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Prayer
Tonight, we give thanks to God for all who have brought us to this moment- out parents, families, teachers, and friends. Their support has been a light for us on this journey.
Over the last six years, we learned lessons of love, faith, and Mercy. These lessons have lit in our hearts – a light that shines in times of joy and in times of challenge.
The light reminds us, in the words of Catherine McAuley, to be “shining lamps, giving light to all around you.”
This week’s prayer is taken directly from last night’s Valedictory Mass for Sacred Heart College’s Class of 2025. This fantastic group of young women and men complete their time in secondary education today before moving into VCAA exams, holidays or the world of work. They are a remarkable group having started Year 7 in 2020 but then having their world turning upside down seven weeks into the year as Covid lockdowns commenced. I saw their resilience and agility first-hand as 7A’s Science teacher.
This morning following their Valedictory Mass and final whole school assembly yesterday, students departed Sacred Heart College symbolically for the final time through the College Chapel’s ‘Red Doors’ and with the applause of our Year 7 students gathered as a guard of honour.
On behalf of the Sacred Heart College community – students, staff and families – I wish each of the Class of 2025 the very best for coming months and for all that life holds for you.
2026 Parent Purchase of Laptops
Last week, all 2026 Year 10 families as well as prospective Year 7 2026 families should have received correspondence from the College on arrangements for the purchase of student devices for 2026. The correspondence included details on the devices themselves, access to the purchase portal as well as applications for families looking for support with this purchase.
Links to this correspondence can be found below.
College Tuition Fees 2026
Sacred Heart College is planning to write to all families next month confirming school fees for the 2026 school year. Although I am unable to specify the actual increases expected for 2026, we anticipate that this increase will be higher than recent years. Employers and Catholic school staff across Victoria are currently involved in a process to confirm the next industrial agreement for our school system. All Victorian Catholic school employers (including Mercy Education) will be subject to the results of this negotiation.
Although a timeline for the process is not confirmed, it is expected that teachers and Catholic school staff more generally will receive significant salary increases. This reflects the relatively modest increases in the last industrial agreement.
Although I am fully supportive of teachers and school staff receiving a deserved salary increase, these increases will need to be mostly funded through increases in school fees. Similar increases are expected across all Victorian Catholic schools over the next twelve months.
Junior School Showcase
All parents and members of the Sacred Heart College community are reminded that the 2025 Junior School Showcase is on Thursday 30 October from 4.00 – 7.30pm. The Showcase is always a wonderful night that celebrates the creativity, determination and hard work of students. Similar to recent years, the Showcase has three components:
- Year 9 Expo projects
- Year 8 Make A Difference (MAD) projects
- Year 7 Learning Journey projects
I encourage as many family and community members to attend and applaud the work that will be on show.
Yours in Mercy,
Dr Darren Egberts
Principal
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2025
Our Year 12 Class of 2025 are congratulated on the completion of their classes. Many will now turn their minds to preparing for the upcoming external examinations, while others are moving towards apprenticeships, full time work and other adventures beyond the school gates. In all cases, we hope they look back with pride over their achievements throughout Year 12, and their journey throughout their time at Sacred Heart. This spirit of pride was on great display at our Year 12 Celebration Assembly this week. This assembly was a special time for the community to reflect on how our graduating class has shaped the school over their time from Year 7 onwards, and to present some very special awards to those who have held themselves as significant role models in their final year. We were particularly grateful to have Cathie and Brent McCulloch join us to present the Ethan McCulloch Courage and Resilience Award, which has a special place in our community. With joy, we share these awards and their recipients below:
Unit 3/4 External Exams
All students preparing for their Unit 3/4 External Exams are encouraged to use their preparation time well. Fo Year 12 students, keeping a regular study schedule that matches with their school timetable is advised. For Year 11 students enrolled in 3/4 classes, ensuring that they make time in their weekly planning for exam revision is important. In all cases, maintaining contact with their classroom teacher, completing regular practice exam questions, and using the revision materials provided will all be important steps towards feeling confident and well prepared for the exams. We wish all of our VCE students well for this final stage in their studies.
Clothed in Mercy, Shining Lamps for the World
On Thursday evening our College community gathered in prayerful celebration for the Year 12 Valedictory Mass.
The Mass began with a prayerful reflection from our College Captains, Lucie and Astrid, who spoke about where they have witnessed the Mercy Values alive within our community.
As each value was named — compassion, justice, respect, service, hospitality, and courage — a lantern candle was carried forward by one of our Year 12 students, symbolising the light of Mercy that has guided their journey.
The readings offered a powerful call to live as people of faith and light. From St Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, we heard the invitation to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” The Gospel proclaimed Jesus’ words: “You are the light of the world… no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel.”
In his homily, Fr John reflected that while our Year 12s will soon take off their school blazers for the final time, they remain clothed in Mercy and the spirit of the Sacred Heart — garments that cannot fade or fray.
He also shared a reading from Maybe by Kobi Yamada, reminding students that “You are the only you there has ever been or ever will be. You have so much to offer and so much still to give. Maybe you are here to shine your light into places it’s needed most.”
As part of the Mass, each Year 12 student received a candle — just as they did at their Year 7 Commissioning Mass — a beautiful symbol of light that bookends their Sacred Heart journey, from first beginnings to final blessings.
We express our heartfelt thanks to Fr Declan for celebrating the Eucharist, and to Fr John and Fr Wahid for concelebrating. We are truly blessed to have such prayerful and generous chaplains accompanying our community with faith, wisdom, and warmth.
The following morning, students gathered once more for their final homeroom prayer in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart — the spiritual heart of our College. There, they were blessed with the words “Go now, through the Red Doors of Mercy, with hearts open, hands ready, and spirits alive with hope… and may the God of Mercy walk beside you always.”
As they stepped into the sunlight, our year 12s were greeted by a guard of honour formed by our Year 7 students — an image of the Mercy journey continuing from one generation to the next.
We wish our Year 12 students every blessing as they complete their final weeks and step into the future, guided always by the light of Mercy and the love of God.
At Sacred Heart College, we value the partnerships formed between families, the College and Community. Our intention is to support parents/carers/guardians while raising awareness of the benefits of engaging in their child’s education. Studies have shown that a family’s engagement has a direct, positive impact on a child’s learning success.
We invite all parents in the Community to our approaching Parent Engagement event, the final for 2025. Guest speaker Sonya Karras of Whole New World will provide information on Safe Partying – further details provided in the advert below.
This is a free event, but bookings are essential.
Over the past couple of weeks, our VCE VM Personal Development Skills classes have been helping out at Social Foundry in Kyneton with a community garden project. We built planter boxes and prepared the garden so it is ready to be planted. It was a good opportunity for the students to get involved in their local community and to see firsthand how the ideas we have been learning about in Unit 2, community and community engagement, work in practice.
What’s been happening in Senior Japanese?
Year 10 Japanese students have been busy over the past few weeks. At the end of Term 3, students travelling to Japan on the upcoming study tour had a video call with our sister School, Ibaraki Nishi High School in Osaka. We were able to meet our hosts by introducing ourselves in both Japanese and English.
To conclude our unit on 'Directions', students engaged in a scavenger hunt through Kyneton township. Each group was given a different set of instructions in Japanese, where they had to fill in the gaps with varying words of location or different destinations, such as 'post office'. At some locations, students were required to take a group selfie photo to prove that they made it to the correct destination. You will be pleased to hear that everyone found themselves at the final destination, back at school. This activity has set the students up well for travelling around Japan in November.
Year 12 students had their final Oral Exam on the first day of Term 4! What a relief. They are now concluding their final days of their 6 years of Japanese and are to be highly commended for their dedication to their Japanese studies. We wish them all the best for their future studies.
Please enjoy the photos from the Online Exchange and Kyneton Scavenger Hunt.
Congratulations to the students studying performance subjects at Sacred Heart College.
These first two weeks of term have seen students studying VCE Music, VET Dance and VCE Drama completing performance exams in Melbourne and Bendigo. Students perform a program of work for examiners from the VCAA and their performance exam mark is a significant portion of their final study score.
Congratulations again to the VCE music class who performed at the VCE Recital Evening last term and to Hazel, Dylan, Tom and Sam, who performed at a lunchtime 'pop-up' concert last week, with selections from their Dance, Drama and Music concerts.
In other news, VCE Art and Visual Communication and Design students are preparing for their annual VCE Exhibition which is on next Friday 24 October at Sacred Heart in the Buckley Arts Centre. The official opening begins at 5:00pm and all are welcome, so come along to see some fantastic Art and VisComm work.
In Junior news, Year 7 & 8 Visual Communication students are hard at work and have just finished their Monogram bags, and are designing their logos for their caps.
Public Speaking and Debating Week 2025
This week we have been celebrating our first Public Speaking and Debating Week at the College. A range of fun and educational activities were held over lunchtime hosted by our Junior and Senior Captains – Matilda Matthews and Sophie Dunn. The highlight of the event was the staff vs student debate on the topic: “That Australia should implement a four-day school week”. It was a lot of fun with the students winning by one point. Thank you to Ms Lawrence, Mr Melaisis and Mr Gallager for providing a very entertaining debate. Well done Levi Gordon, Charleigh Ager and Matilda Matthews for their compelling arguments.
Junior Debating Competition
Our second round of DAV junior debating competition took place last week. Our three junior teams competed against Manor Lakes College, Lauriston Girls School and Mater Christi College on the topic: “That 50% of school assessments should be non-written and non-typed assessments (eg. videos, sports)”. The standard of debating was very high with our students winning two out of three debates. Our junior teams debating skills are continually improving and they should be very proud of their achievements to date.
Intermediate Basketball - Sam Haslett and Ben Rankin, Coaches
Thursday 16 October, the Intermediate boys Basketball Team went to compete in the Regional Basketball Tournament. The boys put on a impressive display of skill and teamwork. They played three superb games, wining two and losing one. Some highlights were Archer's strong presence inside the paint and Tighe’s incredible scoring ability.
The boys started slow but ended their day with two solid wins, finishing second in their pool. The boys worked together and played like a true team. As coaches, Ben and I couldn’t be happier with the boy’s performance.
At the College we love to hear about our students doing well, outside of the classroom. Please email newsletter@shckyneton.catholic.edu.au if you would like to let us know about your child's achievements.
Austin Wigginton (Year 7)
On Saturday 20 September 2025, Kyneton U12B Mixed Soccer Team won the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League and Championship, winning the grand final 3 – 0. The team played in Epsom against Strathdale Wanderers. The team’s success in the grand final followed an undefeated season across 17 matches, scoring over 100 goals and conceding only 13.
Austin Wigginton (Year 7) played an important role throughout the season in the central defensive midfield position and also captained the side in the later part of the campaign. Wonderful effort Austin, well done!
Photo - Austin Wigginton (Year 7) holding both the League and Championship cup after an undefeated season for Kyneton U12B Soccer Team in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League.
Minty Taylor (Year 10)
Congratulations to Minty Taylor on winning the Rising Star award for Woodend Hesket Football Netball Club in the Senior Division. This award is very special as Minty is only 16 years old, and now playing in the seniors club this year.
Minty also won the Runner-Up Best and Fairest for the 19 and Under team.
Well done Minty, look forward to your progress next year!
Matilda Matthews (Year 9) and Mary Galle (Year 7)
Matilda and Mary were part of the Grand Final-winning U14 Gisborne Girls Soccer Championship. They played Bentleigh Greens at 'The Home of the Matildas' on Sunday 21 September. It was 2-2 at full time after an equalising goal from Gisborne with 14 seconds to go. The game went into extra time with no score from either team so penalties became the decider. Gisborne came away champions after winning on penalties 4-2.
Tilly played a solid game in midfield and as goalie in the second half, with Mary also playing well in the midfield and making two amazing saves as goal keeper during penalties.
A fantastic effort to both girls and their Gisborne team mates.
Go Girls Sport!
Matthew Skewes (Year 8)
A huge congratulations to Matthew Skewes as this week local MP, Lisa Chester, presented him with a certificate recognising him as a Local Sports Hero - Swimming.
Matthew received a funding grant helping him to cover the costs of the national competitions that he has attended.
Early Reading Book List for Unit 3/4 Subjects
Students studying Unit 3/4 Literature 2026 can order a copy of the novel, The World’s Wife’ via the Early English book list. Orders need to be completed by Thursday 30 October, and the books will be delivered to the school by Campion on Thursday 20 November 2025.
