Deputy News 

Dear Parents and families, 

Wow what an incredible start to the year we've had to Term 1 2023. The vibe and feeling around the school has been extremely positive and we saw  some very excited students and parents bright and early on Monday morning in freshly laundered uniforms, shiny shoes and slick haircuts! I always love this time of the year with the anticipation of what the new year holds. Everything is fresh and new and exciting. 

The classrooms are looking welcoming and inviting so don't hesitate to pop in and have a look.

It was  an absolute delight to welcome our new preps and their families to Sacred Heart, where their school life begins. Memories in the making!

Although we are well aware that this transition is not always easy for every child and every family. It's certainly been a big week with not only school returning but many extra curricular activities too. 

The students are particularly tired and will need a well earned rest this weekend to re-boot for another busy week at school next week.  Please don't hesitate to talk to us or your child's teacher about any teething issues, as we are here to help and support you all to make it as smooth as possible. Check out the podcasts at the end of this page. 

I am so impressed that our hardworking teachers who spent an incredible amount of time over the holidays preparing their classrooms, lesson planning and preparing  their learning spaces for a smooth and seamless transition. Miss Hyslop has created new colourful tables in our Artroom and Miss Robertson our new music teacher has created an exciting space to learn music and movement  in the old hall. We are all in for a fantastic year together. 

CLASSES IN ACTION

The preps have had a brilliant start to their learning journey at Sacred Heart. On day 1 I had the privilege of seeing them learn a very important concept of Whole body listening. They took it all in and could remember it at the end of the day, most impressive preps!  A fantastic lesson Miss Moloney. After learning this on Monday, they took this concept into their Japanese and Music lessons on Tuesday morning.  Its been a big week but they made it through their first full days on Thursday and Friday. Time for a well earned rest over the weekend!

It was wonderful seeing the Yr 1's  in action this week singing their class motto and mission! Great job Miss Rafferty. I loved seeing it performed in assembly. 

SPELLING MASTERY

During our professional learning this week the 3-6 teachers and I learnt more about our new Spelling program that we are introducing to all students in 3-6 next week. 

Spelling Mastery is  an evidence based spelling program we are introducing from 3-6. It is very explicit and scripted and based on the student needs. This approach focuses on a phonemic and morphemic approach. 

• The phonemic approach provides beginning spellers with generalisations for spelling many words and parts
• The morphemic approach involves explicitly thinking about the smallest units of meaning in language which are called morphemes.
• This will transfer into their own writing - bases, suffixes and prefixes 
• All students have been pre tested at the end of last year and new students and those absent last year have also been tested so they are learning spelling at their point of need. It was a great way to meet and get to know our new students in 3-6. 

The Writing Revolution

Aswe start the year we will be continuing to use an evidence based  writing program from P-6. The Writing Revolution methodology rests on explicit, carefully sequenced instruction, building from sentences to compositions. 

• The Hochman Method is not a separate writing curriculum but rather an approach designed to be adapted to and embedded in the content being taught in any subject area and at any grade level.
• Teachers will have further professional development in this program next week and throughout the term. 

LUNCHBOX INSPIRATION & RETURN TO SCHOOL ROUTINES

As we return to school here is some lunchbox inspiration for you. If you’re looking for a really simple guide to pack a  lunch box then try this 1 2 3 -go method:

1. Strength  food (meat/eggs/fish/cheese/yoghurt/milk/nuts/seeds) 

2. Energy foods (grains - bread, rice, pasta, crackers, oats etc) 

3. Colours (could be on the side like a piece of fruit, veggie sticks, fruit salad or in a pasta sauce, in a muffin, in a sandwich)

But how to help your children actually eat more healthy food?

Struggling with the morning routine after holidays? Might be worth listening to these podcasts to help you with the morning routine. 

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend and hopefully an opportunity to relax and refresh, 

Brigid Pennington 

Deputy Principal, Learning Diversity Leader and Literacy Leader