ISSUE 40: 6th December, 2024

Principal Message

Gospel Reflection

As we light the second candle on the Advent wreath, we focus on the theme of peace. In this week’s Gospel, John the Baptist calls us to "prepare the way of the Lord" and to reflect on the changes we need to make in our lives to live with greater love and integrity.  Advent is a time to pause and consider how we can bring peace to our families, communities, and ourselves. It might be through a kind word, a helping hand, or simply taking a moment to pray and reflect amidst the busyness of this season.  May we all strive to be peacemakers, preparing our hearts and the world around us for the coming of Christ, the Prince of Peace.

What’s on Next Week (Week  10 )

End of Year Calendar Dates

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff & Students,

Weekly Update

• Congratulations to our Boys T20 Cricket team who travelled to Melbourne to play in the State Finals.  They won two games and lost the other one finishing in fourth place. The boys can hold their heads high and should be very proud.
• Congratulations to Lacie Coffey, Cooper Bush and Carter Bush who participated in the Innaugral Sunraysia Schools Golf Day on Monday. Lacie won the primary girls division and Cooper won the primary primary boys division.  Well done!
• A big thank you to our 2025 Foundation parents who joined us for the Parent Information Session on Tuesday—it was great to see so many of you there!
• Our Transition Day on Tuesday was a huge success, with students spending time with their 2025 class teachers and classmates. By all accounts, everyone enjoyed the day and settled in well.
• The building works in the staffroom and back of the library are coming along nicely, with lots of progress this week toward creating functional classroom spaces.
• Congratulations to our newly announced House and School Captains, revealed at today’s School Assembly! We are proud to share the following students have been selected for these important roles:
• School Captains: Anthony Scullino & Stella Ficarra
• Murray House Captain: Jenson McGlashan & Stella Brown
• Mallee House Captain: Xavier Cavallo & Stella Willersdorf
• Hattah House Captain:  Dustin Gray & Maggie McCoy
• Kulkyne House Captain:  Kyle Campbell & Scarlett Pike

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Year 6 Graduation Dinner

We wish our Year 6 students a fantastic Graduation Dinner on Tuesday, 10th December, at Willow & Ivie starting at 6pm. Enjoy the celebration!

End of Year/Graduation Mass

Our End of Year & Graduation Mass is being held at the church this Thursday at 11.30am.  There will be an early lunch on Thursday from 10.25am - 10.55am. 

Final Assembly

Our last Assembly for 2024 will be held on Friday, 13th December, at 2:30 pm in the stadium. This special event will feature:

• Term Four Principal Awards
• Hammertons Foundation Books
• Leadership presentations and birthday acknowledgements

School Magazine

Thank you to Mrs. Collins for putting together a fantastic School Magazine!This is a fantastic reminder of our 2024 school year and will be sent home with the eldest child in each family on Friday.

Parent Code of Conduct

A reminder to review and acknowledge the updated Parent Code of Conduct via SIMON before the conclusion of the school year. We’re waiting on a few families to complete this—please ensure it’s done soon.

End-of-Year Arrangements

The final school day for students in 2024 is Wednesday, 18th December. From Monday, 15th December, to Wednesday, 18th December, we will focus on preparing for our upcoming building project, which involves significant classroom changes for 2025. All students will be engaged in learning activities, but it will be different to our normal routines. During this time, students may not be in their usual groups, classrooms, or with their regular teachers.

We appreciate your understanding as we make these adjustments to prepare for the changes ahead, which will impact six classroom spaces in 2025.

Kiss & Go and School Crossing Safety

To keep everyone safe during drop-off and pick-up:

• Stay in your car unless helping younger children.
• Limit time in the Kiss & Go zone to two minutes.
• Only access the zone via Olive Grove, not 12th Street.
• Use the school crossing to walk across 12th Street.
• Avoid U-turns in the Kiss & Go area.

First Day of 2025

Students will return to school on Wednesday, 29th January 2025.

God Bless,
Mark Gibson

Learning and Teaching

Semester Two Student Reports - Available for Viewing on Tuesday 10th December

Over the past few weeks, teachers have spent time assessing student work, reviewing student growth and writing a report that reflects the achievements of your child. This is quite an undertaking by teachers particularly at this time of year. We commend them for their commitment and genuine care they have for your children and their academic and social growth. Reports will be released via SIMON on Tuesday 10th December. Please read them carefully and consider the report alongside work samples which can be found on SeeSaw. Should you have any queries about your child’s report please contact the relevant teacher to arrange a time to meet in person and discuss.

Getting ready for 2025

As the end of the year is approaching, you may want to begin getting organised for your child’s new school year in 2025.
Here is a list of items that your child will need to bring to school in 2025 that you might want to start thinking about over the holidays: 

Headphones - As per previous years, students will be required to bring a set of headphones to school to use with iPads and laptops.
Headphones should include a cord to plug in and basic style. We request that students do not have impractical headphones with extra decorations or materials attached.

Pencil Cases - In 2025 we request that students in years 3-6 bring their own pencil cases to school. It is important that the pencil cases come to school empty, as the school will supply the correct supplies needed. Please ensure the pencil case can fit a 30cm ruler inside.

Two small lunch boxes - Please clearly label your child's lunch boxes and containers. Students require two separate lunch boxes - one for recess and one for lunch.

At the beginning of Term 1, your child’s teacher will be sending a communication note home with the above information as well as anything else specific to their year level for 2025. 

Downloading your child’s 2024 Seesaw Learning Portfolio

As the year comes to a close, we invite parents to download their child’s Seesaw Learning Portfolio for the 2024 school year. Attached are the instructions to complete this. Please note: downloading your child’s 2024 Learning Portfolio can be completed at any time, regardless of if the class has been archived.

SWPBS

Our SWPBS focus this fortnight is “Including others during play time”

Belonging is a strong need of all humans. It is through connection with others that we thrive and flourish. Being isolated or excluded really hurts and we all feel it inside, irrespective of whether the exclusion is intentional or accidental.

Children need to be taught how to and get into the habit of including others, otherwise they tend to assume that others will join in if they want to. Parents and school staff can teach students to scan for peers who might be left out, in and out of the classroom, and seek them out with ‘friendly invitations’ such as:

• Come join us! There’s lots of room.
• Do you want to sit with us for lunch?
• Do you like football? You can join our team!
• Do you want to play ???? with us?
• We always need extra players.
• Are you looking for a game to play? Play with us!

It is equally important to discuss and teach children how to respond to some of these friendly invitations or when other children ask if they can join our games

School TV

A Special Report: Starting Year 7

When a child starts high school, they suddenly become one of the youngest and newest kids at school all over again - a small fish in a big pond! The transition between Year 6 and Year 7 is one of the biggest jumps in a child's life and is a very important milestone. This can easily become a daunting time for students and parents alike.

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Some students may be feeling a little anxious about their expectations of starting Year 7 and finding their place in the “big pond”. As your child grasps new skills and engages in new study practices, it is important for parents to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. Parents and students can easily become overwhelmed during this time of transition but, there are a number of strategies that can be implemented to start things off on the right foot!

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

Foundation News

This week in literacy we have continued our work on blends in reading. These are not digraphs but clusters of two or three consonants that appear together in a word. Each letter in a blend makes a sound, which is then blended together. For example, in the word fray, the f and the r must be blended to read the full word. 

In writing time we have continued with nonfiction writing. This week we have written an information report on cats. Including where they live, what they look like, what they eat, how they move and the name of the animal they reproduce (kittens). 

For Maths, we have revisited ‘location’. Students have been exploring a range of words to describe the position and movement of objects. We have been following verbal directions to move an object on a grid and even have tried this on our Digital Tech application called ‘Code Spark’.

The Prep students will celebrate their Foundation Fun Day on Friday 13th December at the All Seasons Splash Park. Upon returning to school the students will enjoy chips and nuggets from Pan’s Takeaway. A note will come home on Monday outlining all the details. 

Reminders: 

• All library books, readers and comprehension books need to be returned (there will be no more borrowing of books for the rest of the year)

• There is no more Show & Tell

Year One News

This week, students enjoyed transition day in their new classrooms. We are looking forward to our Year One Fun Day on Monday 9th December. Please ensure you have given permission for your child to attend the Fun Day on PAM. We ask that students come to school on this day wearing casual clothes with sunscreen already applied to ensure we can leave in a timely manner. Students will need to wear sneakers/runners for the day. Upon returning to school, the students will enjoy chips and nuggets for lunch. If your child does not wish to have any nuggets and/or chips, please send along lunch for your child. 

Insert Year one Fun day note:

Reminders: 

• All library books, take home readers and comprehension books need to be returned as there will be no more borrowing of books for the rest of the year.  
• There is no more Show & Tell
• Monday 9th December: Fun Day!  
• Tuesday 10th December: Reports released 
• Thursday 12th December: End of year Mass
• Friday 13th December: Christmas carol singing in the stadium 2.30pm
• Wednesday 18th December: Last day of school

Year Two News

Year Three News

Year Four News

This week, students participated in transition day in their 2025 classes with their teacher. No doubt they have come home and let you know about it!

We also completed the final two rounds of our Kickball competition. Please note, as our End of Year Fun Day is on Monday we have timetabled in extra days to complete the finals of our competition. You will receive a text asking that your child wear their sport uniform on both Tuesday and Wednesday next week as well as any normal days for their class. 

We are looking forward to our Year 4 Fun Day on Monday. Please ensure you have given permission for your child to attend the Fun Day on PAM. Although we will be enjoying some chips and nuggets at lunch time, as swimming usually makes us hungry it would be advisable to send along some extra snacks as well as recess and brain food for your child. We will be eating recess and brain food before we go and lunch when we return to school.  If your child does not wish to have any nuggets and/or chips, please send along lunch for your child. Please check PAM for all the details!

Keep checking Seesaw for the latest work samples from your child.

Looking ahead:

• Monday 9th December: Fun Day!  
• Thursday 12th December: End of year Mass

Enjoy your weekend, one full week to go!

Natalee, Jaimi & Cathryn

Year Five News

Happy Week 9! One full week to go… What a fantastic year we have had in Grade Five with a WONDERFUL group of students. They are so ready to take on leadership, buddies and everything else Grade Six has to offer! 

This week, students enjoyed transition day in their new classrooms. We completed our final week of learning before beginning some fun Christmas and end of year activities next week! Looking ahead:

• Thursday 12th December: End of year Mass
• Friday 13th December: Fun Day! 

Year Six News

Dates to Remember:

• Tuesday, December 10th - Graduation Dinner (please contact your child’s teacher if you need anything clarified).
• Thursday, December 12th - End of Year / Graduation Mass (Beginning at 11:30am)
• Friday, December 13th - Senior Unit  Fun Day (Details of this activity and approval can be found on PAM)
• Wednesday, December 18th - Last day of school for students.

We ask that all students bring a plastic bag to school next week so they can start bringing their supplies home.

Student Awards

Library News

The renovations in the library space are coming along well. It's been very exciting for everyone to check in on the builders’ progress each day. 

Thank you to all the families who have returned books. A slip has gone home this week with students who still have books to return.

Parent Information

Arriving and Leaving Safely

Kiss & Go

To help keep everyone safe during drop-off and pick-up please take note of the following rules at Kiss and Go and the School Crossing that should be followed both in the morning (8:10-8:45am) and afternoon (3pm-3:30pm):

• Stay in your vehicle unless you need to assist younger students with their seat belts.
• Aim to keep your car in the Kiss & Go area for a maximum of two minutes to allow others to use the space too.
• Access the Kiss & Go only from Olive Grove, not 12th Street.
• Please refrain from dropping off students outside of cars in Olive Grove.
• Avoid performing U-turns within the Kiss & Go area.
• For your safety, use the school crossing if you need to cross 12th Street.


Thanks for helping us keep our school safe for everyone!

Pick Up and Drop Off Points

In the mornings, the Olive Grove gate will remain closed, so students and visitors can only enter through the 12th Street or Tamarisk Grove gates. After school, only the Olive Grove gate near the Art House will be open and supervised by a staff member. This change aims to enhance student and traffic safety.

Please ensure you find a suitable and permissible parking spot for your car in order to use these locations.

Riding Scooters & Bikes

Certain students walk, ride bikes, or scooters to school and are requested to use either the 12th Street entrance or the Tamarisk Grove entrance at the rear of the oval. Riding into or through the school grounds is not permitted.

Collect Children from School Grounds

Feel free to come into school to pick up your child directly from their classroom. It's an excellent opportunity to meet other parents, have casual conversations with teachers, and ensure your child is organised at the end of the day. If you choose this option, please park appropriately and be outside the classroom by the 3.10 bell; otherwise, your child will be directed to the supervised Kiss and Go area. Students and young siblings should refrain from using the playground equipment.

School Crossings

Students walking home are advised to use the school crossings on Twelfth Street, Walnut Avenue and Eleventh Street to safely avoid heavily trafficked roads. All crossings are supervised by a School Crossing Supervisor, and it's crucial to follow their directions.  We also encourage parents to model expected behaviours by using the School Crossings also.

Buses

Several of our students catch buses home from the St. Joseph’s bus stop on 11th Street. Each day a teacher gathers these children together and accompanies them to the bus stop to supervise until they are all safely on the bus.

Drop Off Times

Preferred 'Drop Off' Time: 8.25 - 8.45 am. For safety reasons, please refrain from dropping off students before 8.19 am, as there is no supervision provided.  Our gates open at this time.

Pick Up Times

Recommended 'Pick Up' Time: 3.10 - 3.25 PM. While we understand occasional delays, if regular or extending beyond 3.30 PM, please consider enrolling your child/ren in After School Care.

Walking or Riding Home

If your children walk or ride home or to your workplace after school, please submit written permission authorising them to leave unaccompanied. They must exit through the main 12th Street gate or accompany the 11th Street bus group through Tamarisk Grove.

Alternative Pick Up Places

For safety, we strongly advise against arrangements where children wait unsupervised at public pick-up locations like Walnut Avenue or St Joseph’s College.

EATING AND DRINKING AT SCHOOL

Healthy Eating

To sustain learning and promote healthy eating we encourage students to bring to school predominantly healthy food choices.

Brainfood

Students have a brain food break during the morning to keep children’s brains fuelled for learning. We ask that families send an extra fresh fruit or vegetable snack for children to have during this time. When sending the snack, please pack it separately from your child’s lunch in a small, named container so it can be placed on their desk each morning.

Lunch Snack

The main meal of the school day; a sandwich or roll, a salad or a slice of quiche. A healthy ‘treat’ may also be appropriate here that is healthy and gives long-term energy.  Lunch is eaten usually in the classroom from 11:25am-11:40am.

Recess Snack

We encourage parents to pack fresh fruit or vegetables in your child’s recess snack box.  You may like to pack one or two other snack items for them at this time.  This snack is eaten at 1:40pm.

Packing Food

 The school has a bank of refrigerators for the storage of students’’ food. For the ease of packing and unloading the fridges, we ask that parents provide separate, small, well-labelled containers or zip-lock bags for their child’s recess snack and lunch. Insulated ‘puffy’ lunchboxes and ice-blocks are not required.

School Canteen

Our School Canteen operates on a Wednesday and Friday and provides a range of lunch options at low cost.    The current menu and prices can be accessed through and ordered via the CDFpay website https://shmildura.cdfpay.org.au

OFFICE INFORMATION

Office Hours

Office hours will run from 8:20am to 4:00pm every day. Phone calls can be made starting at 8:00 am.

Change of Personal Details

If there are any changes to your contact details (address/phone number/emergency contacts), kindly inform the office by calling 50231204, emailing office@shmildura.catholic.edu.au, or visiting the office in person.

Simon Everywhere and Parent Access Module (PAM)

Simon Everywhere is an App for smart phones that allows parents to access all information relating to their child/ren such as reports, attendance and much more. It also allows you to update medical information, give permission for excursions, access teacher emails and also receive notifications from the school.

For parents familiar with PAM, the new App works mostly the same as PAM and you can still access PAM through the web site: pam.shmildura.catholic.edu.au, however the app has additional functionality such as Push notifications and the ability to sign in without having to enter your username and password each time.

1. Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search Simon Everywhere
2. Download and open the App and Allow Notifications
3. Enter your name and phone number and press verify, you will receive a code via SMS
4. Click on 'Add School'
5. Select Sacred Heart Primary School, Mildura - Parent Access
6. Enter your PAM username and password. If you do not know your credentials, please call the school.

7. Click on the Home icon.
   

Simon everywhere works best when notifications are turned on. You can check the notifications setting on your phone to be sure by going to the Settings – Notifications – Then find the Simon Everywhere App.

Sickness at School

Children with severe colds, flus, or other debilitating illnesses must stay at home. Do not send the child if they have:

• Fever: Children with a fever over 38 degrees should stay home.
• Prescribed antibiotics: Keep a child at home for at least 24 hours if prescribed antibiotics for an acute illness.
• Diarrhea: Children with watery stool should return only after being symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
• Vomiting: Children who are vomiting should stay home until at least 24 hours after it has stopped.

After School Care

After School Care is available for Sacred Heart students and is located on our school grounds.  Camp Australia run this program for students from Sacred Heart Primary School and St Paul's Primary School.  The program runs from the Art House building which is located on Olive Grove.

Sacred Heart families can make use of the Camp Australia After-School Care Program that is held on the grounds of Sacred Heart.  The service is available from 3:10pm through to 6pm on school days.  A healthy snack is provided to children.  Registration needs to be done through the Camp Australia website www.campaustralia.com.au .  Further information can be obtained by calling 1300 105 343.  Each day the office will print out a list of students attending Out of Hours School Care and notify the students at the end of the day via the announcements.

Marking Child’s Absence 

1. Log into the App - SimonEverywhere or login via PAM (type pam.shmildura.catholic.edu.au in your address bar).
2. You can either log by clicking on the large blue calendar section that says Parent Notified Absences or you can click on the 3 menu lines at the top right-hand side of your screen. NOTE: On your phone it will appear below your child/ren’s name.
3. You will then need to click the blue + Add Absence button circled below
4. Then select your child, and in reason

If your family is going on an extended family holiday. Please contact the school to inquire about an Student Absence Learning Plan.

School Day

• 8:19 am - Gates open & students can access Courtyard
• 8:34 am - Access Courtyard and play on Oval (classrooms opening optional for teachers)
• 8.49 am - School day begins - classroom open
• 8:55 am - School starts.
• 9.55 am - Brain Break
• 10:55 am - Lunch Play
• 11.25 am - Lunch Eat
• 1.40 pm - Recess 
• 2.10 pm - Recess Finishes
• 3.10 pm - School finishes

Sports Uniform Days

Prep:  

• Cooinda (Mrs O’Callaghan) - Thursday & Friday  
• Wahroonga (Miss Moore) - Thursday & Friday  

Year One: 

• Bundaleer (Mrs Coffey & Mrs Priestley) - Tuesday & Wednesday 
• Karinya (Mrs Groves) - Tuesday & Wednesday 

Year Two:

• Barramunga (Mrs Carmichael) - Tuesday & Friday
• Waminda (Mrs Collins) - Monday & Friday

Year Three:

• Narooma (Mrs Beckwith) - Monday & Tuesday
• Dourim (Mrs Kotsiakos & Mrs Irvin) - Monday & Thursday

Year Four:

• Illawarra (Mrs Willersdorf) - Monday & Tuesday 
• Myalla (Mrs Rowles) - Monday & Wednesday
• Kyema (Mrs Johnson) - Monday & Thursday 

Year Five:  

• Minga (Mrs Deacon) - Monday & Wednesday 
• Eumeralla (Mrs Gunn & Mrs Pacher) - Monday & Wednesday

Year Six:  

• Amaroo (Mrs Campbell) - Tuesday & Friday 
• Yongana (Mrs Zaxos) - Monday & Friday
• Mootwingee (Mrs Thompson) - Thursday & Friday

Term Dates