Dear Families

Last Sunday, our church community celebrated Pentecost—the feast that marks the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, filling them with courage, unity, and faith. Often referred to as the birthday of the Church, Pentecost is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit remains active in the world today. At Sacred Heart, this sacred moment is honoured through reflection, prayer, attending Mass, and remaining open to the Spirit’s guidance in daily life.

Staff and students have embraced this spirit beautifully within the school environment. In recent weeks, students have consistently demonstrated kindness, good manners, and warm greetings, fostering a respectful and caring culture. These actions have not gone unnoticed—new families visiting during kindergarten interviews have remarked on the welcoming atmosphere. These simple, consistent behaviours are deeply appreciated and form the foundation of a welcoming, caring community.

We acknowledge the role that parents and carers play in shaping their children and the importance of building the foundations as a child’s first teacher.  Staff continue to work together to nurture and support students as they develop and flourish as individuals.

Values come to life in the small, daily actions that shape the culture of Sacred Heart: holding doors open, speaking kindly, listening attentively, and including others in our community. These are the moments that form the heart of this place and space. Take some time to thank a student or staff member when you see our Sacred Heart Values in action.

Over the last few weeks, students have been participating in a Water Awareness Program designed to equip them with essential knowledge and confidence. Through engaging and age-appropriate activities, students are learning to:

• Identify safe and unsafe water environments
• Practice basic rescue skills
• Float, tread water, and safely enter and exit the water

This program is not about developing competitive swimmers but about providing opportunities so that children have the foundational skills to stay safe. Students have shown great enthusiasm and curiosity during these lessons.

In a school surrounded by waterways, beaches, pools, and dams, the importance of water safety cannot be overstated. Being safe and confident around water is not just a recreational skill—it’s a life skill.

The school community is especially grateful to the swimming instructors for their patience, encouragement, and support. 

As the colder weather sets in, families are reminded to ensure children bring warmer jumpers and jackets to school, and to check that all items are clearly labelled. I hope you all enjoy some of the crisp winter days over the next few weeks.

Yours in partnership
Charlene Best
Principal

Mid-Year Reports and Parent Teacher Conversations

Mid-Year Reports and the Kindergarten Development Check (KDC) will be shared on COMPASS via your child’s report tab on Friday, June 27th. 

Starting this term, student reports will be presented in a new format. The ‘General Comment’ has been replaced by a set of ‘Application and Attitude to Learning’ statements and a pastoral comment. These statements describe whether your child is meeting or not meeting expected standards in their work habits and behaviours. This change has been implemented by Catholic Education Tasmania (CET).

Mid-Year Reports provide a summative assessment of your child’s learning. In addition to this report, further information about your child’s progress will be presented during our Parent-Teacher Conversations. These conversations offer a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s learning and wellbeing in greater depth. 

Parent-Teacher Conversations will be held on Thursday, July 3rd. Bookings for these meetings will open on Friday, June 27th, and close on Tuesday, July 1st.

We look forward to welcoming our parents and carers to Parent-Teacher Conversations.

Welcome to School Experience Students

SHU welcomes two School Experience students, Campbell and Jemma. Campbell will be working in Prep/1 Possums, and Jemma will be working across our two Kinder classes. We wish them well for their professional experience placements. 

As part of our PBS and celebrating success, staff look to catch our students actioning our school values of being Compassionate - Honest - Inclusive - Grateful - Sustainable.

Congratulations to our Heart Reward recipients:-

• Henry S, Nell W, Hunter H, Evelyn H, James B, Jayce G, Quinn S, Isla R, Tullavar F

As a reward for their kind gestures, these students enjoyed an afternoon surprise with Mrs Herrmann and Ms Richards.

Playing in the Playground After School:

Please, parents, ensure you supervise your children after school hours while on the school grounds. It is important that we continue to work together to ensure that our expectations for behaviour align with our PBS Matrix and that we model appropriate adult behaviour. 

Medical Condition Updates:

If students have updated Medical conditions could parents please notify the school office by sending an email to shu@catholic.tas.edu.au stating 'Update regarding students Medical Condition' as its imperative that the school is aware of a medical condition that your child may have.

End of Day collection changes:

Please advise the office by phone or by emailing by 2.15pm of any change to pick up arrangements for your child . Thank you for your support.

Please see the updated policies from Catholic Education Tasmania Guidelines and Policies via this link.