What a week! We seemed to have had it all; broken bones, dislocated shoulders and everything in between. Our prime concern is always for the safety of our students and we were very grateful for the health services in our town that responded quickly, professionally and expertly to our ‘emergencies’. The manner with which our students supported each other was lovely to see and it reinforced the resilient attitude of many of our students and the care and compassion our staff have for our students.

Today marked the conclusion of the examination period for our Year 10 students who have applied themselves with relative diligence to completing their Stage 5 studies. We thank them for their efforts and hope that the results are encouraging and reflect positively the effort they put into these final assessments. Across the school all other grades are immersed in the assessment period. From Kindergarten to Year 9 all other students are preparing or completing assessments for the second semester reports. A reminder that these reports will be sent home electronically so that you will always have a permanent record of the report. There will be no hard copies sent out.

Next week our Early Stage 1 2022 students will begin their transition to big school. They will join us for the morning session on Wednesday 10 November and we are excited to have two wonderfully small classes for this incoming group. Over the three weeks they will meet many staff as they generously support this orientation program. We will post some photos in next week’s newsletter. A huge thank you to Ms McDonnell for her efforts in programming for the transition.

It is with much sadness that I announce that Mrs Martel has tended her resignation effective from next year. Mrs Martel has been an important and vital part of school community for many, many years and we are very sad to see her go. However, she is moving onto an exciting and fulfilling new stage of her life where she will spend more time with her family, especially her grandchildren. We wish her every happiness and thank her for her enormous contribution to Sacred Heart and the students that she has taught. I personally will miss her smiling, friendly face and genuine caring nature.

The latest road map for COVID protocols comes into play on Monday 8 November. Schools remain relatively unchanged to life with COVID-19. The most recent updates for COVID restrictions have made little changes to our day-to-day operations. The requirement to wear makes in the classroom will continue for all secondary students and staff despite it becoming very frustrating and annoying. We appreciate that it is not pleasant but we stress with all our students the need to wear them correctly at all times otherwise the exercise is futile.  Our primary students are still encouraged to wear masks but it is not mandated. We are still maintaining COVID-safe practices and anyone presenting at school with COVID-like symptoms will be sent home and required to get a COVID negative test result to return to school. The removal of restrictions for all people, regardless of vaccination status has now been pushed back until 15 December. We are currently working with Catholic Education and NSW Health what this means for our major school events, namely Awards and Graduation. We will keep you informed about any requirements, expectations or changes as we are given them. We are looking forward to having fully vaccinated parents back in our classrooms helping with reading groups and the Uniform pool being reopened. There are lots of little freedoms that are going to make all the difference in the coming weeks.

We are racing towards the end of the year and there is still a lot to be done. Students are required to maintain their attendance until the end of the term and there are lots of learning opportunities to come in the final weeks. Planning for 2022 is well underway and while we still have not consolidated staffing we are putting class lists together and requirements for the new year. Please see me if you have any issues that need to be considered when structures are put in place for next year. Conversely anyone who has a child that is, sadly, moving onto another school could they please make contact with the school for our records and preparations.

Our students are expected to treat everyone they come across with respect and kindness. There is never a reason to be mean or unkind. Too often our students dismiss each other with cutting comments or ignore others around them. To be ignored is a cruel experience and is not easily forgotten. So many of our community are struggling with so many different challenges or issues and with this in mind we should always be kind. Not everyone has to be best friends but they do have to acknowledge and be civil to all. There is also a need to ensure that at all times students abide by the “hands off “ rule. It is there to protect everybody and no one has the right to touch another person in any way. This is more than a school rule. It is an expectation that everyone can expect to be treated with respect, in all ways, at all times.

Don’t forget that in coming weeks you will receive an email invite to join COMPASS through the parent portal. Please accept them otherwise you will continue to receive emails until you accept.

Please remember to be kind! Kindness is a silent smile, a friendly word, a nod of encouragement. Kindness is the single most powerful thing we can teach our children. (RAKtivist)

God Bless

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal