ISSUE 11: April 28th, 2023

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends,

Welcome back to Term 2! It is great to be back at school on a more regular basis.  Thank you to those who continue to enquire about my health. I am travelling well but will continue to monitor my health closely.

School Hats

School Hats are not required to be worn at recess and lunch times as of this Monday, 1st May. Students are required to wear hats again from 1st September.

ANZAC Day

Thank you to all of our student leaders who proudly represented Sacred Heart at the ANZAC Day Commemorative Service.  Thank you to Mr O’Callaghan for the organisation of the students.  Thank you to the parents who brought the students along to this very important day outside of school time.

Lunch Order CDF Cut Off Time

Starting from next week, cut off time for CDFpay canteen lunch orders will be  6pm the night before canteen day.  This is to ensure the canteen has sufficient supply to fill ALL orders that have been requested and paid for.  All payments must be completed prior to 6pm on a Tuesday and Thursday for lunch orders to be included in the canteen list for the next day.

Sacred Heart Cross Country

Our Cross Country was a brilliant event held today which brought our school community together. Well done to all students for their efforts and thanks to all staff for contributing to the organisation and running of the day. Special thanks to Mr Burford for his overall coordination of the Cross Country and thanks to Ag Gray in the canteen and the Knights of the Southern Cross for preparing sausages for everyone. Well done to Mallee (Red) as the champion team for 2023!

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Assembly 

Due to our Pupil Free Day next Friday we will not have assembly next week.  At our next assembly is on Friday 12th May, where we will present Cross Country awards.

SSV Division Cross Country 

Good luck to the students who will be running at the School Sports Victoria (SSV) Division Cross Country at the Aerodrome Ovals on Thursday 4th May. 

GRIP Leadership Conference 

Mr O’Callaghan and the Student Leadership Team will attend the GRIP Leadership Conference which is being held this Wednesday at the Grand Hotel. This is a great opportunity that concentrates specifically on training student leaders for their role this year. The style, topics, and content of this conference all focus on what the students can do right now.  After the day we hope our leaders have a clear vision and ideas for their time as a senior student leader at Sacred Heart.

Welcome

We had a new family beginning this week - twins Joey (Nangare) and Rose O'Bryan (Barramunga).  We welcome them to the Sacred Heart community.

Pupil Free Day

Please be aware that we have a school closure day next Friday 5th May for professional development with staff.  

Over 2023 we are working as a community to gain a clear purpose of what matters most to Sacred Heart.  Work has already been undertaken collectively with staff documenting the context of our community, creating a new Vision for our school and having a shared ambition of what we are working towards over the coming years.  As part of this day we hope to further clarify this purpose by working with well known international educator Tom Hierck who has a passion for building supportive school environments.  Tom has presented to Sacred Heart previously and is great to work with.  We have included below one of Tom’s Ted Talks on his favourite topic ‘I am the Future’.

2024 Prep Open Day Tours

Open Day Tours for those interested in enrolling at Sacred Heart in Prep in 2024 will occur on Wednesday 10th May 2024. These are a  great opportunity for new families to see how learning happens in classrooms at Sacred Heart. Tours are scheduled for 9:30am, 12pm, 4:30pm and 6pm. If you know any parents with four-year-old children, please pass this information on.  To book a tour please complete the form on our website page:

Enrolments for 2024 are Now Open 

Sacred Heart is now accepting enrolments for 2024. Applications are due to close on Friday 26th May.   If you know any parents with four year old children, please pass this message on.  Any enrolment enquiries can be directed to the office. 

Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority Audit (VRQA) 

On Tuesday we will have our VRQA audit.  The VRQA audit is conducted by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) to ensure that schools in Victoria are meeting the required standards for registration. The audit assesses the school's compliance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, the National Education Agreement, the National Quality Framework and any other relevant legislation, regulations and standards. The audit also reviews the quality of the school’s governance, management, teaching and learning, and other operational processes.  All schools in Victoria are audited by VRQA every 5 years.

Dental Van: FREE Dental Health at Sacred Heart

This week forms have been sent home regarding the FREE Dental Treatment provided for all students in Victoria through ADH. Australian Dental Health VIC is an Independent Initiative providing all school students dental treatment beyond the Medicare eligibility criteria, meaning all students are able to participate. ADHV is an independent, stand-alone company that can see all children. The organisation runs on its own accord to ensure all children across the board receive vital treatment.  

The forms need to be returned to school by 8th May. The dental van will visit Sacred Heart on the first day of term 3, 10th July.

Have a great weekend everyone and God Bless!

Mark Gibson

Religious Education

Parish News - Farewell & Welcome

In Parish News, Father Shaiju is finishing up his time in Mildura and is taking up a role as Parish Priest in Robinvale.  We thank Father Shaiju for his contribution to both our school community and within our parish and wish him well in Robinvale.  We welcome Father John Corrigan to our parish who will work alongside Father Matthew. Father John is originally from Ballarat and has spent time in Hamilton. He is looking forward to meeting students, staff and families. 

Sacrament of Confirmation

We continue to pray for Year Three children who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

2023 Sacramental Dates

Confirmation

Sacrament of Confirmation - Friday 26th to Sunday 28th May 2023

First Eucharist

Parent Information Evening - Wednesday 12th July 2023 @ 7pm SH Church 

Sacrament of First Eucharist - Friday 25th to Sunday 27th August 2023

Reconciliation

Parent Information Evening - Wednesday 11th October 2023 7pm SH Church 

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Wednesday 29th November 2023 7pm SH Church

Learning and Teaching News

Scholastic Book Fair- ‘Bookaneer Book Fair - Where Books are the Treasure.’      

Date: Monday 22nd May- Friday 26th May       

Location: On the stage in the stadium

Shopping Times: 8:20am - 8:40 am and 3:00pm -3:40 pm each day

Staff Professional Learning- Structured Literacy

On the final day of Term 1 Sacred Heart staff participated in professional learning which gave an overview of the research which supports a change to Literacy instruction.

Over the course of this term, staff will engage in professional learning specifically in the areas of Phonology (the system of sounds in language)  and Sound Symbols (matching sounds of spoken English to individual  letters or groups of letters). Over the course of the year, staff will continue to learn about the elements of Structured Literacy and the research that supports this approach to

teaching in readiness for 2024.  

Learning Diversity News

Our wellbeing dog has arrived! She is currently living with the Deacon family where she will be trained to remain calm in a busy family environment, in readiness for the business of the school day. After collecting suggested names for her, she will be called Coco which is a name well suited to her. We spoke to the students about the dog and presented them with a video which introduced them to the three expectations of having a well being dog on the school grounds and to help the dog relax whilst at school: 

• Say hello to the person and not the dog.
• Give space. 
• Keep moving! Don’t stand and stare. 

We have a video that introduces the school community to the Program also. Please take the time to watch it so that you are informed also.

Prep Unit News

Welcome back to Term 2! We trust that everyone had a lovely break and is ready for a fun filled term of learning and experiences.

Well done to all of our Preps on competing in their very first Cross Country!

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Our Prep Breakfast is coming up…  Friday 19th May. A note will come home on the Monday of that week with all the details!

Some reminders for the beginning of term:

• Please cover your child’s reading diary in clear contact.
• School starts at 8:45am each day. If you are at school after 8:45am you will need to sign your child in at the office. 
• Your child’s library bag needs to be at school every day - kept in their school bag.
• Sports days are Tuesday and Wednesday - sports uniform is needed.
• Practise the sounds caterpillars and fluency chart each night.
• Read and record ‘Enhanced Comprehension’ and ‘Reader’ in the reading diary each night.
• Library books are to be returned to school on Fridays.
• Sounds to continue practising with your child/ren at home: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, r, f, o.

Here are some photos of how we have returned to school for term 2… ENJOY!

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Junior Unit News

What a terrific start to the school term with ANZAC Day and Cross Country both in the first week. 

Congratulations to our talented competitors for their determination and persistence during today's Cross Country event. All the training over the holidays sure did pay off!

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Year One students received their Show and Tell schedule and Term 2 Diary this week. We encourage nightly reading and practising spelling the tricky words which are located in the back of the students' diaries.

Homework for Year 2 children will commence this term. Each week your child will have a Spelling sheet and a Maths sheet to complete. These will be glued into a Homework book. We will give the books to the children each Monday and would like them returned on the Friday so that we have time to look through what your child has been doing. It is important that your child is reading their Take Home book every night. We appreciate the time that you spend listening to your child read aloud as your feedback ensures that your child continues to develop effective reading skills

Many Junior Unit students have elected to participate in the Eisteddfod. These students have committed to their involvement and will be practising during class time twice a week up until Week 7. Please discuss with your child about their participation in the Junior Unit Choir and should you have any questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Some reminders for the beginning of term:

• Please cover your child’s reading diary in clear contact.
• School starts at 8:45am each day. If you are at school after 8:45am you will need to sign your child in at the office. 
• Your child’s library bag needs to be at school every day - kept in their school bag (Year 1) and placed on their classroom table in the morning (Year 2).
• Read and record ‘Enhanced Comprehension’ and ‘Take Home Book’ in the reading diary each night.
• Library books are to be returned to school on Fridays.

Middle Unit News

Welcome back to Term 2! We hope everyone has had a restful break and is ready for an excellent term of learning ahead!

 Some reminders for the beginning of term:

•   A reminder that school gates don't open until 8:15am. We strongly discourage students from being left unsupervised at the front of school prior to this time.  Classrooms open at 8:30. Year 4 students who arrive prior to 8:30 are asked to go to the courtyard where they are supervised. 
•   If students have an injury or medical reason to sit out of sport sessions we ask that parents either send along a note or email your child’s teacher/ Mr Burford.
  
•  Homework and reading has recommenced for the term. Students are encouraged to read for a minimum of 15 minutes each night and fill in their reading log as well as completing any homework tasks assigned. Homework is due each Friday.

Year Three are starting their Design and Tech unit this Term. They will be making and testing boats! It would be fantastic if anyone could save some of their recycling items (milk cartons, ice-cream containers, plastic bottles, meat trays etc) and drop them off to the Year Three room.

Senior Unit News

In Religion, students are learning about Gratitude, as warm feeling of thankfulness towards the world, or towards specific individuals. The person who feels gratitude is thankful for what they have, and does not constantly seek more. It is increasingly a focus of contemporary wellbeing programs, e.g. The Resilience Project. It is a very powerful mindset that is deeply underpinned by a person’s spirituality. With this topic students will be creating their own individual Gratitude Jar, we ask that all Year 5 and 6 students bring a glass jar next week. 

This term Year 6 are introducing Literature Circles to the reading program.  This may be a new strategy for some students and it will require some preparation work to be done at home each week and possibly some parental support for some students. To introduce a wider variety of literature to the students, a book will be selected for them to read.  At each group’s first meeting we will have a discussion about the book along with an agreed reading section. This will involve reading a particular number of chapters before the next meeting along with some written work about the assigned reading. 

For all Year 5 and 6 students there is the expectation that they are completing a minimum of 15 minutes independent reading each night and are encouraged to practise their timetables to enhance the automatic recall of facts. 

Each year Sacred Heart selects a group of Senior Unit students to take part in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads for 2023.  This is an annual contest which has been operating since 1987.  Every year, schools from all over Australia, New Zealand and other neighbouring countries take part.    Approximately 64,000 students participate yearly.  All other Senior Unit compete in the Maths Games Competition. 

The Olympiads/Maths Games consist of four separate contests held between May and September.  The overall aim is to encourage students to develop important mathematical problem solving skills in an enjoyable environment.  Our first session will be on Tuesday 9th May. 

Further information about the APSMO programs and resources can be found at our website www.apsmo.edu.au 

The senior students had a great day today at our School’s annual cross-country event. We congratulate students on their positive attitude and participation.

Library News

Book Club News:

Scholastic Book Club Issue #3

Book Club catalogues are being sent home with students today. Each order made contributes to Scholastic Dollars that the school can use to supplement resources. Orders must be made via the online LOOP ordering system that can be found in the link provided or follow the instructions on the back of the catalogue. Please note that Cash and Cheques are NOT accepted at school. 

https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

Ms Zema at azema@shmildura.catholic.edu.au

Physical Education News

Sacred Heart Environmental Committee SHEC

Our wonderful environmental ambassadors have had a terrific start to the year.  Last term the SHEC revitalised our worm farms, ensuring we had a plentiful supply of warm juice.  They reintroduced the sorting of food scraps for worm food and made shredded paper fire bricks.  

This term the SHEC will work with Jamie, the newly appointed Waste Education Project Officer at Mildura Rural City Council, to learn more about recycling and waste management.  We will have educational tours of the Ecovillage and the Councils Landfill Site.

Photo: Bella, our youngest and very passionate Environmental Ambassador feeding her plants at home with the worm juice.

Principal's Awards

Congratulations to Theo Johnston for receiving the Principal's award for Term 1.

Students of the Week Awards

No Awards this Week

Ray White Positive Behaviour Awards

No Awards this week.