Term 2 - Week 8 (9th June)

Student Protection Contacts

From The Principal

‘Have a go’ attitude – If you read our fortnightly newsletters, you will have heard me mention, many times over, what it means to have a ‘growth mindset’ and the importance of this mindset to learning. Opposite to a ‘growth mindset’, the belief that challenge is good for my learning and my brain, is a fixed mindset, the belief that some people ‘have it’ and some don’t. What plays a big part in the development of a growth mindset for children, is the environment or culture.

Last week, we held the high jump part of our athletics carnival. As you can imagine, some children try to avoid participation. They avoid the challenge because they fear failure. Some teachers and parents might respond to the excuses, tears and refusal to participate, by making allowances. The problem with this however, is that we are actually supporting the idea that once challenged, it’s okay to give up or ‘sit this one out’.  We are supporting their ‘fixed mindset’. You might have heard older generations (maybe even your generation) talk about the ‘kids today’ and that they lack ‘resilience’. When we allow children to ‘opt out’, we are not helping them develop resilience.

Teachers at our school have a ‘no opt out’ expectation. This does not mean that we expect reluctant children to do the impossible. Instead, we adjust the activity so that the task can be stepped out and so that the child can experience success and build confidence. This is also done with the expectation made clear for everyone, that in ‘our class, we support those who have a go’. We don’t laugh at and we don’t embarrass each other. We ask our children to consider, ‘what would Jesus do’ in support of a classmate.

I would like to congratulate each child that came up with their classmates last Wednesday for the high jump competition. Every child was successful at participating and all our children made this possible with the integrity that they displayed in supporting each other. As parents, you should be proud.

Japanese students visiting – Please find within the newsletter this week a flyer indicating that we have some students coming from Japan to Sacred Heart this year in late August. These students will participate in classes for a portion of each day as part of an English immersion program. What a wonderful experience for our learners too, getting to know these children and what it is like to live in another country. In addition to hosting the children at our school, we are also looking for families that are able to house a Japanese student for the week. Information is contained in the flyer.

Athletics Day – Congratulations to our children, staff and families on another successful athletics carnival.  Watching the children support each other and congratulate each other at the end of events today, gives us hope that sportsmanship is still alive and well. Thank you to Miss Lucas for her coordination of the day and to our parent group for catering morning tea for our children and families.

God Bless,

Mr Tyronne Maher

From The APRE

The importance of taking the time to reflect on how we treat others.

Thank you to 1/2T and Mrs Tevelein for leading us in such a meaningful presentation and prayer at our Week 8 Assembly! 1/2T shared with us the lessons that Paddington Bear teaches about the importance of manners as he was taught from his Aunt Lucy. This quote of Aunt Lucy’s sums it up perfectly.

1/2T’s presentation links to one of our school’s Mercy values of Compassion. The class referenced the Golden Rule in their presentation, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…”(Gospel of Matthew 7:12). This is such an important life skill! Last week when we preparing to run our 800m races, our principal Mr Maher paused to ask the students if they had any questions before we started their race and one of our Year 6 Leaders asked, “What happens if we are running along and someone has fallen over.” Now, when we were just about to start our first race of the afternoon and pushed for time already, I was interested to see how Mr Maher would respond to this thought-provoking question. He reassured the group that a teacher would attend to the needs of the student and they are encouraged to finish the race, however, he added in that being one of our school’s values, Compassion, will definitely be applied after the race. The fact that a Year 6 student would even think to ask this question gives me hope that Compassion is alive and well in our school!

Gotcha!
Congratulations to Tristan, Aeris, Janieve and Mathew T for having their gotcha ticket drawn out at this week’s Assembly. Thank you for walking everyday with Jesus. These children received a golden ticket to have lunch with our principal, Mr Maher, at the end of this term.

Free Dress Day – thank you!
Thank you to all the families who supported our Term 2 Compassion in Action focus last week by dressing in their State of Origin colours! We raised $230 which will be donated to Cystic Fibrosis Queensland and MS Australia. This was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about both CF and MS, both of which impact families here at Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart Day
Next Friday we will gather as a school community to the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. We will start in our classes in the morning before walking as a school to Newtown Park. On arrival, we will have Morning Tea which has been provided by our Parent Engagement Network (PEN). Then we will move around the park, in our 3 Houses, playing games and exploring the beautiful park. We’ll then walk back to school and lunch will be provided by the PEN. Students are welcome to pack additional food in their lunch box that they can eat at lunch – especially if they are averse to a sausage sizzle! Gluten Free dietary needs have been accounted for in our preparation for the day. After lunch, we will then gather in the Sacred Heart Parish Church for a Mass to bring the whole day together. Families are more than welcome and encouraged to participate in any and all of the day. Thank you to our Parent Engagement Network for your ongoing support of Sacred Heart Day!

Mrs Alice Lucas

Prayer of the Week

Prayer accessed from: Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Digital Catholic Missionaries (DCM) (digitalmissioners.com)

From the Learning Support Teacher

Hearing Assessment
As you may be aware we have been running hearing screeners through the Sound Scouts Program at Sacred Heart.  This week an audiologist, Dendra Cole and the TCS HI Advisory Visiting teacher, Helen O-Shea were in the school conducting audiology assessments for students who were identified as having possible hearing concerns.
During the screening 64 students were tested throughout this term, with 12 students referred for audiology assessment and a small number referred for ENT support.
This is the first time I have run a program such as this and the greatest learning for me is how a simple head cold or ear infection can impact the hearing of a child.
Below are two Sound Scout hearing results of a student that were conducted one week apart.  The student was recovering from a head cold when the first test was conducted.  The second test was conducted 2 weeks later.  Although this student does not have hearing concerns, when they were ill, their hearing was considerably impacted.  Some students who are recovering from illness may have their hearing impacted for some time as fluid can remain within the ear. 

Thankfully, the majority of the students screened, were found to not have any hearing concerns at this point in time.  This is also very important information for us.  When a child is having difficulty with focus and learning it is critical that we can rule out hearing and vision concerns to target other adjustments that can support them to reach their full potential. 
The hearing health of our students is a priority, and we will continue to monitor this using Sound Scouts Screeners in the future.

Mrs Genny McNair

From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING AT SACRED HEART

We are fast entering the finalisation of semester one assessment and report card writing for at Sacred Heart for 2023. These report cards will be uploaded to the Parent Portal and will be live on Thursday 22nd June.

Mrs Charlie Barrett

From the Guidance Counsellor

Headspace Mental Health Education Session for Year 6 Parents
During July, Riki Galerakis, from Headspace is visiting Sacred Heart Primary school to talk to our Year 6 students about mental health and the transition to High School. Last year, Riki attended, and discussed with our Year 6 students, identifying symptoms of mental health problems and where young people can find support. Riki is providing a free session for Parents and Carers at St Saviour's Primary school, and will cover the following topics;

• Mental health and wellbeing in adolescence and what parents can expect,
• How parents can have conversations with young people about their mental health and wellbeing.
• Strategies for parents and carers about how to support their young person
• Where you and your young person can go for support.

Where:  St Saviour's Primary School

RSVP:  Sarah Jackman sarah.jackman@twb.catholic.edu.au

Time:  5.00-6.30pm.

Date:  Wednesday 19^th July 2023

Mrs Sarah Jackman

Classroom Awards

Sport News

Athletics Carnival
Today we held our annual Athletics Carnival. We are so lucky to have such wonderful grounds here at Sacred Heart – there really aren’t many schools in Toowoomba that can hold their Athletics Carnival at their school! Previously we had run our 800m race, 200m heats and our High Jump over the last two weeks and we’ve been so impressed with the level of participation and House spirit we’ve seen already! There will be a more detailed report in our Week 10 newsletter.

TCS Catholic Education Week Netball and Touch Football Carnivals
Early next term, our Year 5 and Year 6 students will have the opportunity to participate in the Annual Toowoomba Catholic Schools Catholic Education Week Netball and Touch Carnivals. The Carnivals will be held on Thursday 27^th July. The students who nominate will need permission to attend and this will be via the Parent Portal app in the coming weeks. Thank you to Ms Parkes-Moller who has taken on the coaching role for the Touch on Thursdays at lunch times and to Mrs Jesshope and Mrs Kuss who have taken on coaching the netball during Tuesdays' lunch breaks.

From The Arts

The TCS Arts Fest 2023 is offering students from each school has the opportunity to be featured collaborately in an array of different activities that focus on the Arts for their primary and secondary schools. Some of these activities/workshops are; Music Theatre Dance and Singing, Visual Arts Workshop, Music Industry Forum for Contemporary Bands, Verse Speaking, Theatresports, Orchestra, Drama Improv and Mass Choirs.

Here at Sacred Heart School, we are taking part in the primary school Music Theatre singing of “The Little Mermaid”, the Verse Speaking workshop and performance, the Belief in the Arts Concert where the Sacred Heart Band will be having their debut public performance and the choir will be singing in the Sing for Joy Sacred Concert.

The performances are open for parents and members of our schools as we celebrate the wonderful talents of the students in the Toowoomba diocese. Make sure to save the date!

Wednesday 21^st June: Belief in the Arts Concert, 6pm (Empire Theatre)

Thursday 22^nd June: Sing for Joy Sacred Concert, 10.30 (St. Patrick’s Cathedral)

Ms Cherie Runciman

Library News

The Uniform Shop

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

PLEASE NOTE: WE CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT DONATIONS OF PRE-LOVED ITEMS
Thank you for your understanding in this regard.

*We accept EFTPOS only - NO CASH OR LAYBY*  
Normal Uniform Shop hours:
Mondays & Thursdays 8.00am - 10:30am.
If Monday is a holiday, the Uniform Shop will open on a Tuesday.

SCHOOL BAGS: School Bags are COMPULSORY to the WHOLE SCHOOL.
Do you have the correct bag? Available from the Uniform Shop for $39.50 
SCHOOL PULLOVERS - This is a compulsory uniform item for Years 1 to 6.

Tennis Lessons

St Mary's College Parent Information Evening

St Mary’s College is hosting a Parent Information Evening with Paul Dillon who will be informing parents and carers about the use of alcohol and other drugs by school-aged people. Paul has been analysing trends and speaking with young people about drugs and alcohol for many years and is a well-respected expert in this field.

When: Tuesday 11^th July 2023

Time: 5.45pm arrival for a 6.00pm start until 8.00pm

Location: St Mary's College Edmund Rice Cultural Centre, Hill Street, Toowoomba

RSVP: https://www.trybooking.com/CITHX

More information on Paul Dillon’s work can be found here: https://darta.net.au

Sacred Heart Parish