Welcome back to Term 3. We are very blessed to have enjoyed holidays and to return refreshed and reinvigorated ready for another big term. It is always a joy to walk back into the school and see our beautiful students and staff interact so positively about all that we can achieve as we work together as a community.

Our vision of community is just as the Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen describes: “Community is like a large mosaic. Each little piece seems so insignificant. One piece is bright red, another cold blue or dull green, another warm purple, another sharp yellow, another shining gold. Some precious, others ordinary. Some look valuable, others worthless. Some look gaudy, others delicate.

As individual pieces, we can do little with them except compare them and judge their beauty and value. When, however, all these little pieces are brought together in one big mosaic portraying the face of Christ, who would ever question the importance of any one of them?

If one of them, even the least spectacular one, is missing, the face is incomplete. Together in the one mosaic, each little piece is indispensable and makes a unique contribution to the glory of God. That’s community, a fellowship of all people who together make God visible in the world”

Staff TERM 3

Many of our staff have applied for and/or taken well-deserved leave for periods through Term 3. Mrs Heather Hunt will be on leave for the first four weeks of this term and Ms Cat Dawson will be with 1GH, supported by Mrs Heather Kingwill. Upon her return Mrs Hunt will be teaching fulltime for the remainder of the year as Mrs Kathryn Wakeford finished her contract with us at the end of Term 2 to await the impending birth of her second child. We thank Mrs Wakeford for all that she gave to our students and community during her time with us. Mrs Lyne Witenden is on leave for the beginning weeks of the term and will be replaced by Mr Peter Orman. Mrs Maxwell is away for weeks 1 & 2 and her class will be taken by Mrs McLeod and Mrs Randall. Mr Andrew Alderman will be away during Weeks 3, 4, and some of week 5 and will also be covered by Mr Orman.

Our casuals are a very important part of our school community and we could not function without their efforts, skills and passion. Obviously staff will be away from school at different times but they are entitled to leave for a variety of reasons and it is part of the normal functioning of any school system. We strive to ensure that the needs of the students are always at the centre of every staffing decision that we make.

We will endeavour to keep you informed of any staffing changes.

Satisfaction Survey

An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals cannot be identified. 

The surveys will be launched via email on 29 July and close on 9 August 2019 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the survey at the following link. https://www.research.net/r/sacredheartparent2019

Parent/Teacher/Student interviews THURSDAY 25 JULY and TUESDAY 30 JULY

At the end of the last term Secondary Semester Reports were mailed out to parents and Primary Semester Reports were handed to the students. Hopefully you have had a chance to read through the grade allocation and the accompanying information to ascertain your child’s level of achievement over the semester. The interviews are the important link to a discussion about work ethic, application, skills development and future directions. Please endeavour to book an appointment using the schoolzine links with the respective teacher/s. All details about the interviews were contained in a letter with the semester report. Please contact the Front Office if you have any issues with booking appointment/s. Mrs Witenden is now unavoidably away for BOTH interview opportunities and alternative arrangements may be made when she returns.

Primary

https://shcscootamundra.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/12

Secondary

https://shcscootamundra.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/13

Influenza

The influenza virus is very active in our region at the moment and there has been a suspected case of Influenza A reported in our school community. This is a timely reminder that sick students need to stay at home when they are unwell to stop the spread of the virus. We have been advised by the Local Public Health authority that it is not too late to see your Doctor about a flu vaccination. It is predicted that the flu season will be considerably longer this year. Students are reminded to wash their hands thoroughly and to bring a supply of tissues to school at all times.

Work of the Week 

This week’s award goes to Miss Zara English of year 8 for her excellent descriptive writing. The task was to write a description of a thunderstorm to a 13-year-old who has lived their whole life in the outback where it has not rained in 15 years.

Thunder and Dust

Wind blows through the drought stricken land picking up tiny particles as it sweeps across the dry cracked ground. I look out the window at the spinning, creaking clothesline. As the clouds close in from the West they merge into a dark puff in the sky, shadowing the land. The steadily dropping temperature takes a toll on my skin. Tiny goose bumps emerge as I start to shiver. 

I see tiny droplets of water falling from the clouds splashing the land below. I hear the pitter patter of water on the old tin roof. Slowly but surely, the drops get larger and heavier. I step onto the dusty wooden veranda and take in a big whiff of the soft smelling rain. 

 All of a sudden, bang! A fork shaped flash of light hits the surface about two kilometres away from my tiny home. I hear the whistling wind blow through the trees snapping off branches as it passes by.

NAIDOC Celebrations

This week we will mark NAIDOC Week to recognise that we need to work together for a shared future and to celebrate the theme of Voice, Treaty Truth. A school liturgy will be held on Thursday at 11.45 led by our Stage 3 students and on Friday 27 July our Year 10 students will travel to Canberra to be part of the Archdiocesan celebrations at St Christopher’s Cathedral. They will also visit the National Museum to view the First Australians exhibition as part of their Australian History studies.

Personalised Plans

In the last week of term 2 we mailed home the Personalised Plans (PPs) to support the differentiated and individualised learning of students who require tailored programs. These contain a receipt that needs to be returned to school as a legal requirement to acknowledge that you have received and read the document. Please return this receipt as soon as possible for filing. If you have any questions regarding the PPs please contact the Front Office to speak to the classroom teacher or Mrs Cohen.

Uniform

The students looked resplendent in their winter uniforms when they returned to school. We are striving to maintain a standard of excellence and pride in our uniform. Traditionally we have always maintained a strict policy about our uniform and we endeavour to continue this. I have attached a quick reference for parents listing the days when secondary students are to wear their sports uniform. This is to encourage all students to wear the correct uniform on the correct days. We are trialling a zero tolerance (unless they have a legitimate reason in a note from their parents) for infringements against the uniform policy. This includes black socks with shorts, no tie, additional jewellery or incorrect uniform. The vast majority do the correct thing every day and we would like to establish equity across all students. There will be a uniform meeting held in conjunction with the P & F meeting on Monday 3 August to consider the current uniform requirements and suggest any adjustments that may be warranted. These suggestions are then tabled at the School  Board later in the month.

Go gently and if you can be anything…be kind!

God Bless

Mrs Nicky Trinder

Principal

Mark Hutchinson spoke to the students about personal safety and how to interact with strangers.

Primary Dates:

TERM 3

Todd Woodbridge Tennis Cup, Cootamundra 25/7/19 

Canberra Goulburn Archdiocesan Athletics 22/8/19

Secondary Dates:

TERM 3

Canberra/Goulburn Netball Carnival 31/7/19

Canberra Goulburn Archdiocesan Athletics 22/8/19