I sit here surrounded by 50 balloons, 50 hand-drawn smiles and flowers, 50 happy birthday stickers and hearts and 50 words to describe me, not to mention the 50 paper aeroplanes that have just flown in.  It is wonderful to celebrate achievements and the journey to arrive at big milestones. The school certainly made me feel very special today. Thank you everyone.

Our school is 50 years old next year. I met with the anniversary committee this week to further the planning for these celebrations. 50 years is time for all types of journeys. Some we enjoy and some that challenge us. Some leave great memories and others tough scars. It is how we gracefully, humbly and collaboratively face these moments, which gives us the hope and skills to continue. A school's journey is the same. We are looking forward to celebrating that journey in 2020.

The initial data from the MySchool Survey, the BeYou surveys and 2019 NAPLAN are out this week. As a school, we will analyse these results and communicate these over the coming months. There is much to celebrate as we view the data reflecting the results of deliberate and strategic actions taken by the current leadership team, and staff generally, over the past 3 years. There are areas for improvement, and we thank the members of our community who respond to the avenues for feedback, which will guide our school as we move into our next 50 years.

Fathers Day

We look forward to celebrating Father’s Day in the morning with all the special men in our lives.

Tournament of the Minds

We wish our team of seven students all the best as they represent Sacred Heart in the annual TOMs competition this Sunday. Thinking caps on!

Creative-Play Shed

We installed a shed below the sandpit earlier this term. Through an initiative with the Green-Shed, recycling schools are able to access certain items free of charge. We have used these, among other ideas, to provide a range of interesting creative play options.

If you have items you think might add to the range, please talk to Kerry about it. Currently I am thinking that some off-cuts of solid plastic piping (no longer than one metre lengths) for car tunnels and sand funnels would be good fun. Hessian or rope are great too.

Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures 

It is that time of the year to remind all parents and carers who do the after school pick–up of our procedures. These directives are for the wellbeing of all our students and ensure that students are supervised by a teacher on duty at all times.

Pick up: Parking is available in the main school carpark, below the bus bay on Murphy St or in adjacent streets. Please do not use the church carpark.

We ask that all parents and carers do not enter the building to wait beside individual classrooms. Instead, please wait at these nominated locations and ask your child to come to you:

• Kinder Courtyard. Teacher on duty.
• Maker Space inside the building between canteen and library. All parents and carers must only enter the building via the front door. No teacher on duty
• Outside Stage 3 Corridor exit door. No teacher on duty
• Near the main hall doors. Children exit via the Stage 3 Corridor door. Teacher nearby at Drive-Though
• If parents and carers need to visit the classroom to see the teacher or to pick up items, please make your way around, once the majority of students have cleared the corridor.
• Please teach your child to see the teacher on duty (Kinder Courtyard and Drive-Through) or the front office staff (Maker Space, Stage 3 door) if ever they cannot find the person who is picking them up.
• No child should be walking up to the church carpark.

Drive-Through: Cars come down Hodgson Cres, turn left into school driveway, queuing around the top near the hall.  Teacher(s) on duty will direct you to pick-up or waiting bays and send your children to you. Cars must then exit the carpark and turn left onto Hodgson Cres, being careful at the pedestrian crossing. Children going to Drive-Through, exit via the Stage 3 Corridor door and wait quietly on the yellow cross near the lower hall doors with the teacher on duty.

Bus: Limited buses arrive at Hodgson St. Children wait with the teacher on duty in the Kinder courtyard, walking up with the walkers.

YMCA ASC: Children exit via the Stage 3 Corridor door and enter the back hall doors to greet YMCA staff. Kinder and Yr 1 children will be met by YMCA staff at their classroom as arranged.

Walk/ride: Children can walk or ride to cross streets with a teacher on duty. Beasley St and Hodgon Cres (meet at canteen) or, Murphy St and Hodgson Cres (meet in Kinder Courtyard)

Teachers are on duty until 3.30pm at Drive-Through and in the Kinder Courtyard. Children not picked up in these areas by these times will be taken to the Front Office and a phone call made.

We would also like to remind all Parents and Carers that students need to stay by your side once they have been collected by you and remain in your duty of care. In no instance should a student be playing on any school equipment while the teacher is on duty.

Yours Faithfully,