Dear Families

Welcome to Term Three

It’s wonderful to return and see staff, students, and families with smiles and a spring in their step, even on these cooler days. I hope the break provided everyone with a chance to rest and reset for another term of growth, learning, and connection.

Thank you to the families who attended Parent-Teacher Conversations during the last week of term two. If you would like to continue the conversation, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. I have fond memories of these meetings from my own time in the classroom—they were always a great opportunity to celebrate successes and share each child’s learning journey.

Last Monday was a student-free day, and staff used the time to work collaboratively on key focus areas aligned with our CET system priorities, specifically those related to teaching and learning. These professional learning days are vital to building a strong, supportive environment where both students and staff can thrive.

Our Sacred Heart Mission Matters: 

As Stephen Covey wisely said, “Begin with the end in mind.” At Sacred Heart, our Mission Statement is more than just words—it guides our daily decisions, actions, and relationships:

“Guided by the love of Jesus, we strive to reach our full potential, living out our values of Compassion, Sustainability, Gratitude, Honesty, and Inclusion.”

Taking time to reflect on our mission helps keep us grounded in our shared purpose and ensures we move forward together with clarity and intention.

Today, Year 3 and Year 5 families will receive their child’s NAPLAN results—please check your child's school bag for the sealed envelope.

NAPLAN provides a snapshot of student achievement in literacy and numeracy for students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It assesses key areas, including reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy. The data can support us in the following:

• Guide teaching – Adjust instruction and target support based on student needs
• Track progress – Monitor individual and cohort growth over time
• Support students – Identify who may need extra help or challenge
• Plan for improvement – Use trends to inform school goals and programs
• Inform transitions – Support learning continuity between year levels

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. You can also explore the following links for further information:

• Proficiency Level Descriptions
• NAPLAN Results and Reports

As the winter months continue, please help keep our school community healthy by:

• Keeping children at home if they are unwell
• Encouraging regular handwashing and good hygiene
• Ensuring students stay warm, eat well, and get enough rest

As we journey through Term Three, let’s continue together with purpose, act with kindness, and nurture hope in all that we do.

Yours in partnership,

Charlene Best
Principal

INSIGHT - Teach First Initiative

On Monday 21 July, our staff participated in CET’s system-wide ‘Embedding Practice – All System Day’. This day branches from our Insight into Learning project to assist in ensuring the sustainability of quality teaching practices that improve student learning. The Teach First Initiative is an ‘innovative framework that enables CET educators to practise and embed Science of Learning, high-impact teaching principles of instruction in their classrooms, supported by a fellow educator’ (CET’s Teaching First Initiative Guidebook, 2025).

The Teach First Initiative allows educators to work together in small teams to research examples of best practice, engage in peer observations and provide feedback on the impact strategies have on student learning (Prepare, Act, Share). The Teach First Initiative relies on collective responsibility and accountability to enhance teaching practices.

Simon Breakspear, an educational expert on education and change, asked educators to reflect on the questions...

“How good are you now? How good can you be?”

This term, our teams are focusing on ‘Sequencing the Learning’ in the area of writing, as data analysis has indicated this is an area for development for our school. Our educators are excited to refine their practices and learn from the work of others.

As NAIDOC Week fell during the first week of the school holidays, we are celebrating it in the first few weeks of Term 3. Our classrooms have been engaging students in learning about the meaning of NAIDOC, as well as learning about and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, with a special focus on appreciating our local sea Country. We have used the picture book Sea Country written by Tasmanian Aboriginal Aunty Patsy Cameron to explore the connection to sea Country and learn cultural practices. Following reading the book, students will visit the beach to explore and connect with our beautiful local sea Country.

Prep/ One Possums' Classroom News

We had a busy and exciting Term 2 in Prep/One Possums! In Writing, we learnt to expand our sentences by adding extra detail to make our ideas more interesting. All of us made great progress in Rocket Maths, we are solving addition questions faster every day! In Science, we explored the world of animals and plants. We learnt what living things need to survive and how their habitats help meet those needs. In the last two weeks of term we enjoyed celebrating Crazy Hair Day and had a special visit to the church for Sacred Heart Feast Day.

Congratulations to four of our Year Six students, Coen, Hunter, Paegan and Charlotte, who have been selected into the North West Devils Academy. These rising stars will train under the guidance of Devils Academy coaches; sharpening their skills and growing their football knowledge.

Well done, everyone!

(Charlotte absent for photo)

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.

Our school canteen is requiring volunteers for Term 3 on a Friday from 9am -11.30am.

If you have a current WWVP card and would like to volunteer please contact the school office.

Join eSafety's free 45 minute live webinars for parents and carers. 

For more information and to register visit: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars