ISSUE 28: 30th August, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

On the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, the Gospel reminds us of the importance of inner purity and sincerity in our actions. Jesus challenges the emphasis on external rituals and encourages us to focus on the intentions of our hearts. As parents and educators, let us guide our children to understand that true goodness comes from within, and that living with integrity and love is more important than mere appearances. May we all strive to nurture hearts that reflect kindness, honesty, and compassion in all that we do.

What’s on Next Week (Term 3 Week 8)

Coming up in Term 3, Week 9

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Congratulations to our Volleyball and Hot Shots Tennis teams for competing at the District level this week—all teams have qualified for the Division Finals! A big thank you to the parents who volunteered for the Father's Day Stall, especially Erin Hurley and Courtney Henderson for coordinating it. Our Athletics Carnival on Wednesday was a great success, with outstanding student performances and community support. Special thanks to Mr. Burford, our volunteers, and staff for making it all possible.

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Pupil Free Day

Just a reminder that Monday will be a School Closure Day (Pupil Free). This day will be dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of our staff and students. Thank you for your understanding and support.

School Access and Departure Points Before and After School

Starting Tuesday, we will be trialling new gate arrangements for morning and afternoon access to school. In the mornings, the Olive Grove gate will remain closed, so students and visitors can only enter through the 12th Street or Tamarisk Grove gates. After school, only the Olive Grove gate near the Art House will be open and supervised by a staff member. The gates at Tamerisk Grove and the front of the school will remain open also.  This change aims to enhance student and traffic safety.

Backflips Over Bullying

On Tuesday, students will enjoy the “Backflips Against Bullying” incursion, where performers use flips and tricks to convey the important message that bullying doesn't make you tough. Through role-playing scenarios, students will explore acceptable behaviour, strategies for handling challenges, and the value of kindness in fostering a positive school environment. The Year 3-6 performance is scheduled for 12:40pm, and the Prep to Year 2 performance will be at 2:10pm in the Stadium.

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings

PSG Meetings will take place in the Boardroom from Tuesday to Friday. These meetings are crucial for setting important goals for Term Four, especially for students needing extra support or with disabilities. We appreciate the valuable input and collaboration from parents and staff to enhance student outcomes.

Parish Mass

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

School Sports Victoria Mini Olympics

The Division Mini Olympics are this Thursday at the Aerodrome Ovals Athletics Track. Selected students from Years 3-6 will compete in various events, showcasing their athletic abilities and representing our school with pride. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to cheering them on!

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

Starting Tuesday, students will need to wear their school hats during lunch and recess. Beginning Wednesday, students without a hat during these times will not be able to play.

2024 School Fees

Thank you to all families who have made payment towards their 2024 school fees.  A reminder that final payments are due on September 7th, unless other arrangements have been made with Mary Avery.  If you are having financial difficulties with payment please contact Mary to make an appointment for payment options.

Student Drop Off

To ensure student safety, please drop off students after 8:19 am, as they are unsupervised before then. If your child walks to school alone, discuss stranger danger and encourage them to report any concerns to the school or to parents. We had some reports of unusual behaviour outside of school this week from students, which we were able to address. Also, please ensure students don’t drink hot beverages while walking into school. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.

RUOK Breakfast

Join us for an RUOK Day Breakfast at school on Friday, 13th September from 7:45am-8:30am! This is a great chance to promote kindness and positivity within our school community. The breakfast is free for students, parents, and guardians. To assist with catering, please place your order via CDFPay. We’ll be serving bacon & egg rolls, fruit salad, corn flakes, and rice bubbles. Since meals will be prepared based on pre-orders, please make sure to finalise your order by 9am on Monday, 9th September. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to accommodate any breakfast requests on the day.  On this day lunch orders will not be available.

Sacred Heart Footy Tipping Competition

As the AFL Home & Away season wraps up, we’re excited to announce this year’s Family Footy Tipping winners! Finals were not included in the competition. A big thank you to all 49 participants—we hope to see you back next year! Winners can collect their prize money from Candy Fleming at the front office. Congratulations to:

• 1st place - Jack Milton 137
• 2nd place - Giana Scullino 136 (611 margin)
• 3rd place - Caterina Bajer 136 (660 margin)

God Bless!

Mr Mark Gibson

2024 Dates of Interest

Religious Education

Sacrament of First Eucharist (Year 4 & Above)

Thanks to parents who attended Wednesday night’s Parent Information Session.  Please contact the Parish Office or Ryan O’Callaghan if you have any questions regarding this Sacrament.

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

Mission Month

As you would be aware, October is our Mission Month at Sacred Heart Primary School. 

As part of our fundraising efforts we will be having a school wide raffle of several hampers.

Donation of Hamper Items

We are asking our school community to generously donate items that can be put into these hampers. Gift items, toys, vouchers or sweet treats are just some suggestions of what may be donated. Families can hand items to their classroom teacher or at the front office.

Ticket Sales

Raffle tickets can be purchased on CDF Pay from the start of Term 4 and are on sale until Thursday 24th October. 

Tickets are $1 each.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Learning and Teaching

Don’t forget to view your child’s ongoing learning portfolio on Seesaw. These work samples are accompanied by teacher comments on student progress. If you are having trouble accessing your parent account please contact your child’s teacher.

Learning Diversity

PSG meetings will be held next week. Please check your PAM account for meeting times and details. ILP’s will be emailed out prior to you scheduled PSG meeting.

SWPBS

It was fantastic to see a great display of sportsmanship at our recent Athletics carnival as we continue our blitz focus this week.

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 instil 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 criticising.
• 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.

SchoolTV

A Special Report Celebrating Father's Day

For many years now, the role of fathers has changed and evolved. During the industrial revolution, fathers were often considered detached and distant due to working long hours in factories. However, today things have changed dramatically with many dads being celebrated for being sensitive, caring and more hands-on.

Recent studies have shown that children benefit greatly from having fathers who are present and interacting in everyday activities. This has transformed the understanding of how fathers shape children’s lives from the start, challenging conventional ideas of parenthood and gender.

Research also suggests that fathers influence their sons and daughters in different ways, which is especially true during their transition to adolescence. Engaging in regular physical activities can play a key role in influencing children to learn self-control, face challenges, regulate emotions and take manageable risks.

In this Special Report, fathers will learn about the positive impact they can have on their child’s mental health and wellbeing, whilst also ensuring they indulge in a little self-care.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

Foundation News

Wow!!! On Wednesday we completed our first Athletics Day. Congratulations to all of our students for their efforts and sportsmanship. Well done to our age group champions which were announced at assembly.  

This week we have learnt the new digraph ‘ay’ as in play. This is a long vowel sound that we have been practising in our reading and writing. We have been learning to identify the sentence types: questions or statements. See the images below for some more information.

In Mathematics we are beginning to explore ‘groups of’ to explain multiplication. Students have been using hands-on resources to explore this concept. We will continue this focus next week.

We have been busy creating our Father’s Day artwork and crafts in preparation for Sunday. We hope you all have a lovely Father’s Day.

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, ng, ay. 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 = something that can move.

This term we have the following dates of interest:

2nd September: School Closure Day

12th September: RUOK? Day Breakfast

13th September: AFL Day

20th September: End of Term 3 - 2.10pm finish

Year One News

The Year One students showed outstanding sportsmanship and gave their best efforts at Athletics Day on Wednesday. All our students contributed greatly to the enjoyable atmosphere on the day by cheering each other on, modelling sportsmanship and acknowledging the skills of others in a positive light. A huge congratulations to Mallee for winning the day! Congratulations to all the age group champions which were announced at assembly today. Thank you to the family and friends who were able to spend some time with us on Wednesday. 

By the end of the term, all Year One students should be able to automatically identify upper and lower case letters in different fonts. Students have been trying to ‘beat their best time’ in the classroom- we are aiming to be able to say at least 60 letters in a minute.  A variety of letters are looked at each day and a  sample of this has been added below should you wish to continue to practise at home.

The students have enjoyed creating some lovely gifts for Father’s/Special Person’s Day and enjoyed visiting the stall to buy a gift. We wish all the special men in our students' lives a wonderful and restful day on Sunday. 

Show and Tell next week: Something small that fits in your pocket! 

Important dates to remember for the rest of the term:

2nd September: School Closure Day - Staff Professional Learning 

3rd September: Backflip to Bullying incursion at 2.10

13th September: RUOK Day Breakfast - More information to come

13th September: AFL Day - More information to come

20th September: End of Term 3 - 2.10pm finish

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Year Two News

We would like to wish all the Fathers and special men in our lives, a wonderful day on Sunday and hope that you enjoy and appreciate the hard work your child put into creating their special Father’s Day present for you.

On Wednesday we experienced a super fabulous day at the Aero Ovals for our annual SH Athletics Day. Congratulations to all the children on their efforts and both Mrs Carmichael & Mrs Collins were incredibly proud of the behaviour displayed throughout the morning session by the 8 Year Old boys and girls.

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Waminda children have today brought home their words and a note for our assembly which will be held on AFL Day, Friday September 13th. If you have any questions, feel free to see or email Mrs Collins. Over the next two weeks,  Waminda will be using the Show and Tell time as assembly practice.

Year Three News

Happy Fathers Day to all the Fathers in our lives, we hope you all have a wonderful day on Sunday. Today students will be arriving home with the present they made for their Father.

We all thoroughly enjoyed Athletics Day on Wednesday! Well done to all of the children for their efforts on the day and their behaviour that was displayed. 

After several interrupted weeks, a simplified homework will come home for Weeks 8 and 9. There will be no homework in Week 10.

Don’t forget that Monday is a student free day, we hope you enjoy your long weekend!

Sarah, Emma and Maree.

Year Four News

Well done to all students who participated with great enthusiasm at our Athletics Day on Wednesday. While we all can’t be part of the winning house, if we had fun then we can consider ourselves winners! Congratulations to Mallee for their efforts on winning the day. Many of our Year Four students will progress to the Mini Olympics next week and are looking forward to that.  

A reminder that next Monday is a Pupil Free Day.

Finally, we wish all our Year Four Dads a very happy Father’s Day. We hope your Year Four children make the day a very special one for you.

Enjoy your weekend,

Natalee, Jaimi & Cathryn

Year Five News

Congratulations to all of our athletes who represented Sacred Heart in the tennis and volleyball inter school sports this Tuesday. We are so proud of the way you represent our school! 

This Wednesday we thoroughly enjoyed our Athletics Day. A big congratulations to MALLEE for winning the day! More importantly, a huge congratulations to our grade five students for giving everything a go, trying their best and exhibiting wonderful sportsmanship towards each other! 

Next week we have a pupil free day on Monday as staff undertake some professional learning. We will see the students on Tuesday ready to begin Week 8! 

Looking ahead, we are busy preparing for our Grade Five Camp happening 14-16th October. Please grant permission for your child, along with any relevant medical notes on Simon at your earliest convenience. 

Lastly, a big Happy Fathers Day to our Grade Five dads! We hope you feel spoiled and very loved over this weekend and get to spend some special time with your wonderful children!

Year Six News

What a fantastic day we all had on Wednesday's Athletics Day. We are super proud of the effort, participation and sportsmanship students displayed throughout the day.

Melbourne Camp

Camp is fast approaching! Shared with students via their Google Classroom is a Google Site that students and parents can access to see the exciting things planned throughout the week. Children will need to look at the Google Form for Camp Week Food, and make their food selections by Tuesday September 3rd. 

A hardcopy of the What to Bring, Behaviour on Camp & Itinerary notes has been sent home with your child. If your child was absent, they can collect them from their classroom teacher. Please read and discuss the Behaviour on Camp note with your child, sign it then return it to school by Friday, September 6th.

Please ensure that your child’s contact and medical details are up to date on PAM prior to Camps.

Parish Mass

On Wednesday morning, Amaroo and Yongana will be attending the Parish Mass at the Church which will begin at  9:30am. You are most welcome to join us.

We wish all our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and father figures a very happy and restful day this Sunday for Father’s Day.

Library News

Once again, I would like to thank students and staff for all their support leading up to and including book week. The students’ effort in researching their favourite characters and books was outstanding. Also, thanks to the parents, caregivers and friends for supporting those near and dear to help create these happy and joyful memories. There was so much joy and happiness within our school on the day. It was a truly wonderful and humbling experience to celebrate book week at SHPS.

Library books:

With three weeks left of Term 3, I know it’s flying by so quickly; I would like to remind students to return books that they have finished reading or renew books that they wish to continue reading. Only a few students have overdues and are trying to look for their books. But, just as a reminder, please take a few minutes to look in your school bag, school tub, the family car, your bedroom, your siblings’ bedrooms and so on for any overdues or books you think may be misplaced. I communicate with the students during their library sessions, and if they are unable to find a book after making a considerable effort to find it, I put the books on a missing list. This enables the students to keep borrowing books and looking for misplaced ones. It is amazing how suddenly, out of nowhere, these books turn up in all sorts of places around the home and school. Thanks again for your cooperation!

Book Covering Help Needed:

If anyone has any spare time and is willing to help out with book covering at home or at school from time to time, we would be very happy to hear from you. Please email or drop into the library and let Mrs Pacher or myself know and we would be only too happy to have a chat to explain what is required and supply you with what is needed.

Scholastic Book Club Issue #6:

OrderS closed today, and we thank the parents and caregivers who placed their orders on this Issue of Book Club! 

The school will receive the books and items usually within two weeks. When they 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.

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

Athletics Day Age Group Champions!

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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