Principal News 

TERM 2 - WEEK 9

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CAMPS 2024

*Updated Key Dates T2-T4 2024 - Including new dates for lightning premiership

IT IS NOW VERY REAL - THE MOVE IS ON

Dear Families and Friends,

I want to express my deepest gratitude to our last Friday staff, including Mrs. Hyslop (not her work day) and the many remarkable families for their incredible efforts in preparing for the big build and the move to our new temporary learning areas. With a "many hands" approach and lots of heavy lifting, we managed to fill two large industrial bins over recent days. This was a monumental team effort! I am particularly thankful for the dedication of our staff in managing both the students and the logistics of the move, ensuring minimal impact on the learning program and the safe transition of the students during this period. Their response has been exceptional, and I couldn't have asked for a better team under these circumstances. Let’s not forget that we also rolled out a winter school sports program on last Friday. What a week it was!

As we move forward, please stay updated with the Q&A Building Updates (inc. milestones) and be mindful of the rapidly approaching start date,  Monday, June 17th. While we acknowledge that this transition will feel and look quite different for our students, staff, and community, please trust that we have been gently transitioning to these temporary spaces over recent weeks. We have been and will continue to closely monitor the impact on our students during this period. This is indeed a significant period of change for some, so we encourage you to have conversations at home with your child/children about this transition in the coming days. 

The most notable change will be the impact on the playground's appearance, with new fencing and changes to the entry points to the classrooms and administrative building. For more details, please refer to the Q&A Building Updates and information below.

A special shout-out to Miss Rafferty for her outstanding coordination of the major move and the bin filling, with significant support from our amazing families and staff. Her leadership in this big push (especially fitting given her imminent pregnancy theme) has greatly advanced our progress in this initial phase of the move, ultimately helping to settle the community in advance and supporting the building handover.

We again thank you all for your continued support and cooperation during this exciting transition.

Principal & Leadership Network

What a joy and a proud moment it was to see our staff shine last Thursday as they welcomed 48 visitors (to be exact) into their classrooms to observe best practices in action. Requested by the network to see 'what we are doing' and talk about (Mrs Stroud & Miss Rafferty presented) our rich journey of change of the past two years, this was yet another highlight in my time at Sacred Heart.

Importantly, I also understand that hosting such a large number of visitors is a significant challenge and added pressure for our staff. I simply could not commend the staff more highly as they embraced this opportunity with remarkable professionalism, taking all in their stride, something I have become all too accustomed to from this dynamic team. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, and it stands as a testament to their continuous growth as educators - life long learners. I'm thrilled to convey several principals and leaders highlighted during our debrief that it was some of the best practices they had ever seen. And as such they have already requested another visit with respective school teams. 

In addition, these practices are reflected in our new L&T Page prepared by Miss Rafferty. A must read as we are proudly ahead of the curve!

SACRED HEART FEAST DAY

The feedback below was sent last Friday and truly captures the essence of the beautiful Sacred Heart Feast Day mass and celebrations. Congratulations to Mr Blake and Fr. Martin for making this event possible. I believe it’s the best I’ve ever seen our children behave in the Sacred Heart church, and that said, they are typically outstanding. Additionally, a parishioner stopped me on the way out and mentioned that she has been attending church at Sacred Heart for over 20 years, and this was the best behaviour she had ever seen.

Just wanted to commend you and all the staff on a wonderful mass celebration this morning. The children were very well behaved  and respectful, their responses demonstrated that they understood the key messaging in the service. Father Martin was great with the children too, it was so nice to see this rapport he has with them. 

Enjoy the rest of the school feast day and have a relaxing long weekend!

In addition, many thanks also to Mr Blake, Mr Brown, Ms Bulte and the team for organising the ‘Healthy Heart’ morning, which was also attended by so many parents. What a brilliant morning and celebration to close out last week!

A Memorable Grandparent's Day Celebration! 

What an extraordinary and special way to close out our week! Grandparent's Day is arguably my (our) favourite day of the school year. Despite the pending building program and many students being in temporary learning areas, these challenges did not deter our special guest or affect the stunning success of this morning's event. We witnessed a phenomenal turnout for Grandparent's Day, with an overwhelming number of attendees.

Unfortunately, we underestimated both the seating arrangements and the number of scones (double order in 2025), leading to many families standing throughout the entire assembly presentation. We sincerely thank our families who remained undeterred and embraced this celebration. Despite the full capacity, our amazing students again demonstrated exemplary behavior throughout the lengthy assembly. Congratulations to them for their impeccable conduct and manners during the event!

We also extend our sincere thanks to the students and staff who prepared and presented various items during the morning. A special mention goes to our P-2 students for their beautiful grandparent's song, which was a highlight of the event.

A huge thank you to our generous Parents & Friends (P&F) group for serving morning tea after the precious classroom visits. The enthusiasm and joy were evident, with again standing room only in all rooms—a testament to the staggering success!

We eagerly look forward to next year, with more stories to share and new learning spaces to celebrate on this VERY special day.

SOCCER LIGHTNING PREMIERSHIP CHAMPIONS 2024

Congratulations to our Year 5 & 6 boys for winning the soccer lightning premiership on Wednesday! Our girls also played exceptionally well, making it to the semi-finals before a narrow loss. This is a fantastic achievement for both of our teams. With our upcoming building program, perhaps it's time to consider investing in a trophy cabinet to showcase our students' successes. We thank Mr Blake and Mr T for supporting and coaching the students on the day. 

Another Sneaky Highlight 

Friday Buddy Time

Our commitment to protecting and prioritizing these precious bonds with an upcoming building program was beautifully demonstrated during our Friday Buddy Time program. Miss Bull was truly in her element as she led an Indigenous-themed buddy time session.

With 94 students and 6 adults in the room, eating out of hand, we were all captivated by her stunning manner and delivery. She effortlessly commanded the entire room, engaging everyone with her message and beautiful singing as she taught the students a special Indigenous song, complete with actions.

It was a remarkable experience, and one of my personal highlights for Friday, albeit as I was caught hanging some data cable in the background!

Building Program Update Q&A #2

SOON TO BE OUT WITH THE OLD

IN WITH THE NEW OVER THE COMING MONTHS

Leadership News Section

Please note that there will be no Middle School News page this week. Ms. Tench and the team have been extremely busy moving classrooms throughout the week, making it impossible to compile the usual updates.

On Friday, we had another major effort, with the Year 4 students moving to the hall after Grandparent's Day. Ms. Tench dedicated all her leadership release time to relocating her class within this tight timeframe.

It's been an exceptionally busy week for the middle school as both Year 3 and Year 4 classes have now relocated. We are incredibly grateful for the tremendous efforts of this team, including the Year 2 and Year 5 groups. Our 5s, 3s & 2s have definitely set the benchmark this week on adapting to change, seamlessly transition to these spaces. Good luck Yr.4 as you start this journey on Monday. 

Thank you for your understanding and support.

DISCO TIME

Once again, we would like to extend our gratitude to our incredible parent volunteers and disco coordinator, Edwina Chalk for their efforts in organising and supervising the disco. We thank you for your continued support in creating these opportunities for our students. What a turn out!

Staffing News

It was wonderful to have Ms. Levy drop in on Wednesday to spend time with her dynamic Year 5 team, Mrs. Maddocks and Ms. Bull, in preparation for next semester. Let's just say there were some very excited students and staff, as it has been nearly 18 months since Tiffany last stepped into the classroom. We are thrilled to welcome her back and look forward to seeing this team in action in the coming weeks.

Next term, we will also welcome the highly experienced Mrs. Lisa McKeon #yesanotheririshteacher, who will be covering Year 2 on Thursdays. This change comes as the impressive Miss Donnelly steps into the soon-to-be-vacated Maths leadership position from Mr. Blake. We are extremely confident that these changes will be seamless, and we are in great hands in moving forward with these respective changes. Just reminder, Mr Blake's last day will be Friday, 28th June. 

Another reminder that in the last week of this term and the first week of Term 3, I will be on long-service leave to spend some precious time with my family. As always, the school will be in great hands with Mrs Pennington and the leadership team during my absence, and I look forward to returning and seeing how settled the community is after the early stages of our exciting building program. Thank you for your understanding. 

Congratulations and well done to our Respectful Relationships Champion, Mr. Brown!

Recently, Mr. Brown spoke at a forum attended by over 100 participants, discussing the importance of wellbeing practices in schools. Recognised for his dedication and influence in this area, he was invited to share the journey of Sacred Heart and highlight the significance of this invaluable program. Sacred Heart's commitment to promoting wellbeing is rooted in research, and we are incredibly proud of our efforts in this field.

In the coming weeks, we are excited to announce that Mr. Brown will also support staff in rolling out the 'School Readiness' program. This initiative focuses on improving mental health in schools and will complement our existing evidence-informed approaches, such as the Berry Street and Respectful Relationships programs. With the integration of 'School Readiness,' we are confident that our comprehensive approach to wellbeing will continue to benefit the entire school community.

Little Hearts of Sandy Playgroup

Another fabulous playgroup session on Friday. It was great to see some of new Preps for 2025 as they start to make some connections. 

Family and friends are most welcome to attend our Little Hearts Playgroup. Please note, there is no age limit on toddlers or pre-schoolers. We typically have about20 pre-schoolers and toddlers and it has been fabulous to see lots of new faces at these sessions. During the building project Playgroup will be relocated to the Church foyer on Fernhill rd. Thanks to Father Martin for accomodating this valuable progra.m 

We'd love to see you there! 

• 21st June
• 26th July
• 30th August
• 18th October
• 22nd November
• 6th December

P&F NEWS

SAVE THE DATE

LITTLE GEMS

More superstars! Preps dropped by to share their special calming and breathing strategy. Let's just say it was pretty special as they showed me how they can calm when the going gets tough. 

Another great celebration as Jed practised his daily fluency with our T&L leader, Miss Rafferty. If only I captured Jed's proud smile after he finished the passage, it was priceless. 

Mrs Bunn regularly sends students to showcase their fabulous work from her Japanese class. This week these proud students blew me away with the quality of their work. Nice work, Lachie, Taj & Daniel. 

A little bit of an international flavour this week as Simon shared his special poem in Spanish for his Argentinian grandparents. 

Straight after the grandparents left, P-2 were staright back into their structured literacy, just like clockwork. Love this!

And finally....

Not a day goes by where I don't feel blessed and proud to be part of the extraordinary community at Sacred Heart. In recent weeks, I've watched our students, staff, and families come together in remarkable ways.

From responding to calls for help during our recent moving schedule, to staff managing students while setting up new learning spaces, to the community gathering in large numbers to celebrate Grandparent's Day, the spirit of Sacred Heart has shone brightly.

Meanwhile, the Government has announced the mandating of specific learning and teaching practices to be rolled out in 2025. We are proud to say that Sacred Heart has been ahead of the curve, implementing these practices for the past few years.

So, as we prepare for an upcoming building program, Sacred Heart continues to shine as a beacon in the bayside community. Once our stunning new facilities are complete, they will be the icing on the cake, making us even stronger of our school—#bestschoolinthebayside.

Let’s embrace and enjoy this period of transformation and excitement as we begin another new chapter at Sacred Heart, the best school in the bayside.

Simon Collis

Principal

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