ISSUE 6: 1st March, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

As we observe the Third Sunday of Lent, let us take a moment to reflect on the journey of renewal and transformation. Lent is a time for introspection, a period where we seek to strengthen our spiritual connection and grow closer to our faith. Just as the season of spring brings forth new life and growth, Lent offers us the opportunity to shed old habits and embrace a deeper sense of purpose. As we continue our journey through this sacred season, may we open our hearts to the lessons of forgiveness, compassion, and renewal, allowing the light of hope to guide us forward.

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

We've reached the midpoint of the term, and teachers have conducted assessments with students. Notably, Year 1 & 2 students are excelling in literacy, thanks to our structured literacy approach at Sacred Heart. Last week was eventful with a successful evacuation drill and our inaugural School Advisory Council meeting, where parent representatives provided valuable input on various topics. Congratulations to Mackie Barber, Thomas Colbert, Braxton Ficarra, and Ethan Madden-Hickey for their outstanding representation at the Division Tennis event. Braxton and Thomas played in the final with Thomas winning. We also got to celebrate our wellbeing dog Coco’s first birthday. Also, kudos to the 30 Foundation parents who attended the Parent Information Session, gaining insight into reading instruction at Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart Building Project

We've partnered with Energy Architecture to develop plans for major renovations to our Nangare, Barramunga, Waminda, and Kyema classrooms on Olive Grove. These classrooms are currently showing signs of wear and structural damage. The new design will improve universal access, create flexible learning spaces, meeting areas, provide easy access to toilets, and enhance safety. Upgraded facilities will support our staff in delivering high-quality education for all students. Ideally we aim to commence this project around July and complete it in time for the start of the 2025 school year. Rest assured, we have plans in place to ensure minimal disruption to student learning. Check out some images to get a glimpse of the exciting developments happening this year!  We have many things happening next week at Sacred Heart.

Journey Pole Painting

Our long held tradition of painting our class Journey Poles on the oval will occur on Monday and Tuesday.  Please ensure your children have packed an art smock or old shirt.

School Sports Victoria (SSV) Division Swimming

Best wishes to Johnny Guthrie for Wednesday’s Division Swimming event at Mildura Waves!

School Sports Victoria (SSV) Division Cricket

Best wishes to our Boys Cricket team for Wednesday’s District Cricket matches at Aerodrome Ovals!

Foundation Rest Day

To assist our Foundation students with their transition, rest days are included in the program.  Next Wednesday will be a Foundation Rest day.  This will be the final rest day before students attend school on all days.

Parish Mass

Myalla & Kyema will attend the Parish Mass at Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday morning at 9:30 am.

Year 4 Camp

The Year Four Camp scheduled for the final week of this term (March 25th to 27th) is in planning. Given recent bushfires near Roses Gap in the Grampians, risk assessments are ongoing with support by (DOBCEL), Julie Graham our Risk and Compliance Officer, and camp staff at Roses Gap. Barring any issues, we anticipate the camp proceeding as scheduled.

SHPS Family Footy Tipping 2024

The AFL footy season isn’t far away!  Our Family Footy Tipping competition is on again.  Join the fun!  See the note for all details.

God Bless!

Mr Mark Gibson

Religious Education

2024 Sacramental Dates

Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 3 & Above) 

Parent Information Session - Wednesday, 27th March

Celebration of Sacrament - Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th May

Sacrament of First Eucharist (Year 4 & Above)

Parent Information Session - Wednesday, 28th August

Celebration of Sacrament - Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th October

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year 2 & Above)

Parent Information Session - Wednesday, 16th October

Celebration of Sacrament - Wednesday 27th November

ALTAR SERVERS GUILD

The parish is founding an Altar Servers Guild to provide practical training and ongoing formation to Guild members. The Guild will meet weekly during school terms. If you are interested in joining the Guild and becoming an altar server visit www.sunraysiacatholic.org/altar-servers or call the parish office on 5021 2872.

Learning and Teaching

Our team at Sacred Heart are committed to ensuring all students reach their greatest  potential. To ensure this we recommended that all students have their eyes/vision checked by an optometrist every year, this is free of cost. 

Early detection of vision problems will enhance learning.

We also encourage parents to have their child's hearing checked at least once during Primary Schooling; ideally in Foundation. Once again early detection can prevent delays in language, social and academic development.

The Gratton Institute Report

The Reading Guarantee, How to give every child the best chance of success. 

Recently, the Grattan Institute released one of the most substantial reports on reading in Australia over the past two decades.  It is affirming to know that the work we have undertaken at Sacred Heart in shifting to a Structured Literacy Approach is aligned with the recommendations of this report. We have teamed up with the SunLit Project and Latrobe University to ensure that our teaching practices are research and  evidence-based.  We are already seeing excellent results.

The full Grattan Report can be accessed here;

A 25 minute audio summary of the report can be accessed here;

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

Year Three & Five classes are preparing for NAPLAN in Weeks Seven & Eight.  

The Test Schedule has been confirmed for the following days:

Week Seven:

Wednesday, 13th March 2024

Year Three Writing @ 9am

Year Five Writing @ 11.40am

Thursday, 14th March 2024

Year Three Reading @ 9am 

Year Five Reading @ 11.40am

Week Eight:

Tuesday, 19th March 2024

Year Three Conventions of Language @ 9am

Year Five Conventions of Language @ 11.40am

Wednesday, 20th March 2024

Year Three Numeracy @ 9am 

Year Five Numeracy @ 11.40am

Please read the attached note for NAPLAN Parent Information.  We understand that children can be nervous about NAPLAN testing and will endeavour to support students as much as possible with these assessments.  Parents are encouraged to get in touch with their child’s teacher if you have any concerns to ensure that appropriate adjustments and support can be put in place. 

Community News

The artwork that some of our 2024 Year 5 and 6 students did for the 16 Days of Activism initiative will be displayed at the Powerhouse art gallery for International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March.

There will be a free community event at the powerhouse with the artwork displayed, a sausage sizzle, singing and a movie.

 Students, their family and friends are more than welcome to come and view their work and enjoy the activities.

SWPBS News

Over the next two weeks our SWPBS focus will be Respectful, Responsible and Safe use of the school toilets. We are encouraging students to follow 6 simple rules when using the school toilets to ensure they are clean and safe for all students to use throughout the day. Please discuss the importance of using the toilets respectfully with your child/children and how school or public toilets can be different from the toilets we use at home.

Learning Diversity News

PSG meetings will be held from Tuesday 12th March to Monday 18th March. Appointment times and letters will be available on PAM this week and ILP’s will be emailed to families next week.

Foundation News

This week in Prep we have had lots of fun learning to blend and segment words that contain the ‘satpin’ sounds. We have been practising how to correctly write these letters using the Victorian Modern Cursive font and to hear these sounds at the beginning of words.  

We have also had great discussions about our emotions. The students have been identifying and expressing a range of different emotions.  We have practised strategies to help regulate our emotions when they become overwhelming

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Thank you to everyone for their attendance at our Foundation Reading Information Session. We hope that it was insightful and you now have an understanding of how we teach reading at Sacred Heart.  We hope you found the tips on how to help your child with read at home useful.  Below are the links from the ‘tips’ handout…

The Foundation students will bring home their “Enhanced Comprehension” packs for reading with parents on Monday. These packs have been developed by speech therapists and include a quality picture storybook and question page both enclosed inside a plastic envelope. Please ensure that these stay together in the envelope. Enhanced Comprehension packs go home each Monday and are returned on Fridays. This book is to be recorded in your child’s reading diary each night it is read. If children forget to bring their pack back, they are unable to borrow a new one.

Here is an example of how to fill in the home reading diary…

Wednesday was our last Prep rest day… we will be at school every day of the week as of next week!

Some reminders:

- Each morning the students need to do their jobs before finding something to do. They need to bring into the classroom from their bag their drink bottle, lunch container, snack container and brainfood container. 

- The school library books are borrowed on Wednesday and returned on the following Monday. If your child does not bring back their books or does not have their library bag on library day they will not be able to borrow new books. Currently, with Foundation rest days being in our library we are trying hard to fit in another session where possible.

- Your child’s library bag needs to be at school every day - kept in their school bag.

- Remember to use 2 small containers for recess and lunch so that they fit into our fridge boxes. The time frame the students have to eat their lunch and snack is short so packing a sandwich and one other thing is often enough and then 2-3 snacks for recess. Please be mindful of students with allergies to nuts.

- Brainfood needs to be a small fruit or vegetable snack that can be eaten in 5 minutes - cut up and in a small container.

- Sports days are Thursday and Friday - sports uniform is to be worn on these days.

Year One News

We began the week with an Evacuation drill which saw our students walking and behaving safely and responsibly. Fantastic effort!  

This week we introduced verbs and revisited sentence structure as well as the digraphs /oo/ in book, /oo/ in moon.

Please continue reading the ‘Enhanced Comprehension’ Books with your child each week. We would like this to be a positive learning experience, where children enjoy quality time with loved ones while developing their linguistic skills. They are to be borrowed on a Monday and returned on a Friday.

• When reading the story at home, sit your child close by or on your lap so you can both see the book. Place the question card by your side away from the child. 
• If your child has trouble answering the question, use the prompts available on the back of the card or simply tell them the answer and then repeat the question.  
• With practice your child’s skills will improve.
• For an extra challenge, ask your child to help you retell the story.

Students continued to focus on building an understanding of the importance of Place Value by grouping in tens along with understanding two-digit numbers being comprised of tens and ones.

During our History unit, Year One students have been learning about History and how families are connected. They have been exploring family connections and will be learning appropriate vocabulary through the study of family trees. This week your child will have brought home a proforma of a family tree for you and your child to create. We please ask families to assist students with creating their own family tree diagram. This will support students to demonstrate an understanding of family connections.

Please ensure the family tree is returned to school by next Friday 8th March as we will be presenting these within the classroom. 

Show and Tell Topic for next week: Activities I do or would like to do.

Year Two News

Year 2 students have brought home their work book and writing books. It would be much appreciated if the children could be encouraged to finish the colouring before you cover the books with clear contact. These books will need to be returned Monday morning as we will be using them each day next week.

On Wednesday we celebrated Coco’s 1st birthday with the rest of the school. We had a cool icy pole on such a hot day and sang happy birthday to Coco. Enjoy looking at some birthday photos!

Year Three News

We can’t believe we are already halfway through our first time. Your children are doing a fantastic job at executing our classroom routines and stepping up to our Year Three expectations.

We would like to congratulate all of the children for their outstanding efforts in preparing and presenting their class captain speeches. Congratulations to Laurene Lazo and Olly Harding for being appointed as our Year Three class captains.

A reminder that all  students require working headphones for NAPLAN which is coming up in a few weeks. Please ensure your child has working headphones at school as soon as possible.

Please encourage your child to read nightly and complete their nightly reading diary.

Our door is always open if you have any questions!

Thank you!

Sarah, Emma and Maree

Year Four News

We would like to congratulate all of the children for their outstanding efforts in preparing and presenting their class captain speeches. 

Congratulations to Hamish Petrie- Kyema, Dawson Boake-Myalla and Baylee Joyce-Illawarra for being appointed as our Semester One, Year Four class captains.

Year Four is learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ connection to Country in Integrated Studies. The students were asked to choose a way they would like to think and learn about this connection to.  One way is the scientific way, another way is the Dreaming way. Ask your child which they chose and then have them tell you what their findings were( scientific way) or what the story told them ( Dreaming way).

Year Five News

We can’t believe that we are halfway through Term One! Students are settling in very well and have adapted to new routines and Grade Five expectations with ease. 

At this stage, students are not taking home any homework. If you would like to facilitate some learning opportunities for your children at home we encourage you to practice times tables with them and ask them to read aloud with you to practise overall decoding and  fluency skills.

We encourage a healthy brain food snack for students to have during our morning literacy block (10am). We find this provides a good break from learning and allows students to recharge for the second hour before lunch. 

All students require headphones for NAPLAN which is coming up in a few weeks. Please ensure your child has working headphones at school as soon as possible.

You are always welcome in the Grade Five spaces each morning and afternoon if you have any questions. 

Thank you, 

Danielle, Amilea & Jacinda

Year Six News

Library

Book Swap:

A section in the library is reserved for parents and staff to "take a book and leave a book," a traditional book swap. There are a variety of books available. The library is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before and after school for parents to come and utilise the book swap.

Book Club News: Scholastic Book Club Issue #2

Book Club newspaper catalogues have been sent home with students. Each order made contributes to Scholastic Dollars that the school can use to supplement resources. Orders must be made via the online LOOP ordering system that can be found here or follow the instructions on the back of the newspaper pamphlet. Cash and Cheques will NOT be accepted at school. 

https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

Orders close no later than Monday 11th March and will be delivered within 1-2 weeks. They will be distributed to children when they arrive. 

Overdue Books:

Please return overdue library books asap. Even though I am in the library on Tuesdays and Wednesday, books can be returned any week day and placed in the returns box. I discuss each overdue item with the student during their borrowing sessions. When students have outstanding books, it affects their borrowing power by limiting how many books they can borrow. SHPS encourage their students to read and enjoy our library books. It would be wonderful to have all students being able to borrow their preallocated limit suitable for their year and reading levels.

Camp Australia

A Word from our After School Care Provider - Camp Australia

Students of The Week

Note - Assemblies are now held fortnightly, Students of the week will be presented at these.

Ray White Awards

Respectful - Will Tallent

Responsible - Sevanna Panuccio

Responsible - Harrison Miller

Parent Information

Arriving and Leaving Safely

Kiss & Go

To help keep everyone safe during drop-off and pick-up please take note of the following rules at Kiss and Go and the School Crossing that should be followed both in the morning (8:10-8:45am) and afternoon (3pm-3:30pm):

• Stay in your vehicle unless you need to assist younger students with their seat belts.
• Aim to keep your car in the Kiss & Go area for a maximum of two minutes to allow others to use the space too.
• Access the Kiss & Go only from Olive Grove, not 12th Street.
• Please refrain from dropping off students outside of cars in Olive Grove.
• Avoid performing U-turns within the Kiss & Go area.
• For your safety, use the school crossing if you need to cross 12th Street.


Thanks for helping us keep our school safe for everyone!

Pick Up and Drop Off Points

These designated areas serve as convenient points for collecting or dropping off children at the school if you are walking in with them. Please ensure you find a suitable and permissible parking spot for your car in order to use these locations.

Riding Scooters & Bikes

Certain students walk, ride bikes, or scooters to school and are requested to use either the 12th Street entrance or the Tamarisk Grove entrance at the rear of the oval. Riding into or through the school grounds is not permitted.

Collect Children from School Grounds

Feel free to come into school to pick up your child directly from their classroom. It's an excellent opportunity to meet other parents, have casual conversations with teachers, and ensure your child is organised at the end of the day. If you choose this option, please park appropriately and be outside the classroom by the 3.10 bell; otherwise, your child will be directed to the supervised Kiss and Go area. Students and young siblings should refrain from using the playground equipment.

School Crossings

Students walking home are advised to use the school crossings on Twelfth Street, Walnut Avenue and Eleventh Street to safely avoid heavily trafficked roads. All crossings are supervised by a School Crossing Supervisor, and it's crucial to follow their directions.  We also encourage parents to model expected behaviours by using the School Crossings also.

Buses

Several of our students catch buses home from the St. Joseph’s bus stop on 11th Street. Each day a teacher gathers these children together and accompanies them to the bus stop to supervise until they are all safely on the bus.

Drop Off Times

Preferred 'Drop Off' Time: 8.25 - 8.45 am. For safety reasons, please refrain from dropping off students before 8.19 am, as there is no supervision provided.  Our gates open at this time.

Pick Up Times

Recommended 'Pick Up' Time: 3.10 - 3.25 PM. While we understand occasional delays, if regular or extending beyond 3.30 PM, please consider enrolling your child/ren in After School Care.

Walking or Riding Home

If your children walk or ride home or to your workplace after school, please submit written permission authorising them to leave unaccompanied. They must exit through the main 12th Street gate or accompany the 11th Street bus group through Tamarisk Grove.

Alternative Pick Up Places

For safety, we strongly advise against arrangements where children wait unsupervised at public pick-up locations like Walnut Avenue or St Joseph’s College.

EATING AND DRINKING AT SCHOOL

Healthy Eating

To sustain learning and promote healthy eating we encourage students to bring to school predominantly healthy food choices.

Brainfood

Students have a brain food break during the morning to keep children’s brains fuelled for learning. We ask that families send an extra fresh fruit or vegetable snack for children to have during this time. When sending the snack, please pack it separately from your child’s lunch in a small, named container so it can be placed on their desk each morning.

Lunch Snack

The main meal of the school day; a sandwich or roll, a salad or a slice of quiche. A healthy ‘treat’ may also be appropriate here that is healthy and gives long-term energy.  Lunch is eaten usually in the classroom from 11:25am-11:40am.

Recess Snack

We encourage parents to pack fresh fruit or vegetables in your child’s recess snack box.  You may like to pack one or two other snack items for them at this time.  This snack is eaten at 1:40pm.

Packing Food

 The school has a bank of refrigerators for the storage of students’’ food. For the ease of packing and unloading the fridges, we ask that parents provide separate, small, well-labelled containers or zip-lock bags for their child’s recess snack and lunch. Insulated ‘puffy’ lunchboxes and ice-blocks are not required.

School Canteen

Our School Canteen operates on a Wednesday and Friday and provides a range of lunch options at low cost.    The current menu and prices can be accessed through and ordered via the CDFpay website https://shmildura.cdfpay.org.au

OFFICE INFORMATION

Office Hours

Office hours will run from 8:20am to 4:00pm every day. Phone calls can be made starting at 8:00 am.

Change of Personal Details

If there are any changes to your contact details (address/phone number/emergency contacts), kindly inform the office by calling 50231204, emailing office@shmildura.catholic.edu.au, or visiting the office in person.

Simon Everywhere and Parent Access Module (PAM)

Simon Everywhere is an App for smart phones that allows parents to access all information relating to their child/ren such as reports, attendance and much more. It also allows you to update medical information, give permission for excursions, access teacher emails and also receive notifications from the school.

For parents familiar with PAM, the new App works mostly the same as PAM and you can still access PAM through the web site: pam.shmildura.catholic.edu.au, however the app has additional functionality such as Push notifications and the ability to sign in without having to enter your username and password each time.

1. Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search Simon Everywhere
2. Download and open the App and Allow Notifications
3. Enter your name and phone number and press verify, you will receive a code via SMS
4. Click on 'Add School'
5. Select Sacred Heart Primary School, Mildura - Parent Access
6. Enter your PAM username and password. If you do not know your credentials, please call the school.

7. Click on the Home icon.
   

Simon everywhere works best when notifications are turned on. You can check the notifications setting on your phone to be sure by going to the Settings – Notifications – Then find the Simon Everywhere App.

Sickness at School

Children with severe colds, flus, or other debilitating illnesses must stay at home. Do not send the child if they have:

• Fever: Children with a fever over 38 degrees should stay home.
• Prescribed antibiotics: Keep a child at home for at least 24 hours if prescribed antibiotics for an acute illness.
• Diarrhea: Children with watery stool should return only after being symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
• Vomiting: Children who are vomiting should stay home until at least 24 hours after it has stopped.

After School Care

After School Care is available for Sacred Heart students and is located on our school grounds.  Camp Australia run this program for students from Sacred Heart Primary School and St Paul's Primary School.  The program runs from the Art House building which is located on Olive Grove.

Sacred Heart families can make use of the Camp Australia After-School Care Program that is held on the grounds of Sacred Heart.  The service is available from 3:10pm through to 6pm on school days.  A healthy snack is provided to children.  Registration needs to be done through the Camp Australia website www.campaustralia.com.au .  Further information can be obtained by calling 1300 105 343.  Each day the office will print out a list of students attending Out of Hours School Care and notify the students at the end of the day via the announcements.

Marking Child’s Absence 

1. Log into the App - SimonEverywhere or login via PAM (type pam.shmildura.catholic.edu.au in your address bar).
2. You can either log by clicking on the large blue calendar section that says Parent Notified Absences or you can click on the 3 menu lines at the top right-hand side of your screen. NOTE: On your phone it will appear below your child/ren’s name.
3. You will then need to click the blue + Add Absence button circled below
4. Then select your child, and in reason

If your family is going on an extended family holiday. Please contact the school to inquire about an Student Absence Learning Plan.

School Day

• 8:19 am - Gates open & students can access Courtyard
• 8:34 am - Access Courtyard and play on Oval (classrooms opening optional for teachers)
• 8.49 am - School day begins - classroom open
• 8:55 am - School starts.
• 9.55 am - Brain Break
• 10:55 am - Lunch Play
• 11.25 am - Lunch Eat
• 1.40 pm - Recess 
• 2.10 pm - Recess Finishes
• 3.10 pm - School finishes

Sports Uniform Days

Prep:  

• Cooinda (Mrs O’Callaghan) - Thursday & Friday  
• Wahroonga (Miss Moore) - Thursday & Friday  

Year One: 

• Bundaleer (Mrs Coffey & Mrs Priestley) - Tuesday & Wednesday 
• Karinya (Mrs Groves) - Tuesday & Wednesday 

Year Two:

• Barramunga (Mrs Carmichael) - Tuesday & Friday
• Waminda (Mrs Collins) - Monday & Friday

Year Three:

• Narooma (Mrs Beckwith) - Monday & Tuesday
• Dourim (Mrs Kotsiakos & Mrs Irvin) - Monday & Thursday

Year Four:

• Illawarra (Mrs Willersdorf) - Monday & Tuesday 
• Myalla (Mrs Rowles) - Monday & Wednesday
• Kyema (Mrs Johnson) - Monday & Thursday 

Year Five:  

• Minga (Mrs Deacon) - Monday & Wednesday 
• Eumeralla (Mrs Gunn & Mrs Pacher) - Monday & Wednesday

Year Six:  

• Amaroo (Mrs Campbell) - Tuesday & Friday 
• Yongana (Mrs Zaxos) - Monday & Friday
• Mootwingee (Mrs Thompson) - Thursday & Friday

Term Dates