From the Principal
Welcome back to Term 2! We were blessed with the most delightful weather over the holiday break that hopefully meant lots of time outside for our students and time for them to rest and recharge for the big “winter” term. Our staff returned for an inspirational day of professional learning on Monday 29 April. We were fortunate to have the insights and teachings of Martin Renton and Leonie Anstey present on the Challenging Learning platform that looked at teaching that can make the most impact on students’ learning and development. We recognise that teaching is not just content and syllabus outcomes but a vehicle to impart attitudes and skills that are imperative to future learning and success. Over the coming terms the staff will participate in workshops that will focus on dialogue, feedback, language and questioning to improve student learning. We are striving to embed challenging learning in every way!
Thank you to our wonderful students who gave up their precious holiday time to be part of the prayerful presentation at Good Friday Mass. The Passion Play presentation was a moving presentation of the Passion of Christ and our students were respectful, reverent and dedicated. Thank you once again to Mr O’Brien and Mrs Thompson for their preparation and to Mrs Maher, Mrs Alexander and Mrs Maxwell who assisted during the holidays.
ANZAC DAY March and Sacred Heart Central School Alumni
It was with great pride that over 65 students and staff joined with the local community to march and commemorate the contributions of Servicemen and women over the centuries. It is important that our students recognise and acknowledge the sacrifices and courage of those who fought for our freedom and way of life. It was impressive to note their respect for the ceremony and their pride in our country and their school. It was also an opportunity to connect with a past student who has also done service in the military. Mr Ty Fergus (Class of 2005) was home from his posting in Brisbane to mark the occasion with his grandfather Mr Ted Fergus (Koerean War veteran) and it is always of interest to see whatour students achieve. Ty has completed several tours of duty and still recognises that once a Sacred Heart kid, always a Sacred Heart kid! He is pictured with his cousin Mr Todd Bryant (class of 1999) and Macey (Year 4) and Koby Bryant (Year 1).
NAPLAN - Week 3 Term 2 14th, 15th and 16th May
It is important that parents of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 are aware of the dates for NAPLAN testing. These dates are the nation-wide nominated dates for all testing and it is hoped that we will be able to complete all the testing on these days. Please note that all students in 5, 7 and 9 will need to bring their iPads fully charged to complete the tests on their device. Please see the flyer attached with relevant details about the online platform and testing. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school. The NAPLAN testing is a vehicle that informs the school anout the skills and knowledge of our students and is not intedned to be a stresful and onerous test for students. It is a “snapshot” on a single day of a student’s efforts and is not definitive in identifying their strengths and weaknesses overall. We go to great lengths to try and reassure our students.
Year 10 Minimum Standards test
In Week 6 Term Two ALL our Year 10 students will sit the HSC Minimum Standards Test online. They will do a practice test prior to the tests in week 6 but this testing is an important method for our teachers to collect information about how best to support our students in the skills that they will need to prgoress beyond Year 10, either in Stage 6 or in the workplace. Attached to this newsletter is an information letter from Ms Marsay. Please read carefully to ensure that you are aware of the purpose and function of this test. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.
Year_10_Minimum_Standards_Test.pdf
Mothers’ Day
On Thursday 9th May the annual Mothers Day stall will be held in the Library 12.50-1.45pm to allow parents to peruse the stall gifts. Students will visit during the day and more details will be sent home over the coming days regarding the prices and schedule.
Don’t forget that the left over prizes from the Fete chocolate wheel will be raffled over the coming months beginning with the Mother’s Day raffle. See attached flyer. At $2 a ticket it is your best chance of securing an impressive gift for your mother with 4 great prizes. It will be drawn on 10th May in time for Mother’s Day.
P_and_F_Mother_s_Day_Raffle.pdf
Annual Awards Presentation
Already we have been considering ways to mark special occasions and to evaluate the way that we acknowledge effort, achievement and success. Over the past weeeks the staff have been discussing and considering ways to improve celebrations and there is none more obvious than our Annual awards presentation. As the demands on staff, students and families has grown exponentially over the years we have looked at the way we conduct the Awards presentation at the end of the year. We are in the process of considering format, types of recognition and other aspects of the ceremony.However, we have decided that to alleviate the rush and pressure at the end of the acadmeic school year we are prepared to move the Annual awards presentation FORWARD by one week. This means that the presentation will now be held on 11 December 2019 at 12noon in the church. We still value that opportunity for the whole school community to celebrate together so we have remained with a mid day presentation. Please make note of this on your calendars and we will continually remibnd you of this important change throughout the year. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the presentation please email them through to me
Earn and Learn
It is that time of year again when the Woollies Earn and Learn initiative is front and centre when you are dragging your shopping bags out the supermarket doors. Please remember to place your stickers in the Sacred heart boxes so that we can earn lots of points to access valuable, free resources for our classrooms. Many thanks for your support.
Uniform and Year 10 2019 Jumpers
Our year 10 class received their jerseys for 2019 today and they are wearing them with pride. They look very smart. We take a great deal of pride in our uniform and what it represents to the school and the community and we are very grateful to the student body who “mostly” wear the correct uniform. We will be checking closely over the coming weeks that the big expectations we have of uniform are being realised. Please remember that there is a two week grace to swap into the winter uniform for 2019. This includes the tie for all students. Please consult the website to check that you purchase the correct uniform or contact the Front Office if you have any queries. It is also timely to remind students about jewellery and makeup rules. This saves a great deal of time if students abide by the uniform guidelines.
Go gently and in a world where you can be anything….be kind!
God Bless
Mrs Nicky Trinder
Principal
