Thrive & Flourish

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Week Four of the term. Already it feels like this term is flying by so quickly – it’s nice to see the wattle starting to bloom and the days becoming longer – Spring is around the corner.

For those currently unwell, we hope for a speedy recovery for you.

For those who’ve welcomed a new addition to the family, we extend our warmest congratulations on this happy occasion.

For those families who’ve experienced a recent bereavement, please know you are in the prayers and thoughts of all in our community. We remember especially the Nation family.

PBIS – Sacred Heart.

PBIS – Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports - is a framework for creating safe and affirming learning environments in schools, while improving the social-emotional outcomes for students. It is a proactive approach that relies on research-based practices, including developing clear behavioural expectations, teaching these expectations and acknowledging appropriate behaviour.

PBIS is a proactive, whole school, team-based framework with an emphasis placed on development of pro-social skills.

Our current school-wide blitz is focussing on making sure we put sports equipment away after each time we use it. We’ve noticed that at the end of each break, or the end of the day, there is sports equipment being left out on the yard. Teachers are on the look-out to award tickets to students who rather than walk past sports equipment, pick it up and return it to the sports shed. This means it is there for others to use at the start of next break and it takes less time for sports monitors having to go around and collect it. We can all do our bit to help look after our school property.

At the end of each week, we total the number of tickets collected across the school and add then to a school-based accumulative total. When the total reaches a certain amount, a whole school reward takes place.

Last term we achieved 1000 tickets in the final week.

Our goal for this term was another 1000 tickets to achieve a whole school reward.

Our current total of tickets for this term is…………

What a fantastic effort to achieve so many tickets in the first four weeks of term! No doubt we will reach 1000 tickets very quickly and achieve our whole school reward.

Well done to the children on their enthusiasm for collecting raffle tickets and helping to build a positive and affirming community here at Sacred Heart.

Attendance

Parents/guardians are responsible for making sure that all children attend school every day unless they are too unwell, in which case the school must be advised. If families are going to be away for an extended period, (eg: family holiday), we ask that prior notice is given to the school, so that if parents wish, a learning program can be put in place for their children.

If parents would like support with this, please feel free to contact a member of the Wellbeing Team. We thank you for your support with this.

Tips for Being a Good Sport:

It’s that time of the year, when sporting organisations are reaching the ‘finals’ of their current competitions, and schools are busy preparing for upcoming athletics carnivals. These are fun events to take part in and it is great to see individuals achieve different levels of success. For some, simply taking part in different sports and athletics events is an achievement in itself and something to be very proud of. For others, it is a personal success, or part of a team effort, to achieving a goal that they have been working towards. The world is currently watching elite athletes compete for Olympic glory in a variety of fields.

This is also a great opportunity to model and teach our children the importance of being a good sport in all levels of competition. Listed below are some helpful tips to help with this.

Good sports:

Have a positive attitude.
Give their best effort.
Shake hands with the other team before and after the game.
Support teammates by saying "good shot" or "good try". Never criticise a teammate for trying.
Accept decisions and don't argue with officials.
Treat other competitors with respect and never tease or bully.
Follow the rules of the game/event.
Take pride in winning but don't rub it in.
Accept a loss without complaining or making excuses.

Wellbeing Support

Wellbeing support can be accessed in the following ways:

Any staff member can arrange for a referral to Student Wellbeing if they have concerns about a student’s wellbeing.
Parents can also request support for their child/ren by contacting a member of the wellbeing team at school.

Email:

Tony McDonald: tmcdonald@shtatura.catholic.edu.au

Felicity Bryant: fbryant@shtatura.catholic.edu.au

Deb Turvey: dturvey@shtatura.catholic.edu.au

At times, a student may be referred to an external support service. We also respect the fact that some students and parents may prefer to seek professional support independent from the school setting. In such cases, Sacred Heart values working collaboratively with external support services. We encourage parents/carers to communicate with the school if there is a significant issue affecting their child’s wellbeing.

If ever you need help sorting out personal or family issues, give CatholicCare Victoria a call. They offer many services to all members of our community – ALL FREE.

Have a great fortnight everyone.

Tony, Deb and Felicity.