18 February 2022

Newsletter Articles

From The Principal

Welcome back! While the beginning of the 2022 school year has not been the start we could have hoped for, our learners, with the support of their teachers and families, have been resilient and positive. These next few weeks are all about establishing routines and expectations that make your children feel safe and valued at Sacred Heart. Expectations, once known by the children, provide them with a roadmap to success; a guide that they will use to experience success each day. A big part in setting up this success, is children knowing what it looks like, or does not look like, when making positive learning choices in the classroom.

Our schools ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’ approach (PB4L) works alongside our school’s behaviour support plan. As part of our PB4L approach, children are rewarded for their positive behaviours with in-class reward systems and ‘hearts’. Hearts are ‘saved up’ to be used at the end of each term at the ‘Heart Shop’. ‘Gotchas’ are tickets we use in the playground (or class) that are entered into the gotcha weekly draw. Winners of each week in a term are invited to the ‘Pizza Party’ at the end of each term. These things help children identify those behaviours we want to see more of.

When it comes to correcting poor learning or behaviour choices, like many schools we use ‘Minors’ and ‘Majors’. The difference between the two comes down to the intent of the behaviour. If the choice was a lapse in judgement that did not cause anyone large amounts disruption, we may issue a minor. A ‘minor’ will result in a chat with your child and loss of 5 minutes of play. A ‘major’ will result in a conversation and loss of a recess time (morning tea or lunch – whichever is closest). In both cases, families will be contacted. For a minor, you will receive an email, text message or Sentral notification. The Principal or Assistant Principal will contact you directly by phone or in person for major behaviours. Communication with our families is key towards ensuring that we are working together to support our children in their learning choices.

School Leaders – Congratulations to those Year 6 students who ran for 2022 leadership positions. All of these learners managed to weave into their speeches the ways that they have helped and will help their fellow students under our school’s values of ‘Compassion’, ‘Hospitality’, ‘Excellence’ and ‘Integrity’. Our Years 4-6 students were then tasked with voting the new school leaders. Voting was close across all positions. Congratulations to the following Year 6 students on their election to their respective leadership positions for 2022. We look forward to working with them this year:

• School Captains: Tyce Fraser and Indiannah Gardner.
• Sporting House Captains:
  - Byrne House: Lachlan Honnery and Yamarley Washington.
  - Kelly House: Ethan Paeldin and Keeley Dinnes.
  - Kattie House: Oliver Anderson and Alana Reyes.

Preps are Go! Well done to our 2022 Preps on the way that they have started. It has been wonderful to go into these classrooms each day and to watch the routines that they are already building – setting them up for a very successful year. We look forward to positive and productive partnerships with our new Prep families.

Leaving the School Grounds – Following the school bell at 2:55pm, we ask that all families depart the school grounds in a timely manner. Not only does this support the safety of all members of our community as per our Covid Plan, but it also helps with the movement of children to where they need to be. Recently, we have had families waiting at the top gate for children to arrive, only to find their children down on the playground, seemingly under the supervision of other parents. With the exception of those attending our ‘Outside of School Hours Care Service’, no child is to be on our playground equipment after 2:55pm. We thank you for helping our children follow these routines.

Get Involved – Last week, our school Board and Parents and Friends Association (P&F) had their first meeting. Both groups, consisting of members of our school, serve our community in different ways. The Board, serves as a ‘sounding board’ and support to the direction of our school while the P&F, through different projects, supports the engagement of our families and the building of community. These meetings are held on the first Monday of each month (except for when these fall in holiday times). Anyone can attend a P&F meeting with a new leadership team voted in at the end of each year (for the following year). While our board members hold their positions for a set period of time before their positions are advertised to the community. During these meetings last week, 2022 goals were set in alignment with our schools Strategic Plan and Annual Action Plan.

Late Arrival Procedure – Occasionally we have children that are running late for school. Please note that the school day starts with the first bell at 8:30am. Children can be seated in the silver seat area from 8am onwards. When arriving late; past 8:40am; children are to be escorted by an adult family member to the office so that a late slip can be completed (by the adult). From here, your child will be sent to class. Family members are not to be escorting children to class past 8:40am. Very young children (Prep and year 1 students) will be shown to their class by a member of staff. This procedure will take effect from Monday the 21st of February.

Welcome Mrs Alice Lucas - This year we welcome Alice Lucas, to our Sacred Heart community. Alice replaces Mr Jim Wren, who has taken up a Principalship in St George at St Patrick’s Primary School. Alice is one of two teachers in 5L. She works with our students in year 5, alongside Mr Paul Toohey, Monday to Wednesday of each week. On Thursday and Friday of each week, you will see her working across the school as our APRE – Assistant Principal: Religious Education. In this role, Alice leads our school in the religious life of our school. She supports teaching and learning, not just in Religious Education, but all teaching and learning at Sacred Heart, as a part of our team of educators.

Congratulations Swimmers – congratulations to Alana Reyes, Oliver Anderson and Tyce Fraser, on successfully qualifying for the West Zone Swimming trials last Tuesday. They represented our school well with their exemplary behaviour and best efforts. Well done.

Mr Tyronne Maher
Principal

From The APRE

Hello and thank you to everyone who went out of their way to make me feel welcome here at Sacred Heart! I have been so impressed with the students, staff and families who have taken the time to stop and have a chat; it really is a testament to such a wonderful community I am privileged to be joining.

Religious Education

This year we are focusing on strategies to make sure that our delivery of the Religious Education Curriculum is relevant and engaging for students. We are collecting student voice on what students’ like and dislike about their learning in Religious Education so we can put strategies in place to try to challenge students to live out the lessons learnt in Religious Education in their actions and words.

Sacramental Program

This year, the Sacred Heart Parish is once again offering a Sacramental Program to families of the school and the local community. Students will undertake Reconciliation in Term 1, Confirmation in Term 2 and First Communion in Term 3. Although most students complete their Sacraments in Year 3, the program is open to any students, year 3 and up, who are baptized and wish to take part. Our parish have finalised their dates for the program, please see below for the important dates. The Sacramental Program form will be sent home to our Year 3 students and additional copies of the note are available at our school office or the parish office.

If your child hasn’t been baptized or are not Catholic and wish to participate in these programs, come and see me and I can let you know how to move forward on this. Undertaking the Sacraments is a key aspect of continuing our personal journey with God and our Parish is very welcoming of anybody who wishes to take part in this journey.

Thank you again to all those who have welcomed me to this wonderful community. When you see me around the school, please come up and say hello!

Mrs Alice Lucas

CLASSROOM AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students who have received a Sacred Heart Award.

From Prep

Prep Curriculum overview – Semester One

Integrated Unit – Science, HaSS, Religion, Design Technologies, Digital Technologies, Visual Art:

Throughout Semester One, Prep students will explore stories of their past, discuss how they know about the past and identify significant events in their own life. They will identify how they commemorate special events and explore various church celebrations. Students will explore the ways we celebrate, including prayer celebrations. As part of this component of the unit, children will explore the story of Jesus’ life and how these stories are recorded in the Bible. Students will then begin to plan their own class celebrations, designing and creating a special celebration hat for the celebration. They will explore the features of various materials to meet their design needs. By incorporating various artistic, design and digital mediums, children will create their hat and reflect on their creations.

Math:

This Semester, the Prep children will practice counting as well as reading and writing numbers to 10 and beyond. With concrete materials, they will explore concepts such as numbers before and after, as well as part-part-whole relationships. The children have started to count the number of days they have been at Prep with a focus on numbers that end with a zero. They will apply these skills in concrete, verbal and written ways.

English:

This semester, the Prep children will explore the differences between home and school, and the informal and structured situations in which we learn. They will develop their skills with rhyme and syllables as well as blending and segmenting sounds in words in readiness for reading and learn letter names and sounds. They will participate in modelled, shared, and guided reading, viewing and storytelling using a range of texts for enjoyment. They will regularly respond orally and pictorially to these texts and to each other. The children will begin learning high-frequency words as part of our weekly Prep routine. The children will begin to apply these skills to familiar reading and writing tasks.

Ms Jesse Curtis and Ms Mandy Johnson

From 1J

It has certainly been an interesting start to the year for us all, however, it was exciting to see the children back at school last week and eager to start another year of learning, fun, and laughter. Please see below what we are covering this term in the 1J class:

English:

This term, the students will strengthen their phonological awareness, sight word recognition and spelling capabilities. They will have many opportunities to refine their skills in reading, comprehension, and handwriting, engage in oral and written skills of retelling a story and recount their weekends for journal writing every Monday.

Mathematics:

Over the course of Term One, the Year One students will explore numbers to 100. They will have many opportunities to display their ability to count, recognise, model, order and write numbers to at least 100, locate numbers on a number line and partition numbers using place value. Students will also carry out simple addition and subtraction sums using counting strategies.

Religion:

In Term One, students will discuss the special things Jesus said and did through retelling and comparing different Bible stories. Students will make connections to being a disciple for Jesus in the past and what it might mean, look like, and how we can be disciples of Jesus today.

Health:

In Health this semester, 1J will focus on personal safety and social/emotional wellbeing through ‘The Zones of Regulations’ Program.

Science:

In Science, students will explore the natural, man-made, and managed features that undergo change in the ‘Changes all around’ unit. Through outdoor observations and photographic records, students will investigate the daily, weekly, and seasonal changes in their local environment.

HaSS (Humanities and Social Sciences):

This semester, students will participate in an historical inquiry into the similarities and differences between their daily life and that of their grandparents. They will identify terms: past, present, and future and investigate changes in important dates, daily lives, homes, communication, transport, and toys. They will also listen to stories from grandparents and pose questions to find out how their grandparents feel about the changes they have seen over time.

Design is incorporated with Humanities and Social Sciences this semester where students will design and create an object for the future. They are required to use the “Plan. Do. Reflect.” model to create a plan for their object, construct it and then reflect upon the learning process.

Digital Technology:

For Digital Technologies this semester, students will have the opportunity to identify, explore, and use different digital tools on their iPad. They will take photos, complete simple typing, and make choices around font types and size. They will also explore basic functions of different applications on their iPad such as Book Creator, Seesaw, the ShowMe app. and Reading Eggs.

Art:

This semester, students will explore and experiment with different forms of lines and shapes and create different artworks to express their ideas, observations, and imagination. They will also use a variety of techniques and then reflect on their own and others' art.

We have had a great start to the year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what this year has in store.

Mrs Hannah Jesshope

From 1/2T

A very warm welcome back to all our families to the new school year. I hope that all of you were able to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation. A warm welcome is also extended to our new families at Sacred Heart.

I have been extremely impressed with the way in which the Year 1/2T students have settled into their new classroom environment; routines have already been established, the students are already working hard and learning goals have begun to be discussed.

To highlight the enthusiasm that students have on returning to school, I have collected some thoughts from students on being back to school and what they are excited about this year.

Lane: I am excited about learning new things

Robert: The swimming lessons at the end of the year

Harper: Drawing and making things

Chelsea: Doing a lot of art

Willow: Making new friends

Ebony: Playing with my friends

Ava: I like Science and the Heart Shop

William R: Sports on Tuesdays

Hudson: Playing on the big oval

Tucker: Seeing all my friends

Amaraina: Seeing my friends and playing on the oval

Quinn: Playing on the spiderweb

Kailee: I like when my teacher helps me

Rubin: I like learning and having Free time Friday

Phoebe: I like learning Science and when Mrs Tevelein reads books

Frankie: I like my Art and Math lessons

Paige: I like my teacher and the new friends I have made

William: You get to play on the ipads and on the playground. We also play with awesome toys.

Archie: Learning all about the routines we have at Sacred Heart

Nate: I like when we get to play and have sports

Elijah: I love reading

Vincent: We get to eat with our friends

Georgia: I like when we play on the Prep playground

Lucy: I enjoy Art and Craft, free time and playing on the playground

Below is an overview of our Learning Areas for this term:

Religion

• In completing the unit ‘What are messages of creation?'
• Students will recognise the sacredness of God and all creation, especially human life.
• They will identify ways in which human beings respond to the call to be co-creators and stewards of God’s creation.
• They will draw on their own experiences, suggest ways to pursue peace and justice out of respect for human life and all creation.
• They will explain ways in which believers seek to heal these relationships through reconciliation and how they celebrate reconciliation in the Sacrament of Penance

English:

• Occurs Monday – Friday which is a framework for structuring literacy time so students can develop lifelong habits of reading, writing and working independently.
• Reading Rotations - Four, thirty-minute blocks each week where the students participate in different rotations that develop their literacy skills.

Mathematics:

• Our focus for Term 1 is skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, locating numbers on a number line and counting to and from 100 (year 1) 1000 (year 2). We will also look at place value, carry out simple addition and subtraction sums, order objects based on length, explain time duration, gather data and explore 2D and 3D shapes.

HASS/Digital Technology: All About Family

• Who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are related to each other
• How they, their family and friends commemorate past events that are important to them
• How the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example, through photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories, digital media and museums
• The representation of the location of places and their features on simple maps and models
• The places people live in and belong to, their familiar features and why they are important to people
• The reasons why some places are special to people, and how they can be looked after

Science: Spot the Difference

• By observing change, students will explore change through the context of food including spaghetti, chocolate and popcorn.

Students will observe how heating or cooling a food can change its properties and whether the change can be reversed or not. An investigation about which type of chocolate melts the

fastest will help students draw conclusions about how fast or slow changes can happen and the consequences of change.

Mrs Angela Tevelein

From 2/3A

Welcome to Week 2 (or should I say Week 4?) What a crazy start to the year we all had however despite the delay I am pleased to report the children have hit the ground running and are very eager to begin learning lots of new and exciting things. They are all settling in beautifully to the new routines of their 2022 classroom.

Please note: Homework will commence next week. It will be handed out every Monday and needs to be returned each Friday.

Friendly reminder:

• Snow Cones on sale for $1:50 every Wednesday.
• Pancake orders and money are due by Wednesday 23rd February.
• Home Readers are due back to school each Thursday and will be re-issued the following Friday.
• Library Browse and Borrow will be on Friday, so please send in all library returns by this day.

Below I have outlined what we will be learning throughout Term One. If you should have any questions or queries please feel free to email me at – jacque.armstrong@twb.catholic.edu.au

Religion:

Students learn about the sacredness of all creation, especially human life; the call to be co-creators and stewards of God’s creation; and the responsibility to pursue peace and justice out of respect for human life and all creation. They develop their understanding of the loving relationship God unconditionally offers to people; and their understanding of sin . Students develop their knowledge of prayer in the Christian tradition through an exploration of prayer for forgiveness (Acts of Contrition and Penitential Act) and meditative prayer

English:

Students will examine the features and different contexts of narrative texts. They will be given opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to the construction of their own written responses in the form of narratives. Students will continue to extend their phonological awareness, knowledge of letter­sound relationships and vocabulary, digraphs and blends. They will develop their knowledge of spelling rules and focus on editing their written work for incorrect spelling and punctuation. Students will continue to practise their handwriting skills. Throughout the term they will demonstrate their ability to speak confidently in front of a group.

Mathematics:

Students will recognise increasing and decreasing number sequences involving 2s, 5s and 10’s and they will classify numbers as either odd or even. They will count to and from 1000 (Year 2) 10 000 (Year 3) and will partition numbers using place value. Students will perform simple addition and subtraction calculations using a range of strategies.

HaSS

Students will pose questions exploring the significance of days that are celebrated and commemorated in Australia including Australia Day, Harmony Week, ANZAC Day and NAIDOC Week and the symbols and emblems that relate to these days. Students will explore the different perspectives that individuals have in relation to these days and compare these celebrations with those that are significant in other places around the world.

Visual Arts:

Students will learn how to identify and explain the differences between primary and secondary colours. They will use acrylic paints, oil pastels, coloured paper, aluminium, a black sharpie and water dye to create their artworks. Once completed students will display their pieces to a known audience.

Health:

Students will learn how to manage safe and unsafe situations including second-hand smoke, unsafe things to touch and sun and road safety.

I hope you all have a magical weekend.

God bless.

Mrs Jacque Armstrong

Please find attached an overview of our learning for this term for Science and Technology.  We encourage you to ask your child regularly about what they are learning. These conversations help to support and consolidate your child's understanding of key concepts throughout the term. 

Technology and Design

This term in Technology students will be engaging in a unit called Secret Messages and Codes. Students will discover different encoding techniques as a way of representing data in different ways. They will explore braille and Morse Code and other means of representing letters of the alphabet.

Science

In Science, students have begun a unit called Melting Moments. We will be finding out what students know about the way a change of state between solids and liquids can be caused by adding and removing heat. They will be provided hands-on experiences of heating and cooling different materials to extend their understanding of the way different materials can change according to the temperature.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Jodie Manley

From 3/4G

The students of year three/four G have settled in well to a new year and a new set of routines. They are enjoying reading our class novel, Georges Marvellous Medicine and are adapting to the challenges of being in a new grade with enthusiasm.

In the following articles you will be able to see a description of each of the subject areas for the term.

Religion

Students will explore their understanding of God. They will look at representations of God and create their own. Through readings, they will gain an understanding of the world that Jesus lived in during his life on earth and they will begin to explore the Jewish faith.

English

This term the students will continue to develop their punctuation, grammar, handwriting and spelling skills at appropriate levels. The Literature Unit will be taken from Georges Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl. We will look at syllables, synonyms and antonyms vocabulary and cause and effect. Students will be guided to think critically as they listen to the book. Guided and shared reading will be conducted in groups with material at instructional level.

HaSS

This term students in 3/4G will learn about the significance of the variety of celebrations and commemorations over the year in Australia, with special emphasis on Anzac Day and Easter. Students will create maps of Australia and the world and locate areas of the world that their recent ancestors came from. They will explore the reasons for the settlement of Australia and the life of the Indigenous Australians at the time and look at the journey of the first fleet and other explorers

Math

Year 3

This term we classify numbers as either odd or even, count to and from 10 000 and recognise the connection between addition and subtraction. We'll recall addition and multiplication facts for single digit numbers, represent money values in various ways, and use metric units for length, mass and capacity. We'll tell time to the nearest quarter hour and carry out simple problem solving.

Year 4

This term we classify numbers as either odd or even, count from 10 000 and recognise the connection between addition and subtraction as well as multiplication and division. We'll recall addition and multiplication up to 10 x 10, represent money values and count change for simple transactions, and use and convert metric units for length, mass and capacity. Students will also look at fractions and begin decimals. We'll tell time to the nearest minute and begin to convert units of time and carry out more complex problem-solving tasks.

Health

In this unit students will examine their personal identity - recognising what unique things are part of their make-up. They will discuss different cultures and pose questions about what being healthy looks like to them, their family and people around them. The in class unit will be complemented by the visit from the Life Education Van.

In Technology and Design this term Year Three and Four will be undertaking a unit called Communicate Ideas and Information. By using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook and other software, the children will gain an understanding of information systems used in their homes, the library, and other databases within the community. They will explore virtual resources and will create their own pseudo virtual tour of the school.

In Science in Term One, students will be participating in a unit called Plants in Action. This will build on what students already know and think about plant parts, plant growth and the life cycle of flowering plants. Students will engage in hands on, shared experiences to gather information which will support their understandings of seed germination and growth.

Mrs Rhonda Gath and Mrs Jodie Manley

From 4C

Welcome to our first Newsletter of the 2022 year! It has been a wonderful start to the new school year and we have been very busy already. We have been setting our routines in place in the classroom, getting to know our new classmates and revisiting our ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’ framework.

Our Assembly has been on Teams so far and we have been enjoying singing the National Anthem! Congratulations to Charlie and Lillie for receiving awards on Assembly this week.

We are also revisiting what it means to have a Growth Mindset – not only in Math but in all areas of our learning.

4C Term 1 Learning Overview

English

This term in English students will continue to develop their punctuation, grammar, handwriting and spelling skills. In English we will focus on the novel ‘James and the Giant Peach’ by Roald Dahl. Through this novel will explore the structure and features of narratives in writing and look at syllables, synonyms, homonyms and antonyms, extending vocabulary and author’s purpose. Students will use reading strategies such as predicting, monitoring, understanding and re-reading during reading activities and will comprehend texts using the QAR questioning strategy on a literal and inferential level.

Maths

In Term 1 Maths our focus in the beginning will be to construct a Growth Mindset for all students. Developing a ‘Growth Mindset’ helps to enjoy learning new things and view challenges with more enthusiasm. Through engaging, investigative, and supportive experiences students will investigate odd and even numbers; describe, continue and create number patterns using addition and subtraction and recognise and order numbers to 99 000. In Maths we will routinely recall addition, subtraction and simple multiplication facts to develop efficient mental strategies for computation. In Measurement and Geometry we will explore measuring objects using centimetres and millimetres and then to convert between the two measurements. We will investigate the properties of 3 dimensional shapes and predict the likelihood of events occurring in Chance and Data.

Digital Technology

Students will explore different types of data and explored how the same data can be represented in different ways. We will collect, access, and present data in a variety of ways using simple software to create information and solve problems.

Religion

In Religion during Term 1 students will explore the Big Question of ‘How Can the Old Testament help us to understand what God was like for communities?’ We will investigate different stories from the Old Testament and what message we can take from them for ourselves and our community. Students will compare stories of Creation from different faiths and cultures for similarities and differences. In the classroom we will participate in meditative prayer practices.

Science

For our Term 1 Science ‘Plants in Action’ student’s beliefs about flowering plants will be challenged as they work through hands-on activities. Students will develop a sense of wonder and appreciation of plants as they investigate the process of germination, the stages in a plant's life cycle and what plants need for growth. Students will also investigate the role of bees in the pollination process and the reciprocal relationship between bees and flowering plants.

HASS

Term One: ‘Original Inhabitants’ Students explore concepts relating to the diversity of Australia's first people and the long and continuous connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country. They will pose questions, locate, collect and examine information in order to analyse different points of view. Students will present this information in a way to share with others both digitally and non-digitally.

Visual Arts

This term our Visual Arts unit aligns with our HASS unit on Indigenous Australians. Students will participate in a range of visual art activities and reflections. They will explore and experiment with different visual art materials and techniques to create visual artworks and designs through the art elements of line, shape and colour. Students will display and communicate their visual artworks to an audience sharing their ideas about their personally created artwork. They will also respond to visual artworks and designs considering ideas in artworks to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and consider viewpoints - forms and elements.

Miss Allison Campbell

From 5L

Welcome to 2022! We’ve hit the ground running in Year 5. Routines have quickly been established and students are responding well to being all in the one class as they have been split up in different classes since they very first started in Prep. Please keep an eye out for the Weekly Words that are emailed out on a Sunday afternoon for an introduction to the week ahead. Two new programs the students are getting familiar with are Microsoft OneNote and Maths Prodigy. It would be worth asking your child to show you these two programs to see what we’ve been up to in class. This term we are focusing on the Mercy value of Excellence in class. The students have worked together to brainstorm what excellence looks like, sounds like and feels like in 5L. There are many opportunities for students to work towards and achieve excellence this term and Mr Toohey and I have outlined what we have planned in the table below.

I am sure that our Year 5 students have settled back into schooling and ready to strive for excellence!

Mrs Lucas

From 6B

Welcome to Year 6 in 2022. This is going to be an exciting year with your children finishing their last year of primary school: we hope they are looking forward to this year as much as we are.

We have already hit the ground running as seniors and in Week 1 we participated in our annual Emu Gully excursion and our Leadership Workshop to prepare us all for being leaders at Sacred Heart for 2022. Our seniors were presented with their 2022 Senior Star polo shirts and you will agree that they look pretty fabulous.

Congratulations to our newly elected Year 6 captains; we are sure you will represent Sacred Heart well for 2022. Our seniors will be formally inducted and celebrate with a whole school Mass in the near future – the proposed date is 18th March.

This week there will have been pikelet/pancake order forms sent home for the Year 6 annual fundraising activity for the year being the sale of pikelets for Shrove Tuesday in Week 4. As always, the funds raised go to the Missions and we thank everyone in advance for their support.

Week 2 has seen the 6B classroom dive into the structure of information reports in English and Science, looking at Federation timelines in HASS, beginning our Gratitude Journals and discussing living faith in Religion, working with numbers to one million and square numbers in Math and exploring the artistic design element of Line in Visual Art. What a great start to the Year 6 curriculum.

Just to clarify our routines please note in Year 6 students are permitted wear their senior shirt or sport shirt on Wednesday (their PE day) and Friday. Academic/formal uniform is to be worn on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Music lessons and our Library borrowing are on a Thursday.

Encouraging the Year 6 students to be inclusive of their peers and to demonstrate a positive mindset in all that they do, along with a focused commitment to their school days, will be our continued focus in 6B this year. These traits will be of benefit to the students when they move off to high school, but they can certainly make their final year at Sacred Heart their best yet. In doing this, we also ask parents to be positive with your children about things that we are doing, even the activities that the students may not enjoy or feel they are good at. We want to support our school leaders to be the best version of themselves this year and to finish in December on a high. Another part of this is student school attendance and punctuality: unnecessary days of absence and late arrivals of a morning, interrupts the learning and the participation of the students. We ask for the support of parents here by ensuring the students arrive at school no later than 8:30am. This assists greatly as we have senior duties to attend to and then our lessons start as soon as we arrive in the classroom. When people do come in late, it also disrupts the lessons for the rest of the class.

Year 6 curriculum delivery has just begun and our focus this semester is as follows:

• VISUAL ART: Semester 1 will involve the exploring of various elements of Visual Art (line, shape, form, colour, texture and space) and includes the Claymation and iStop movie maker.
• DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES: Throughout Semester 1 students will take personal and physical safety into account, and privacy of personal information while engaging with others online. They will also develop their skills in applying technical protocols such as devising file naming conventions and determining safe storage locations to protect data and information. Furthermore, students will develop a greater understanding of digital systems, the components and input and output devices. Students will also explore how digital systems transform and communicate data and explored binary code and how it is transformed into pixels.
• DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES: During Semester 1 the students will investigate electrical systems and circuits before applying this knowledge through the design process to solve problems and find solutions before creating prototypes.
• MATHEMATICS: Students will work in all areas of number in everyday contexts and solve problems involving all four operations. They will work with fractions, decimals, percentages, measurement, probabilities and various forms of data. All of this will be enhanced by our schoolwide focus of “positive and growth mindsets’ when working mathematically, taking part in number talks and journaling, accessing the Mathletics online program and other resources to enhance the students’ learning.
• ENGLISH: This term we are focusing on reading, decoding, writing, spelling, grammar and comprehension skills and studying in depth several genres, including information report, persuasive and narrative writing approaches as the National Curriculum directs. We will work specifically to improve all students’ overall English standards. Students will be focusing on the improvement of their current writing, reading and comprehension levels and will have goals within the class to work towards.
• HASS: Students will learn about life in Australia including significant people, groups, developments, and events on the journey to federation to modern day and what it means to be Australian. There will be a further focus on the effect federation had on migrants, Indigenous Australians, women and children.
• SCIENCE: In Term 1, our Biological Sciences unit will provide students with the opportunity to investigate how living things grow, survive and are affected by physical conditions of their environment. We will explore adaptations of certain animals, and some plants, and write an information report on a particular species.
• RELIGION: Students will learn to identify and describe many ways in which faith is lived out in the lives of believers past and present. They will analyse texts to find key messages of some Old Testament prophets and the contribution of some key people to the shaping of the Church in Australia (c. 1900 CE to present). Students will be able to explain the significance of Jesus' New Law for the way believers live their faith and examine the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
• HPE: In Term 1 we have our specialist PE Teacher, Mr Paul Toohey, who will be taking 1 hour sessions per week with each class to teach physical education as well as class preparation for school cross country. Our PE day is Wednesday this year. Personal Development and Health is covered in class and will incorporate relevant Student Protection lessons, including internet and cybersafety. Term 2 will see the students prepare for the Athletics Carnival held at the end of term.
• MUSIC: Music/Media/Dance/Drama is an hour lesson every Thursday morning this year and Ms Runciman will be running choir opportunities for those interested students as well.

Have a wonderful fortnight ahead.

Mrs Barrett, Mrs Anderson, Mrs Weber and Mrs Edwards

THE ARTS

I am very excited to be back at Sacred Heart School for my second-year teaching ‘The Arts’ which includes Music, Media, Dance and Drama. This term we are focusing on Music and working towards our Easter Pageant that will be performed Thursday 31st March, 9am in the school hall. This year we will be presenting Stations of the Cross with each class presenting an item and finishing with a whole performance. There will be more information about this in the weeks to come.

Choir

Choir commenced this week on Tuesday afternoon 2.55-3.30pm in the Music Room. The choir is available for all students in Year 3 to 6.

I am looking forward to seeing how the change of time from lunch time to after school will allow the students to flourish in the choral learning. We are currently working towards the Easter Pageant and the Toowoomba Eisteddfod that is held in May, Term 2.

Instrumental Program

WOW, what a start to this program!! We have started this year with 22 students who are learning a range of instruments from piano, singing, ukulele, guitar and percussion. Thank you to all the parents who are supporting their child/ren in their music education. There is wonderful research that shows that learning an instrument can help children education.

“Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel. If we are to hope for a society of culturally literate people, music must be a vital part of our children’s education.” – Yo-Yo Ma

If you would like any information about this program or other instruments that we have on offer please contact me, Cherie.Runciman@twb.catholic.edu.au or fill in the online form.

MUSIC

Term 1 Course Descriptors

Prep C & Prep J: Students will explore the differences between their singing voice and their talking voice. They will begin to learn to keep a beat through simple rhymes and movement activities. Students will learn simple songs and will be introduced to a wide range of percussion instruments. Students will implement these skills into the Easter Pageant performance at the end of Term 1. Students will also develop their social skills, through playing music games and movement activities.

1J: Students will firmly establish the fundamental difference between keeping a beat and playing a rhythm. They will begin to identify rhythmic patterns based on ta, ti-ti & za, both visually and aurally. Students will sing and play simple songs on both tuned and untuned percussion instruments. Students will implement these skills into the Easter Pageant performance at the end of Term 1. Students will continue to develop their social skills, through playing music games and movement activities.

1/2T & 2/3A: Students will read, clap and play rhythms based on ta, ti-ti, za. They will learn ta-a (minims) and will play and sing simple songs, which incorporate this new note value. Students will participate in activities which further develop their ability to keep in time with the beat and will compose simple melodies, based on three notes. Students will also be provided many opportunities to play both tuned and untuned percussion instruments. Students will implement these skills into the Easter Pageant performance at the end of Term 1.

3/4G: Students will revise rhythms based on ta, ti-ti, za, minims and minim rests. They will learn to play and sing songs based on the entire scale and perform in a class ensemble for the Easter Pageant at the end of Term 1. Students will work to combine singing, vocal ostinato rhythmic patterns, and percussion instruments. Students will sing and play songs on both tuned and untuned percussion instruments and explore the different instrument families.

4C: Students will continue to revise rhythms based on ta, ti-ti, za, minims, minim rests. They will be introduced to tikka-tikka, tikka-ti and ti-tikka and sing songs based on these new rhythms. Students will learn to play and sing songs based on the entire scale, and perform in small ensembles using singing, vocal ostinato rhythmic patterns, and percussion instruments. Students will learn songs in the following styles – Funk, Calypso, Hoedown and Boogie Woogie and will complete many dance-based activities related to the songs in each of these styles. Students will perform as a class at the Easter pageant at the end of Term 1.

5L: Students will listen to, sing, and play a variety of music containing influences from different countries, including Jamaican Reggae, Irish music, African inspired music, and Mexican folksong. Students will further consolidate their knowledge of rhythmic patterns learnt in previous year levels, and be introduced to compound time, where they will engage in activities which will challenge their rhythm reading skills and their coordination. Students will sing & play tuned and untuned percussion instruments for a variety of songs throughout the semester. They will continue to develop their understanding of musical elements and use their knowledge of terms such as pitch, tempo, and dynamics. Students will be learning a range of contemporary song, using cups as an instrument, and playing different rhythmic patterns with the song and eventually compose their own 4 bar rhythm cup pattern. Students will be preparing an item for the Easter pageant that will be performed at the end of Term 1.

6B: Students will develop their rhythm reading skills through cup song activities, ukulele, and piano playing. Students will learn C, Am and F on the Ukulele and basic piano playing that includes finger position and note reading on the staff. Students will work as a class to prepare an item for assembly at the end of term 2 that will include a combination of these 3 instruments. Students will continue to develop their aural and singing skills through class singing activities and the Easter Pageant performance at the end of Term 1.

NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY

iPads are required at school every day, unless otherwise instructed by the class teacher. Covers and screen protectors should be in place, screens clean and iPads fully charged. iPad chargers must remain at home for the purposes of charging. iPads are not charged whilst the iPad is at school.

SPREAD THE WORD - PREP 2023 ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS

We are inviting all prospective 2023 Prep families to complete an enrolment application via the link below.

If you have a child or know of a family who have children starting Prep in 2023, please either complete the link or contact the office to organise a school tour.

Our prep interviews will be held later in Term 2, and we will contact you once we have received your application.

SCHOOL FEE PAYMENT

Please be advised that as of Friday 25th February, the school will no longer be processing cash or Eftpos payments of fees or any other charges. Our preferred method for payment is direct debit or bank deposit. Please see below the direct debit form your reference. A copy of the form has also gone home with students. Thank you to those families who have already set up a direct debit plan. If you prefer to process your payments via a bank deposit, please check your email for all information.

Statements will be emailed out to you next week with Term 1 fees.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

HIGHLIGHTS FORM THE SACRED HEARTS PARENTS’ AND FRIENDS’ GENERAL MEETING

The P&F met on Monday 7th February for an Ordinary Meeting. The meeting was held online because of Covid restrictions which is the first time that it has been held wholly online. It is always an option for those that cannot attend in person.

The following are some of the highlights:

• The P&F is working up the calendar of events for the year. When developed in the next few weeks it will be circulated. All parents will know what events are coming up. In a first, the responsibility for many events will be allocated to a class. This will give an opportunity to the parents of that class to take a more active role in the event where they can. More information will come out soon.
• The Covid restrictions have curtailed our plans for the 2022 Welcome Night that was to be held on 25th February. The event is important to the school, but the traditional evening is not possible. The P&F is considering alternative options.
• The 2021 Christmas Concert was a great event that everyone seemed to enjoy. The P&F made $4000 as well and this will go directly into the playground. We hope to make significant progress this year on that front. A blackboard will be installed in the shelter in the next two weeks. Other items are planned in Term 1.
• The school is currently advertising for a new tuckshop convenor. When tuckshop resumes, it will revert to Tuesday and Thursday each week. The trial of a Friday rather than the Thursday was not successful.
• The next P&F meeting will be on Monday, 7th March. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

2022 SHROVE TUESDAY FUNDRAISER FOR MISSIONS

Pancake Tuesday is in Week 4 – 1st March (the day before Ash Wednesday) and it is when traditionally Year 6 students sell pikelets to raise funds for the Missions. Pikelets will be sold for morning tea at 50c each or 3 for $1.

All order forms will be sent home by the end of this week – please return no later than Wednesday of Week 3 23rd February.

SENTRAL FOR PARENTS APP

Sacred Heart Primary School has moved to a new portal and app for parents and caregivers.

It is important that families register with their child’s/children’s access key. These have been sent via email. If you have any problems with this, please contact the office.

With the Parent Portal or the mobile phone app, you have access to:

• Newsfeed
• Absences
• Messages
• Daily Notices
• Interviews
• Resources
• Links
• Calendars

COLLECTION NOTICE FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS

UNIFORM SHOP

Thank you for your continued support of the school’s uniform shop.

Normal Uniform Shop hours are Mondays & Thursdays 8.00am - 10:30am. If Monday is a holiday, the Uniform Shop will open on a Tuesday.

These are as follows:

UNIFORM ITEMS

SCHOOL BAGS

School Bags are COMPULSORY to the whole school. Do you have the correct bag?

These are available for the Uniform Shop for $39.50 (with emblem).

SCHOOL PULLOVERS - This is a compulsory uniform item for Years 1 to 6.

SPRAY JACKETS are compulsory for students in Years 1-6 only . NOT PREP STUDENTS!

FREE BUTTONS available for Boys’ red shirt, girls’ red and white blouse & Prep red polo

The uniform shop carries donated pre-loved items (including items for Prep)

Thank you, parents, for all the donations to the uniform shop.

Please continue to support the uniform shop with donations. These can be left at the office.

*We accept Cash, EFTPOS or Layby*

Betty Davison
CONVENOR

SACRED HEART PARISH

COMMUNITY NOTICES