Principal's Message
Welcome back to Term 3. Whilst the weather is a bit chilly the return to school has been warm and positive. It seems that most people are very glad to be back and ready for all that the term will bring and offer. We have made a red-hot start to the term with lots happening. Today our Stage 3 First Nations students travel to Young to share in the Regional NAIDOC Mass. Students from across the region will come together to recognise, celebrate and acknowledge our First Nation history, contributions and future. Thank you to Mrs Maher and Mr Winsor for accompanying the students. We have also had Sacha McLeod compete at the state cross country championships in Sydney where she finished an excellent 39th out of over 100 students.
Our budding stage and screen stars have been busy in the final preparations for our new production – Man of Steel. Despite the heavy commitments that our students have outside school they are excited about being involved in long standing Sacred Heart tradition. The talent of our students never ceases to amaze me, nor the preparedness to try something different or the determination to follow a passion. There are still heaps of tickets available for the night performances on Thursday 8th, Friday 9th and Saturday 10th August from the Front Office.
Thank you to the staff, students and families who have weathered the interruptions to ensure that the production is a success. A special thank you to the staff who generously gave up their time to finalise many of the more challenging set and hall preparations last night. And a special thank you to Ms Wade, Ms Buchanan, Ms Withers, Ms Marsay, Ms Van Kerk Oerle who have given up their weekends and holidays to support this important endeavour. If you would like to sponsor the production to offset some of our costs please find attached a sponsorship request letter and instructions of how to support our budding thespians and the creative arts.
Over the past months Tom Peacey our 2024 School Captain has feverishly researched and planned a proposal for a Sacred Heart Beanie to complement our uniform. He has personally liaised with the suppliers, staff and students to arrive at a collaborative design that will be available to purchase in coming weeks. The final mock up, cost and order details will be posted on COMPASS as soon as it made available. It is so inspiring to see our young people initiate and see through ideas to achieve a positive outcome. Well done Tom.
In the coming week the 2024 NAPLAN reports will be sent home to families in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Teachers will be spending sometime analysing the results before they are released so that they are well-placed to answer questions, acknowledge successes and address any concerns. There will also be an opportunity to meet with the class teachers regarding both the NAPLAN and school reports in the middle of the term. The opportunity to book an appointment will be made available soon through the COMPASS portal. If you have been unable to access the individual school report on COMPASS please make contact with the school for assistance.
We welcome Mrs Jane Hardie to the staff for Term 3. We are very excited to welcome Jane back to Sacred Heart where she will support Ms Thompson in 1B. Sacred Heart continues to be blessed with wonderful staff who are passionate about providing the best education for our students. This term many staff will continue their professional learning about the High Impact Teaching Practices as part of the Catholic Education diocesan initiative. We will also continue to implement the school wide routines of Classroom Mastery to develop positive habits of engagement and classroom practices. We are grateful that our staff so readily embrace the new directions and developments in education and are prepared to invest in new learning.
We finally have the go-ahead to begin the construction of the new deck and playground entrances into the Primary Building. Whilst we have weathered stalemates and the various contingencies that go with refurbishment of an older building. It is very exciting and we can't wait to move back into our beautiful spaces. We are grateful for the patience, experience and skills of our builders and contractors – Dean McIssac Builders. They have been wonderful to work with especially when I have very limited knowledge and understanding of how they go about realising our vision for our classrooms. The Primary building is steeped in history and many thousands of children have learnt and lived in those classrooms over nearly a century of learning. We are trying to pay respect to that history and honour the traditions that were begun so many years ago. If only the walls could talk!!!!
We are in the thick of enrolment interviews for the coming academic year 2025. It is a delight to meet with the parents and students who are only just beginning this journey. We recognise the privilege it is to share this journey. We take this responsibility very seriously. If you know of anyone who is interested in seeing what we have to offer and are yet to make a decision for 2025 please ask them to contact the school to arrange an interview. We are very hopeful that we will have two delightful kindergarten classes for next year. We will host the second Parent information session on Tuesday 6th August in the Infants Breakout space. This will detail the arrangements for the Orientation sessions that begin in early September for Kindergarten.
In the coming weeks we will enjoy the Infants families celebration, the 2B assembly, the Trent Barrett Competition, the Small School Rugby League gala day, the Book Fair and so much more. So much happening!
Have a great weekend – stay warm and dry!
Remember kind is the new cool!
God Bless
Ms Nicky Trinder
Principal
