Dear SCA Families,

The Easter eggs on the supermarket shelves have been on display for more than a month now, so Easter must be soon, right?  Well, not quite yet. Lent has more than 5 weeks to go, so I share with you the following reflection.

Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing Lent, Christians join Jesus on his retreat.

Lent consists of the forty days before Easter. I didn’t know until recently that we skip over the Sundays when we count the days of Lent, because Sunday is always the joyful celebration of the Resurrection.

Early societies relied on wood fires for heating and cooking, which meant that keeping ashes under control was a major task. Then as now, if a person was preoccupied with something serious, they didn’t always tend to the housekeeping (at least that’s my excuse) — it’s the least of their concerns. Imagine that there is a death in the family. A friend stopping by to pay their respects might gently say, “Did you know you have ashes on your face?”

So ashes became a sign of remorse, repentance, and mourning. Today someone might wear a black armband to signify they are in mourning; back then people put ashes on their foreheads.

During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented, so it was appropriate to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads. The custom has persisted in the Church as society has changed around us. It is most appropriate that, when we commenced Lent last week on Ash Wednesday, we began a period of reflection, self-examination, and spiritual redirection.

Welcome

We offer a warm SCA welcome to our newest member of staff, Miss Bri O’Keeffe, who is teaching 4 Green.

Strategic Planning

We have commenced work on drafting a new strategic plan for SCA, to build on our work from previous years. Our present Annual Improvement Plan identifies three key improvement goals:

1. That every student is a competent reader
2. High impact teaching practice is visible in every classroom
3. Creating a religiously literate school.

We will work with the Community Council and Staff to produce a well-informed, holistic roadmap for the school, providing a framework and accountability for the next three years. We will work with the guidance of Tim Smith, our CE Performance Improvement Leader, to follow a process that is genuinely inclusive, involving not just the Leadership but all of the school’s stakeholders – staff, parents and students.

Jewellery and Hair

To work effectively as partners, we respectfully ask parents to ensure each child follows the school guidelines, as documented on our website, in relation to jewellery and hair:

• No jewellery may be worn other than small, plain (silver or gold, no colour) ear studs, a watch and medical alert identification.
  In some cases the wearing of small, plain sleepers may be permitted If there is a health reason. Only one stud or sleeper per ear (i.e. earlobe)
• Hair should be clean and neat. A student’s hair should be cut off their face and, if longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school coloured band. Hair should also be of natural colour and extreme haircuts are not allowed. Rats tails, dreadlocks and geometric shapes cut into the hair are not permitted.

Year 6 Camp

Congratulations to each and every Year 6 student for your participation, cooperation and team work shown in Jindabyne on your camp last week. It was a pleasure to spend the time with you. Thanks to Mrs Adams, Miss Warren, Mr Purcell, Mrs Philippa and Mrs Reed for giving of your time to ensure the children had a great time.

Fence, and closed gates

Our fence is certainly not to keep our families away. It is to ensure a safe environment for all in our community. Visitors are welcome, but we need to know, especially in case of emergency, exactly who is on the school grounds. If visiting, please sign in via the Front Office while saying “g’day” to our friendly office team. We also have a couple of children who need the fence to keep them from going astray and into danger.

Sunsmart

You are no doubt aware of our “no hat, no play” policy which is in place for most of the year. We also take other measures to ensure our school is sunsmart:

• Children eat (recess and lunch) under shelter
• Movement between classes is under shelter
• Outdoor assemblies are under shelter
• Children are encouraged to bring and use sun screen (we cannot provide it for all, as some children are allergic to specific products)
• Sporting activities are moved to cooler parts of the day when extremely hot
• Children are allowed to wear sunglasses at school
• Playground equipment is covered and inside areas are provided for use during lunch time

Swimming Carnival and Water Fun Day

The Swimming Carnival (Years 3 – 6) is at Queanbeyan Pool tomorrow (2^nd March) with the first 50m+ competition races starting around 9:30am. The 15m races will be hopefully starting some time around 12:00pm. Please come along to help out or support your children on this fun day.

Infants parents are reminded of the Water Fun day here at school. Please ensure appropriate clothing (see previous notes) is worn and a towel and thongs are recommended. 

Facebook

Please follow us on Facebook. We use it to supplement our other communication methods (newsletter, COMPASS, Notes, Meetings, emails etc). Search for @scaconder on Facebook

While the Cat’s Away…

I will be away from school next Wednesday for a CECG Leaders’ Day and then Thursday and Friday while I attend the annual Archdiocesan Principals’ Retreat. During my absence Mrs Jo Reed will be in charge.

It was once said…

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal