Principal News 

 LOCK’EM IN

Dear Families and Friends,

As another week draws to a close at Sacred Heart, we want to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our students and staff. This week has been particularly demanding, with students participating in daily swimming lessons. Despite the challenge, their enthusiasm and exemplary behaviour have stood out, with teachers unanimously praising their conduct to and from the pool.

With one week of the program remaining—and as end-of-year fatigue naturally sets in—combined with the intensity of swimming lessons, we encourage families to remain mindful of heightened emotions in the coming weeks. Your support and understanding during this busy time are always greatly appreciated.

On another positive note, many staff have already observed significant improvements in students' swimming skills after just one week of the program. The Danny Frawley Centre has been an outstanding facility, and we couldn’t be more impressed with their program and staff.

Thank you families for your continued encouragement, awareness and care as we approach the finish line of another wonderful year!

Reminder: Final School Closure Day for 2024

Next Friday marks our final school closure day for 2024. This tightly structured day is an important opportunity for us to:

• Review all datasets and the school’s Annual Action Plan (Goals, targets and eividence).
• Begin planning for the upcoming school year.
• Conduct comprehensive student handovers to next year’s classroom teachers.

We are pleased to confirm that all new staff will also attend this purposeful and productive day, ensuring a smooth transition for 2025.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to set our school up for another successful year!

A Phenomenal Assembly at Sacred Heart

Today,  we enjoyed a truly wonderful assembly filled with so many highlights that showcased our incredible Sacred Heart community.

We warmly welcomed our new students in grades other than Prep as they joined us for their orientation day. We were treated to an inspiring presentation from the impressive Will and Remy, followed by Nate and Xavier sharing their amazing travel adventures, running achievements, and charity efforts - wow, what an achievement boys!

To top it all off, we were left in awe by a stunning singing performance from Isla in Year 1.

It was a sensational morning that perfectly captured the heart of our Sacred Heart community—the very best in the Bayside!

ASSESSMENT & DATA - CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

In recent weeks, all students from Prep to Year 6 have completed their final assessments for the school year. These assessments provide a valuable opportunity to evaluate and reflect on their growth over an extended period. While we regularly assess our students throughout the year, this end-of-year process is particularly significant, allowing us to compare current performance with data from the early weeks of the school year and 12 months prior.

Our goal is for every student to demonstrate a minimum of 12 months' growth, and the early results are just outstanding! As Kate Stroud, our Teaching and Learning Leader, shared with the P-2 staff: "You have given our junior children the very best start to their schooling. Our junior data highlights that our teachers are successfully guiding children across the metaphorical reading bridge within 36 months—a remarkable achievement."

At Sacred Heart, we are incredibly proud to be leading the way, thanks to the unwavering dedication of our teaching team in continually refining and improving their pedagogy. We are deeply grateful to every staff member, including our key Learning Support Officers, whose vital contributions ensure all students have the opportunity to thrive.

These fabulous results are a testament to our collective commitment to evidence-based teaching practices, such as explicit and direct instruction, alongside the structured approaches we have embedded. The growth we are witnessing reflects the consistent effort, focus, and teamwork demonstrated by our staff over the past two and a half years.

Congratulations to both staff and students for these truly exceptional achievements—may this success continue for years to come!

CHRISTMAS CAROLS 

When: 4th December from 5pm - 6pm

Where: School Oval

All families welcome!

It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas…

The festive season is upon us, and the joyful sounds of Christmas carols are starting to fill every corner of our school. We are thrilled to see Mr. Coutts in his element—this being his favourite time of the year—as he prepares students during music classes for our much-anticipated Christmas carols celebration later in the term. Please see details on the nForma Portal under 'Notices' and in this newsletter on the Deputy page regarding what the children are encouraged to wear for the evening.

Adding to the excitement, we are delighted to share that Mr. Coutts and Miss Robertson, our former music teacher, will be performing together at the Bayside Carols in Dendy Park. What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!

Staffing

Congratulations, Kate Stroud!

A huge congratulations to the remarkable Kate Stroud on completing her Masters in Language & Literacy this week. Kate has been instrumental in her role as our Literacy Leader, driving profound change in how we approach literacy education.

Over the past few years, we have completely transformed our literacy practices, pivoting to only evidence-based approaches grounded in the Science of Learning & research. Kate’s leadership in this area has been nothing short of extraordinary. 

Our staff have embraced Kate’s passion and research-informed leadership without hesitation, resulting in a high-performing approach to literacy that has inspired our staff and many neighboring schools. Kate’s expertise is now widely sought after, with schools actively reaching out for her insights and arranging tours to observe our literacy practices in action.

It is particularly noteworthy that Kate has achieved all of this while working full-time, completing her Masters, and earning her accreditation as an MSL Educational Specialist. She epitomizes a lifelong learner, making a lasting impact on both students and staff i.e. changing their pathways.

We are also thrilled to announce that Kate, along with Miss Rafferty have been appointed Deputy Principal for 2025. Congratulations to you both on this well-deserved recognition of your leadership and dedication to learning and teaching!

School Captain Speeches

As part of our student leadership program, our future Year 6 leaders were tasked with preparing presentations, including slides and videos, to showcase their vision and skills as potential school captains for next year. On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of dropping into Year 5 after being drawn from the office by a raucous round of applause as students celebrated their peers’ impressive presentations.

It was a truly special experience to see the class attentively watching these outstanding videos, followed by an opportunity for each student to provide thoughtful and encouraging 'positive booster or two glows' feedback to their peers. These videos have since been shared with all staff to showcase to their students, and voting will take place to select our 2025 school captains.

A huge thank you to Year 5 students for their effort and enthusiasm, as well as to Miss Bull, Mrs. Maddocks, and Miss Levy for facilitating this affirming and valuable process.

Our school captains for 2025 will be announced at the final whole-school Mass of the year. Badges will then be blessed and presented at the opening Mass in 2025.

CLASH OF THE COURTS

Congratulations to our inspiring mums and Amanda Molony and her incredible team for organising this phenomenal tournament with our neighboring schools. What began just two years ago with two schools has grown remarkably—this year, we proudly welcomed eight schools to participate in this wonderful community event. From little things, big things grow!

All funds raised go directly to TeamSports4All, a most worthy organisation dedicated to helping children and families access sporting opportunities. A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this event such a success!

Exciting Updates on Our Building Project!

I’m thrilled to share that we are on track for the handover of Stage 1 of our building project! Seven of the ten newly refurbished classrooms are scheduled for their defects inspection in the coming week, as we approach the December handover. This earlier-than-expected inspection will allow uninterrupted access for trades to finalize any remaining work before we prepare to relocate students.

In preparation, we’ve placed a substantial order for new portable joinery to enhance what will soon be stunning new classrooms. This flexible furniture will enable staff to personalise their learning spaces to meet the needs of their students. While we’re hopeful for a timely delivery, current demand means the furniture may not arrive until the new year.

As part of this process, please note that our current Prep, Year 1, and Year 5 students will be relocating closer to the end of this year. These existing classrooms will form part of Stage 2 of the refurbishment program. Recently, our builders have requested early access to these spaces, potentially starting December 9, ahead of the schedule. If approved, this could significantly accelerate the timeline for Stage 2, including the classrooms at the end of the corridor currently occupied by the Year 1 and Prep classes, as well as the admin area and STEM room.

We remain confident in ensuring a smooth start to the new school year, even if temporary learning spaces are required. With progress advancing rapidly, we are encouraged by this recent push from our builders and remain optimistic that the entire project could be completed early in Term 1.

Thank you for your continued support as we work towards the handover of these exceptional learning spaces for our students! Please watch for key communications as we will be seeking parental support with this move.

🔨Building Progress🔨

This week:

New tile capping to roof ✅

New external doors to playground✅

Window and door frames installed✅

Handrails 95%✅

Paint Undercoat ✅

Carpet 90%✅

Pin boards 100%✅

Whiteboards 100%✅

Bleaches 100%✅

Lighting 30%✅

Ceiling Tiles 70%✅

❤️LITTLE HEARTS PLAYGROUP💙

 A huge thank you to our families for spreading the word—just as one parent said, "Build it, and they will come."

Next Session: Christmas Playgroup Friday 6th December

Bring a plate of goodies to share for morning tea

It's also worth noting that our enrolments for 2026 are filling up quickly, with several tours already completed or scheduled, and enrolment papers are coming in. 

Please ensure prospective families and friends are aware we anticipate large ennrolment numbers and a likely early cut off date. 

LITTLE GEMS💎

A Pretty Special Moment

This beautiful picture below truly made my day on Thursday, even bringing a very proud Miss Bull to tears. When one of our dear Prep students found their usual buddy was absent for the session, Iszac from Year 5 happily stepped in to work with them for the afternoon. Iszac’s gentle manner was nothing short of remarkable, highlighting the true spirit of kindness and leadership. This moment is a testament to the value and importance of our buddy program in fostering connection and support across these year levels.

Well done, Iszac—you’ve made us all incredibly proud!

While our staff regularly stay connected throughout the week, coordinating their work attire isn’t typically on their agenda. However, last Friday, it was a delightful to see Miss Levy and Miss Bull unintentionally pull off nearly matching outfits—it’s not an uncommon occurrence, but it’s always lovely when it happens! 

Love your work Iggy & Ben. Thanks for sharing your Hiragana, I was so impressed. 

Look out, Brisbane Olympics 2032!

We’ve got some future superstars in the making, with Milo, Nate, and Noah absolutely shining at the Regional Athletic Carnival! Congratulations to these champs—we love celebrating your amazing achievements. Keep aiming for the stars!

Queenstown Marathon and NZ South Island Hiking - Nate and Xavier superstars

Nate (Yr 5) and Xavier (Yr3) participated in the Queenstown Marathon Festival, completing a 10km non-stop run. They faced 12.5k runners, but managed to remain unphased and fully enjoyed the day. They also participated in hikes, including climbing Roys Peak and Milford Sound track. Overall over 28km! The family pledged $1 per kilometer per person to donate to the RSPCA, resulting in a total donation of $112. The family, are proud of the boys' determination and sense of adventure, showcasing how kids can enjoy the world around them and contribute positively to the community.  Well done boys; we are super proud too!

And finally...

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, families. Let’s make this a truly great ride to the end of term!

Warm regards,

Simon C

Principal