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This week’s prayer reflects this month’s feasts of All Souls and All Saints in the Catholic tradition when the lives and memories of loved ones are commemorated.
The prayer also calls to mind the important events of Remembrance Day on Monday where Australia stops at 11.00am to recognise and reflect upon the sacrifice of all whom have been affected by the horrors of war. A special thank you to the students and staff who represented Sacred Heart College at local commemoration services in Kyneton and Woodend.
Music at Sacred Heart College
Over recent weeks, the enormous talent and capabilities of our music students has been on display at a number of significant public events:
- On Saturday 26 October, the College Show Band was featured at Kyneton’s Social Foundry playing two extended sets under blue skies and in beautiful warm weather.
- On Thursday 31 October, most instrumental music students performed as part of various music ensembles or as soloists in the annual Sacred Heart College Music Leaders’ Concert. Congratulations to all involved and especially to the 2024 Music Captains, Amelia Walsh and Lachlan Hyatt.
- The final Instrumental Music Evening for 2024 was held at a number of venues in the College last night.
These performances also provided an opportunity to celebrate and farewell several SHC Music staff who are leaving at the end of this year:
- Mrs Helen Duggan (Voice and Choir) is retiring after more than ten years involvement at Sacred Heart. Helen’s expertise in choir (especially in sacred music) will be missed.
- Mr Henry Vyhnal (Violin) is finishing at Sacred Heart after many years teaching at a variety of schools across the Macedon Ranges. Henry is looking forward to having more opportunities to perform publicly.
- Mr Peter Campion (Drums) is finishing at Sacred Heart College after twelve-month involvement following his appointment to the Australian Army Band Corps.
Whooping Cough notifications
Later in the newsletter, there is a reminder from the College Nurse about protocols for parents and families regarding expectations for students suspected of, or confirmed with, notifiable diseases such as Whooping Cough. In the last week, two students have been allowed to attend school while results were confirmed. In these circumstances, it is expected that these students will remain isolated at home.
Student Drop Offs and Pick ups
Of great concern was a report I received this week of a parent dropping off a student in the College car park in the morning in a manner that was dangerous to students and staff in the vicinity. Parents and visitors are reminded of the need to take special care in and around the College when dropping off or picking up students. Tragically, our local and state communities have seen the dire results that can occur around schools and early childhood education facilities when accidents occur.
The College will have no hesitation in reporting incidents of reckless or dangerous driving to the police.
Sacred Heart College VCE Art Exhibition
Over the recent weeks, a large number of SHC staff and families have had the privilege of viewing the 2024 VCE Art Exhibition at the Trio Gallery and Studio, Kyneton. The exhibition showcases the wide variety of work completed by our senior students in Year 11 and 12 Art: Creative Practice and Year 12 Visual Communication and Design. As always, I am amazed by the imagination, colour and attention to detail that is on display. Congratulations to each student who exhibited and especially to their teachers, Mrs Anne Berend, Ms Kirsten Gibson and Mr Sam Bentley.
2025 Uniform – Sacred Heart College
Last week, I wrote to all current and prospective Sacred Heart College families advising of a number of adjustments to the College uniform (particularly the winter uniform) for 2025. Please click on the link for a copy of the letter.
Year 10 & 11 Examinations
Year 10 & 11 students are commencing their end of year subject examinations this week. These exams continue until Thursday 21 November with Unit 1 - 4 Step Up classes beginning on the following day.
Yours in Mercy,
Dr Darren Egberts
Principal
VCE Exams
I would like to congratulate our fantastic Year 11 and 12 students on the way they have approached the VCE exams. They have taken on the challenge of the exams with such maturity and resilience. It is exciting to see our Year 12 students complete their final exam and move forward to the next stage in their lives. There certainly is a mixture of excitement for what is ahead, and relief for no more study! Well done Year 12…enjoy the summer holidays and we look forward to Graduation Dinner.
Semester Two Exam Period
The Semester 2 exams commenced on Wednesday. Both Year 10 and 11 students came well-prepared for the exams. These exams are a great opportunity for students to develop their exam technique and revision processes in the lead-up to the Year 12 VCE exams. The exams continue through until Thursday 21 November, with an exam catch-up day, Monday 18 November.
Our VCE VM have a structured program throughout the exam period. This consists of several activities to up-skill the VM students.
Subject Changes
Since Monday 28 October, 2025 Senior students have been able to make changes to their 2025 subjects. Students wanting to make changes need to submit a request to change subjects via a Google Form link that has been posted on Daily Messages. All subject changes must be completed by Monday 18 November. This will allow for class lists to be finalised before the Step Up program begins.
Step Up
The Step Up program for Years 11 and 12 (2025) commences Friday 22 November and continues until Thursday 5 December. These classes are compulsory for all VCE, VCE VM and VET students.
The Step Up program allows teachers to introduce the course, as well as start teaching new content. Students will receive their Step Up timetable before the end of the exam period.
Music Leaders' Concert - 31 October
Thanks to everyone who attended our Music Leaders Concert last Thursday night. It was a great night celebrating music with entertaining solos and ensemble performances. Our music leaders, Amelia Walsh and Lachlan Hyatt, did a great job as comperes on the evening, and we also had the opportunity as a music department to acknowledge our departing Year 12 students and music staff. Thanks also to our student helpers on the night.
Sound and lighting: Dylan Bunn & Astrid Le Noury
Front of House: Stella Egberts, Ned Benfold
Backstage: Angus Smith, Sam Benfold and Sylvie Rigby
Instrumental Music Recital Evening - Thursday 14 November
The College was buzzing with the sound of music across three venues on Thursday 14 November. All students enrolled in the instrumental music program were performing. This was a wonderful opportunity to hear the fabulous talent that we have at the College.
Year 9 Reflection Day and McAuley Sleepout
Last week our Year 9 students participated in their Reflection Day. Taking place via a series of sessions held over two days, the focus for the event was on the issue of homelessness. This is an issue that our faith teaches us is a grave social concern. Homelessness strips people of their dignity, and robs them of the opportunity to live life to the full. We take hope in the knowledge that real and lasting changes can occur when we engage in education, prayer, conversation and action in response to this issue.
Our care for the homeless is neither incidental nor accidental. It goes to the very core of our faith. The Christian story has always been a story of homelessness and hospitality. In the Hebrew scriptures, we hear the repeated declaration that we must welcome the stranger, and take care of the lost. From our Jewish heritage, we learn that “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full” (Proverbs 19:17). In the Gospels, we hear Jesus declare that he has “no place to lay his head”, as his radical vulnerability promotes radical hospitality.
Over the course of the two days, our Year 9s:
heard from Sammy, as he shared his own experience of homelessness
spent time with Hayley, who spoke about the work of McAuley Services for Women and Children
watched the recent documentary “Under Cover”, exploring the stories of Australian women experiencing homelessness
took part in a liturgy, where our shared prayers for justice were voiced.
A small group of Year 9s also took part in the annual McAuley Sleepout, and they are to be commended for their participation in this solidarity action.
If you would like to watch the documentary “Under Cover”, you can access it on iView via this link.
Our recent incursion brought a delightful taste of French culture to the classroom! Students had the opportunity to make authentic French crêpes in the cooking room, adding a hands-on, flavourful element to their study of French culture. From preparing the batter to flipping and decorating their crêpes with creative toppings, students fully immersed themselves in this culinary experience. The freshly made crêpes were not only delicious but also provided a wonderful way to explore and appreciate the cultural significance of French cuisine as part of their food topic.
We were fortunate to have Macedon Ranges Taekwondo work with our Year 8 students recently during their P E classes. The students enjoyed the experience and learned many different taekwondo techniques, as seen in these great photos.
On Friday 25 October, eleven members of our Junior Debating team visited Ballarat Grammar School for a DAV training and debating competition day.
This year’s program saw five schools and ten teams participate in the program. Many adjudicators commented that the presentation skills of the students were beyond what they expected, and DAV commented they were incredibly pleased with overall participation.
Our first topic for debate was: “advertisements that target children should be banned”. Our second topic was "technology is harmful to learning at school”.
We participated in four debates. We won three and lost one debate by a point. We competed against some amazing schools including Ballarat Grammar, Loreto College and Damascus College.
Our SHC 2 team were undefeated on the day. Both Stella Egberts and Matilda Matthews were awarded top scoring speakers (equal top second overall) amongst all students participating on the day.
In between the debates, we had a delicious lunch overlooking Ballarat Grammars' amazing lake. It was great fun to meet our competitors, and we all enjoyed the day.
A big thank you to Steve, our Maintenance Manager, who offered to drive us there at the last minute. We would have not been able to do it without you Steve.
As the year comes speedily to its conclusion, the Year 11 VCE VM PDS class have been busy with their final community engagement projects. We had groups running lunch time sporting activities, the Sacred Ground Café and a BBQ to raise money for Kyneton Caring Community. Our students volunteered at Kyneton Caring Community in Semester One and it is great that we will be able to donate close to $200 to their foodbank, thanks to Chevy, Olivia, Thorsten and Angus who organised the BBQ.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff and residents a R M Begg for allowing our students to spend an hour every Friday for the last five weeks there. The students ran Bingo groups, card games, life books, colouring and offered their services as gardeners, hairdressers and nail technicians. We would sincerely like to thank the staff for their support of our program and the residents for having a go and engaging with the activities. We hope to continue to work with R M Begg next year too.
To the VCE VM PDS students – thank you for the personal growth you have each shown this year. There were times this year when my heart was bursting with pride at your achievements. It has been quite a journey and Ms Bradbury and I hope that the skills you have developed this year stand you in good stead for what’s next in your future 😊
Year 10 Textiles have completed their final project for 2024. This year we changed the course to better suit the cohort, and for our final product we made dog jackets to individually suit the family furry friend.
The students measured their dog, and tailor made the jackets. Let's say that 'Teddy', Abbey McFaddens' little chap, models it very well!
Season of Creation photography competition
Congratulations to the following students, who have been awarded as winners of this year’s Season of Creation photography competition:
Category A: A photo that awakens our hearts to the beauty of creation: Matilda Wills
Category B: A photo that calls us to care for creation: Archie Biddle
Our Year 10 students recently participated in Mock Interviews, bringing their ‘World at Work’ subject to life. The Mock Interviews provide students the opportunity to practice for an interview in a supported manner, learn how to answer difficult questions, develop interview strategies, improve their communication skills, and receive important feedback. They also build confidence and prepare for real-world interactions in a supportive environment. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, leaving with enhanced skills and insights that will support them in future career pathways
A variety of external industry professionals interview the students online via Teams, with the students interviewing for a selection of retail customer service positions. The students did a terrific job with their interviews with the feedback being overwhelmingly positive.
We extend a warm 'Thank You' to all our volunteers as the program would not operate as successfully without their generous help and support. If you would like to be involved in this program as a volunteer please add you details to this Google Form link: https://forms.gle/3KTLqvsY8yVhnp2p7
Lucy King, Careers Administration Assistant and Jody Takos, teacher of World at Work.
Chess Coaching 2025
Sacred Heart is excited to be offering chess coaching in 2025 as an optional extra curricular activity with professional chess coach, Tim Davis.
We'll be starting with two free pilot sessions early in term one to canvas interest from students in our junior school. The sessions will run on Thursdays at lunchtime and will include a mix of mini lessons, interactive games, and team learning. All levels of chess players are warmly welcomed. The cost will be $11 per session, paid in semester blocks.
Tim welcomes any questions that you may have and can be contacted via email at countrychesscoach@gmail.com
Amazing Student Achievements
Sarah Fitzpatrick, Tyler Fynch and Hailey Stubbs represented Sacred Heart College at the Victorian All Schools State Track and Field Championships held at Lakeside Stadium over the last two weekends. This event has extremely tough competition, with only the first two medallists to qualify for the Australian Nationals.
🥈 Year 10 student Sarah Fitzgerald won Silver in the Female U17 2000metre steeple with a time of 7:35.93.
🥈 Year 8 student Tyler Fynch won Silver in the Male U15 1500m with a PB time of 4:14.53 and Silver in the Male U15 3000m with a PB time
of 9:00.03.
🥇 Year 10 student Hailey Stubbs won Gold in the Female U17 Hammer with a throw of 47.75m.
We congratulate all three students on their amazing achievements.
With these results they have each qualified for The Australian All Schools Nationals held in Brisbane this December, with Tyler also qualifying for the 3000m nationals held at the premier distance running track event on Athletic Australia's calendar, Zátopek:10, held at Lakeside also in December.
Our Year 7 students recently took a creative approach to their 'Food' topic by playing an interactive Battleships game in class. This hands-on learning experience made the lesson both fun and engaging, encouraging students to apply their knowledge in a friendly competition. Through the game, students practiced key concepts in a memorable way, reinforcing their understanding while enjoying a lively classroom activity
ACU Young Leaders Study Tour: Rome and London
We ask that you keep Year 11 student Jack Meyer in your prayers, as he departs tomorrow to take part in a 3-week study tour to Rome and London, as part of the ACU Young Leaders program. Jack was selected as one of 10 students from Victoria, and 16 students from New South Wales to embark on this very special journey. We look forward to welcoming Jack safely home in December, and hearing all about his learnings.
Australian Catholic Youth Festival 2025: Launch event and Mass
Next Sunday, the Melbourne Archdiocese will be holding a celebration Mass and following event to launch the countdown for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival, to be held in November 2025. The Mass will begin at 11am on 24/11 at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, and all are welcome to attend. Further details of the Mass and launch event can be found on the flyer below.
Has your child has missed any of their secondary school-based immunisations?
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is running an evening immunisation session in Gisborne on the 28th of November from 5-7pm. To see if your child is due for any immunisations, check your child’s immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register using your MyGov account. If your child is over 14 years old, they will need to access their immunisation history statement themselves through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.
To book in for this session please go to https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au/communityprivacycollection/. For more information about this session or vaccinations for high school students please email immunisation@mrsc.vic.gov.au”
Whooping Cough
There has been a couple of confirmed cases of whooping cough (Pertussis) within the student population of the College. Whooping cough is a serious, contagious, respiratory infection.
Whooping cough begins with symptoms like those of a cold such as a cough, tiredness, blocked or runny nose and low-grade fevers, which may last for one to 2 weeks. After these symptoms, the cough usually worsens to include:
- severe cough that can occur in bouts
- characteristic 'whooping' sound on breathing
- vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing
Other symptoms may include poor appetite, fatigue and dehydration. People may appear well between bouts of coughing. During the recovery period, the cough gradually decreases but can last up to 3 months.
As whooping cough is highly contagious, the College is taking every precaution to prevent further spread of the infection. If your child is unwell and/or coughing, please don't send them to school and seek medical attention. If your child has been tested for whooping cough they MUST remain at home until swab results are known. If any student at the College is unwell and/or is coughing, they will be isolated and parents/emergency contacts will be called to collect the student.
The best defence against whooping cough is being up to date with available vaccinations and isolating if suspected or symptomatic of whooping cough. If you are unsure of your vaccination status, please speak to your General Practitioner.
Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Jalna Holmes, Health Centre Coordinator on 54211200.
Visit from Morrisby UK and Australia
On 24 October we had a visit from Alan Teece, Project Lead for Morrisby UK and Craig Eastwood, Project Lead from Morrisby Australia. The Careers Department were asked to host the visit from ACCE Australian Centre for Careers Education, for being a wonderful example of a high standard careers service.
Craig Eastwood mentioned : “It was a fantastic visit. We enjoyed learning about the tremendous program that you've established and we've benefited from the exchange of ideas and were pleased to provide you with some insights as to what's in store over the short term for the development of the platform.”
Alan Teece mentioned : “A big thank you from me. Your program seems really well developed”
This week’s prayer reflects this month’s feasts of All Souls and All Saints in the Catholic tradition when the lives and memories of loved ones are commemorated.
The prayer also calls to mind the important events of Remembrance Day on Monday where Australia stops at 11.00am to recognise and reflect upon the sacrifice of all whom have been affected by the horrors of war. A special thank you to the students and staff who represented Sacred Heart College at local commemoration services in Kyneton and Woodend.
Music at Sacred Heart College
Over recent weeks, the enormous talent and capabilities of our music students has been on display at a number of significant public events:
- On Saturday 26 October, the College Show Band was featured at Kyneton’s Social Foundry playing two extended sets under blue skies and in beautiful warm weather.
- On Thursday 31 October, most instrumental music students performed as part of various music ensembles or as soloists in the annual Sacred Heart College Music Leaders’ Concert. Congratulations to all involved and especially to the 2024 Music Captains, Amelia Walsh and Lachlan Hyatt.
- The final Instrumental Music Evening for 2024 was held at a number of venues in the College last night.
These performances also provided an opportunity to celebrate and farewell several SHC Music staff who are leaving at the end of this year:
- Mrs Helen Duggan (Voice and Choir) is retiring after more than ten years involvement at Sacred Heart. Helen’s expertise in choir (especially in sacred music) will be missed.
- Mr Henry Vyhnal (Violin) is finishing at Sacred Heart after many years teaching at a variety of schools across the Macedon Ranges. Henry is looking forward to having more opportunities to perform publicly.
- Mr Peter Campion (Drums) is finishing at Sacred Heart College after twelve-month involvement following his appointment to the Australian Army Band Corps.
Whooping Cough notifications
Later in the newsletter, there is a reminder from the College Nurse about protocols for parents and families regarding expectations for students suspected of, or confirmed with, notifiable diseases such as Whooping Cough. In the last week, two students have been allowed to attend school while results were confirmed. In these circumstances, it is expected that these students will remain isolated at home.
Student Drop Offs and Pick ups
Of great concern was a report I received this week of a parent dropping off a student in the College car park in the morning in a manner that was dangerous to students and staff in the vicinity. Parents and visitors are reminded of the need to take special care in and around the College when dropping off or picking up students. Tragically, our local and state communities have seen the dire results that can occur around schools and early childhood education facilities when accidents occur.
The College will have no hesitation in reporting incidents of reckless or dangerous driving to the police.
Sacred Heart College VCE Art Exhibition
Over the recent weeks, a large number of SHC staff and families have had the privilege of viewing the 2024 VCE Art Exhibition at the Trio Gallery and Studio, Kyneton. The exhibition showcases the wide variety of work completed by our senior students in Year 11 and 12 Art: Creative Practice and Year 12 Visual Communication and Design. As always, I am amazed by the imagination, colour and attention to detail that is on display. Congratulations to each student who exhibited and especially to their teachers, Mrs Anne Berend, Ms Kirsten Gibson and Mr Sam Bentley.
2025 Uniform – Sacred Heart College
Last week, I wrote to all current and prospective Sacred Heart College families advising of a number of adjustments to the College uniform (particularly the winter uniform) for 2025. Please click on the link for a copy of the letter.
Year 10 & 11 Examinations
Year 10 & 11 students are commencing their end of year subject examinations this week. These exams continue until Thursday 21 November with Unit 1 - 4 Step Up classes beginning on the following day.
Yours in Mercy,
Dr Darren Egberts
Principal
VCE Exams
I would like to congratulate our fantastic Year 11 and 12 students on the way they have approached the VCE exams. They have taken on the challenge of the exams with such maturity and resilience. It is exciting to see our Year 12 students complete their final exam and move forward to the next stage in their lives. There certainly is a mixture of excitement for what is ahead, and relief for no more study! Well done Year 12…enjoy the summer holidays and we look forward to Graduation Dinner.
Semester Two Exam Period
The Semester 2 exams commenced on Wednesday. Both Year 10 and 11 students came well-prepared for the exams. These exams are a great opportunity for students to develop their exam technique and revision processes in the lead-up to the Year 12 VCE exams. The exams continue through until Thursday 21 November, with an exam catch-up day, Monday 18 November.
Our VCE VM have a structured program throughout the exam period. This consists of several activities to up-skill the VM students.
Subject Changes
Since Monday 28 October, 2025 Senior students have been able to make changes to their 2025 subjects. Students wanting to make changes need to submit a request to change subjects via a Google Form link that has been posted on Daily Messages. All subject changes must be completed by Monday 18 November. This will allow for class lists to be finalised before the Step Up program begins.
Step Up
The Step Up program for Years 11 and 12 (2025) commences Friday 22 November and continues until Thursday 5 December. These classes are compulsory for all VCE, VCE VM and VET students.
The Step Up program allows teachers to introduce the course, as well as start teaching new content. Students will receive their Step Up timetable before the end of the exam period.
Music Leaders' Concert - 31 October
Thanks to everyone who attended our Music Leaders Concert last Thursday night. It was a great night celebrating music with entertaining solos and ensemble performances. Our music leaders, Amelia Walsh and Lachlan Hyatt, did a great job as comperes on the evening, and we also had the opportunity as a music department to acknowledge our departing Year 12 students and music staff. Thanks also to our student helpers on the night.
Sound and lighting: Dylan Bunn & Astrid Le Noury
Front of House: Stella Egberts, Ned Benfold
Backstage: Angus Smith, Sam Benfold and Sylvie Rigby
Instrumental Music Recital Evening - Thursday 14 November
The College was buzzing with the sound of music across three venues on Thursday 14 November. All students enrolled in the instrumental music program were performing. This was a wonderful opportunity to hear the fabulous talent that we have at the College.
Year 9 Reflection Day and McAuley Sleepout
Last week our Year 9 students participated in their Reflection Day. Taking place via a series of sessions held over two days, the focus for the event was on the issue of homelessness. This is an issue that our faith teaches us is a grave social concern. Homelessness strips people of their dignity, and robs them of the opportunity to live life to the full. We take hope in the knowledge that real and lasting changes can occur when we engage in education, prayer, conversation and action in response to this issue.
Our care for the homeless is neither incidental nor accidental. It goes to the very core of our faith. The Christian story has always been a story of homelessness and hospitality. In the Hebrew scriptures, we hear the repeated declaration that we must welcome the stranger, and take care of the lost. From our Jewish heritage, we learn that “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full” (Proverbs 19:17). In the Gospels, we hear Jesus declare that he has “no place to lay his head”, as his radical vulnerability promotes radical hospitality.
Over the course of the two days, our Year 9s:
heard from Sammy, as he shared his own experience of homelessness
spent time with Hayley, who spoke about the work of McAuley Services for Women and Children
watched the recent documentary “Under Cover”, exploring the stories of Australian women experiencing homelessness
took part in a liturgy, where our shared prayers for justice were voiced.
A small group of Year 9s also took part in the annual McAuley Sleepout, and they are to be commended for their participation in this solidarity action.
If you would like to watch the documentary “Under Cover”, you can access it on iView via this link.
Our recent incursion brought a delightful taste of French culture to the classroom! Students had the opportunity to make authentic French crêpes in the cooking room, adding a hands-on, flavourful element to their study of French culture. From preparing the batter to flipping and decorating their crêpes with creative toppings, students fully immersed themselves in this culinary experience. The freshly made crêpes were not only delicious but also provided a wonderful way to explore and appreciate the cultural significance of French cuisine as part of their food topic.
We were fortunate to have Macedon Ranges Taekwondo work with our Year 8 students recently during their P E classes. The students enjoyed the experience and learned many different taekwondo techniques, as seen in these great photos.
On Friday 25 October, eleven members of our Junior Debating team visited Ballarat Grammar School for a DAV training and debating competition day.
This year’s program saw five schools and ten teams participate in the program. Many adjudicators commented that the presentation skills of the students were beyond what they expected, and DAV commented they were incredibly pleased with overall participation.
Our first topic for debate was: “advertisements that target children should be banned”. Our second topic was "technology is harmful to learning at school”.
We participated in four debates. We won three and lost one debate by a point. We competed against some amazing schools including Ballarat Grammar, Loreto College and Damascus College.
Our SHC 2 team were undefeated on the day. Both Stella Egberts and Matilda Matthews were awarded top scoring speakers (equal top second overall) amongst all students participating on the day.
In between the debates, we had a delicious lunch overlooking Ballarat Grammars' amazing lake. It was great fun to meet our competitors, and we all enjoyed the day.
A big thank you to Steve, our Maintenance Manager, who offered to drive us there at the last minute. We would have not been able to do it without you Steve.
As the year comes speedily to its conclusion, the Year 11 VCE VM PDS class have been busy with their final community engagement projects. We had groups running lunch time sporting activities, the Sacred Ground Café and a BBQ to raise money for Kyneton Caring Community. Our students volunteered at Kyneton Caring Community in Semester One and it is great that we will be able to donate close to $200 to their foodbank, thanks to Chevy, Olivia, Thorsten and Angus who organised the BBQ.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff and residents a R M Begg for allowing our students to spend an hour every Friday for the last five weeks there. The students ran Bingo groups, card games, life books, colouring and offered their services as gardeners, hairdressers and nail technicians. We would sincerely like to thank the staff for their support of our program and the residents for having a go and engaging with the activities. We hope to continue to work with R M Begg next year too.
To the VCE VM PDS students – thank you for the personal growth you have each shown this year. There were times this year when my heart was bursting with pride at your achievements. It has been quite a journey and Ms Bradbury and I hope that the skills you have developed this year stand you in good stead for what’s next in your future 😊
Year 10 Textiles have completed their final project for 2024. This year we changed the course to better suit the cohort, and for our final product we made dog jackets to individually suit the family furry friend.
The students measured their dog, and tailor made the jackets. Let's say that 'Teddy', Abbey McFaddens' little chap, models it very well!
Season of Creation photography competition
Congratulations to the following students, who have been awarded as winners of this year’s Season of Creation photography competition:
Category A: A photo that awakens our hearts to the beauty of creation: Matilda Wills
Category B: A photo that calls us to care for creation: Archie Biddle
Our Year 10 students recently participated in Mock Interviews, bringing their ‘World at Work’ subject to life. The Mock Interviews provide students the opportunity to practice for an interview in a supported manner, learn how to answer difficult questions, develop interview strategies, improve their communication skills, and receive important feedback. They also build confidence and prepare for real-world interactions in a supportive environment. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, leaving with enhanced skills and insights that will support them in future career pathways
A variety of external industry professionals interview the students online via Teams, with the students interviewing for a selection of retail customer service positions. The students did a terrific job with their interviews with the feedback being overwhelmingly positive.
We extend a warm 'Thank You' to all our volunteers as the program would not operate as successfully without their generous help and support. If you would like to be involved in this program as a volunteer please add you details to this Google Form link: https://forms.gle/3KTLqvsY8yVhnp2p7
Lucy King, Careers Administration Assistant and Jody Takos, teacher of World at Work.
Chess Coaching 2025
Sacred Heart is excited to be offering chess coaching in 2025 as an optional extra curricular activity with professional chess coach, Tim Davis.
We'll be starting with two free pilot sessions early in term one to canvas interest from students in our junior school. The sessions will run on Thursdays at lunchtime and will include a mix of mini lessons, interactive games, and team learning. All levels of chess players are warmly welcomed. The cost will be $11 per session, paid in semester blocks.
Tim welcomes any questions that you may have and can be contacted via email at countrychesscoach@gmail.com
Amazing Student Achievements
Sarah Fitzpatrick, Tyler Fynch and Hailey Stubbs represented Sacred Heart College at the Victorian All Schools State Track and Field Championships held at Lakeside Stadium over the last two weekends. This event has extremely tough competition, with only the first two medallists to qualify for the Australian Nationals.
🥈 Year 10 student Sarah Fitzgerald won Silver in the Female U17 2000metre steeple with a time of 7:35.93.
🥈 Year 8 student Tyler Fynch won Silver in the Male U15 1500m with a PB time of 4:14.53 and Silver in the Male U15 3000m with a PB time
of 9:00.03.
🥇 Year 10 student Hailey Stubbs won Gold in the Female U17 Hammer with a throw of 47.75m.
We congratulate all three students on their amazing achievements.
With these results they have each qualified for The Australian All Schools Nationals held in Brisbane this December, with Tyler also qualifying for the 3000m nationals held at the premier distance running track event on Athletic Australia's calendar, Zátopek:10, held at Lakeside also in December.
Our Year 7 students recently took a creative approach to their 'Food' topic by playing an interactive Battleships game in class. This hands-on learning experience made the lesson both fun and engaging, encouraging students to apply their knowledge in a friendly competition. Through the game, students practiced key concepts in a memorable way, reinforcing their understanding while enjoying a lively classroom activity
ACU Young Leaders Study Tour: Rome and London
We ask that you keep Year 11 student Jack Meyer in your prayers, as he departs tomorrow to take part in a 3-week study tour to Rome and London, as part of the ACU Young Leaders program. Jack was selected as one of 10 students from Victoria, and 16 students from New South Wales to embark on this very special journey. We look forward to welcoming Jack safely home in December, and hearing all about his learnings.
Australian Catholic Youth Festival 2025: Launch event and Mass
Next Sunday, the Melbourne Archdiocese will be holding a celebration Mass and following event to launch the countdown for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival, to be held in November 2025. The Mass will begin at 11am on 24/11 at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, and all are welcome to attend. Further details of the Mass and launch event can be found on the flyer below.
Has your child has missed any of their secondary school-based immunisations?
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is running an evening immunisation session in Gisborne on the 28th of November from 5-7pm. To see if your child is due for any immunisations, check your child’s immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register using your MyGov account. If your child is over 14 years old, they will need to access their immunisation history statement themselves through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.
To book in for this session please go to https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au/communityprivacycollection/. For more information about this session or vaccinations for high school students please email immunisation@mrsc.vic.gov.au”
Whooping Cough
There has been a couple of confirmed cases of whooping cough (Pertussis) within the student population of the College. Whooping cough is a serious, contagious, respiratory infection.
Whooping cough begins with symptoms like those of a cold such as a cough, tiredness, blocked or runny nose and low-grade fevers, which may last for one to 2 weeks. After these symptoms, the cough usually worsens to include:
- severe cough that can occur in bouts
- characteristic 'whooping' sound on breathing
- vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing
Other symptoms may include poor appetite, fatigue and dehydration. People may appear well between bouts of coughing. During the recovery period, the cough gradually decreases but can last up to 3 months.
As whooping cough is highly contagious, the College is taking every precaution to prevent further spread of the infection. If your child is unwell and/or coughing, please don't send them to school and seek medical attention. If your child has been tested for whooping cough they MUST remain at home until swab results are known. If any student at the College is unwell and/or is coughing, they will be isolated and parents/emergency contacts will be called to collect the student.
The best defence against whooping cough is being up to date with available vaccinations and isolating if suspected or symptomatic of whooping cough. If you are unsure of your vaccination status, please speak to your General Practitioner.
Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Jalna Holmes, Health Centre Coordinator on 54211200.
Visit from Morrisby UK and Australia
On 24 October we had a visit from Alan Teece, Project Lead for Morrisby UK and Craig Eastwood, Project Lead from Morrisby Australia. The Careers Department were asked to host the visit from ACCE Australian Centre for Careers Education, for being a wonderful example of a high standard careers service.
Craig Eastwood mentioned : “It was a fantastic visit. We enjoyed learning about the tremendous program that you've established and we've benefited from the exchange of ideas and were pleased to provide you with some insights as to what's in store over the short term for the development of the platform.”
Alan Teece mentioned : “A big thank you from me. Your program seems really well developed”
