Deputy News 

Dear Parents and families, 

We have had another extraordinary fortnight at Sacred Heart with so many exciting things happening across the school and some amazing learning going on. Although the swimming program has been on, we have still  continued to have our full academic program. 

SWIMMING PROGRAM 

Our swimming program at the new Danny Frawley Centre has been a huge success this week and last week. Their swimming skills have come along in leaps and bounds over the 8 day intensive program. It was so lovely to receive such positive feedback from George at the centre who said our school and students have been so well behaved in and out of the pool. I would like to thank our teachers and students who were incredibly organised ensuring they were all on the bus on time. Teachers have had to be flexible in their programs over these past few weeks and some classes have had adjusted break times. We thank every staff member for pitching in and supporting our students to have such a successful swimming program. 

LITTLE HEARTS PLAYGROUP

We had a wonderful time at Little Hearts playgroup last Friday. The year 6 students were an absolute highlight, playing and amusing our Little hearts. We really look forward to welcoming our little hearts back to Sacred Heart on 2nd of November. All pre schoolers and  babies welcome.

Day for Daniel 

On Monday we had a very successful Day for Daniel Morcombe where all students dressed in red and participated in a whole school assembly and did activities about Child Safety. They made  a safety hand where they identified 5 people they can talk to if they don't feel safe. This certainly has opened up some important conversations around child safety. Please follow up with your children and have some of those brave conversations. 

Prep Information evening and orientation days 

This week we welcomed our new prep families into our community at our Prep orientation evening. A big thank you to Bronagh Maloney and Sarah Rafferty for presenting a most informative evening. We can't wait for our new preps to start on their orientation program next week on Wednesday 26th of October at 9:15am 

ASSESSMENT WEEK

In order to complete our end of year reports and see where your children are with their learning we will have assessment week next week. Some classes will be covered by CRT’s (Casual Relief teachers) so classroom teachers can complete their Literacy and Mathematics testing. We are very proud of the progress our students have made and its important to assess them and celebrate the gains they have made academically and personally over this year. The teachers have been learning about a new Literacy assessment called DIBELS that we will trial this year and introduce next year. 

SPELLING MASTERY

Next year we will introduce  a new spelling program from years 3-6. Spelling mastery is a research-proven program that uses the evidence-based Direct Instruction method to enable teachers to deliver highly interactive, structured lessons that help students learn dependable spelling skills.

Spelling Mastery approaches spelling through strategies, patterns and rules. The straightforward lessons in Spelling Mastery combine phonemic, morphemic, and whole-word instruction to make spelling easier to learn, leading the way to more effective writing. The students in years 2-5 have been assessed and will receive a workbook according to their spelling level next year. We look forward to a new approach to spelling which will align with our other evidence based practises in literacy. 

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR 

On the 14th, 15th and 16th of November we will be running a Scholastic Book Fair in our Mackillop Hall from 9:15-8:45pm and 3:15-3:45pm on each of the 3 days. Great idea to purchase Christmas presents and support our school as we receive benefits from Scholastic depending on how much is spent. 

Scholastic Australia is ready to support our efforts to inspire and motivate our students to become lifelong readers! Scholastic have partnered with schools all over Australia to enhance school programs and activities to focus on this important foundational skill.

Every Scholastic Book Fair is packed with a multitude of genres, including fantasy, classics, reference, award-winners, humour, nonfiction and mystery. We believe the best selection encompasses books suitable for both girls and boys within each age group, captures their imaginations and excites them about reading.

Scholastic review  thousands of titles every year and only choose books that fit into our overall criteria. We source Scholastic titles from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, we are the only Book Fair provider to source, from over 50 independent publishers worldwide to bring the best in children’s literature to your school.

Research has shown that 15 minutes a day can make a lifetime of difference to a child’s reading ability. Other factors that help children excel in reading are:

1.            ACCESS to the best books

2.            CHOICE in what they read

3.            PRACTICE time to read

4.            FAMILY INVOLVEMENT in reading activities.

Please check out this video from Scholastic. 

PREP WRITING

Wow! The prep students have absolutely blown me away today with their recount writing about their weekends. The content of their writing, the finger spacing and letter formation has all improved so much. Mr Collis and I were absolutely thrilled to see their progress and how proud they are of their work. 

FRIENDLY REMINDER- No hat, no play!

Now the weather is warmer please ensure all students have their named hats at school for outdoor play and PE lessons. 

Wishing you all  a wonderful and restful weekend,

Brigid Pennington

Deputy Principal , Learning Diversity & English Leader