ISSUE 27: 23rd August, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

In the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, the Gospel reminds us of the importance of making a choice to follow Christ, even when it is challenging. Jesus asks His disciples if they too will leave Him, as many others did when His teachings became difficult to accept. Peter’s response, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” highlights the trust and faith we are called to have in Jesus. As parents and educators, we are reminded to guide our children in making choices that lead them closer to Christ, trusting in His wisdom and love.

What’s on Next Week (Term 3 Week 7)

Coming up in Term 3, Week 8

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Well done to our girls and boys basketball and softball teams who competed at the School Sports Victoria Division competition on Monday.  Our two basketball teams and the boys softball teams will move through to the Division stage in October.  We were all so impressed to see our students dressed up today to celebrate Book Week. Congratulations to both our students and parents for organising these costumes to make the day special.  Thank you to Mrs Irvin and her team of helpers for her planning and organisation.  Our Year 3-6 students also enjoyed an opportunity to meet with Melbourne Renegades players on Wednesday. 

Staffing Update

We are excited to announce that Francesca Scullino and Emily Cheek, who have been with us as casual staff, have now been appointed to permanent Learning Support Officer roles. Additionally, we have appointed Ebony Jones as our First Aid Officer. Ebony will be responsible for providing medical care to students during school hours, ensuring compliance for students with health conditions, and offering support in the Office. We are also pleased to share that Emma Livingstone will join us as a Speech Pathologist, working on Mondays from next term.  Emma is a past student from Sacred Heart.

School Sports Victoria District Volleyball & Hot Shots Tennis

We wish our boys' and girls' volleyball and tennis teams the best of luck at Tuesday's District competitions. Volleyball will be at Holy Trinity School from 9:50am, and tennis at St Paul’s from 10:00 am. Good luck! 

School Advisory Council (SAC)

Our third SAC Meeting for 2024 will be held this Tuesday evening, beginning at 5:15 pm. We extend our gratitude to our 2024 parent representatives: Racheal Fyfe, Melissa Waters, Warren Henderson, Ben Tallent, Ben Chatfield, and Katie McCoy. An agenda will be sent home on Monday.

School Athletics Day

Join us at the Aerodrome Ovals for our Athletics Carnival on Wednesday, 28th August, for a day filled with fun, competition, and school spirit.

Key details:

• Drop-off at the Aerodrome Ovals (Athletics Track) from 8:15am.
• Events run from 9am to 3:10pm, with pick-up at 3:10pm.
• Students should wear their Sacred Heart Sports Uniform with their House polo shirt.
• Bring snacks, lunch, and a water bottle.
• Students attending Camp Australia or catching the bus will be transported back to school at 3:15pm.
• Dress for the weather, and while taking photos, please respect others’ privacy.

We look forward to your support in making this a memorable day for our students!

First Eucharist Parent Information Session

The First Eucharist Parent Information Session will be held at the church this Wednesday evening at 7pm. This session marks the beginning of preparations for the Sacrament, with First Eucharist Masses scheduled from 25th to 27th October. Many of our Year Four students will be participating in this important event.

Athletics Presentation Assembly

Our next Assembly is at 2:30pm on Friday, 30th August, where we will present awards from Wednesday's Athletics Carnival.

Out of Hours Care Offer

Camp Australia is now offering a First Day Free at our Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) programs! This is a fantastic opportunity for families to experience the benefits of our program without any cost for their first session.

Father’s Day Stall

Our Father’s Day Stall is being held on Friday. 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.  We thank parents Erin Hurley & Courtney Henderson for coordinating the stall.

Student Drop Off

To ensure student safety, we ask that drop-offs occur after 8:19 am, as many students are unsupervised before then at the front of the school. Additionally, please ensure that students do not drink warm or hot beverages while walking into school. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Bike Locks

Please remind your children to lock their bikes and scooters securely to the bike racks during school hours. This helps ensure their belongings are safe and minimises the risk of loss or theft. Thank you for your cooperation!

Pupil Free 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.

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!

School Hats

Please make sure children start bringing their school hats back, as they will need to wear them during lunch and recess starting from 1st September.

God Bless!

Mr Mark Gibson

2024 Dates of Interest

Religious Education

Sacrament of First Eucharist (Year 4 & Above)

Enrolment forms for this Sacrament have been sent home with all Year 4 students (light blue form).  Any students in Year 5 or 6 who missed out on doing this Sacrament previously are welcome to get a form from the office.  Please note that the form must be filled in and payment made at the Parish Office (257 Eleventh St) by 4pm Tuesday 27th August. 

Parent Information Session - Wednesday, 28th August @ 7pm

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

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year 2 & Above)

Parent Information Session - Wednesday, 16th October @ 7pm

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

This term, our staff have engaged in three professional learning sessions focused on Structured Literacy approaches. They explored key topics such as effective Note-Taking, Summarising, and Combining and Expanding Sentences. These sessions aim to enhance our teaching methods and support student growth in literacy.

Learning Diversity

Meeting invitations for program support meetings between parents, classroom teachers and the learning diversity team can be accessed via letters in your PAM account.  ILP’s will be emailed to families at the beginning of next week in preparation for the meetings.

Schools TV

School refusal, sometimes called school avoidance or school phobia, is not uncommon. It is different to ‘wagging’ or truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. School refusal may start gradually or happen suddenly. Although it is normal for a child to occasionally miss a day of school, parents should only be concerned if a child regularly complains about feeling sick or often asks to stay home due to minor physical complaints.

School refusal is a complex issue as there is rarely a single cause. It affects children of all ages across primary and secondary levels. It can often occur during times of transition at school. More recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the educational experience of all students, affecting some more than others. Dealing with a school refusal child can affect the whole family, adding pressure to an already challenging time. School refusal is not considered a formal psychiatric diagnosis. It’s a name given to an emotional and/or behavioural problem.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will learn how best to approach this issue and work towards a solution.

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 School Refusal edition of SchoolTV

SWPBS

Our SWPBS focus for the next fortnight will be on “Sportsmanship”. This is particularly important with our Athletics sports coming up next week but also for everyday games in the playground and for senior students who are representing SHPS in a range of sports.

Parents and kids alike love sports, and it's easy to get caught up in a game and become focused on winning. Yet there is much more to be gained from the sports experience than a winning record. When children and teens are involved in sports, they are able to learn and put into practice values that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Good sportsmanship is one of the life lessons that children can learn from sports. You can help your children understand and value good sportsmanship while making sure they have a safe and fun sports experience.

Good sportsmanship may seem hard to define, but its hallmarks include being able to win without gloating, respecting one's opponents, and being able to lose gracefully. Here are some important principles to instill in your children

• If you lose, don't make up excuses.
  
• If you win, don't rub it in.
  
• Learn from mistakes and get back in the game.
  
• Always do your best
• If someone else makes a mistake, remain encouraging and avoid criticizing.
• Show respect for yourself, your team, and the officials of the game.

Parents are important role models, so let your children see you upholding these principles, whether you play a sport yourself or root for your child's team from the sidelines.

Foundation News

We looked AWESOME… today all dressed up to celebrate Book Week. Congratulations to both our students and parents for organising these costumes to make the day special. We have created an art piece based on one of the short listed book week books - these are on display in our classrooms. In Literacy we have learnt some new tricky words: to, all, call, ball and tall and the new sound ‘oo’ as in ‘moon’ and ‘oo’ as in ‘book’. We have been learning to complete a sentence stem using the conjunction word because. Because tells us why something has happened.

Some reminders:

• Sounds to continue working on with your child 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, ee, qu, z, zz, ch, v, x, y, wh, th (unvoiced as in ‘thick’, oo). It is important that we continue this practice as we are reading and writing with digraphs in Literacy time.
• Make sure we are continuing to read every night at home and recording it in the Reading diary.
• Learn all the tricky words at the back of the reading diary.
• Library day is Wednesday.
• Show and tell reminder = favourite picture story book.

This term we have the following dates of interest:

28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals (please see Mr Gibson's Section of the Newsletter for more information)

2nd September- School Closure Day

Year One News

Fun in Year One!!! Everyone looked absolutely fabulous all dressed up to celebrate Book Week. Thank you and well done to both our students and parents for organising costumes, making it such a special day. 

During Visual Arts this week, the students created a mixed media art piece based on one of the shortlisted book week books, The Concrete Garden. The students used watercolour, oil pastels, crayons, coloured paper and ribbon to create a vibrant version of their own ‘concrete garden’. 

It has been wonderful to see the effort the students have been putting into practising their athletics skills in preparation for next Wednesday’s Athletics Day. We look forward to seeing parents and family members next Wednesday. 

We were so grateful to have the Year Five students read their creative magical stories to the students on Thursday afternoon. Our students were thoroughly engaged in this experience and  we are very appreciative. Thank you, Year Fives and your teachers.  

Lots of Addition practise this week with the strategy ‘bridging to 10’ being a major focus. Students have been using their knowledge of counting on, doubles, doubles plus 1, doubles plus 2, friends of ten and base 10 addition skills to solve Addition problems quickly. 

Show and Tell for Week 7 is: ‘About my Dad/Special Person’ - Feel free to email a photo or bring in a photo to your child's classroom teacher. 

Important Dates Coming Up:

• Athletics Day at Aero Ovals: Wednesday 28th August 
• Father’s Day Stall: Friday 30th August
• Athletics Day Presentation Assembly: Friday 30th August
• School Closure Day: Monday 2nd September
  

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Year Two News

Year 2 children have had a wonderful week reading and enjoying the many CBCA Book Week books, and then topped the week off with our dress up day!

Enjoy some photos of our day!

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Year Three News

What another fantastic week we have had in Year Three! We have finished celebrating book week with our school parade and enjoyed participating in the Reading is Magic incursion!

No reminders for next week from us, enjoy your weekend and the beautiful weather that’s in store! We look forward to seeing Year Three families at our school athletics day on Wednesday next week!

Sarah, Emma and Maree.

Year Four News

Wow, what a busy week we have just completed!
Our focus has mainly been around Book Week and it was great to see the wonderful costumes worn today. Ask your child which book that we read he/she enjoyed the most.

On Wednesday we were lucky enough to have representatives from the Big Bash League cricket team, Melbourne Renegades visit us. The students found it very interesting listening to Ella Hayward tell of her journey to play with the Renegades. They also enjoyed the opportunity to participate in some ball handling challenges with the stress ball supplied.

Coming up next week:

• Athletics Day- Wednesday 28th August
• Father’s Day Stall- Friday 30th August.
• Athletics Day Presentation Assembly- Friday 30th August.

Until next week,

Natalee, Jaimi, Cathryn

Year Five News

Week 6 was full of fun for Grade Five Students. 

We have been working on creating magical stories which we were able to share with Grade One Students on Thursday afternoon. We really enjoyed sharing our creativity and the younger students were so engaged in our storytelling. Our students did a fantastic job creating narratives that used descriptive language, appositives and complex sentences. This allowed the reader to really visualise their story! 

On Wednesday the Melbourne Renegades came to visit and answer our questions. Students were highly engaged throughout this experience and asked some very thoughtful questions. 

On Friday we dressed as our favourite characters and boy did we dress to impress! What a fantastic day we all had.

We are looking forward to our Athletics day this coming Wednesday at the Aero Ovals. Presentations will be held on Friday at assembly. We will also have our Fathers Day Stall happening on Friday too.

Year Six News

Graduation preparation will begin soon. We kindly ask that all students who did not begin their primary schooling at Sacred Heart either bring in a Prep photo to school or email one to lthompson@shmildura.catholic.edu.au. 

Melbourne Camp preparations are well under way. Information regarding what students need to bring will be sent home next week. Please ensure your child’s contact and medical details are up to date on PAM. 

On Wednesday, we were fortunate to have representatives from the Melbourne Renegades visit our school to answer questions and facilitate some activities and challenges with the students.

Book Week

We were all so impressed to see our students dressed up today to celebrate Book Week. Congratulations to both our students and parents for organising these costumes to make the day special.

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Any parents who are interested in being part of the Year Six Graduation Committee, please email Loretta lthompson@shmildura.catholic.edu.au. A catch up will be organised in the coming weeks to begin preparations. 

Upcoming Dates - 

Wednesday, 28th August- Athletics Carnival at Aero Ovals

Monday, 2nd September- School Closure Day

Library News

Book Week News 

This week, SHPS had a fantastic book week. Many activities relating to the CBCA’s shortlist were enjoyed during library sessions and in the classrooms. The award winners and honours books were explored. While some were purely entertaining with subtle messages relating to the Reading is Magic theme, other books were more challenging, which were revisited to learn more from their messages.

To explore the short-listed selection of books and various categories, please click on the link:

Books of the Year

We explored five categories at SHPS this year, and CBCA 2024 awards went to the following:

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Well done to everyone who entered the Reading is Magic Colouring in competition. The library windows look amazing with all your fine work displayed on them. The judges had a very difficult job to choose just one winner for each grade level. Congratulations to all our winners! 

• Prep- Chase Mayr
• Year One- Lemmy Mortimer
• Year Two- Sevanna Panuccio
• Year Three- Antony Sajeevan
• Year Four- Elizabeth Dichiera
• Year Five- Stella Brown
• Year Six- Polly Ryan

Scholastic Book Club News, Issue #6:

Book Club catalogues were sent home with students this week. Each order contributes to Scholastic Dollars that the school can use to supplement resources. Please order via the online LOOP ordering system through the link provided or by following the instructions on the back of the catalogue. The school does not accept cash and cheques. 

 Please make your order via the link: 

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

 Orders close at the end of the day on Friday, 30th August and will be delivered to the school within two weeks. When the orders arrive at the SHPS library, the students will receive them from their classroom teacher/s. If you have questions or issues with Book Club, please do not hesitate to contact me rather than directly messaging Scholastic.

 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