OFFICIAL SCHOOL BUILDING OPENING

16th May 3pm

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Dear Families and Friends,

On Friday, we came together for a beautiful assembly prepared by our Year 1 and 2 students. It was a fitting way to end the week, recognising the incredible impact our mums and women have on the lives of our children.

Their unconditional love, unwavering support, and tireless care and nurturing should never be taken for granted. We are truly fortunate to have such remarkable mothers in our Sacred Heart community.

A special thank you to those who also helped organise the Mother’s Day Stall earlier in the week. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are deeply appreciated, especially amidst the demands of busy households and work commitments.

We hope all our wonderful mums are treated to some well-earned spoiling in the days ahead. Thank you for everything you do to enrich our school and the lives within it, namely our children.

As the dust settles...

As the figurative dust settles on our stunningly refurbished spaces, we could not be more thrilled with how positively our students and staff have embraced these beautiful new facilities. There is so much to celebrate. Just this Tuesday, as I walked through the building with a colleague, they repeatedly commented on how incredibly calm the atmosphere was throughout. With many classroom doors open to the corridor, it was remarkable to see the level of focus, teachers delivering instruction with such clarity (#explicitteachinginaction) and students quietly engaged in their learning.

While these exceptional spaces certainly contribute to the tone, the real credit goes to our dedicated staff. Their collective effort in establishing clear expectations and nurturing a calm, purposeful environment has been outstanding. This culture does not happen by chance; it is the result of a shared vision, professionalism, and a consistent approach with a strong focus on routines from Prep to Year 6.

Well done to our students and staff, you’ve created a truly brilliant environment for learning at Sacred Heart.

Cross Country – Success Isn’t Just Measured by Trophies or Awards...

How proud are we of our incredible team, taking out their first-ever Cross Country Championship! What a brilliant way to cap off an already fantastic week.

With a team full of eager and determined runners, our students were simply fantastic on the day. A huge shout-out to Mr Jaynes for his dedication to our sporting program (and Running Club staff & parents), as the results are speaking for themselves.

While I often cheekily say to the kids, “Don’t return unless you win,” what truly matters is how our students conduct themselves and represent Sacred Heart. That’s where the real win lies. The way our students present in the broader community is a direct reflection of the tone set by our staff, through clear expectations, guidance, and a strong and positive presence and engagement with the students on the day. Your influence at off-campus events is invaluable, and I want to sincerely thank you for upholding and modelling our values so consistently.

Identified by many, this has been a key area of growth over the past few years, and Thursday was a terrific example of just how far we’ve come. The feedback was exceptional. In addition, on Friday, the coach of the opposing football team even took the time to call and commend our students on their exemplary sportsmanship and manners, a further testament to the culture we’re continuing to build at Sacred Heart.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’re creating together. These moments shape how we are seen in the broader community i.e. our identity. Congratulations to all for the role you play in upholding these standards. It’s clearly making an impact.

A big thank you to Matt Hodder for his enthusiastic leadership in promoting our Friday morning Running Club in the lead-up to Cross Country.

With an incredible turnout of 80–90 students each week, and a strong contingent of parents led by Matt, along with our dedicated staff, the students were supported in running before school, building both fitness and confidence ahead of their events.

Thank you to Matt, our families, and staff for your commitment and motivation in helping set our students up for success!

ANZAC DAY APPEAL

Acknowledgement from the Hampton RSL for our Anzac Day appeal. We managed to raise an amazing $369 - they were thrilled with this response for a school our size. Thanks again to Miss Newey and our Yr.6 students for driving this most worthy cause.

How good is this?

Annabelle competed in the 9–10 Girls Diving Competition and achieved an outstanding performance. In the Regional competition, she placed 1st in the Southern Metropolitan Region, and remarkably, 3rd overall out of all competitors with a total score of 78.60 — just behind second place at 81.35.

In the proceeding State competition, Annabelle again placed 3rd, narrowly missing second place by just 0.65 points with a score of 66.25.

We are incredibly proud of this quiet achiever’s accomplishments, all the more impressive given she only took up the sport a month ago!

Bayside Youth Awards

Congratulations to the following students who were nominated and recognised at the recent Bayside Youthn Awards: Mataya, Pippa, Olivia, Grace, Sophie & Eddie.

Appreciated by our families for this recognition, we look forward to building upon this unique opportunity in the future. We are so very proud of our students! Thanks Miss Bulte for putting these students forward for these awards.

Staffing News 2025

Over the term break, we were thrilled to hear the wonderful news that our fabulous Yr.5 teacher Miss Bull and her partner Steve have announced their engagement! To say Miss Bull was anything less than over the moon would be an understatement. We are absolutely thrilled for Darcie and Steve as they prepare for this exciting new chapter. Let the planning begin!

This gorgeous little one continues to melt hearts across our staff — and it’s easy to see why! Beautiful Willa, Ms Tench and Phoebe’s precious baby girl, is already a happy and healthy two months old.

Congratulations to Miss Kate Flynn (Year 2), who received her permanent residency this week. One of many outstanding Irish teachers on staff, we continue to count our Irish blessings for the impact these exceptional educators have within our community.

I am often asked by families which part of Ireland our teachers come from, and I occasionally stumble, given just how many Irish staff we are fortunate to have. With a little help from Miss Maloney, we now have a large map in the admin foyer showing where all our staff come from. And yes, Miss Donnelly is from a wee village called Fivemiletown.

Winter School Uniform

Just a reminderwe’ll 'now' be transitioning to our winter uniform by May 12th. While we encourage students to wear the winter pants for practicality and warmth, they’re also welcome to continue wearing the school navy shorts if they prefer. After all, comfort is key! This is not an excuse to wear PE sneakers i.e. non black and clearly branded.

Thank you for your support in upholding our uniform expectations. Wearing our uniform with pride helps clearly identify who we are and reinforces our strong sense of belonging.

P&F NEWS

Little Hearts of Sandy Playgroup

LITTLE GEMS💎

It’s so wonderful to see our incredible Art teacher, Mrs Hyslop, finally able to reclaim her gallery space to showcase the stunning work created by our students.

We’re incredibly proud of the standard across all year levels, it’s a true reflection of the depth of our Art program (arguably the best going around!). Be sure to stop by and take a look, you’ll be amazed!

A smile says it all.

Practice makes perfect...

This beautiful display was prepared by our preps and is situated directly outside their classroom in our newly refurbished corridor.

This precious photo was shared with me on Wednesday morning after drop-off, and it was too good not to include and acknowledge. One of our dear pre-schoolers had a little tumble, and without hesitation, a group of our wonderful Year 4 students rushed over to comfort and care for her. They even went to find her big sister to make sure she was okay.

What a beautiful reflection of the kindness we strive to nurture in all our students!

And finally...

We hope you can join us for the official opening as we celebrate this incredible milestone and acknowledge both the stunning refurbishment and the journey over the past 12 months.

Happy Mother's Day!

A very proud,

Simon C

Newsletter and Term Overviews