Filter Content
- Principal's Reflection
- Religious Education
- Teaching and Learning
- Learning in 3/4 Koalas
- Kiss & Drop Zone
- The Anxiety Project
- Welcome New Students
- Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize
- Congratulations
- Student Academic Achievement Certificates - Term 3 Week 10
- SHU Heart Rewards
- Term 4 Important Dates
- 5/6 Events
- 2026 School Dates
- Reminders
- SHU Community Crew
- Canteen Volunteers
- Uniform Guidelines
- Attendance Guidelines
- CET Guidelines and Policies
- Community Correspondence
Dear Families/Carers
A warm (or hopefully warmer soon) welcome back to all our students, staff and families for term four. Term four is always an exciting and busy time as we come together to celebrate learning, achievements, and milestones. Please take a moment to check key dates to support you with your planning. Dates can be found on our school calendar, in the newsletter, on the bulletin board at the front of the administration office, or on our social media pages. If you are unsure, please see one of our administration team members for assistance in finding this information.
Thank you to all families for your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we transition to using our new Kiss and Drop Zone. We recognise that changes to morning routines take time to adjust to and appreciate the calm and supportive way our community has approached this new system.
The Kiss and Drop Zone is designed to enhance safety, efficiency, and independence for our students. It allows parents and carers to drop children off quickly and safely. At the same time, it provides a structured and supportive way for children to enter the school grounds, with staff available each morning to assist and welcome them.
These moments of separation can also support children build confidence and independence. Research shows that fostering independence in the early years contributes to stronger resilience, self-regulation, and a positive attitude toward learning. Establishing consistent routines — such as saying goodbye at the Kiss and Drop Zone — can help children develop a sense of responsibility and belonging as they begin their school day.
Your cooperation in following procedures, preparing children for a smooth drop-off, and trusting staff to assist ensures the Kiss and Drop Zone can operate effectively and safely for all families.
As students return to school, it is common for some children to feel a bit nervous as they settle back into routine and structure. These feelings are a regular part of growing and adapting to change. With gentle support and positive language, we can all play a decisive role in helping children feel calm and confident.
When children share that they’re feeling anxious, try validating their emotions while keeping a hopeful tone. Simple phrases like:
- “It’s okay to feel nervous — lots of children and staff do when school starts back.”
- “You’ve done hard things before — and you can do this too.”
- “I’m proud of how you’re trying your best.”
These small, positive messages help children reframe their worries and build resilience. Encouraging regular routines, good sleep, and connection time after school also supports a smoother transition.
For a quick and practical read, please see the link to an article by Michael Hawton (registered psychologist, author, educator, and founder of Parent Shop). Michael supports our school through The Anxiety Project, offering valuable insights for families and supporting our staff training.
A reminder to our coaches/parents to share and provide our Admin team with any information for our community to celebrate and recognise regarding student achievements in local/state/national events.
Please support our staff in ensuring students are wearing the correct uniform. Please see the SHU Uniform Guidelines for your perusal.
Thank you for your continued support
Yours in partnership,
Charlene Best
Principal
Grandparents Day Celebration
Grandparents are invited to join us as we celebrate Grandparents Day on Wednesday 22nd October. A light morning tea will be offered in the Link Area at 8.30am with whole school prayer at 9am in the Courtyard.
World Mission Sunday
Every Catholic parish is encouraged to take part in World Mission Sunday this Sunday 19th October. The theme this year is 'Missionaries of Hope among the peoples".
In a video message, Pope Leo XIV recalled his time as a missionary priest and Bishop in Peru and the impact of faith, prayer and generosity shown on World Mission Day to transform communities.
Pope Leo said "Your prayers, your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories."
Youth Group
Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Follow this link and you will be able to easily locate the Mersey Leven Catholic Parish newsletter, important event information and more. Please share this link with your family and friends. https://www.facebook.com/MLCP1
Staff Professional Learning Day
On Monday 13th October, our staff participated in the ‘All System Professional Learning Day - Applying Knowledge’. This provided our staff with an opportunity to;
- Listen to leaders and industry experts such as Dr Simon Breakspear and Dr Nathaniel Swain
- Engage in professional conversations, unpacking key concepts and theories
- Practice using resources to enhance planning and instruction.
Our Support Staff participated in two targeted sessions throughout the day. The first session was an online course - Supporting Students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). The course provided a comprehensive understanding of DLD, including its key characteristics, the challenges students with DLD may encounter in educational settings, and evidence-based strategies to support their access to the curriculum. The second session was facilitated by our Catholic Care Counsellor, Jade Hales, which focused on Trauma Informed Practices.


We are very pleased with the seamless introduction of our new Kiss and Drop Zone. Thank you for encouraging independence, and we appreciate the positive feedback we have received from families. This initiative supports our families during the busy transition times at the beginning and end of the school day.
The new zone includes designated bays where children can safely exit cars. Please note that this area is a stop zone only. Students should exit the car promptly and safely. Staff will be present to assist children between 8:30 am and 8:50 am, and 2:50 pm and 3:10 pm. If the driveway is full when you arrive, we kindly ask that you continue driving and circle back.
If you wish to walk your child/ren to class, please use the visitor carpark (marked on the map) and follow the yellow lines to the school gate. Please ensure you supervise your child/ren when moving from the car to the school gate. Families parking on nearby streets are asked to use the pedestrian entry marked on the map. If you are entering the school grounds to wait for your child at the end of the day, please be mindful of not waiting in the Link Area outside classrooms, as this can be disruptive to routines in our classrooms.
This change is being implemented following a recent RWC (Risk Work/Health/Safety and Compliance) risk assessment conducted by CET. The assessment deemed the Top Oval unsafe to use as a car park. As a result, the Top Oval is now closed and will only be accessible to authorised personnel. A gate will be installed to secure this area and ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families.
We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we all adjust to this new routine.
From The Anxiety Project
"A child's anxiety will not usually fix itself. Unless something changes, it will tend to worsen. However, the good news is that seemingly-modest interventions delivered by significant adults can make a difference and turn that progression around."
Michael Hawton - MAPS Psychologist
TAP Student Lessons
Our classes have nearly completed their TAP lessons for 2025 and at all levels have learnt about their amydala and its role of processing emotions in the brain, particularly fear and anxiety. Children are learning how they can work to calm their own amygdalas by taking control and employing calming techniques.
Please see some of these calming techniques from TAP below:
We encourage all parents to engage their children in conversations about their learning in this area.
TAP Parent Development Course
We wish to extend our thanks to all parents that attended our third TAP Parent Development Course session at the end of last term.
During this session we recapped and explored:
- Fear reduction techniques
- The need for children to develop their emotional vocabulary
- The importance of preventing children from using inaccurate and inflammatory reactions to events
- Managing parent reactions that may compel them to 'rescue' their child from stressful situations
- The importance of 'Radical Downtime' ie. getting out in nature, meditation, tech free time
FINAL - TAP Parent Information Session
Invitation for parents who attended sessions last term...
Recommended Reading - The Anxiety Coach by Michael Hawton
For parents/ carers wishing to learn more about anxiety and strategies to support children experiencing anxiety, The Anxiety Coach by Michael Hawton is a great place to start. This book promotes a proactive approach to lessening anxiety through developing coping techniques and resilience.
Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize
Congratulations to Izzy who won 1st prize in the Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize - Youth Division (8-15years).
Izzy wrote an original poem, titled 'Tiagarra' about an excursion she went on with her class to Tiagarra in Devonport.
The judges' commented:
This is a reflective poem about the shared experience of an encounter with indigenous history and culture, when “it felt like they awoke”, and to have their faces painted with ochre felt like “a grace.” Clear-eyed and insightful.
'Tiagarra' by Izzy
The outdoors is connected to our history,
But if we don’t learn it will end as a mystery,
Being in nature always makes us feel at home,
Like the bees in their sacred honeycomb,
We all need to give care for this earth,
So some lost plants can rebirth,
Our ancestors had a horrible past,
But we apologised finally at last,
Sacred hearts children came to Tiagarra,
In excitement they all yelled hurrah,
On the bus they sang sweet tunes,
It was like a party with a ton of balloons,
When they arrived they were so surprised,
The tiagarra sign was clear to their eyes,
They stood in a circle, watching the smoke,
As it blew it felt like they awoke,
While the ochre was placed on their face,
They felt blessed because the feeling was a grace,
As they learned about the beautiful nature,
They didn’t realise they were all standing where the graves were,
While students praying for the lost generation,
Some were sad about this poor nation,
Sadly after they learnt this new information,
They had to get on the bus with some hesitation,
As their arms reached high into the sky,
They started waving their arms signalling goodbye.
About The Andrew Hardy Poetry Prize
The Andrew Hardy Poetry Prize is an annual youth poetry prize awarded in memory of Andrew Hardy, who died at the young age of 22 in 1997. The prize was established in memory of Andrew, and of Tim Thorne, who recognised Andrew’s talent and wished to foster the love and practice of poetry in Tasmanian youth. The Andrew Hardy Youth Poetry Prize is offered for an original poem, written by a young Tasmanian poet.
Throughout the year, Eloise has worked hard at her dance studies and has celebrated some wonderful achievements.






Student Academic Achievement Certificates - Term 3 Week 10
Prep/1 Possums | |
Prep/1 Bilbies | Felix & Esther |
1/2 Quokkas | Annie & Mosheng |
1/2 Wombats | Quinn & Sonny |
3/4 Koalas | Isolbel & Eleanor |
3/4 Emus | James & Huon |
3/4 Echidnas | Florence & Jordyn |
5/6 Penguins | |
5/6 Dingoes | Sophie & Lachlan |
5/6 Kangaroos | Leo & Archie |
As part of our PBS and celebrating success, staff look to catch our students actioning our school values of being Compassionate - Honest - Inclusive - Grateful - Sustainable.
Congratulations to our Heart Reward recipients:
- Eli, Madi, Amellia, Felix, Cooper, Sam, Hunter, Henry, Izzy, Elsie
As a reward for their kind gestures, these students enjoyed an afternoon surprise with Mrs Crouch and Ms Richards.
Monday 13th October |
Term 4 commences for Staff |
Friday 28th November |
Devonport Show Day Public Holiday |
Tuesday 14th October |
Term 4 commences for Students |
Monday 1st December |
MRC & SBSC Orientation Day |
Tuesday 14th October |
Kinder Orientation Session 1 |
Tuesday 2nd December |
5/6 Surf Awareness |
Friday 17th October |
The canteen begins for Term 4 |
Wednesday 3rd December |
Kinder Nativity and Graduation |
Tuesday 21st October |
Kinder Orientation Session 2 |
Friday 5th December |
Last day of Canteen |
Wednesday 22nd October |
Grandparents Day Athletics Carnival |
Tuesday 9th December |
End of Year Mass |
Tuesday 28th October |
Kinder Orientation Session 3 |
Wednesday 10th December |
SHU Orientation Hour |
Wednesday 29th October |
5/6 Camp Blue Lagoon |
Thursday 11th December |
Christmas Concert |
Monday 3th November |
Recreation Day Public Holiday |
Friday 12th December |
Big Day Out for Grade 6 |
Tuesday 4th November |
Kinder Orientation Session 4 |
Monday 15th December |
End of Year Reports live on Compass |
Monday 10th - Wednesday 12th November |
Scholastic Book Fair |
Monday 15th December |
Grade 6 Graduation Service and Dinner |
Wednesday 12th November |
NW Athletics Carnival |
Tuesday 16th December |
End of Year Picnic for Grades 3-6 P-2 End of year celebration |
Friday 21st November |
All Schools Triathlon |
Wednesday 17th December |
Term 4 concludes for students |
Tuesday 25th November |
Grade 3/4 Long Day Excursion |
Thursday 18th December |
Term 4 concludes for staff |
Wednesday 26th November |
Children’s University Graduation |
Our Office will close on Thursday 18th December and re-open on Tuesday 27th January. |
Playing in the Playground After School:
Please, parents, ensure you supervise your children after school hours while on the school grounds. It is important that we continue to work together to ensure that our expectations for behaviour align with our PBS Matrix and that we model appropriate adult behaviour.
Medical Condition Updates:
If students have updated Medical conditions could parents please notify the school office by sending an email to shu@catholic.tas.edu.au stating 'Update regarding students Medical Condition' as its imperative that the school is aware of a medical condition that your child may have.
End of Day collection changes:
Please advise the office by phone or by emailing by 2.15pm of any change to pick up arrangements for your child . Thank you for your support.
Student absence:
Please ensure if you cannot log your child/ren absent in comapss that you call the office or send an email to advise of the absence before 8.45am.
If students are going to be away for a period of time please ensure to let the class teacher know and to update compass.
Our school canteen is requiring volunteers for Term 4 on a Friday from 9am -11.30am.
If you have a current WWVP card and would like to volunteer please contact the school office.
Please click on the link to view our updated uniform guidelines.
Please click on the link to view information from Midford.
Please see attached our attendance guidelines. Please ensure if your child/ren are absent fro school that you mark them absent via the compass app or email or phone the school prior to 8.45am.
Thank you.
Please see the updated policies from Catholic Education Tasmania Guidelines and Policies via this link.