Principal News
Dear Families,
Another fortnight has flown past with many wonderful events and activities happening at Sacred Heart. Our Year Six students have had the wonderful opportunity to experience Canberra, learn about democracy, the War Memorial, Questacon, Canberra International Sports and Aquatic Centre (CISAC) and much, much more. It has been great getting little updates and we can’t wait to hear all about it next week. Their presence has been missed around the school and in the playground. We look forward to our senior students returning on Monday. Camps are such rich experiences for our students and in our current times where many schools are no longer offering school camps, we would like to acknowledge our amazing staff; Oscar, Mr Homer, Miss Newey and of course our hard working camp leader Mrs Tench. Their care for the students has been exemplary and we are blessed to have them on staff.
As we care for all members of our Sacred Heart families we would ask for your support to keep all of our children safe before and after school. Parking is tight, however if you are in the two minute car park in Sandringham Road, please wait for your child/children to come to you and stay in your car. Please do not overstay the allotted 2 minutes. If there are no spots available please slowly drive around the block and wait for the cars in front to move on.
Could we also be mindful of the need to have the gate locked at all times between 9:00am and 3:15pm. In the mornings you are welcome to stay and have a play with your younger children and then leave via the breeze way and through the front of the school. The gate needs to be locked throughout the day and will be opened at 3:15pm when myself, Mrs Stroud or Miss Maloney go out for duty. We thank everyone for supporting this.
Celebrate Learning
Having special visitors is the highlight of my day. We are so proud of our Prep students and the way in which they are learning and settling into their routines. Of course F is one of my favourite letters!
Sustainability
The Year 5s have led our school this week and helped support our reduce and recycle push! To reduce the amount of litter dropped around the school we encourage packaging to stay in the lunch box and go home, or food to arrive in containers or ‘nude’ depending on the items. When our Year 6s return we will continue to educate the community about the correct use of black rubbish bags and putting items in the correct bin to be collected.
Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday
So much fun was had by all at Sacred Heart as we enjoyed pancakes before school on Tuesday. Miss Maloney as our Religious Education Leader organised a fantastic morning where many people helped in varying ways. It was all hands on deck in the staff room and at the pancake bbq early in the morning, as we prepared for our guests. Again so many of our staff arrived early in the morning to cook, serve and/or clean to ensure it was a memorable celebration. It was great having Father Martin in the mix too! In particular we would like to shout out to Anne, grandmother of Olivia and Thomas who was in the thick of the pancake cooking and to Gus who waited at the gate for his buddy Lachie and took him over to the pancakes and helped him. We can’t wait to hear how much money was raised, going directly to Caritas to support those in need. Ash Wednesday, signifying the beginning of Lent was celebrated on Wednesday.
Running Club
This morning was our second week of Running Club. It is great having so many children and their families joining in. If you would like to join in, come with your child/children and we leave at 7:45am from the side gate. You can purchase a running club t-shirt from the uniform shop, if you wish. Of course this would not be possible without our hard working staff led by Mr Theo Jaynes our PE teacher, supported by Miss Bulte, Mr Homer and Miss Moloney. This is such a great way to start Friday morning, enjoy family fun and get fit.
Parent Teacher Chats
Last week the teaching staff met with families to learn about each child and how we can work in partnership to support them. Thank you for making the time to meet with us. We really value this partnership, and look forward to working with you this year.
School Advisory Council (SAC) 2026
This week we had our first SAC meeting. It was a pleasure to meet the members and we look forward to working with the council as we plan for our school community and ensure that each child is receiving the best faith and learning opportunities that we can give them. Our new Chair Helen will attend the Archbishop’s Dinner in March, where she will attend with Father Martin and meet other SAC Chairs and parish priests from schools across Melbourne. We look forward to hearing more about this. We thank the following people for their support of our school.
Chair: Helen Mertin
Principal: Cathy Ferrari
Parish Priest: Father Martin Tanti
Jessica Maxfield
Mel Nolan
Amber Harvey
Despina Ganella
P & F 2026
This week we also had our first 2026 P & F meeting. Our fundraising focus is our new playground and this group of impassioned and dynamic parents are really excited about the activities that are being planned. Last Friday the dads had fun at the Sacred Heart Dad’s lawn bowls. The grins on the faces holding the trophy says it all!
The Cocktail Party this Saturday night at The Deck in Bay Street Brighton, promises to be a great night. A huge thank you to Luisa, Nico, Sam and Amber for their leadership of the P & F, along with the class reps. The number of members in the P & F speaks to the vibrant and supportive Sacred Heart community.
Please know that an arm of the P & F is the Sacred Heart Outreach program. If you or a friend need support please email Pam - pamela.moore.personal@gmail.com or myself cferrari@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au and this can be confidentially and respectfully organised.
If you would like to be involved in a food bank should the situation arise please email Pam and she will put you on a list. This is a wonderful part of belonging to the Sacred Heart family. Those making food do not know who it is for and those receiving it will work with Pam or myself. I have been on the receiving end of this and my family would have not got through without it. Our parish school communities do this so well.
Table Tennis equipment
Thank you to Archie’s grandmother for her kind donation. The bats and balls will be well used. It is great that the table tennis table gets such a workout every lunch and recess.
Our Mud Kitchen
You may have noticed many industrious students making creations in the pizza oven area. Steve May, our new maintenance officer has made us an exciting mud kitchen. It is being enjoyed by many and we thank our Year Four students for helping with the equipment and leading this new area of our playground.
Upholding Our Commitment to Child Safety
The safety, wellbeing, and protection of our students are at the heart of everything we do. As part of our ongoing commitment to a positive and supportive environment, staff have recently completed training on the updated MACS Code of Conduct and mandatory reporting requirements.
The MACS Code of Conduct sets clear expectations for behaviour, ensuring that every member of our school community upholds these expectations while demonstrating responsible and ethical conduct. This Code serves as a vital guide in fostering a culture of integrity, respect, and care, where staff act as role models for students and the wider community.
Additionally, staff have undertaken mandatory reporting training, reinforcing their responsibility to identify and respond to concerns about child safety. This essential training ensures we remain vigilant in our duty to protect and support every student in our care. By embracing these responsibilities, we continue to strengthen Sacred Heart as a safe, inclusive, and nurturing place for all.
This year, each month we will be focusing on one of the 11 Child Safe Standards. In February we will be exploring Standard 1, as a staff and then with our students.
Standard 1 : Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
What does this look like at Sacred Heart? Our students learn about our first nations people and their connection to country. We teach and enact our acknowledgement of country before each meeting, assembly and when gathering as a class or whole school group. We continue to ensure that all our students feel respected and valued, in belonging to our Sacred Heart Family.
Cyber Safety - Inform & Empower
We are so grateful to our families who attended the invaluable and powerful parent information evening online, Raising Kids in a Digital World, presented by leading experts Marty and Carley.
This session provided essential insights and practical strategies to help families navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, ensuring our children develop healthy, safe, and balanced online habits. Your engagement in these conversations is crucial in supporting our students to thrive in the digital age, this a must for all families.
School Open Days & Tours for Enrolments 2027
Enrolments for Prep 2027 are now open and we encourage all families to submit their applications as soon as possible. The enrolment application is to be completed via our School Website here:
Our Open Days are scheduled for:
- Monday February 23rd
- Wednesday March 4th
Tuesday March 10th
Please head to our School Website to book your preferred tour time. We’re grateful to our families for continuing to share the positive stories of our school within the community. If none of the scheduled times work for you, the office will be happy to organise an alternative time.
Student Mobile Phones / Smart Watches
We kindly ask families to remind students that all mobile phones and Smart Watches (any device with cellular capability) are to be handed to their classroom teacher at the start of each school day, in accordance with Victorian State Government legislation. Thank you for your support. Should you need to reach your child during school hours, please contact the school office.
School Playground 2026
This year, we are delighted to work alongside our Parents & Friends to raise funds for our exciting new playground project. Your support will be greatly appreciated by our students as we work to replace our outdated equipment, our children simply cannot wait! The P&F has a number of wonderful events planned to support this project, and we encourage families to join in whenever they can, as every contribution makes a difference. We sincerely thank Luisa, Nico, and the entire team for leading these initiatives. We are excited to announce to our community that work will commence for our playground on Monday March 2nd, with fencing and demolition as our starting point.
School Closure Days
Reminding all families that on Thursday 5th March and Friday 6th March the school is closed allowing our staff to attend our 2026 Staff Conference. The focus for our conference this year is student wellbeing and faith formation.
Finally we congratulate our Year Three high jumper Rio, well done!
Take care and wishing God's blessings and peace upon each of you.
Mrs Cathy Ferrari
