Dear Families

As a Catholic school community, we warmly welcome Bishop Tony Ireland, who will commence his ministry as the new Archbishop of Hobart on 12th August. As he prepares to lead the Archdiocese, we join together in prayer, asking God to guide and bless his work as he leads the Catholic community in Tasmania. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Archbishop Julian Porteous for his faithful leadership and service over many years.

As we approach the end of Term Two, families will receive their students' academic reports. These reports provide a formal summary of your child’s learning, assessed against the Australian Curriculum, and offer insight into their progress over the first half of the year.

At Sacred Heart Catholic School, we also provide regular updates through weekly class Feed Ups on the Seesaw platform. These snapshots provide a valuable window into students’ day-to-day learning, celebrating their growth and effort in real time.

Parent-Teacher Conversations offer an important opportunity to engage with your child’s learning. We encourage parents/carers to attend these sessions to view student work, discuss academic and wellbeing progress, and strengthen the partnership between home and school.

When reviewing reports at home, the Australian Psychological Society suggests a calm and encouraging approach. This includes:

• Focusing on growth and effort rather than just grades
• Asking open-ended questions like ‘What are you proud of?’ or ‘What’s something you want to improve on?’
• Reminding your child that learning is a journey, and everyone progresses at their own pace
• Celebrating the whole child — their curiosity, compassion, creativity, and character, not just their academic achievements

At Sacred Heart, we are proud of every student’s growth. While reports are a valuable tool, they are only one part of the bigger picture. Every child is on a unique learning journey, developing at their own pace with a range of gifts and talents. If you have any questions or would like to explore your child’s learning further, please connect with their teacher.

At the end of Term Two, we farewell and thank Mrs Leonie Watson-Peters, our dedicated Music Teacher, who is retiring after 13 years of service at Sacred Heart. We are deeply grateful for her passion, creativity, and commitment to enriching our students’ lives through music. We wish her every happiness in the exciting chapter ahead. Ms Locket will incorporate music into the performing arts lessons for the remainder of the year.

We also send our best wishes to Mrs Hanson as she begins maternity leave, and we look forward to hearing some joyful news from the Hanson family in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead to Term Three, we warmly welcome back Mrs Cruse, who will rejoin our Kindergarten team.

I would like to extend my gratitude to families for their ongoing support and partnership. This relationship between home and school remains essential to the growth and well-being of every child. By working together, we continue to build a nurturing community where students are known, valued, and inspired to reach their full potential.

Wishing all families a safe, restful break from routine. We look forward to welcoming students back for an exciting Term Three on Tuesday the 22^nd of July.

Yours in partnership
Charlene Best
Principal

3/4 Koalas

This term in the 3/4 Koalas, we have been learning about European explorers in the 1400-1700’s. The Koalas have investigated the voyages of people such as Bartolomeu Diaz, Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan. These explorers all had a major impact on the globalisation of the world, discovering vital sea routes to develop trade for European countries. This week, we discovered that Holland (Netherlands) explorers Dirk Hartog and Willem Janszoon were believed to be the first Europeans to arrive in Australia, after heading south from Indonesia, a vital port for spices. The Koalas wrote a message back to the country of Holland, describing this land that was found that they then called Terra Australis (South Land).

 

Inspiring Future Innovators

As part of Technology classes last week, our Grade 5/6 students were lucky to
welcome Nigel from Hydro Tasmania! Nigel shared his incredible experiences as a civil
engineer, including his work on life-changing projects like building clean water wells,
schools, and bridges in developing countries.

After sharing an insight into the design process, and the value of adapting and improving solutions through iteration, students were challenged to design and build balloon powered cars.

A big thank you to Nigel for inspiring our students with real-world innovation and the
power of engineering to make a difference!

Over the last few weeks, students have been participating in a Water Awareness Program designed to equip them with essential knowledge and confidence. Through engaging and age-appropriate activities, students are learning to:

• Identify safe and unsafe water environments
• Practice basic rescue skills
• Float, tread water, and safely enter and exit the water

This program is not about developing competitive swimmers but about providing opportunities so that children have the foundational skills to stay safe. Students have shown great enthusiasm and curiosity during these lessons.

In a school surrounded by waterways, beaches, pools, and dams, the importance of water safety cannot be overstated. Being safe and confident around water is not just a recreational skill—it’s a life skill.

The school community is especially grateful to the swimming instructors for their patience, encouragement, and support. 

As part of our PBS and celebrating success, staff look to catch our students actioning our school values of being Compassionate - Honest - Inclusive - Grateful - Sustainable.

Congratulations to our Heart Reward recipients:

• James, Xavier, Rose, Mila, Josie, Hugo, Amelia, Peter, Tilly & Jace, Aalap, Ruthie, Arlee, Austin, Charles & Henley 

As a reward for their kind gestures, these students enjoyed an afternoon surprise with Mrs Best and Ms Richards & Mrs Crouch

'On Tuesday the 24th June, I competed in the preliminary piano solo at the Burnie Eisteddfod and got a third place playing “Theme from James Bond”.  Alex Findlay'

2025 Brixhibition Winners

Congratulations to all students who entered a lego display into our school Brixhibition competition last week. Staff and students visited the displays in the Link Area and voted for each grade category.

Winners included:

Kinder/Prep - Lukas

Grade 1/2 - Quinn 

Grade 3/4 - Alex

Grade 5/6 - Will

Will's winning entry, 'Onslaught of the Apporaching Octopus' was chosen as the Overall winner and will be entered the Ulverstone Brixhibition Competition to compete against other schools or community groups. The Overall winners will be judged by Tasmanian Brick Enthusiasts Inc. members to determine the Grand Prize Winners.

All are invited to attend Brixhibition Ulverstone 2025 on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th July 2025.

Playing in the Playground After School:

Please, parents, ensure you supervise your children after school hours while on the school grounds. It is important that we continue to work together to ensure that our expectations for behaviour align with our PBS Matrix and that we model appropriate adult behaviour. 

Medical Condition Updates:

If students have updated Medical conditions could parents please notify the school office by sending an email to shu@catholic.tas.edu.au stating 'Update regarding students Medical Condition' as its imperative that the school is aware of a medical condition that your child may have.

End of Day collection changes:

Please advise the office by phone or by emailing by 2.15pm of any change to pick up arrangements for your child . Thank you for your support.