From the Principal

Week 11

Despite Term 1 being an 11 week term, it has positively flown by. I hope this means that everyone has enjoyed the term and it has been particularly productive. I wish everyone all the very best during the next weeks of school holidays. We pray that all our students return safely on Day 1 Term 2 and that you are able to enjoy some rest, relaxation and quality time as families.

Staffing from Term 2

We will have some staffing changes in Term 2 due to Mrs Katie Thompson taking on an AP role at St Mary’s Young and Mr Tim Mahon requiring extended sick leave. We had hoped that Mr Mahon might be able to return but it now appears that he will need Term 2 and 3 off as well. We are sorry for the disruption this has caused given that we have needed to employ relief teachers to the end of Term 1. We pray that he is able to return to full health soon. We are grateful to Mrs Annette Black for stepping in and taking as many of his classes as she was able, to provide as much consistency as possible during this time.

We have advertised for a teacher to replace Mr Mahon and some of Mrs Thompson’s teaching loads and will advise who this is as soon as we have been able to make an appointment. This will not take place until during the holidays.

It is my pleasure to announce that Mrs Patrece Maxwell has been successful in gaining the Religious Education Coordinator (REC) role. We are very pleased that someone with her expertise, knowledge and experience has put herself forward to take on this role and look forward to her joining the School Leadership Team. We strongly encourage our staff to step into higher duties and take opportunities as they arise, just as we encourage all our students to take on new challenges and opportunities.

This means that there will be a change for 3M for the remainder of the year. Mrs Julia McLeod has accepted an extra day per week and we are very grateful to her for doing this. Mrs Maxwell will teach 3M 2 days and Mrs McLeod will teach them 3 days. The days that each will work are still to be determined and they will let you know once this is decided.

Mr Dan O’Brien will be taking Year 10 RE and Mrs Debbie Roxburgh will be taking Year 8 Geography for the remainder of the year. We thank these teachers for taking on these roles.

Mr O’Brien will no longer be teaching 1M for Music and Drama and will no longer have an allocation for choir. We will be looking for solutions for someone to be able to take the these roles over the coming weeks.

Mr Brad Winsor will be taking some secondary classes – Year 7 PDHPE in place of Mrs Maxwell and Secondary Sport. Mrs Kylie Winsor will be taking Fridays for 3W and we are grateful to her for taking on this extra role to ensure consistency for the students. This means that 3W will have Mr Winsor 3 days per week and Mrs Winsor 2 days. The days are yet to be confirmed.

Mr Mahon is also the Year 8 Mentor. Given he will be away in Term 2 and 3, we have appointed Ms Lisa Buchanan as the Year 8 Mentor. We are very thankful to Ms Buchanan for taking on this very important role. She is very keen to be more involved with the Year 8 group and looking forward to the exciting terms ahead. We also thank Mrs Thompson for temporarily taking on this role during Mr Mahon’s absence in Term 1.

There are still some staffing appointments and class assignments to be made and we will communicate these to parents as soon as we are able.

Cross Country

The school cross country is on tomorrow. Students are to make their own way to the Country Club. Bus students should get off the bus at the High School in the morning and several of our staff will be there to walk them to the oval. Students will return to school and lessons for Period 2 and Period 5 Friday will be taught at slightly different times. We will then be having our Anzac Liturgy in the church after a break. We encourage all students to return to school after the cross country. If you need to collect your child early, please ensure they have a note and are signed out as usual for a school day.

Anzac Day March

Our students are encouraged to participate in the Anzac Day march for our school on Wednesday 25 April. We highly value the significance of remembering all those who have served and wish to continue the strong tradition of a large representation from Sacred Heart. Students are to wear full winter school uniform with their hat. Students are to meet Mrs Nicky Trinder near the RSL Club by 10.15am to allow students to be organised and ready to march at 10.30am. Students will attend the service at the Cenotaph near Albert Park and parents are to collect their children at the end of the service. A note went home with all the information and details this week.

Studio Curious

I am currently in Canberra attending workshops with staff from many other CECG schools to discuss future priorities and structures for Catholic Education. Having completed 2 days already in March, we are undertaking rigorous discussions to analyse what is working well and what can be improved. It is a privilege to be able to represent country NSW and our perspective in such a forum and important that our voice is heard. I look forward over the coming months with hope for the outcomes of this exciting venture.

Some reminders

• Week 1 Term 2 will be week one on the timetable. The remainder of the terms are 10 week terms.
• Monday 30 April ALL students and staff return to school. Our staff PL day will be Friday 18 May (pupil free).
• Deadlines on notes are adhered to. A lot of time and effort goes into organising extracurricular activities. Please note the due dates for money and return of permission notes. Whilst we don’t want students to miss out, we also want students to learn to be responsible for returning these items.
• Planning and determining the costs of events also takes time and we try as hard as possible to keep costs down for activities by trying to calculate costs for the maximum number of students to attend. If you know that your child will not be attending an event, please let the organising teacher know asap.
• Reflection Days and retreats – It is an expectation that all students attend reflection days and retreats unless there are extenuating circumstances (such as illness). These days are important formation days for our students and strongly support the catholic ethos of the school. By enrolling your child at Sacred Heart, you have agreed to meet these important requirements.

All the best for the holiday break.

With blessings,

Mrs Janet Cartwright

Principal

janet.cartwright@cg.catholic.edu.au

2 weeks ahead