Dear Sacred Heart Community,

Week 4 already!! We are heading into a busy time at our school, with important reminders, upcoming events, and opportunities to connect and support our community. Here's what you need to know this week:

Enrolment Reminder – Final Deadline Approaching

Enrolments for 2026 close next Friday, May 30, for Sacred Heart School as well as our Archdiocesan High Schools in Canberra, MacKillop College, St Clare’s College, and Merici College. If you are a Year 6 parent, this deadline is very important! In previous years, we’ve seen families who missed out due to late applications, leading to disappointment. Don’t let this happen to you, please ensure your child’s enrolment is completed by the cut-off date.

Our Kindergarten enrolments for 2026 are growing, and we encourage our families to spread the word about Sacred Heart. If you know friends or families considering Sacred Heart, please let them know. I will be commencing enrolment interviews next week.

Our final Open Day, where we welcome prospective families and showcase everything Sacred Heart offers, runs from 3:15 to 6:00 p.m. tonight. I have some very keen Year 6 leaders ready to welcome our new families this evening.

School Disco

Our school disco is next Friday, May 30, from 6:00 to 7:15 pm in the School Hall!

Hosting events like this comes with great responsibility. We must follow Catholic Education’s new ‘School Events & Activities Policy’ to ensure the safety and well-being of all students. This means staff (not parents) must supervise discos, and they can only happen when staff generously volunteer their time.

I am incredibly grateful to the 14 staff members who have stepped up to make this night possible on a long weekend! Their dedication ensures our students get to enjoy a fun, safe, and memorable evening.

Please see COMPASS for permissions and details, and let’s make it a fantastic night!

Parent Trivia Night – Friday, June 14

The Sacred Heart Parent Trivia Night is fast approaching! Tables are filling quickly, so gather your team and secure your spot for this fun, community-driven event.

Entry is by gold coin donation, and we encourage everyone to bring cash for raffles and prizes. Money raised will go towards the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, which I will proudly participate in.

This should be a fantastic night of friendly competition and laughter, and we’d love to see you there! Bring your own nibbles and drinks!

Student Technology Use

We have been noticing an increase in students contacting parents during school hours using devices such as iPads and smartwatches. This causes issues- only last week, a child messaged home to say they were unwell, and the parent walked through the door to collect, and we knew nothing.

We ask that smartwatches not be brought to school to maintain a focused and respectful learning environment. If students do bring them, cellular capabilities must be turned off.

Thank you for your continued cooperation, and if you have any questions, please reach out.

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

Principal

Uniform Reminders

While many children are wearing their winter uniform correctly, it showed during photos yesterday that we have a little work still to do. Two areas that need addressing are navy pants and school shoes. We ask for your support in maintaining our school standards in regards to appearance. Please refer to our Uniform Policy on our website for full details .

Navy pants/trousers. Students are to wear our formal ‘winter uniform’ on 3 days and our ‘sports uniform’ on the 2 nominated class sport days. Our formal winter uniform calls for long navy trousers, with the option of the dress tunic. Formal trousers are made from structured, polished fabrics like wool or polyester blends and are designed to look more dressy. 

Trackpants, which are worn with our sports uniform, on the other hand, are made from soft, stretchy materials like cotton or polyester knits, designed for comfort and casual or athletic wear. Leggings are not part of our uniform. Leggings are defined as more tight-fitting, stretchy pants typically made from materials like spandex, nylon, or cotton blends.

Tournament of the Minds (TOMs)

Sacred Heart offers students in Years 4-6 (and sometimes Year 3) an opportunity to join a team of 7 students to enter the TOMs competition. We are currently seeking expressions of interest from families to help us gauge the level of interest in taking part again this year.

The school will cover the cost of entry into the Canberra regional level of the competition. However, families should be aware that if the team wins at the Canberra level, they will be required to compete in the International Final. Participation at this level is a significant commitment, and in the past, the cost has been more than $1,500 per student.

If your child is interested, and has your support, we would like to hear from you. Please email Jo Filardo by May 29th, including your child’s name and class in your email. If Jo and I receive enough replies we will move forward with our entry this year. Think! Club on Thursday lunchtimes is one way to help students to build skills for the the TOMs competition.

The competition involves :

• 6 weeks of challenge preparing, culminating in the Regional Finals finals at ANU (Weekend in late August)
• Winners progress to the Branch Finals at ANU (Weekend in mid September)
• Winners join the ACT Team for the International Final. (In 2025 this will be in NSW - TBA)

Colour Run Save the Date

Our major fundraising event for 2025 will be an old favourite! We are holding a Colour Run on Thursday 25th September. Details to follow.

Yours in working together

Kerry Wode

Compass Notifications

Please refer to Compass for the following notifications:

• Headlice

ACT Emergency Services Agency