Dear Parents and carers,

As I write this last newsletter for the year, I am reminded of some of the many events and learning opportunities that our students have had this year.  Feast Days, Masses, Sacramental programs, Dancefever, discos, sports carnivals and events, excursions, camps, incursions, Visual Arts exhibition, Science week, Book week, family celebrations, and everyday classroom success, all contribute to the vibrant life of our school community. 

I am thankful for our wonderful teachers and all that they do to ensure that all of our students have an education that looks at the whole child - their social, emotional, academic, physical and wellbeing needs. Congratulations to all of our students on their ‘Shine and Share’ sessions, where each child showcased something that they were proud of.  The variety of learning across the curriculum was evident in each classroom. 

I wish all of our families a Christmas filled with joy as we celebrate Jesus’ birth and a safe and happy holiday break. 

P & F Social event

A wonderful evening was celebrated last Saturday with many of our parents attending the P & F social night. We were all welcomed by our organisers, Sofe Stuart, Lucy Kierath, Kate Jones, Monty Montgomery, Lorraine Lee and Jackie Grover, all of the Year 2 and other class parent volunteers and our P&F executive. We enjoyed pizza and drinks while catching up.  Thank you to our P & F, to the parents who willingly gave their time to organise and set up the event, and to all the parents and teachers who attended to make the night such a success.

Classes 2024

As per my information in our previous newsletters, class organisation for 2024 has been underway. Our teachers, Mrs Miller, Miss Meehan and I have spent many days and much thought on this process to ensure that we have the ‘best fit’ of classes for all our students. We have taken into consideration many factors including:

• parent requests or information
• teacher observations or requests
• academic and well-being needs of our students
• diverse learning needs 
• social and emotional needs of our students
• friendships, ability to work together and overall class dynamic
• ratio of boys and girls in each class
• the mixing of both classes from this year to form new classes
• student friend preferences and individual circumstances

As you can imagine, this is a very comprehensive process. When considering parent requests we have achieved one or two aspects of the request.  Some parents shared a list of many friends they wanted for their child and we ask for your understanding that only one of two of these can be achieved.  Some parents requested their child not be with another child and we have honoured this where possible. 

Every child completed a 'friendship hand' where they listed five friends that they would like in their class.  The teachers clearly explained that they would have one friend in their class for next year. Our Year 6 buddies assisted Kindergarten in this process. We have checked student friend choices in line with their new class and are very happy to advise that every child has one friend of their choice for 2024.  Some children have more than one friend, depending on the class mix. 

Blue and Gold are the class names across our school.  If your child is in the same colour class for 2024, it doesn’t mean they have stayed in the class while others have moved.  All students from the Year level were joined and then mixed into two new classes. 

Our classes for 2024 are now finalised and no changes will be made (you can imagine that after completing this process, changing even one child would have a flow on impact to others). Next Tuesday afternoon is our ‘meet the new class’ & teacher session which provides opportunities for students to hear about some of the learning and expectations for 2024.  When your child tells you about their new class and friends that may or may not be with them, we encourage you to be positive about the year as this will be your child’s learning journey and a new class is a new opportunity for learning and friendships.  

Congratulations

Congratulations to Arabella Crone who won joint second place in the Year 6 category and also an Archbishops choice award in the Archdiocesan Christmas Art Competition.  Arabella and her family along with Mrs Conroy attended the ceremony on Sunday.  Thank you to Mrs Jackson and Mrs Conroy for the many weeks they set aside last term to work with the students who participated in the competition.

Awards Assembly

Our end of year awards assembly is on Thursday 14th December, starting at 8:40 am.  At this assembly there will be one award given for each grade for Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Deep Learning (which integrated Science, History and Geography), Creative Arts and Sport.  The teachers from each grade have chosen one student who has truly shown their skills in this curriculum area by achieving academically, showing progress, displaying consistent effort and overall excellence in the Key Learning Area.  

During this assembly, we also recognise our highest achieving student in Arrowsmith, our Year 6 students who have participated in the ‘Pope Francis Award’ this year. Parents are very welcome to join us. 

Extra Curricular activities

There are some changes to extra curricular activities next year:

Music Mates

Music mates have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Sacred Heart next year.  This is partly due to the limited uptake of their offerings this year and the requirement of teacher / student ratio to run their program effectively.  We have hired Music Mates to provide music and sound for our ‘Carols on the Courtyard’ next Wednesday. 

I Heart Science

As mentioned in Compass, I Heart Science has decided to finish all of their school associations for 2024.  We are currently negotiating with a company that provides coding workshops for students Year 3-6 for one morning a week next year and further details will be provided if successful.  They would need a minimum of 16 students a week for this to proceed,  

Cyber Safety

Mrs Petersen has organised a Cyber Safety program for students to coincide with e-safety week next year.  As part of the program , we also invite parents to a Cyber Safety Education session.  Please see the details below. 

Cyber Safety Parent Information Evening

Incorporating technology into learning is fundamental to our curriculum and teaching methodologies. Additionally, ensuring responsible and safe usage of technology within our school community is of utmost importance.

At Sacred Heart, prioritising cyber safety is a crucial aspect of utilising technology. We approach this commitment through multiple strategies:

• Implementing a protective firewall within the school network
• Enforcing the technology agreement among students
• Restricting the use of applications to those deemed appropriate for specific age groups
• Providing comprehensive cyber safety education

Cyber Safety for students

In Week 2 of 2024, we're excited to engage the expertise of ySafe to conduct a specialised ‘Digital Essentials’ program. These sessions are tailored to different age groups and educational stages, covering curriculum objectives from Kindergarten to Year 6.

The Digital Essentials program encompasses various critical topics, including privacy, online safety practices, understanding digital footprints, and addressing social media use among older students.

Cyber Safety Information Session for Parents

Protecting children in their digital worlds is an ever-evolving task for Australian families. Parents often seek guidance in how to manage screen time and navigate the world of games and social media. We are therefore pleased to help our parent community by offering an engaging education session with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of online safety education. This practical, strategy-rich session will cover the most important points that all families need to know about online safety, including key information about social media and gaming, screen time recommendations and step-by-step instructions on how to set up a cyber safe home for children of all ages.

If you’ve ever struggled with getting your children off their games and into bed, worried about the content of the games that they are playing or felt concerned that your child was spending too much time in the digital world, this session is for you. 

YSafe will host this informative session for parents on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. Please save the date for this workshop ‘Empowering Parents in the Digital Age: Aligned Messaging, Capacity Building, and Creating Safer Online Environments.’ 

We would appreciate it if you could complete the attached RSVP form to indicate attendance.

For further information about technology at school or ySafe please click on ySafe or the BYODD program at Sacred Heart. 

We are looking forward to hosting this school event for our students and parents.

Wishing you God’s Blessings, 

Jane Taylor

Assistant Principal