Deputy News 

Dear Sacred Heart families,

Wow we have had another big few weeks at Sacred Heart. We  had a wonderful Mother’s day celebration last Friday with our assembly, Morning tea and a Mother’s Day stall. A huge thankyou to the P & F and the dads for stepping in to run the stalls and assist with the morning tea.  It is very much appreciated. There was such a 'buzz' in the air with so many visitors in our school. It was also lovely to see our mums enjoying some time in the classroom. We hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and enjoyed the 'special gifts ' your children chose so carefully at the stalls.  

In preparation for NAPLAN in Year 3 & 5 there has been a lot of writing going on across the school. Persuasive and Narrative writing  has been the key focus. I have been privileged enough to see this in action across our middle and senior areas of the school. The teachers have done  a great job in preparing our students and honing their writing skills. 

I also had the pleasure of seeing some of the writing in action when students visit my office. I was blown away by the calibre of writing from our students and this is one fine example from Elsie Brown in Year 4 who has written about her passion of Art and she has given me permission to share it. 

Art By Elsie Brown Year 4

Art is the absolute best way to express your creativity and imagination. By just drawing or painting on paper or a canvas with different colours and ideas, you can test your brain. There are a variety of different types of Art to experiment with so you will never get bored. It can be a sensory experience which helps with mental health and wellbeing.

In my opinion Art is a way you can get peace by using a simple pencil and paper. All artworks have their own style. You can get a great variety and never get bored by experimenting with: 

1. Cartoon
2. Realistic 
3. Fantasy
4. Modern
5. Abstract
6. Pop art

In my view Art is also good to test your brain to keep your pencil still when you are writing/drawing etc.  Many people have used art for stress or anxiety. I certainly do.  You can use many designs, colours and tools to be the best you can be and build up courage to show the world your Art by making new styles and textures.

Another interesting fact is you can also make sculptures made out of plastic or clay or anything really. It is very sensory experience. You could also make Art with wet sand at the beach! Lastly, with technology, you can do digital art.

It has come to my conclusion and obviously you can now see how much Art can impact your life in a positive way. There are many reasons why you should start your journey with Art and unleash your creativity on just a piece of paper.

Congratulations to all the year 3 and 5 students for competing the NAPLAN tests this week and to the staff for running this with our students. It is the first time both the Year 3 & 5 students have done NAPLAN due to Lockdowns  in 2020 so it has been a good opportunity for the students to experience test conditions. It is also important to consider that this is one test on one day and is just a 'snapshot' of their learning.   A lot goes on behind the scenes and a huge thank you to Dara Blake and Joanne Collins for working on this and to Matilda Tench and Jayne McKay for also  helping to run the testing.A special mention to and the support staff, the LSO's and Kate Stroud and Sarah Rafferty for stepping in to support students during this time so the students can work to their full potential and be the best they can be. 

I also had the opportunity to take a small group of Year 4 students to Nagle Kinder to build our community connections and to meet some future Sacred Heart students. What  a beautiful connection the students made, playing dolls, the year 4's reading to the kinder students, doing art, playing on the equipment, playing Lego, and swinging the kinder students on the swings. My heart was full seeing this program in action. 

Have  a lovely weekend and stay healthy, 

Brigid Pennington

Deputy Principal , Learning Diversity & 

English Leader