5 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to another year of learning at Sacred Heart Primary School. It was great to see students and staff return refreshed and re-energised, ready for a year of adventures, challenges and learning opportunities.

Our core business is ensuring that all students at Sacred Heart experience success. The Reading Improvement Strategy remains of high focus again this year as well as the use of high impact strategies in every single classroom. We will continue our learning disposition journey where we focus on teaching students appropriate learning behaviours so that they learn how to, ‘be a good learner’. Our teachers will continue to be supported by our wellbeing coach Brett Leadbetter, in the area of Essential Skills to Behaviour Management.

We welcome 9 new Prep students and their families to our school as well as 2 new teachers Mr Todd Pullar and Miss Shae Sore. Mr Todd Pullar joins us from New Zealand and Miss Shae Sore joins us from the Gold Coast. Both teachers are very excited about their appointments and are keen to get involved in the Cunnamulla Community.

Our staff configurations for this year are:

Prep/1 – Mrs Jordeigh Standfield, Miss Ellie Ferguson
Year 2/3 – Mr Todd Pullar, Mrs Alice Behrendt
Year 3/4 – Miss Shae Sore, Miss Nicole Barrington
Year 5/6 – Miss Emily Conlin, Miss Meisha Johnstone
Librarian/Non-contact Teacher – Mrs Kathleen Fagan
Deputiser/Middle Leader/Learning Support Teacher – Mrs Cara Haig
Administration – Mrs Carolyn Crick
Guidance Counsellor – Mr Mike Thomason

Our Leadership team consists of myself as Principal/APRE, Mrs Cara Haig as Deputy Principal/Middle Leader and Mrs Kathleen Fagan as Teacher Librarian/Teacher Mentor.

We start the year with a great deal of activity, so I encourage you to take the time to read thoroughly through this week’s newsletter, so you are up to date. I also encourage you to pop into your child’s classroom often to see what they are learning or just to meet and touch base with their classroom teachers.

Have a fantastic week.

Miss Polly Crawford
Principal

Guidance Counsellor’s Report

Sacred Heart Guidance and Counselling Service explained

All students at some time encounter challenges and difficulties as they navigate their schooling and the bumpy journey that is childhood and early adolescence. It maybe your child is feeling down, stressed out, angry, confused, a bit stuck, or simply wish to gain some skills to do things differently. Support is also provided where a child is experiencing significant educational or behavioural difficulties. Most of the time young people can sort out their problems themselves with the support of good friends, family or teachers. At times they may also benefit by talking to the Guidance Counsellor.

It is estimated in Australia that 1 in 5 young people will experience a mental health problem before the age of 18. It is important that if mental health problems are suspected, this is properly diagnosed and treated. The school counselling service can assist with connecting you with the appropriate agency or professionals and also look at in school strategies to support your child’s wellbeing. Most GP’s, psychologists and agencies are happy to work with school counsellors to ensure the needs of a student are understood and catered for.

When the opportunity arises, I will also visit classrooms and run lessons for students focused on key social and emotional skills. These could be anything from dealing with conflict, cybersatety, managing difficult emotions or problem solving.

What is Counselling?

Counselling is a process of developing an understanding about ourselves, our hopes, dreams and fears, how we relate to others and how we can make changes in our lives to reach our potential and achieve our goals.

Counselling provides an opportunity for children to discover their own voice and find the courage to express it. It may mean practising new skills, undertaking set tasks or even accepting challenges to venture into new ways of thinking, acting and feeling. The school counsellor will listen, encourage students to talk openly and honestly about concerns, and help students reach their own decisions about the best way forward. The Counselling room is a safe place where students can talk privately with someone who will listen and not judge you or take sides.

Personal Counselling

Personal Counselling is future, and solution focused and generally brief in its nature, yet it is not about finding quick fixes or miracle cures. It is a process of understanding how our thoughts affect our feelings and how we choose to act. It includes self-reflection, honesty and openness. There are many areas students are provided assistance with a focus on removing barriers to learning and wellbeing at school.

Appointments and Referral

At present I provide a counselling service in Catholic Primary Schools in Charleville, Cunnamulla and Quilpie and visit schools 2 or 3 times a term. Between visits and when appropriate I conduct skype based sessions with students as well as keeping regular contact with school staff between visits. Appointments can be made at any time during school hours, or with notice before or after school at the time of my visits to the school.

Parents and Carers can contact me between visits via phone, Skype or email.

Students require written referral to access guidance and counselling services. Forms are available from your child’s Class Teacher, Learning Support Teacher or the Principal or directly myself via email request. Most often referrals are made through the Student Support Team at the school, parent consent is always requested before any counselling or intervention occurs.

A little about me…

I have worked in education since 1991 starting my teaching career in Brisbane as a physics and earth science teacher before moving to Hervey Bay and entering the student support field, initially establishing a behaviour management project working with suspended and excluded children in Education Queensland, I completed a Masters of Education – Guidance and Counselling in the late nineties and since then have worked in a number of state, private and catholic schools working with students from Prep to Year 12. Prior to moving into this role, I worked at the University of Southern Queensland as a career counsellor, individually working with students and staff as well as writing curriculum for a number of university subjects. I currently work out of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office as the Education Officer: Guidance Counsellor Coordination and School Support, essentially supporting the 19 School Counsellors working in our 31 schools.

I have a strong interest in Whole School approaches to Student and Staff wellbeing and am leading a project to raise the capacity of our schools through the delivery of Accredited Mental Health First Aid programs. The Outback has been a key focus with Catholic Schools in Cunnamulla and Quilpie completing training last year, Charleville and Roma are hot on their heels and will have had many staff trained by week 6 this term. Did I mention Sacred Heart Parish School became 1 of only 8 schools in Queensland to be recognised as a Gold Skilled Workplace by Mental Health First Aid Australia…And the first Catholic school in our Diocese.

Please keep an eye on this newsletter as I aim to provide a broad range of useful information about both learning and wellbeing throughout the year… Not just focused on student as adults’ matter too!

Please feel free to contact me via email mike.thomason@twb.catholic.edu.au or giving me a call on 4637 1453 to enquire about services I provide or to make an appointment.

Librarian’s Report

The Library is OPEN! Students will begin borrowing from the library on Thursday this week, please ensure that your child brings in a Library Bag. The library bag can be the school library bag or your own bag/pillowcase. Students will not be able to borrow unless they have a library bag to take their books home in. If there is a mishap with a school library book at home e.g. torn pages, food/water damage, please send the book back into school so we can fix it or organise a replacement. Reading with you child (even if you just look at the pictures) is a great way to develop a variety of pre reading and reading skills. If you have any questions regarding borrowing or services, the library provides please come and have a chat with me.

Happy Reading!!
Mrs Fagan
Teacher Librarian

Prep/1 News

Welcome back to another year and what a fantastic year it will be! Welcome back Year 1 students and a special welcome to the new Prep students in our class. Prep/1 has had a great first week of school, settling into class routines and forming new friendships. In Literacy this term, we will be exploring a range of books and sharing our likes, dislikes and similarities about a book. In Science and Technology, we will be looking at the properties of different materials in order to create a unique hat. In History and Social Science, we will be sharing our knowledge of our families and creating a family profile to share with others. We had our first week of swimming lessons last week in preparation for the swimming carnival on Friday. All students did a fantastic job and gave it a red-hot go, which was pleasing to see. Keep up the great work Prep/1 and let the fun continue!

Mrs Standfield
Prep/1 Teacher

Year 2/3 News

Welcome to the Year 2/3 class and an exciting new schooling year; not just for the students but myself as well. My name is Mr Pullar (Todd) and I come to the lovely Year 2/3 class of Sacred Heart Parish School in Cunnamulla from the somewhat colder climate of the Deep South in New Zealand. It has been great to meet all the Year 2 and 3 students and start to build towards both a rewarding and enjoyable schooling year. We have learnt so much about each other this week, through getting to know you activities and positive interactions. Our focus words this week have been ‘respect’ and ‘teamwork’ which have helped shape our classroom environment with the ‘Classroom Treaty’ and our ‘All Stars’ behaviour management system being at the forefront. Be sure to pop in and have a look.

Mr Pullar
Year 2/3 Teacher

Year 3/4 News

Year 3/4 have had a very exciting first week back at school! The focus for the week has been getting to know their teacher and each other through a series of art’s activities such as; painting, drawing and movement. A few other highlights of the week have been challenging each other with mathematics when playing buzz and using our engineering skills to build the tallest tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti sticks. We look forward to spending the year together achieving all our learning goals.

Miss Sore
Year 3/4 Teacher

Year 5/6 News

Week 1 is done and dusted, and I can most definitely say it has been amazing. We have reminisced about the good times we had on the holidays, shared our adventures, got to know each other through games and art and played team building games. One such game involved the 3/4 class. We worked together with the younger children to make a tower made from spaghetti and marshmallows. We discovered that the strongest shape for the towers was a triangle and incorporated them into our spaghetti structures. To decide the winner, we had a class vote. Well done to the winning team! I hope you enjoyed your prize!

Emily Conlin
Year 5/6 Teacher

Class and Uniform Awards

Happy Birthday

Assembly and Opening Liturgy

This Friday 8th February at 8:40am, will be holding our first assembly for the school year as well as our Opening School Liturgy. All parents, friends and community members are welcome to come along and join in on the first celebration for the year.

School Leaders

This Friday 8th February during school assembly, our students who wish to apply for a school leader role will be presenting their speeches. Parents are welcome to come along. Students will vote after all speeches are made and the winners will be announced at 2:45pm on Friday afternoon.

Sacred Heart Swimming Carnival

This Friday evening the 8th February, we will be having our annual school swimming carnival at the town pool. The evening will kick off at 5:30pm so we ask for all students to be at the pool by 5:15pm. We encourage all students to attend and to participate in the events.

Students are to wear their full school sports uniform (white top, green bottoms, white socks, black shoes and green hat). We will be looking for some parents/community volunteers to help on the night so anyone who is able to lend a hand please let the office know.

Get ready to cheer your team on!!!

Swimming Days Week 2

Class swimming days for this are as below:

Wednesday 6th February: Prep/1, Year 3/4 and Year 5/6
Thursday 7th February: Year 2/3

Parent Information Night

Next Monday evening the 11th February, we are holding our Parent Information Evening. This will be an opportunity for you to meet teachers and find out how each class will run and what they will be learning about this Term. We encourage all parents/guardians to attend this evening.

Sessions times are as follows:

Prep/1 – 5:30pm – 6:00pm
Two/Three- 6:00pm – 6:30pm
Three/ Four- 6:30 pm – 7:00pm
Five/Six – 7:00pm – 7:30 pm

During this evening we will also demonstrate how you can download our School App!!

District and Regional Sports

This year we will be working with the Cunnamulla Sate School to support the district and regional school sports of Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, Rugby League, Touch Football, Netball and Basketball. However, if you wish for your child to participate in an additional sport listed below you are welcome to pursue that yourself, we will provide you the information. The timetable of regional trail dates for this Term are as below. *Please note that students need to participate in a district trial before a regional trial*.

Please see Mrs Crick or Mr Todd Pullar if you are interested in any of the sports above well before the trial date so nominations can be made.

Hearing

Ann-Marie Mitchell from CACH will be conducting Hearing screens at Sacred Heart School on Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th February (Week 4). A Consent form needs to be filled out and signed for ALL Students. Can these forms be returned to school by Friday 15th February.

Student Protection

At Sacred Heart the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. All children should grow up free of violence or exploitation and be able to learn in a safe and supported environment. Schools have a number of specific child protection reporting obligations that are detailed in our Student Protection Processes and Guidelines.

If a student wants to talk to someone about harm, abuse or inappropriate behaviour toward themselves or others, they can speak to a trusted staff member or one of our School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs). The SSPCs receive additional training and are identified in the student protection posters displayed around the school.

Summary documents have been developed for parents and caregivers about our student protection obligations and our broader strategy for maintaining safe school environments.

Further information on all of the above topics can be found on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website at the link below:

Our Schools Student Protection Contacts are:

Mrs Kathleen Fagan (Teacher/Librarian)
Mrs Carolyn Crick (Administration Officer)
Mr Mike Thomason (School Guidance Counsellor)
Miss Polly Crawford (Acting Principal)

Uniform Policy

The school uniform represents the pride we have for our children and our school. A smart, neat and user-friendly uniform encourages the children to take pride in their appearance and in the school. The school uniform requirements:

Hats: Our school policy is ‘NO HAT – NO PLAY’. A green school hat must be worn and can be purchased form the office.

Jewellery: The only jewellery allowed is one set of fine studs or sleepers, a chain with some form of religious significance and watches.

Nail Polish: Nail polish is not to be worn.

Hair: Children’s hair must be neat and tidy. If hair is below the collar it needs to be tied back with appropriate white or green accessories. It is expected that hairstyles reflect the code of dress required by the school. The colouring of hair and unusual hairstyles are not acceptable.

Sacred Heart P & F AGM

On Monday 18th February at 5.30pm the Sacred Heart P & F will be holding their AGM. All positions will be available.

Tuckshop

We have a new Tuckshop Menu!! This is attached to the newsletter. Please peruse the menu to see what changes have been made.

Helpers & Cake Cookers are needed for Tuckshop! If you are a Parent, Guardian or Friend of someone attending Sacred Heart School we need helpers for tuckshop. Tuckshop runs on Mondays 9am – 1.30pm & Fridays 9am – 1.30pm during Term. We are looking for more volunteers, so if you are interested please contact Carla Mills on 0448130067 or facebook. We just ask that cars be parked outside the school grounds to ensure student safety. Thank you to all the parents who volunteer in our school tuckshop.

Tuckshop Roster

School Tuition Fees

At Sacred Heart, we have several payment options for your convenience: Cash, Cheque, ETPOS, Direct Debit and Centrepay. For further details on these payment options please see the school office.

Direct Deposit Details

Please see the table below for the Fee Structure for 2019. A portion of the Capital/Building Levy may be utilised for other capital education purposes within the Diocese, for example the provision of Kindergarten and Outside School Hours Care.

2019 Fee Structure

There will be an additional charge of $10 per student for the whole year for the Special Purpose Levy.

Sacred Heart Parish Fete

The Sacred Heart Parish Fete will be held on Friday evening the 8th March. All students are learning about Dance elements which is apart of the Arts Australian Curriculum. All classes will be performing the dance they have been working on and choreographing throughout the term at the Parish Fete.

Sacred Heart Parish

Church Times

Sunday 10th February – Eucharistic Service @ 8.30am
Sunday 17th February – Mass @ 6pm
Saturday 23rd February – Mass @ 6pm
Sunday 24th February – Mass Eulo @ 9am
Sunday 3rd March – Eucharistic Service @ 8.30am
Sunday 10th March – Eucharistic Service @ 8.30am
Sunday 17th March– Mass @ 6pm
Saturday 23rd March – Mass @ 6pm
Sunday 24th March– Mass Eulo @ 9am
Sunday 31st March - Eucharistic Service @ 8.30am

Community News

Term 1 Important Dates