2025 Term 2 Week 6
Principals Report
Last week I attended the Principal Forum and retreat held in Goondiwindi. It was a busy but productive week as always, with opportunities to listen to our Executive Director - Dr Pat and catch up with colleagues. Dr Pat always gives a keynote speech, which as principal we listen to and contextualise for our school community. This term he spoke about culture being key to the success of schools. He also emphasised the need to continue to invest in professional learning and be innovative and bold when it comes to reform. I feel that our school is in an excellent position when we consider these 3 areas. Our Habits of the Heart and Mind provide us with solid values, and we invest much time in professional learning, fostering a deeply embedded culture of learning in both our staff and students. I feel that we can confidently say that we are both innovative and bold when it comes to reform, as we are always looking at recent research to make sure our students get the best possible education.
Dr Pat also spoke about 8 potential disruptors to education in and beyond 2025. Some of these are very relevant to our school, particularly the attraction and retention of teachers, the use of Artificial intelligence, and Mental Health and Wellbeing. We are well on our way to addressing these but recognise there is still much work to do in the future.
Thank you to all parents who attended the recent Parent/Teacher interviews. This is a great opportunity for you to be fully aware of and supportive of the educational needs of your child/children.
I look forward to continuing our learning journey for the rest of this term.
Mrs Cara Haig
Principal
Classroom Snapshots
PREP with MISS BALL
This week in Religion, the Prep students explored the Creation Story. One of the highlights was a “God’s Favourite Creation mystery box” activity, where students were excited to discover what might be inside. To their delight, the box revealed that they are God’s favourite creation! The preps continued to explore God’s good creation through song and dance which they thought was fantastic. The students learned that each of them is uniquely loved and valued by God.
YEAR 1 with MISS CHARLTON
In Science, we have been exploring the needs of living things. We have been conducting an investigation to explore what plants need to survive and what happens if we take one of those needs away. Our plants are thriving, and we are so excited to see the continued growth of them! The students also explored how plants get their water by observing the results of celery that has been placed in coloured water. We used magnifying glasses to look closely at the inside of the celery and discuss how and why the celery had changed colour.
YEAR 2 with MR SMITH
Over the past three weeks in English, we have been on a thrilling journey reading the book Are We There Yet? We have become masters of noun groups and had a blast exploring the story together. In HASS, we've been researching continents and countries, discovering our place in the world. Google Earth and National Geographic for Kids have been fantastic resources, helping the students use their inquiry skills to learn more about the world around them.
YEAR 3/4 with MISS CARTER
We have been learning about the Pentecost in Religion and discovering the importance of the Holy Spirit. In Math we have been diving into decimals and reading analog and digital clocks to understand time. In English, we have hit halfway in our class novel and still thoroughly enjoying it!
YEAR 5/6 with MISS WALKER
In HASS, we’ve been exploring communities, rules, and laws to understand how the government works. A highlight of our learning has been welcoming Miss Maryanne and Tom King, who shared their experiences and explained how they contribute to our local community. Their insights have helped us see firsthand the important roles people play in keeping our community strong!
Year 6 Camp Fundraising Bake Sale
We’re excited to announce our upcoming Year 6 Bake Sale at the Cunnamulla Junior Rugby League home game on Saturday, June 7th at John Kerr Park from 8:30am to 1:30pm. Come along and enjoy a great day out watching some local footy while supporting our Year 6 students. A variety of cupcakes, cakes, baked sweets, and raffle tickets will be available for purchase (cash only).
Parent donations of sweet and savoury baked goods will be greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at Sacred Heart Primary School on Friday, June 6th, or at John Kerr Park at 8:00am on Saturday, June 7th. We kindly ask that all donated items be pre-packaged and ready for sale — for example, multiple slices in a zip-lock bag or two cupcakes packaged together in a container.
Cross Country
Well done to the students who ran in the Regional Cross Country Trials in Chinchilla last week. You showed great commitment in representing our region and putting in a great effort!
Chess Club Tournament
Our chess club members showcased their skill, strategy, and determination in a brilliant display of chess mastery during the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Interschool Chess Tournament on Thursday. Over 140 students battled it out in a tournament of tactics and brainpower, some in person in Toowoomba, others (including us) logging in online.
Winners will be awarded prizes for their outstanding efforts during assembly on Friday -
First place: Dallas Ramsay; Second place: Clive Cullen; Year 6 prize: Heath Allan; Year 3 prize: Xavier Cluett
Extra Curricular Activities
Our extra-curricular activities are underway and already proving popular!
- Monday – Chess Club – 3-4pm Library (Years 4-6 welcome)
- Tuesday – Instrumental Music Lessons Online
- Wednesday - Run Club - 7.30am (Years 2-6 welcome)
- Thursday – Choir Practice – 8am Year 1 Classroom (All welcome)
Class Awards
The following students have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the Habits of the Heart and Mind. They will be presented with their certificates at assembly this Friday morning.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to the following students who recently celebrated their birthdays or have a birthday coming up soon!
Isabella Dillon - 19th May
Harry O'Sullivan - 26th May
Lucy Schmidt - 27th May
Emmett McAuley-McKellar - 29th May
Monty Cullen - 1st June
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.
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.
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.
It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at Sacred Heart Primary School student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.
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:
Embed Link - https://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/parents-and-community/student-protection/
Our Schools Student Protection Contacts are:
- Mrs Carolyn Crick (Administration Officer)
- Mr Jesse Kupper (School Guidance Counsellor)
- Mrs Cara Haig (Principal)
What's On
With so much happening at the school, we have multiple ways to keep you updated on upcoming events and important dates.
Our newsletters are now available on the SZapp app. Please install it to stay informed! A revised version of the newsletter will be sent home with students every week.
We also post regularly on Facebook and share information for the coming week every Sunday.
Tuckshop
Tuckshop is open on Fridays.
You can order and pay for lunches via the Flexischools app anytime before 8.45am on Friday morning.
Simply download the Flexischools app from the Apple or Google store and follow the prompts to create an account. Once set up, click “Order Food” to place your order and pay.
Upcoming Events
