What are Year Representatives?
The system of Year Representatives works particularly well at our school. Any Sacred Heart parent can volunteer to be a Year Rep for their child's year. The role of a Year Rep is evolving to focus more on ‘pastoral care’ ie. connecting parents, buddying new families, encouraging parents’ to support in classroom and school activities, and coordinating social events that bring families together. Year representatives liaise with teachers and encourage all parents in the year group to become involved in planning and running events throughout the year.
A quick introduction
Welcome to Sacred Heart
Welcome to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School located in Mosman, on the North Shore of Sydney. The school is part of the Parishes of Sydney Harbour North consisting of the churches of Sacred Heart Mosman, Blessed Sacrament Clifton Gardens, St Therese Beauty Point and St Joseph’s Neutral Bay.
The school caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 6 and has a current enrolment of 385 students.
The school employs 35 staff comprising 27 teachers and 8 non-teaching staff, the latter being employed in a variety of capacities including learning support and office staff.
Community and extra-curricular information
The following is a summary of some of the community and extra-curricular information that you and your family might find useful in helping your child and your family settle in to Sacred Heart School and our wonderful community.
We know that many parents are busy with children and work. There is a lot on offer for your child/children at Sacred Heart. You can also be involved in the school and parish in many different ways depending on your skills, time and interests.
Many parents help regularly with the following at the school:
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Reading groups
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Athletics carnival
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Swimming carnival
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Excursions
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Covering books
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Summer or winter sports - assisting coaches
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Clothing pool
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Sports club
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P & F Committee or fundraising committee
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Year representatives
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Sacramental retreats
You are also encouraged to help out in some way with school events as we believe this helps parents and students to form greater connections to the community. There are various options and any help makes a difference! We do encourage families to come together and support our students and the school itself so it can continue to be the very special place and community it is today.
Vision, Mission and Values
As a school within the Archdiocese of Sydney, we are inspired by the Archdiocesan Vision stated below:
Our Mission
To know and love Christ through learning
Our Vision
Thriving Catholic Communities through excellent teaching and learning
Our Values
Empathy, curiosity, excellence,collaboration and truth.
Our Mission
At Sacred Heart we are committed to:
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Teaching and living as a catholic eucharistic community with the person and message of Jesus Christ at our heart
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Teaching and living the values of our school values: Faith, Generosity and Courage
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Providing a high quality, challenging and holistic education that will inspire life-long learning
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Nurturing and empowering children to build resilience and to use their talents to contribute positively in a changing world
Our Shared Parish and School Mission
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Our parish and school are in the service of families
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We are to be aware of our community and its different needs and welcome and support all members of our community.
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As a faith community, we are to assist both parents and children in their faith development.
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At the same time, we are to challenge our families and communities to live by the Gospel values.
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School and parish staff assist faith development by modelling it.
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Faith is developed by handing over traditions - knowledge, liturgies, behaviour.
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Liturgies and other expressions of faith, celebrate life as the children are experiencing it.
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To care for children and families with special needs is most important.
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We must also encourage and affirm healthy families.
Sacred Heart Weekend Mass
Father Phil welcomes all new and existing families to attend weekend Mass at the following times:
Saint Joseph’s (Neutral Bay)
Saturday Vigil: 5pm
Blessed Sacrament (Clifton Gardens )
Sunday: 7.30am, 10am
Saturday: 8am adoration and rosary, 8.30am Mass
Sacred Heart (Mosman)
Saturday Vigil: 6.15pm - Mass
Sunday: 9am, 11am, 6pm
Tuesday: 9.15am
Wednesday: 9.15am
Thursday: 9.15am
Friday: 7.45 am
Friday: Midday - Mass
Please visit the parish website: www.shnparish.org.au to keep up to date with sacramental enrolment dates and for the latest copy of the parish bulletin.
Should you wish to contact Father Phil or any of the parish staff please call 8969 3200 or email secretary@shnparish.org.au
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and learning is our core work at Sacred Heart. Our philosophy and approach to teaching and learning is embedded in our Mission:
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Teaching and living as a Catholic Eucharistic Community with the person and message of Jesus Christ at our heart.
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Teaching and living the values of our school motto, Faith, Generosity and Courage.
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Providing a high quality, challenging and holistic education that will inspire life-long learning.
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Nurturing and empowering children to build resilience and to use their talents to contribute positively in a changing world.
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In aspiring to our mission we encourage our children to achieve their highest personal academic outcomes, whilst providing the support and care that each child needs to excel and be equipped for life.
Our focus is that children will be motivated by a dynamic learning environment, developing as engaged, focused and independent learners. We believe that the schooling experience at Sacred Heart should provide our children with many rich experiences, challenges and opportunities within a safe, supportive and caring environment. The staff at Sacred Heart are a team of united, innovative professionals who are passionate about teaching and learning for your children.
The education of children is enriched and inspired by motivated staff with a strong focus on Professional Development. The strong educational focus at Sacred Heart is partnered with a genuine care and concern for each child. We see each child as a unique and valued individual and believe that caring for your children is a demonstration of God’s love. We encourage your children to live lives where they care for and serve each other through nurturing in an atmosphere of love and care, and to reach out ‘with a hand that cares’ to the wider local, national and global communities. Our school logo shown on the front cover, depicts our hand completing the work of Jesus, “reaching up in prayer and out in care.”
A very practical expression of this is our Year 6 Leadership Program where each child in their final year at Sacred Heart is a member of a School Leadership Team, demonstrating that leadership is not just a privileged position to be enjoyed by a few but rather an opportunity for all to engage in the service of others.
Curriculum
At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, the person of Jesus Christ is at the heart of what we teach and how we teach it. His example inspires us to ensure that our teaching is reflective of modern society and generates a search for meaning. Our curriculum provides stimulating teaching and learning programs which will equip our students to face the challenges of the 21st Century.
We aim to develop in our students independence by providing opportunities for inquiry learning, problem solving and decision making to help them make meaning of their own lives. Staff engage in ongoing professional learning experiences to support the implementation of a 21st century curriculum, committed to the creation of excellent programs using the Key Learning Areas of Religion, English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science and Technology, Physical Education, Personal Development and Health and the Creative Arts.
History
“We are part of a rich historical tradition that is ongoing”
The origin of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is not in education systems or buildings, but in the deep desire of parents to have their children educated and formed in faith as well as academic subjects. Even before our original church school was built in Prince Street, the Sisters of Saint Joseph used to come from Mount Street, North Sydney, to Mosman, to prepare children for their sacraments. One of those sisters who walked to and from North Sydney, along the road and through the bush, was Mother Mary of the Cross, whom we know today as St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
In 1900, the Sisters of Mercy built St Bridget’s School, a school for girls from Kindergarten to Year 9, in Wudgong Street.
1922 saw the arrival of the Marist Brothers and the construction of a new school on the present site. The school began with 80 boys and was to grow into a school leaving certificate high school, with a great tradition in faith, study and sport.
Over the years there were developments and changes to our school. In 1983, the new school, then known as Marist Sacred Heart Mosman, began, with more than 300 pupils and a staff of 11 lay teachers, four Religious and Brother Crispin as first Principal.
In 1991 the school reverted to being a parish primary school, adopting the parish name, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, in 1999. In July 1998 a major parish building project began under the inspiration of the parish priest, Monsignor Eugene Harley. The former Marist Brothers school was demolished, and a new Sacred Heart School was built on the site and blessed and opened on June 25 2000.
Along with every other primary school in Australia, Sacred Heart benefited from the Australian Federal Governments Building the Education Revolution initiative in 2009 which saw large amounts of money granted to schools in a massive program to upgrade school infrastructures and stimulate the national economy in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. As a result of the BER program Sacred Heart has a beautiful new hall and new library, both of which were officially opened in October 2011.
School Activities - the following activities take place in class time at Sacred Heart in order to enhance the teaching and learning of the students
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Book Week
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Dance Fever, Gymnastics, Coding
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Environmental stewardship including recycling and gardening group
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Individual Class Liturgies
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Individual Class Masses
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Kindergarten Orientation
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Public Speaking and Debating
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Student Leadership Program Yr 6 - includes the buddy program
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Student Representative Council
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School Choir
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Specialist Music Lessons Kinder - Yr 6
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Specialist Art Lessons Kinder - Yr 6
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Sport
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PDHPE Kinder - Yr 6
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Swimming and Athletics Carnivals and Cross Country
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Support Programs, ie Reading Recovery Program, Special Education, Intervention and Gifted Education Teachers
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Regular excursions and guest speakers to support and enrich teaching programs
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Book Week
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Kindergarten Orientation program (Term 4)
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Excursion for Yrs 5 and 6 to Bathurst and Canberra
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Christmas Carols
Extracurricular
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Chess Club
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Music Mates
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Skipping Club
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Tennis
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Young investigators Science Club
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Sport Club run - soccer, netball, basketball
Special Events that may be run by the Parents and Friends
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Beginning of the year Meet and Greet
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School Disco
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Spring Fair
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Parent Social Event
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Mother’s Day Breakfast
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Father’s Day Breakfast
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Masses and Liturgies that may be run by the school and parish
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Welcome Mass
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Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion for Years 3 and 4
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Individual class Masses – Yrs 3-6
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Individual class Liturgies – Yrs K-2
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School Feast Day Mass and Celebrations
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Sacrament of Confirmation for Year 6
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End of Year Mass
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Graduation Mass
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School Feast Day Mass and Celebrations