ISSUE 12: May 5th, 2023

Principal / Executive Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends,

Our staff have had a productive day working with renowned international educator Tom Hierck to further clarify our purpose and collective commitments. Tom’s passion for building supportive school environments further enhanced our commitment to ensuring students feel safe, included, valued and engaged in education.

My Sabbatical Leave

In 2023, I was due to take six weeks of sabbatical leave to travel and undertake study to help benefit myself and the school community.  I have decided to take this leave from Monday 15th May to the end of term on Friday 23rd June.  During this time I will visit Mungo and Lake Victoria to connect with the ancient sacredness of Aboriginal Spirituality and culture.  I also hope to work with professionals to look at ways to improve culture and wellbeing for schools and individuals. I will research contemporary behaviour approaches where students collaboratively solve problems with staff when encountering difficulties.  I also hope to learn more about the Mercy charism and how the Sisters of Mercy and their founder Catherine McAuley assisted some of the most vulnerable people across the world.  I expect this opportunity to be a rewarding experience that will assist me professionally and personally.

In my absence Mr O’Callaghan will cover for me and I thank him for all that he has done for me to date this year.  Mrs Deacon will undertake the Deputy Principal position. I thank Mr O’Callaghan, Mrs Deacon and anyone who is required to do extra during my absence.

Mother’s Day Stall 

Our annual Mother’s Day Stall will be held this Friday morning from 9-11am.  Classes will be called to come out and purchase a $5 gift for their mum between these times.  Parents can make payment through CDF Pay (which has been set up) or some may choose to send cash with their child/ren. If you are free and would like to help we will require parent helpers on the stall between 8:30am & 11am, please contact the office and leave your contact details and the time you are available.

Mrs Guthrie Long Service Leave

We wish Mrs Guthrie & her husband Luke all the best for a wonderful trip to Vietnam.  Mrs Guthrie is taking Long Service Leave from Monday, 8th May to Friday, 2nd June.  All the best Mrs Guthrie!

Cross Country Assembly 

Our next assembly is Friday, 12th May, where we will present Cross Country awards.

Winter Sports Trials

Year 5/6 students are taking part in Winter Sport trials on Monday, 8th May for Football, Netball, Soccer & Hockey teams.

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. Tours will take place at the following times:  9.30am, 12pm, 4.30pm & 6pm.  This is a great opportunity for new families to see how learning happens at Sacred Heart and for parents to build relationships with one another, as we work towards a smooth transition to school.

To book a tour please complete the form on our website page: https://shmildura.catholic.edu.au/book-a-tour 

If you know any parents with four-year-old children, please pass this information on. 

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. 

Sacred Heart Environmental Committee (SHEC) Excursion

The SHEC Team is taking part in a Mildura Landfill/Eco Village Visit this Thursday 11th May.  Students will be leaving school at 10.40am and will return at approximately 11.40am.  Mrs Sherry, Mr Carmichael & Mrs Zalec will attend with students.

Year 6 Illawarra Staffing

This Thursday, 11th May is Mrs Amilea Pacher’s last day before beginning Maternity Leave.  We thank Amilea for her work with Illawarra so far this year and wish her all the best with the upcoming birth.

I am now very pleased to be able to announce Miss Sharon Matthews as the new teacher. Miss Matthews is an experienced teacher who has worked internationally and at schools across Australia.  She has held many classroom and learning support teacher positions throughout her career and has recently returned to Mildura to be near family.  Miss Matthews will commence at Sacred Heart on Monday, 8th May to allow a transition period with Mrs Pacher.

Winter Uniform

With many days being much cooler we encourage children to dress appropriately for the weather conditions.  Dressing appropriately can help avoid illness amongst students. On cold days our winter uniform is most appropriate.  Tights should not be worn with summer uniform and the navy blue weather-proof jacket doesn’t replace a jumper. In classrooms these jackets cannot be worn so a jumper is still encouraged to be worn.

Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) Audit 

I am pleased to report that last week we successfully completed our VRQA audit passing all the requirements set out in the VRQA Guidelines for Education Providers.  Thanks to Julie Graham, our Risk and Compliance Officer for all her hard work ensuring that we were up to date in all matters of compliance.

Dental Van: FREE Dental Health at Sacred Heart: Return forms by this Friday

Last week you will have received a form regarding the FREE Dental Treatment provided for all students in Victoria through ADH. 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

Sacrament of Confirmation

Students who are preparing for this Sacrament are expected to attend one of this weekend’s masses to receive a copy of the Creed.  Mass times are Saturday @ 6pm, Sunday @ 9am & Sunday @ 5pm.  Please disregard this if you attended one of last weekend’s masses.

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

 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Sacred Heart

This term children across all year levels will focus on topics of ‘Positive Coping’ and ‘Problem Solving’ during SEL lessons. These lessons follow the scope and sequence of Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships frameworkWhile these lessons focus on the same concepts, lessons are different based on the year level being taught. 

POSITIVE COPING

Learning activities in this topic provide opportunities for students to identify and discuss different types of coping strategies. When children and young people develop a language around coping, they are more likely to be able to understand and deliberately utilise a range of productive coping strategies and diminish their use of unproductive coping strategies. Students learn to extend their repertoire of coping strategies and benefit from critically reflecting on their own choices and being exposed to alternative options.

Activities introduce students to the concept of self-talk and practice using positive self-talk to approach and manage challenging situations. Positive self-talk is a key strategy for coping with negative thoughts, emotions and events. It is associated with greater persistence in the face of challenge, and can be learnt or strengthened through practice.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Problem-solving skills are an important part of the coping repertoire. The classroom program provides a number of learning activities to develop students’ problem-solving skills. The activities in the program assist students to develop their critical and creative thinking skills, and to apply them to scenarios exploring personal, social and ethical dilemmas.

Book Fair

On the Friday of Week 4 children will have the opportunity to view the book fair and write a ‘Wishlist’ of book titles of interest to them. They will also bring home a brochure of books available at the fair. The wishlist gives all children the opportunity to view the fair however this is not to put pressure on parents. Any purchases of books during the book fair are to occur during the opening times before and after school with a parent. 

Date: Monday 22nd May- Friday 26th May

Location: On the stage in the stadium                                                                    

Learning Diversity News

Our wellbeing dog Coco, is doing well. She is crate trained now and happily plays with her toys and is very near being toilet trained. She is also learning that barking to get human attention does not work and she is beginning to wait quietly in order to gain attention. 

When playing inside, she has a mat that she always goes to when she needs a rest, so that it will be taken to school each day and placed in each classroom, so that she feels safe and calm. Coco is a curious little puppy and she loves to be outside in the garden during the day. At last week’s assembly the students were shown an introductory video, explaining the reasons behind having a wellbeing dog at school; the benefits and the expectations of the school community when the dog is on site. The three expectations of:

The aim of the expectations are to ensure that Coco does not get too excited and remains calm whilst in the busy school environment.  She will be given plenty of time to be a regular dog when she is not on ‘the job.’  

Coco is an Australian Cobber Dog (purebred Labrador/Poodle cross) so she is hypoallergenic and does not shed fur.  She has wool - like fur, so will not pick up as many outdoor allergens. 

A letter was sent home to each family yesterday (Thursday 4/5), to gain an indication of their children’s experiences with dogs. Please take the time to fill it out and send it back to school. If your child is particularly frightened by the thought of a dog being at school, please indicate this on the back of the note and we will ensure that an individualised transition/introduction takes place prior to Coco being introduced to the students when she is 14 weeks old. Keep in mind that Coco is in and will continue to be in training to remain passive and calm while at school. She is not the school’s pet dog, but a wellbeing dog. 

If you have any further queries, please contact Mrs Deacon: jdeacon@shmildura.catholic.edu.au

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data 

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year. The Please read the fact sheet for parents, guardians and carers attached:

Prep Unit News

This week in Prep we have learned lots about using our sounds to write sentences. We have been focussing on making sure we try super hard to write our letters correctly, put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, use a full stop at the end of a sentence and use our phoneme fist to help us hear the sounds we need to write in our words. A little practise at home never hurts… here are some sentences you could have your child write: I sat on a mat, I sat, Sam is sad, I am Sam, Nan sat on it, A pip in a tin, A rat on a mat. In Sport we are learning to skip with a single rope and the big rope. The students are super excited about learning to skip and trying really hard to master this tricky skill.  Enjoy the photos of some of this week’s learning! 

Our Prep Breakfast is on  Friday 19th May. A note will come home on Monday 15th May 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 to develop automaticity. Automatic recognition of letters/sounds is extremely important in reading and writing.
• 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.

Junior Unit News

Congratulations to all children who participated in our Cross Country last Friday. This event saw all modelling responsible and respectful behaviour through their enthusiasm, positive attitudes and comradery. 

Our Year One's created their own bird feeders as a conclusion to their Science unit. Students looked at the birds they would like to attract, assessed the shape of their beak and identified the food they eat. Students then designed their own bird feeder, filled them with food and hung them around the school. 

We are very impressed with the dedication to daily reading that our children have returned to school with. Thank you for supporting them with this.

Next Friday (12th May) is our Mother's Day stall as well as the Cross Country Assembly. Mother's Day stall 'tokens' can be bought through CDF Pay should you wish for your child to purchase something at school.

Middle Unit News

Some reminders:

• 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.

• We really encourage students to bring brain food each day to school. This can be cut up fruit or vegetables. 

• Students are expected to be in full school uniform each day. In particular all black shoes are required with normal school uniform. Runners are also required on sports days, not skate/ casual shoes. A reminder that girls’ hair is to be tied back, scrunchies or headbands being navy or pale blue only and no makeup or nail polish is permitted.  

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

Nothing to Report this week

Library News

Donations:

SHPS wishes to thank the families who have donated books to the library. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Library Book Returns:

Our Minion friend would like a change of scenery, and it has been fun having him as our mascot for the Library Returns box. Within the coming weeks, an exciting replacement is arriving. So, watch this space!

Book Club News:

Scholastic Book Club Issue #3

Book Club catalogues have been sent home with students. 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 through the link provided or follow the instructions on the back of the catalogue. Cash and Cheques are NOT accepted by the school. 

Scholastic Book Club order  link: https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

Orders close at the end of the day on Thursday 11th of May and will be delivered to the school within 2 weeks. The items will be distributed to children via their classroom teachers. If you have questions or issues with Book Club, please do not hesitate to contact me rather than directly messaging Scholastic.

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

Physical Education News

On Thursday, 28 students represented Sacred Heart at the Division Cross Country event. They enjoyed perfect conditions for running and all students did well to finish their respective 2km and 3km races around the Old Aerodrome Ovals. 10 students finished in the top 12 of their race, qualifying them for the Regional Cross Country set to take place in St. Arnaud next month.  We congratulate the following students on their placing and wish them the best in St. Arnaud:

Emmy Guthrie (5th), Lily Colbert (4th), Jenson McGlashan (12th), Ivy Hards (2nd), Lucinana Lazo (3rd), Jesse Sinclair (3rd), Mercedes Leal-Kaiser (7th), Remi McClelland (12th), Charlie Spratt (4th)and Henry Guthrie (7th). Our 11 year old girls were able to win the age group champion award and so too did our 9 & 10 year old girls who amazingly are all only 9 which is an incredible effort.

Students of the Week Awards

No Awards this Week

Ray White Positive Behaviour Awards

No Awards this week.