This term has passed so quickly. Here we are staring down the last weeks of the year and there is still much to do and much left to be finalized. We apologise for the changeable nature that we find ourselves in as we plan the annual end-of-year events. We are subject to the directives of NSW Health and the advice of Catholic Education as we work through the COVID safety plans to ensure that we don’t impact on people’s Christmas plans. The safety of our community is always our highest priority.

Below are the most recent plans for the finals masses, Annual Awards ceremony and Graduation. Any school event on school grounds requires that the adults are double vaccinated.

• For the Year 6 Thanksgiving Mass on Friday 3 December at 12noon only the Primary students will be attending along with socially distanced Year 6 parents who are double vaxxed. We will be required to check vaccinations upon arrival. Students will be cohorted and there will be no mingling after Mass. We are permitted to take cohort photos. Specific details for each event will be sent home closer to the event.
• For the Year 10 Graduation Mass on Friday 10^th December at 11.45am only secondary classes will be attending in cohorts. Parents will be required to be double vaxxed and socially distanced at the rear of the church. There is to be no mingling after Mass but we will take a cohort photo before the graduating class leave the church.
• The Annual Awards Ceremony will be conducted in three parts on Wednesday 8^th A separate Infants Awards ceremony will be held in the church at 9.30am on Wednesday 8 December. Any parents of award winners who are in attendance will be required to be double vaccinated. Parents will be contacted in the coming week to invite them to the presentation. Please arrive in enough time to allow for check-in. Unfortunately we will no longer be able to have our Kindergarten 2022 in attendance to be welcomed into the community. The Primary Awards Ceremony will be held at 10.30am on 8^th December. Once again Parents of award winners and Year 6 Leadership will be contacted to invite them to attend and they must be double vaxxed. The final ceremony will be for the Secondary students at 12noon. Parents of award winners, Year 9 Leadership and Year 10 students are permitted to attend. Again they must be double vaxxed and socially distanced at the back of the church. Photos will be taken of all award winners at the time of presentation and we will make these available to parents. There is to be no mingling after the presentations.
• Year 10 Graduation Ceremony will be conducted at the S & C Club on the evening of 10 December. All parents need to be at the Club by 6.45pm. Photos will commence at 4pm. According to the COVID protocols of function centres all attendees over 16 years of age must be double vaxxed. We are required to follow the NSW Health and Government guidelines in accordance with the latest directives.

Last week you should have received an email inviting you to log onto our new communication platform COMPASS. You were required to log in and change your password. This will be the platform that will ultimately replace Schoolzine and will be where you have access to all relevant information pertaining to your child/ren. This will include any admissions to sickbay, access to reports and the students timetables and attendance. Please contact the school if you did not receive this email as they were sent to the addresses that we have loaded in MAZE. I will resend the request today so please log in if you get a chance. All Semester Two reports will be issued this way. They will not be printed and sent home as they usually have been but will be stored permanently there for you to access as you require them.

A reminder that Term 4 fees are due. We would hope to be able to finalise our finances in the last weeks. Please contact the school if this could be an issue. Tomorrow night the School Board will hold its final meeting for 2021 and the fees will be considered for the 2022 school year. It is appropriate to thank the Board members for their generous and tireless efforts in supporting the school and our future directions. I have valued the sage advice and invaluable skills of our incumbent Board – Chris Drum, Liz Bodycott, Jon English, Fr Lolesio, Lisa Buchanan, Emma Deep and Gareth Jones. We look forward to another successful year in 2022.

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal

Last Week both Year 9 and Year 5 participated in their Leadership Day. Both groups explored and reflected on the qualities need to be a leader. They unpacked the importance of servant leadership and Jesus being our true role model of Leadership.

Season of Advent

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. This time with in the Church’s year that we prepare for the coming of Christmas.

Scripture John 1:1-3, 14 (RSV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.”

Reflection

The ‘Word’ is alive. God became man. This is the identity of Jesus the Christ! Everything that came to be, came about through Jesus. He is the Word. This is our belief. The God of the universe, out of love, created you to live a life of love with Him. From love, for love. God’s word speaks life and truth, but what do our words speak? We recognise God by His fruit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22). The absence of these: use, despair, confusion, malice, wickedness, faithlessness, viscousness, revulsion. Are the fruits of your life of God? Or do you need to make a change?

Amen

St Vincent DePaul Christmas Appeal

All Families will receive a letter about our Advent Jesse Tree and the St Vincent DePaul Christmas Appeal. Please support this very worthy and local appeal. A family star will be added to our Jesse tree for all donations.  Donation accepted up until Tuesday 14^th December.

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Archdiocesan Public Speaking Finals

Congratulations to Gillian Hunt and Lucinda Shields who represented Sacred Heart on Thursday 25 November in the Archdiocesan Public Speaking Finals.

The event was held via an online platform and both girls spoke with gusto! Lucinda Shields received the runner up award for Year 6.

Well done Gillian and Lucinda.