ISSUE 25: 9th August, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

On the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time in Year B, the Gospel reminds us of the nourishment we receive from God, both physically and spiritually. Just as Elijah was strengthened by the bread provided by God for his journey, we, too, are sustained by the spiritual food that God offers us. This reflection encourages us to seek and rely on God's presence in our lives, especially during challenging times. As a school community, let’s take this opportunity to nurture our faith and support one another, knowing that God is always there to guide and sustain us.

What’s on Next Week (Term 3 Week 6)

Coming up in Term 3, Week 7

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Congratulations to our girls' and boys' Netball teams, as well as the boys' Soccer team, who competed strongly at the School Sports Victoria Region competition in Swan Hill yesterday. Our girls and boys netball teams both won two games and the soccer team one.  Our Year Two students had a successful sleepover last night, followed by fun activities today. They are sure to sleep well tonight!

Fr Matthew Thomas

Here’s an update on Fr. Matt, who suffered a heart attack last week. He had a stent inserted and is now recovering well. Please keep him in your prayers. Fr. Matt will be taking some time off from his duties while he recovers.

Lockdown Drill

On Monday, we will conduct a 'lockdown' practice drill as part of our Work, Health & Safety protocols. In this drill the students will move from outside in the yard to inside.  Your children may discuss this when they return home. As always, reassure them that there's nothing to worry about. This drill helps them learn to stay safe in various emergency situations such as change of weather, storms or encounters with dangerous individuals.

Insight SRC

A few weeks ago, some families will be randomly selected to receive an email requesting them to complete a survey from Insight SRC. If you received this email, we would greatly appreciate it if you could complete the survey by Friday, August 16th. With only twelve surveys completed we would greatly appreciate if more could be completed over the next week.

School Sports Victoria (SSV) Region Boys and Girls Football

We wish our boys and girls Football teams all the best at Tuesday’s Region games at Swan Hill. Students will depart from school at 7:15am.

Parish Mass

Mootwingee will attend this week’s Parish Mass at Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday morning at 9:30 am.  

Year 3 Swan Hill Camp

The Year Three Camp to Swan Hill is this Thursday, 15th & Friday, 16th August. Students should arrive at school by 7:30am for a 7:45am departure, with an expected return at 4:00 pm on Friday. We wish our Year Three students a fun and exciting two days at the Pioneer Settlement.

School Assembly (Barramunga)

Year Two Barramunga will host our Assembly at 2:30pm on Friday 16th August. Following the assembly, Barramunga 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.

School Closure Day

Please be advised that Monday, 2nd September will be a School Closure Day. This day will be dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of our staff and students. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Athletics Carnival

The Sacred Heart Athletics Carnival will take place at the Aerodrome Ovals on Wednesday, 28th August. This event promises to be a fantastic day of sportsmanship and camaraderie, and we can't wait to see our school community come together for this special occasion.

Names on Jumpers

Please ensure all jumpers are clearly labelled with your child's name to prevent them from being lost. This helps save money and makes it easier to return misplaced items. Thank you for your cooperation!

God Bless!

Mr Mark Gibson

2024 Dates of Interest

Religious Education

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

Father's Day Stall

Our Father’s Day Stall will be held on Friday 30^th August and students will be able to purchase a gift 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 on the stall between 8.30am – 11.30am 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.

Learning and Teaching

What is Explicit Direct Instruction

You may have heard the term Explicit Direct Instruction in the media lately when discussing education best practice. 

Explicit Direct Instruction is a structured, teacher-led approach to teaching that emphasises clear, direct, and systematic instruction. It’s designed to ensure that students understand and can apply specific skills or concepts effectively. The core components of Explicit Direct Instruction  include:

1. Clear Objectives: The lesson begins with clear, specific learning goals that students are expected to achieve by the end of the lesson.
2. Modelling: The teacher demonstrates the skill or concept in a clear and detailed manner, often using examples to illustrate how it works.
3. Guided Practice: Students work on exercises or problems with the teacher's support, allowing them to practise the skill while receiving immediate feedback.
4. Independent Practice: Students practise the skill or concept on their own to solidify their understanding and proficiency.
5. Feedback and Review: The teacher provides feedback on students' work and reviews the lesson to address any areas of confusion and reinforce learning.

Explicit Direct Instruction  is highly structured and emphasises teacher clarity, ensuring that all students receive consistent and effective instruction. It’s often used in contexts where specific skills or knowledge need to be taught explicitly and efficiently. This approach is supported by a substantial body of current educational research. 

Here at Sacred Heart, we have taken this approach in all learning areas for some time now.

Learning Diversity

Program Support Meetings (PSG’s)

Meeting invitations for program support meetings will be emailed to parents next week with a current copy of students' learning plans. This is an opportunity to review personal learning plans and discuss term 4 goals and students transition for 2025.

National Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disabilities (NCCD)

The NCCD census occurs in August each year. This has been completed for 2024. This important survey provides additional funding to Sacred Heart to support our students in a variety of ways. You can get more information about the NCCD by clicking the link below.

Wellbeing 

Bullying No Way - National Week of Action

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence has a new name—Bullying No Way: National week of action.

Bullying No Way Week, 12 to 16 August 2024, is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative and connects schools and communities to find workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The theme for 2024 is 'Everyone belongs'.

When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It's about embracing who we are, respecting everyone's differences and standing up together against unkindness.

Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We're encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected, and our voices are heard and valued.

Schools TV - In this edition of SchoolTV - BULLYING

Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying. 

Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour. 

In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Bullying edition of SchoolTV

Foundation News

This week has been a busy week of learning new sounds in Foundation. We have learnt the sounds x, y, v and have been practising reading and writing words with these sounds. We have also learnt the new tricky words one, of and you. 

In Mathematics we have been exploring Measurement. This week we have looked at length including different terminology that we use to explain length and how we might measure length. We even tried to measure length with paperclips!!

In Religion we have been reading and sharing stories from the Bible. We reviewed the Creation Story and are going to begin looking at the story of Noah. We have made our own Bible books where we have been recording our learning. 

Some reminders:

• Next week's Show & Tell topic is ‘something you have made’ please support your child to bring something in so they are able to participate in this activity. Make sure you practise with your child at home on what they will share with the class. 
• Hayley will be attending an Early Career Teachers Retreat in Halls Gap from Tuesday afternoon and will be back at school on Friday

This term we have the following dates of interest:

23rd August- Book Week Dress Up 

28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals

2nd September- School Closure Day

Year One News

Reading

Thank you for reading each day/night with your child. The extra practise at home ensures the hard work your child does at school continues to grow. The Year One’s have been focusing on learning many ‘tricky words’ as well as a wide range of phonics. We encourage your child to read the ‘tricky words’ in the back of their reading diary 2-3 times a week. 

Student wellbeing 

A fantastic website, https://raisingchildren.net.au has information about raising children and their development at different stages. Behaviour, communicating, development, health, nutrition, play, learning, health and sleep are some of the areas covered on the website. 

Below is some  information about child development 6-8 year olds: 

Your child enjoys making friends and being a friend. Friendships give children a sense of belonging and help them learn and practise basic social skills like sharing and negotiating. Friendships can also be challenging because friends can sometimes be bossy or cross. Sometimes friends might even leave your child out. 

Be prepared for a lot of questions as your child keeps exploring the world. There’s a lot happening at this age, so you might notice that your child gets distracted easily and forgets small requests and instructions from you. The average 7 and 8-year-old learns about 20 new words each day, mostly through being read to or reading. Your child is learning to voice opinions. They also tell stories with plenty of energy and emotion. 

Your child’s life is all about family, school, friends and after-school activities. They might enjoy collecting items like footy cards, shells or small figurines. Your child’s morals and values are developing, and your child might share strong opinions about whether things are right or wrong. Children will also be more aware of what others are doing. This might lead to comparisons like ‘They’re better at drawing than me’ or complaints about siblings getting more of something.

Show and Tell 

Week 5 show and tell topic is ‘Your Favourite Flower’. Students are welcome to bring in a photo, flower or drawing to prompt their show and tell presentation. 

Visual Arts

The Year One students used inspiration from artist Vincent Van Gogh and created their own version of the famous artwork, Sunflowers using oil pastel. Here are some photos of their fabulous creations. 

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Year Two News

Yesterday morning the Year 2 children attended Mass with the Parish. We celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop, who was Australia’s first saint) with Fr John and then said a prayer to Mary in the church area dedicated to Mary MacKillop. Once back at school, we used our tech skills to create a PicCollage which included a prayer, quotes and images of St Mary of the Cross. 

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At 5pm last night we all came back for the Year 2 Sleepover. OH BOY, it was an incredibly fun night and day today, but oh so exhausting! In the 22 hours we managed to fit in the following: setting up our beds in the stadium, play on the oval, dinner, treasure hunt by torch light, movie together with lolly bags, breakfast, bus rides, Jaycee Park, Ten Pin Bowling, lunch of nuggets and chips, decorating cupcakes and receiving our own toothbrush and toothpaste from Colgate. 

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Year Three News

Year Three enjoyed their swimming program this week, learning lots of valuable skills!

Families should have received a final camp note and medical form, from their child this week. Please read this note carefully, it contains the packing list, as well as the school’s mobile number. If you haven’t received it, please let your child’s classroom teacher know.

Just a reminder to hand in medications and spending money of only $20 over the next week. 

There will be no homework due to camp. 

Students are so excited for their first camp! The countdown is on!

Sarah, Emma and Maree.

Year Four News

WOW-What a HUGE week we have had in Year Four!

The students have thoroughly enjoyed participating in our Potato Olympics, please enjoy photos of some of the activities below. Our learning tasks have also been focusing on The Olympics. There has been lots of discussion around the highlights and memorable moments. They have enjoyed mixing with students from other classes to complete the activities.

Well done to our Year Four students for their participation in the swimming program this week. It was evident that while most had good skills, they were learning to do some things better. 

In coming weeks we have the following things happening;

23rd August- Book Week Dress Up “Reading is Magic!” 

28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals

2nd September- School Closure Day

As part of Book Week, each student has the opportunity to enter a colouring competition based on the theme “Reading is Magic!”  They have been colouring the picture during the week and are focused on being the Year Four prize winner.

Well done to all the students who prepared and presented a speech to be considered as their class’ Semester Two Class Captain. The students will be notified of the successful candidates and they will be announced at the next Assembly.

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Until next week where things will be a lot less hectic,

Natalee, Jaimi & Cathryn

Year Five News

After a busy start to Term Three, we have had a wonderful full week of learning in Week 4! Looking ahead this term the following dates may be of interest: 

23rd August- Book Week Dress Up “Reading is Magic!” 

28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals

2nd September- School Closure Day

We have had a running theme of “The Olympics’ throughout our learning this week, particularly during our Literacy. Students have loved reading about the many sports involved and their history. 

In Maths, we continue to learn about fractions and have now moved into working with hectares and interpreting line graphs. 

Students are part way through the completion of a Science experiment, where they are testing the viscosity of different liquids. We aim to have this put onto Seesaw in the coming week. 

Finally, a big congratulations to our Grade Five students for their independence, support of each other and determination in learning tasks. We are thoroughly enjoying teaching this wonderful group of students and this in itself deserves a little shout out!

Year Six News

Our focus for Visual Art this term is Colour. Students have been experimenting with creating various tones of primary and secondary colours. During Science, we have conducted an experiment to discover how changing the physical conditions for plants can impact their growth and survival.

Term Three dates to remember:

23rd August- Book Week Dress Up “Reading is Magic!” 

28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals

2nd September- School Closure Day

Library News

Looking ahead:

•  Monday 17-23rd August CBCA Book Week-Theme- ‘READING IS MAGIC!’

Book Week Colouring Competitions have been distributed to classes. Entries need to be clearly named, completed and handed to teachers by the end of the day on Friday 16th August.

• Friday, August 23rd - Book Week dress-up or casual clothes day. 

We encourage students to dress up as their favourite book character, or a Book Week inspired costume related to the theme- ‘Reading is Magic’. Students are also encouraged to bring their favourite book to school and share why with their classmates. Need some ideas? Check out the images below.

• Friday 23rd August -Live streamed performance titled ‘MAYBE A MIRACLE!’ for our concluding Book Week day.

MAYBE A MIRACLE! is a new educational musical adventure from Perform Education and touring schools in partnership with The Children’s Book Council of Australia, to celebrate Children’s Book Week 2024 and the theme “Reading is Magic”. MAYBE A MIRACLE! is a joyful leap into the world of imagination that books inspire every individual to be part of, while featuring a selection of the 2024 CBCA Short Listed books to help point the way.

Scholastic Book Club News:

Orders for the Scholastic Book Club Issue #5 are due to arrive very soon. 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.

Mrs Irvin at mirvin@shmildura.catholic.edu.au

Student Awards

No Awards this week

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