Dear Parents and Carers,

It was so wonderful to see everyone again this morning! It has been a long 8 weeks since we were all together onsite and being able to return to school today was a great feeling. Once again, thank you to all our families for the fantastic work you were able to do during the time of Remote Learning. We know it is not easy to juggle learning and working at home and we are very grateful for your patience and perseverance during lockdown.

We welcomed Miss Tara Langfield to Sacred Heart today for her first day in K/1/2. Miss Langfield will take on Miss Mooney's maternity leave for the remainder of the school year. Welcome Tara!

We were also so happy to hear of the safe arrival of Martie Grace! Both Martie and Ash are doing well and we look forward to a visit soon. Congratulations Ash and Lachie!

Just when we thought things were looking up, the stay at home orders for Gunnedah have reminded us of the importance of vigilance during this pandemic. As communicated to parents last night, staff and students who have been in Gunnedah since September 27 are still permitted to attend school as this is a reasonable excuse to leave home. However, we ask that parents keep a close eye on any potential exposure sites in Gunnedah and follow any health orders from NSW Health if you have attended an exposed venue. It is also very important that students are tested if they have the slightest symptoms of a cold or flu and remain away from school until a negative test result is received and they are free of symptoms.

We will continue our increased cleaning conditions in the classrooms and playground and will keep reminding students about good hand hygiene. If you would like for your child to carry a small bottle of hand sanitiser in their bag that is perfectly fine, and we will be reminding children to wash hands with soap and water regularly throughout the day. All staff are required to wear masks at all times and students are permitted to wear a mask in class but this is not compulsory.

Under our Level 3 Restrictions, parents and visitors are not permitted on the school site. If you must attend the school in the case of an emergency, please ensure you sign-in via the QR code and only enter school at the front office. Canteen is able to be in operation under strict conditions and volunteers must not attend if they have any flu-like symptoms.

Transition is able to go ahead this Friday for our 2022 Kindergarten class. There will be four more sessions for our Transition group with their final day held on Friday 29 October.

All families were sent correspondence at the end of last term informing you that I will be taking on the role as Principal at St Francis Xavier's School Narrabri in 2022. While this is an exciting professional opportunity, I am very sad to leaving such a wonderful school so soon and hope to stay closely connected to the school community. Thank you all for your well wishes and support. The CSO has already commenced recruitment for a new Principal for 2022 and beyond.

Special mention to Oscar Thomson who will turn 9 tomorrow and Ellie Rodstrom who celebrates her 7th birthday on Saturday 9th October. We hope they both have a great day!

Take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Nick

2021 Sacred Heart School Term Dates
Term	First Day for Students	Last Day for Students
1	Mon 01/02/21	Thu 01/04/21
2	Mon 19/04/21	Fri 25/06/21
3	Mon 12/07/21	Fri 17/09/21
4	Tue 05/10/21	Wed 15/12/21

DUE	ITEMS

FOR YOUR DIARY

Please add these important dates to your diary

OCTOBER