Principal News 

WEEK 9 - TERM 3

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At the heart of a great school is an awesome community.

Dear Families & Friends,

I apologize in advance as this newsletter certainly feels a little like a ‘cut & paste’ exercise from the previous edition after another remarkable fortnight with so much to celebrate within our wonderful Sacred Heart community. 

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Whilst we acknowledge these collective achievements above, upon reflection, it may have been wise to heed the advice I have offered families in recent weeks and perhaps sought to strip back a ‘few’ extra school activities in light of the stamina ‘typically’ required for Term 3 (exc. 2020-21 T.3).  

So, as we enter the home straight and note a few wobbly legs, heightened emotions and flaying energy levels (students, staff & families alike), we again thank our families who have taken steps to rest, reset and put in place some sensible ‘pacing’ measures in pulling back on out of school activities or taken the odd rest day i.e. a circuit breaker. We have certainly welcomed this awareness and look forward to hopefully managing this 'pace' and balance a bit better in Term 4. 

Wellbeing News & Must Reads

Please do yourself a favour and read the Respectful Relationships & Wellbeing News section. Led by our passionate Mr Brown, our staff and students are doing some AMAZING things in this priority area. 

Thanks again to our various leaders for their most imformative and comprehensive newsletter pages. Our leaders do an incredible job capturing the fabulous news across their levels or leadership portfolio. 

Special Assembly

Last Friday, we welcomed so many visitors to our special assembly to acknowledge our dads, special friends and important people in our lives. To be honest, we were quite overwhelmed by the response and significant turnout (standing room only) at the assembly before many progressed to the classrooms to spend some quality time with the children. 

As a footnote, and acknowledged by many throughout the year, we have loved the growing number of families attending our weekly assembly in this new timeslot. Yet another example of, ‘from little things, big things grow.’ In addition to the beautiful junior school song treat, a sneaky highlight was Adam Humphrey’s entry from the toilets to receive his Class Award for the week. Adam’s reaction and timing was just priceless!

Little Hearts Playgroup

What a success!

Next Session -  14th October

In keeping with the theme of a SUPER Friday, it was fabulous to again see a large number of prospective and current parents with pre-schoolers and toddlers at our second 'Little Hearts Playgroup' session. This terrific initiative has been such a lovely connection piece and entry point for our families, and we look forward to building upon this in the coming months. Carol Mathias, one of our LSOs is an accomplished musician and has offered to do some music & songs for the next session. We are excited to see this program evolve in such a short period of time.  

Whilst the intentions are clear, it has also proven to be stunning opportunity for our senior students to assist, and let's just say there have been no shortages of willing volunteers. 

In the meantime, we encourage all families with preschool age children to come along and continue to spread the good word within your networks.  The more the merrier for this terrific program.  

Little Hearts Playgroup Sessions 

Term 4 at 9:30am

• 14th October
• 4th November
• 18th November
• 2nd December

Prep Camp Experience 2022

Many thanks to Miss Maloney for creating such a gorgeous atmosphere and experience for her students with the ‘Prep Story Time’ on Thursday.  The room looked simply amazing and this was ALL Miss Maloney's creative doing! 

This gentle introduction to our school ‘camping’ program saw our most junior students go home after school and return in the evening wearing their pajamas in readiness for some story time, fun games and a special pizza dinner.   Wonderfully supported by Miss Rafferty, Miss Prosser, Miss Bryce and Mrs Pennington this evening was a perfect balance and small step for our students before they progress to a big 5 day camping experience to Canberra in Yr.6. 

Dad's Footy Day 2022

Wow! If there's one thing I have learned since joining this amazing Sacred Heart community, our families love to gather and celebrate. The outstanding turnout and resounding success of this annual Dad’s Footy match on Saturday typified a signature trait of Sacred Heart - STRENGTH of COMMUNITY.  

Topped off by a great game of football, the family day did not disappoint with a jumping castle, half-time mum’s kicking competition, a fantastic live band, BBQ and bar (drink & 10kg chocolate). 

Although played in the in the best spirits, it was hard not to acknowledge the high intensity and passion (some winding back the clock)  from the first bounce, perhaps resulting in a few too many war wounds throughout the game. Despite some dislocated fingers, we congratulate Tim Hilton for his best on ground performance - an almighty effort.  Our thoughts shift to some bruised and battered dads who were a ‘touch’ sore on Sunday morning, Father’s Day. We wish them all a speedy recovery in the coming days and hope the aches and pains were offset by a few stall treats on Sunday morning. Many thanks to Ryan Barton-Cope for his invaluable medical support on the day - he was kept quite busy, even prior to the opening bounce. 

And finally, we offer our deepest gratitude to Anthony McCabe and his team of volunteers for their wonderful organization across the two communities of Sacred Heart & Sandy East.  A special call out to ‘our’ parents for stepping in to assist with the bar, canteen, bbq, raffle, and various stalls, with many working the entire day. We can be so proud of our communities investment on the day. 

Zone Athletics Carnival

Congratulations and good luck to the following students who have qualified for the Beachside Division Athletics @ Duncan MacKinnon on October 11th:

• 9-10 Girls 800m – Tilly Monaghan
• 9/10 Girls High Jump – Abby Lakes
• 9/10 Girls Long Jump – Abby Lakes
• 9/10 Boys Long Jump – Spencer Buck
• 9/10 Boys Shotput – Archie Matthews
• 9/10 Boys Discus – Charlie Nagle
• 11 Boys 200m – Harrison Lonsdale-Coates
• 11 Boys 800m – Benji Simpson
• 11 Boys 1500m – Benji Simpson
• 11 Boys Discus – Harrison Lonsdale-Coates
• 12/13 Girls High Jump – Skye Lawless
• 12/13 Girls Triple Jump – Issy Corrigan
• 12/13 Boys High Jump – Jesse Byers
• 12/13 Boys High Jump – Lachlan Angus

Wacky Wednesday

Well done to our Yr.6 leaders for promoting the fun Wacky Wednesday celebrations to raise funds for the Royal Children Hospital. Since joining Sacred Heart in 2022, I have really admired our outward facing and social justice minded student leaders. Next term, the Yr.6 students will have their annual Big Sleep Out to raise awareness and funds for the homeless through St. Vincent de Paul. In addition the students will put together hygiene packs for the homeless to be distributed via this foundation. 

Public Speaking Graduation

What a privilege it was to watch our ‘confident’ students present their final speeches to close out the fabulous work they have been doing under the tuition of Sandra DeGest from Advanced Presentation Skills. This structured program steadily builds their public speaking skills and confidence to present in front of their peers and a larger audience.  How impressive it has been to watch our students grow and indeed flourish over the past few months, culminating in these graduation speeches. We are hopeful these skills, added confidence and exposures will continue to shape our students in their secondary school and adult years i.e. open doors and pathways. Well done to ‘all’ our students, you were superb! Presented without fault or reference to a script, thanks Millie Bonke for re-sharing your outstanding speech with me as I was caught up in a meeting. 

We also greatly appreciate the efforts of Ms Kehoe and Miss Healey for 'staging' the room for these speeches. Going above and beyond to create the right atmosphere for this occasion was not lost on our students or families.

Staffing News 

Unfortunately we wish to announce Mrs  Jacqui Reed will be officially retiring at the end of the school year. After 14 years years dedicated and passionate service to Sacred Heart, Mrs Reed will hang up her kimono and look to enjoy the next well-deserved chapter in her life. An exceptional Japanese educator, colleague and an invaluable member of our community, we will ensure she closes out her time at Sacred Heart on a high in the coming months.

On behalf of all members of our community, we express our deepest appreciation to Mrs Pennington, the teachers and LSO team for their outstanding efforts in supporting, championing and caring for our students in preparing and implementing targeted learning plans across our school.   This goal focused program requires significant time and consideration, and in every instance our dedicated staff, in partnership with the families go above and beyond to ensure the best outcomes for the students. 

How impressive (in awe) it has been to watch Miss Sarah Rafferty deliver professional learning for our staff in recent months. Undertaking her Masters in Leadership, Miss Rafferty is working with all staff on H.I.T.S (High Impact Teaching Strategies) - best evidence based practice. Under her guidance, staff have identified their strengths and an area in which they would like to further develop as a teacher. This will lead to peer observations and feedback in Term 4 and in future will become a 'regular' professional practice across our school. The staff have been so responsive to this program and we look forward to starting this professional journey soon.  In addition, we thank Miss Rafferty for providing staff with ideas to trial in the classroom, all of which have enhanced the practices of our staff and ultimately the learning experiences of our students. 

School Tours 

Keep spreading the good word families as we continue to have regular tours throughout the week with prospective families. Your messaging and positive endorsements are clearly working and we cannot thank you enough for this support. We are thrilled to welcome a number of new families to Sacred Heart in Term 4 as result of this advocacy. 

Many of the new students have already done some trial days and will again visit next week. This gentle introduction/transition to Sacred Heart school life has been made all the easier by the overwhelming care and sense of welcome offered by our students and staff. 

#bestschoolinthebayside

Prep Orientation 2022

• Prep Information Evening – Tuesday 18th October 7pm – MacKillop Hall (Enter via Sandringham Road gate)
• Orientation Session #1 – Wednesday 26th October 9:15am - 10:15am
•  Orientation Session #2 – Wednesday 2nd November 9:15am - 11:00am
• Orientation Session #3 – Wednesday 9th November  9:15am - 11:30am

Children attend all Orientation sessions, and the times are extended each time from the first one hour block, to build up confidence and stamina.  We will have refreshments for parents who wish to stay on site during the orientation sessions, or alternatively you can take advantage of having some time to enjoy the local cafes.

Class Structures 2023

We wish to assure all families that much professional consideration has, and will continue to go into our straight class stuctures for next year. More information will follow in the coming weeks regarding the staffing. Please note, we will not be looking to do a combination of composite and straight, but rather running just straight classes from P-6.  We ask for your trust, patience and support with this exciting transition for our school. 

MACSSIS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SURVEYS 

The 2022 edition of these surveys has been shared with parents, staff and relevant students to complete in the coming weeks. We encourage families to please take the time to complete them as the more reliable the data will be. This year’s MACSSIS are open from Monday 29 August to Friday 16 September 2022. We thank you for your support with this school improvement survey. 

Swimming Program 2022

This 8 session program will be for Yr.1 - Yr.6 students only and some costs for families will be offset by State grants. Karen has sent an email outlining the cost in the coming weeks and we have been thrilled by the positive response from our families. All children in Yr.1-6 are expected to participate in this invaluable program. 

• 11th - 21st October (excluding Monday 17th). 

P&F NEWS

Annual Masquerade Ball 

26th November 

A must for all families, so lock in the date and start your planning for what is certain to a stunning and fun night in Term 4 for the inaugural Sacred Heart Masquerade Ball.  

Father's Day Stall

Thanks to Nat & Lisa and our team of dedicated mums for sourcing the gifts and running the successful Father’s Day stall last week. These generous funds are steadily chipping away at the P&F targets for 2023.  The new junior furniture purchased by the P&F will arrive next week. 

Please note, in light of a full events calendar this year and in anticipation of the Masquerade Ball, we have sensibly postponed the market day event scheduled in October. We hope this pause in activities will enable the dedicated P&F time to reset before the big social event on the 26th November.   

Condolences 

We extend our deepest condolences to the Cheron family after the passing of Billy's mother and grandmother of Eadie in Yr.6. 

Little Gems

Check out Isla Welch's news in the Visual Arts section. We're super proud of her achievements. 

How proud are these Yr.1/2 students (Ted, Ava & Simon) showcasing their brilliant East Timor, Remexio work?

Not to be out done, our Preps (Ellira, Zara & Lucy) have come such a long way with their amazing recount writing. These collective smiles say it all. 

The gorgeous prayer above is from one of our Hawthorn supporters, Audrey Beven. To be fair, I may have used something similar over many years as a Blues fan. 

On Friday morning we woke to the news that the Queen had sadly passed away. The above messages and photo from Audrey were shared with her class today. How beautiful! 

Key Dates and Reminders

 (Check Key Dates page for full listing)

• 16th September - End of Term 
• 3rd October - Term 4 Commences
• 15th October - P&F Market Day /Car Boot Sale 
• 21st October - Day for Daniel 
• 27th October - Art Show 4pm - 7pm
• 28th October - School Closure - Berry Street Training
• 31st Oct &1st Nov - Melbourne Cup Long-weekend School Closure
• 7th, 8th & 9th Nov - 3/4T, 3/4L & 3/4CM Zoo Snooze
• 12th Nov - Prep family Mass 5pm
• 8th Dec Christmas play & Carols 
• 9th Dec - End of Year Mass
• 12th Dec - Moving Up Day
• 13th Dec - Yr.6 Big Day Out
• 14th Dec - Yr.6 Graduation
• 15th Dec - Students' Last Day
• 16th Dec - Staff Last Day

And finally...

Hang in there Sacred Heart, it's been quite a remarkable term and I'm afraid to say it is potentially shaping up to be an even BIGGER one to follow.

Simon Collis

Principal