Sacred Heart Primary School Mildura eNewsletter

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends,

I have been in Horsham yesterday and today at a mandatory Diocesan Principal’s Conference. I look forward to returning to school on Monday.

Athletics Carnival

Our Sacred Heart Athletics Carnival will be held at the Aerodrome Ovals this Wednesday. This is always a great school community event. We look forward to seeing lots of parents and friends coming along to support our students. Please be aware of the following in preparation for this day:

All students are to be dropped off at the Aerodrome Ovals (Athletics Track) on Wednesday, 10th August from 8.15am onwards.
Parents are welcome to attend this event.
Events begin at 9am.
All students are required to wear their Sacred Heart Sports Uniform with their House colour polo shirt.
All students will need their own snacks, lunch & water bottle.
Students are to be picked up at the conclusion of the Athletics Carnival at 3.10pm.
Any students who are attending Camp Australia or catch an after school bus will be transported back to school on the Sacred Heart bus at 3.15pm.

ReLATE Professional Development - Friday, 12th August (Pupil Free Day)

On Friday 12th August we have a Pupil Free Day with staff involved in ReLATE (Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments) professional learning facilitated by The MacKillop Institute. This is our second ReLATE day as part of a three year journey. This is a research and evidence informed model supporting schools to create the preconditions for improved teaching, learning and wellbeing. ReLATE aims to:

Empowers schools to create safe, supportive and predictable environments for enhanced teaching, learning and wellbeing.
Strengthens staff understanding of how adverse childhood experiences and complex trauma can impact behaviours, attitude and learning.
Enhances whole school culture and teacher attitudes, including teacher perspectives and responses to student behaviour and disengagement.

Circuit Breaker Long Weekend - Monday, 15th August (School Closure)

A reminder that our school, along with most schools in the Ballarat Diocese, will be closed on Monday 15th August.

The circuit breaker weekend is in addition to any other school based measures that schools may take to manage staff and student absences throughout Term 3 and is designed to curb the predicted winter wave of the coronavirus and flu in a short, sharp way.

We understand that pressure has been great in all areas of our community this year and that this decision may place additional stress on some. Camp Australia has confirmed that after-school care will be available on these days. Please book if you require this service.

COVID & Illnesses Update

You may have noticed that we are seeing an increase once again in COVID Positive cases. I strongly encourage you to call in and collect the Rapid Antigen test kits from the office if you require more tests. More importantly, please test immediately when any signs or symptoms are present.

Unfortunately, the flu, common cold and bouts of gastro are also circulating at the moment as well. If your child/ren are unwell, please keep them home. We are trying to minimise the risk of infection.

Masks are not compulsory at this stage but are strongly recommended when indoors.

Assembly

Thank you to the Year Two Kyema who led our Assembly today. We have no Assembly this week due to our Pupil Free Day.

100 Days of Prep

Our Prep classes had a wonderful day on Monday celebrating 100 days of school. Students looked amazing dressed up as 100 year old people! Thank you to Mrs O’Callaghan & Miss Sheridan for their organisation. Our Prep students have made great progress in their learning so far this year and should be very proud of their efforts.

School Sports Victoria (SSV) Region Football - Swan Hill

Our boys football team played some great football on Tuesday, going down in the semi final by 6 points. The boys displayed excellent behaviour and sportsmanship. Thanks to Mrs Burford and Mr O’Callaghan for attending with our students and thanks to the parents who went along to support.

Year Two Sleepover

Congratulations to our Year Two students who slept at school last night and participated in offsite activities today for the Year Two Sleepover. Thank you to Miss Hewitt, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Carmicahel, Mrs Driscoll, Mrs Groves & Mr Fabich who supervised students during the sleepover and to Prep & Year One teachers for helping with preparation of tea and activities.

Baptism

We wish Annie & Ned Fyfe all the best for this weekend. Annie & Ned will be baptised at this Saturday night’s Mass.

Farewell - Mrs Weaver

This week is Mrs Weaver's last before going on Maternity Leave. We wish Mrs Weaver and her husband Luke all the best for the upcoming birth and we look forward to hearing some exciting news in the near future. We thank Mrs Weaver for her work in Myalla this year and her contribution to our school community. Good luck!

Book Week

This is from Monday 22nd - 26th August. The theme is ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’. Monday 22nd August is the official Book Week dress up day. Throughout the week Mrs Collins will work with each class in library sessions with a focus on Book Week activities.

Dental Health Week.

Many thanks to Tankard Dental for the thoughtful prizes donated for the winners of the SHPS Dental Health Week colouring competition. Students in the Junior years recognised the significance of Dental Health week (August 1st-7th) by participating in a range of learning opportunities.

Have a great weekend everyone and God Bless!

Mark Gibson

COVID Update

COVID is still out there in our community and we can expect that this trend will continue for some time. We would encourage families to continue with twice weekly testing at home to help prevent the spread. RAT tests can be collected at any time from the front office. We will still send these home at times throughout the term.

The COVID Schools Operations Guide has been updated to reflect that:

Visitors and staff are no longer required to meet COVID-19 vaccination requirements to attend school.
Staff and students must inform the school if they have tested positive to COVID-19 and isolate for 7 days.
If a student or staff member tests positive through a RAT test, but they don’t have symptoms or have not been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 it is recommended getting a PCR test within 48 hours and staying isolated at all times until they receive their result. If the subsequent PCR test is negative, you can return to school.
Household contacts are required to test negative using a rapid antigen test on at least 5 out of 7 days if they are attending or working at a school onsite.
Household contacts are required to inform the school that they are attending during the 7 day period.
Social distancing, good hand hygiene, air purifiers and use of outdoor spaces for teaching are still recommended.
Students and staff refrain from returning to school if they remain symptomatic.
Parents/carers who are positive to COVID are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport someone they live with to and/or from school.
After having COVID you do not need to be tested if you have been re-exposed within 12 weeks of ending self-isolation.
It is recommended that face masks are worn in indoor settings (except for close contacts, who must wear a mask indoors unless an exception applies).
Everyone including students aged 8 years and above must wear a face mask when travelling on public transport, taxis or rideshare vehicles.

Religious Education

Mary MacKillop Feast Day is held on the 8th August each year, in honour of the revered Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. She was the first Saint of Australia, and her influence in the country has spread far and wide. She is recognised for her commitment to the poor, helping those who needed it the most in any way she could. Classes may be spending some time doing research on Mary this week and talking about her significant life story.

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

General News

Just a reminder to any families who have not finalised their school fees, all fees are due and payable prior to the end of THIS term.

Learning and Teaching News

Nothing to report this week.

Learning Diversity News

We submitted student data for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Student with Disability (NCCD) this week. The aim of the NCCD is to provide the Australian Government with information about the number of students with disability in Australian schools and the type of adjustments they need in order to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. The NCCD is used by the government to inform funding for schools.

If you are a parent, guardian or carer of a child with disability who requires ongoing adjustments at school, a teacher or another school staff member will consult with you to understand your child’s needs. This collaborative approach ensures the most appropriate adjustments are chosen to support your child’s learning and participation at school. In some cases, an individual learning plan (ILP) may be developed to document specific educational goals and to review your child’s progress over time.

Your child will be included in the NCCD if they require ongoing adjustments at school due to a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (the DDA). This is a very broad definition of disability, which includes physical and intellectual disabilities, learning disorders such as dyslexia and dysgraphia, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings will be held on Monday 29th, Wednesday 31st August and Thursday 1st September. Parents of students who require a PSG meeting will be notified soon.

Prep Unit News

1.0.0 D.A.Y.S of S.C.H.O.O.L…. what a blast! On Monday the prep students had the best day celebrating their 100th day of school (well maybe 103). They made biscuits with the number 100 on it, a crown and looked absolutely amazing in their 100 year old people costumes. The rest of the week went back to normal with athletics training in preparation for next week, learning more sounds and reading some interesting stories from the Old Testament of the Bible.

Sounds to continue practising with your child/ren 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.
Learn all the tricky words at the back of the reading diary.
Library day is Monday.
Show and tell reminder for this week = odd week.

Please make sure you have returned your ‘Visiting Primary School Nurse Program’ envelope - it was due back last week!

In the coming weeks, we have invited Responsible Pet Education facilitators to our school to run sessions to assist our students with safety around animals and caring for our pets. Should your child/ren have any allergies or fears of animals, please contact their classroom teacher directly.

Today your child will bring home their Semester 2 Work Book to be covered in clear contact. This book needs to be returned to school on Monday.

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

What a fabulous way to end a week! Our Year 2 students enjoyed their first ever sleep over camp at school and it is anticipated that they will all sleep well in their own bed tonight!
After a night of laughter and movies, our little people shared a yummy breakfast together, went bowling, ate a delicious lunch and then attended the assembly hosted by Kyema.

Next week (Wednesday 10th August) we look forward to seeing you and our family members at our Annual Athletics Day at the Aerodrome ovals. If you are able to assist on this day, please reach out to Mr Burford. Students are required to wear their sporting house colour t-shirt and sports clothes on this day. It is also a day where our children can be a ‘little hungrier’. Please pack a few extra things to eat, as your child will greatly appreciate this.

In the coming weeks, we have invited Responsible Pet Education facilitators to our school to run sessions to assist our students with safety around animals and caring for our pets. Should your child/ren have any allergies or fears of animals, please contact their classroom teacher directly.

This week we celebrate Dental Health week. Year Ones revisited the importance of Dental health, discussed appropriate food choices and entered a Colouring competition with Prizes being kindly donated by Tankard Dental. Students designed posters that were hung around the school educating others about the significance of this week.

Book Week will be celebrated from Monday August 22nd through to Friday August 26th. We will be having a whole school dress up day on Monday 22nd.

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

Local History Excursion

Middle Unit students had a fantastic time on our Local History excursion. We visited the Psyche Pumps, Homestead and Rio Vista. Students had a wonderful learning experience!

Year 3 Camp

This week students have received a note with the final details of our upcoming camp. This has also been emailed to parents. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher.

Year 4 Isolation Portal

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

Next week is Mrs Weaver’s last week before she commences maternity leave. She will be very missed! We wish Kerryn, Luke and Ellie all the best for their upcoming new arrival.

Year 6 Homework

There will be no homework for Year 6 students next week. Students will still be expected to complete their reading and role in preparation for their Literature Circle meeting.

This week the Year 5 students enjoyed participating in a Book tasting. This was set up to introduce the students to a variety of genres and book choices. Students reserved a seat at a table of choice, they read books for a short period of time and then had the chance to complete questions and discuss their immediate thoughts on the book, such as what drew them to the book, author’s hook, would it be a book they would read and a rating.

Year 5 Isolation Portal

Year 6 Isolation Portal

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

Library

The Prep students are enjoying Dr Seuss books and the Year 1 & 2 students have been writing about their special Place. Year 3 & 4 students have been learning how to use the library catalogue to search for and find non fiction books on the shelf and have been discovering the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Year 5 & 6 students have made a start on their Passion Projects. Over this week, children have been deciding on a question relating to a topic they are passionate about. Next week they will begin to research this question, using books from our Non fiction section at school and selected websites. Children will design a poster which will be displayed at the end of the term. Some of the questions that children are researching :

Why does yeast make bread rise?

Who invented the game of netball?

How do car transmissions work?

CBCA Book Week

Book Week will be celebrated from Monday August 22nd through to Friday August 26th. We will be having a dress up day on Monday 22nd, so start putting your thinking caps on! The theme for Book Week this year is “Dreaming with Eyes Open”. Children may dress up in this theme, as a book character or in “comfy reading clothes”.