Principal News 

TERM 1

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BUCKLE UP, WE'RE IN FOR A MONSTER YEAR OF FUN, LEARNING AND GROWTH

*Disclaimer, it's a BIG one, coffee and bickie recommended

Dear Families and Friends,

And just like that, we are back, and so beautifully settled into routines. Aside from Grandparent's Day, the first day is definitely a favourite in the school year. With an air of excitement, its always a joy to greet the eager students and ‘relieved’ families on the gate after a typically long and restful break over summer.  A lovely highlight this year was noting the number of extended families, older siblings and VERY proud grandparents gathering on day 1. Remarkably we even had a number travel from interstate or overseas to celebrate and share in this special occasion. We do encourage all families to visit the classrooms and see their precious ones in ‘action' and capture these moments during these special visits - you are always welcome.

Among the many highlights on Monday was having ‘all’ the students from Prep - 6 commence on the same day. Whilst this was a small adjustment on previous years, this certainly added to the atmosphere as our Preps shared the experience with all students and perhaps an older sibling. As one journey excitedly begins, sadly for our Yr.6s, this signifies their time at Sacred Heart is coming to a close. That said, be assured, Miss McKay and Mr T have a FULL agenda ahead, and our seniors will definitely finish on a high. Look out Canberra, Yr.6 will see you in March! 

Once again, we sincerely thank our MANY families for attending on the opening day, adding to this brilliant atmosphere. Importantly, we thank you for making such an effort to ensure the children were ready, settled and in full school uniform. Setting this standard on day one is a great way to start the year. Please note, uniforms will be closely monitored throughout the year, as this important expectation and pride piece reflects and creates a strong sense of belonging to Sacred Heart i.e. our identity and who we are. Thanks School Captains (Luisa, Milly, Benji & Harrison) for showcasing your uniform on the opening day, you looked fabulous! 

In addition, we congratulate the staff on preparing so superbly for your students prior to their return on Monday. This sense of preparedness definitely set a calm and orderly tone and it has been an absolute delight visiting the classrooms and seeing the students so immersed in their academic program. We have definitely hit the ground running in 2023, so expect some very tired students in the coming weeks as we steadily transition into our full program (see below). How pleasing it has been to see the junior classes already rolling out their daily sound packs (sound to letter knowledge) and the 3-6 students introduce key math concepts for the term ahead, on day 1. Next week, we introduce Spelling Mastery in 3-6 and issue the new Chromebooks in Yr.5&6, replacing the iPad program. (Make sure the ICT eForm on Operoo has been completed)

Perhaps the most affirming observation has been the instant impact of straightening and aligning classes P-5 down the corridor. Contributing to this fabulous energy across the school, our Preps are now downstairs with all junior classes and Yr.6 have relocated to a special senior space upstairs, and they love it!. If you recall, late last year we moved 11 of our 12 classes to streamline the rooms. Whilst this was a massive undertaking, it was certainly worth the effort.  

CREATING A FLOW & RHYTHM

Since joining Sacred Heart in 2022, I have asked the staff to ‘trust the process’ as we collectively aim to create an improved flow and rhythm to school life. This includes:

• prioritising wellbeing,
• only investing in evidence-based teaching & learning practices,
• being accountable to the curriculum,
• ensuring our many parts work in unison (align and are consistent), 
• creating a shared understanding (clarity & vision) and
• focusing on doing less well (impact).  

Our staff mantra for 2023 will be to maximize every learning minute to ensure we cover and account for the breadth and depth of the curriculum entitlement, focusing on ‘best practice,’ namely in the key disciplines of literacy and numeracy. In doing so, we trust our students and families will note another subtle shift in the curriculum delivery and rigour this year as we continue to align and tighten our structures, learning schedule (timetabled) and further refine targeted practices reviewed in 2022. 

On that note, I commend our highly-committed staff for their considerable investment in our professional development agenda and embracing these tighter structures. It has been most affirming to hear staff reference the positive gains across their teams, efficiency of planning time and improved teaching & learning practices. I am most proud of their journey to date and ‘buy in’. 

Led superbly by Miss Rafferty (T&L Leader), Mrs Stroud & Mrs Pennington (Literacy), Mr Blake (Maths & RE) and Mr Brown (Wellbeing) we are in tremendous hands as they will continue to build the capacity of the staff and ultimately the academic outcomes and wellbeing of the students.  Last Friday’s staff day reflected our intent as the entire agenda reinforced these shared expectations for 2023. What a brilliant and purposeful day! 

And finally, I would like to again acknowledge our ‘whole’ staff who were in school over the holiday period preparing their rooms (they look fabulous), respective learning spaces and resources for the students over many days. The hive of activity, energy, collaboration and commitment has been some of the best I have seen in my 34 years of education - thank you team for your efforts. We are ready, we are excited and we will continue to invest in shifting the way we do things at Sacred Heart. The children are in for an exciting ride and  will ultimately benefit from this investment. 

Some key introductions and reinforcement of practices and approaches this year:

• Straighten all classes (single stream) and aligning rooms in order from P-6 across the school. Instant impact! 
• Reinforce a Structure Literacy Approach i.e. emphasise highly explicit and systematic teaching of all important components of literacy
• Maintain and build upon MSL P-2 and train an additional staff member in this approach. Miss Rafferty commences this invaluable training next week. 
• Maintain Heggerty P-2. This is a Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Researched-Based Curriculum Program
• Introduce daily Spelling Mastery. Daily in Yr.3-6 
• Continue with the implementation of The Writing Revolution P-6
• Introduce a scope and sequence for grammar.
• No iPads in Prep and Yr.5&6. New chromebooks to be rolled out this week. ICT student and parent agreement must be signed before issued a new device.
• Berry Street professional learning. All staff will finish their full training this year with two more modules. 
• A stunning new Music Program in the shared library space. Music in the heart of the school and the students just love it!

Over the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing and elaborating more on these approaches. Please note, your feedback and seeking clarity will always be welcomed. 

PREPS 2023

Get ready for the ride families as we have some pretty awesome new ‘kids on the block’. What an exceptional start to school life our newest members of the community have had in their first week at Sacred Heart. We have all been blown away by their eagerness and preparedness to embrace all before them, albeit one week into a 280 week journey. While the end may seem out of reach at this stage, be assured this precious time flies by - speaking from experience. 

We strongly encourage all families to try to be active participants in their child’s primary school journey, capturing these moments, embracing the highs and occasional lows and importantly saviouring and cherishing every moment. For most families, the primary school experience and relationships/friendships within the community remain their most treasured and lasting, so we look forward to watching these flourish over the years.  

From a school perspective, forging positive partnerships and trusting relationships with our families will always be a priority.  

Once again, we congratulate our Preps on their stunning transition and dearly thank the amazing Miss Maloney for creating the conditions (warmth, care and love) to ensure their entry into school life has been nothing short of seamless. Please note, if your child is tired, emotional or somewhat out of sorts, this is typical and expected in these early years because they invest so much cognitively and emotionally in these formative years, holding it all together during school hours. The end of the week and term tend are heightened spots, so be prepared families. 

There is even a lesson on how to use scissors.  A picture of concentration says it all. 

Routines and Predictability is Key

Over the coming days, we ask our families to work towards building a clear and predictable routine for their child/children e.g. sleep time, uniform ready, carrying their own school bag. This is key, as we shift up another gear this year and continue to build the muscles for learning - stamina. Stamina involves sustained effort and focus and children simply learn best when they are rested and ready for learning. Your support in establishing these routines is strongly encouraged and we ask that you carefully monitor for fatigue and where appropriate take a circuit breaker to reset and rest. Should your child struggle with change, please let your teacher know and we'll always do our best to prepare the students and families for the occasional change in the school program or daily routine. 

LOOK WHAT ARRIVED

Let's just say, it felt like Christmas as the special Yr.6 rugby jumpers were handed out on Thursday.  We extend our sincerely gratitude to Amanda and Tarn from our Uniform Shop for sourcing these keepsakes.  They are just perfect, so wear them proudly students. As one student said, "I'm never taking mine off." 

WELCOME NEW FAMILIES

We warmly welcome the following families to the best community in the Bayside:

Bryan, Brooks, Cason, Dalins, Greaves, Harrington-Curry, Jennings, Rowe-Natoli, Ryan, Saccasan, Sheehan, Smitten, Sullivan

STAFFING NEWS

Is it the luck of the Irish, or perhaps another Irish blessing to hit the sunny shores of Sandringham in 2023? How thrilled we are to have the exceptional educator, Miss Donnelly, join our professional community this year. With a wealth of experience across a number of diverse educational settings, Miss Donnelly has already made a stunning impression on her students and our staff. We cannot wait to see her influence across our community as she settles into her new school. 

The newly introduced music program is now situated in the shared library space, and we have all been ‘blown away’ by Miss Robertson’s beautiful voice and incredible energy permeating throughout the school. Watch this space as Miss Robertson has already got a school musical, choir and Glee Club in her sights.  In addition, we also welcome Mrs Bunn as the fabulous new Japanese teacher. Mrs Bunn's passion and love of working with children is reflected in the stunning Japanese room. Just like Miss Robertson’s music space, it has to be seen to be believed. Gosh, we have been so thrilled by our new staff and their seamless transition to Sacred Heart and cannot wait to see these programs flourish this year. 

Not so much, out with the old and in with the new, but it would be remiss not to acknowledge Mr Brown’s transition to the PE program and Mr T to Yr.6 after many years as a classroom teacher and specialist teacher respectfully. They are loving their new roles and it was amazing to see both teachers in the full ‘flow’ with their classes this week. Gifted educators, Mr T was built to teach his own class and Mr Brown is in his element already setting lofty goals with his passion for sport and desire to create Sandringham’s very own Institute of Sport. This week, he proudly rolled out an acquired AFL training schedule, so expect some very tired students after these weekly sessions. It is such a bonus to have Mr Brown in this capacity as he is able work across the entire student populations with his wellbeing lens. Win-win! 

STAFF LEADERSHIP 2023

STUDENT LEADERSHIP 2023

Congratulations to our School Captains and Leaders for 2023 and well done team on your first assembly presentation on Friday. Alice, Johnny and Joel are naturals and their roaming microphone session was a beautiful way to finish our opening liturgy. 

I met with the impressive captains this week and they were able to articulate some intentions and goals for this year. They are going to implement a 'suggestion box' and also be active contributors to the newsletter as they look to improve student voice across the school. The captains will also visit the classrooms throughout the term talking to the students and seeking ideas and feedback. Great work, Milly, Luisa, Benji & Harrison. 

• School Captains: Milly, Benji, Luisa  & Harrison
• RE: Joel, Alice, Johnny & Angus
• Respectful Relationships: James, Eliza, Bella, Stevie, Miles & Liam 
• Social Justice: Eden, Eloise, Daisy, Grace, Jasper & Scarlett 
• Sport: Harry, Bonnie, Joe, Lachie, Harvey & Angus
• Arts: Keira, Levi, Finn, Aylah & Felix
• Environment: Jasper, Ellara & Monique 
• IT: Thomas & James 
• Library: Millie, Frankie & Sam 

SUSAN MCLEAN - CYBER SAFETY INFORMATION EVENING 

9th February at 7pm

We dearly hope and strongly encourage all parents and friends to attend this powerful and informative evening on cyber safety. Susan is the international leading expert in this area and a must for families as we navigate this complex and sometimes challenging technology and social media landscape with our children. Susan is in particularly high demand and we are thrilled to have her work with our students (during the afternoon) and families this year sharing her wealth of experience and expertise. Although this presentation is not compulsory, we simply cannot recommend this evening more highly for our families.  

COLOUR RUN 24th February 12-2pm

How thrilled we are to confirm Sacred Heart will run it's first ever Colour Run this year. And what better way to kick start our P&F events calendar with this ‘fun’-d raiser. We ask all families to share practical online fundraising details and links with families and friends as we hope to generate further funds for various projects throughout the year. Our next target is to update the middle school furniture to match the phenomenal efforts from our P&F last year to fully fund new classroom furniture for the junior and senior school. We are indebted to Mr Blake for coordinating this fantastic event and Pam Crotty for actively driving this event within our parent community. 

A gentle reminder, all children will need to provide an old or cheap white t-shirt, and optional sunnies on the day. Parental support and involvement will always be welcomed as our course will safely navigate the surrounding streets.  

Use the link below to kindly donate.

Help support our school

Sacred Heart Parish School Colour Run

WORKING BEE #1 

Many hands indeed made for light work with our opening working bee on Sunday as our families readied the grounds for the new school year. This was a remarkable achievement and effort from our volunteers offering up their precious time over the weekend. The grounds and surrounding boundaries look fantastic and we thank Anthony Morley for coordinating our team of many helpers. It was also an opportunity for Anthony McCabe to make some more connections for the dad’s network, an important arm of the P&F.  Please make yourself known to Anthony as he coordinates this fun and social network. 

How special is this?

Late last year we donated some furniture to a community in Timor-Leste. This beautiful connection over the years has been maintained by Heather McGrath and the Scared Heart community. Heather coordinated a shipping container and the delivery arrived early in the new year. These are the lucky recipients of Sacred Heart Schools furniture. Sister Conceicao sends much appreciation & blessings to the students and staff for this wonderful gift & sharing. There is also the new classroom that has been built. 

Little Gems

Hard to believe they are now in Year 1

And what a fabulous transition our 2022 Preps have had to Yr.1. The smiles reflect just how much these students love school life. They are growing up before our eyes and it's not surprising Miss Rafferty thinks she has struck gold. We're thinking these students are in for another incredible year. 

It's Buddy Time

Another little shift in the way we do things this year is having our Yr.5 students take on the buddy role for our new preps. In setting up this beautiful program this way, it enables the students to forge stronger connections over a longer period i.e. two years.  

Whilst our current Yr.6 class will unfortunately miss this much anticipated, traditional and loved connection piece with the Preps, be assured their full program will ensure they have an extraordinary final year of primary school. However, it is worth noting they will buddy up on Friday afternoons to do activities with the Yr.1 class. It was pretty special to witness this in action on Friday. 

Year 6 Spot Light

What a great sign as I have dropped into Yr.6 this week and on all occasions the teachers have been oblivious to my visits as they have both been in the flow/zone of teaching. Not surprising it was wonderful to overhear both teachers this week say how much they are truly loving their classes. Miss McKay and Mr T have created such a special (palatial) learning space for their students and the move upstairs in their final year is just perfect. 

Year 6 Messaging

Since joining Sacred Heart in 2022, I have quietly observed Miss McKay in action, witnessing her gentle and profound impact on her students. Her insightful knowledge and investment in her students, quiet and timely words, manner, actions, encouragement, coaching and motivation have impressed me so greatly as she continues to shape and build the confidence of her students before they head off to secondary school.  Her words or little catch phrases sprinkled around the classroom have become great anchors, motivation points and teachable moments, and are genuinely lived by her students. We sense Mr T and Miss McKay are going to make a dynamic duo in 2023 as outstanding role models for their students.  

Prayer Cloths

Great to see the prayer clothes taking shape across our classrooms. These symbolic cloths help centre and focus the children as they celebrate and share their daily prayer ritual before starting their learning.  We thank Mr Blake for driving this important cultural piece at Sacred Heart. 

Class Mottos and Mission Statements

Introduced this year, all classes have started to prepare class mottos (a catch phrase) and a mission statement to aspire to this year.  Next week, all classes will share these with our community at assembly. Thanks Yr.1R for sharing your 'super powers' this week. 

Please note some of the drafts above. These will be finalized in the coming days.

Year 4

From SpongeBob, to moustaches, Ms Tench certainly knows how to connect with her students and their interests (hooks).  In 4C (Sea) our most creative Ms Collins has done a stunning job with an amazing sea theme across all corners of her room. How lucky are our students to have such dedicated and creative teachers to inspire their learning.  Clearly our Yr.4 students are in for a wonderful year. 

We are focused, we are ready to learn.

Below is a small sample size of students across the junior classes. 

We just love how the children are encourage to organise their bags and pencils on day 1. Setting the expectations so early in the year is key, and long may it continue. 

What a talented artist we have in Elsie. This was her remarkable portrait of Wednesday from the Netflix series, and think we could agree, the likeness is extraordinary.  

Relationships are Everything

Whether it be 1:1, or in small groups, building relationships with our students is a signature strength at Sacred Heart. What a wonderful opportunity for our two small Yr.3 classes to build relationships with their outstanding teachers Miss Healey (3H) and Mrs Tucker (3T). This unique arrangement will see these two classes come together from time to time to share their learning and it will be an awesome opportunity for the teachers to build relationships with the entire cohort of Yr.3s . 

P&F NEWS

LOCK’EM IN - KEY DATES

• Cyber Safety Information Evening - 9th February 7pm
• Colour Run 24th February
• Cocktail Party 25th February

Please note we have more 2023 dates in the 'Key Dates' page and school website Google calendar. This will be live and updated regularly.

And finally...

A special call out to Karen for supporting our families in these early weeks as they settle back into routines with a range of administrative requirements. Whilst we acknowledge there is a steady stream of emails and comms, these are now a reality of school life, in particular in the early weeks. The best way to address some of the Operoo emails is to attend to immediately as some are automated and will keep hitting your in-box until approved. 

Over the past few weeks, Karen has been chipping away at a 'one-stop shop' online portal for access to key information and links. Designed on the same platform as the user friendly newsletter, we hope this will serve our families well over the coming weeks and months. 

School Information Package, please click here

Thanks again families for your welcome, smiles and warmth on the gate, we are in for the best year yet,

Simon Collis

Principal