SHC Principal's
Update

As I reviewed this week, it became very apparent that our students have a plethora of opportunities at Sacred Heart. Last Saturday, 16 students embarked on a life-changing immersion to Timor-Leste. This coming Saturday 15 August, students – accompanied by Hannah Kennedy and Kirra Spence, along with guides from our travel provider, World Expeditions – will depart from Tullamarine Airport for the nine-day 2026 Dadirri First Nations Immersion. The program will take the group to Darwin and Kakadu National Park to participate in service and immersion activities, including working with our community partners at Middle Point Primary School.

Earlier this week a small group of students from Year 9 and 10 took part in Seeds of Justice Camp at Araluen Camp Anglesea. In addition, this Friday all of our Year 9 and Year 10 students will participate in their Faith Day.
 

Arts Day

Next week the College will host its annual Arts Day on Wednesday 19 August. Arts Day is a whole-school celebration of creativity featuring performances, competitions, workshops, live music, exhibitions and plenty of opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the performing and visual arts. 

The Arts Day House competition will take place in McAuley Hall and will include instrumental music, small group choir, theatre and dance. On St Stephen's Green, the Band Stage will host performances from VET Music bands, SHC rock bands and soloists throughout the day. To add to the festival atmosphere, students can enjoy food trucks, explore artwork from our Arts Day Showcase in the Cranbourne Gallery and view each House's collaborative artwork in the Atrium. Please see below for important student attendance information.

House themes for the day are:

• Clairvaux: Childhood
• Loyola: Sleepover
• Padua: Cartoons ('That’s all folks!')
• Siena: Once Upon a Siena
   

NAPLAN Results

While NAPLAN results have recently attracted negative media attention, it is pleasing to report that Sacred Heart students have performed exceptionally well:

Reading and Writing: 

• Year 9 students outpaced state and national averages in reading (601 vs. 572 state / 562 national) and writing (633 vs. 587 state / 572 national).
• Year 7 students mirrored this success, with 88% achieving the top proficiency bands in reading.

Numeracy:

• Year 9 students averaged 585, topping both Victoria's state benchmark (584) and the national benchmark (574).
• Overall, over 80% of Year 7 and Year 9 students reached the top two bands.

Support Rates: 

• Sacred Heart's Needs Additional Support rates were three to ten times lower than broader averages – including just 1.2% in Year 9 writing and 0.8% in spelling – demonstrating strong cohort-wide performance.

To view the detailed report, please refer to the College News section below, or you can access it here: NAPLAN Results at SHC.
 

Student Progress Check and Parent Communication Afternoon

Student Progress Checks will be emailed to you on Monday 17 August. This report provides a snapshot of your student's progress, with particular attention to study habits that support effective learning.

You will also have the opportunity to meet with teaching staff to discuss progress on Monday 24 August, between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. If a teacher has requested a meeting, I strongly encourage you to book a seven-minute appointment, either on-site or via Google Meet. Booking instructions will be emailed to families once the system opens next week. 

To prepare for these conversations, you can explore academic work through CANVAS/Assignments, our continuous reporting platform. There you will find assessment results, teacher feedback and final grades. We encourage you to check this platform regularly for the most up-to-date information.
 

Student Free Day

Please remember that next Friday 21 August, is a student free day. St Joseph’s College staff will join Sacred Heart staff in the Carmel O’Dwyer Centre to hear from guest speaker Ezekiel Bartlett from Just One. He will explore the theme: Catholic Identity – The Heart of Mission in Everyday Education. Staff from both schools will reflect on the purpose of Catholic education and their role in the Church's mission, using the Gospel of Matthew to show how Catholic identity is lived through everyday relationships and presence. 

For Sacred Heart staff, this will be followed by a second session building on these core themes to explore how Mercy shapes teaching, leading and serving by going beyond justice to respond with compassion and love.

Arts Day Information

All Sacred Heart community members are asked to carefully read the details below regarding student movement and child safety during our annual Arts Day on Wednesday 19 August 2026. A comprehensive version of these expectations is outlined below.

• Arts Day is a whole school community event celebrating participation, courage, expressive gifts and our pride as a College community.
• All students are expected to attend this compulsory event.
• Should parents or carers need to drop off forgotten items for students, they must do this from Student Reception, entering via the Retreat Road gate.

Arrival

Students should arrive at school by 8.45am via the Retreat Road, Aphrasia Street, or Talbot Street gates as the Atrium doors will be locked during Arts Day.

Once on-site in the morning, students will not be permitted off-site. Students should promptly move to the area out the front of the Learning Centre to sign in for the day, ahead of the opening ceremony which will commence at 9.00am.

Attendance

Students are expected to be in attendance for the entirety of Arts Day.

Families are asked to keep the day free of external appointments and commitments. If an external commitment is unavoidable, parents/carers are asked to log the appointment on Compass no later than 3.30pm on Tuesday 18 August 2026.

Students will only be permitted to leave school for an external appointment on the day if they are collected in person by a parent, carer, guardian or emergency contact. Parents, carers, or emergency contacts must sign students out in person at College Reception.

Students will not be permitted to leave during the event with another parent or adult not listed as an emergency contact, nor will students be allowed to leave the campus during the day by themselves, even if a Compass appointment has been logged.

Under no circumstances are students or families to arrange for food to be delivered to the school by external companies. These deliveries will be turned away by supervising staff.

Students enrolled in a VET Course

Students attending a scheduled VET Course on Arts Day can sign out as they do each week at Student Reception. They can then use their regular transport methods to make their way to the location of their external VET Course.

Dismissal

The formal presentation period and House Songs will occur between 2.00pm and 2.30pm. All staff and students will move to St Stephen's Green during this time.

Students cannot be collected by parents/carers during this time for external appointments after 1.45pm. We ask that our parents/carers work with us regarding this expectation.

Students will be dismissed at 3.20pm like any other school day.

Artificial Intelligence Parent Information Evening

We had a fantastic turnout for our AI Parent Information Evening last week. Many topics in the AI space were discussed, leaving families better informed about its role and impact at SHC. The presentation also included a link to a survey about AI, which you can also access here: https://bit.ly/4wUVrKI

Please click the download button below to view the slideshow presentation from the evening. You can also view a recording of the evening below.

Student Survey – School Climate at Sacred Heart

In early September Sacred Heart students will be undertaking a survey to measure Sacred Heart's school climate as they see it. School climate represents the collective norms, values and relational experiences that dictate how safe, welcomed and respected staff, students and families feel within a school community. Extensive research demonstrates that a positive school climate, built on strong relationships, high trust and high expectations, is vital to overall school success.

To effectively foster and maintain a positive climate, schools require reliable and actionable data from key stakeholders. The NSI School Climate suite, developed through research at Curtin University, offers validated tools designed to measure these crucial climate factors. By systematically gathering perceptions from students on an ongoing basis, leadership teams can make informed, evidence-based adjustments to their practices and continuously track the effectiveness of their growth strategies.

Some points provided by NSI Partnerships, who have created the survey include:

• This survey will help identify Sacred Heart's school environment and how it can be improved.
• The survey is confidential. Individual responses are NOT reported but, instead, graphs are generated based on responses from the entire College.
• When responding, students should think about the College as a whole – not just about their class. For example, when responding to questions about teachers, they should consider all teachers, not just the classroom teacher.
• Students will complete the survey privately. This survey asks what they think and it is their impressions that are important. There are no right or wrong answers.
• Students will be asked to respond twice to some statements. They will respond first about their perceived (actual) experiences at Sacred Heart and then about their ideal (preferred) experience.
• Students should know that responding to the survey is their chance to be heard and an opportunity to inform Sacred Heart how things can be improved. 

Students will complete this survey at the beginning of September. More information will be provided in the coming weeks. 

Father's Day – The Fifth Quarter

Tickets for our highly anticipated Fifth Quarter Father’s Day Dinner are ON SALE NOW!

With both Geelong Cats legends Stevie J and Cameron Ling officially out of the bag and locked in for an exclusive live Q&A, this is shaping up to be the biggest event of the Term.

Whether you’re celebrating with your dad, grandfather, or a special father figure, join us for a fantastic night of great food, legendary footy stories, fun trivia and great company!

Tables are strictly limited and will close on Monday 31 August (unless sold out prior). Don't wait until the last minute – lock in your table before it's too late! We can't wait to see you there for an unforgettable evening!

God of the Outstretched Hand

God of the outstretched hand, when the wind is against us this week or any week, steady us.

When we falter, catch us.

Make us quick to reach for one another, and slow to look away.

Amen.