ISSUE 20: 24th June, 2022

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends,

I cannot believe that this is our last newsletter for the term and that we are already half way through the year. Well done to the students and staff for their wonderful efforts throughout the term, and to all families and friends for their support in this learning and work.

Return to School

Term Three commences for all staff and students on Monday, 11th July.  We look forward to a rewarding and positive term ahead.  

DOBCEL Board Visit

As you will be aware, parish priests are no longer the governing authority of our Catholic schools.  Last year, DOBCEL took over the governance of our fifty six parish schools. This was an historic undertaking shifting the governance from parish priests to the DOBCEL Board. Catholic Education Ballarat is the operational arm of DOBCEL and is responsible for the implementation of DOBCEL strategies, policies and procedures, and overseeing the day to day running of our schools.  The DOBCEL board is currently in the process of visiting all fifty six of the diocesan schools. On the first day of next term, members of the DOBCEL Board will visit Sacred Heart to see our facilities and meet with students, staff and myself. 

Assembly 

Our first Assembly for Term Two will be led by our Student Leadership Team.   Assembly will be held in the Stadium at 2.30pm on Friday, 15th July. 

Grandparents/Special Friends Day

Grandparents/Special Friends Day will be held on Friday, 29th July. This is a momentous occasion on our school calendar that we all look forward to being able to once again do. The day will begin with grandparents and special friends meeting the children at the church at 9:30am to celebrate together. After Mass we will come back to school for morning tea.  We are seeking parents to assist with our catering on the day.  If you can assist please let the school know. 

Work Experience Students

For the first week of Term Three we welcome Zach Cope & Portia Deacon who will be undertaking Work Experience.  Both Zach & Portia are past students at Sacred Heart and currently attend Irymple Secondary College.

School Reports

If you have not already accessed these, the First Semester reports are now available on the Simon Everywhere App.  If you have any issues accessing these please contact the school.

COVID 19 Update

The new health advice is that vaccination is no longer a requirement to work or volunteer in schools. From 11.59 pm on Friday 24th June (in effect the start of Term 3), staff and volunteers in Victorian mainstream schools will no longer need to meet vaccination requirements to attend work.

Sacred Heart will continue to have strong measures in place, including enhanced ventilation such as air purifiers, ongoing use of rapid antigen testing and ensuring those who are unwell stay home. This will continue to help keep our school as safe as possible.  A reminder for families that RAT tests can be collected at any time from the office.

Staff Thanks and Farewell

Today was the last day for two of our valued staff members.  We wish Ms Clare Taylor all the best as she goes on maternity leave and we hope that all goes well with the upcoming birth.   We also farewell Mrs Rosmarie Zalec who has been an amazing contributor to the history of our school with 50 years of service.  She has worked as a classroom teacher and teacher librarian and has empowered students with special environmental groups including Sacred Heart Environmental Committee (SHEC), Kids Teaching Kids and Wiggly Worms.  Her work has been a memorable and enjoyable experience for many Sacred Heart students.  We wish Clare and Rose all the best.

Student Thanks and Farewell

Today was the last for Juan and Jewel Rajesh at Sacred Heart, before their family move to Melbourne. We thank them and their family for their contribution to our school and wish them all the best!

Sacred Heart Feast Day

Today was another brilliant day for the SHPS community in celebrating our Sacred Heart Feast Day. The day started with a reflective celebration of the Eucharist, followed by fun activities and a beautiful lunch. Our SHPS Community donated many food, clothing and bedding items along with cash to assist the essential work of St Vincent De Paul in our community, a top effort by all families.

Disco

Last night we had a very successful  Middle & Senior Unit School disco.  A huge thanks and praise to staff and parents who gave their time and efforts to organise another fun event for our students.

Kaboom Kids

Students thoroughly enjoyed their Kaboom Kids experience on Monday.  Students got active through the tabloid activities which were engaging and enjoyable. 

Parent Teacher Meetings

Thank you  to the parents who attended our Parent Teacher Meetings this week. There was a great attendance rate overall. We hope this was a great opportunity to learn more about your child's academic, emotional and social development.

Thank you everyone for your support throughout the first half of the year. Please enjoy a well earned break and I look forward to seeing you all next term.

Mark Gibson

Religious Education

2022 Sacramental Program Dates

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

Learning and Teaching News

Beginning in Term 3, we will be introducing a brain food break during the morning to keep children’s brains fuelled for learning. A note will have gone home with your child this week.

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.

Prep Unit News

Congratulations on a successful term parents and students. We hope that your break is restful and enjoyable. We would like to thank our parents, students and Literacy helpers for a fantastic term and we look forward to seeing you again in Term 3. In preparation for our Religious Education term 3 learning each child will be bringing home a note that will need to be completed over the holidays and returned to school on Monday week 1.

Term 3 brings our Sacred Heart Athletics Day (don’t forget to keep training during the holidays), Grandparents Day, Book Week, Father’s Day and much, much more. We are looking forward to experiencing all the excitement the next Term has to offer.  

Today your child has brought home their holiday reading, please continue to keep a regular routine of reading each night and practising our sounds, blending and tricky words. Continue to write sentences and keep refining your child’s fine motor development. Just a reminder that your child has access to Reading Eggs should you require extra things to do during the holidays.

 We wish everyone a safe and happy break and look forward to seeing you all back in Term 3.

Junior Unit News

Throughout the week we celebrated our achievements and challenges. The Kaboom Kids visit on Monday was an absolute highlight showcasing teamwork, creativity and leadership skills in our students. During Performing Arts, our students let their imaginations ‘go wild’ through planning a character brief, designing a sock puppet and then doing some role play.  Our Feast Day hamburgers were also a huge hit with most students who even went back for seconds! Students flourished in their family group activities and actively participated in a variety of enjoyable experiences throughout the day. 

We greatly appreciate the time taken by families to collaborate with us on your child/ren’s social and academic growth. The partnership between school and families is highly valued and we look forward to celebrating our students' successes again next Semester.

Next term we begin ‘BRAINFOOD’. This is a small healthy snack students can eat at 10am each day. Please refer to the Learning and Teaching news section for more information.

Year One students have brought home the Term 3 topics for Show and Tell. Please have a read through and discuss with your child what they would like to talk about. They might find some time in the holidays to play some games and practice explaining the rules in preparation for Week 5/6.

Please note the CHANGES in library borrowing times for next term:
Monday: Waminda
Tuesday:Karinya
Wednesday: Bundaleer, Barramunga
Thursday: Kyema

All students have access to Reading Eggs and are encouraged to read their books over the school holidays, as well as HAVE FUN! Our sincere gratitude goes to all Junior Unit Families for your communication, additional time and support.

We wish you all a restful holiday break.

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Middle Unit News

We have come to the end of another very busy term! All Middle Unit Children should be very proud of their hard work and achievements this term. Looking ahead to Term 3 we would ask that children use the holidays to collect some items for our learning.

Celebration Photograph

Could children please bring in an image of themselves sharing a celebration or meal with others. This may be a family barbecue, Christmas lunch or a birthday. If this could be printed or emailed to your child’s teacher that would be appreciated.

Diorama Materials

As part of our History unit next term, students will be making a diorama. Could students please begin bringing in any items that may be useful such as boxes (including shoe boxes), cardboard, bottles, material scraps,wool, buttons etc. 

Disco

What a fabulous time we had at the disco last night! We danced, sang and had the best time with friends! A huge thank you to Richard and Bec Rudd-Morfaw for providing the entertainment on the night. It is always a lot of fun when the Rudd-Morfaw’s are in control of the music. We would like to thank Rebecca Siale for her support and coordination of the night and to the team of parent helpers - we truly appreciate you volunteering your time.

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Senior Unit News

WOW!! Where did Term Two go? We hope everyone enjoys a lovely break and we look forward to seeing you all in Semester Two ready for another busy term.

Disco

A great evening was had by all middle and senior students last night at the Disco. It was so good to be able to hold this event for the students again and a wonderful way to celebrate and end the term. A huge thank you to Richard and Bec Rudd-Morfaw for providing the entertainment on the night. It is always a lot of fun when the Rudd-Morfaw’s are in control of the music. We would like to thank Rebecca Siale for her support and coordination of the night and to the team of parent helpers - we truly appreciate you volunteering your time.

Library

Library timetable for Term 2

Due to changes in our specialist program, children will now be attending the library for one hour every week instead of a half hour visit with the class teacher. This means that a number of classes will be attending on a different day to when they have been attending. It is extremely important that children are aware of their day to ensure that they have their library bag and books at school. Children will also be participating in a variety of activities during this time, from author based activities to research skills.

Monday: Eumeralla, Cooinda, Wahroonga, Waminda

Tuesday: Illawarra, Amaroo, Minga, Karinya

Wednesday: Bundaleer, Barramunga, Narooma, Dourim, Mootwingee

Thursday: Yongana, Kyema, Myalla

The library will still be open before and after school for returns/borrowing and at lunchtimes for borrowing, reading and passive play activities.

Italian

During Term 2 the  students at Sacred Heart have been doing a lot of learning about how to say body parts in Italian and also how to tell the Doctor what hurts . The students also made their own Pinocchio puppet which will go home this week. Make sure you turn Pinocchio over as he has  a lot of language for you to keep on practising.    

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Term 2 Principal Awards