Dear Families and Friends,

What a fortnight it has been at Sacred Heart!

Our school has been buzzing with activity, rich learning opportunities, and so many wonderful community experiences for our students and families. From the excitement of the Year 1–6 Swimming Program to the incredible generosity of the Mum’s Charity Netball Tournament, which raised an outstanding $18,000, there has been so much to celebrate.

On Friday, we came together as a community for Day for Daniel (thanks to Miss Wood, our Wellbeing Leader), deepening our students’ understanding of personal safety. Last week, our Year 2 students embraced the adventure of their Sleepover, while our Year 1s enjoyed a joyful Storytime experience, an entry point to the camp program at Sacred Heart.

In addition, we were proud to welcome MACS Southern Leaders and educators, who visited to observe best practice in action across our classrooms. Their feedback was incredibly affirming reflecting the exceptional work happening each day at Sacred Heart. What a blessing to have such an exceptional team of educators and leaders driving these standards.

Congratulations again to our Year 6 students who successfully raised $3,244 for the St Vincent de Paul Annual Sleepout Appeal. An incredible outcome and a true example of making a difference #stewardship.

BEST PRACTICE IN ACTION - CONNECT IN THE FIELD

This week we were thrilled to welcome the MACS Southern Leaders (inc. Regional Manager & various T&L Curriculum Advisors) and Teaching Learning Leaders across a numbers of schools (50+) this week as they visited to observe Explicit Instruction lessons in action, with a particular focus viewed through the lens of Literacy.

The leaders observed teaching and learning across the school, including:

Prep: Phonological awareness and phoneme encoding, including explicit instruction in phonics, spelling and syllable rules (decoding and encoding)
Year 2: Paired reading for fluency
Year 3/4: Vocabulary development and a knowledge-rich curriculum
Year 5/6: Vocabulary development and a knowledge-rich curriculum

We are once again deeply grateful to have our staff observed and acknowledged for their commitment to best practice. We recognise the incredible, system-wide leadership of Kate Stroud and Sarah Rafferty (sharing our story), along with our outstanding staff who showcased their quality teaching to this extensive cohort of visiting educators.

The key feedback from all attendees centred on the strength of our teaching practice, the depth of knowledge and expertise, the warm sense of welcome, the order and consistency evident across classrooms, and the responsiveness of our students. They were simply phenomenal.

We have so much to be grateful for and proud of at Sacred Heart, a true beacon of best practice in action.

Dear Simon, Sarah, Kate and the wonderful staff of Sacred Heart,

We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for the time and wisdom you shared yesterday at Connect in the Field.

Your expertise and insights were incredibly valuable and will have made a meaningful impact on the Southern leaders who were lucky enough to attend.

Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge of how your beautiful school engages in such strong pedagogies around explicit instruction.

It is truly appreciated and will help guide the leaders forward in so many ways.

I was at a school this morning who are planning on implementing many of the environmental strategies that they saw in your learning spaces: namely the spotless, no clutter classrooms.

Thank you for taking time to connect us in your field…

Grateful thanks & warmest regards,

Madeleine

MACS Learning Partner School Effectiveness

In staying true to our consistent implementation of best practice, our staff and students do not compromise when it comes to the delivery of our structured literacy programs. Even while celebrating Day for Daniel, our Preps still rolled out their Heggerty session, demonstrating the high expectations and commitment to routine that underpin learning at Sacred Heart.

ANNUAL CLASH OF THE COURTS

We congratulate the remarkable mums and role models behind this event, which raised an incredible $18,000. A truly stunning achievement! Sadly, a few very sore mums were spotted on the gate on Monday, not dissimilar to the dads after the footy game in late Term 3.

Proudly supporting the TeamSports4All Charity Event, an extraordinary 12 school communities were involved and more than 200 participants took part. It was a fantastic day for our respective communities, coming together to support such a worthy cause.

A huge thank you to Amanda Molony and her dedicated team of mums for championing this initiative. From little things, big things have truly grown. What began with just 3–4 schools in 2023 has now blossomed into 12 in 2025, an extraordinary achievement we are so proud to celebrate.

School Playground Proposal 2026

Our focus over the coming weeks and months is to raise sufficient P&F funds to bring this exciting project to life in time for the start of the new school year. Your support and efforts will be greatly appreciated by our students as we work to replace the outdated playground equipment. The children simply cannot wait! Don't forget to view the school instagram story and the barometer in the school foyer should you wish to generously donate outside the upcoming fundraising initiative.

Teacher Spotlight

Since joining in 2025, Mr Jaynes has made an instant impact on our community, thanks to his exceptional manner and strong relationship-focused approach with staff, students and families. Dare I say, he may be one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

All the way from the Apple Isle, he leads by example and is deeply passionate about sport (AFL), healthy habits and student wellbeing. An accomplished athlete in his own right, Mr Jaynes trains daily before school with his swimming squad, and also runs and cycles. It is no surprise that he is a keen triathlete, hopeful of competing in the Iron Man next year.

A former secondary teacher, he took a brave and enthusiastic leap into the primary sector, and given how much he loves working with children in this age bracket, I don’t think he’ll be looking back. While we’re reluctant to say teachers have favourites, he can often be heard commenting on how much he enjoys working with the Preps… and unsurprisingly, the feeling is mutual.

And let’s not forget the impact he has had on our trophy cabinet this year, with our teams taking out many of the network championships.

We are so fortunate to have you on our team, Mr Jaynes, you’re an absolute superstar!

STAFFING NEWS

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi, Oi, Oi

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Miss Maloney and her partner, Dillion, on officially becoming Australian citizens last Wednesday evening. As an integral and cherished member of our Sacred Heart family, we are thrilled for Bronagh and Dillion, recognizing that this milestone comes after a lengthy process spanning several years. Sacred Heart has, and continues to be, such an important part of Bronagh's journey and her decision to pursue citizenship.

Congratulations to Miss Bulte, who competed in the National Indoor Netball Championships last week. While her team did not progress to the finals, she has been invited to be a training partner for the national team in 2026, a wonderful achievement.

Well done, Miss Bulte!

Swimming Program

Our first week of the two-week swimming program has been a tremendous success, with students showing loving the pool time. Understandably, we are seeing some very tired faces by the end of each day, but their effort and attitude have been outstanding according to all staff, specifically Mr Jaynes who has been poolside throughout. We are incredibly proud of the way they are embracing the program and look forward to another great week ahead. Remember families, please be mindful of the extra after school activities.

Class Placement Process for 2026

Our staff have invested significant time in finalising class placements for 2026. This process involved careful consideration of each child’s social, emotional, behavioural and academic needs. Teacher judgement, combined with a deep understanding of what is best for each student and cohort, guided these decisions to ensure balanced and effective classroom dynamics. While friendship groups were considered, our foremost priority was to create the best possible learning environment for all students.

As part of this process, teachers asked students to nominate five classmates they work well with for the following year. Students were encouraged to include peers from other classes to support positive connections across the cohort. Every effort has been made to ensure that each child has at least one of their nominated friends in their 2026 class.

Parents were required to make any educational requests regarding their child’s placement in writing to principal@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au by no later than Friday 14 November.

Classes have now been finalised. Class lists will be confirmed following the Moving Up Day in Week 10 on Thursday 11 December

What's Coming Up in Term 4...

For the Fridge

NOVEMBER
Monday 17th - Thursday 27th	Swimming Program Yr.1-6	8 Sessions
Saturday 30th	Dad's Cricket Match - Family Day	12pm
DECEMBER
Thursday 4th	Colour Run - P&F Playground Fundraiser
Friday 5th	Staff Planning 2026	School Closure
Monday 11th	Moving Up Day	6pm
Monday 15th	Yr.6 Graduation & Last Day
Tuesday 16th	Last Day P-5 End of Year Mass & Assembly	9am - 1pm
Wednesday 17th	Staff Last Day

LITTLE GEMS💎

What an awesome surprise to have these little smarties drop by my office this week to share their reading. The growth of our youngest students under the phenomenal support and guidance of Miss Wood, Miss Maloney and Miss Levy has been truly exceptional.

Congratulations to Amelia S and Stevie C for winning the U12 Southern Peninsula Basketball Tournament last weekend while representing the Sabres. An outstanding achievement from these two super Sabres from Sacred Heart!

This little champion brings so much joy to the gate each day with his fun and engaging manner. Last week, Louie rolled in proudly carrying a couple of branches he had collected on his way to the classroom. These small moments truly brighten our day.

Bayside Representative Netball

Congratulations to Adelaide N, Olivia M and Ava S (Yr.4) on their selection for the Bayside Representative Netball team. This is a fantastic achievement and recognition of their hard work. We’re so proud of you!

Thanks for sharing your awesome work Hazel and Matilda. Definitely ready for Yr.2.

One moment she’s creating an origami masterpiece, the next she’s placing second in a recent jujutsu competition. Annastasia is not only deeply committed to her learning, she is wonderfully creative and thriving in jujutsu. A triple threat in the making!

How could we not include these two amazing Year 3 students in the newsletter? Em and Elwood are just a small snapshot of the fabulous work undertaken within Mrs McGrath’s incredible class. They continue to flourish, grow in confidence and showcase their best every single day. Bring on Year 4!

And finally...

As we wrap up another fabulous fortnight at Sacred Heart, I want to acknowledge the joy, pride and purpose that continue to shine through our classrooms, our playgrounds and our wider community. Our students are thriving, our staff continue to model excellence with unwavering commitment, and the spirit of togetherness that defines our school has been on full display. Thank you all for the energy, trust and partnership you bring each day. It is a privilege to lead such an exceptional community, and I look forward to all that we will continue to achieve together.

With much pride and gratitude,

Simon C

Principal

Christmas Playgroup