This week marks the halfway point of Term 1. As I walk through the corridors of our school, I see calm, engaging classrooms where learning is the priority. Congratulations again to our Yr6 cohort as a whole and our Yr 6 Mercy Value and House captains. I look forward to seeing your leadership influence our school throughout the year. I would like to publicly acknowledge the preparation and execution of our Swimming Carnival led by Tim O’Dywer, Jensen Hargreaves and Sharon Powell, along with all staff members. As someone who swims like a brick, I always enjoy seeing those who make it look effortless and have their time in the sun (literally and figuratively).

Congratulations to our Age Group Champions:

12/13 y/o - Flynn Cox and Lily Leslie

11 y/o - Fletcher Scott and Alexandra Bridgeman & Danny Ryan

10 y/o - Angus Douglas and Billie Archibald

Ironwoman and Ironman - Flynn Cox and Abbi Dowling

We will send a strong team to Divisionals in Wangaratta today (Wednesday). Thank you to all the parents and family members who were able to attend our carnival and provide an excellent atmosphere for our children to perform in. I am already looking forward to our Cross-Country carnival in Term 2.

Last Sunday’s Gospel (Lk 6:27-38) is one of my all-time favourites. Fr Junjun shared Jesus’ challenging message to us: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.” It is easy to be kind to those we love, and those who treat us with generosity. What is not so easy, and what we are challenged to do, is treat those who disrespect us with the same level of love and compassion. This doesn’t mean that we accept poor behaviour of others, but rather that we show from our example, the qualities that Jesus and Mary (and the other Saints) call us to exemplify. Together, this is the message we need to teach the children of Sacred Heart.

This coming Friday 28th February is our Opening School Mass. It will be held in the Multi-Purpose Building (MPB) at Sacred Heart College at 10am. At this mass we will celebrate the beginning of the new school year along with our Yr6 Leaders. I warmly invite all our parents and families to this celebration of school and faith. Thank you in advance to Meegan McInness for preparing our mass.

Lent is fast approaching. Please save the date of Tuesday 4th March (Shrove Tuesday) when we will host our annual Meet and Greet Morning. Starting at 7:30am and concluding at 9:00am, parents and family members will be provided with pancakes (it’s Pancake Tuesday) and a BBQ breakfast. Please come along if you can and challenge yourself to make at least one new friend, and please ensure no parent is left by themselves.

The following day - Ash Wednesday (5th March) marks the beginning of Lent. Our Yr5’s and 6’s will celebrate this day by attending Parish mass, whilst the rest of the school will take part in a liturgy at school.

I would like to publicly thank Michael Drake (our gardener/handyman) for the great work he is doing with our school grounds. We have an oval that is the envy of every Sandhurst school, and an outdoor environment is safe, calm and allows for a variety of activities. Michael plans to make our school grounds the best in all of Victoria – and I don’t doubt him.

Thank you to all the smiling faces and warm ‘hellos’ I receive from the parents I encounter. Please continue to introduce yourself to me when you get the chance (even if you’ve already done so). I am still learning ‘who belongs to who’ and I enjoy these encounters and making connections.

Take care and God bless,

Jarrod

STEAM News