pm to work with the students. Primary SLT may leave at the end of the Primary disco. The Secondary SLT will be required until 9.15pm to assist with clean up. Dinner will be provided for both the teams during the night.

With blessings,

Mrs Janet Cartwright

Principal

2 Weeks ahead