ISSUE 12: 26th April, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

As we approach the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we are reminded of Jesus' words: "I am the vine; you are the branches." This powerful metaphor emphasizes the importance of our connection to Christ and to one another as members of the Christian community. Just as branches draw nourishment and strength from the vine, so too do we draw spiritual nourishment and support from our relationship with Jesus and from our unity with one another. As parents and members of the Sacred Heart Primary School community, let us nurture and strengthen our bonds of love and support, recognising that we are all interconnected in the body of Christ. May this season of Easter inspire us to bear fruit in our lives through acts of love, kindness, and service, reflecting the abundant grace and love of our Lord.

What’s on Next Week (Term 2 Week 3)

Catholic Education Week (29th April to 3rd May)

Coming Up in Week 4

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Catholic Education Week, which commences on Monday, is an annual celebration where Catholic schools within the Diocese of Ballarat come together to honour their unique values and purpose with both their local and broader communities. In 2024, the Diocese comprises 52 primary schools and 11 secondary Colleges, serving over 18,500 students and employing more than 2,500 educators and staff. This year holds special significance as our school community commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the formation of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, reflecting on the theme: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

This week at Sacred Heart, our Year 1 students had a memorable Stayback on Wednesday, thanks to the hard work of Mrs. Groves, Mrs. Coffey, Mrs. Priestley, and all assisting staff. We're grateful to our student leaders for representing us at the ANZAC Day Commemorative Service at Henderson Park. Furthermore, our Year 6 students actively participated in the Leadership Day led by yLead, exploring the theme "Lead With Heart" to cultivate respectful, courageous, and positive leadership qualities within our school community. Additionally, today, we hosted our First Thumbs Up in the yard afternoon tea, where eight students enjoyed a special afternoon tea with our school leaders.

30 Years Service

We extend heartfelt congratulations to Chris Carmichael for 30 years of dedicated service in Catholic Education. Most of this time has been at Sacred Heart Primary School. Chris will be honoured at the annual Diocese of Ballarat awards night in Ballarat during Catholic Education Week, recognising her unwavering commitment to student learning.

2024 Foundation Open Day Tours

Join us for our Open Day Tours for families considering enrolling at Sacred Heart for Foundation in 2024! Tours will be held on Wednesday, May 1st, 2024, at 9:30 am, 12 pm, and 5:30 pm. It's a fantastic chance for new families to experience our learning environment and for parents to connect with each other as we prepare for a seamless transition to school. To book a tour, please complete the form by clicking here.

2024 Foundation Enrolment

Enrolments for Foundation students in 2025 has begun! If you're interested, you can inquire, apply, and schedule tours by clicking here. The deadline for enrolments is Friday, May 31st, 2024, at 4 pm. We encourage our current families to apply now through the school website link provided above. If you know any new families considering Sacred Heart for their child, please share this information about our enrolment process with them. 

School Advisory Council (SAC) Meeting

Our second SAC Meeting for 2024 will take place this Tuesday evening, starting at 5:15pm. We extend our gratitude to our 2024 parent representatives: Racheal Fyfe, Melissa Waters, Warren Henderson, Ben Tallent, Ben Chatfield and Katie McCoy.

School Hats

Starting Wednesday, students are no longer required to wear hats during break times. This presents a good chance to wash and store the hats conveniently for retrieval in September when they will be required again.

SSV Division Cross Country

The School Sports Victoria (SSV) Division Cross Country will take place this Thursday at the Aerodrome Ovals starting at 9:50 am. We extend our best wishes to our students who have qualified for this event.

School Assembly Minga

Year Five Minga will host our Assembly at 2:30pm on Friday. Following the assembly, Minga parents are welcome to join an afternoon tea in their child's classroom, offering an opportunity to view student learning and to mingle and meet other parents.

Catholic Education Week Mass

We're excited to join our neighboring Catholic primary schools for Mass on Friday at 10am at Sacred Heart Church in Mildura. Please note that due to space limitations, parents, unfortunately, won't be able to attend.

Mothers Day Stall

Our Mother’s Day Stall is being held on Friday 10th May. Classes will be called to shop for a $5 gift for Mum during this time. Payments can be made through CDF Pay or in cash. Parent helpers are needed from 8:30am to 11am. Contact the office to volunteer your time.

Olive Grove Gate

Please note the Olive Grove gate will be unlocked in the mornings at 8.20 am to allow parents and students to enter the school but we request this gate remains closed at all times to ensure student safety. This gate will also not be opened for early access on assembly days. We request parents enter via the front entry or via tamarisk grove near the stadium.

God Bless!

Mr Mark Gibson

2024 Dates of Interest

Imperial FNC NetSetGO 2024

REGISTER NOW

Dates: 25/4/24 - 27/6/24 

Thursday nights

Time: 4pm - 4:45 pm 

Need to know more - imperialnetball1@gmail.com

All participants to bring a size 4 netball and a parent/guardian must be in attendance for the session

Register here 

Mother's Day Stall

Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Friday 10^th May and students will be able to purchase an item from the stall for $5. Parents can make payment through CDF Pay (which has been set up) or some may choose to bring in cash. Children will come as a class to the stall and choose from a range of items that will be available.  If you are free and would like to help we will require parent helpers on the stall between 8:30am & 11am, please contact the office and leave your contact details and the time you are available. All money raised is used to purchase resources for your children.

Religious Education

2024 Sacramental Dates

Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 3 & Above) 

• 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

Learning and Teaching

SWPBS News

Today we celebrated our first end of term Thumbs up in the yard afternoon tea. Students who received the award at the final assembly in Term 1 were invited to the boardroom at recess to share afternoon tea with the school leadership team.

Learning Diversity

PSG meetings in term 2 will be scheduled as part of our Parent Teacher interviews.

Wellbeing

Despite the best efforts of parents around the world, the reality is, there is no such thing as the ‘perfect parent’. However, arming yourself with the right information is a good start!

Research shows, that one of the most important protective factors in the lives of young people, is a close relationship with a supportive adult. With the mental health of today’s young people being at an all-time low, it is simply not enough to parent effectively. Parents need to familiarise themselves with practical skills, knowledge and strategies when it comes to raising children.

Here is the link to the Positive Parenting edition of SchoolTV

Foundation News

This week in Foundation we have learned lots about using our sounds to write sentences. We have been focussing on making sure we try super hard to write our letters correctly, put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, use a full stop at the end of a sentence and use our phoneme fist to help us hear the sounds we need to write in our words. A little practise at home never hurts… here are some sentences you could have your child write: I sat on a mat, I sat, Sam is sad, I am Sam, Nan sat on it, A pip in a tin, A rat on a mat. Enjoy the photos of some of this week’s learning!

Our Prep Breakfast is on  Friday 17th May. A note will come home on Monday 13th May with all the details!

Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Friday 10th May. Please make your payment through CDF Pay.

Reminders:

• All children should have headphones at school (named)
• School starts at 8:45am each day. If you are at school after 8:45am you will need to sign your child in at the office. 
• Your child’s library bag needs to be at school every day - kept in their school bag.
• Sports days are Thursday and Friday - sports uniform is needed.
• Practise the sounds caterpillars and fluency chart each night.
• Read and record ‘Enhanced Comprehension’ and ‘Reader’ in the reading diary each night.
• Library books are to be returned to school on Fridays.
• Sounds to continue practising with your child/ren at home: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, r, f, o.

Year One News

This week in Year One we have been focusing addition strategies such as friends of ten, counting on and doubles. We have also been focusing on handwriting skills by forming our letters correctly with correct sizing on the dotted thirds.

Throughout the week, we have been discussing and commemorating ANZAC Day by reading related books as well as creating our own poppy pin.

Congratulations to all children who participated in our Cross Country last Wednesday. This event saw all modelling responsible and respectful behaviour through their enthusiasm, positive attitudes and comradery.

We warmly welcome Sebastijan Krivec who has joined Karinya just in time to celebrate our fabulous Year One stay back. Thank you to all of the Year One parents for helping organise your child in preparation for the  Year One Stayback. Everyone enjoyed decorating cupcakes, swimming at the Waves, chalk drawing, sausage sizzle, treasure hunting for bubbles, a glow stick dance party and a cosy movie night. They developed their social skills in the company of their peers and demonstrated excellent behaviour. We thank all staff and parents for your support in making this camp experience memorable.

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Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week and look forward to seeing new faces touring around our school on Wednesday. If you have a student starting Prep in 2025, please visit our school website to download the enrollment documentation. 

With Mother’s Day approaching, CDF pay has Mother’s Day stall payment options open. Should you wish to purchase a gift, please log into the CDF app and do so.

Year Two News

This term we are learning about Earth’s Resources. We have discussed the resources we have available to us to enable us to survive and searched the school for some of nature’s resources. This week we looked at where our food comes from, and children assisted in making something that we now know does NOT only come from the shops - ice cream! Children helped follow the recipe and did their very best to be ‘Chief Shaky Shaky”! Of course, we finished with a taste test!  The Year 2 children have requested a copy of the recipe - they are eager to make some ice cream at home!

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Show and Tell for week 3 will be the ODD group and the focus is “What would your ideal day at school be like?” As part of our learning about persuasive texts in Literacy, the children are asked to choose 3 subjects or activities that would make their day at school ideal and then PERSUADE their classmates by giving some convincing reasons! Feel free to help your child make up a list of reasons or a poster, or just be prepared to orally share these reasons! We had some great arguments for different subjects or activities from the EVEN group so look forward to hearing from the rest of the class.

Year Three News

This week in Year Three we have been commemorating ANZAC Day. Throughout our structured literacy lessons, we have incorporated learning content about ANZAC Day into their reading, handwriting and independent writing, creating SPO’s (Single Paragraph Outlines).

To celebrate their hard work this week and to further commemorate and develop their understanding about the importance of ANZAC Day, Year Three students made ANZAC Biscuits and then completed a because, but, so comprehension task. 

This week we have also been learning how to select a ‘just right book’ in our class library times. We will continue this over the coming weeks, to support students in choosing books that are suitable for their nightly readers.

You should have received your child’s homework book this week as well, please let us know if you haven’t received this.

Year Four News

Unity is our focus in Religion this term. Throughout this week we have been commemorating ANZAC Day and looking at ways our country unites on ANZAC Day. Some children have shared family experiences of grandparents and significant others. It's lovely to see how the children can identify with the significance of the day and how important it is for our current way of life. 

This week in Year Four Maths we will be focusing on the addition algorithm with renaming. It is important that your child has an automatic recall of their number facts to assist with solving problems. We encourage practice of these at home. 

 Life cycles have been our focus during Science. We have been describing the four stages of life cycles and identifying the similarities and differences between life cycles.

Year Five News

This week in Grade Five we have been looking at setting achievable short term goals for the term ahead. Students will have small desk reminders to help them stay focussed on achieving these goals as the term progresses. 

Students continue to work on their multiplication knowledge and have been collecting data and displaying this on dot plots. We encourage practice of multiplication at home as we have noticed some students find it hard to recall their multiplication facts quickly to help them solve bigger problems. 

Minga are really looking forward to presenting their assembly next week in Week 3. Parents and families are welcome to join Minga after the assembly for an afternoon tea in their classroom. Could we please ask some families to bring a small plate to share if they are able. 

As we enter into colder months could we please ask you to make sure your child’s belongings are labelled. This makes it so much easier to get the correct items back to the correct students. We do encourage students to put items straight into their bags but still find so much around bag boxes and in the classroom. Unfortunately we have already had some items go missing. 

Have a wonderful week and please email or pop into our rooms with any questions! 

Danielle, Jacinda & Amilea

Year Six News

Library News

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