Dear Sacred Heart School Community

I would like to wish all our families a restful term break after what has been for you all, a challenging eleven weeks. The challenges of distance education, for some, unprecedented financial pressures, and for all, an environment of concern for our loved ones and ourselves, has created a school term like no other in recent history.

If you are not able to get away, or it is not a holiday (sometimes as teachers, we forget that school holidays are that, holidays for our students and not their parents), I sincerely hope you can have some quality family time.

Again, I would like to thank all families for their patience and great effort to work with the school to ensure that your children, our students, learning and well being has been so successful.

You would all be aware, as a state we are far from the end of COVID 19 and as a community, we still face the challenges that arise from this virus. In terms of its impact on us as a school going into next term, I am awaiting advice from Catholic Education Melbourne. As was the case last term, when I received advice from CEM over the holidays, I expect the same, and will advise all families accordingly of changes to our protocols and procedures that have been implemented this term.

A reminder that school finishes tomorrow at: Year Prep and Year One/Two 1.00pm

Year Three to Year Six 1.10pm

Movement of our Library

After a significant period trialing our "Makerspace" learning space, consulting with teachers and evaluating the effectiveness of the room as a place of learning, we have decided to move our library into the area. During the past three weeks the staff have been moving books and resources down from the existing library so that Liz can set the library up. On Wednesday, our first groups of students used the new library space with resulting feedback being overwhelmingly positive.

Unexplained Absences

A reminder to all parents and guardians that if your child is absent from school, you please contact us to let us know as to the reason. The Skoolbag App, email to your child's teacher or a phone call to the office are all ways of contacting us.

Allan Castles

Last week I received the very sad news that Allan Castles, one of our parishioners passed away after a short battle with cancer. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect upon the influence Allan had on some of our students. Allan would always be the first person at any Mass that our school was involved in, to congratulate our students and thank them for their contribution to the ceremony. He always took the opportunity to welcome the school families to any celebration in his familiar position in the church foyer before Mass. However, the time at which our students would have the greatest chance of experiencing Allan's joy, enthusiasm for life and acts of selflessness were at the monthly Healing Mass. Allan regularly attended the Healing Mass and celebration. He would drive some of the elderly parishioners so they could attend. Rest in peace Allan

Below is a dedication from our Year 6 student, Isaac

On Tuesday, 21st of June, there was a funeral held at our church across the road from our school. The man who had passed away was named Allan. He always went to Mass and never missed a day. How I met Allan was that, in my second week going to Church, there was Allan and someone else called Kevin. So Alan came up to me and we started to talk. He was a great person to look up to. He was like God. I felt very upset about him dying that I wanted to cry, but I kept strong.

Please stay safe everyone

Yours sincerely

Mark Tierney

Principal

Extend

Before and After School Care