Sacred Heart Primary School Newsletter

Principal's News

Dear Parents & Carers

Welcome everybody to 2024. 64 Foundation students made a very calm start to Primary school, as did an additional five students across the other grades and several new and returning Staff members. We are delighted to welcome back Sheridan Finn (Foundation) and Adam Garner (Gr 1) who have both begun their teaching careers proper with us this year, both having worked at Sacred Heart as trainees straight out of Year 12 before also working as Learning Support Officers and fill in teachers in recent years.  We are delighted too, to welcome Paul Maddern to our Teaching team as a Grade 2 teacher and part of our school’s Leadership Team. 

Mrs Lucy Moynihan has returned from Maternity Leave and will be sharing the role of Learning Diversity Leader with Mrs Jaci Davis who has been teaching Maths primarily in the senior grades up until this year.

We also welcome back Ms Tammie Rooney (Gr 4) after working in various part time roles in recent years. Similarly Mrs Amy Angus will be working on specific programs within our curriculum.

New to our school, though, is Ms Alana Ingles. Alana will be teaching Music and Drama across the school and we are very excited to be able to staff this position again. Thank you and welcome Alana.

 

All of our staff are a great resource for parents, don’t be afraid to contact us if you feel unsure or are worried about anything at school. 

 

The relationship between home and school is very important to me because it can have such an impact on the development of our students. It is important that parents TRUST us. Everything we do here at Sacred Heart is to benefit our students. Everything is about helping our children to “Have Fun” (Welfare) and “Learn Stuff”.

Our students are here to make mistakes - THIS IS HOW WE LEARN. The trick is not to panic when we do. Think about how all of us learnt to ride a bike, cook the perfect steak, hit a forehand just right, be a school principal etc etc. - get some instruction, have a go, make a mistake, practise, Watch a Youtube clip, practise, practise, seek advice etc practise some more.

Sometimes that will mean that our children need to be corrected - just as they do at home - this is part of the learning process. We’re all here to make mistakes and to learn from them. Kids will make these mistakes with their school work and they will make them in their dealings with others. So long as we understand this and all work together to support our kids to learn from these mistakes, and so long as we recognise them as an opportunity for growth, this is what school is for.

Parents need to feel confident that we have the best interests of our students at heart in all things because when parents feel confident about this, they feel less ANXIOUS and when parents feel less anxious, kids feel less anxious. 

 

END OF DAY ROUTINES Consistency and Predictability are the key themes to enable us to ensure each and every student catches the right bus or is delivered to the car every afternoon. At the end of each day we will continue to utilise four main Exits:

Our Prep Gate for families who have a child in Foundation  in 2024. Brothers and sisters of Foundation children should also use this exit. If your youngest child is in Grade 1, and you normally collect your children by car I would suggest that you use 

this week to start using either “Crossing 1” or the “Gym Gate” as your new Collection Point. This will leave the area immediately in front of the school free for this year’s Foundation and their siblings.

Bus children will continue to meet Mrs Daffy at the “Bus Gate” on Pound road.

Crossing 1 refers to the parking area along both sides of Hart Street, but north of our school,  in front of Trinity College.

There may well be some teething problems as these routines are settling during the next couple of weeks but we ask everyone to remain patient and courteous as we endeavour to deliver all students safely to their ride home from school each day.

 

Any deviations from the above routines make our job harder and potentially place children at risk.

One last item: One of our older students very politely asked me last week if he could ride his electric scooter to school.

I found the following information on the Vicroads website:

E-scooter riders must:

  • be aged 16 years and over
  • not exceed the maximum speed of 20 km/h
  • ride only on shared paths and roads that have a speed limit up to
    60km/h or on bike or shared paths
  • wear a helmet at all times
  • follow traffic rules
  • have front and rear lights if riding at night

E-scooter riders cannot:

  • ride on the footpath
  • use a mobile phone while riding
  • ride while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • carry passengers or animals or ride in tandem
  • ride a high-speed e-scooter – one capable of more than 25km/h
  • ride on roads that have a speed limit over 60km/h

So the answer was no. 

 

SCHOOL CLOSURE Parents and Carers should please note that our school will be closed on Friday February 16th for Staff Training. 

 

ASSEMBLIES are usually held fortnightly and are held in the school’s Multi Purpose Room every second Friday from approximately 9:10 a.m. Parents and Carers are welcome to attend. We will be conducting our first assembly this Friday, February 9th. 

 

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM INFORMATION NIGHT Catholic children in Grades 2 and 5 are invited to join the Parish Sacramental Preparation Program for Reconciliation this year. The Sacrament of Reconciliation for these children will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 12th or Thursday, March 14th. 

Parents who would like their children to take part in this program must attend an Information Night about the sacrament next Thursday afternoon or evening, Feb 15th. The first session will run from 4:00pm and the evening session from 7:00pm at St Mary’s Church.

 

HATS Sacred Heart is a “SunSmart School” and as such we have a policy that all students should wear a hat whilst outside playing at recess and lunch times during first and fourth terms. Children who do not have a hat will be instructed to play only in shaded areas such as our courtyard.

Please ensure hats are CLEARLY NAMED. Hats will be kept at school during both first and fourth terms.

 

MOBILE DEVICES AT SCHOOL A reminder to all parents that our school has a policy concerning the use of mobile devices at school. This policy is in line with a Directive from Victoria’s Education Minister that simply says that mobile phones and devices are not permitted at school. 

“The school has established processes for receiving and passing on important information to parents and to students. All parents and students are expected to respect and follow these processes so that the school maintains order and to ensure the safety of all of our students.”

“The school also holds concerns about the misuse of mobile phones in a school environment e.g. bullying, interruptions in class, distraction, children substituting phones for real life interactions with their school friends, inappropriate photography etc.”

Sacred Heart School Mobile Phone & Personal Device Policy 2020

Parents can access this policy via the school’s website or via this link: Mobile Phone and Personal Device Policy

I know it’s tough getting kids back into routine particularly during Daylight Saving but read this article recently and thought it worth sharing …..

Why sleep is important for children aged 5-11 years

When your child sleeps well, your child will be settled, happy and ready for school the next day. That’s because good-quality sleep helps your child concentrate, remember things, manage emotions and behave well. This all helps your child learn well.

Getting enough sleep is also important for your child’s health. That’s because it strengthens your child’s immune system and reduces the risk of infection and illness.

Sleep: what to expect at 5-11 years

At 5-11 years, children need 9-11 hours sleep a night. For example, if your child wakes for school at 7 am and needs approximately 10 hours sleep per night, your child should be in bed before 9 pm.

Some children fall deeply asleep very quickly when they go to bed. Others sleep lightly, fidgeting and muttering for up to 20 minutes, before getting into deep sleep.

Children have different kinds of sleep during the night. The first few hours of sleep are usually the deepest. Most dreams happen in the second half of the night.

Puberty affects children’s sleep. Sleep for children around 12 years and older might mean going to bed and waking up later, but they still need plenty of good-quality sleep.

How to help children sleep well

A good night’s sleep is about getting to sleep, staying asleep and getting enough good-quality sleep. Here are ideas that can help your child get the sleep they need.

Bedtime routineA bedtime routine is very important at this age. It helps your child wind down from the day.

For example, a child who normally goes to bed at 7.30 might have a bedtime routine that looks like this:

  • 6.45 pm: put on pyjamas, brush teeth, go to the toilet.
  • 7.15 pm: quiet time in the bedroom with a book and a bedtime story or quiet chat.
  • 7.30 pm: goodnight and lights out.

Relaxing before bedAfter a big day at school, your child might still be thinking about the day’s events and worries. If your child’s mind is still busy at bedtime, it can cause a restless night or bad dreams.

You can help your child relax for sleep and sleep better by making time for calm, quiet activities in your child’s bedtime routine. For example, you could play gentle music, read a story together or encourage your child to have a bath before bed.

Good daytime and night-time habits for better sleepThese habits might help your child sleep better:

  • Keep regular sleep and wake times, even on the weekend.
  • Turn computers, tablets and TV off an hour before bedtime.
  • Have a quiet and dimly lit place to sleep.
  • Get plenty of natural light during the day, especially in the morning.
  • Avoid caffeine in tea, coffee, sports drinks and chocolate, especially in the late afternoon and evening.

You can manage some sleep problems in children with good sleep habits. It’s a good idea to talk with your GP if you’ve been encouraging your child to try good sleep habits and this doesn’t seem to be helping. Sleep medicines usually aren’t the solution to children’s sleep problems.

 

Jack Lenaghan - Principal