Building Update
I am pleased to inform the community that we were successful in obtaining a $1 million Commonwealth grant to undertake Stage 2 in 2021. Stage 2 includes Reception classrooms, restoring library, sensory room, music performance area and admin upgrade. Not all of this will be achievable and we will commence discussions with architects and builders about priorities.

This will mean that much of the work planned for the next 5 years will be completed in the next 18 months!

Unfortunately, we have discovered 30m long retaining walls under the demolished transportables. These are 1.8 metre tall, underground, we have no idea why they were installed and they have delayed our progress by 2 weeks as they needed to be excavated and soil returned and compacted.

Sports Day
This was indeed a great joy for all of the participants and the spirit and positivity of each child is a great credit to them and yourselves. Of course we missed you as spectators and may our 2021 Sports Day return to the norm. Mega Courts was a great facility and all of the children just loved it. Thank you so much Mr Zamparelli for organising an amazing day, we appreciate the weeks and months of preparation for this.

Congratulations also to our Athletics Team who were the overall winners in the District Competition. This was a brilliant result considering we competed against Year 7’s who remain in R-12 schools as ’Primary.’ Also, congratulations for the great success of the Basketballers at SAPSASA last week.

Term 4 events
COVID-19 continues to impact on community events but we are planning to ensure that our students, especially our Year 6 students, have the opportunity to participate in as many Term 4 events as possible, albeit with some restrictions necessary. These include Year 6 Reflection Day, Water Safety School (Year R-4) , Sports Day, Class Excursions, End of Year Mass, Year 5 and 6 assembly, awards and handover and the Graduation Dinner.

We are endeavouring to invite Year 6 parents to some of these events, but we are restricted to the following (Directive from CESA). I provide this to give explanation to you.  

End of Year Events

We are receiving increased enquiries concerning the conduct of End of Year events. Please note the guidelines issued in Update #42 are still the benchmark on how schools should approach organising such activities.

Furthermore, it is understood that when inviting members of the public (ie parents, relatives and friends) to a school event in an enclosed space (eg school hall) then both the students and the visitors would need to be counted as part of the density requirement.

As such many schools are limiting the number of guests allowed at such events.

In our Hall, this means a maximum of 155 persons altogether.  So for example if we are having the Year 6’s and parents attend a ‘handing over’ ceremony, we can only really invite the Year 5’s.

However there is light at the end of this long tunnel. The news of removing some restrictions in Melbourne might mean that I will be able to see my  granddaughter at the year’s end. I saw her for an hour in January and travel hasn’t been possible since this visit. My daughter, Dominique and her husband have been in lockdown since May 5^th, without any family support over there or ability to get support from friends. Today was their first day that they could leave the house without needing to provide ‘reason for travel’.

Let us pray that the lifting of severe restrictions in Melbourne may see final restrictions here eased further and that our school community can join together , celebrate regularly, as we have in the past.

God Bless

A COVID-19 Flow Chart has been developed to assist with a prompt response should there be any need in the future. 

As many would have noticed over the past couple of weeks, the transportable classrooms have been demolished to make way for the new building, which will be completed by Term 3 next year.

Tours of the completed buildings and a STEM showcase held within them, have garnered much positive feedback from existing and future families.

The Annual Improvement Plan for the next 3-4 years is currently being developed and will be presented to the Board this month, with a view to have the plan ready for 2021.

The Board was presented with a series of policies relating to Cloud Computing, ICT Acceptable Use and Conflict of Interest Procedure. These will all become publically available via the schools website.

Cyber safety issues for young people, recently raised in the media, were disucssed by the Board.  This led to more information for families being shared in the next school's Newsletter.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College congratulates Nikita Grida, former student of St Pius X School on being appointed Roncalli House Vice Captain in 2021.