Principal News 

 LOCK’EM IN

Dear Families and Friends,

We hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and found it to be a much-needed opportunity to recharge in readiness for the busy sprint to the finish line after Melbourne Cup.

The coming weeks will be especially full, and we kindly ask all families to stay mindful of key dates and events. This includes:

• a fortnight of assessments for Prep to Year 6, 
• an 8-day swimming program for Years 1 to 6 that quickly fatigues the students (18th - 28th exc. Fridays), 
• Christmas carols and festivities (4th Dec 5pm-6pm), 
• transition to the new school year - moving up day (13th Dec)
• Yr.6 Graduation and Big Day Out (16th Dec)

This transition period can be a source of anxiety for some, particularly for younger students moving up and Year 6 students preparing for their secondary school journey. To support students through these adjustments, please feel free to consider the odd rest afternoon or early pick-up if needed. Awareness (cracks will form) and rest and maintaining routines will be key in helping them manage these feelings.

Sleepover at School! Yes, please! 

On Thursday night, our Year 2 children had their very first sleepover at school. Spending a night at school is a unique experience filled with fun, friendship, and a bit of adventure. Our Year 1 and 2 students participated in a range of activities in the early evening, finishing off with nuggets and chips. After the Year 1s headed home, the Year 2s settled down in their sleeping bags for a cozy movie night. Events like this help the students build confidence and deepen friendships, making school feel even more like a second home. We are thankful to Miss Donnelly and Miss Prosser, with the support of their junior team (Miss Maloney & Miss Wood) for staying the night with the students and making this memorable experience possible.

Rememberance Day Liturgy

Our assembly this week looked a little different as we took some time to stop and reflect for Remembrance Day. Led by the wonderful Miss Maloney (new REL) and our Grade 6 students, we honored the brave men and women who have served in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions. At 11:00 a.m. on November 11, we pause to observe a minute of silence to remember their sacrifices and reflect on the importance of peace. The red poppy, a symbol of resilience, reminds us of their courage and dedication. 

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them."

Final Prep Orientation Session

Thursday marked the completion of our Prep Orientation program, and we couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. The new Prep students, who will be joining our two classes for 2025, displayed remarkable growth throughout the program - a great sign! From initial nervousness in the first session to a confident and focused final session on Thursday, the children adjusted and settled beautifully over the three-day program. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the families for supporting and preparing their children during this transition, and a special thank you to Miss Maloney, Miss Wood, and the support team for their phenomenal efforts throughout this essential process.

We look forward to an exciting year ahead as our youngest students embark on their journey at Sacred Heart. After these three sessions and through careful engagement with kindergartens, alongside close observations throughout the program, we are confident in forming two well-balanced classes —Prep M and Prep W. 

Additionally, we are thrilled to have welcomed new families over recent weeks, and we eagerly look forward to building strong partnerships to ensure the best outcomes for their children. Building trusting relationships is essential, and from session one, we couldn't have asked for a more positive start.

Building Update

We expect to see the handover of Stage 1 of our building project soon, which will include seven newly refurbished classrooms, the administration block, and (hopefully) the reopening of some additional playground space currently occupied by the building site. While the exact date is yet to be confirmed, we’ll need significant community support to move furniture and students into these beautiful new learning spaces before the end of the term.

Additionally, at the end of year we will be relocating our current Prep, Year 1, and Year 5 students, as these classrooms will form part of Stage 2 of our refurbishment program. This relocation must be completed by December 17 to ensure a smooth start to the new school year in temporary learning spaces, as Stage 2 will begin in late December and is expected to be completed during Term 1 - the handover of the entire project. 

 Please watch for key communications as we be seeking parental support with this move.

Open Book Sessions

Thank you to all the families who attended our recent Open Book Sessions! We were thrilled by the fantastic turnout, and feedback from families and staff alike suggests that these sessions were truly worthwhile. The children were so proud to showcase their bookwork and work samples, and it was fabulous to see their excitement as they shared this precious opportunity with you. Thank you again for taking the time to drop by and celebrate their achievements—it meant so much to the students!

Staffing 2025

We are pleased to announce that all staffing and leadership positions for 2025 have been filled. While we continue to celebrate and recognise those who have served Sacred Heart so positively and will soon be moving on after many years of dedicated service, we are equally excited about the calibre of staff joining our community in 2025.

The upcoming year presents a wonderful opportunity for our team to build on the exceptional teaching, learning, and wellbeing initiatives we have established in recent years, with a continued focus on evidence-based best practices. This clear, purposeful commitment to explicit instruction, strengthened structures, rhythm, and rigour across our school has led to a sharp increase in enrolments and expressions of interest, giving Sacred Heart a distinctive profile within a highly competitive educational landscape.

We are immensely proud of this growth and the well-earned enhancement of our reputation, which reflects a positive shift in our professional practices and teaching and learning focus. These developments ultimately benefit our students and families while also significantly enhancing the capacity of our staff.

A notable staffing change for next year will be the appointment of two deputy principals in 2025 as part of a three-year leadership cycle. We openly congratulate the impressive Mrs. Stroud and Miss Rafferty who will lead our invaluable focus on literacy and teaching and learning practices, including in-class coaching for teachers at all levels in this capacity. Alongside their administrative responsibilities, this targeted, two-pronged approach will undoubtedly further elevate our standards at Sacred Heart in the years to come.

We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Pennington, who has served as Deputy Principal for the past three years. Her leadership, strong community focus, ability to wear multiple hats, and invaluable support during my transition to Sacred Heart have been so greatly appreciated, and I personally thank her for this considerable commitment. With her increased responsibilities and priority in the NCCD/Learning Diversity role, Mrs. Pennington will play a particularly significant part in supporting our students, families, and staff in 2025 under this leadership portfolio. This role, along with her work in intervention in Yr.3&4, will require her full, undivided attention to ensure the best outcomes for our students and families.

We look forward to introducing our team to the community in the coming weeks, and we’re extremely confident our new staff members will be warmly welcomed by our families and, most importantly, our students. These are exciting times as we continue to evolve and raise standards at Sacred Heart. Since joining SH, I have remained committed to ongoing school improvement. In line with this, a few classroom teachers will be moving to new grade levels in 2025. Our staff have welcomed this opportunity, as it enables them to grow their capacity and ensures the best balance across our school.

Please note, we will not have any 'official' job-share arrangements (e.g., 3- and 2-day part-time classroom roles) next year. All lead classroom teachers will be onsite full-time, with only leadership responsibilities requiring coverage. This structure will ensure seamless transitions and continuity for our students.

I’m proud to share our dynamic team for 2025:

Classroom Teachers (Not in class order)

Miss Bull

Miss Bulte 

Mrs Collins

Miss Flynn

Miss Maloney

Mrs McGrath

Miss Newey

Miss O’Meara

Miss Porter

Miss Prosser

Ms Tench

Miss Wood

Leadership Release Staff

Ms Levy (Thursday & Friday)

Mrs McKeon (Thursday)

Miss Moloney (Thursday & Friday)

Specialist Teachers 

Mr Coutts - Music

Mrs Evans - Japanese

Mrs Hyslop - Visual Art

Mr Jaynes - PE

Learning Support Officers & Admin 

Karen Matthiesson - Admin

Lola Allen

Mary Bedford

Jane Bertacco

Sharon Gerussi-Lock

Karin Hartnett

Cat Kranz

Caroline Mathias

Louise Robertson

Joshua Smedley

Anne Starke

Stacie Stewart

Leadership

Mr Collis - Principal

Mrs Stroud - Deputy Principal - Literacy

Mrs Rafferty - Deputy Principal - Teaching & Learning (4 days)

Mrs Pennington - Learning Diversity (NCCD) & Intervention Yr.3&4

Miss Maloney - Religious Education Leader

Miss Wood - Wellbeing

Miss Bulte - Mathematics

Ms Tench - Senior Leader

Mrs McGrath - Middle Leader

Miss Prosser - Junior Leader

Maddie 1st place - 11 yr old Highjump State Champion 2025

Wow! This is amazing news! We are immensely proud of Maddie and all she has achieved in recent weeks, competing in several carnivals representing Sacred Heart and ultimately earning the remarkable title of State Champion. The sky’s the limit for this Year 5 superstar!

Japanese News

The Year 6s this term are learning about the art of Japanese Manga. They learnt how to draw it and designed their own character. These are some great examples of their efforts.

The Year Ones in Japanese learnt how to write and say their names in Japanese. They then decorated their name cards with decorative Japanese fans. Beautiful work Year One!

Parent Involvement 101

In his element, it was fantastic to have Matt H, parent of Emily and Zara, visit Year 5 on Wednesday to share some of the statistical work he does in his profession. As Year 5 students are currently exploring statistics, this was a wonderful opportunity to tap into the expertise within our community. Thank you, Matt, as we always welcome our families to support and share their skills and knowledge with our students.

2024 Class Placements

In the coming weeks, we will invest significant time in finalising the classes for 2025, carefully considering the social, emotional, behavioural, and academic needs of the children. Teacher judgement, along with an intimate understanding of what is best for each child, cohort, and the most effective and balanced classroom dynamics, will guide these decisions. While friendship groups are important, our priority is to ensure the best possible learning environment for all students.

Teachers will ask students to name five friends they work well with for the following year, and students will be encouraged to consider classmates from other classes in this process. The aim is for each child to have at least one nominated friend.

All 'educational' requests from parents must have already been submitted in writing to the Principal by no later than Wednesday, 6th November. Finalised class lists will be confirmed after the 'Moving Up' day in late Term 4, on Friday, 13th December.

CYBER SAFETY - WELLBEING

This wonderful parent resource was recently shared by Mr Brown after commencing his new role with the Dept. of Ed. We are most fortunate maintain these connections as he will have access to some terrific resources for our community in this wellbeing space. 

❤️LITTLE HEARTS PLAYGROUP💙

 A huge thank you to our families for spreading the word—just as one parent said, "Build it, and they will come."

Next Session: 22nd November, 10am

It's also worth noting that our enrolments for 2026 are filling up quickly, with several tours already completed or scheduled, and enrolment papers are coming in. 

Please ensure prospective families and friends are aware we anticipate large ennrolment numbers and a likely early cut off date. 

🔨Building Update #2🔨

This week's progress:

New tile capping ✅

New external doors to playground✅

Window and door frames installed✅

Handrails 90%✅

Paint Undercoat ✅

ANNUAL CLASH OF THE COURTS IS BACK

• Family-Friendly event - would love to see a large contingent from Sacred Heart cheering on their school

• All while raising much-needed funds for TeamSports4All (https://teamsports4all.com.au)

Keep up to date via Instagram @clashofthecourts 

LITTLE GEMS💎

This is not an optical illusion! We have the BEST staff. 

Many thanks to Morris fixing all the soccer goals last Friday. What a superstar!

Celebrating some recent assessement results. These smiles say it all!

And finally...

This week, my thoughts are with my dear friend and colleague Michelle Moore, the recently retired principal of St Joseph’s, Malvern. Previously my deputy principal at Elsternwick, Michelle is, without a doubt, one of the most inspiring educators I have ever known. On Friday, we celebrated a special Mass to honour her incredible contributions and legacy in education over many years—a career sadly cut short by ill health, leading to her early retirement.

I credit much of my own journey in shaping a high-performing school, grounded in best practices and prioritising student wellbeing, to Michelle's influence. Her 'no fluff' and only focus on what truly matters—best practice and putting students at the heart of everything—will always guide me.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, families. Let’s make this a truly great ride to the end of term!

Warm regards,

Simon C

Principal