Sacred Heart Primary School Mildura eNewsletter

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends

Athletics Carnival

We are excited to announce that the highly anticipated Sacred Heart Athletics Carnival is just around the corner! This engaging and spirited event will take place at the Aerodrome Ovals on Wednesday, 9th August, promising a day of fun, competition, and unity within our school community.

The Athletics Carnival is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their talents, sportsmanship, and teamwork, and we are thrilled to invite all parents and friends to join us in cheering them on. Your presence and support play a significant role in making this day truly special for our students.

To ensure the smooth running of the event and the comfort of all attendees, we kindly request your attention to the following important points:

All students are to be dropped off at the Aerodrome Ovals (Athletics Track) on Wednesday, 10th August from 8.15am onwards.
Events begin promptly at 9am and conclude at 3:10pm. Please arrive a little earlier to find suitable parking. Students are to be picked up at the conclusion of the Athletics Carnival at 3.10pm.
All students are required to wear their Sacred Heart Sports Uniform with their House colour polo shirt.
All students will need their own snacks, lunch & water bottle.
Any students who are attending Camp Australia or catch an after school bus will be transported back to school by bus at 3.15pm.
As the event will be held outdoors, please check the weather forecast and dress accordingly.
We encourage you to capture the special moments of the day. However, please be considerate and respectful of the privacy of others while taking photographs.
Let's create a positive and supportive atmosphere for our students. Your cheers and words of encouragement will undoubtedly motivate them to excel in their activities.
Please follow road signage for smooth traffic flow and efficient parking.

Assembly - Athletics Assembly

Thank you to the Year Two class Nangare who led our Assembly today. At our next Assembly, at 2.30pm on Friday 11th August we will be presenting awards from our Athletics Carnival.

Student Teacher

We welcome student teacher Miss Filomena Tabacco this week. Filomena is doing her final placement and will work with Mrs Groves in Karinya.

Lunch Orders

CDF Pay cut off time - Please note that the CDF Pay cut off time has been extended to 8pm. Cut off time for next Friday’s lunch orders is 8pm Thursday, 10th August. Due to our Athletics Carnival there are no lunch orders on Wednesday.

NAIDOC Week

We are thrilled to share with you the tremendous success of our NAIDOC Day celebration that took place today. It was a day filled with learning, culture, and engagement, as we came together to honour and celebrate the rich heritage of our First Nations people.

One of the highlights of our NAIDOC Day was the presence of Dion Drummond, who joined us as a special presenter for the occasion. Dion's contribution added a remarkable dimension to our celebrations, as he shared his insights, experiences, and cultural knowledge with us in a way that was both enjoyable and enlightening.

Our girls football team played some great football on Thursday being competitive in all games. The girls displayed excellent behaviour and sportsmanship. Thanks to Mr Burford and Mrs Thompson for attending with our students.

Prep Enrolments 2024

For the upcoming 2024 Prep year, there are still available spaces for enrolments at Sacred Heart School. If you or anyone you know is interested in enrolling their child in our school, we warmly invite you to get in touch with us.

NCCD

This week, we successfully submitted our Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with Disabilities (NCCD) to Catholic Education and the Government. This accomplishment is a testament to our commitment to inclusivity and providing the best possible support for all of our students.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Mrs. Deacon for her dedicated efforts in meticulously preparing and organising the NCCD data. Her hard work and attention to detail have been invaluable in ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the information submitted.

The NCCD is more than just a data collection exercise; it holds significant importance in our ongoing efforts to create an environment that caters to the unique needs of each and every student. By participating in the NCCD, we contribute to a nationwide initiative that aids schools, education authorities, and governments in gaining a deeper understanding of the needs of students with disabilities. This understanding, in turn, enables us to enhance the quality of support and resources available to these students within our school.

Pupil Free and School Closure Days

We are pleased to inform you that a new enterprise agreement, encompassing teachers across most Catholic schools in Victoria, including ours, has been officially approved and is now in effect. This agreement introduces several enhancements aimed at recognising and valuing the exceptional efforts of our teachers and support staff.

A key highlight of this agreement is the introduction of new time-in-lieu provisions. These provisions have been designed to provide our teachers and support staff with the opportunity to accumulate additional time off in instances where they are required to work beyond their regular 38 hours per week. This is especially relevant for activities such as overnight camps and supervisory duties during evenings and weekends.

Recognizing the extra commitment and dedication our teachers are putting in, Catholic Education Ballarat has granted approval for an additional pupil-free day for Sacred Heart. As a result, the last day of school for our students will now be Friday, 15th December.

This adjustment to the school calendar not only acknowledges the importance of our teachers' well-being but also aligns with our ongoing commitment to providing a high-quality and nurturing learning environment for our students.

To cater for this change we have adjusted some of our Pupil Free and School Closure Days between now and the end of the year. This is a list of our important dates:

Monday 7th November: School Closure Day
Wednesday 9th November: Structured Literacy Pupil Free Day
Friday 15th December: Last day for students
Monday 18th December: RE Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 19th December: 2024 Staff Preparation
Wednesday 20th December: School Closure Day

Structured Literacy Research Project Data Collection Opt Out

The Ballarat Diocese is partnering with the School of Education at La Trobe University to roll out and evaluate a new approach to initial literacy instruction in a sample of Ballarat Diocese schools, including Sacred Heart. Information about all students’ classroom progress in reading, writing, and spelling will be collected and analysed as part of this project. The data collected does not contain the names of schools, teachers, or individual students.

If you do not wish for your child/children’s data to be used in the study, you may opt-out by completing the form that is available from the Office.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the project or data being collected, please email Emma Rutherford Education Officer – Learning and Teaching, Catholic Education Ballarat at erutherford@dobcel.catholic.edu.au or myself.

Have a great weekend everyone and God Bless!

Mark Gibson

SWPBIS BLITZ

We are excited to announce an upcoming initiative at our school aimed at promoting a positive and respectful school environment.

As part of our commitment to creating a respectful, responsible, and safe learning environment, we have developed a School Wide Positive Behavior Matrix. This matrix outlines the expected behaviours of being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe that we strive to see from every member of our school community.

Over the next few weeks, we will be launching a special focus from our Matrix on the value of ACCEPTANCE. We firmly believe that fostering a sense of acceptance is crucial in creating an inclusive and harmonious environment for everyone.

During this period, students in all classes will be engaging in discussions and activities centred around the concept of acceptance. We will be exploring various ways to demonstrate acceptance, including:

Kind and Friendly Communication: Students will learn the importance of using kind and friendly words when interacting with others.
Inclusion: Students will discover the power of including others in their activities and interactions in a kind and friendly manner.
Helping Others: Students will understand how assisting others in a kind and friendly way can contribute to a positive atmosphere.
Respecting Differences: The significance of respecting and appreciating the diversity among our peers will be emphasised.

To enhance this learning experience, we will be utilising videos that illustrate both positive and negative examples of displaying acceptance. By observing these scenarios, students will gain a deeper understanding of how their actions impact the overall atmosphere at school.

As we introduce these behaviours, we encourage our students to actively model them within the school environment. Our dedicated teachers will be on the lookout for instances of acceptance, providing constructive feedback, and acknowledging those who embody this expectation.

Religious Education

2023 Sacramental Dates

First Eucharist - Year 4 & Above

Parent Information Evening - Wednesday 6th September 2023 @ 7pm SH Church

Sacrament of First Eucharist - Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd October 2023

Reconciliation - Year 2 & Above

Parent Information Evening - Wednesday 11th October 2023 7pm SH Church

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Wednesday 22nd November 2023 7pm SH Church

Learning and Teaching News

NAPLAN Student Reports

NAPLAN Student Reports for Year 3 and 5 students will be available to be picked up from your child’s classroom teacher before or after school from next week (07/08, week 5). Please ensure you carefully read the cover letter and information about how to read the report.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

If you have any questions regarding aspects of your child’s progress, please speak to your child’s teacher so they can provide further information about their success and challenges in learning.

If families have not picked up the NAPLAN reports by the end of week 6, they will be sent home via post.

This year, the numerical NAPLAN bands and the national minimum standard will be replaced by the following 4 levels of achievement:

Exceeding
Strong
Developing
Needs additional support

The descriptors for each category will make it clear to see what your child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and support discussions with the school on your child’s progress.

Prep Unit News

1.0.0 D.A.Y.S of S.C.H.O.O.L…. What a blast! On Monday the prep students had the best day celebrating their 100th day of school. They made biscuits with the number 100 on it, a crown and looked absolutely amazing in their 100 year old people costumes. The rest of the week went back to normal with athletics training in preparation for next week, learning more sounds and digraphs and reading stories from the Old Testament of the Bible.

Sounds to continue practising with your child/ren at home: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, r, f, o, c, d, h, e, n, g, l, k, u, b, j, w, ck, ll, ff, ss, sh, qu, ee.
Learn all the tricky words at the back of the reading diary.

On Thursday, we had a visit from the Responsible Pet Education facilitators. They ran a session to help our students with safety around animals and caring for our pets

Prep Unit Team Contact Details

Unit Leader: Mrs Rebecca O'Callaghan
Cooinda: Mrs Rebecca O'Callaghan - bocallaghan@shmildura.catholic.edu.au
Wahroonga: Mrs Wendy Collins - wcollins@shmildura.catholic.edu.au

Junior Unit News

This week, our Students were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Monahan and her dog Ekko from the Responsible Pet Ownership. This program educates children about caring for their pets and how to be safe around animals. We thank Elizabeth for sharing her knowledge with us all.

On Wednesday 8th August we look forward to hosting our annual Athletics Day at the Aerodrome ovals. If you are able to assist on this day, please reach out to Mr Burford. Students are required to wear their sporting house colour t-shirt and sports clothes on this day. It is also a day where our children can be a ‘little hungrier’. Please pack a few extra things to eat and remember to send your child with a water bottle.

Also next week we celebrate Dental Health week. Year One students will revise the importance of Dental Health and discuss appropriate food choices. They aim to create persuasive posters to display around the school in order to educate others.

On Friday 1st September, Bundaleer will be hosting their Assembly. They will be celebrating Father's Day and sharing photos. Could each family please send a photo of their Bundaleer child with their dad/s or special man to Miss Moore hmoore@shmildura.catholic.edu.au by the 20th of August.

Junior Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader: Mrs Katrina Groves
Karinya (Year 1): Mrs Katrina Groves (Monday-Thursday) & Mrs Christine Sherry (Friday)
Bundaleer (Year 1): Miss Hayley Moore
Barramunga (Year 2): Mrs Chris Carmichael
Nangare: (Year 2): Mrs Maree Irvin

Middle Unit News

We have had a very busy week in the Middle Unit! Today we enjoyed recognising NAIDOC Day and have been learning about the significance of this special time all week. On Monday the Year 3 students will be visiting the SRS Benetook Farm to enhance our learning in Religion about Respect. Please refer to the note below for further details

We are having a big focus on the importance of Acceptance in the Middle Unit. Students are learning the importance of being kind and considerate to all their peers and accepting the differences of others.

Middle Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader: Miss Sophie Price
Amaroo (Year 3): Mrs Sarah Beckwith
Yongana (Year 3): Mrs Georgina Whitehouse
Mootwingee (Year 3): Mrs Jaimi Willersdorf
Minga (Year 4): Miss Sophie Price
Eumeralla (Year 4): Miss Rosie Lennox

Senior Unit News

During Term 1 students in Kyema worked with Ms Lowe to create a short clip highlighting some of the Sunraysia region. The Art Bus team then came to school and created this short video clip. Otto certainly learnt alot about our region.

Art Bus Project

The Year 6 students are experimenting with how to grow mould, we look forward to some very disgusting results!

Well done to our girls football team!!

Senior Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader Year 5: Mrs. Natalee Johnson
Unit Leader Year 6: Mrs. Loretta Thompson
Illawarra (Year 5): Mrs. Cathryn Rowles
Kyema (Year 5): Mrs. Natalee Johnson
Myalla (Year 5): Mrs. Emma Kotsiakos (Monday-Thursday) & Mr. Corey Barbary (Friday)
Narooma (Year 6): Mrs. Jo Campbell
Dourim (Year 6): Mrs. Loretta Thompson
Illawarra (Year 6): Mrs. Amelia Pacher (Monday-Thursday) & Mr. Jacob Burford (Friday)

Library News

Book Week News: (19 - 25th of August)

It’s a countdown to this year’s book week, with the CBCA 2023 shortlist being amazing. This year’s theme is Read, Grow and Inspire! Look at these specially chosen books awaiting the final decision of winners.

SHPS library has purchased CBCA-shortlisted age-appropriate books for the students, which will be displayed during book week. These books will be available for loan within the following weeks.

On Monday 31st of July our book week colouring competition began. Please return completed entries to your teacher before Friday the 18th of August. This book week activity is encouraged, however, students are not obligated to submit an entry. Please note: one entry per student and one winner per unit level (Prep, Junior, Middle and Senior). Winners will be announced during the book week assembly.

Friday, August 25th is book week dress-up or casual clothes day. Students may like to dress up as their favourite book character, person, or career or come in their favourite casual attire. Also, students are encouraged to bring their favourite book to school and share why with their classmates.

Scholastic Book Club News:

Orders for the Scholastic Book Club Issue #5 are due to arrive. Items are delivered to SHPS and given to students via their classroom teachers.

Occasionally, some orders may be on backorder. If this is the case, students receive a small gift with a note from Scholastic Australia regarding the backorder’s new estimated arrival date.

If you have questions or issues with Book Club, please don’t hesitate to contact me rather than directly messaging Scholastic.

Thank you for supporting the students’ reading welfare and the SHPS library.

Ms Zema at azema@shmildura.catholic.edu.au