Sacred Heart – Nurturing Hearts, Minds and Spirits in 2020

Bushfires, hail and COVID-19 have disrupted many aspects of our ‘normal’ home, school, work, and community relationships, expectations, and routines. For the children in our care, this disruption has had effects we might have predicted, but there have been just as many unexpected.

We would like to share with you some of the ways we are supporting your children to adjust to the ‘new normal’, to be resilient, and most importantly to remain hopeful when managing wellbeing during these times.

We have been guided in our efforts by the wealth of experience found in our school staff, including our CatholicCare Counsellor Kate Dean and our Student Welfare Officer Tash Barrenger; and by great resources from Parenting Ideas and PBIS – Positive Behavioural Interventions & Support  ‘Returning to School During and After Crisis’ 2020 (naming just two!)

Sacred Heart Staff are deliberately (re)arranging teaching and learning environments so:-

(a) all students experience vibrant, positive, and constructive adult and peer relationships.

(b) students who are at risk of academic, social, emotional, and/or behavioural difficulties proactively receive increased and targeted support.

(c) students with disabilities or other significant academic, social, cultural, language, emotional, and/or behavioural challenges receive intensive and individualised support to promote positive and equitable outcomes for all students.

To create a positive, predictable, supportive and safe learning environment, in many instances we have needed to implement strategies to re-establish relationships and routines similar to the beginning of a year. We have focused on necessary academics and built student relationship skills. This graphic from PBIS neatly labels many of our structures.

Connect

What we are seeing

• We have had to reconnect students to relationships.
• Many normal pathways to building new friendships in a new class/grade group did not happen.
• Siblings are relying more on each other.
• Students have not formed friendships in their new class.
• New students were feeling unsure.
• Some children were experiencing separation anxiety from parents/carers.

How are we responding

• Teachers greeting students by name and with a smile each day.
• Restarted peer support.
• Implementing guided play sessions.
• Teaching games for students to use indoors and on the playground.
• Emphasis on collaborative learning activities.
• Assigning class buddies to new students.
• Child walks with the teacher on morning duty, until a friend arrives.
• Stage groups completing some lessons as a class group to stay connected with existing friends. Eg: Yr 3 and Yr 4 maths; Yr 6 peer support training.

Support

What we are seeing

• Students are afraid of making mistakes.
• Students lack of engagement in learning.
• Students are worried about making new friends.
• Students are using physical responses to solve problems with peers.
• Behaviours and social interactions in Term 3, we normally witness early in Term 1.

How are we responding

• Teachers re-established a safe environment in each classroom with class rules and inviting themes.
• Quickly established predictable routines and positive expectations.
• Re-taught playground and school rules, enforcing them gently and consistently.
• Renewed focus on our Learning Assets so we can talk about how we learn.
• Teachers giving prompt and supportive feedback.
• STEM enrichment sessions to engage and extend learning.
• Return of choir, ukulele, garden and lego club, and TOMs.
• Book Buddies are about to start.

Screen

What we are seeing

• We are identifying students who need extra support with social skills, academic gaps, fitness, health and wellbeing.

How are we responding

• Mrs B (our Student Welfare Officer) is working with a greater range of students in small groups.
• Staff have revisited training in noticing signs of anxiety and stress; and how to support or seek further assistance for children exhibiting these signs.
• Teachers are contacting parents, even with the little concerns.
• Fitness programs are being implemented.
• Encouraging external specialist teachers, providers and tutors to resume services.
• Engaging with the CECG Student and Family Services team to support staff and parents in identifying particular needs.

Teach

What we are seeing

• Access to learning during our remote time was varied.
• Students are relying on existing peer and friendship groups because they are known and safe. This is excluding some classmates.
• Essential routines and expectations for managing self and others have been lost.
• Over exuberance at having ‘re-found’ freedoms.

How are we responding

• Teachers focused on and reported on, the core subjects to ensure key learning needs were quickly addressed.
• Individualised assessment in reading, writing and maths.
• Adjusted Learning Support timetable.
• Goal setting and personalised planning meetings with parents to support students with identified needs.
• Explicit modelling of play strategies.
• Teaching of social emotional wellbeing and relationship skills through ‘Highway Heroes’ and ‘Rock and Water’ programs.
• Setting high expectations for a return to normal learning habits and behavioural manners.

MONITOR

What we are seeing

• Some students were well connected during remote learning time to schoolwork, social networks and classmates. Others had very few opportunities to stay connected.
• Some students are finding it difficult to readjust to school routines and expectations.
• Being prepared for a return to Remote Learning.

How are we responding

• Monitoring over time, and supporting as necessary, the students who are starting to show signs of anxiety or isolation.
• Adjusting routines and support strategies to gently re-engage students into learning and behaviour expectations.
• Meetings with parents and carers.
• Protective behaviours and bystander behaviours session planned for each class.
• Survey and individual discussions with families about their experiences of and ideas for if we return to remote learning.
• Teachers using online tools within the classroom to keep students familiar with the online platforms.

If you are worried about how your child is coping at this point in time, please connect with our community.

1. Speak to your child’s teacher. A quick email, note or ZOOM answers so many questions and brings a team approach to the issue.
2. Share your concerns with other parents. Networking is always great. Our Class Parent Reps could be a great way to connect with other parents.
3. Read some tips. Many great ideas are linked on the bottom of our COVID-19 page, or on the Wellbeing page, on our school website.
4. Ask about counselling services or some activities with Mrs Barrenger.
5. On the ‘For Parents’ page on our website, there are a number of flow-charts to guide you in seeking support for many different wonderings about Sacred Heart. Visit https://sacredhps.act.edu.au/for-parents
6. Talk to the Leadership Team. Your insight might help more than just your child.

The Leadership Team at Sacred Heart -

Anne Staines, Kerry Wode, Katie Imbriano and Aaron Fox

Update to our COVID-19 website page 5/8/20 Click here

Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn have updated their 'COVID-19 Information and Updates' webpage. https://cg.catholic.edu.au/covid-19-information-and-updates/. It contains all the latest advice to ACT Catholic Schools and links to necessary ACT government pages and services.

Celebrating the Anniversary of the Opening of the School

On Monday 17^th August we will celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the school’s official opening, 16^th August 1970. We are asking that the children dress with a 70’s theme on the day. Headbands, jeans, bright coloured shirts or skivvy, or for those that have the goods, do the whole 70’s look. We are trying to give the children the opportunity for fun and celebrations in these challenging times. Please feel no pressure; just do as little or as much as you can. 

Stage 3 students will be organising some Google Slides on every decade to share with the school throughout the week to visually display how life has changed.

To enhance the celebration, music from each decade will be played to replace the school bell.

The whole school will also be participating in National Science Week #Satelliteselfie. A satellite will fly over ACT and will capture an image from above. Sacred Heart will do the selfie on Monday 17^th August. It would be appreciated if all students could wear (or bring) a red/maroon jumper (sports or school jumper) to wear for the image.

• First Holy Communion                                                                    Week 3 Monday 3rd August.                                                   Congratulations to the following students on receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist on the weekend. Leila W, Paige P, Molly F, Amy S, Rebecca S. Congratulations also to Olivia G who made her First Holy Communion in June.

• Winter Walk to School Week - All Week 4

  Next week is Winter Walk to School and we are encouraging all students as well as parents and carers to get as involved as they can. This national initiative is led by the Physical Activity Foundation and partnered by many community organisations. It is a great community event that helps promote healthy lifestyles at this chilly time of the year when it can be hard to find that motivation to keep active. Each morning the teacher on duty will be writing tickets for all those walking and cycling students to go in a prize draw. On Friday we will have teachers stationed at several locations (see the map handed out to all eldest students or Click Here for details). We will be meeting from 8:20 onwards and we will start walking to school from 8:30am.

  When students arrive, there will be fresh fruit provided and some party tunes to welcome us to school. All participating students will go in the draw to win some cool prizes that afternoon.

  Can’t wait to see everyone getting involved next week!

  Mr Mitchell

• Sport’s Uniform Days

  Your child should wear their sport’s uniform on the following days:

  Kinder Tuesday and Friday
  Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) Tuesday and Thursday
  Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4) Tuesday and Thursday
  Stage 3 (Years 5 & 6) Tuesday and Thursday

• YMCA School Holiday program                                                   Holiday Care is confirmed for October school holidays! Check the YMCA website for details. The program allows you to enroll for days that your children will love.

• Book Week ( 19^th – 23^rd October) 

  Term 3 is usually when we celebrate the Children’s Book Council Awards (CBCA). Due to the pandemic, Book Week has been moved to next term. However, we will continue to share and explore the shortlisted books during library this Term.  We will celebrate Book Week during Week 2, Term 4, the 19^th-23^rd October. The theme to this year’s Book Week is Curious Creatures, Wild Minds.

Learn to be a chess champion! Coaching for students at Sacred Heart Primary School  is held on Thursdays from 11:00am to 11:45am, starting on 23 July 2020.

Learning and playing chess helps children develop their logical thinking and problem solving skills, improves their concentration and focus, while also being a great source of enjoyment. Activities include group lessons on a demonstration chess board or interactive whiteboard, puzzle solving and fun practice games.

Students earn merit awards by making checkmates, or by displaying skills and positive qualities, which all good chess players strive to develop.

If your child is interested in taking part, you can collect an enrolment form from the school office, or email enrol@sydneyacademyofchess.com.au for a copy. For all enquiries, please contact Sydney Academy of Chess on (02) 9745 1170.

Those parents who are wanting their child/children to have piano lessons, can contact the teachers directly on the following contact numbers;

• Mrs Hildegarde Mendoza Phone: 0417 580 975
• Mrs Pam Cox Phone: 0418 442 203
• Mr Craig Mewett Phone: 0409 151 887 / 6278 7382
• Mr Michael Dooley Phone: 0424987337

Congratulations to the following students celebrating their Birthday 

Shaun S, Cohen T, Lucas H, Aislinn O, Emelyn C, Matthew K, Hayden O, Mikayla R, Kamal S, Keshav S.