Dear friends,
Our final newsletter for 2014 is available for download. Please note the correct date for the leavers’ assembly is Wednesday 17th December at 2pm
Warmest Christmas greetings to all.
Author: steve
End of year events
Thanksgiving Mass
Our annual Thanksgiving Mass will be held tomorrow
Tuesday 16th December at 6pm
in Sacred Heart Church.
This is one of our most special occasions of the year and all of the children are expected to attend.
Could the children please be at school by 5:45pm in correct school uniform.
Leavers Assembly
Wednesday 17th December at 2pm
Special Morning Tea
Thursday 18th from 10:30am
On all of these occasions there will be opportunities to spend some time with Mrs Temple
Hour of Code a great success
The Room 4 children had a great time participating in the ‘Hour of Code‘ today – we even had a well known visitor when David Clark, our local MP dropped 
in to see the amazing things the kids can do.
Many children expressed a wish to keep going at home – all activities are free and links can be found at the following sites:
The level of enthusiasm was a sight to behold, and the way the children helped each other and discovered new skills was inspirational. Thanks to our volunteers Ann Cronin and Nick Adamson for helping out.
Steve and Sarah Gallagher
The Hour of Code is coming to Sacred Heart
We are excited to be participating in the Hour of Code with our Room 4 children t
his year. On Friday, we will run an hour of simple exercises with the children where they can begin to understand computer science, solve puzzles and create games. Each child will be given a certificate to recognise their efforts.
The Hour of Code is an international event running in over 180 countries worldwide. It involves a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.
We encourage parents to visit the Hour of Code website and look at some of the tutorials which are on offer at http://hourofcode.com/nz
Find out more here: http://hourofcode.com/resources/hoc-one-pager.pdf
Crosscountry and BBQ cancelled
Due to appalling weather, the crosscountry and BBQ planned for Thursday 13th November has been cancelled. Children are welcome to wear sports uniform or regular uniform to school.
Snippets from the Board of Trustees Meeting, October 22nd 2014
In this meeting, among general business and welcoming back Mr Richardson from sabbatical, the Board discussed two exciting developments.
Making iPads available to pupils has been on the Board of Trustees agenda for some time. Questions of price, guarantees, servicing etc and whether it’s better to lease or buy, have all been looked at carefully and we hope that these latest education tools should be up and running for the beginning of Term One, next year.
Plans for upgrading the library has been another ongoing consideration for the Board. Various school libraries have been visited in order to compare and assess different ideas. We hope to soon have some definite plans for shelving and wall covering which will make the library a more functional and inviting part of the school.
Any of the members of the Board of Trustees would be happy to discuss these or any other topics you wish to raise.
Lunctime BBQ – Thursday 30th October 2014
LUNCHTIME BBQ
This Thursday October 30th at 1pm
Sausages $1.50
Please leave your order in at the office no later than 9am Thursday
Come and join us- you are very welcome
PFA Term 4 Update
Sacred Heart Parents and Friends Association – Term 4 2014 Update
Welcome back to Sacred Heart for Term 4. We hope you had a great school holidays!
Our Sacred Heart PFA group helps with the general pastoral needs of the children and organises social events, which usually includes at least one event a term incorporating the school’s recent curriculum of learning. Please let us know if you’d like to be involved in the PFA (contact details below). We are happy to try and arrange meetings (usually twice a term) to involve as many people as possible! This term, we have already had an early meeting in Week One, just to arrange events for the term, and due to the busyness of Term 4, we will not be meeting again. But if you have any ideas or suggestions, please seek us out in the playground after school or email us at any time! We are also happy to email out our minutes – please let us have your email address if you are interested.
Cross Country BBQ, Thursday 13 November, midday-ish!
The Cross Country will be held at Chingford Park, and the PFA organizes a free BBQ and ice cream for the children following the event. This is always a popular event with children and parents – we look forward to seeing you there. We would welcome some assistance with the BBQ on the day – please let us know if you can help.
Concert Celebrating the Diversity of NZ Culture: Thursday 20th November, 6.30pm
The PFA will be providing tea and coffee after this performance – please bring along a sweet plate to share.
Thanksgiving Mass : Tuesday 16 December, 6pm
All children are required to attend the annual Thanksgiving Mass. This will be followed by a free BBQ held by PFA. It’s always a great time to celebrate the school year and a chance to get everyone together as we farewell our year 6 students. We will have tea and coffee afterwards and ask families to bring along a plate to share to have with these refreshments.
As you can see there is plenty happening this term. The children really enjoy all of these events and we welcome some help to make them happen. If you can give some of your time, please let Kay know! We understand the “busyness” of family life and understand that sometimes people cannot make meetings or some events; however there are other ways you can help with the group. Please feel free to contact us for further information.
Contact: Kate Wilson: gary-kate@slingshot.co.nz or Martina Kelly: afk.mmf@xtra.co.nz
Board of Trustees – Meeting Summary 17/9/14
Apart from agenda business at Wednesday night’s Board of Trustees Meeting, two subjects provided a good example of the school’s character.
That afternoon, Sacred Heart had been represented by pupils, parents and board members at the funeral of Paddy McLaughlan. Paddy had never lived in the Valley but through his grandchildren he became part of the school community. A few words on the funeral tributes page sum up the tremendous time and effort he put into helping the school, especially with his unique, personal approach to fund raising. On his part, Paddy often expressed his deep appreciation for the warm, friendly atmosphere that surrounded the whole school “family”.
Another example of the healthy culture of Sacred Heart is shown in the way Stephen Hopkins has been able to smoothly lead the school in his time of standing in for Paul. The Board expressed their appreciation for his competence and the way in which he enthusiastically embraced the spirit of the school community. Like Paddy McLaughlan, Stephen has been loud in his praise for all who make the school such a happy place to work in.
Jim Neilan
