Deputy Principal
End of Term 3
Term 3 finishes on Friday 20 September at 12:45pm. Camp Australia will be open from this time for any families wishing to use this service.
Term 4 commences on Monday 7 October.
Sustainability Leaders - Save the Koalas
Our Sustainability Leaders invite all students to wear casual clothes on the final day of Term Three as part of our chosen fundraising efforts to save the Koalas. All children may wear casual clothes and bring a gold coin donation for this worthy cause. Thanks for your support!
Sacred Heart Art Show - Tickets on Sale
WHERE & WHEN
We warmly invite Sacred Heart families and friends to join us for an art-full afternoon on Friday 18th of October. The art show theme is Art is Everywhere and students will be able to come to school in free dress, with a touch of wearable art. The Art Show will be held in the MPR, and is open from 3.15pm to 7pm.
WIN OR BUY SOME AMAZING ARTWORKS
The students have been working hard on their collaborative year level artworks which will be available through our Year Level art raffle. Tickets can be purchased on the day for $20 each or 3 for $50. We will also be raffling an artwork generously donated by Nicky Tsekouras.
Nicky Tsekouras is a former Sacred Heart student and an emerging contemporary artist who has a passion for sustainability. He uses materials others might consider scrap, and turns them into powerful visualisations of his inner thoughts and feelings. Nicky runs workshops to help young people explore art, and facilitated a whole school collage incursion with Sacred Heart students in 2023. We will also be selling packs of greeting cards featuring exceptional artworks by our Year 3 artists. Funds raised at the Art Show will go towards a whole school excursion to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibition in 2025.
We look forward to sharing the wonderful work we do through the Visual Arts program with the Sacred Heart community. This is an opportunity for our young artists to share what they know and can do. We think you will be amazed by their talent, creativity and skill.
To purchase tickets for entry cost, click the link below:
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1284739
Any questions? Please contact Mrs Burnes via the office.
Screen time for your child - 7 tips
There is a lot of conflicting advice and emerging research around screen time. But, the right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. It can be easy to focus only on the clock and how long your child is spending in front of the screen, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement are just as important.
Consider your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing – for example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting on their face-to-face connections with family and friends? The answers to these questions will guide you and help strike the right balance of online and offline activities for your child.
1. Be involved Sharing screen time and online activities like gaming with your child helps you gauge the appropriateness of what they are doing and manage potential risks. It’s also a great way to start conversations with your child about their online experiences.
2. Work with your child to set boundaries for screen use. If you decide that setting screen time limits is right for you and your child, discuss these new rules with your child. Older children are more likely to cooperate if they have been part of the decision making process. Colourful pictures or charts of daily limits and other important activities is a fun way to get younger children on board.
3. Be clear about the consequences of not switching off. Part of our role as parents is to set clear limitations and boundaries. The same applies to technology limitations so, being clear and consistent about the consequences for your child if they do not stick to these rules is paramount. The Raising Children Network provides some useful tools and advice.
4. Set device-free zones and times at home. Device-free zones can help you manage your family’s digital use. Here are some ideas for setting digital boundaries within your home:
• no devices in the bedroom for younger children
• all screens off in bedrooms after a certain time for older children
• all screens off at least one hour before planned bedtime
• all family members switch off at dinner time
• charge devices overnight in a place your child cannot access
5. Ask your child to explain their screen use. Get your child in the habit of explaining why they want to be in front of a screen or online. It’s a great way to get them thinking about their own digital habits and balancing screen time with other activities.
6. Use tech tools to help manage access. There are robust products and device functions which allow you to see which apps are being used in your home and for how long. But try not to use these tools to secretly monitor your child. Instead, be open about the process and check the whole family’s usage, including your own. Start with Google Family Link for Android devices or parental controls and Screen Time for iPhone/iPad.
7. Lead by example. Your behaviour is one of the most effective ways to help your child develop a positive digital mindset. Show your child you can put down your device too.
For more information about eSafety, click on the website link https://www.esafety.gov.au/
YouTube
A reminder that the minimum age for accessing YouTube is 13+. The link below includes information about the following:
-What is YouTube?
-How do people use YouTube?
-How can you report abuse or inappropriate content or ask for content to be removed?
-How can you protect your personal information?
-Key safety and wellbeing links
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide/youtube
It is highly recommended that YouTube Kids is used instead.
MACSSIS Family School Improvement Survey
Our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings that students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our school. MACSSIS data benefits everyone within our school and provides valuable community insights on areas that each school can focus on. Our school believes it is important to encourage families to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.
The survey is now available online and can be accessed until Friday 20 September 2024. This survey may only be completed once.
Thank you for your participation in the MACSSIS family survey.
School Uniform
A reminder to ensure your child is wearing the correct Sacred Heart School Uniform, including socks and shoes. The Sacred Heart School Uniform is a uniform that we hope students wear with pride. We thank you for your support in this area.