Let's Make the Bursary an Everyday Conversation!

We're the Year 12 Student Bursary Committee, led by Tahlia Moses, School Vice Captain. Our mission? Growing awareness of the Loreto Normanhurst Bursary Program and raising much-needed funds to support girls in financial need to experience a Loreto Normanhurst education. 

Unlocking Opportunities with the LN Bursary Program 

Since 2002, the Loreto Normanhurst Bursary Program has awarded over 70 bursaries. Through this initiative, we extend the chance for girls facing financial challenges to conquer ‘First Loreto then the world’. The Year 12 Student Bursary Committee believes this opportunity shouldn't be confined to those who can afford it. Without this program, we'd lack the diversity that enriches our community and education. 

It's More Than Fundraising: Growing Awareness with Fun and Enthusiasm 

Our mission is not only about fundraising but also about raising awareness, all while having fun and shining a light on what matters for women everywhere. 

So, what are we doing? 

In Term 4, we're gearing up to support the Christmas Bursary Appeal, and here's what's on our exciting agenda: 

1. Inspiring Awareness through Assembly 

We're ready to take the stage at the school assembly to enlighten everyone about what our Bursary Program is and why it's vital to raise funds for it. Let's make it a topic of everyday conversation. 

2. We’re selling Pearl Bracelets  

These bracelets for $50 each immortalise the wise words of Gonzaga Barry, who said that her beloved Loreto children were like a string of pearls, each one unique and valuable but when strung all together they create something even more beautiful.  

In 2024 we’re gearing up to raise awareness and raise some funds by washing cars, and taking part in the highly anticipated annual contest of talent, and friendly rivalry in the Normo/Riverview Annual Netball match! So, stay tuned!!! 

We invite everyone, from parents to teachers to fellow students, to join the fun. 

Together, let's make the Loreto Normanhurst Bursary Program a topic we discuss daily, ensuring that opportunities are accessible to all and that our community remains enriched with diversity. Your support and involvement mean the world to us. Let's make a difference! 

Pastoral News

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

We wish you all a great week ahead. 

Orientation Day Success 

On Thursday we welcomed over 200 new students and their families to the school for their Orientation Day. A day like this is very important as it provides a real-world opportunity for the students to see the school ‘in action’. Students coming into Year 7 met their Advisor and Heads of House and new students in Year 8 to 11, who were mostly boarders, met members of the Boarding School, worked closely with Mr Madigan, met their Heads of House, and worked with members of the Visual Arts Department on a creative arts bonding activity. There was a wonderful buzz and energy around the school. We are very much looking forward to having our new students in the school next year. 

Normo Fusion Rehearsals  

This year’s Normo Fusion rehearsals are underway, and we are looking forward to the Concert on Wednesday, 6 December during House time. This year’s theme is ‘Light! Cameras! Action! We look forward to listening to the fun and excitement of the rehearsals over the coming weeks. 

Flexischools account reminder  

A reminder to ensure that your daughter’s Student ID card is linked to your family’s Flexischools account. Students may not 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.

Twilight Tours Reminder Wednesday, 15 November 

Next Wednesday afternoon we have our final twilight tour for the year from 3:30pm to 4:30pm for prospective families considering Loreto as their school for their child. These events are excellent opportunities for our students to shine and share their experiences with others as Student Ambassadors.  

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.

Learning News

Prue Salter Study Skills

How much sleep?

We all know that sleep is important for general health, for growth and development and for emotional well-being. However, you may not know that important memory processes take place while you are sleeping, ensuring you retain what you are learning and studying.

Perhaps you have heard that teenagers need between nine to ten hours of sleep per night. But where does this come from and how valid is this claim? In 1980, Mary Carskadon of Stanford sequestered a group of adolescents in the university's sleep laboratory for several days, letting them sleep for as long as they wanted, up to 10 hours. She found that the teenagers slept just over nine hours, with very little variation. This single "naturalistic" study is the primary basis for the adolescent sleep recommendation. However, some researchers argue that just because teenagers slept nine hours when left alone does not mean that this is the best thing for them, just like letting people eat whatever they want is not necessarily the best thing for their health. So there is no definitive answer at this point in time.

The amount of sleep needed by teenagers is most likely very individual, just like it is for adults. It is probably safe to assume that adolescents need more sleep than adults and that the average for most people is at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Pay attention to the signs and have students listen to their body. If they lie down in bed and fall asleep instantly, this is a sign they are not getting enough sleep for their body. It should take at least 15 minutes to fall asleep. If they wake up in the morning and are feeling exhausted, then check all lifestyle factors: are they getting enough sleep, eating healthily and getting enough exercise?

If teenagers are sleeping in for many hours on a weekend, unfortunately this does not mean they are “catching up” on their sleep. According to the University of Texas Southwestern sleep specialist Dr. Gregory Carter, when we think we're catching up on sleep, what we're really doing is messing with our circadian cycle - the body's internal clock which dictates sleep patterns. Excessive sleeping in is in fact a signal that during the week students need to go to bed earlier. The aim is to work out the optimum bedtime so that the need to catch up on large amounts of sleep on the weekend is eliminated.

There is nothing wrong with having a power-nap in the afternoon when students get home from school, as long as the nap is no longer than 40 minutes. A short nap can help students regain their energy levels and allow them to focus on the work they have to do that evening. However, a longer nap will also disrupt sleeping patterns for that night.

Check out the unit in the Study Skills Handbook on Lifestyle and Balance to learn more about sleep and other lifestyle factors for success.

Learn more here.

Login details:

• Username: loretonh
• Password: loretonh

Careers Updates

Ms Katrina Smith and Ms Alexi Kayes | Careers Advisors

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.

Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for volunteers who are interested in participating in a ‘Mock Job Interview Day’ with our Year 10 students on Tuesday, 28 November. Sessions will be held face-to-face at Loreto Normanhurst, from 8:30am-3:15 pm and we are looking for volunteers to assist for all or part of the day.

Volunteering would involve interviewing Year 10 students, to allow them to practice a professional job interview and present their achievements and strengths.

If you are interested in participating, please complete your details here and we will contact you to provide more information. Please note that Moir Group is assisting Loreto Normanhurst with booking in interviewer times.

We are looking for volunteers from different industry areas to allow students to ask questions of their interviewers and match them to areas of interest. All volunteers will be required to hold a volunteer ‘Working with Children Check’ and sign a Loreto Normanhurst volunteer declaration.

Sport News

Mr David Brock | Head of Sport

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Congratulations to the following students who have completed The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award:

• Clara Singh - completed the Bronze Award.
• Ava Martin - completed the Bronze Award.

IGSA Gymnastics

On Friday, 3 November IGSA held their annual Gymnastics competition. The artistic portion of the competition took place at PLC Sydney and the rhythmic portion was held at Abbotsleigh. In total Loreto Normanhurst had four students attend the competition with Charlotte Barnett (Year 9) competing in Rhythmic and Katia Hales (Year 7), Tara Doyle (Year 9), and Zara Cave (Year 10) in artistic. The girls had a full day of competion and did extremely well, but most importantly always had a smile on their face. Thank you to Miss Lauren (gymnastics coach) and Miss Forbes for supporting the girls on the day.

See below the results from IGSA Gymnastics.

Charlotte Barnett

• Level 9 Open Ball – 2nd place
• Level 9 Open Clubs – 1st place
• Level 9 Open Ribbon – 2nd place

Katia Hales

• Level 4 Bars – 5th place
• Level 4 Beam – 6th place
• Level 4 floor – 4th place

Secondary Orientation Day

Yesterday all our new families in Year 7-11 attended the Secondary Orientation Day. There was much excitement and enthusiasm throughout the day as they transition to a new school. Year 7 ended the day with sport trials for Term 1 2024 and enjoyed meeting new friends in the process. Welcome to Loreto Normanhurst!

Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals

Information regarding nominations for both carnivals will be released shortly! Please save the date to ensure you are prepared.

• Primary Swimming Carnival: Thursday, 16 November| Loreto Normanhurst Aquatic Centre
• Secondary Swimming Carnival: Wednesday, 29 November | SOPAC

Uniform

Please be advised, all Sport Staff and coaches have been asked to monitor students' training and match day uniform.

Our goal is to ensure we are representing the school and ourselves with pride both on and off the field/court to the highest of standards. For more information on the Sport uniform requirements, please review the Sport Uniform Policy, or review the Sport specific canvas page.

Attendance at Training and Fixtures

A friendly reminder to all families that students who have nominated to participate in a sport program during Term 4 have made a commitment, including attendance at training. It is the student's responsibility to inform the sport department of unavailability at least 24 hours prior to the session. Please review the Sport Department Attendance Policy on the Canvas page for more information

Canvas

For the most up-to-date information for Sport at Loreto Normanhurst, please visit the Sport Department Canvas Page.

Sport News

Please email sport@loretonh.nsw.edu.au if you have any sporting news to share so we can publish and celebrate your achievements with our community.

Parent Association Updates

Trivia Night Wrap Up

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who came to our ‘Movie Magic’ Trivia Night. Thank you to everyone who participated whether that was dressing up in costume, coming along on the night or purchasing a raffle ticket. Thank you for your support of PAL and the school.

Congratulations to the winners of our Trivia Night Raffle. We hope you enjoy your amazing prizes!

• 1st Prize – Ticket Number – 166 – JJ
• 2nd Prize – Ticket Number – 132 – JM
• 3rd Prize – Ticket number 153 – JC

Tuition Fee Raffle 2023 – Opening – Tuesday, 14 November 10:30am

The Parent Association Tuition Fee Raffle is back for 2023! The prize is an opportunity to win a $15,000 credit on your 2024 school fees, which will go a long way in helping one lucky family.

Tickets are $106 each (including all booking fees) and there are only 350 tickets available.

Tickets will be available to purchase at 10:30am on Tuesday, 14 November. The link to purchase will be sent to families on Tuesday.

Click here for full raffle terms & conditions.

If you have any questions, please contact pal@loretonh.nsw.edu.au.

Parent Association Sports BBQ – Saturday, 11 November

Tomorrow is the Normo Double Header Weekend where our junior and senior Touch Football teams along with Water Polo, IPSHA Basketball and Cricket teams are all playing at Loreto Normanhurst.

PAL is running a BBQ and merchandise stand tomorrow and we still need a few more volunteers! If you are able to lend a hand this weekend, please sign up via the links below.

• PAL BBQ
• Merch Sales

This is a great opportunity to gather some friends and volunteer together, meet other Normo parents, and support our girls in sport.

Thank you for your support of PAL and Loreto Normanhurst and we look forward to seeing you at sport across the weekend.

Parent Association AGM – Wednesday, 29 November

Wednesday, 29 November

6:30pm

Cahill Seminar Room

The Parent Association of Loreto (PAL) is the official representative body of parents and guardians of students at the school. We encourage parents/guardians of students from all year levels to join the executive committee and be part of the wider committee in non-executive roles so that we can truly be a representative body. Being part of the committee is a great way to be involved with the school community and to meet other parents.

If you would like to nominate to be on the PAL Executive Committee or be part of the wider committee in non-executive roles such as a Year Parent Representative or the event planning team for 2024 including the Spring Fair, please see below for the position descriptions and nomination form.

Click here for Nomination Form & Position Descriptions.

If you have any questions about the Parent Association or Spring Fair and getting involved, please contact Kath Walton at pal@loretonh.nsw.edu.au.

Our Open Table, 125 Years Cookbook – A great gift for Christmas!

Our beautiful commemorative cookbook, Our Open Table, celebrating 125 years of Loreto Normanhurst Education makes a great Christmas gift!

The Cookbook can be purchased on the Normo Shop here.

If you have any questions relating to the cookbook, please feel free to contact us at lncookbook125@gmail.com or pal@loretonh.nsw.edu.au.

PAL Merch – Link Tile Now on FACE Online

An easy access link to the PAL Merch available, can now be found on FACE Online. A great range of merch is available to purchase including tote bags, caps, visors, and socks!

Click here to purchase PAL Merch.

Second-Hand Uniform Donation Drive Term 4

The Parent Association together with the school is announcing a Second-Hand Uniform Donation Drive for the collection of good quality second-hand/preloved school uniforms for the rest of Term 4.

The Parent Association is pleased to announce this initiative to support the school’s focus on sustainability and to give parents a good quality second hand option when purchasing uniforms for their daughter.

Good quality, clean second-hand uniform items including summer dress, winter tunic/skirt, ties, blazers, jumpers/vests, sport tracksuits, PE uniform will be accepted via Main and Primary Reception.

For hygiene purposes, hats or swimwear will not be accepted.

Please remember to donate items that you would buy yourself – i.e., we won’t accept any items that are dirty/unclean, damaged – tears, rips, holes or are not in a sellable condition.

Please note that moving forward, the previous ‘on consignment’ option for second-hand uniforms will no longer be available through the uniform shop. 100% of the monies raised from the sale of your donated second-hand uniforms will go towards the school’s Bursary Program.

Families who have already contributed items to the Uniform Shop via the ‘on consignment’ option will have that arrangement honoured and will be contacted regarding this.

Please note, the Uniform Exchange at Pymble is a separately run business and has no connection to the school.

Visual Arts Exhibition

Thursday, 16 November

5:00pm - 8:00pm

Loreto Normanhurst Deirdre Rofe Centre

We are delighted to invite you to the Year 5-11 Visual Arts Exhibition where we will be showcasing the creativity and skill of our students expressed through various forms of artwork.

The exhibition will be opened at 5:30pm by artist, Susie Dureau. Susie has been an artist-in-residence at Loreto Normanhurst and her art is part of the school’s collection.

Our students have put tremendous effort and passion into their art projects, exploring different mediums and techniques to express their unique perspectives. We encourage you to join us to celebrate the accomplishments of your daughters.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to RSVP.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, 14 November.

Advancement Team Updates

Secondary Christmas Creations – Gingerbread House Kits now available!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Loreto Normanhurst Christmas Creations is back for 2023! Gingerbread House kits are now available to purchase for Year 7-12 families. Christmas Creations is the perfect opportunity to bring the family together to build a Gingerbread House at home.

Gingerbread House kits are $45 plus postage. 20% from the sale of each kit will go towards the Loreto Normanhurst Christmas Bursary Appeal.

Kits are available in traditional gingerbread, chocolate gingerbread and gluten free. Included in the kit is your Gingerbread House, foil baseboard, royal icing mix, piping bag and instructions.

Please note this offer is for secondary students only as primary students have a separate Christmas Creations event.

Purchase your kit here!

The code "LNChristmas2023" will be applied for a 5% discount.

To view the Secondary Christmas Creations Gingerbread House invitation, please click here.

'Starlight' Chapel Christmas Concert

Friday, 1 December

6:30pm - 8:00pm

Loreto Normanhurst Chapel

Held in the beautiful Loreto Normanhurst Chapel, ‘Starlight’ is a celebration of Christmas featuring an outstanding line up of instrumental and vocal performances from our talented students and staff.

We would be delighted for you to join us!

Tickets are limited!

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase your tickets.