Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter 2021

Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students of St Catherine’s,  

This week we celebrated Book Week and the students have been engaged in a range of learning activities and events surrounding this year's theme, 'Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.' We had two groups of students visit the Stirling library as part of the Book Week celebrations.  The Reception and Year 1 students joined a 'Story Time' session and our Year 4-6 students enjoyed watching a Splash Theatre performance. It was great to have the week culminate with students dressing up as a favourite book character for the Book Week parade held on Friday. 

The following quote reminds us of the power of books and reading, which I think is highly relevant for the current climate we live in! 

"That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet." (Jhumpa Lahiri) 

Congratulations to all the students that participated in this year's SACPSSA Cross Country carnival and sincere thanks to the parent volunteers who helped out on the day. 

Information was sent out this week via Skoolbag regarding Parent Teacher Learning Conversations, which will be held from Monday 6th to Friday 10th September. Given the current COVID restrictions in place, these optional learning conversations will take place via phone. Should you wish to make a time to discuss your child’s progress this semester with their teacher, please refer to the Skoolbag message for information on how to book a time. Bookings can be made up until 9.00am Friday 3rd September. 

Enrolment Intentions for 2022 

Whilst 2022 may seem some time away, we start the process of planning staffing and class structures now. The school works hard to balance class sizes and new enrolment requests and so to support our planning, I ask that if you are considering a change in the enrolment status of your child/ren in 2022 (for work or other reasons) that you let me know as a matter of urgency by contacting our enrolment officer, Cathy Fischle (cfischle@stcaths.catholic.edu.au).

Catholic Schools Music Festival 

Our choir students have been making fantastic progress learning their repertoire of songs and actions in preparation for the Catholic Schools Music Festival being held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. St Catherine's students perform on Monday 20th September at 7.30pm. I look forward to seeing many of our families there. Information regarding tickets for the performance is available at: 2021 CSMF Ticket Information Flyer.pdf (cesa.catholic.edu.au) 

Student Attendance 

There is significant research around school attendance and future life outcomes. Children and young people who do not attend school regularly miss out on planned learning experiences, sequences of instruction and class participation and the impact of this loss is compounded with each absence. Attending school every day improves a child’s future life outcomes and it supports their learning and wellbeing. Our reporting mechanisms on student attendance classify 5 - 9 days absent a term as 'Habitual' and 10 or more days a term as 'Chronic' absenteeism, which are indications that a child's learning progress is compromised. The COVID-19 pandemic has added complexity to school attendance as we ask that children that are unwell, do not attend school. Mindful, however of the impact several days away from school each term can have, I ask families to consider carefully ways to minimise absenteeism.   

Volunteers - RAN training 

Volunteers  play  an important role in the education of children and young people in partnership with the staff of Catholic schools. Volunteering helps provide quality care and education to our children and young  people  and  supports Catholic Schools  to promote values  drawn  from  the  Catholic tradition of faith in order to prepare students for more active participation in the world. It  is  important  that  your  involvement  and  participation  in  our  school  is  rewarding  and  a mutually  beneficial  experience. As  part  of  our  extended  community  and  to  support  our commitment to the protection and care of all children and young people and the safety of all staff,  all  Volunteers  are  required  to hold a valid  and  current Working  with  Children  Check (WWCC) and to  complete the ‘Responding to Abuse and Neglect-Education and Care’ (RAN-EC) Online Induction for volunteers. The WWCC is valid for 5 years, however the RAN-EC Online Induction needs to be updated every 3 years. If you have any queries regarding volunteering at St Catherine's, please contact our Admin Team (info@stcaths.catholic.edu.au).   

Special Lunches 

Unfortunately, our Monday Tuck shop and Friday Canteen arrangements have been put on hold for this term while we are unable to have parents onsite. As support for Catholic Charities month, a Special Lunch day is planned for Friday 10th September. Further information will be shared next week. 

Finally, thank you to all our parents and guardians for the ongoing support of the various restrictions we are required to have in place in schools currently. Let us continue to pray for those who are not able to send their children to school, or are suffering due to the global pandemic. 

With best wishes for a safe and relaxing weekend. 

John Low 
Principal

Family Mass 

The Adelaide Hills Catholic Parish continues to play a key part in our schools Catholic Identity. This term we are excited to have a family Mass which will be held at St Matthew's Church in Bridgewater on Sunday September 19th. Families are invited to attend and we are also looking for some volunteers to assist with aspects of the Mass. You are asked to complete the registration form on our school website if you wish to attend. Please find further information on the attached flyer.  

Safe Guarding Sunday 

On Sunday September 12th we recognise Safe Guarding Sunday, formally known as Child Protection Sunday. This date coincides with National Child Protection Week and aims to raise awareness of the importance of safe environments for the young people in our community.  Currently students are taking part in a variety of learning programs which address the ways in which they too can keep themselves safe, how to identify unsafe situations and trusted people who they can speak with if they were to need assistance.  

https://www.catholic.org.au/safeguarding-sunday 

Catholic Charities Appeal during September 

This term our fundraising focus is Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities is an organisation that works with a number of support agencies who assist the vulnerable in our community. SA Catholic Deaf Community, Centacare Catholic Family Services, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry and Hutt Street Centre are all agencies which depend on support from schools such as us to be able to continue their work. Next week each family will receive a donation brochure for Catholic Charities and are ask to consider making a donation. We will also be planning a school based fundraising event with details still to come. Thank you in advance for your support. 

me4uCatholicCharities - Schools 

Sacramental Program 

As we come to the end of the 2021 Sacramental Program we are looking forward to being witness to the Holy Spirit alive in our students during their First Communion this Saturday evening. Our group of children who have taken part have participated collaboratively throughout the program, sharing their reflections and posing questions about the Sacraments of Initiation. It has been a privilege to watch their understanding develop and for them to make this commitment to their faith and the Church community. We wish the children every blessing as they celebrate their First Communion at St Matthew's Church. 

We will begin seeking expressions of interest for the 2022 Sacramental Program later this term. 

Season of Creation 

As we enter September we begin the Season of Creation which occurs from September 1st until October 4th each year. During this time Christians unit together in prayer and renew their commitment to care for our common home. This year the theme is 'A home for all? Renewing the oikos of God'. Oikos is the Greek word for 'home' or 'household' and attention is drawn to the importance of having a place in which we are connected and nourished. Throughout this time Christians are called to take part in prayer, put in place sustainable actions and to be advocates for the cause. At St Catherine's students will be invited to share in prayer around this theme with our senior ECO reps developing a prayer to share with the classes. Students will also be asked to make an ecological commitment, recognising that they can have a lasting impact on our common home.   

"Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment." Pope Francis 

Home Interest - Season of Creation 

SACPSSA (Catholic Schools) Cross Country Carnival

On Wednesday 18th August, 45 students from years 3-6 participated in the Catholic Schools Cross Country Carnival at PAC Oval. All the students completed a 2km run through the parklands after several weeks of lunch time training sessions around the school. There was a fantastic number of participants this year and one of the highest at the Carnival!

Thank you to Mrs Dawe, Mrs Cornelius, Mrs Lewis and Mr Daniel Dwyer for their help on the day.

Our students had some outstanding results on the day with the majority of students finishing in the top 50 out of approximately 150 runners. Special mention to the Year 6 girls that won the Year 6 pennant for best results in that year level in Division B.

Also, a special mention to the following students on their top 10 results:

Lachlan – 2nd Year 5 Boys – Div B
Hugo – 9th – Year 5 Boys – Div A
Giselle – 5th – Year 4 Girls – Div B
Flynn – 6th – Year 4 Boys – Div B
Sylvie – 10th – Year 4 Girls – Div B
Zara – 4th - Year 4 Girls – Div B
Mackenzie – 4th – Year 5 Boys – Div B
Saxon – 10th – Year 5 Boys – Div C

Choir visit to Loreto College

On Monday Week 5 all the choir kids had an opportunity to go on a minibus to Loreto to rehearse their choir performance. The choir kids have been rehearsing since the start of the year. Each student in Years 5 and 6 get a choice to do choir, so let’s hope your child does choir when they’re in Year 5 or 6. We appreciate that Mrs. Rothall and Mrs. Thompson have been organising and leading us in the Catholic Schools Music Festival this year. But unfortunately, we are not allowed to perform at the Festival Theatre because of COVID 19. We have been lucky to be able to change the venue to the Entertainment centre, so let’s hope you can come buy some tickets and come see what our students have been practicing.
By Milly and Lila

Media Arts

This term the Year 5 and 6 classes have been making movie trailers on iMovie about a book they have read recently. We are very grateful to have a green screen at our school to use, which has been a great experience. Some of the books people have used are books like ‘Pig the Star’, ‘The Call Back’ and even books such as ‘The BFG’. This has been an amazing for everyone. We had to plan it first and work out what we would do for each part. Filming has been the best part because you could be other characters you’ve never been before.
By Isabella and Isla

Book Week – Stirling Library Excursion

On Monday 17 August, Year 3-6 students all walked down to the Stirling Library and watched a play by Splash Theatre Company for Book Week. The play was all about three main books - The Little Prince, Chicken Little and Dingos are not Dogs. The actors were very entertaining. Splash Theatre is an independent, professional touring company that tours to schools. Established in 1997, its work has toured overseas to Russia, New Zealand and Singapore and to every state in Australia.
By Hayley and Hamish

National Science Week 2021

5LD and 6C have been working on making a battery out of lemons, coins and vinegar for National Science Week. We had to make a little LED light turn on to show that the battery works. We also experimented with different electrical components like steel wool, wires and LED lights and motors to make our battery. We are very lucky to be able to use the Makey Makey kits that we have borrowed from Nazareth to make an electrical device like a controller for our computers.
By Saxon and Hugo

Religious Education in 5/6

During Religious Education this term, the Year 5/6 students have been learning about covenants. We are gaining the understanding of God’s covenants to us and covenants in our everyday lives. We have also focused on the Three Worlds of Text. The Three Worlds of Text are the mirror, picture, and window. The mirror represents the world in front of the text, the picture represents the world of the text and lastly, the window represents the world behind the text. We did an activity using the Three Worlds of Text, which involved reflecting on the passage ‘The Feeding of The Five-Thousand.’ After we read the passage, we reflected on what the mirror, picture, and window mean in our lives, according to the passage. We have enjoyed Religious Education lessons so far this term.
By Verity and Oscar

Cross Country Recap

On 18th of August, the Year 3 to 6 students and staff volunteered to be a part of the Catholic Schools Cross Country Carnival. We enjoyed it quite a lot! First, we went on the bus to a local oval next to PAC. It was a 2km run but it went really quickly because we had a lot of fun. It was the perfect sunny day, but we had to social distance in a line for the bathroom due to COVID 19. Our favourite part of the day was definitely when we ran the race and when Zara in Year 3 and Lachie in Year 5 won a 4th ribbon. Mackenzie in Year 5 also won a 2nd ribbon in his year level. The Year 6 girls won a team banner award. It is now hanging in the school with pride. Also, Hugo from Year 5 came in the top 10 in Division A. The Year 6’s wish that we could experience all of the running again but unfortunately we must leave the school next year. The teachers were amazing helpers!
By Scarlett and James

Thank you to our School Support Staff

Last week, on 20th of August, we prepared 7 cards and flowers for the School Support Staff teachers that help our school in many different ways. These were given to them at the Year 2 Assembly. These special teachers were very fortunate to get a vase full of flowers from our gardens, a Principals award and a gigantic card! The teachers were very surprised and grateful for these incredible gifts, made by the St Catherine’s Community. Thank you, Mrs. Ellul, Mrs. van der Linden, Mrs. Fischle, Mrs. Worthington, Pat, Miss K and Mrs. Kennedy.
By Olive and Lucas

Advantage Parent Sessions – Bill Hansberry 

Over 20 families recently joined staff at our Advantage Parent sessions run by Bill Hansberry. Bill is an Education Consultant, widely recognised for his knowledge about behaviour management, restorative justice and cultural renewal in an educational setting. Bill provided many suggestions on “Raising Beaut Kids”, (also the name of one of his books) and how we can support children to develop. 

Bill’s sessions were titled, ‘How we catch and Build Good Behaviour’ and ‘Building Rules that stick’. Bill reminded us that everyone wants to be welcomed, noticed and feel as if they belong. As adults, we have learnt ways to get attention, however children can be still developing the way that they get attention. Think about the last 48 hours in your house, how did people get attention? Sometimes children are able to get attention for behaviours that we would prefer not to see, but they can become quite clever at getting attention.  

We were encouraged to have a spotlight on the behaviours that we want and building rules that stick. Bill reminded us to use tactical ignoring and to provide relevant praise. He also suggested that the ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback should be 5:1.  

Bill’s book also has some great tips to get your child to share information about school instead of the usual reply of, “not much” or “nothing” when you ask what did you do at school today? 

Try asking your child . . . 
What was the best thing that happened at school today? 
Tell me something that made you laugh today. 
Where is the coolest place at the school? 
If I called your teacher tonight, what would she/he tell me about you? 
How did you help somebody today? 
How did somebody help you today? 
When were you the happiest today? 
If an alien spaceship came to your class what would you want to show them? 
Who would you like to play with at recess that you’ve never played with before? 
What do you think you should do/learn more of at school? 
Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to? 
Where do you play most at recess? 
Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is she/he so funny? 
If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do? 

Wellbeing check in 

Over the last fortnight, our students have participated in the PULSE Survey. The PULSE survey was developed by Catholic Education South Australia and is undertaken in Week 5 and 6 of every term. The survey provides one avenue of checking in with students to find out how they are currently feeling about their experience in school.  

Staff have continued to look at areas that have changed since completing the check-in last term and are continually working with students to support their developments.  

Melinda James 
Leader of Learning: Wellbeing and Inclusion 

Celebrating All Things Books 

This week we are celebrating Book Week with the theme 'Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds'. The students thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to dress up with a parade today (Friday) to show off their costume creations. Thank you to Hamish and Louis as the hosts of the parade. The boys did a brilliant job hosting the event and ensuring that all students had a great time. Thank you also to Milly and Noah as the photographers. There are loads of photos for us to enjoy so keep an eye out on Seesaw and Facebook to view this lovely celebration of all things books. Unfortunately due to the current restrictions, we were unable to invite families along to the parade.