ISSUE 37: 15th November, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Gospel for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time reminds us of the promise of hope and renewal. Jesus speaks of the signs that will precede His return and encourages us to stay vigilant and faithful. This message invites us to reflect on our own lives and how we prepare our hearts for the future, not with fear, but with trust and perseverance. Let us guide our children to understand that even in moments of uncertainty, we are called to remain hopeful and steadfast, confident in God’s enduring love and presence.

What’s on Next Week (Week 7)

Coming up in Term 4, Week 8

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Weekly Update

A big thank you to our School Captains and students who represented Sacred Heart at the Mildura Remembrance Day Service on Thursday. We’re proud of you all!

Our Year 5 students enjoyed their Student Leadership Development sessions yesterday, hosted virtually by Unleashing Human Potential. It was a fantastic experience for everyone involved.

Congratulations to our Year 5/6 students Girls and Boys teams who competed in the SSV Region T20 Cricket at Swan Hill today! Our boys team won and have qualified for the State finals. Well done, team!

Building Update

Exciting news! Our building project for the refurbishment of classrooms along Olive Grove is progressing well. We’re in the tender phase, with a builder expected to be selected by early December. Construction is set to start in early 2025 and may impact classroom availability, with completion anticipated in about nine months. Plans will be on display in the administration area soon.

Staffing Update

This Friday will be Carmel Pollifrone’s (Foundation LSO) last day at Sacred Heart as she begins Long Service Leave for the remainder of 2024. Carmel will be moving to Melbourne next year and will be resigning from her role here. Since joining us in 2011, Carmel has been a valued and much-loved part of our community. We are incredibly grateful for her dedication, support, and contributions. She will be missed!

Class Placement

We’re in the final stages of arranging classroom placements for teachers and students for 2025. We plan to announce teacher placements in next Friday’s newsletter, 22nd November, and student class allocations will be shared with parents on Monday, 3rd December.

Buddy BBQ

The Buddy BBQ for 2025 Foundation students and Year Five buddies will be held this Wednesday, 5:00-6:00 pm, in the Courtyard Area. Foundation students, buddies, and their families are invited to this meet-and-greet event. Students can enjoy a sausage in bread and a drink. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect!

2025 Student Leadership

Year Five students are invited to submit nominations for 2025 School and House Captains by Monday, 18th November. School Captain speeches and voting will be on Monday, 25th November at 9:00 am, and House Captain speeches and voting will take place on Friday, 29th November at 12:30 pm. Good luck to all students participating!

Boys & Girls State Volleyball

Best of luck to our Boys and Girls Volleyball teams competing in this Friday’s School Sports Victoria State Finals in Melbourne! We’re cheering you on!

School Assembly (Cooinda)

Foundation Cooinda will be hosting our Assembly at 2:30 pm on Friday, 22nd November. Cooinda parents are warmly invited to an afternoon tea in their child’s classroom afterward—a chance to view student learning and connect with other parents.

2024 Prep Transition Dates

We’re excited to welcome our new students and parents! Here are the upcoming session details:

• Session 3: Wednesday, 20th November, 5:00-6:00 pm (Buddy BBQ)
• Session 4: Tuesday, 3rd December, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm
  Parent Information Session from 9:00 - 10:00 am

First Day for Students 2025

The first school day for students in 2025 will be Thursday, 30th January.

God Bless!

Mark Gibson

Religious Education

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Year Two & Above)

Celebration of Sacrament - Wednesday 27th November 5.30pm, 6pm or 6.30pm

Learning and Teaching

Vision and Hearing Checks

If you are concerned about your child’s academic progress, social emotional and/or behavioural development, over the school holidays is a great time to have their vision and hearing checked.

You can access an annual vision check through an optometrist, free under Medicare.

Screen your child’s hearing using the Sound Scouts app. The app incorporates the science of a hearing test in a fun interactive game. Click on this link to purchase a discounted testing credit for $25. Download the app from www.soundscouts.com.au. You will require a tablet or smartphone and headphones. Alternatively you may visit an audiologist in a town near you via a referral, also at a cost.

Please request a report when completing these checks and send a copy to the school for your child’s file.

School Reports

Our teachers are currently preparing students' End of Year Reports, which provide a brief overview of your child’s progress during Semester 2. The general comments will offer a clear summary of your child’s work habits, organisational skills, personal and social development, as well as key achievements. Reports will be made available for parents to read on PAM on Tuesday the 10th of December. 

DIBELS Testing

This week, we have been focused on assessing students' literacy skills through the DIBELS Assessments (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). These assessments are conducted at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to track students' progress and pinpoint areas where targeted support is needed. It has been wonderful to see the considerable progress and growth many students have made over the year, reflecting the hard work of our staff in implementing the Structured Literacy methodology, which is recognised as best practice in literacy instruction.

Foundation News

In Literacy we have been learning about the /ai/ digraph. We now know two long vowel sounds for ‘a’ and that commonly ‘ay’ is found at the end of a word and ‘ai’ in the middle. We have been learning to read and write words with these sounds. In Mathematics we have been learning about Money. This includes Australian coins and dollars and have had a role play experience of purchasing items from our “classroom shop”. 

A letter will soon be coming home with students to inform parents about our upcoming Fullness for Life lessons. 

Reminders:

• Denise Pragt the School Nurse is visiting our school to provide a free service to all Prep students. This cannot occur unless the form has been completed.
• Continue readers every night and practising of tricky words reading/writing
• Mrs P’s last day is next Friday the 22nd of November
• Assessments of students learning are currently being uploaded to Seesaw for parents to view
• Week 7 Show & Tell: Something that can fit into a matchbox

Year One News

We are extremely proud of all the Year One students for completing a range of literacy and numeracy assessments over the past few weeks, achieving fantastic results. Please continue to encourage your children to read and write for enjoyment at home as this will ensure the children are consolidating their learning. 

We are beginning to wrap up library borrowing so we ask that families have a good look at home for any library or classroom books and return them to school.

You will be receiving a note regarding the end of year Fun Day, which will be on Monday 9th December. These are days where each year level celebrates "The year of 2024" with their friends and teachers. 

We had a wonderful time having a transition session on Wednesday between 11.40-1.40. Students in Year One were mixed and they completed different activities in Bundaleer and Karinya. We are looking forward to our next transition session on Monday 18th November between 8.55-10.55.  

Show and Tell Week 7: Things you collect! Explain, show a photo or bring in items you like collecting.

Year Two News

In our Show and Tell planner, we had stated we would do a Speaking and Listening Assessment for the topic of “my favourite pet/animal”. However due to many children not being prepared for this, we will now complete a Speaking and Listening assessment during school time, about a country they would like to visit. It would be helpful if you could  talk to your child about a potential country that may interest them. All children will be given an opportunity to research pictures and information prior to presenting.

Soon parents will be receiving more information regarding the end of year Fun Day, which will be held on Friday 6th December. These are days where each year level celebrates "The year of 2024" with their friends and teachers and we will be having a wave session at the Mildura Waves.

Year Three News

This week, we’ve been delving into volume and capacity in maths, using MAB blocks and unifix cubes to represent the volume of various 3D shapes. Students have also continued to make progress on their communities project, where they researched a community organisation.

Both Year Three classes have greatly enjoyed and benefited from having Coco join them in the classroom this week as well.

Next week, Week 7, will be the final week for student borrowing. As we begin wrapping up library lending for the year, we kindly ask families to check at home for any library or classroom books and return them to school.

Over the coming weeks, we will be creating stop motion videos to demonstrate our understanding of heat. We will provide basic craft materials like coloured paper, very basic lego, and a small amount of basic clay. Your child may ask to bring a basic toy or item from home (a lego mini figure, toy kitchen items etc) - we have asked that they seek your permission before doing so. Please only allow your child to send items that are not valuable or sentimental. 

Have a great weekend!

Year Four News

Last Friday, many of our Year 4 students participated in inter school cricket at the Precinct. Both teams are to be congratulated on their participation. Thank you to the parents and friends who took time out to come down to watch and support. While both teams made the final, the girls were successful in winning in a very close game. The boys tried hard but were defeated.

We had the first of our three transition sessions on Wednesday and all went well. There is a second session on Monday 18th.  The final transition session on the 3rd of December is where the children will be working in their 2025 class groups with their class teacher.

Next week, Week 7, is the last week for borrowing for all students so as we are beginning to wrap up library borrowing  we ask that families have a good look at home for any library or classroom books and return them to school. 

Our Kickball competition is going well. After round 4, the Boost team is sitting at the top of the ladder and is the only undefeated team so far. This week they come up against the second placed team- Crunchies so it will be interesting to see if they can continue their undefeated run. 

Enjoy the weekend,

Natalee, Jaimi & Cathryn

Year Five News

We had the first of our three transition sessions on Wednesday and all went well. There is a second session on Monday 18th  and a further one on the 3rd of December. 

We participated in a leadership development day yesterday, which was facilitated by the Aspire group. The day will be held online and will focus on ‘unleashing personal potential’. 

We wish the students who are participating in various interschool sports over the next couple of weeks, well. They have represented our school with pride during the sports days. 

The Buddy BBQ is on Wednesday 20th November, 5-6pm, at the school, in the courtyard area. The Year 5 students and their families will have an opportunity to meet their little buddy’s family during this time. A BBQ dinner will be provided by the school. 

Students are busy writing, revising and practising their school/house captain speeches in preparation for speeches on Monday, the 25th (school captain speeches) and Friday, the 29th (house captain speeches) November. Students have been given time and guidance around writing their speeches during class time and have the opportunity to email the speeches to their parents for further feedback. We do ask that the speech be the student's own and that parents have verbal input only. Help with editing would be advantageous. 

Year 6 2025 Commemorative jumper and polo shirts

Just a reminder that students received a note a couple of weeks ago with information regarding the Year 6 commemorative rugby  jumpers and polo shirts for the 2025 school year.  Please be aware these are ordered through Mattnifico https://www.mattnifico.com.au/ . Orders will need to be placed before Friday 6th December.

Year Six News

Science

During science this week, students have been conducting lots of experiments as part of their Changing Matter unit.

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Graduation Dinner

Preparations for the Graduation Dinner are now underway. This will be held at Willow & Ivie on the evening of Tuesday December 10th, 2024.  A big thank you to the organising committee for volunteering to coordinate this special event  for the Year 6 students.

As we embark on the last few weeks of the school year, we remind students that the expectations around wearing the correct uniform to school each day has not changed. This includes socks, footwear, jewellery and hair bands.

Student Awards

No awards this week. 

Library News

Borrowing: Next week, Week 7, is the last week for borrowing for all students. This allows for books to then be returned in Week 8 and 9. All books are due back on the 29th of November.

Book Club: Catalogues for Issue 8 have also been distributed. Orders will close on the 26th of November to ensure prompt delivery. This will be the last order for the year. Books make beautiful Christmas gifts and purchasing through the Book Club also gives our school points to use to purchase new books for our library.

First Aid

As the end of the year approaches we need to think about updating Asthma, Allergy and Anaphylaxis Action Plans. Asthma Australia recommends all students with Asthma provide schools with an updated Asthma Action Plan at least annually. ASCIA recommends that a student’s ASCIA Anaphylaxis and Severe Allergy plan should be updated every 12-18 months, when they are reviewed by their doctor and receive a new adrenaline injector prescription. 

If your child has an Action Plan that has not been updated in the last 12-18 months, please consider arranging an appointment with their GP to organise this as soon as possible. 

If your child is in Grade 6, please consider that when they attend high school, these Action Plans are still required to be provided to their school. 

An email has been sent home to those whose Action Plan’s need updating. 

As the weather starts to warm up, please ensure you are packing a drink bottle to come to school with your child. Staying hydrated throughout the day is super important to reduce the risk of heat related illnesses. 

If your child suffers from hayfever and other seasonal allergies, please also consider administering their medication at home before they arrive at school, such as Claratyne and Zyrtec. This will avoid having to bring the medication down to school throughout the day.

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

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. This change aims to enhance student and traffic safety.

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