Message from the 

School Principal

Dear Sacred Heart Families,

As we turn our attention towards the last weeks of term at Sacred Heart, we have much to be grateful for over the past term and much to ponder from a Catholic dimension. 

St Patrick's Feast Day

It has been a long held tradition that Sacred Heart School Captains and Vice Captains have represented Sacred Heart Primary School at St Patrick's Cathedral for mass each March to celebrate the Feast Day of St Patrick and Catholic education in Melbourne. But today was extra special!

As part of our 125 year celebrations at Sacred Heart, our school was formally invited to lead the procession into the Cathedral, leading the many Catholic schools in Melbourne who also took part in the procession. Our School Captains, Harry McAuliffe & Amelia Emans, proudly carried our commemorative banner marking this special year. Social Justice leader, Daisy Crawford, also had a special role to play, reading a Prayer of Intercession for teachers, catechists and families to be like St Patrick. Abigail Dowling (Social Justice Leader), Sophie Frazcek (Vice Captain) & Jacob van Aardt (Vice Captain) also represented our school at the Cathedral, participating with reverence and awe in the Mass. For Cath and I, who joined the children at the Cathedral, it was a very proud and humbling moment and a memory we will treasure always, as will the students. 

For those of you who would like to watch the Mass, the link is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JivaLGZeLqQ

Special moments to note are:

7:58 min - Amelia and Harry in the banner procession

41:09 min - Daisy moving to the altar for the Prayers of Intercession

42:06 min - Daisy reading the Prayer of Intercession

Procession of banner: https://youtube.com/shorts/bGZ2xxq-Qcc?feature=share

Knowing and honouring our history is an important part of our Living Purpose, Vision and Mission at Sacred Heart because it helps students, families and educators understand who we are and how our community has grown over time.

Our history tells the story of the people, faith and values that have shaped the school. It connects students to the traditions of the Catholic community and to the generations of families who have been part of the school before them. This sense of continuity helps children feel that they belong to something bigger. For families, understanding the school’s history builds a stronger connection to the community.  It also fosters pride in being part of a school with a rich and meaningful story.

Importantly, our history is not just about the past but a foundation that strengthens identity, belonging and purpose for every member of the Sacred Heart community.

St Joseph's Feast Day

Yesterday, 19th March, we celebrated the Feast of St Joseph who is the patron saint of our parish, St Joseph's Parish, Newport & Spotswood. This special day offers us an opportunity to reflect on the life of a man who, while often in the background, played an essential role in the story of Jesus.

St Joseph is known for his quiet strength, deep faith and unwavering commitment to his family. He listened to God, acted with courage and cared for Mary and Jesus with humility and love. His example reminds us that leadership is not always loud or visible—often it is shown through simple acts of kindness and doing what is right. 

As a school community, we are inspired by St Joseph’s example in many ways. We are reminded of the importance of working hard, supporting one another and valuing the role each person plays in our community. His life encourages us to recognise and celebrate those who lead through their actions and contribute positively to the life of our school.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop reminded us of the following:

We see in St Joseph a perfect mirror of confidence in God - a wonderful, unbounded confidence in our good God. 

1893

I encourage you, as a family, to take some time to think about a time when you have been an advocate and support for others, particularly someone who is vulnerable, marginalised or in need of protection, just as Joseph showed us. I invite you to also pray together as a family the prayer that our children said together at school this week:

Dear God,

Thank you for St Joseph.

Help us to be caring, kind and gentle like him.

Help us to look after others in our family, school and community.

Amen.

A Glimpse into the History of Sacred Heart 

Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you some glimpses into the history of our wonderful school. I hope you find them interesting and create a sense of belonging and appreciation of those who have gone before and created what we have today - which si something pretty special!

The Sacred Heart School - originally known as St Joseph's School had its beginnings on the 18th August 1901. The timber school building was erected adjacent to the church, mo moved from where it originally stood alongside the Old Academy of Music Hall (next to the Morning Star Hotel) in Williamstown. It was considerably altered in its relocation to Newcastle St and a new roof of Gothic design was erected, together with new windows, doors, a stage and dressing rooms.

The sisters who taught at the school would sometimes travel by train from Williamstown to Newport but often preferred the walk across the paddocks. 

In 1917, the school became formally known as Sacred Heart Parish School and the staff to pupil ratio was 1:96.

Naplan 2026

Over the past two weeks, our Year 3 and Year 5 students have participated in Naplan testing in Numeracy, Reading, Writing and Language Conventions. We congratulate our students and would like to acknowledge their focus, resilience and positive attitude and we are very proud of the effort shown by each child. NAPLAN is just one measure of learning and we continue to value the growth, progress and achievements our students demonstrate each day in the classroom. Well done to all involved!

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Yours in faith,

Kaylene

Kaylene Carlin

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL