Message from the School Principal
Mrs Kaylene Carlin
Dear Families & Friends,
This Sunday is a significant event on our Church calendar, Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, only days before he was crucified.
Palm Sunday is known as such because Christians will often receive palm fronds which they use to recall Jesus Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect. Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.
Sacred Heart Colour Explosion Run!
What an amazing afternoon spent together as a community. There was laughter and joy all around.
A huge thank you to our many, many parent volunteers, our staff and students, for making this event such a huge success! Many hands make light work and boy did we achieve that. We are so grateful to everyone that helped out in some way We know there were many of you.
A very special mention to Megan Di Clemente, Meaghan Lavelle, Bec Greaves and Micaela McGee for their commitment to this event, especially for their great ideas, and for giving their personal time so generously to bring joy to the children.
Thank you also to Sacred Heart staff, Erin, Michael and Andrea who worked closely with our parent team to make this wonderful community event possible.
Stay tuned for the final announcement of how much money was raised to rebuild the playground space outside the hall.
Staff News
It's an exciting week amongst the staff as we celebrated two special events.
This weekend, Caitlin (Prep C) will marry Wayde. We wish both of them a wonderful day and much love for a long and happy future together. Photos from the big day to come!
On Thursday morning, 30th March, Nick (PE teacher) and Maddie welcomed their beautiful little boy into the world. Nick and Maddie are both over the moon and look forward to introducing George Samuel Rouse to his Sacred Heart family.
Congratulations to the new parents!
Now We're Talking Speech Pathology & Psychology Holiday Program
By now, many of you will be aware that we have engaged two speech pathologists from Now We're Talking in Williamstown, Olivia and Nikki to work with Sacred Heart students and teachers one day a week. The specific language screening offered by Olivia and Nikki for students is providing greater insights into the language acquisition of our early years student and areas to target both in the classroom and at home with the support of parents/carers.
I would like to draw your attention to a program being offered by Now We're Talking for children who may require additional support with their social communication skills, building friendships and problem solving. The flyers below provide greater detail of the interest based programs or you can contact NWOT on the contact details below. The 3 day program costs $825 and is covered by NDIS for eligible students.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity Surveys - Opportunity Extended
Over recent weeks, parents will have received Operoo notifications, invite you to participate in the ECSI Survey which will assist us in better understanding how our Catholic identity is expressed in work and practice here at Sacred Heart Primary School.
The Catholic University in Leuven was commissioned by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) to design a process and tools, based on sound research, to accomplish the goal of understanding our current Catholic identity and where the school community might like to see itself in the future.
I encourage as many families as possible to complete the survey online; it may take up to an hour to do so. Try not to get caught up in the questions, simply respond intuitively. Keeping a record of your individual user code and password will allow you to complete the survey over two or more sessions.
The survey is only available through the project website; please refer to the attached Instructions for Survey Completion for Parents. Your responses to this survey are guaranteed to be kept anonymous. Survey instructions will be made available after clicking on "Respond Now"
If you have any questions, please contact me through the school office.
Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your anticipated participation.
Medical Management Policies and Practices
As part of the Medical Management Policy governing all Melbourne Catholic Primary schools, we are now required to have a Medical Management Plan for all children diagnosed with a medical condition. The plan must be in consultation with the child’s registered medical/health practitioner and the parents/guardians of the child. We are currently in the process of contacting parents of children with a health or medical condition to provide the necessary documentation to the school.
Where applicable, once the form has been completed and returned to school, you will be invited to attend a Student Health Support Meeting (SHS Meeting) to go through your child’s specific needs and develop a Student Health Support Plan with a member of the Medical Management Team (Carmen, Kellie, Michael or Kaylene). The Student Health Support Plan details how school staff will provide the required support i.e. who will provide the support, where will medication be stored, process for informing emergency teachers, what will happen on excursions, camps etc.
Medication Authority Forms
In all instances where a child requires medication to be taken at school or under the supervision of Sacred Heart staff, a Medication Authority Form must be completed by the parent/carer prior to the child being administered the medication. An updated copy of the Medication Authority Form is available on Operoo from Monday morning.
For students with Anaphylaxis and an Anaphylaxis Plan, an additional Medication Authority form is not required, , unless insufficient information is available on the plan.
For students with Asthma and an Asthma Plan, an additional Medication Authority form is not required, unless insufficient information is available on the plan.
If you have any questions, please contact the school office on 9391 6262 to speak to Fiona.
Frequently asked questions
Is a MAF required if students require administration of prescribed medication at school?
Yes, any prescribed medication cannot be administered at school without a MAF which includes the authorised AHPRA registered Health practitioner.
Is a health practitioner signature required on the MAF?
The MAF requires the AHPRA registration number to be listed. This takes the form of a signature as each AHPRA registration number is unique to the AHPRA registered professional.
Where can the register for AHPRA Practitioners be found?
https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners.aspx
Is a MAF required for over-the-counter medications (including panadol)?
Medication cannot be administered at school without an authorising AHPRA registered health practitioner that is prepared to authorise administration at school noting dosage and time of administration.
How long to existing MAFs last?
The Medication Authority Form states the start and end date for medication to be administered. The form also states whether this medication is ongoing. The AHPRA registered health practitioner will determine the details, dosage and length of time the medication to be administered
Australia's Best Teachers Campaign
News Corp has launched its ‘Australia’s Best Teachers’ campaign and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is a major partner. Australia’s Best Teachers aims to recognise the wonderful work of those in the profession by celebrating our most inspirational and innovative educators.
The campaign calls on Australians to nominate the great teachers who have, and have had, an incredible impact on our students and all of our lives. A panel of expert judges will then select and announce the top 50 teachers on Saturday 6 May 2023.
We have wonderfully dedicated and knowledgeable teachers at Sacred Heart Primary School and I would like to encourage the entire school community to contribute nominations via the following link:
Uniform Expectations
Our Sacred Heart school uniform is an important part of our identity as a Catholic school. We encourage our students to wear their uniform with pride and a sense of belonging to the community of Sacred Heart. We ask for your support in ensuring children are wearing the correct school uniform at all times, unless alternate arrangements have been made with the classroom teacher on a 1-1 basis.
As part of our SunSmart policies, it is expected that approved school sun hats must be worn at all times outdoors during Terms 1 & 4.
School shoes are to be worn every day except for physical education/sports day. Runners are not to be worn as school uniform.
Shoulder length hair is to be tied up with hair ties, clips and headbands (school colors ONLY)
JEWELLERY/COSMETICS
Jewellery is not to be worn to school. This is a safety issue. The only permissible jewellery is a single stud or sleeper in pierced ears. Nail polish is not permitted to be worn at school
All items of uniform, including bags, lunch boxes, drink bottles and inside of their school shoes/runners, need to be clearly labelled with your child’s name.
I welcome any opportunity to meet with our families throughout the year and my door is always open. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or a member of the leadership team to listen and lend a helping hand.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Warm regards,
Kaylene Carlin
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
