Deputy News 

Dear Sacred Heart families,

 We are well into the swing of term two and after some illness in the school many students are back. The students seem to be settling back into the routine of school, arriving on time, wearing the correct  uniform and are ready to learn. It is a pleasure to see the students eager faces as they come through the school gate each morning and even more exciting to see what they they are learning in their classrooms each day. 

BUDDY PROGRAM 

Last Friday there was a lot of excitement from the 1/2 area as the  3/4 buddies were visiting the 1/2 area to make beautiful, colourful  parachutes using paper tiles. They read the story 'Who you were made to be' by Joanna Gaines. They created lovely parachutes with their buddies. The previous fortnight they made 'Bee kind bees' so please feel free to pop in  and see their wonderful work in the corridors. A huge thankyou to Mrs Kim Harper for organising the latest buddy activities for the 1/2 and 3/4 students.  The buddy program is a brilliant way for us to do cross age tasks together building our school community and working together. Participation in buddy programmes enhances children’s cooperative learning behaviours, such as taking turns, listening, sharing knowledge, praising another’s effort, helping one another, and completing a task. Due to the extra attention and assistance, the younger children’s work often improves; with praise comes the motivation to do their best. They older students also experience pride in their ability to be helpful. The younger children bond with the older buddy and friendships flourish as the year progresses. We also have a buddy program with our prep and Year 6 students. 

BIG WRITE 

On Monday & Tuesday all students across the school participated in our 'Big Write' topic about Grandparents  and Special friends. This topic was sent out last Friday to all families via Seesaw for Preps-4 and on Google classroom for Years 5 & 6. Thanks to those families that took the time to discuss the topic beforehand. This is invaluable to set up students up for success. Following the Big Write, all staff participated in a Writing Moderation meeting on Tuesday after school, to moderate students writing against the Victorian Curriculum. This is Best Practise and vital for preparation before writing reports. A huge thanks to all the staff for their preparation and professionalism throughout this process. 

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME

 On Wednesday we celebrated National Simultaneous Storytime. The preps enjoyed reading the book, then they read it again online with the 1/2 students. the 3/4 students enjoyed the book by delving into the more complex topics of this beautiful Australian picture book. 

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 22nd successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

By facilitating NSS we aim to:

• promote the value of reading and literacy,
• promote the value and fun of books,
• promote an Australian writer and publisher,
• promote story time activities in libraries and communities around the country,
• and provide opportunities to involve parents, grandparents, the media and others to participate in and enjoy the occasion.

STAFF NEWS

Farewell Mrs Mellissa Drummond

After working at Sacred Heart for nearly 20 years we farewelled Mrs Drummond at  a special morning tea with the staff this week. Melissa originally started at Sacred Heart as a piano teacher and then a Specialist Music teacher before the curriculum changed and we had Performing Arts in our school. Melissa started our Annual Christmas Carols evening that we still look forward to and enjoy in December every year. She worked across 1/2 and the 3/4 levels on Thursdays for many years. Mrs Drummond always had a caring and calm classroom environment. She has a passion for Music, Children's literature, Handwriting and exemplary bookwork. We thank Melissa for her dedication to teaching over many years at Sacred Heart. Melissa is still teaching piano privately from home. We wish Melissa all the very best in the next chapter of her life and we hope we continue to see her pop into Sacred Heart. 

On a final note, I wish you all a restful  and relaxing weekend. We've noticed lots of tired students post illness, so please stay warm  and healthy. We look forward to seeing you all at school ready for more exciting learning next week, 

Brigid Pennington

Deputy Principal , Learning Diversity & 

English Leader