Term 2, 2024 Weeks 3&4
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Friends,
I hope this message finds you well. It's been an eventful couple of weeks here, filled with memorable moments and achievements. Here are some highlights from Week 3 & 4:
Dio Cross Country Event: Our students showcased remarkable determination and sportsmanship at the Dio Cross Country event. Their hard work and dedication were truly commendable, and they represented our school with pride. Congratulations to all participants!
Mother's Day Liturgy and Cuppa: Our Mother's Day liturgy was a beautiful celebration of the love and appreciation we have for all the wonderful mothers in our community. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making it a heartfelt occasion. The turnout for the cuppa afterward was lovely, providing a warm atmosphere for our families to connect and share special moments.
Christian Living Camp Excursion: Our Year 6 students and Mrs Kithcin, embarked on an unforgettable Christian Living Camp excursion. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to deepen their faith, build friendships, and engage in meaningful activities. We're grateful for the experiences they've gained and the memories they've created.
As always, I want to express my gratitude to our dedicated staff, supportive parents, and outstanding students for their ongoing commitment to excellence. Together, we continue to create a nurturing environment where every child can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support.
God Bless
Kylie Scott
Religious Happenings
As we approach the celebration of Pentecost, it's important to reflect on the significance of this special day in the Catholic faith.
Pentecost, often referred to as the birthday of the Church, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ, as described in the New Testament book of Acts (Acts 2:1-4). This event occurred fifty days after Easter, during the Jewish feast of Shavuot, which was also known as the Feast of Weeks, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked the beginning of the Christian Church's mission to spread the Gospel throughout the world. It empowered the apostles to preach boldly and with conviction, regardless of the obstacles they faced. Through the Holy Spirit, they were given the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, enabling them to carry out Christ's teachings and establish the early Christian community.
Pentecost serves as a reminder of the ongoing presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the lives of believers today. It's a time to celebrate the diversity of spiritual gifts bestowed upon us and to recommit ourselves to living lives of faith, love, and service.
As we come together to celebrate Pentecost, let us open our hearts to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and embrace the call to be witnesses of Christ's love and mercy in our world.
May this Pentecost be a joyous and spiritually enriching experience for you and your families.
Important Dates
Term 2
30/5 - Primary Diocesan Spelling Bee in Wellington
31/5 - National Reconciliation Week Mass at Mudgee - Years 3-6
5/6 - CPS & CCC Cross Country Eastern Creek
7/6 - Sacred Heart of Jesus Feast Day - Mass 12:15pm- all welcome
10/6 - Kings Birthday (long weekend)
14/6 - School Athletics Carnival at Dunedoo
Reminders for parents
-Please remember that no supervision is provided at school before 8:30am
- Please send fruit cut-up in a separate container, ready for students to have at fruit break.
SPB4L Focus
Weeks 3&4
Respect - School equipment
Follow the correct procedure for borrowing sporting equipment.
Mrs Pettet
Term 2 has seen each class continue spending one afternoon a week with me, Mrs Pettet, for Music, Drama, and Dance. I also consider myself very lucky to be able to do some Visual Arts with Kindergarten some weeks also.
All classes are working on activities to do with two separate units called Rubbish Rap and Celebrations. The overall focus for each class is the same, though the nature of the activities differs to varying degrees.
‘Rubbish Rap’ is a music unit that looks at exploring music making using speech. This can be identified as rhythmic speech, chant or rap. Speech is one of the most accessible and engaging ways to explore music. The students have been engaged in learning a chant whilst exploring all musical concepts through a variety of learning experiences, including performing, organising sound and listening. The main song - ‘Rubbish Rap’ also allows the students to explore the relevant topic of reducing, reusing and recycling. It forces children to think about this critical issue in an interesting way. Some of the photos show students using percussion instruments and everyday materials to make music.
In Dance, the students have viewed and investigated a variety of traditional cultural dances. They have watched examples of Turkish, African, Russian and Irish cultural dances. The students have been involved in movement improvisation and dance composition tasks. This week Year 1/2 learnt a simple Irish dance. All students have explored how they can move their body in different ways to reflect different cultural dances and worked on using different vocabulary to describe and evaluate the dynamics of different dances. Vocabulary presented and used has included: fluid, smooth, continuous, rigid, energetic, rhythmic, heavy and light.
Each Kindergarten made a lovely wall hanging for their mum for Mother’s Day. A saying featured inside a heart that they put together themselves using a range of different coloured buttons. The saying read: ‘Mums are like buttons. They hold everything together.’ They finished off their artwork by beading a handle for their artwork. Each child was very proud of the present they made for their mum. I’m sure each mum will treasure their present for a long time to come.
Singing and liturgical movements have been practised regularly over the last couple of weeks, but separate from Music-Drama-Dance. The whole school has come together to practice the words and actions for songs for Mother’s Day and our Pentecost Mass. It has been nice for everyone to come together to form a whole school choir and to learn some simple actions in unison to add another creative element to their singing at Masses and Liturgies. If you have not already, please take a look on the Sacred Heart Facebook page of the students performing a song dedicated to all mothers. The enthusiasm and expression of many of our performers are just priceless.
Years 1-2
In Science year 1/2 are working on a unit called 'Material World.' This unit focuses on how materials can be changed, manipulated and combined. We all enjoyed the lesson when we got to mix ingredients to make hot and cold milo drinks!
In Religion students made butterfly sun catchers to show new life and remind us of Jesus' resurrection. Students also drew parts of the Easter/Emmaus story.
Photos of year 1/2 (only half the class here today) doing science experiments to see how some liquids mix and others do not.
In English students have read 'Pig the Pug' and 'Pig the Rebel' and they have created their own Pig characters. Meet our Pig characters below.
Building Positive Relationships
Students' brains are hard at work every moment of the day, learning skills and connecting new information with old. Those same brains are also constantly processing information when it comes to their relationship with you, their teacher.
Positive student relationships are fundamental to success. When students feel supported, they're more likely to engage in learning and have better academic outcomes.