Volunteer Request - Boarding Student Transport to Sport

The Boarding School is seeking support and assistance to help transport Boarding students to their sporting commitments on a Saturdays.

If you can help with pickup at Loreto and/or dropping back to school after sport, please contact Boarder Reception on 9473 7385.

Thank you for your help!

Lasagne with Love!

Thank you to our students and staff who showed their Lasagne Love to our local communities by preparing and cooking lasagne for families in need in our local area via St Vincent de Paul. This initiative helps many families who are in need of some extra love with the kindness of home-cooked meals.

We are proud to be sharing love, joy and hope - one lasagne at a time. 

Pastoral News

Ms Marysa Boland and Mr Justin Madigan | Deans of Pastoral Care

We are slowly moving towards the end of the term. Wishing all our students and families their best for the next few weeks and happy Father’s Day to our dads.

2024 House Councils 

We congratulate the following students in Year 11 who will assume House Council roles from the start of Term 4.

SRC Handball Challenge 

On Wednesday at lunch time, the SRC invited students to play handball on the courts. There was much fun and laughter and a great way to spend time together. It can be very tempting for some of the students to spend lunch time sitting with each other, however, we encourage our students to have fun and move more as it releases those feel-good hormones. Some of the staff joined in and enjoyed spending time with the students. Encourage your daughter to be involved in activities where she can be active and energised. It will boost her mood and assist her in being productive. 

Flexischools account reminder

A reminder to ensure that your daughter’s Student ID card is linked to your family’s Flexischools account. Students are not to use their smart phones to pay for items at the Café or Canteen; phones will be confiscated, and a detention issued if they are used, as all phones must be in lockers from 8:20am. Students may also use a debit card to pay for items at the Café or Canteen too.

SRC Voting 

Students in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 have nominated for a position on the Student Representative Council (SRC) and elections will be held on Friday, 8 September during Year Time. This is an excellent opportunity for students to meet people and develop their leadership skills. The term of office commences at the start of Term 4. 

Year 9 to 12 Holistic Plenaries 

Tutors are currently reaching out to families to arrange a time for their holistic plenary. These are excellent opportunities for your daughter to reflect on her holistic learning across the FACE Curriculum. They are compulsory for Year 9 students and optional for Year 10, 11 and 12. Your daughter will lead the plenary conversation. Most will be conducted on campus, with boarding families conducting their plenaries via zoom. 

School TV

School TV is an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.

Click the link here to find out more.

Careers Updates

Ms Katrina Smith and Ms Alexi Kayes | Careers Advisor

To view the latest Careers events, seminars, subscriptions and university updates, please explore the yellow Careers News tab on Canvas. Click here to access the Careers Canvas page. Alternatively, go directly to this week's Careers Canvas Newsletter here.

Students in all year groups can book an appointment with Careers at any time by emailing careers@loretonh.nsw.edu.au. Please put your availability into your email.

Sport News

Mr David Brock | Head of Sport

Diving

Congratulations to Year 9 student Lily Whalan who made a splash at the School Sport Australia National Diving Championships last week! The competition at Sydney Olympic Park played host to some of the best divers in Australia. Congratulations to Lily on her fantastic results:

• 15 Years Girls Springboard: 12th
• 15-16 Year Girls & Mixed Synchronised: 12th
• Team Synchronised Group Two: 8th

State Interschool Snowsports

Well done to our State Snowsports qualifiers, Ashlee-Rose Saba (Year 5), Annabelle de Vos (Year 7) and Hannah de Vos (Year 11) who came away with some fantastic results. We are so proud of your efforts and are looking forward to the 2024 season which kicks off in Thredbo next year!

IGSA Track and Field Carnival

The 2023 IGSA Athletics Carnival was held on Thursday, 24 and Friday, 24 August at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre. 35 Loreto Normanhurst students were selected to compete at the IGSA Carnival based on their performances at the School Athletics Carnival and the Friday Night Twilight Athletics Meets that were held prior to the event. It was fantastic to see several students taking the opportunity to compete at the Twilight Athletics Meets and prepare for the IGSA Carnival.

The students enjoyed near perfect conditions for competition, competing in beautiful spring like weather across the two days at the IGSA Carnival. The entire squad channelled the mentality of ‘giving it my best’ and this was reflected in the results. The events were hotly contested, and the girls rose to the challenge, taking on the best athletes across 26 different IGSA schools. Many students set either a new personal best or seasons bests over the two days. Simply outstanding!

Well done to all the girls involved!

Congratulations to the following students who made the final in their respective events at the IGSA Athletics Carnival:

Year 7
Mona Qin: 9th in 13 Years Shot Put Final.
Ruby Mullins: 7th in 12 Years 100m Final.
Stella Mahony: 7th in 12 Years 800m Final.
Tessa Young: 9th in 13 Years 100m Final and 8th in 13 Years 200m Final.

Year 8
Indianna Wijeyesinghe: 6th in Junior Javelin Final and 6th in Junior Discus Final.

Year 9
Ava Garnys: 9th in 16 Years 800m Final.
Charlotte Mah Chut: 6th in 14 Years 90mH Final.
Jessica Theaker: 6th in 15 Years Long Jump Final.
Patricia Boland: 9th in 15 Years 100m Final and 8th in 15 Years 200m Final.

Year 10
Eliza English: 5th in Intermediate High Jump Final.
Eliza Matthews: 3rd in 16 Years Shot Put Final.

Year 11
Charli Davis: 9th in 16 Years 100m Final and 6th in 16 Years 100m Final.
Kendal Henderson: 7th in 17 Years 100m Final, 5th in 17 Years 200m Final and 9th in 17 Years Long Jump Final.

Year 12
Bella Kachel: 6th in Senior Javelin Final and 8th in 18-19 Years Shot Put Final.
Mia Jones: 9th in 18-19 Years 200m Final.

Hear from Tamil Refugee, Thanush Selvarasa

Wednesday, 6 September

Don't miss out on the second seminar of 2023 in our captivating 'A Call to Stewardship through Justice' series on Wednesday, 6 September starting at 5:30pm.

Get inspired by Thanush Selvarasa's incredible journey as a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka and delve into thought-provoking discussions about refugees and justice from a Catholic perspective with theologian, Dr. Sandie Cornish.

Join us in person for some refreshments and engaging conversations with our esteemed speakers from 5:30pm with presentations starting from 6:00pm.

Register today by clicking here.

Parent Association Updates

City Country Mothers’ Wrap Up
Jackie Lindsay

The annual City-Country Mothers’ Weekend away in Dubbo was a wonderful event, at which friendships were made, consolidated and a great time was had by all. We started the weekend with a casual cocktail party at Devils Hollow Brewery where the highlight was donating $1000 to LeaderLife Dubbo who collaborate with this venue, supplying them with delicious limes for undeniably the best Margaritas west of the Blue Mountains. This amazing charity was started by Johanna Leader a local mother who works with some of our most marginalised youth in Dubbo, providing food, safe spaces, employing them, getting them to school, and as she puts it “loving them back to life”. Our Normo community was so touched by her stories and demanded to know more about the organisation and how they could help. Jo was overwhelmed by the support of our Loreto Community. You can learn more about Jo’s incredible work here.

We enjoyed a fabulous long lunch at Dubbo’s Rhino Lodge, where we were entertained by our guest speaker panel made up of ex-students Sarah Stratford (current parent of Anastasia), Lucy Moss (owner of mink and me) and the legendary Susan Noonan from Nevertire. Susan shared her stories of being a Loreto student in the 1940s and noted how her experience differed from her daughters and two nieces, Sophie, and Allie, who are current boarders. Bus driving is a serious business these days and the infamous Kylie carefully delivered our mothers to the Commercial Hotel where the conversations, cocktails and laughter continued with many mothers enjoying the music and dancefloor.

The local businesses in Dubbo greatly appreciated the influx of business during these difficult times in our economy as the ladies shopped up a storm. From all reports, this “most attended mothers’ weekend to date” was a huge success and indeed, one to remember. Dubbo did us proud, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to all the mothers and carers who came along and made it such a memorable event. I believe we are heading to Griffith next year!!

Year 8 Parent Evening

Friday, 8 September
The Verandah Beecroft

We would be delighted if you could join fellow Year 8 Parents for burgers and drinks on Friday, 8 September at The Verandah, Beecroft. This parent only event is a fantastic opportunity to meet and mingle with other parents from Year 8. We look forward to having you join us.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Year 7 Picnic – Save the Date

Sunday, 17 September at 10:00am
Lane Cove National Park - Casuarina Point Picnic Area

Please bring outdoor games, picnic gear and a plate to share.

Click here for the invitation.

FOLD Race Day

Saturday, 30 September
Newcastle Racecourse

The Fathers of Loreto Daughters (FOLD) committee warmly invite all members of the Loreto Normanhurst community to join them for the inaugural Race Day on Saturday, 30 September at the Newcastle Racecourse.

To find out more about the FOLD committee, we would love to encourage all fathers to follow us on LinkedIn here.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase tickets.

PAL End of Year Event- Save the Date!

Saturday, 28 October

PAL would like to warmly invite all parents to join them in a fun filled evening of Trivia! Get your smarts on! 

Dress up as your favourite movie character or simply decorate your table. A great way to get together and socialise!  This function will be a BYO, so chat amongst your friends & bring along with you some delicious goodies. Big prizes to be won with a raffle being drawn on the evening! Who will be crowned the winner?!

Mark the date in your calendar & gather your friends. More information to follow shortly.

Expressions of interest for the 2024 Spring Fair Committee & 2024 PAL Executive Committee

The PAL Committee are planning for 2024. PAL at Loreto is open to all parents and carers. Your level of involvement can vary from attending and or assisting at PAL events, becoming a Year Parent Representative, joining one of the Sub-Committees or even becoming a member of the PAL Executive Committee. Everyone is welcome to contribute in any way they can, and your contribution is always truly valued. We continue to support Loreto by providing additional funds for important programs and initiatives and we remain committed to keeping our community connected.

Our main event for 2024 is the Spring Fair which is held in Term 4. The success of the Spring Fair is reliant on the energy and goodwill of the whole parent community. PAL are looking for volunteers to join the 2024 Spring Fair Committee. All volunteers are welcome. If you wish to be involved, please reply to pal@loretonh.nsw.edu.au

If you have any questions about the Parent Association or the Spring Fair and getting involved, please contact Kath Walton - craigandkath@me.com

Advancement Team Updates and Events

Father Daughter Eucharist and Lunch  - and the Raffle Winners!

A heartwarming day unfolded at the Father Daughter Eucharist and Lunch last Sunday with Fathers and daughters uniting to commemorate their special bond ahead of Father's Day this weekend. The Eucharist service infused a sense of reverence and unity, fostering shared moments of reflection and spiritual togetherness. Laughter and heartfelt conversations filled the air during the subsequent lunch, deepening the relationships between generations. The Raffle added an element of excitement, highlighting the community's collective efforts in contributing to the Bursary Fund. With gratitude and inspired hearts, the day left an indelible mark, reinforcing the significance of family ties and shared goals. 

Please see the winning ticket numbers from the Raffle below - congratulations to our winners!

1st Prize: D.B Ticket Number: #476
2nd Prize: A.B Ticket Number: #345
3rd Prize: T.L Ticket Number: #73
4th Prize: S.T Ticket Number: #52
5th Prize: C.C Ticket Number: #163
6th Prize: I.C Ticket Number: #498
7th Prize: C.T Ticket Number: #315
8th Prize: I.C Ticket Number: #512

Alumnae Reunion Weekend

Saturday, 23 September
10:00am-3:00pm

Loreto Normanhurst in partnership with the Ex-Students’ Association warmly invites current parents who are alumnae to the Reunion Lunch!

The event day will commence with a Mass service in the morning, continued with guided school tours and a beautiful lunch.

We would be delighted if you could join us for a wonderful day at Loreto Normanhurst where we offer you the opportunity to reconnect with your fellow alumnae for this wonderful celebration.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase your tickets.