Sacred Heart Primary School Mildura eNewsletter

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends,

Next Wednesday is the start of Lent - the season in the church where we try and return to God, looking closely at our words and actions and considering how we follow Jesus more closely. In the coming weeks we will have many opportunities to examine how we live our lives - are we flourishing? are we supporting other people to flourish? even those who are ‘different’ to us? Lent is a growing time - time to examine our current reality and grow to be more of who God calls us to be.

Shrove Tuesday

We are very excited to be holding this event on Tuesday morning from 7:45 am-8:40 am. Tables & chairs will be set up on the oval area and families will sit together. We look forward to coming together as a school community. Any parent helpers will be welcome as making 500+ pancakes will mean all hands on deck. We would also greatly appreciate assistance with cleaning & packing up.

Ash Wednesday Mass

Ash Wednesday Mass with St. Paul’s and parishioners will be celebrated this Wednesday at 10am. Parents are invited to attend. It is one of the few times throughout the year that our students have the chance to celebrate with our other Parish school.

Pupil Free Day

On Friday 4th March we have a Pupil Free Day with staff involved in Scaffolding Literacy professional development. This provides support to teachers to improve the writing skills and achievement of students and increase reciprocity between reading and writing.

Police In Schools

Junior Neighbourhood Watch (Year Six) begins on Monday for our two Year Six classes. Local police officers will visit to work with students on safety in our local community.

Assembly

Thank you to Dourim for leading the assembly today. Due to our Pupil Free Day, there will be no Assembly, Student Of The Week or Ray White awards this week.

COVID

This week Premier Andrews has announced that face masks will still be required for students from Year 3-6 due to the vaccination rate still being too low. All staff and visitors to the school are still required to wear a mask upon entering school buildings.

Parents are now not required to complete QR coding upon entering the school but are required to display evidence of vaccination status when entering school buildings.

Parents and Friends

On Thursday 10th March from 9am - 9:50am and a second option being 4:30pm-5:20pm in the school stadium we invite parents from our school community to a forum that will assist in reimagining or reinvigorating our community after COVID. This session will be facilitated by Tony Dalton who is an Educational Consultant in relation to Parent and Community Engagement. Through feedback we hope to prioritise what we do as a Parents and Friends group so that we can strengthen community relationships and engagement through fun and simple ways at Sacred Heart. We hope to have many parents in attendance so that we have a good cross section of our community who provide lots of fresh and exciting ideas.

Beginning of Year School Mass

Yesterday we celebrated our Beginning of Year Mass. It was wonderful to come together with members of our school with the sharing of the Eucharist. Congratulations to our student leaders who received their badges and everyone who had a role to play in this Mass. Thank you to the students for their participation, parents/grandparents who attended, Mr O’Callaghan for his organisation and Father Matthew for leading this celebration.

Rapid Antigen Test Delivery #3

As communicated last week, the Victorian Government has announced that rapid antigen testing will continue for the remainder of this term and RAT kits will be provided for all students and staff to enable them to test twice weekly.

Our next supply of RATs has not yet been delivered. We will distribute them to each student to take home and inform parents via PAM. Please inform the Office if you don’t wish to receive RAT Kits.

COVID Cases

Over this week we have seven COVID cases impacting the classes of Wahroonga (Prep), Narooma (Year 6), Waminda (Year 2), Karinya (Year 1) and Illawarra (Year 5). We encourage families to complete their twice-weekly RA Tests as some cases within the school have had no symptoms but testing has indicated a positive test. Please inform the school of positive cases.

Students with any COVID-19 symptoms should be tested for COVID-19 and kept home even if they test negative on a rapid antigen test until their symptoms subside. If students display symptoms at school they will go to the sickbay and parents will be called to collect their child.

Prep Rest Day

Please be aware that our Prep Rest Day this week is on Friday. Students will attend school from Monday to Thursday this week. Please see below the schedule for the first term.

Have a great week everyone and God Bless!

Mark Gibson

COVID Positive Case Procedures

Below is a summary of what you need to do in the event that your student or a member of your household produces a positive test result.

A student tests positive to COVID19, either through RA test or PCR test

Isolate at home or in private accommodation for 7 days (inclusive of weekends) and do not attend school during this period.
Inform the school that they have tested positive to COVID-19.
Self report via https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests#report-a-positiveresult-on-a-rapid-antigen-test
A negative test is not required to return to school following completion of 7 days of Isolation.
Anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine requirements if they are re-exposed to a case within 30 days of testing positive.
Follow the Checklist for COVID cases located at: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist-cases

A student is a household contact to a positive COVID-19 case:

You have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility.
Inform the school that the student is a household contact.
Follow the Checklist for COVID contacts. https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklistcases
Students must quarantine for 7 days (inclusive of weekends) and must not attend school during this period.
Contact at school is not included in this definition, unless contact has occurred in a school based residential setting, e.g. school camp or boarding school.

A student has been in contact with a case of COVID-19 at school:

If asymptomatic, students should continue to attend school and monitor for symptoms.
If symptomatic, all students must stay or return home, take a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if a rapid antigen testing kit is unavailable.

On receipt of a negative test result, and if well enough, the student can return to school.
If students are too unwell to attend school, usual leave/absence policies apply.

Follow the Checklist for COVID contacts. https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist-cases

Religious Education

Sacrament of Reconciliation & Parent Information Session

Thank you to all parents who attended last Wednesday's Reconciliation Parent Information session. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be held on Wednesday, 6th April.

Please contact the Parish Office if you have any questions or Ryan O'Callaghan at school via phone or ryocallaghan@shmildura.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions regarding First Reconciliation.

2022 Sacramental Program Dates

Sacrament of Reconciliation 2022 Year 3 & 4 students

Celebration of Sacrament Wednesday 6th April 7pm

Sacrament of Confirmation 2022 Year 3, 4 & 5 students

Parents Information Night Wednesday 27th April 7pm Sacred Heart Church

Celebration of Sacrament Friday 3rd June, Saturday 4th June & Sunday 5th June

Sacrament of First Communion (Eucharist) 2022 Year 4 students

Parents Information Night Wednesday 7th September 7pm Sacred Heart Church

Celebration of Sacrament Friday 21st Saturday 22nd Sunday 23rd October

Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) 2022 Year 2 students

Parents Information Night Wednesday 12th October 7pm Sacred Heart Church

Celebration of the Sacrament Wednesday 23rd November 7pm Sacred Heart Church

Project Compassion

Project Compassion boxes will be sent home with all families on Monday. Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. It would be great if families are able to contribute to this year's Project Compassion. Donations (Project Compassion boxes) will be due back at school by the end of Term One (Friday, 8th April).

Sunraysia Community Health Services Vaccination Information

COVID 19 Vaccination Planning for Young Children Flyer

Auskick

Auskick Flyer.pdf

Kids Fitness at Club Aquarius

Club Aquarius is running a Kids Fitness program that runs alongside each school term. Kids Fitness is designed for children aged 6-11, to encourage good physical and mental health habits from a young age. Classes run each Wednesday from 4pm-4:45pm.

Sessions are a combination of fun cardio and circuit activities & games designed to encourage participation from all children.

More information and/or enrolment forms from our reception team at 50232280 or Club Aquarius Reception 735 Fifteenth St Mildura.

Learning and Teaching News

Nothing to report this week.

Prep Unit News

This week in Prep we have been working hard on representing numbers, our classroom rules and the SATPIN sounds.

Some friendly reminders:

All children should have headphones at school (named)
We REALLY need 2 small lunch boxes for recess snacks and lunch so that they fit into our fridge containers.
Home reading books and diaries can be kept at home all week until Friday. These picture story books you are sharing with your child/ren have comprehension questions you ask each night.

Today your child/ren have brought home their school work books, could these please be covered in clear contact and returned to school on Monday.

This week the Prep children will be at school on Wednesday and not Friday.

Prep Unit Team Contact Details

Unit Leader: Mrs Rebecca O'Callaghan
Cooinda (Year Prep): Mrs Rebecca O'Callaghan
Wahroonga (Year Prep): Miss Courtney Sheridan

Junior Unit News

Our Junior Unit students shone and sparkled on Monday for our school photos. We dearly missed our students who were unable to join us and we are REALLY looking forward to seeing everyone back at school soon.

Our students modelled respectful behaviour, reverence and interest when attending our Beginning of School Year Mass on Thursday.

This coming Tuesday, we excitedly invite you to attend school at 7:50am-8:40 to join with us in celebrating Shrove Tuesday. (More information has been provided in the Principal section of this newsletter).

Wednesday 3rd March at 10am, we are attending Mass for Ash Wednesday and invite you to attend.

Year 1 Show and tell topic for the EVEN week group is Something from a Holiday.

As Friday is a CLOSURE DAY, Karinya students will be borrowing from the Library on Tuesday this week.

Should your child be isolating and would like access to learning tasks whilst at home, please see this link that will direct you to optional learning experiences.

Isolation Portal

Junior Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader: Mrs Katrina Groves
Karinya (Year 1): Mrs Katrina Groves (Monday-Thursday) & Mrs Amilea Pacher (Friday)
Bundaleer (Year 1): Mrs Maree Irvin (Tuesday-Friday) & Mrs Amilea Pacher (Monday)
Barramunga (Year 2): Miss Georgina Hewitt
Waminda (Year 2): Mrs Chris Carmichael
Kyema (Year 2): Mrs Kim Taylor

Middle Unit News

Art Supplies

In Art in the coming weeks, students are creating a mobile. For this, we are asking each student brings along a wire coat hanger.

Isolation Portal

If your family is isolating and your child is feeling up to completing some learning tasks, Year 3 and 4 have access to a Learning Portal that is updated with tasks weekly. This is linked below and can be accessed from Google Classroom. Students are also able to look back on the weeks prior to see additional tasks. We do ask that students do not access this Portal unless they are isolating.

Year 3 Isolation Portal

Year 4 Isolation Portal

Some friendly reminders:

Please ensure your child has their books covered.
All children require a set of working, named headphones at school. This is very important as we are trying to avoid sharing these items to reduce spreading any germs.
We are asking children to bring their own masks to school please.

Middle Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader: Miss Sophie Price
Minga (Year 3): Mrs Cathryn Rowles
Eumeralla (Year 3): Mrs Sarah Beckwith
Amaroo (Year 4): Mrs Natalee Johnson
Yongana (Year 4): Mr Corey Barbary
Mootwingee (Year 4): Miss Sophie Price

Senior Unit News

Isolation Learning Portal

The Senior classes have created an online portal for students to access during periods of isolation. This portal can be accessed by clicking the links below or via your child’s Google Classroom. Students will have access to work they can complete whilst at home.

Year 5 Isolation Portal

Year 6 Isolation Portal

Reminders:

Students need their own set of headphones to use at school.
Homework has commenced. This includes a homework sheet that is handed out each Monday and is due back each Friday for correction. Daily home reading is an important part of the students’ homework. Students have been given a ‘Student Diary’ to track their daily reading. We would really appreciate your support in creating positive homework habits with your child.

Senior Unit Team Contact Details

Click on the teacher's name if you wish to email them.

Unit Leader: Mrs Jo Campbell
Myalla (Year 5): Mrs Kerryn Weaver (Monday-Wednesday) & Mrs Emma Kotsiakos (Wednesday-Friday)
Illawarra (Year 5): Miss Belinda Zappia
Narooma (Year 6): Mrs Jo Campbell
Dourim (Year 6): Mrs Xana Priestley

Performing Arts News

Nothing to report this week.

Library

Why Read Every Day:

#1 Six additional minutes of reading each day significantly increases children’s performance in literacy. When it comes to the importance of reading, statistics show that a little reading goes a long way. Case in point: the difference in reading habits between children who meet the grade-level benchmarks and those who don’t amounts to just 6 minutes per day.

#2 The benefits of reading to children every day include increased activation in certain brain regions.Reading regularly with children from a young age stimulates patterns of brain development and strengthens parent-child relationships. This, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills (Council on Early Childhood 2014).

#3 Children who read at least 20 minutes every day are exposed to almost 2 million words per year. In contrast, kids who read at home for five minutes a day will hear only 282,000 words per year. But that’s not all.

Just a reminder that children should have their library bags and books at school every day, as there are still a number of students coming into the library that have left their books at home.

Week 6 Library Timetable:

Monday - Mootwingee, Bundaleer, Year 6, Yongana

Tuesday - Yr 5, Barramunga, Kyema, Karinya

Wednesday - Eumeralla, Amaroo, Waminda

Thursday - Preps, Minga

Friday - Pupil Free Day

Physical Education

This week, students from Year 5 & 6 represented our school at the division level for Tennis. Alice Siale, Daisy Barber, George Miller, Alby Woollard, George Daley, James Clay and Oliver Farnsworth all participated on Wednesday. They demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, behaviour and skill throughout the day. Well done to those students and a big thank you to Rebecca Siale for supervising the students for the day.