Principal News
Dear Sacred Heart Community
Welcome Back
As has been the case after our previous lockdowns, our school was abuzz with happy smiling faces, earnest conversations and an evident feeling of joy catching up with friends. The resumption for our students, staff (and I can only assume parents), of what is a normal and therefore comfortable routine back at school and in the classroom, was most exciting, and we hope and pray that we can have no more interruptions to our school year. The photos below capture some of our students happiness at being back at school in the first part of yesterday.
How fitting that on our first day back from lockdown, a couple of our "eagle eyed" students spotted the first hint of spring, with some blossom buds blooming. It was as if the trees were welcoming back our students after the school yard has been so quiet these past two weeks.
Year Three First Reconciliation
We have rescheduled the Sacrament of First Reconciliation for our Year Three candidates to Tuesday 10th August at 6.30pm. Further and more detailed information will be given early next week.
School Closure Day
Our school closureday for this term, for staff to work on their professional development, will be Friday 10th September. On this day our staff will be working on the faith development part of our student's curriculum. We will organise EXTEND to offer its out of school care service on this day.
Enrolments
Whilst enrolments for Year Prep 2022 students attending our school officially closed at the end of last term, we still have some positions available. We also have some positions in other classes as well for 2022, so please spread the word to your family, friends and neighbours who live in the area, that Sacred Heart School is well worth considering for their child's primary schooling years.
School Production
We are due to have our school production this year. Those families who experienced "Songs from the Heart" in 2019 at the Thornbury Theatre, I am sure like me will remember a great night showcasing and celebrating our students talents in the performing arts. Initial planning is currently happening and in the coming weeks we will provide you with further information. At the moment we are exploring dates for next term in the early stages of November.
Student Wellbeing
The lock down has affected all of us in some way, as our way of life over the past eighteen months has been very different to whatever we have experienced in the past. As a school, the affect on the wellbeing of our students has been very much at the forefront of our decision making and planning. Detailed below is some very valuable information from Kate our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, about resources that are available to parents and guardians in the event they have concerns about their child's wellbeing. To reiterate some of what Kate explains, if you have any concerns please see us at school.
Lunch Orders
Lunch orders resume tomorrow with the canteen at Parade Preston Campus. A reminder that we have a number of students with outstanding orders from when we went into lockdown a fortnight ago. These orders will be filled tomorrow. As a one off because of the short notice, will still accept lunch orders first thing in the morning.
Congratulations Joel
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, our Year Six student Joel was selected to represent Victoria in a tennis tournament in Brisbane against the best tennis players in the country. Joel finally got to achieve his moment of glory earlier this term when he travelled by plane with the Victorian team and played a number of matches in Brisbane. Congratulations Joel on this magnificent achievement. Could we see Joel again competing in Brisbane this time representing Australia at the 2032 Olympics?
Please take care.
Yours Sincerely
Mark Tierney
Principal
Wellbeing Resources from our Wellbeing Coordinator
Dear Parents,
The challenges of our 5th lockdown in Melbourne feels a little different from this time last year. With 3 school aged children of my own, I know that remote learning and lockdown with kids can be quite an up and down time for everyone in the family!
As we emerge from lockdown and the students return to school; we know that we are still living in uncertain times and so are our children.
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools have provided us with a number of website links that offer a range of resources, ideas and support that you might find helpful. If I hear of any parent webinars that become available I will include them in our newsletter. Please do not hesitate to contact Mark, Liz or myself if you or your child feels in need of wellbeing support when we transition back to onsite learning.
Take Care,
Kate Harris
Student Wellbeing Leader
https://andrewfuller.com.au This website is from Dr. Andrew Fuller who is a psychologist who has free resources, talks and books about resilience, psychology, brains and learning.
Parents website:Staying calm and carrying on The Parent’s website has a broad range of helpful advice and topics. This link is a family survival guide during lockdown.
https://www.berrystreet.org.au/news/parents-and-carers-be-kind-to-yourself This is an article that provides tips and ideas for parents and carers to remember to be kind to themselves.
SchoolTV is a new online resource for parents on a wide range of topics providing information with practical ongoing support strategies.