Dear Parents and Carers,

PUPIL FREE DAYS TERM 2

Schools in the ACT have been granted two extra pupil free days in Term 2 to support staff with the impact of teacher shortages and the extra workload this has placed on all staff in all schools.

In order to help families plan ahead, we are communicating now the days we have chosen for our pupil free days during Term 2 at Sacred Heart.

Tuesday 31st May and Friday 1 July

We thought attaching them to the long weekend and the July school holidays may assist families.

Take care and keep safe

Online Family Forum hosted by CSPACG

Coinciding with National Families week - Australia’s annual celebration of the importance of families, The Council of Catholic School Parents Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (CSPACG) in collaboration with Catholic Education are hosting an online family event on Monday 16 May.

This event is an opportunity for families to learn more about the Catholic School Parent Council and the ways it provides advocacy, leadership, representation, and support for families in our Archdiocese. There will also be an opportunity to discover some practical ways for families to engage in their child’s learning.

Please see the flyer for details and information on how to register. Click Here

School and Parish Community Multicultural Twilight Fair

From 3.30pm Friday 16th September 2022.

Our major School Social and fundraising event for 2022 is going ahead. Our Twilight Fair Committee met last night. A very talented and enthusiastic group met online last night to plan for our Twilight Fair. 

If you can join us on Wednesday nights, to be part of the planning, please let Kerry Wode know. 

Over the next weeks we will be putting out the call for sponsorship, stall ideas and leaders, as well as letting you know what to start collecting and preparing to add to our goods stalls.

Let the fun begin!

Easing COVID-19 Restrictions - Parents on School Grounds

We are pleased to announce an easing of a few restrictions starting immediately. We are hoping to make further adjustments and plan some outdoor events over the next weeks, in line with CE guidelines. Stay tuned!

Before school. We welcome parents onto the school grounds in the morning to be a part of our morning assembly. Please stand along the trees at the back, join in prayer and listen to the announcements. 

After school. Drive-through and Murphy St park-and-pickup will continue to operate as they have been this year. However, parents and carers can now also meet their children outside the hall doors. Children will need to stand with you, as they are not allowed to play while the teachers are on duty. 

Awards Assembly. If your child is receiving an award that week, parents and carers can come into the hall. Please sit along the seating at the back. Our assembly is held at 2.20pm on Fridays. The award recipients are announced in the newsletter on Thursday.

Yours faithfully,

• Please send a water bottle to school each day with your child. Our school bubblers are still closed due to COVID-19. 
• Full winter uniform is to be worn from next Monday
• Caritas donations are now due back at school

Clothing pool SALE!

Friday 13th May, 8:30am-10:00 and 2:30-3:30pm, we will be holding a sale for the second hand clothing. Prices will range between $2 and $5. 

Please enter the Maker Space Via the Canteen doors.

Come and grab a bargain!

Enrolling Now

We are now enrolling for 2023. Enrolment is online. Please follow the links on our website. We will continue to take bookings for school tours over the next weeks.

Winter Uniform

We noticed during photo day that several students were not in full winter uniform or were wearing incorrect items. We are currently filling a lot of orders and appreciate your patience while we complete these. We thank Mrs Lisa Davis for her extra work in the clothing pool.

If you need support with sourcing items or have any questions about uniform, please contact us. We understand how tricky it is at the moment with families managing various challenges. Thank you for your support in having your children in full uniform each day.

• Children’s Liturgy Sunday 15th May at the 10.00am Mass
• Reminder to all those who are registered to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, our Parish Sacrament of Confirmation Programme session dates are: 
  • Session 3 – Wednesday 18 May
  • Session 4 – Wednesday 25 May

All these sessions will commence promptly at 6.30pm in the Church.

Please note our registrations to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation have now closed via Qkr! However, if you would like to register your child, have any questions or would like further information, please contact the Parish Office 6286 1908 9am-3pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Children’s Liturgy

“This week’s Gospel we learn how God loved us so much He sent His only son to lay down His life for us, His friends. That’s amazing! And He wants us to love each too.
This beautiful bookmark we are making at Sunday’s Children’s Liturgy is a great reminder when we may forget. We would love for you to join us at the 10am mass.”

Student and Family Counsellor Olivia 

After school exhaustion

Dear Parents and Carers,
As restrictions ease and schedules fill up it can be a lot on you as parents as well as on your children. It can be easy to grab every opportunity, especially those we haven’t been able to do for so long, but make sure you take time to rest too!
Monitor how your kids are going and if you are observing that post-school restraint collapse happening more than just occasionally, it is time to scale things back.
Here’s some tips to help make late afternoons more peaceful when your child is exhausted from school: Expect kids to fall apart – Your child might hold it all together and be on their best behaviour at school and then the minute they get home they go off the rails. This is normal behaviour. Your child works so hard to follow all the rules and have so many social interactions that they need to let it out
at some point. Plan for downtime – School days are draining and your child needs to rest. When you notice a pattern of after-school meltdowns, clear their afternoon/evening schedule for the week where possible. Postpone the playdates, skip the supermarket visit on the way home, and go straight home and let your child unwind. Have a healthy snack ready – Your child might not eat enough at school. Drinking and eating are social in nature, and children just tend to snack until they are comfortable. Be prepared for their hangry side to come out and be ready with a nutrient dense snack. Don’t take it personally – You’re probably so excited to see your child/ren at the end of the day to give them a hug and find all about what they got up to at school. Then you pick them up and they are tired and limited in what they want to share, making you feel disappointed or rejected. It’s not about you, give them space, time, rest and food.
Sensory play – Make a bath with lots of bubbles, play some calming music or try some DIY sensory activities that are easy (although not always mess free!). For sensory play ideas  Click Here

Playgroup

Young artists of Little Hearts Playgroup.

ThinkUKnow Cyber Safety Presentation

Thank you to James from Think U Know for a great presentation that opened up a lot of great conversation.

Congratulations to the following students celebrating their birthday this week 

Hannah R, Penelope R, Destiny N, Cleo W, Conner W-T, Mia W-T, Eva M, Isabel U.

Private Piano Tuition

Places for 2022 have now become available.

Those parents who are wanting their child/children to have piano lessons, can contact the teachers directly on the following contact numbers;

• Mrs Hildegarde Mendoza Phone: 0417 580 975
• Mrs Pam Cox Phone: 0418 442 203
• Mr Craig Mewett Phone: 0409 151 887 / 6278 7382