Message from the 

School Principal

Dear Sacred Heart Families,

I trust the school year has started well for you all and your children are settling in to their new classes and getting to know their new teacher/s. I have been enjoying getting to know our new Preppies a little better and visiting all the classrooms to see how well everyone is doing. It is wonderful to see the children becoming more familiar with their new learning spaces, establishing routines and growing in confidence each day. 

This week, we acknowledged and celebrated an important day on the church calendar. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent in the Catholic Church. It is a day that invites us to pause, turn our hearts toward God and consider how we can grow as people of faith. The ashes placed on our foreheads are a simple but powerful symbol. They remind us of humility, of our shared humanity and of the call to renewal — to begin again with kindness, forgiveness and compassion. As we enter Lent, we are encouraged to focus on prayer, acts of generosity, and making thoughtful choices that help us become the best version of ourselves.

For the Sacred Heart community, Ash Wednesday holds particular meaning. Our school is named for the loving and compassionate heart of Jesus, and this season invites us to live more fully in that spirit. It is a time to reflect on how we show care for one another in our school and families, and how we extend that care to those in need beyond our school gates. Lent offers us an opportunity to strengthen our sense of community, to practise empathy and gratitude, and to walk together with gentle hearts and open minds. In doing so, we continue to grow not only in learning, but in faith and in love.

Launching our new "Living Purpose, Vision & Misson"

In last week's newsletter, I wrote about the work we have been doing at Sacred Heart in reflecting on our purpose, vision and mission as a Catholic school. After much dialogue and discernment, our new Purpose, Vision & Mission statements were constructed to more accurately represent Sacred Heart today and our hopes and dreams for the future of our school, children and community, firmly grounded in our Catholic identity.

Our Purpose is firmly anchored in our Catholic identity and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, honouring our rich history as we nurture faith, wellbeing and academic excellence for every child.  

Through a commitment to continuous improvement, our Vision is to shape learners who are informed, capable and inspired to contribute with hope, courage and love. Growing as a faith community, we look to the future with optimism and purpose.

Through evidence-based, high quality education, our Mission is to work together to nurture and guide each learner to grow with confidence and curiosity. We are committed to forming courageous learners who think critically, act justly and serve with compassion and respect.

Most of you will be familiar also with our Living Vision, which has also been reflected in the Acknowledgements that your children have been bringing home over the past five years. 

The thinking behind our Living Vision has been to ensure that we are always conscious of what our school is all about - that it is more than words on paper and we are constantly enacting who and what we say we are. In reconstructing our Vision & Mission, and writing a purpose statement, the next step was to revisit our Living Vision. Last year, we spent time on one of our closure days to do this and the outcome is our new ‘Living Purpose, Vision & Mission’.

Our ‘Living Purpose, Vision & Mission’ represents what our school looks like, sounds like and feels like each and every day at Sacred Heart.

The educators and children reflect constantly on the true spirit of Sacred Heart as a Catholic faith community and how we are enacting this with one another each day. 

We label specific examples of each one to ensure that our vision & mission is truly alive and reflective of living our lives in the example of Jesus Christ.

Student MacKillop Leaders 2026

Why is St Mary MacKillop important to us?

Mary began the congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph. The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart were asked by the Parish Priest of Williamstown, Rev. Thomas Brazil, to staff the new school in Newport. The Sisters came each day from Williamstown, sometimes by train but more often on foot across the fields, as neither of the local railway stations were close to their destination. The Sisters continued to work at Sacred Heart up until Sr Lorraine retired in 2020. Sr Lorraine continues to be part of our parish and a familiar face around our school and we continue the work initiated by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

MacKillop Leaders

Just like Mary MacKillop, we can be courageous and make a difference.

MacKillop Leaders will:

• be a positive role model for all students
• attend MacKillop Leader meetings throughout the term
• provide a voice for students in their class
• work collaboratively with the other MacKillop leaders
• keep the student community informed by reporting back after each meeting to the students in their class.

• provide opportunities for students of Sacred Heart to be proactive, contributing members of our community

   

It is with great pleasure that I announce the school MacKillop Leaders for 2026. 

Congratulations to each of you and we look forward to what you will bring to our community this year.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Yours in faith,

Kaylene

Kaylene Carlin

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL