As the COVID drama seems to build each day now that Canberra is in a 7 Day lock down, it is important that we stay up-to-date with the latest information and directions. Currently we have been informed that if you were in Canberra after 5 August you are subject to stay at home orders. These mean you are required to stay at home at all times unless you attend essential work or school (which is classed as essential) and then return home. You must consult the ACT Health website to check that the nominated hot spots were not sites that you had visited whilst you were in the ACT. If this is the case then you are considered a close contact and must consult the NSW Health directives. If you are concerned then please contact the NSW COVID hotline to seek clarification. We are endeavouring to keep school open and COVID free so we would appreciate if you sourced the most current information around your travels. Please keep those impacted by COVID-19 in your prayers. We have many vulnerable people in our communities that are feeling the crushing effects of no employment, sickness or mental health because of the current COVID situation.

Attached to this newsletter are instructions that have been developed for parents and carers regarding the use of Microsoft Teams at home for iPads, laptops, desktop computers and chromebooks. While of general support for parents and carers, it will be especially useful to support students if remote learning is required. Over the past weeks and days staff have started to plan for the possibility of remote learning so all students have been instructed to down load the Microsoft TEAMS app onto their IPads to receive video calls and messages. In such a situation where we are in subject to a lockdown the school will move to remote learning as the only platform for teaching and learning. The school will only be open for children of EMERGENCY workers and vulnerable students and will operate on a skeleton staff. As in the ACT, staff will be given 2 days to prepare for remote learning and these will pupil-free days. The transition to remote learning is extensive and we are aiming to make it as seamless as it can be if lockdown is decided. We will keep you up-to-date with decisions as they come to hand and please be assured we will do everything we can to make sure that our students and community are safe but continue to learn.

Printable_Handout_for_Families_iPad.pdf

Printable_Handout_for_Families_Web_Client.pdf

Printable_Handout_for_Families_Chrome_Browser.pdf

At Sacred Heart our teachers take their responsibility to help our students very seriously and this flows over in to the professional accounting of a student’s behaviour, learning, application and relationships for Paediatrician appointments and medical referrals. To be thorough, honest and professional it takes considerable time to write an accurate letter to support an appointment. This is necessary to ensure that accurate information is communicated to the medical specialist to support their diagnosis, medication or referral process. It takes many months to secure an appointment and we would appreciate if the teachers were given sufficient time to write the letters. Two weeks’ notice of an impending appointment that requires a letter would be appreciated so that the teachers can gather the necessary data/information, construct the letter and have the appropriate signatories on the letter.  Thank you for your assistance with this workload on the staff.

In line with COVID directions we will be conducting our Year 7 Information Session virtually and information and links to the presentation will be sent out prior to the night. This has necessitated a change in date for the presentation from the 10^th August to the 17^th August to allow preparation of the presentation. The link will be emailed out on Monday to all families.

A reminder that in the coming weeks we will be conducting some practice runs at the lockdown (NOT COVID) drill and identify ways that we can improve and refine our procedure.

NOTE from the Canteen: Please remember to have online orders for the canteen MUST be in by 9.30am to ensure that they are prepared ready for an 11.05 lunch. Thank you

Remember: If you can be anything…be kind!

God Bless!

Prayer for the Feast of St Mary of the Cross 2021

Gospel

Matt 6:25-34

Jesus said to his disciples: I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and what you are to wear. Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, however much you worry, add one single cubit to your span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin: yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the wildflowers growing in the field which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you have so little faith? So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?” It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 What words or phrases struck you in Sunday’s Gospel reading? (Pause)

 What might God be saying to you in and through the Gospel? (Pause)

 What do you worry about? (Pause)

Reflection

What we worry about most, spend our time and money on, can reveal, not only our most important values, but our life’s essential orientation, indeed what we have our hearts set on. In the film ‘Mr Holland’s Opus,’ Principal Jacobs challenges the young music teacher Mr Holland, “A teacher has two jobs; fill young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a compass so that that knowledge doesn’t go to waste. I don’t know what you’re doing with the knowledge, but as a compass, you’re stuck.” What and who we worry about and have our hearts set on, matters precisely because those we lead, serve, teach, and parent look to the vision of life and values that our lives embody. They look to where and to whom our compass points. Reflecting on the vocation of teaching, Parker Palmer asserts, ‘We teach who we are.’ We also lead, minister and parent who we are. What and who does your compass point to as you navigate the currents of your own heart? Is your compass needle “stuck” or spinning erratically without a true north?

The Gospel invites us, like St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, to orientate our whole lives, to set our whole heart on God’s Kingdom. Like Mary, let our true north be God’s justice and let us “Never see a need without doing something about it.”

Do this, we are promised, and tomorrow will look after itself.

Please keep Fr Lolesio in your prayers. He has been unwell. Father is always a smiling, friendly face on our playground and in our classrooms.

Early Stage 1 Reflection Day

On Wednesday 18/8 Early Stage 1 will celebrate their first ever reflection day. The students will participate in a day full of playing game, doing craft and praying based on the theme of We all belong to God’s family.

ES1_Reflection_Day.pdf

Year_3_Reflection_Day.pdf

Year_7_Info_night.pdf

Semester 1 2021 - Pool use payments - now overdue

Infants Learn-to-Swim program - now overdue

Year 8 Tathra Beachside Excursion  second payment $150 now overdue

Public Speaking

Congratulations to all our students in Stage 2 and 3 for completing a ‘Public Speaking’ assessment in the past two weeks.

Two students from each grade level are invited to speak against St Anne’s Temora on Thursday 19 August at 10am (Via Video).

Fingers crossed that we will have students reaching the Western Region Public Speaking Finals!

Congratulations to Reuben Smith, Mia Taylor, Caleb Barton, Lucy Dunk, Gillian Hunt, Harry Blackman, Kelsey Smith, Lucy Shields.

Primary Sport

Western Region update- from CE

With the Covid situation not looking like improving anytime soon it is highly unlikely that the WR carnival will go ahead this year. The CE is risk adverse and does not wanting schools from different LGA's mixing. With the term rapidly passing by we are running out of weeks when we could hold the carnival before the Arch carnival. We would need a miracle with cases back close to zero before the end of term for the WR carnival to go ahead. 

So...

Hopefully, things will improve next term and the Arch carnival will go ahead on the new date of the 14th of October. CE has been sent all the qualifying times and distances we submitted for the WR carnival and will put together the WR team based on these times. They will notify all schools about their competitors once she has finalised the team.  

I know it is not ideal and I am disappointed for all the children who miss out on representing their school. Unfortunately, it is out of my hands and we must do what is best for the health and safety of our communities.  

Therefore, 

The date for this is set as Thursday 14th October at the AIS stadium in Canberra, students who have qualified for this event will be notified. 

Todd Woodbridge Cup

The new date for the Todd Woodbridge Cup is set for the 26th of August.

Notes

Please return the Trent Barrett (stage two) and Woolworths Cricket blast ASPA 

Primary sport

For week 5-8 students will be involved in Cricket sessions, photos will follow later newsletters. 

If you have any questions about Primary sporting matters please contact me. 

Secondary Sport

Swimming Notes

Thank you to all who have paid their Semester 1’s pool atternance fees promptly. Please finalise any outstanding money as soon as possible and contact Megan Withers or Emma Deep if you have any concerns.

Small Schools Rugby League - Postponed

Unfortunately the Small Schools State Final has been postponed again. No date has been set however it is hoped to be early in Term 4. I will distribute new information as it becomes available.

Weekly Sport Choices - Weeks 6-9

The next round of sport choices will begin on 20th August during our Friday sport time. Selections are through the form in the students Sport at SHC Google Classroom and need to be completed by Monday 16th August. If your child has selected a sport requiring payment, they will receive a note to return to the office with payment by Thursday 19th August.

Secondary Sport Dates

If you are concerned about anything to do with PE or Sport, please arrange a meeting or get in contact with me at your earliest convenience. I can be contacted at megan.withers@cg.catholic.edu.au or on 02 69422612 during school hours. 

 

Regards

Megan Withers

Secondary Sports Coordinator