Dear Families

I pray you have all had a restful Easter break and had time to reflect on the true meaning of Easter. The Easter break serves as a much-needed pause, allowing families to reconnect and recharge. It's a time when we step back from the hustle and bustle of our daily routines, embracing moments of tranquility and togetherness. Whether you spent it exploring nature, enjoying quality time at home, or simply unwinding, I hope it provided a sense of renewal and readiness for the weeks ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of regular attendance for students at school. Regular attendance is not just about fulfilling a requirement; it's about actively participating in the rich tapestry of school life. Each day of attendance contributes significantly to your child's academic growth, social connections, and overall sense of belonging.

Consistent attendance enables students to engage fully with the curriculum, ensuring they grasp foundational concepts and build upon them progressively. Each lesson learnt, discussion shared, and activity completed forms a vital part of their educational journey. By being present, students can learn new knowledge, ask questions, and collaborate with peers, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Beyond academics, attending school regularly nurtures friendships and social connections. School is not just a place for learning; it's a community where students forge lasting bonds with their peers. Daily interactions in the classroom, during playtime, and extracurricular activities provide invaluable opportunities for students to connect, collaborate, and support each other. These friendships not only enhance the school experience but also contribute to a sense of belonging and emotional well-being. Please view our updated ‘Sacred Heart Attendance Guidelines’

I would like to extend my thanks to Lisa Edwards, who has made a significant contribution to our School Advisory Board. Lisa has been on the Advisory Board for the past six years. If you are interested in nominating to become a member of the Sacred Heart Advisory Board, don't hesitate to get in touch with our front office to seek further clarification.

The Advisory School Board take an active role in the school community. They work collaboratively, in an advisory and supportive role, with the Principal within the broader parameters established by the Governing Council and Catholic Education Tasmania (CET). 

I would like to wish Mrs Watson-Peters a restful break on her extended long service leave. Staffing updates will be communicated to families prior to the end of term 1.

Please remember that all students are expected to wear the full winter uniform from Monday, April 29th.

Next term, we will be hosting our Kinder Information evening on Wednesday, May 15th. We look forward to welcoming new families to our community. Kinder enrolment expressions of interest can be completed online.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership

Charlene Best
Principal

It has been announced that Fr Jaison and Fr Steven are moving from the Mersey Leven Catholic Parish next month. We have been truly blessed to have been guided by these men as leaders of our Parish. We would like to thank Fr Jaison and Fr Steven for all that they have done for our school and Parish community, particularly engaging our students in learning about the Catholic Faith and traditions. We wish Fr Jaison and Fr Steven all the best as the journey into the next chapters of their lives under God's guidance.

Once our new priests are announced and have settled we will welcome them in an upcoming newsletter.

What a privilege it was to recently work with staff and students sharing ideas about ‘Making
Someone’s Day’, striving to bring JOY to those around us by making good choices. Sadly,
many of the students shared that they back chat or talk back at home. We discussed how
this can become a habit that creates hardship for parents and carers – AND I reminded them
that parenting is a hard job! A few teachers stated that this habit is one that they don’t want
to see in the classroom.

Some of the children would have come home with ‘OK’ written on their hands – this is to
remind them that when they are asked to help with a chore, stop gaming, going to bed etc
that by getting into the habit of saying ‘Ok’ (with a smile), it can create a positive
atmosphere at home. This is a much more desired response rather than answering back or
saying ‘No!’ We also spoke about ‘Choices’ and that everyone has choices and we must get
into the habit of making GOOD decisions based on the values Jesus constantly taught and
spoke about. The students were forth-coming with great ideas on how to do this at home,
school and in the communities they are involved in with sport, hobbies etc. Some students
even said that they would ask people at home to help them to stop back chatting - I
wondered if they did this?

We spoke about ‘Spirit of Jesus’ moments that occur all around us – there are so many, we
just have to look for them and name them up. One of the students was asked to score these
moments during the day and she came up with 70! Please ask your children about ‘THE
MAGIC’ they can create because we had many magic moments during the session with the
Year 6’s.

Finally, as a visitor, I must say how impressed I was with the active listening and interaction
of the students and your school certainly has amazing staff that strive to bring out the best
in your children.

God Bless
Marty Ogle

Students are required to be wear their full Winter Uniform in terms 2 and 3. Communication was sent home via Compass on Thursday 28 March explaining that any winter uniform items needing to be purchased can be done so by submitting an order to the school office by Friday 5 April. This allows Admin staff to process the orders and have them ready for collection by Thursday 11 April, or if preferred, paid for in advance and sent home with the students by end of Term 1.

The Winter uniform for students are as follows:
Kinder - Prep: Navy trackpants, red polo, rugby jumper and softshell jacket
Grade 1 - 6 Girls: Navy skort, long sleeve blue shirt, tie and navy tights or royal blue skirt and bib (sizes 6-10) or skirt only (sizes 12-22), long sleeve shirt, tie and navy tights
Grade 1 - 6 Boys: Grey shorts or trousers, long sleeve blue shirt, tie and grey socks

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

This Term we have started using Rocket Maths. Rocket Maths is a program designed to build automaticity and fluency when recalling addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. 3/4 Emus have enjoyed the excitement of independently checking if they have reached their goals and recording it on their rocket ships.

Please note that the last day of Term 1, Friday 12 April, is a Student Free Day. All staff will be attending a 'Formation for Mission' Professional Learning on this day and the school office will be closed.

Dogs are not permitted to be on our school grounds without prior permission from our School Principal or Deputy Principal.

We please ask that should you have your dog/s with you at school drop off or pick up, that you remain outside the school gates with them to ensure that not only do our students and school community feel safe, but that your dog/s is also safe.

This request does not apply to a Guide Dog, Hearing dog or an accredited Therapy Assistant/Support dog.

We thank you for your understanding and should you have any questions, please contact Maree Crowden at the Administration office.

Keeping our community well:

As we are entering the cooler months, please be mindful of not sending your children to school when they are unwell. We are currently experiencing staff and student absences due to sickness. If your child is not attending school, please remember to mark them as absent/unwell on Compass. 

Compass Notifications:

Please make sure you are reading any Compass/Email communication from the school. This ensures effective communication. 

Our Outdoor Kitchen area requires:

- stainless steel saucepans

- teapots

- wooden spoons

- cooking utensils

- plastic picnic ware

If you have any of these items please bring them to the front office.

Please use the links below for access to additional community information:-