Principal News 

 Dear Families and Friends,

As we make our way through ‘hump week’ of Term 2, it seems another wave of illness is moving through our community, with many students, staff, and families feeling the effects. (One of our neighbouring schools recorded 55 student absences last Friday alone and another 8 teachers out Thursday)

We encourage everyone to be gentle with themselves and others during this time, and where appropriate, we kindly ask families to err on the side of caution by keeping students at home if they are showing any signs or symptoms of illness. While this is typical for this stage of the term, with fatigue setting in and the seasonal change underway, it’s important that we all respond with care and consideration to all members of our community - thank you for your understanding.

That said, we’re heading into two  four-day weeks and in my professional opinion, the timing couldn’t be better. It’s a well-earned chance for everyone to reset and recharge as we prepare for the run into the second half of the year.

The weeks ahead are certainly full, with Grandparents’ Day, three Lightning Premierships, the Canberra Camp, and a full academic program all on the horizon.

Hang in there, Team Sacred Heart. We’ve got this!

Kimberley Region School Immersion – Principal Network Visit

Recently, I had the privilege of joining members of our principal network on an unforgettable professional and cultural immersion in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, visiting remote Catholic schools in Derby (Holy Rosary) and Beagle Bay (Sacred Heart).

The highlight of the experience was our visit to Sacred Heart School in Beagle Bay, a remote Aboriginal community located approximately 2.5 hours north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula. This small settlement is centred around a single general store, the church, and the school.

We were honoured to attend a beautiful school Mass in the heritage-listed Sacred Heart Church in Beagle Bay, internationally recognised for its stunning altar inlaid with mother-of-pearl, crafted collaboratively by the Pallottine missionaries and local Aboriginal community. Built entirely by hand by local Nyul Nyul people in the late 1800s, the church stands as a powerful symbol of cultural and spiritual significance. Situated on Nyul Nyul land, where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years, the church continues to serve as a central place of faith and connection. Sacred Heart School currently enrols 78 students, with daily attendance typically ranging between 40 and 50. The entire school community (for the day) gathered for the liturgy, and the depth of their faith and strong cultural identity was both humbling and inspiring. Below is a photo taken after Mass, featuring all school staff, students, and visiting principals.

A moment of profound significance came when a local elder, Mena courageously shared her personal story of growing up at the mission as a child of the Stolen Generations. Her testimony was deeply moving, a powerful and unfiltered account of Australia’s complex and painful history, one that demands continued listening, reflection, and reconciliation.

This experience left a lasting impact on many principals both professionally and personally. The resilience, warmth, and spirit of the communities we encountered are a testament to the enduring power of culture, connection, and faith in education.

I am incredibly grateful to MACS and the Principal Network for funding and supporting this experience, and to the Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary communities for welcoming us so generously. I’d also like to sincerely thank Kate Stroud and the leadership team for doing such a superb job in my absence, although this should come as no surprise. We are truly blessed to be in such capable and committed hands. Dare I say, the best in the business. 

Exciting News – New Website Launch Coming Soon!

We’re excited to announce that in the coming weeks, Sacred Heart will launch a brand-new website designed to better serve both our current families and those considering joining our school community.

In addition to school tours and the invaluable power of word-of-mouth, this new platform will be a key resource for families in the Bayside area or those planning a relocate. Our aim has been to create a more contemporary, accessible, and user-friendly site, one that offers clear navigation, engaging interactivity, and easy access to up-to-date information about enrolment enquiries, key policies, our curriculum, teaching practices, approaches to learning, and extra-curricular opportunities. This new site will perfectly complement our relatively new nForma Parent Portal, which Karen maintains to support more frequent communication with current families and to share updates on day-to-day school activities or requirements.

A special thank you to Sarah Rafferty, who has led this project, all while on maternity leave! From sourcing a provider to coordinating content, Sarah’s efforts have been instrumental in bringing this new platform to life. We’re also incredibly grateful to Zena, who has been capturing beautiful moments across our school in recent weeks. Her photography has already featured across a range of platforms and will also be showcased in an upcoming brochure for prospective families. 

This brochure, another exciting initiative led by Sarah, highlights the many great things happening at Sacred Heart and across our wider Catholic school network.

We can’t wait to share both the website and the brochure with you in the coming weeks, and we warmly welcome your feedback once they’re live.

Stay tuned!

Another special visit...

On Monday, we had the pleasure of hosting a team from MACS’ Assessment Strategy & Implementation division to observe the outstanding Teaching & Learning practices at Sacred Heart.

The visit was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the collaborative and evidence-informed approaches our staff are embedding across the school. The team were particularly interested in how our assessment strategies are aligned with high-impact teaching practices and student learning outcomes at Sacred Heart.

Following the visit, we received this incredibly affirming feedback from the Lead of Strategy & Performance at MACS:

Dear Kate,

Thank you for hosting us on Monday — it was a pleasure to visit Sandringham. It was fantastic to see Literacy in action and observe the consistency in practice across year levels, as well as the maximisation of instructional time.

We were particularly taken with the warm, calm and inviting atmosphere of the classrooms. It’s clear that great care has been taken to create environments that support students in engaging with their learning.

We greatly appreciated your insights into Sandringham’s current practices and your next steps in strengthening your literacy approach. Your reflections were both informative and inspiring.

Please pass on our thanks to the team for their warm welcome and the opportunity to learn from their work.

We look forward to speaking with you again soon.

Warmest wishes,

Sandra, Bec and Jo

Congratulations staff for the work you do every day that continues to position Sacred Heart as a high performance school in the Bayside.

CONFIRMATION

Congratulations to our Year 6 students, who formally received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Thursday evening, in conjunction with St Mary’s, Hampton. We extend our gratitude to Fr Martin and Bishop Tony Ireland, both of whom were so impressed by the students’ preparation, manner, and participation in this intimate celebration of a faith milestone between our two parish communities.

A sincere thank you to Miss Bulte and Miss Newey for their guidance and support of the students in the lead-up to this special evening, and to Miss Maloney for her outstanding leadership in coordinating the Sacramental celebration, all while managing her responsibilities as a Prep classroom teacher.

It was a fabulous team effort and a wonderful reflection of our community’s shared commitment to faith formation at Sacred Heart.

A special call out to Mrs McGrath for kindly offering to take all the photos on the evening. 

Important Maths Update

Update on Mathematics Reporting

Did you know we’ve introduced a new Mathematics curriculum this year? As part of this update, there have been some changes to how we report student progress in Mathematics.

Previously, students received separate progression points for different strands of Mathematics. Under the new curriculum, students now receive one overall, weighted progression point that reflects their achievement across all areas of the subject.

Because of this shift, historical progression points will no longer appear on your child’s report, meaning previous data will not be visible to show growth. However, from this year onward, you’ll be able to track your child’s progress through consistent, clear reporting. As always, student growth will continue to be shown in 6-month increments.

We appreciate your understanding as we transition to this improved curriculum, which is designed to better support student learning.

If you have any questions or concerns about Mathematics reporting, please don’t hesitate to contact Mak Bulte or your child’s classroom teacher.

Cross Country

What a truly remarkable outcome from our runners at the recent championships! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ While taking out the overall Dendy Championship for the first time is an incredible achievement in itself, we’re also thrilled to acknowledge the following superstars who have since gone on and progressed to the Regional Qualifiers.

No mean feat — or should we say feet! 👟👏

• Noah J - 2nd 
• Amelia S- 4th 
• Sadie S - 10th
• Emily H - 6th 

Reconciliation Week

Congratulations and thank you to Miss Bull (in her element) running a stunning session last week with the combined Yr.5 and Prep students. As part of Reconciliation Week, the Year 5 students and their Prep buddies honoured this year’s theme, ‘Bridging Now to Next’, by learning and performing the beautiful Indigenous lullaby Inanay during buddy time. Together they explored the story of a goanna through music, dance, and song, creating moments of shared wonder, connection, and joy.

Inanay, an enchanting lullaby with deep roots in Yorta Yorta Country, has been lovingly passed down through generations. It’s a song that has stayed with Miss Bull throughout her teaching journey. Its soul soothing melody and cultural richness continue to resonate, reminding us of the power of First Nations storytelling and the importance of preserving these traditions for future generations.

Daily Fluency

Every day, students across our entire school engage in dedicated reading fluency practice. Fluent reading serves as a vital bridge between automatic word recognition and deep comprehension. It connects the ability to read words quickly and effortlessly with the capacity to understand and engage with text meaningfully.

This daily practice is a non-negotiable part of our literacy approach from Prep to Year 6, reinforcing our commitment to strong foundational reading skills for all learners. I loved seeing our most junior students in action this week. 

Assessment Schedule

This week, every available space, including all new offices and resource has been in use as our staff undertake their half-year assessments with students. While it is still early days, we have been genuinely blown away by some of the data sets coming in. As I have said to staff, this doesn’t happen by chance. We have a disciplined and strategic approach to our teaching delivery, and we are confident that this long-term shift and investment in how we now do things at Sacred Heart is paying off. The writing samples across all levels so far have been quite exceptional. We are so proud of our students and staff!

Audition Time

Well done and congratulations to all our students who bravely and confidently  auditioned for lead roles in our upcoming and exciting school production, Seussical. Gosh, they were amazing!

A special shoutout to Mr. Coutts for organising the audition process, along with his trusty sidekicks and able assistants, Mrs. Pennington and Mary. This passionate trio share a genuine love for the performing arts and were the perfect panel to guide and judge the auditions.

We can’t wait to see the magic unfold!

Sexuality Education Program

This term, we commenced our Sexuality Education Program for students in Years 4, 5, and 6 at Sacred Heart. These sessions are facilitated by experienced educator Cath McCallig from Sex Ed 4 Schools, who brings a respectful and age-appropriate approach to this important area of learning. Cath is undoubtedly the best in the business in this space.

Thank you to Miss Wood for the time and dedication she puts into this wellbeing space as it provides important information to support our students and families. Please note these sessions are fully funded by the P&F in acknowledgement of the cost of living demands on our families.

Staffing News 2025

On Monday morning, I received a beautiful message from Mr. Blake, a much-loved former staff member of Sacred Heart, sharing the joyous news of the safe arrival of his baby daughter, Holly with his partner, Kate.

We couldn’t be happier for them and are so grateful that Mr. Blake has continued to maintain strong ties with our Sacred Heart community since relocating to Ireland last year.

Kate, an avid triathlete, looked so wonderful she seemed ready to run home from the hospital!

P&F NEWS

LITTLE GEMS💎

We just love capturing these moments. And it is clear to see by the smiles, Alex & Toby are pretty proud of their efforts.

And more smiles from our juniors proudly showcasing their wonderful writing samples. Well done, Sadie & Jack C

Harvey: "I even have better handwriting than my brother in Yr.5."

What a fabulous weekend of achievement for Em H and her teammates! Competing in the Under 12 Girls State Cross Country relay (3 × 1500 m), their team not only held their own but came away first placed, outrunning squads from as far away as Ballarat and the Surf Coast. Congratulations to Em and her three-girl crew on this outstanding performance!

And finally...

A special highlight of my travels was spending some precious time with colleagues from the South Central Network, a rare moment where we had 100% attendance! Below is a photo with one of my dearest and most treasured colleagues, Claire Tobin, who is now principal at my former school community.

While it was a privilege to step away and experience such a rich professional and cultural immersion, I cannot begin to express how happy and grateful I am to be back at Sacred Heart. I’ve truly missed everything that makes our community so extraordinary, especially the energy, warmth, and passion of our students, staff, and families.

Have a wonderful and safe long-weekend,

Simon C

Principal