Principal News
Dear Sacred Heart Community
On behalf of the whole staff, it was great to be meet with so many smiling faces this morning. School can be a very lonely place without students. Our Year Prep and Year One classes haven't skipped a beat and were eagerly lining up for their teachers this morning.
A big thank you to our parents and guardians who continue to follow the very important Covid protocol, of keeping their children at home if they are sick. Your cooperation with this protocol is helping keep our school community safe.
Play Based Learning
After an initial trial last year in Year Prep, our Year Prep and Year One teachers, Bethany, Alexandra and Ann have introduced Play Based Learning as an integral part of their student's morning routine this year. Their students commence each morning with a thirty to forty minute session where they mingle across the two classrooms and involve themselves in rich, motivating play experiences.
Researchers suggest that play is a central ingredient in learning, allowing children to imitate adult behaviors, practice motor skills, process emotional events, and learn much about their world. One thing play is not, is frivolous.
Through play, children can discover their own interests, abilities and limitations; they imagine, investigate and explore. They develop memory skills, build vocabulary, learn new skills and knowledge and learn how to get on with adults and other children. Play based learning nurtures our student's creativity and imagination. It gives them opportunities to discover their independence and develop a positive self-esteem.
Our teachers will explain the philosophy of the Play Based Learning component of our student's day in more detail at the Parent/Teacher interviews.
Parents and Friends Committee
Last Friday we had our first Parents and Friend's Committee meeting for 2021. As for the School Board meeting earlier in the week, it was very refreshing to be able to reconnect with the group personally rather than through the online mediums of 2020. Along with Jodi and Elissa who are organising our committee this year, we had a very healthy nine other parents join us for the meeting which was fantastic. Our next meeting will be held in a couple of weeks time and new members are warmly invited to attend. This year the committee is wanting to organise:
Term One
Welcome after the Opening of the School Year Mass
Easter Raffle
Hot Cross Buns Sale
Icy Poles selling
Term Two
Mothers Day Stall
Grandparents Day
Term Three
Football Day
Fathers Day Stall
Term Four
Icy Poles selling
Dinner Dance - TBC
At the meeting other exciting initiatives were discussed and it is hoped that some of these can be held.
Postponements of Parent/Teacher Interviews
Thank you for your understanding with todays postponement of our parent/teacher interviews. We will reschedule these interviews for later in the term and let you know of the details accordingly.
Review dates
I was contacted by our external school reviewer Mary Lovelock last Friday to inform me of the review dates later in the year as detailed below. You will be given more information about our school review in the coming months
Monday July 19th: VRQA Compliance Audit
Tuesday August 10th/Wednesday August 11th: Review Days
Thursday 2nd September: Reviewer Feedback Day
Yours Sincerely
Mark Tierney
Principal