The simple prayer today is taken from Caritas Australia’s Ash Wednesday liturgy for 2024. Next Wednesday 14 February marks the commencement of Lent in the Catholic Church’s liturgical year. This important season challenges all faithful Christians to journey through the 40 days up until Easter observing three practices: Prayer, Abstinence and Almsgiving. In our contemporary world, each of these is counter-cultural and challenges the prevailing culture of self-interest and consumerism. Sacred Heart College will mark Ash Wednesday on Tuesday next week given the school’s Swimming Carnival is to be held on the Wednesday.

A warm welcome to the 2024 school year for all members of the Sacred Heart College community and a special one to all our new families. Last Friday, the College welcomed 180 new students at Year 7 as well as twelve new students across Years 8 – 12. These additional students brought the school’s enrolment to 851 which is the highest in my principalship.

First Week Activities for Year 7

This year, the College has introduced a longer and more comprehensive Transition program for our Year 7 students as they make the fundamental move from primary to secondary school education. The program includes activities focused on developing homeroom spirit, promoting new friendships as well as getting to know the geography and procedures of the school. The program culminates with a visit to the Kyneton Botanic Gardens on Thursday and the Splash Aquatic Centre in Craigieburn today.  Scroll down to see the great photos from this week.

Last Monday, the College welcomed a number of new and returning staff:

We also welcome back Liz Sullivan to the Arts teaching team after twelve-months leave.

Holiday Works

Notwithstanding periods of stormy weather, the Christmas/New Year period saw significant improvement works across our beautiful Sacred Heart College buildings and grounds. These included:

• Replanting of the formal garden that sits in front of the College’s heritage Gabriel Sherlock building. The garden beds have been bordered with bluestone and the aging rose-beds removed and will be replaced with a corridor of magnolias.
• The Gabriel Sherlock building itself has been refurbished with all exterior paintwork redone. This was substantial project given the height and complexity of the original building.
• The Staff Dining Room has been refurbished opening up the space and replacing the existing tables and chairs with clean and contemporary furnishings.
  

Sacred Heart College Camps Program

Earlier this week, I emailed all parents, guardians and carers a letter detailing changes to the College’s camps program. Broadly, these changes will transition the school to a camps program focused at Years 7 – 9 and retreats/reflection days at Years 10 – 12. The changes will occur over the next three years from 2024 – 2026.

A copy of the letter can be accessed here.

2024 College Handbook

The College Handbook is available to download in this edition of the Newsletter. It includes a comprehensive guide to many important aspects of Sacred Heart College.  These include:
·      History and Governance
·      Structure of the school day
·      Liturgies and social justice
·      Student Wellbeing and Support
·      Student Learning
·      Communication – PAM, notifications, etc
·      General Information

This document is also available at anytime on PAM  - under Documentation for Families, and on the College Website under Enrol with Us.

Parent Involvement – College Advisory Council and College Finance Committee

Two important groups that support the operations of Sacred Heart College are the College Advisory Council and the College Finance Committee. I am looking for additional members for each committee with the departure of some longstanding members. A summary of the responsibilities of each group (as detailed by Mercy Education) is included below:

• The College Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where parent voice and community perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the principal where students’ wellbeing and outcomes are paramount.
• The Finance Committee is responsible for the oversight of and summary reporting to College Advisory Council of the following aspects of school finances: financial performance of the College; policy matters relating to finance or capital works; recommendations on the annual budget.

I would welcome expressions of interest for either group from interested parents with appointments at the discretion of the Principal. Membership of each group is normally for two year cycles with two or three cycles preferred. Interested parents are invited to email the Principal’s Assistant, Loretta Hanns (lhanns@shckyneton.catholic.edu.au).

College Tours

College tours provide an excellent opportunity for prospective as well as current families to be shown around the school and see Sacred Heart College in action. Our College Tours run every few weeks and can be booked via the College website (www.shckyneton.catholic.edu.au) under the Enrolment tab. Tours are led by Sacred Heart College students and the College Principal and take around 90 minutes.

The first tour is scheduled for Tuesday 20 February at 9.15am.

Bereavements - Your prayers are asked for the Ojansuu family who are mourning the passing of Annikki Ojansuu, grandmother of Oliver Year 10. Our thoughts are with your family at this sad time.

Yours in Mercy,

Dr Darren Egberts

Principal