To our Sacred Heart Community
National Boarding Week
This week marks National Boarding Week, an opportunity to celebrate all things Boarding. Our Boarding House and wider Boarding Community are a significant part of life at Sacred Heart and our boarders and their families bring a unique dimension to our Hearts Community. We are very proud of the young women and men and their families who make up the Boarding Community and we feel privileged to work alongside families in raising so many outstanding young people. This week we also acknowledge the Sacred Heart Boarding Staff who work tirelessly to ensure that the Boarding home away from home is all that it can be!
This week our Boarding Captains, Charlotte Bruhn and Jack Armfield feature in an article in The Southern Cross. Charlotte and Jack do a magnificent job in representing the Boarding Community and I encourage you to take a read of the article: https://thesoutherncross.org.au/news/2021/05/20/boarders-rise-to-the-challenge/
National Boarding Week – A Home for all Hearts
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Earth Week
This week represented the 6th anniversary of Pope Francis’ second encyclical, ‘Laudato Si; Caring for our Common Home’. Quite fittingly, ‘Earth Week’ was in focus over the past seven days.
Led by Youth Ministers Cara McGlaughlin and Leo Taylor and their respective MSol teams, there were a number of initiatives on offer for student and staff participation, also raising important awareness about the challenges our planet is currently facing. This included a rubbish clean-up along Somerton beach, a homeroom based sunflower seed competition, switching off the power for an hour on Wednesday, riding or taking public transport to school and a plastic free lunchbox on Friday.
These activities all represent small ways in which we can have a significant and positive impact on our common home. As Earth week comes to a close for 2021, what might you do this weekend to alleviate some of the pressure on our resourceful, yet vulnerable environment?
YOLO
Sacred Heart College has partnered with the University of Adelaide to research an online prevention program called YOLO, designed to help students get the most out of life. The program is designed to teach skills our young people can use to manage the challenges of life and study, while at school, as well later in life, such as during further study, career and personal life. It is based on the latest developments in Positive Psychology and Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy.
As a part of this partnership, students in Year 10, 11 and 12 at Sacred Heart College will be given access to the program. In conjunction with working through the program, participants will be asked to complete three questionnaires at different time points in an effort to assess the effectiveness of the program.
For more information, please click here to read the Participant Information Sheet.
To our parents, if you and your child decide this is an opportunity you would like to take up, please complete the consent form here and confirm your interest with Mr Tim Fernandez by emailing timfernandez@shc.sa.edu.au. The YOLO program login details will then be forwarded to yourself and your child for commencement of the program. We are aiming to commence the program on May 31, 2021.
Strategic Plan 2022 – 2024
The past three years has seen the College continue its growth and development across the key areas of the College including: Faith Formation, Teaching and Learning, Pastoral Care and Wellbeing and Community participation, and others. The current, 2019 – 2021 Strategic Plan was developed in 2018 during the first year of the amalgamation of Marymount and Sacred Heart Colleges and the construction of the Champagnat Campus. Time has passed quickly!
In 2018, we were convening multiple parent forums as we established the ‘new’ Sacred Heart. The input from families was critical to the success we enjoy some three years later. We are now consulting on the 2022- 2024 Sacred Heart College Strategic Plan. To date, the staff have had their input and the student leaders across the College were engaged in a ‘Keep! Stop! Start!’ activity. Their input reflected the inherent wisdom of youth which too often goes unheard!
Phil Lewis, former Principal of Gleeson College and Nazareth College and current Executive Secretary of the National Catholic Principals Association has been contracted to facilitate the Strategic Plan process and invites our parents & caregivers to have their say by completing Strategic Plan 2022 – 2024 Google Form via https://forms.gle/YRk14VZuvb2WznW2A. The Google Form will remain open and accept responses until Tuesday 1 June.
Join us and have your input to the planning process for the next three years!
Strategic Plan – Parent Survey (2022 – 2024)
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The Fathering Project
The College has been approached by The Fathering Project, which is a secular, not-for-profit, research-based organisation with a vision to ensure all children have an effective father or father figure in their lives.
They run a school-based project that facilitates positive engagement between dads and kids for improved outcomes for our young people (when we say dads, we include father figures, uncles, grandparent etc). The project engages with dads and father figures to inspire, equip and support them to be the best fathers they can be.
The Fathering Project works with both school staff and fathers, supporting them to build their community of positively engaged families – for the benefit of the students.
“What we do, or don’t do as dads, has an enormous impact on the happiness and health of the kids we love. That’s why we’re encouraging dads across Australia to be part of our Dads Groups.” – The Fathering Project
Starting a Dads Group at Sacred Heart College
Since 2014, Fathering Project Dads Groups have been providing environments for fathers and father-figures to feel welcome to gather, share, learn and bond with each other and with their kids. Dads Groups provide mateship, a valuable support system and resources to help fathers up-skill.
The key role of the Dads Group is to plan and host activities within the school community.
The Dads Group would host four activities per year, two for dads only, and two with the kids. These activities are an opportunity for dads to bond with their kids and connect with other fathers.
If you would like to join a new Dads Group at our school, please send an email through to principal@shc.sa.edu.au To find out more about The Fathering Project, head to www.thefatheringproject.org
With a burst of sunshine expected this weekend, I encourage all in our community to get out and about and enjoy the slightly warmer weather. If you’re keen on sport, have a look at the Sports Fixtures for each campus and head out and support one of our Hearts teams!
Shana Bennett
Deputy Principal
