Term 3 - Week 8 (1st September)

Student Protection Contacts

From The Principal

Dear Families,
The Speaking Filter – I was speaking with a student this week who had been experiencing some difficulty with getting along with others. This child had been saying things that he thought was true but was upsetting to those he was directing his comments to. This reminded me of some advice that I had given some students in the past. However, in the spirit of transparency, I will say that this was not my thinking but the thinking of the famous philosopher, Socrates.
Socrates, a Greek philosopher, thought to be born some 400 years before the birth of Christ, used, and recommended to others, a very simple thought process that should be used before speaking. In children’s terms, it translates to thinking before we speak and asking ourselves these three questions:
Is what I am about to say:

1. True? Is this something that I know is a fact and that came from someone or something that I can rely on?
2. Kind? Is what I am going to say, kind and can it be delivered in a kind and sincere way? Or, could it be seen as something that will hurt the person’s feelings.
3. Helpful? Could this be something that the person could use.

If you can honestly get to question 3 of this filtering process, then what you are saying is going to be well received. If you stumble at question one or two, you need to not say anything at all or reframe your thought or question in a different way.
At Sacred Heart, we encourage our children to practice the value of integrity. We explain integrity as doing the right thing, even when we think no-one is watching. Imagine what the world would be like if we applied this filter to all our interactions, every day. We would truly be walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

Lived resilience – It was great watching many of our brave learners getting up to perform at our ‘Sacred Heart Idol’ competition on Tuesday. This school event is lots of fun and provides our creative students with an opportunity to show their peers and teachers, what they can do.
What impressed me most, however, was the resilience that our children showed with each performance. From children looking very nervous before their time, to drums falling over and microphones failing, our children showed great resilience and pushed through. It is this type of resilience that we need to develop in our children for learning and for one day, being an adult. Afterall, giving up at the first hurdle or challenge, does not allow us to learn anything.
There was lots of learning on Tuesday and many successes. One year 3 student told me that she had already started practicing for next year’s ‘Idol’. A big thank you to Mrs Menkins and Miss Runciman for the time that they invested in bringing this together for our children once again. Thank you to those of our families that were able to come along and support their children.

Taking Leave – As communicated in a recent email, I will be taking 2 weeks of long service leave. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support of your children and our school this term.  I would also like to thank Mrs Alice Lucas for taking up the position of ‘Acting Principal’ in my absence. I know that you will support her in this role. I look forward to seeing you in term 4.

God bless.
Mr Tyronne Maher

From The APRE

Father’s Day  
Thank you to our Year 3 students for running our Father’s Day liturgy to start our whole school Assembly this week. It was wonderful to see so many dads and grandads here at school for the Liturgy! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, stepdads, uncles and grandads here at Sacred Heart.  

Kindness Week 
Week 7 of each school term, we take the time to focus on being kind. Last week, we started the week with the whole school gathering for a Kindness Week Book Read. Our teachers each selected a book with a theme of Kindness to read aloud and then the students were able to pick which book they had read to them. This was by all accounts, a great way for our students to enjoy the art of storytelling while also starting the week with the focus on Kindness. 

Sacred Heart Idol
On Tuesday, we gathered as a school community to celebrate the school’s Mercy value of excellence in action. All the students who performed on Tuesday were truly personifying excellence as they were trying their best and cheering on other’s who were also trying their very best. We had a wonderful variety of performances; from jokes to dancing, singing to instrumental. All the students who performed should be proud of themselves! Please see below for the winners of each section

Year 5 and 6 Camp
Our Year 5 and 6 students are off to Camp next week! The children and staff attending Camp, are very much looking forward to their adventures in Brisbane! I would like to make special mention of the staff who have organised and will be running our Camp; Mrs Charlie Barrett, Miss Maddy Robinson and Mrs Kerry Weber. Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made to be able to go on Camp! I have spoken to the Year 5 and 6 students about the importance of being prepared for Camp and not leaving the task of packing until the last minute (especially as Sunday is Father’s Day!). We wish these students and staff all the very best on Camp!

Parental Leave
These next two weeks of Term 3 will be my last here at Sacred Heart before I start parental leave effective from the end of this term. Thank you to the parents, grandparents and students who have taken the time to see how I am going and who have wished me well! Next week, I have invited Mrs Katie Horne, who has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal:Religious Education (APRE) while I am on parental leave.

Mrs Alice Lucas

Prayer of the Week

Retrieved from: Our Lady of Humility » Father’s Day Blessings!

From the Learning Support Teacher

Why are ‘wh’ questions so important?
‘Wh’ questions lay the groundwork for children to join in conversations, show their knowledge and collect information about themselves and their world.  They also help to develop your child’s skills in applying and processing information about their environment, skills that are essential for success at and beyond school.
When children are learning to process and answer ‘Wh’ questions, they usually follow a developmental and predictable sequence.

“What” is the earliest question mastered, followed by “Who” and “Where” questions, generally from 3 years of age.
“When” and “Why” questions develop from 4 years of age, with “Why” being the most difficult to master generally.

These simple questions may be difficult for some children to answer, but parents can support this with their children from a very young age.
Below are some activities you may like to try that can become part of your everyday interaction with your children.

Visual cues, such as photographs and actual objects can help children understand and ask ‘Wh’ questions. For example, show your child an illustration of a lady wearing a ring and ask, “What do you wear on your finger?” The child examines the illustration and answers the question. Be sure to work on only one ‘Wh’ question type at a time and be sure your child understands “What” questions before beginning to teach “Who” questions.

While reading simple storybooks with illustrations or pictures, ask your child questions like, “Who is this? What is he/ she doing? Where is the child going? When will he/she come back? Why is he/she leaving?”  Asking questions during and after story time, also helps with reading comprehension, even before they have learnt to read.
Parents have countless opportunities to give children practice in questioning and answering techniques, to help them acquire new language skills. The mastery of these simple questions is invaluable to the early learner.

From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator

The Power of Camp: Fostering Teamwork, Resilience and More
Next week our year 5 & 6 students are off for a week-long camp. It's essential to highlight the incredible benefits that attending camp offers to primary school children. Beyond the fun and adventure, camp provides a unique learning experience, fostering personal growth, social development, and a lifelong love for nature.

Teamwork and Collaboration:
Camp brings together children from diverse backgrounds, encouraging teamwork and collaboration. Through shared activities and challenges, children learn to work together, communicate effectively, and appreciate the strengths of their peers. This fosters important skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, and leadership, setting a solid foundation for future success in academics, sports, and other group settings.

Resilience and Emotional Development:
Camp offers a supportive environment for children to develop resilience and emotional intelligence. Away from familiar routines, children face new experiences and overcome obstacles, building resilience and adaptability. They learn to manage emotions, navigate social situations, and develop empathy towards others. These valuable skills equip them to handle challenges and setbacks with confidence, fostering emotional well-being and personal growth.

Outdoor Exploration and Nature Appreciation:
Camp provides a break from screens and indoor confinement, allowing children to immerse themselves in the wonders of nature. Outdoor activities like walking, raft and catapult building, along with other group activities not only promote physical fitness but also instil a deep appreciation for the environment. By connecting with nature, children learn about sustainability, conservation, and the importance of preserving our planet for future generations.

Unplugging from Technology:
Camp offers a valuable opportunity for children to unplug from technology and engage in real-life interactions. By disconnecting from screens, children rediscover the joy of face-to-face conversations, outdoor play, and connection with nature. This break from technology stimulates creativity, imagination, and fosters a sense of wonder about the world around them.
Attending camp is a transformative experience for any child and we wish our upper school students a wonderfully fun and safe camp next week.

Mrs Charlie Barrett

Smiling Minds
Sacred Heart is currently using the Zones of Regulation to help children develop the appropriate social and emotional skills. Another resource that can be used at home is the Smiling Minds Program.

Smiling minds has created a care pack for families, with resources for parents to help equip them with the tools to help their children. They have created a free mindfulness app which can be used anytime, with numerous meditations to help children lean the skills to be mindful, relax and reduce stress.  They have also created useful resources that are ideal for parents of primary aged children.

The smiling minds resources can help parents firstly identify symptoms of anxiety in their child and then give you the resources to help a child develop the confidence to understand their anxiety and learn a strategy to cope with the anxiety. For example, children who may appear withdrawn, avoiding tasks that they usually engage in, or seem distracted or have behavioural difficulties may be showing signs of anxiety. Smiling Minds can give you some resources to explore at home to help your child.

Please visit www.smilingmind.com.au

Have a great week.

Sarah Jackman

Classroom Awards

Class In Focus

Year 1/2T

Science - Good Vibrations: this term Year 1/2T students identified sound as a source of energy and how sounds come from a variety of sources.

Learning Intention for students to:

• Recognise that senses are used to learn about the world around us – our ears to detect sound
• Produce and describe different sounds made by blowing, striking, scraping and shaking
• Observe musical instruments from different cultures including traditional musical instruments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
• The students observed musical instruments from different cultures including the traditional instruments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Peoples by watching the video, A Musical Journey.

The students made their own Maracas, and we had our very own 1/2T musical band.

Math - Working with Equal Groups: Year 1/2T students continue to develop their early multiplicative strategies as they model and use equal groups of objects to represent multiplication. ‘Groups of’ was introduced to the students as they learned to identify the difference between the number of groups and the number in each group. The class engaged in fun mathematical tasks, as they solved practical problems using equal grouping.

Bee Bots- The Bee Bots have made an appearance in our class over the past week in our math, literacy and digital technology work. The students have been coding bee-bot (using the direction keys to program Bee Bot’s journey) so that he can find his way to specific letters, numbers or pictures on the mat. The children are really enjoying incorporating this technology into their literacy and math learning.   

Mrs Angela Tevelein

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Year 3C

It has been a busy term in Year 3!

In Science we have been exploring states of matter and how to change these states. We also experimented with slowing down evaporation and saving water! The students filled two containers with water and covered one to explore how they could stop the water evaporating in the sun.

During HASS we have been exploring Australia’s neighbours and learning about how they are similar and different to our country.

In Maths we have been having fun practicing our subtraction strategies, connecting 3D shapes to their nets and names, and reinforcing our learning from across the term.

For Book Week, we made alternative covers for our focus novel, The Twits by Roald Dahl. We also had lots of fun dressing up during Book Week!

Miss Allison Campbell

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Sport News

Hockey
This week is our last week of Hockey in PE. It has been so rewarding to see the students progressing with their ability to control the ball. Many students also needed to develop a Growth Mindset when it came to trying a sport that they may never have played before. There are a lot of keen hockey players here at Sacred Heart! I would love to hear that from this that a few of our students joined a Hockey club and took on a new sport!  We have been so fortunate to receive the funding from the Australian Federal Government’s Sporting Schools program which paid for the specialist coaches from the Toowoomba Hockey Association to run 4 weeks of Hockey with each of our classes from Year 1 – 6.

Mrs Alice Lucas

From the Library

BOOK WEEK 2023
Children’s Book Week was celebrated at Sacred Heart with some great activities.  It was wonderful to see both staff and students take part in the Book Week character dress-up parade. Clearly a favourite activity!  A huge thanks goes out to families for the hard work that was put into students’ costumes.

Our Book Warehouse Fair ran smoothly and was very successful, with sales totalling $2359
As a result of this great effort, the library will gain new resources to the value of $810.60.
A HUGE thanks to all students and families who contributed to the success of the Book Fair by making a purchase during the week.

Our Readers’ Cup Challenge competitions were held once again during Book Week.  All students were keen to share their knowledge of the picture books and novels they had been studying.
Congratulations to all students who participated.

The 2023 winners for each class are:

Mrs Jan Watkins & Mrs Rebecca Wheeler
Library Staff      

The Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop hours:
Mondays (THIS INCLUDES PUPIL FREE DAYS) & Thursdays 8.00am - 10:30am 
If Monday is a PUBLIC holiday, the Uniform Shop will open on the following Tuesday.

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*  

SCHOOL BAGS: School Bags are COMPULSORY to the WHOLE SCHOOL.
Do you have the correct bag?  These are available from the Uniform Shop for $39.50 

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

EMFIT Bootcamp

Sacred Heart Parish