Dear Parent’s and Carers

In the Catholic tradition, the month of November is a time for remembrance of the dead. We begin the month with the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, followed by the Commemoration of All Souls on November 2. While many saints have their own specific feast days throughout the year, on November 1, the Catholic Church honours all saints, both known and unknown. Last Friday, we celebrated this important feast day for our local parish with a beautiful Mass, which included representatives from Stella Maris and Corpus Christi. A special thank you to Mrs. Mammone for her time and effort in organising the All Saints’ Feast Day Mass.

Earlier this week, you would have received a notification via Compass about the upcoming P & F Colour Run, scheduled for Friday, November 15. The Colour Run is a fun twist on the traditional fun run, where children are encouraged to wear a white T-shirt, old pants and old closed-in shoes, which will be covered in non-toxic colour powder by the time they reach the finish line. All students are encouraged to bring a towel and a change of clothes, particularly for those who need to catch a bus home afterward. The first Colour Run will begin at 1:00pm with Year 3. For further details, please refer to the Compass event. If you wish for your child not to participate, please notify your child’s class teacher by emailing the front office at info@nscdow.catholic.edu.au.

The P & F are also seeking parent helpers to assist with the distribution of the colour powder. If you are available to help, please complete the following Google form: Nazareth P & F Colour Run - Parent Helpers.

The process for student class placements for 2025 has commenced. At Nazareth, we consider a range of factors to create balanced classes, including the spiritual, academic, and emotional well-being of each child, as well as their social interactions. If you have any special considerations or concerns that the school should take into account, please submit them in writing via email to downesm01@dow.catholic.edu.au no later than Friday, November 15. Please note that this is not an opportunity to request specific teachers or friendship groups for your child. While all requests will be reviewed and discussed, final decisions on placements will be made after careful consultation with teachers. Requests submitted after November 15 will not be considered.

Next Wednesday and Thursday, I will be offsite. On Wednesday, we welcome back Mr. Sykes as acting principal, and on Thursday Mr. Edwards will return from Year 5 Camp to take on the role of acting principal.

Wishing all families a wonderful week ahead.

Kind regards,

Mr Matt Downes

Catholic Mission Month 

Last Wednesday we celebrated the end of Catholic Mission Month with our Socktober Kickoff. The K-2 winner was Darcy from KS and the Years 3-6 winner was Luke from 6R. Congratulations to both winners who have earned ice blocks for their class. Thank you to everyone who donated for this fun event. We raised a total of $522.70

First Holy Communion

This week concludes the four First Holy Communion workshops and thank you to the families who attended with their child each week and engaged in meaningful conversations to help their child complete their booklets.

Next weekend, after the 5:00 pm mass, there will be a rehearsal and students will be shown their seating allocations.  

First Holy Communion will be held on Sunday, 24 November 2024 at 11:00 am. Father Joe has asked that the CHILDREN WEAR WHITE. Girls will wear a white dress and for boys a white shirt and either dark or light trousers.

Wednesday Mass and Faith & Learning visits

This week, Kindergarten attended mass at 9:00 am on Wednesday and it was fantastic to see so many parents back in the classroom after mass. Next week, Year 6 will attend mass and warmly invite families to come back to the classroom after mass to experience a snapshot of the students’  learning. We encourage all families to come to mass and then visit the classroom.

All mass times can be found in the All Saints Parish Bulletin and all other important information. A link can be found on the Parish Website:  https://www.dow.org.au/parish/all-saints-catholic-parish-shellharbour-city

4R has been learning about the Prayer and its purpose, aiming to build a closer connection to God. Students have explored prayer and different ways of praying as a means of developing their prayer life. They have been introduced to experiences of prayer, drawn from the rich Catholic spiritual heritage. Students have explored the place and purpose of prayer and a variety of different prayer styles.

In 5O we have started our Geography unit called Awesome Asia. We are learning all about the continent of Asia as a class, as well as following our own learning journey about an Asian country of our choice. We are having so much fun researching and making our own travel guides about our Asian country. This week it has been all about the food of Asia. Some of us have been cooking at home with our families and trying new recipes from places far away.

We have also been reading the beautiful story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. We have also tried to make our own cranes using origami. Have a look at our efforts below:

Next week we are off to our overnight camp to The Tops at Stanwell Tops. We can’t wait to participate in activities such as archery, survivor challenge, abseiling and Ms Johnson’s favourite…the giant swing. Standby for more action in year 5!

Congratulations

Congratulations to Jedd K who trialled and was successful in making the 2025 Diocese of Wollongong Cricket team. He trialled against other boys from the Diocese of Wollongong and was selected in a team of 10. 

2025 Sports Nominations

Parents of students in Year 4 & 5 this year (Year 5 & 6 in 2025) are to check their Compass news feed for information regarding the 2025 Diocesan Representative Trial nomination process. Nominations for Cricket, Tennis & Basketball are now closed, however, all other sports are still open. Please check the relevant document on your Compass newsfeed for the nomination information. Please ensure you have read the nomination procedure and have provided as much information as possible when nominating your child. 

Upcoming Events

Dragon Tag Gala Day - November 12. Please check the Compass event for further details on this event. Please note a venue change for this event. This gala day will now be held at Sid Parrish Park in Figtree. 

CDF Sports Awards- November 15. This event is for children who have received an invitation from the CEDoW Sport Team. Please see your email invitation for event details.

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

April Cassanego

Joshua Kosteski

Jack Hopkins

Jacob Sekulovski

MERIT AWARDS

William Benavente, Adam Glaveski, Maci Mackaway, Ava Keenan, Solomon Zamora, Thomas Markovski, Matilda Fraietta, Van Smith, Mia Hamilton, Aria Phillip, Remy Aitchison, Thomas Bennett, Violet Wray, Jaxx Marimon.

This week’s focus for PB4L is identifying and practising safe physical and emotional responses. During Week 4, students have been engaged in lessons and discussions where they are asked to identify the zone of regulation they are in, identify why they are feeling that way and identify strategies to help them regulate their feelings.

NAZARETH PROMOTIONAL FILM

The film captures a day in the life of a Nazareth student.
Click https://youtu.be/olug9FWvZQI to view the film

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PAGE FOR NAZARETH

If you haven't already please follow our school pages to keep up to date with events at school and for photos and updates from across the school. 

Please click on the direct links to follow our pages:

www.facebook.com/nazareth.shellhabour

www.instagram.com/nazareth.shellharbour

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY 

Please click on the below link for a direct link to the social media policy.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/policies/social-media-policy/