Sacred Heart Central School Cootamundra eNewsletter

We are very nearly “officially” halfway through the first term. The heat the past couple of days has been very trying for all our students and staff but they have managed to stay cool by being smart and resourceful. As autumn begins hopefully, we will have some blissfully balmy days to see the term out but the weather is definitely one thing we cannot control.

It was so lovely to see so many parents and community members turn up for our first community breakfast. We were served fluffy pancakes and fresh fruit thanks to the Mercy House staff. It is important that we continue to make connections with our community and parish because they are important in maintaining the culture of our school. Our Parish members have been praying that we find a solution to our staffing dilemmas and this week we can announce that Mr Pierre Hennequin will take on some of the Stage 4 HSIE classes and support out Wiradjuri LOTE classes. We are very grateful to Mr Hennequin for his versatility and willingness to take on an additional load. The Child Studies class will continue to be taught by Mrs Black until the end of Term One and then Mrs Piffero will take over the reins of the class. We are indeed blessed to have talented and highly qualified teachers in our school.

Please remember that attendance at school is a legal requirement. Students of a school age are required to attend every day where they are able. Please encourage your child to attend every day as it definitely makes it more challenging to catch up when the class moves on in their absence. This is a challenging cycle for students who don’t like school. The more they are away the more they miss and the more they stay away because school is additionally challenging. Long term holidays are to be “approved” by the principal in that the school needs to be aware of extended absences before the event so that measures may be put in place to support the learning whilst the student is away from school, if it is suitable.

School fees have gone out to all families. There was an issue with the coding and some Year 10 student had Year 9 written on their accounts. This message was distributed by CE Finance:

Term 1 Invoicing

Term 1 invoicing has been finalised and statements have been distributed.

Some schools have identified that on some family statements, occasionally the Year level of a student displayed was incorrect on the fee statements to families. The issue was identified early, analysed and the root cause corrected. The calculation of school fees is correct, it is the year level displayed on the family statements that was incorrect. Analysis indicates that it is impacting students in Year 10, in 2024.

Today was a super special day because we began practice in earnest for the 2024 iteration of the Sacred Heart Musicals. This is the 11^th instalment of a long tradition at Sacred Heart. COVID played havoc with our ability to rehearse and perform a school production. However, I am very biased in firmly believing that the play is a wonderful opportunity and experience to learn and contribute to something wonderful. Our small band of students excitedly took the stage today and learnt their roles. It is a huge challenge to find time for rehearsals but we have shifted the performance dates from the end of Term One until the middle of Term 3 (dates to be finalised asap). Our students have always risen to the challenge and I believe that these students are also exceptional. I can’t wait to see what they can do. Stay tuned for updates and sponsorship options. Thank you to the staff members who are behind ensuring that 2024 is a play year!!

As always I harp on about being kind. This is the antithesis to making someone feel less. If ever you are aware of incidents that do not fit in with our mantra of being kind then please contact us so that we can make an informed response or can investigate what may have happened.

There is never a reason not to be kind.

God Bless

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal

Re-establishment of Altar Servers

Together with the Parish we are looking to reestablish our altar servers’ program. Students who are in Year 4, 5, 6 and Secondary and who have made their First Eucharist are invited to be a part of our Parish Altar Serving Roster for the Saturday Masses. It is a beautiful ministry that you can offer your children in their faith life.

Mass Time

Saturday -5:00 pm and 6:00 pm (During Daylight saving)

For the children who wish to serve on the altar there will be training sessions at Sacred Heart Church on Tuesday 12th March, Tuesday 19th March and Tuesday 26th March with Sr Kathy Hodge and Mrs Patrece Maxwell

An information note has been sent home with interest students. Please return the slip below by Friday 8^th March 2024 if your child is interested.

Thank you. May the good Lord bless all you are doing for your child’s faith formation.

Christian Communities across the world will gather on Friday 1st March to prayer for the people of Palestine. Our students in their classes on this day will also gather in prayer. Everyone is invited to the ecumenical prayer service in the church at 7:00pm on Friday.

Samoa is a beautiful country surrounded by water, but there is not enough clean drinking water in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Leaia is a mother of five children aged 8 to 13: Sepoima, Pati, Lisiti, Eseta and Olevia. During the week, Leaia completes daily tasks with her sister Ene, while their husbands work on a cattle farm on the other side of the island. Their husbands come home each weekend to spend time with the family. In an incredible act of resourcefulness, Leaia’s family built their home entirely out of recycled scraps collected from a nearby recycling plant! They did this to avoid wasting precious household income. Leaia grows fruit and vegetables in her home garden to feed her family. The income from her husband’s work is only enough to cover the extra things their children need. The family relies on solar power for lighting and a gas and wood burner for cooking. Their home is not connected to a piped water system so they rely on rainwater collected in old fridges. As a result of climate change, they have faced longer dry seasons and briefer rainy seasons in recent years. This has left Leaia’s family without enough clean water at times. Leaia said, “It makes me feel worried for my family and I, especially my kids, because of the lack of water supply we have access to. We really need the water all the time... It seems like the days are hotter and the weather has become drier than in previous years.”

With the support of Caritas Australia’s local partner Caritas Samoa, a 3,000 litre water tank was installed at Leaia’s home to harvest rainwater. This means that her family can now have reliable access to clean water to drink and bathe in. The time that was previously used to collect drinking water can now be used for other essential tasks and, most importantly, her children don’t have to miss out on school.

Upcoming Faith Formation Events

First Eucharist and Reconciliation Sacramental Program Weeks 2-7

Year 9 Retreat (Cootamundra) - 12^th March

Year 8 Retreat (Cootamundra) March - 13th March

Holy Week 24^th March - 31^st March

Sacrament of First Reconciliation Thursday 14^th March 6:00pm

Sacrament of First Eucharist Saturday 16th March 6:00pm

Year 9 Enactment of the Passion of Our Lord: Thursday 28^th March 10am and Good Friday 29^th March 10 am.

Yr 1 Reflection Day - 21^st March

Yr 6 Reflection Day 4^th April (New Date)

Infants/Primary Awards
ES1C	ES1M
Angus Gay	Lachlan Hampton
Sasija Isaak	Annabella Petrovic
S1A	S1B
Evie Byrne	James Vitnell
Harry Friend	Oliver Burnett
S1H	S2B
Gemma Willock	Harry Schofield
Darcy Craig	Estee McLeod
S2N	S2W
Thomas Gay	Maisy Fry
Aleena Haisell	Isabella Hutchinson
S3M	S3S
Kobe O'Toole	Stanley Craig
Williams Stephens	Stella Blackman
S3W	Secondary House Points Winner
Polly Manwaring	Alex English
Olivia Godber

Term 1 School Fees

have been emailed out to families

Fees are due by Friday 15th March

Primary Sport

Please note that Primary students (Years 3-6), will have sports Thursdays. Our term one calendar is very jam packed, please keep an eye on Compass and the school calendar for any sporting events.

Triathlon

Our primary triathlon is Thursday 7 March. A note has gone out on Compass detailing further information. This term we will not be swimming any weeks other than our carnivals and triathlon. The day is all about participation, please encourage students to participate to the best of their abilities.

Swimming

Congratulations to all our swimmers from last week's WR meet. Many of them improved their times from our school carnival. A special mention to:

Ella Sannazzaro- runner up Junior girls champion

Zoe Lake- Runner up 11yrs girls champion

Polly Manwaring- Runner up Senior girls Champion

Will Manwaring- Third overall Junior Boys

As a result the following students will represent the WR in Boorowa on the 4th of March. Please follow the instructions on the invitation on how to register.

Our team includes;

C & G Sporting Representatives

This program is an opportunity for our stage 3 students to trial and represent their sport at a higher level. It is up to parents to register for these events. If you have missed the closing date, please let us know and we will contact the organisers. Please go to https://csnsw.sport/sports/nswccc to register for any of these events.

Athletics

Our SHC Athletics carnival is again set for early term 2, therefore we will start trialling and learning how to perform some of these events from week 6 this term. These will include, High Jump, Discus, long distance running, Long Jump and Shot Put. The top 6-8 students for High Jump and Discus will compete on the day. Students will be given the opportunity to practise and improve on these throughout the weeks.

Primary Sport Dates

If you have any photos from any event please email them through and we will put them in the newsletter.

If you have any concerns or questions please don’t hesitate to contact me via email

Kind regards/

Wendy Van Kerk Oerle

Primary sports coordinator

wendy.vankerkoerle@cg.catholic.edu.au

Secondary Sport

Coota Beach Volleyball - Schools Carnival

The Coota Beach Volleyball - Schools Carnival was on the 16th Feb. 55 teams from all around the district participated in the event. It was fantastic to see the fun and friendly interaction of all the schools, whilst developing and displaying their Volleyball skills.

Stage 4 Winners - Sacred Heart 6

Stage 5 Winners - Cootamundra High School

Stage 6 Winners - Hennessy 1

The full results are located here - Volleyball Results

Many representative sports are coming up this term. All notifications and processes for registration can be found on the Secondary Sports Google Classroom page.

Congratulations to Jessy Fisher for his successful selection in the Canberra Goulburn and Wagga Wagga Combined Diocese U15s Touch Team. Jessy will compete for NSWCCC selection in early April.

Best of luck to the Swimmers attending the Canberra Goulburn Swimming Championships next Tuesday in Queanbeyan. Full report on this next week.