School News

Budgeting in Catholic (MACS) Schools for 2027

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff. 

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases. 

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student. 

Book Week

Author/Illustrator Visit

Book Week celebrations began on Monday with a very special visit from talented Australian illustrator and author Andrew Plant. Students were captivated as Andrew shared his creative journey, talked about the inspiration behind his books and illustrations, and gave us an insight into the process of bringing stories to life through pictures. Our students enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions and discover more about the wonderful world of books and illustration. 

Character Dress Up

Our Book Week celebrations continued with our much-anticipated Character Dress-Up Parade! It was wonderful to see our students and staff bring their favourite book characters to life through such a creative and colourful display. The parade was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our love of reading and the wonderful stories that inspire us. A special thank you to Raphaela, our Library Leader, for doing a wonderful job leading the parade and helping to make this a memorable Book Week celebration for everyone.

Guest Teacher Read

As part of our Book Week celebrations, students enjoyed a special Guest Teacher Read. Teachers from across the school visited different classrooms to share one of their favourite books with students, creating a wonderful opportunity to discover new stories and enjoy the magic of reading together. It was lovely to see the excitement on students’ faces as they listened to stories read by a different teacher and shared their thoughts and ideas about the books. A big thank you to all our teachers for helping make Book Week such a memorable celebration of reading and storytelling.

Book Fair

A huge thank you to all of our families for your wonderful support of our Scholastic Book Fair. It was fantastic to see so many students excited about choosing new books and sharing their love of reading. Your support not only helps to foster a love of books and reading at home, but also contributes to building our school library collection. This year, we sold $5,195.00 worth of items, which generated an incredible $1,558.00 in Scholastic Rewards for our school. We greatly appreciate your generosity and ongoing support of our school community.

Art Show 

Our Year 4 artists received a very special compliment this week when American contemporary artist Reggie Laurent commented on their work and told them how much he loved it! The students studied Laurent’s artwork as inspiration for their own creations.

You’ll be able to see these incredible artworks in person at the Art Show on Friday 16 October and Monday 19 October.

Below is the link to the Art Room Instagram page.

Instagram

Sacrament of Confirmation

 Key Dates 2026:

Tuesday 8 September: Reflection Day

On Tuesday 8 September the Year Six students will be participating in a Confirmation Reflection Day. A variety of fun, reflective and prayerful activities have been planned as part of this special day. 

Thursday 10 September:  Confirmation Mass (6pm) 

We are looking forward to gathering as a community and celebrating our candidates’ reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation at a special Mass at 6pm on Thursday 10 September. 

We look forward to supporting your children through this next stage of their faith journey.

Sport News

Senior Hockey 7s Gala Day

On the 21st of August Year 5 and 6 went to a hockey day at Box Hill. When we got there we set up on some wooden steps for the day. When all the schools got to the hockey grounds the instructor told us all the rules and all the safety instructions, so we could all be safe while playing. In the first game we were all so excited to play our first round of hockey. When the first game started we were all hyped and excited. After the whole hockey day the boys finished on 6 wins and 1 loss. In between games we had some food from the grounds canteen so we had lots of energy for our next few games. While the girls had 5 draws, 1 loss and 1 win to finish off their day. After this wonderful day everyone was wishing to keep playing hockey the whole day.

By Noah and Raf D

District Athletics Day

Next Wednesday 2 September, selected Year 3-6 students will participate in our District Athletics Day, competing in a range of track and field events, including the sprint and long distance races, relay races, long jump, high jump, shot put and discus. 

We thank all our children who participated in trials this week and wish all our selected students all the very best, as they compete and represent Sacred Heart Kew at the District Athletics Competition next week. 

Good luck to the following students:

SPECIALIST TIMETABLE CHANGES NEXT WEEK 

All Prep - Year Two children will have all 4 Specialist classes on Wednesday (wearing their PE Uniform on this day). 

All Year Three - Six children will have all 4 Specialist classes on Thursday (wearing their PE Uniform on this day). 

Hoop Time

Selected Senior students will participate at Hoop Time on 16 September.

Father's Day Events next week

We look forward to celebrating our annual events for Father's Day next week. 

Father's Day Stall (Thursday 3 September) 

Father's Day visit to classrooms, Paraliturgy and Morning Tea (Friday 4 September) 

On this day, all fathers are invited into the classrooms from 8:30-9:00am, followed by a special Father's Day Paralitrugy and Morning Tea in the MPR. 

Please see the Parents' Association page for further details. 

Canberra Camp 2027

Thank you to those parents who have indicated that their child will be attending the Senior Canberra Camp next year (Monday 15 - Friday 19 February). If you haven't already done so, please inform us ASAP, as this will greatly assist us with our planning and preparation for the trip. 

PARENT & CHILD INFORMATION EVENING - Wednesday 18 November (6.30pm - 7.30pm) 

All current Year Four and Five parents (and child/ren attending the Trip) are invited to an Information Evening which will take place on Wednesday 18 November at 6.30pm. This will be held in the MPR. All FINAL itinerary and information regarding the Canberra Trip will be presented to families at this time.

Friday Afternoon School Assemblies at 2.30pm

Term 3 Assemblies:

Week 8 (4 September) - Year 2 Spotlight on Learning

Week 9 (11 September) - Prep LC Spotlight on Learning

Week 10 (18 September) - No Assembly

2026 Term Dates

Term Dates 2026 - (students)

Term One: Fri 30 January (Students begin) – Thurs 2 April

Term Two:  Mon 20 April – Fri 26 June

Term Three:  Tues 14 July – Fri 18 September

Term Four:  Tues 6 October - Tues 15 December

2026 School Closure Days

As was communicated to families last year...

* Time in Lieu (TIL)

The current Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022 (the Agreement) has a formal time in lieu (TIL) process for teachers. The Agreement provides that a principal may require a teacher to undertake work and attend a school activity outside the normal hours of attendance (i.e., in excess of the 38 hours or normal hours for a part-time teacher) and when this occurs, it will attract TIL. 

Principals should prepare for the accrual and acquittal of TIL through their annual planning process. The timing of the acquittal of TIL is at the discretion of the principal, having regard to the operational needs of the school and causing the least disruption to the educational program of the school.

Principals may elect to acquit TIL through designating days during the year on which all staff and students are not required to attend school. 

School Closure & Time in Lieu (TIL) Days 2026

Term 1

Thursday 5 March (Staff Professional Learning)

Friday 6 March (Staff Compliance and First Aid/Anaphylaxis)

Monday 9 March (Labour Day Public Holiday) 

Term 2

Friday 5 June (Staff Professional Learning)

Monday 8 June (King’s Birthday Public Holiday) 

Term 3

Monday 13 July (School Review preparation for staff)

Friday 28 August (TIL day for staff) 

Term 4  

Monday 5 October (Staff Professional Learning) 

Monday 2 November (TIL day for staff) 

Tuesday 3 November (Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday)

Friday 4 December (Staff Planning for 2027) 

 Children finish on Tuesday 15 December at 12.45pm 

Wednesday 16 December (TIL day for staff)

Thursday 17 December (TIL day for staff)

MACSEYE - Outside School Hours Care 

Please see below for further information, including the MACSEYE Booking Link. 

Kids Unlimited Chess Lessons Term Four 

As communicated, we have partnered with Kids Unlimited who will run Chess Lessons at lunchtime on Tuesday next term. Places are filling fast. Please click on the QR code on the flyer below to sign up and pay for your child. 

All Prep - Year Six are welcome to enrol in this program. Cost is $170 for 8 weeks. 

Digimaker Coding Lessons Term Four 

Please note that our Digimaker Coding lessons next term will now take place at lunchtime on Wednesday. See attached flyer for further details.