Newsletter 5

08 December 2023

Newsletter 5

08 December 2023

This week’s prayer is taken from the Liturgy of the Word from yesterday’s Year 7 – 9 End of Year Mass and celebrates the eternal light that the Christmas season brings anew.

As the final newsletter for 2023, this edition highlights the events and activities that have brought the school year to its close. It has been a joy to share in the unbridled optimism of our young people as they reflected on the past twelve months, and look forward to the long Christmas holiday to come. I would like to thank every member of the Sacred Heart College community – students, parents, staff, families and friends – for the support you have shown us throughout the year.

Year 7 – 9 End of Year Awards and Mass

The school year concluded with Year 7 – 9 students together with many parents, family members and friends for the presentation of our End of Year Awards. These awards included Dux and Dux Proximus for each year level, subject level awards as well as a series of special awards recognising public speaking, citizenship, music and the College core values. The full list of student recipients is included later in this newsletter.

Following the awards, students and guests gathered again in Quambi to celebrate our End of Year mass with our College Chaplains. Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this special liturgy and especially our Director of Faith and Mission, Sam Weir, for the many hours of work required.

2024 SHC Student Leaders

This newsletter also includes the 2024 student leaders who comprise the Senior School and Junior School Cabinet. Congratulations to each of these young people as well as all those who nominated for a position and were not successful. We look forward to welcoming all 2024 student leaders back to the College next week for a special leadership training day.

Year 9 Graduation

Congratulations to our Year 9 cohort who celebrated the end of the school year with a special assembly and presentation representing their graduation from Sacred Heart’s Junior School into Senior School next year. Special  thanks to Haley Galloway, Head of Junior School and those students who assisted in putting this excellent event together.

Farewell Julie Mortimer

Next Wednesday, the College will farewell Mrs Julie Mortimer after eight years at Sacred Heart College and almost forty years of teaching and leadership experience at a variety of schools across regional Victoria. Julie has been a remarkable leader at Sacred Heart College having transformed the school’s approach to Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing. She has an unconditional commitment to ensuring that Sacred Heart College provides a welcoming, safe and nurturing environment for young people and, especially, those who are vulnerable or have additional needs. On behalf of the many thousands of students, staff and families that Julie has supported personally and professionally, I thank her and wish her all the very best for her retirement.

Congratulations to Karina Wheeler

Special congratulations to Karina Wheeler, Head of the SHC Careers team who was inducted this week as a Fellow of the Australian Centre for Careers Education. Part of the nomination by Karina’s colleagues included the following:

“Karina has shown long term professional commitment to career education in Australia, including her work in building a strong car eer development culture at Sacred Heart College, delivering professional career education programs for a range of students and year levels, keeping students and parents aware of changes and updates in the workforce and tertiary opportunities, along with active involvement with local community groups”.

Staff Departures

The end of the school year also sees a number of staff finishing their time at Sacred Heart College. I would like to thank each of them for their service and commitment particularly those who have been long-standing members of the Sacred Heart College community:

Julie Mortimer   -  Retirement

Rachel Tanner   -  Catholic Regional College Sydenham

Shirley Duff   -  Retirement

Ella Unwin   -  End of Contract

Lynda McCord   -  End of Contract

A final blessing to all Sacred Heart College students, staff and families for the upcoming Christmas season and the New Year to follow. I hope the times are filled with joy, rest and good health.

Yours in Mercy,

Dr Darren Egberts

Principal

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Senior College Cabinet 2024

COLLEGE CAPTAINS

Isabella McBride
Imogen Sparrow
Stephanie Waddington

Faith Captain

Grace Hedrick

Academic Captain

Ruby Davidson

Applied Learning Captain

D’Elle Edmonds
Mackenzie Shaw

Culture Captain

Rose Sud

Mercy Justice Captain

D’Arcy Egberts

Sports Captain

Angelique Doherty
Georgia Freeman

Student Wellbeing Captain

Charli Pelham
Otis Smith

Sustainability Captain

Frida Foerster
Olive Raggatt

The Arts Captain

Dylan Bunn
Iona Kerry

Junior College Cabinet 2024

JUNIOR COLLEGE CAPTAINS

Nic Needle
Archer Cook

Faith Leader

Bronte Meyer
Lily Morrison

Academic Leader

Natalia Scuteri

Culture Leader

Stella Egberts
Oscar Pereira

Mercy Justice Leader

Macey Holmes
Danika Wozniak

Sports Leader

Chloe Bourke

Student Wellbeing Leader

Scarlett Booth
Bridget Eames

Sustainability Leader

Holly Alderton
Charlotte Anaba

The Arts Leader

Annabel Eshuys
Alexander Kelessy

House Captains for 2024

Chisholm House Captain

Matilda Worm

Chisholm House Vice Captain

Alexandra Mitchell

Chisholm Junior House Captain

Luke Cameron

Nightingale House Captains

Nikola Cox

Nightingale House Vice Captain

Keeley Whitzell

Nightingale Junior House Captain

Jai Nevin

O’Neill House Captain

Isha Kuyateh

O’Neill House Vice Captain

Teagan McKimm

O’Neill Junior House Captain

Sierra Benedict

McAuley House Captain

Bridie Sutton

McAuley House Vice Captain

Imogen Sharman

McAuley Junior House Captain

Simone Durrant

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SHC Office Hours over the Term Break

Tuesday 2 April 8:30am to 4:00pm

Friday 12 April 8:30am to 4:00pm

Any queries outside these hours please ring 5421 1200 and leave a message.


Last day for Uniform Shop  - Term 1 2024

Tuesday 26 March 2024

(Uniform Shop will be closed on Thursday 28 March - Student Free Day)

The end of 2023 has arrived, and the Academic Awards Assemblies have taken place. These not only gave the opportunity to acknowledge students for both their great academic achievements and sheer hard work, but they also acknowledged students who have been recognised by others for applying their personal qualities to helping others. The fact that these Excellence Awards are presented at the Academic Awards is a testament to the importance we place on both Wellbeing and Learning and Teaching, and how intrinsically linked they are. You cannot achieve your full potential unless you have a strong sense of wellbeing. The College takes this very seriously. We have a suite of wellbeing supports. Our systems encourage everyone to have high expectations of themselves and others, while promoting personal responsibility - we are all responsible for our own behaviour.

We have many supports in place that reinforce this. These include our Homeroom structure, the Year Level Leaders and Heads of School, our Behaviour Support System, which includes our Student Support System, the Chill Room, which is a self-regulation tool, Learning HQ, our independent learning space and our wonderful Wellbeing Counselling Team. We are fortunate to have such a variety of supports for our students, but the success of all of this relies on good communication between students, teachers and parents. Contact from your child’s Homeroom teacher will happen early in the year, and I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to begin positive dialogue right from the beginning of the school year. This makes such a difference to the development of positive relationships for all concerned, an important factor for both academic and wellbeing success. Our Parent Engagement Program offers informed support to our parents through current pedagogical and wellbeing information supplied by renowned speakers, ensuring the opportunity for everyone to be on the same page is provided. We are very proud to be able to offer this, and I encourage all parents to consider taking up these opportunities into the future.

The end of 2023 is also the end of my time at Sacred Heart College Kyneton. This has been a wonderful eight years and I could not have asked for a better place to finish my career in education. I would like to thank you for your support of all we try to do at the College and, although we may come at an issue from different perspectives, our common goal is always what is best for the student. I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas, and a wonderful 2024 and beyond.

Step Up

Our 2024 Year 11 and 12 students have now completed their Step Up programs. They will have tasks to complete over the holiday period, ranging from reading to note taking and responding to questions. Students have been engaged with the Step Up program, despite it coming straight after their exams, and have showed a genuine enthusiasm for their selected courses for 2024. While we expect students to rest over the holidays and take the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, we also expect students to come back in 2024 ready to start the school year having completed their holiday tasks.

Examinations

We commend the junior students on their preparation and studious attitude during the exam period. This was especially evident in the Year 7 students for whom this was the first set of formal exams at Sacred Heart. The skills that are developed through this process will assist the students as they progress through the upper levels of the school in future years.

VCE results

VCE results will be available on 11 December. It can be a nervous wait for students (and their teachers!) over the next few days and we will, as always, celebrate the good results and work with students who may not have the scores that they had hoped for. Success is evident when students complete their secondary education with whatever they need to begin the next stage in their lives – a particular ATAR score, completion of their VCE or VCAL, or a job or apprenticeship that will start their careers.

Years 10 and 11 Closing Liturgy and Years 7-9 Closing Mass

As our academic year came to a close, students spent time in communal celebration of the faith that sits at the heart of our school. At our Years 10 and 11 Closing Liturgy, and again at our Years 7-9 Closing Mass, students reflected on the achievements and joys of the past year, and gave thanks for the many blessings we enjoy as a community. Over the course of the two events, we were pleased to have 45 students offer readings and serve in other ministries, as well as enjoying the talents of a further 30 student musicians. As we move now into the holiday period, we hope that the blessings of peace and joy remain with all students and families.

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On 19 November, 16 students and 3 teachers embarked on a journey to Japan, visiting a variety of locations in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. We spent three days with our sister school Ibaraki Nishi High School in Osaka where we took classes (e.g Mathematics, traditional Japanese, History etc) with our buddies and had a taste of the Japanese high school life.

Whilst in Japan we tried lots of delicious Japanese food such as okonomiyaki (savoury pancake), Japanese curry, sashimi, gyoza, ramen and udon. We visited many temples and castles, with the highlight being Kiyomizudera, which had beautiful scenery of the red and orange Japanese maples and the many markets and shops leading up to the temple (Sannenzaka). Another highlight was Nijo Castle in Kyoto where we walked through the building where the shogun stayed and major political events occurred. We finished off the Japan trip with an exciting day at Disneyland.

Throughout this journey we met so many nice people and had the opportunity to create new experiences and connections that we will cherish for a lifetime.

Bella Trethowan, Bridie Sutton and Ivy Stevens

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Step up - VCE Physical Education Unit 1 and 2

The Unit 1 and 2 Physical Education students have jumped straight in to step up by learning about the skeletal system. Students have been enjoying the anatomy content and the fun activities to help their understanding. A great start to their VCE PE journey.

Step up – VCE VM Personal Development Skills (PDS)

Students in PDS learn about themselves, their strengths and how they fit in, and the part they play within a community. During step up students have been exploring the importance of effective communication when planning and participating in a mini project. Students successfully constructed a marble run, under time constraints, with the winning group keeping the marble travelling for longer than 15 seconds. They explored many skills that will help them in this subject, ensuring there are bigger and better projects to come!

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As part of our step up activities, our VCE Vocational Major, Personal Development Skills Class were given the challenge to design and build a gingerbread house. This task focused on teamwork and leadership skills, as well as interpersonal skills, social awareness and consideration. Our students had a lot of fun, as well as honing their team building skills, which will stand them in good stead for Unit 4 next year, where they have to choose, plan and complete a major project which will help our community in some way.

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In the closing days of November, a group of our senior student leaders traveled to Templestowe to take part in the most recent Seeds of Justice conference. This two day event invited our participants to consider deeply our calling to hear the cry of the earth and to care for our common home. Led by guest speaker Sally Neaves, our students entered into conversations about how they can serve as leaders in a manner that is hope-filled, creative and compassionate. The event also proved to be a time of fellowship and connection with students from other Mercy schools, and our young leaders are to be commended for the warm and welcoming spirit they offered to all present at the conference. This special time of formation will be a key point of reference as they take on their leadership roles more fully in 2024.

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As has become tradition now, Sacred Heart students volunteered their time and talent to help out at the annual Kyneton Show in November. Thirty students from Year 7 to Year 11 spent time on the day of the show assisting with the Farm Shed activities, the Woodwork Tent children’s zone, the Wash Against Waste stations and the pony rides, helping to make the Show a great success. Our student volunteers spoke enthusiastically about their experiences on the day, in particular the simple joy of contributing to a community building event. The College was grateful to receive a donation from the Kyneton Show Society by way of thanks for our volunteers. As we have done in past years, this donation will be passed on to the community at Jarlmadangah Burru. Well done and thanks to all student volunteers!

GVBR 2023 Orbost to Wonthaggi

What an incredible 2023 GVBR we had, riding through the beautiful countryside of Gippsland. We will never forget climbing up to Buchan, or the day when we road over 100km from Sale to Yarram and riding through beautiful rainforest on picturesque winding roads.

We had rain, lots and lots of rain, but we just sucked it up and got on with it. Our students, Lukas Cichy, Liam Cowburn, Haley Hall, Declan Linton-Parker and Saffron Thek, are to be congratulated. They displayed amazing resilience, courage and fortitude tackling the trying conditions. They were super supportive of each other, the adults, and went out of their way to give aid to others on the ride as well. Our students showed off their excellent cycling skills and impeccable road cycling manners. They were a real credit to themselves and the College. We had numerous people comment to the adults about how great our students were. 

We averaged over 75km per riding day, with a rest day in Sale where we did washing, went to the cinema, out for a burger lunch and completed an opp shop challenge. We had a happy, fun time and were a little sad on the last day with the end was in sight.

A big thankyou goes out to our parent helpers, Pawel Cichy and Daniel Thek, who were amazing. They worked tirelessly to ensure that the students were safe and having a good time. We would like to thank Mr Walker and Mr Willis who helped all year with training, we couldn’t have done it without your knowledgeable support. Also thanks to our sponsors below, without whose help this opportunity wouldn’t have been possible.

Sponsors: The Taylor Family, Ridge Electrical Solutions, Kilchurn Wines, Campbells Arboricultural Consulting, Noone Imagewear, MSP photographers, Kyneton RSL, Central Vic Cleaning

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During the Religious Education Step-Up classes, the new Year 12 students participated in a Bible study of the Nativity story. They focused on the concepts of trust and hope which Mary Mother of God faced throughout the Nativity story. Pictured is an illustration of Mary which one of the students created when reading and responding to the Nativity story.

Year 7 Robotics

This term our talented Year 7 Robotics students have embarked on an exciting journey of engineering and innovation. Students have been diligently working to build and program their Lego Mindstorm robots to move in the form of shapes, some of which successfully used the sensors, such as distance recognition, to avoid any obstacles. Through this hands-on experience, students have gained invaluable skills in problem-solving, teamwork and critical thinking. In our final lesson, students transformed their robots into formidable contenders for a Battle Bot competition where the most robust and well-built robot could win against any competitor! Congratulations to the Battle Bot winners: Lincoln Hall, Alice Ford, Stella Egberts, Hayden Edmondston and Tyler Fynch.

School Fees 2024

School Fee Payment Plan

If you have not returned your School Fee Payment Plan for 2024, please return ASAP or contact

accountsreceivable@shckyneton.catholic.edu.au.

Early Payment of School Fees Discount

If school fees are paid in full by 28/2/24, you will receive an early payment discount of $200.00 per student.

CSEF Applications & Discount

If you are a current Health Care Card holder you may be eligible for the $250.00 from the Camps Sport & Excursion Fund (CSEF) per child.

Should your application be successful the college will match the $250.00. This will entitle you to a credit of $500.00 per child of your family account.


Accessing VCE Results 2023

VCE study scores, ATAR and VTAC Scaled Study Scores will be available to students via the Results and ATAR website, and the Results and ATAR app, on Monday 11 December 2023 at 7.00am. Students will receive a statement of VCE study scores from the VCAA, and those who applied for courses through VTAC this year and have paid their VTAC processing fees, will be sent an ATAR statement in the mail.

The Careers Advisors will be available for change of preference support if needed. We are offering appointments on both Monday 11 Dec and Tuesday 12 Dec. If you need to contact us please call Careers on 54211254 to book an appointment.

We also have a representative from La Trobe Bendigo on site from 10:30am - 11:30am to support any students looking to attend La Trobe University.

We wish you all well. Karina and Kristina.