Principal News 

TERM 1 - WEEK 9

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CAMPS 2024

*Updated Key Dates T1-T4 2024

Dear Families and Friends,

What an incredible final day we experienced at Sacred Heart! I challenge any school to rival the finish we had to the term. It truly symbolised the phenomenal success we've had throughout the term. During our Friday assembly celebration, we enjoyed an Easter Bonnet Parade, 25 raffle hampers, Colour Run prizes, and numerous birthday celebrations. The excitement continued as we headed outside for the spectacular Colour Run festivities.

As we look back on a period marked by growth, celebration, and success, it's remarkable how swiftly this term has drawn to a close. While our primary focus has been on helping students settle into routines, fostering consistent work habits, and instilling academic rigor and stamina, we've also taken advantage of numerous opportunities to enrich the holistic school experience. This ensures that we continue to nurture the well-being and engagement of our students, a strength at Sacred Heart.

From the excitement of events like Kaboom and a color run to the amazing two senior camps, sacramental celebrations, and our successful swimming and athletics carnival, as well as fun and contrasting activities such as basketball and lawn bowls clinics, this school year has kicked off like no other. While our entire student body has been 'beyond exceptional,' it's important to note the outstanding manner of our youngest students, the preps, who have exceeded our highest expectations and embraced the term with overwhelming enthusiasm - undoubtedly following the lead of those students above them in Yr.1-6. 

This can be largely attributed to their teachers and support staff, Miss Maloney, Miss Wood, and Mary, who have beautifully guided, set the conditions for success and nurtured their students in these initial months of their school journey. We also sincerely thank our families, who have epitomized the importance of partnership and investment. It's no surprise that parents have recently commented on the exhaustion of their children (and perhaps their households) due to the nature and pace of this opening term. Despite this, we are incredibly grateful for the unwavering support and care shown by both our families and staff in acknowledging and responding to the emotional ups and downs throughout the term. Welcome to school life!

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to our Year 3 students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Friday. Supported by their families and the staff, Mrs. McGrath, Miss Bulte, and Mr. Blake, the students, according to Mr. Blake, were truly amazing and reverent. In his words, they were "the best group of students" he had prepared for this sacramental program.

In my absence, upon speaking with Miss Bulte and Mrs McGrath, they expressed so much pride in their students and manner throughout. Both mentioned our highly receptive families, and especially Mr. Blake for his support during the preparation process. Additionally, we were thrilled to acknowledge Fr. Martin's warmth and active role in supporting the children leading up to, and on the day of, the sacrament. What a tremendous success for our students, families and community. Having the lovely morning tea after this service was a perfect touch - thanks Fr. Martin. 

Stations of the Cross

One of the highlights of our year is when our senior students reenact the Stations of the Cross, depicting the specific events of Jesus' last day and crucifixion. While our students do an extraordinary job retelling this significant and sacred story, they also provide a modern perspective by recontextualizing it. This means presenting two versions: one that stays true to the historic narrative and another that offers a contemporary interpretation. Well done students, you were fabulous, and we thank our many families for attending this special reenactment. 

Daily Numeracy 

At Sacred Heart, we continue to prioritise numeracy as one of the two key academic pillars, dedicating one hour a day for all classes P-6. In conjunction with our strong emphasis on literacy (2hr block), we believe that explicit teaching practices are essential for effective mathematical learning, problem-solving, and the application of mathematical concepts in real-world scenarios. 

This year, we are proud to announce our commitment to the TIM Series initiative (Teaching for Impact in Mathematics), which provides a research and evidence base to support teachers and leaders in integrating high-impact instruction into their classrooms.

Our focus on explicit instruction aims to enhance students' overall mathematical proficiency and equip them with skills necessary for everyday life. To achieve this, our staff have begun implementing this approach, which includes recording or filming their teaching practices for review by external consultants. Additionally, we have introduced the Ochre platform, offering rich online resources for lesson planning and delivery.

A pivotal aspect of our P-6 numeracy block is the daily review, which consolidates students' understanding and fosters fluency in essential numeracy concepts. Notably, this year, we have seen increased leadership capacity (and extra day), and we extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Blake for leading and supporting our staff and ultimately our students in these exciting initiatives and evidence-based practices. It is worth mentioning it's been a busy few weeks for Mr Blake as he as also managed the NAPLAN online platform for this two week testing period. 

Comparative Judgement Success

We strongly encourage all families to read Mrs. Stroud's Literacy News page, as it highlights some recent student successes,  a direct result of the fantastic dedication of our teachers and the changes implemented in recent years. With growth across all levels, our Year 2 students under Miss Donnelly's guidance took out  the top position nationwide. We are incredibly proud of these collective achievements!

Factoring in a little bit of Easter art downtime for our Yr.2 superstars.

Year 6 Canberra Trip

Last week, our Year 6 students embarked on their final camping experience at Sacred Heart, venturing to Canberra. From Parliament House to the Institute of Sport, Questacon and the National War Memorial, our students immersed themselves in a wide range of rich learning experiences. Thanks again to these exceptional staff, Miss McKay, Mr. T, Ms. Tench, and Miss Healey for generously offering their time to support the students during their time away - another significant commitment from our dedicated staff. 

In particular, we would like to call out Miss McKay for the considerable time invested in organising this interstate camp for our senior students and families - a huge undertaking.

We are pleased to acknowledge that our students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributed funding to our school in the amount of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Easter Bonnet Parade

Alongside Miss Rafferty and Mrs. Pennington, I had the daunting task of judging the simply stunning Easter bonnets. Congratulations to our winners (splitting hairs) and students (and their families) for the extraordinary effort put into creating these masterpieces for the closing day parade. As mentioned earlier, our final assembly for Term 1 was truly bursting with energy and much fun, featuring the parade, raffles, and Colour Run festivities. What a way to finish the term on such a high!

Colour Run 2024

How blessed are we to have such committed and passionate families and staff in our community, contributing to the success of the Colour Run for our students - getting in the spirit of the day. Thanks to the many parent volunteers, past students, and especially Pam Crotty and Dara Blake for their motivation and organisation of this truly wonderful day. 

Closing out our term with the Colour Run couldn't have been better.

What a willing and good-spirited staff we have at Sacred Heart volunteering being slimed on the day. The kids absolutely loved it! The final tally will be confirmed in the coming days, and we have been absolutely blown away by the generosity of our families and friends, exceeding $20K. 

Staffing News & MSL Training

Congratulations to Bronagh Maloney and Brigid Pennington as they commenced their MSL training last week. With a few more boxes yet to be ticked, we eagerly anticipate having two more accredited MSL instructors within our professional community. Their expertise will further support our staff and importantly the students with this best professional practice.

Sadly, this week we officially bid a fond farewell to the amazing Miss Healey as she prepares to embark on an overseas working holiday. We have been incredibly fortunate to have the adaptable and much-loved Alice with us on a weekly basis, covering classes P-6 and even adding camp specialist to her resume. We dearly wish Alice every success and hope to see her in the coming months, as we know she will miss us too much not to return. Happy travels, Miss Healey! You will be greatly missed, and we cannot wait to hear about your adventurous travels.

A special acknowledgment to Miss Hanna Wood for her outstanding efforts and leadership last week in overseeing our Prep program in the absence of Miss Maloney, who was undertaking MSL training. This was a significant responsibility, as Miss Wood gathered both classes each morning to facilitate the literacy program i.e. deliver to 44 students. Despite having a teacher covering Prep M, Miss Wood was remarkable in steadying the ship and supporting the children flawlessly throughout the week.

Literacy Collective - School Closure 15th April

Please find below an overview of the upcoming school closure event, which will involve collaboration with like-minded schools. We extend our thanks to the dedicated leaders in these communities for their collective efforts in facilitating this impactful professional learning opportunity for our staff. Special thanks to Kate Stroud for her exceptional work in organising these internationally recognised presenters and agenda for the day - an almighty achievement, appreciated by all.

Principals' Conference

Last week, what a privilege it was to have the opportunity to spend quality time away with over 250 Catholic Primary School principals at the bi-annual conference. With a focus on strength and shaping leadership, we were fortunate to hear from many speakers, though perhaps the most notable and inspiring were those listed below. I extend my gratitude to our community for their trust during my absence, and I want to acknowledge Miss Rafferty, Mrs. Stroud, Mr. Blake, and Mr. Brown, who largely led the school throughout the week, allowing Mrs. Pennington to focus on her MSL training.

Key note speakers: 

• Jelena Dokic, former world No.4 tennis player was one of the many highlights as she shared her highly emotional and incredibly powerful story (and truly shocking story of physical, mental and emotional abuse she suffered throughout her childhood and teenage years) of survival, overcoming extraordinary odds to ultimately triumph in the face of poverty, bullying and extreme brutality/abuse. Tissues at hand, witnessing Jelena share her truly remarkable story of courage and indeed strength will leave a lasting memory. 
• Soroo Brierley (Movie - Lion) shared his truly remarkable and inspiring story of survival after being separated from his mother at age 5 and adoption by an Australian couple before returning to India 25 years later determined to find his birth family.  
• Craig Foster AM, former Socceroo, Sports Broadcaster, Adjunct Professor, Author, Filmaker and Human Rights Activist. Following a decorated football career as Australia's 419th Socceroo and 40th Captain, Craig Foster has become one of Australia's most respected sportspeople as a broadcaster, social justice advocate and human rights campaigner.

MEDIA ALERT 

KEEP SPREADING THE GOOD WORD 

Although our Open Days have officially finished for 2024, we still encourage our families to keep spreading the good word about our fabulous school and community. We warmly welcome school tours throughout the year and have even already started to build a healthy enrolment list for 2026. 

Little Hearts of Sandy Playgroup

Family and friends are most welcome to attend our Little Hearts Playgroup. Please note, there is no age limit on toddlers or pre-schoolers. We typically have about20 pre-schoolers (inc. 2025 & 2026 Preps) and toddlers and it has been fabulous to see lots of new faces at these sessions. We'd love to see you there! 

• 19th April
• 31st May
• 21st June
• 26th July
• 30th August
• 18th October
• 22nd November
• 6th December

P&F NEWS

While not big in number, it was lovely to see our families gather for a picnic on Sunday afternoon. Next year we have scheduled a 'welcome' picnic in the opening weeks of T.1.  

We are pleased to say the new footy jumpers have arrived just in time for the inter-school season, and we thank Mr Brown for coordinating with our provider and our incredibly generous P&F for purchasing these for our footballers. Netball bibs on the way.

Along with a $3500 contribution to literacy resources this term, we are indebted for the impact this parent body has across our community. 

Overwhelmed by generous donations towards the Easter hampers, ourincredible team of mothers  beautifully package 25 hampers on Wednesday morning.

We look forward to another exciting term ahead for the P&F with a few key dates below to lock into the family calendar. 

SAVE THE DATE

LITTLE GEMS

How talented are these artists? The Yr.5&6 students had to chose an inspirational person who was a hero to them. The likeness is simply amazing! 

Our Little Aths Champ, Isabelle!

A touch of 'Jack High' at Sacred Heart.

And finally....

Happy Easter holidays to all, and thank you for what has been the best start to the school year that I can remember. I count my blessings each day and every fortnight as our team put this newsletter together to reflect and showcase the breadth of successes and celebrations within our community. Collectively, we continue to create something quite special at Sacred Heart, and to think we are only one term down. If this is the benchmark, we truly have so much to look forward to in the coming terms.

Cannot wait to see you in the coming weeks,

Simon Collis

Principal

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