The last seven days have seen three significant Sacred Heart College events come to fruition:

Year 12 Graduation Dinner: The Sacred Heart College Class of 2023 celebrated the successful conclusion of their secondary education with Graduation Dinner. The excellent evening provided the opportunity to congratulate each of the graduating students, as well as thanking their parents, families and teachers for their efforts.

Japan Study Tour: After four years of pandemic restrictions, the first overseas Language Immersion departed for Japan last Sunday with 19 students and staff travelling to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The trip will include a range of important cultural sites as well as a visit to our sister school in Ibaraki.

Year 10 & 11 Awards: We celebrated the achievements of our Year 10 and 11 students on Tuesday with the End of Year Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to all the recipients and good luck in your studies in 2024.

Parent Purchase of Device Transition

A reminder to prospective 2024 Year 7 & 10 parents that all correspondence regarding the change to the provision of laptops can be found in the Documentation for Families section of the Parent Access Module on SIMON (Year 9 Communication). I have included some additional information/clarification below:

• Are parents required to use the external finance company (Latitude Finance) to finance the purchase? Parents are free to finance the purchase through Learning with Technologies (LWT) in any way they choose. There is no requirement at all to use Latitude.
• Why has the College not gone with the BYOD model of provision? Other schools that have chosen this model have experienced challenges for IT teams supporting a breadth of devices; issues with a school’s IT network being subject to compromise; and problems with incorrect or missing software on externally sourced devices.
• What options are there for families who will find the purchase cost a problem? Please contact the College’s Business Manager (Matthew Shaw – mshaw@shckyneton.catholic.edu.au); the College is very willing to support families who may find the purchase challenging.

Parent Involvement – College Advisory Council and College Finance Committee

Two important groups that support the operations of Sacred Heart College are the College Advisory Council and the College Finance Committee. I am looking for additional members for each committee with the departure of some longstanding members. A summary of the responsibilities of each group (as detailed by Mercy Education) is included below:

• The College Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where parent voice and community perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the Principal where students’ wellbeing and outcomes are paramount.
• The Finance Committee is responsible for the oversight of and summary reporting to College Advisory Council of the following aspects of school finances: financial performance of the College; policy matters relating to finance or capital works; recommendations on the annual budget.

I would welcome expressions of interest for either group from interested parents with appointments at the discretion of the Principal. Membership of each group is normally for two year cycles with two or three cycles preferred. Interested parents are invited to email the Principal’s Assistant, Loretta Hanns (lhanns@shckyneton.catholic.edu.au).

End of Year Arrangements

The arrangements for students are as follows:

• Thursday 30 November – Tuesday 5 December 
  Year 7 & 9 Exams
  Year 11 & 12 2023 Step Up classes continue 
• Tuesday 5 December Final Day 
  Year 10 & 11 students
• Wednesday 6 December End of Year Mass and Year 7 – 9 Awards Ceremony 
  Final Day for all students

Yours in Mercy

Dr Darren Egberts

Principal