Term 4 Week 9 Newsletter 2021

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

Without doubt, 2021 has been a challenging year for many in our community. We have continued to navigate a time of global pandemic and all that it entails with changing restrictions, lock-downs, vaccine mandates and so on. I am grateful that as members of a Catholic school community, we are called to live with hope and this is one of the greatest gifts we can offer the young people in our care for the future. 

As we conclude the school year I wish to thank all our staff for the incredible job they have done in supporting the development of students at St Catherine's. The dedication, commitment, flexibility, resilience and perserverance demonstrated has been very much appreciated as each person has gone about their work to support thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires.  

My thanks also goes to our parent community who have worked in partnership with us in so many different ways throughout the year.  

It was wonderful to see so many families gather as a community for our outdoor Christmas concert last week. The students did a wonderful job of sharing the Nativity story along with some favourite Christmas carols. My sincere thanks to Kathryn Thomson for working with all the classes to create the event. Thank you also to our P&F volunteers for their work in providing a sausage sizzle for all to enjoy. 

We celebrated our end or year Mass this week and formally acknowledged and farewelled staff members Melinda James, Alison Edwards and Katie Ashmead. We also said goodbye to the Year 6 graduating class of 2021 and recognised their achievements at our graduation ceremony. We were joined by the Honourable Josh Teague, Jaimie Cook (Representative for Rebekah Sharkie), Monsignor John Swann and Leonie and Leon Holmes who presented awards to our students. 

Congratulations to the following students who received the following awards: 

• Celine Smerdon Award – Milly P  (Yr 5) 
• Monsignor John Swann Award – Xavier B 
• Dominican Leadership Award - Verity F and Benjamin B 
• Heysen Citizenship Award – Olive C 
• Mayo Community Service Award - Clare P 
• St Catherine’s Year 6 Award – Zoe R 

Well done to all our graduating students. We wish you every success as you start the next chapter of school life at Secondary School.   

2022 Leaders of Learning 

Next year we are expanding our leadership team to include 3 leaders of learning. School-based Leaders of Learning work within the school to strengthen student identity, literacy, numeracy and pastoral care and wellbeing. They work closely with other members of the School Quality and Performance team to support the Principal and the staff to deliver a coherent and coordinated approach to strengthening student outcomes. They engage with research-based learning about pedagogy and language that promotes high quality teaching and learning and builds a culture of high expectations for learners. The Leaders of Learning assist in the collection and use of assessment and other data to develop strategies to strengthen student identity, literacy, numeracy and pastoral care and wellbeing. In 2022 the leadership team will consist of myself, Krystina Dawe (Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission), Narelle Brine (R-2 Curriculum and Assessment Leader of Learning), Corey Lewis (3-6 Curriculum and Assessment Leader of Learning) and Kerry Cornelius (R-6 Wellbeing and Inclusion Leader of Learning). 

2022 Building Works 

It is with great excitement that I share that we have appointed builders Harrold and Kite to bring Stage 2 of our building works to fruition. Harrold and Kite will be moving on to the school site from Friday 17th December and have an anticipated project completion date of 5th July next year. This date falls in the last week of Term 2 and so we aim to be able to occupy the new spaces at the start of Term 3.  

Please note that this next stage of building works will have a significant impact on our day to day operation of the school. I am confident however, that through clear communication, patience and perseverance that we will manage the six month build time smoothly. Once the builders move on site they will section off what will become the ‘building site’ and there will be no access to these areas. At this point in time I can share the following with further information regarding school access points being communicated prior to the commencement of the 2022 school year. 

The areas that will not be accessible during the build include:  

• Front Office, Sick Room and Gina’s (Finance Officer's) office 
• Main entrance and entrance hallway  
• OSHC Room (OSHC will be temporarily relocated to the Hall during the build) 
• Small meeting rooms and corridor leading to the Italian and Music rooms  
• Science room  
• Staff carpark  

Areas that remain accessible:  

• Current R-2 and 3/4 classrooms (A temporary wall will be built approximately 1.2m in on the classroom side along the length of the hallway)  
• Library - this will be the temporary front office (with First Aid room).   
• The Italian and Music rooms remain accessible, however will be repurposed during the build time. The Italian room will become a temporary storage space, while the music room will be a multi-use space for instrumental lessons, allied health professionals, small group work and so on.  
• The Principal’s office and part of the APRIM's office will remain accessible.  
• The staffroom and kitchen will be accessible, but only from corridor outside the Principal's office and external door at rear. There will be no entrance/exit from the staffroom through the door onto the carpark.  

Thank you to those parent volunteers who were able to support this week with the relocation and replanting of many of the beautiful flowers and plants from the front garden bed of the school to various areas throughout the school grounds.   

As we continue to navigate these challenging times, I truly hope that you experience hope, peace, love, joy and new life this Christmas, surrounded by your family and friends.   

I look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday 31st January. 

Warm regards, 

John Low 
Principal
St Catherine's School

Catholic Charities Mass 

Our School Captains were invited to attend the Catholic Charities Thanksgiving Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral. They did an amazing job representing our school for the final time as School Captains and I continue to be amazed at the confidence and poise our students show at such events. We were very excited to also be personally invited to the sausage sizzle after the Mass by Archbishop Patrick O'Regan and couldn’t resist the invitation. We look forward to continuing our work with Catholic Charities in 2022. 

Photo credit to photographer Ben Macmahon

Year 6 Graduation and Farewells for 2021 

On Tuesday morning, our whole school came together along with Fr Fred, to celebrate and give thanks to God for what was another busy, but wonderful year of learning at St Catherine’s School. Our theme for our End of Year Mass and celebrations was ‘Kind and Courageous Hearts’. During the Mass, we celebrated highlights of our year and we also said a special farewell to our Year 6 Graduates for 2021 as well as some much-appreciated staff members - Ms James, Mrs. Ashmead and Mrs. Edwards. 

On Wednesday morning our students in Year 6C officially Graduated St Catherine’s School in front of their family members, the Year 5 class, their siblings and our distinguished guests who assisted in the presentation of some special awards. Our senior students were walked into the ceremony by the youngest students in our school. Our year 5 students were excited to have received their 2022 leadership candle which was lit for the first time, and to be presented with their senior tops ready for the new year. 

We officially farewelled these students at the Graduation Dinner which was celebrated with their parents and St Catherine's School staff. Thank you to The Summit Café and Function Centre for once again hosting what was a fabulous event. The evening was absolutely fantastic and was a very fitting finish to a wonderful final year of their primary schooling. I would like to wish these students and their families every blessing for the Christmas season and for what lays ahead in 2022. 

Congratulations to our Year 6 students on their graduation.  

Be strong, and let your heart take courage …. Psalm 31.24 

Ecology Summary 

Our student ECO representatives have done an amazing job this year. They have taken the position of responsibility very seriously and it has been wonderful to be able to engage with them in conversations about our environmental footprint and how we can have a more positive impact on the planet. Some good progress was made with our Pollinators Garden grant and our CESA Ecological grant, but the work is far from over. We took part in a waste systems audit with KESAB and will continue to look at ways to create further behaviour change in this area. Students were also fortunate to be able to get their hands dirty in the garden from time to time and I am hopeful that we will have a good crop of corn growing in the new year. I would like to thank our ECO representatives from both semester 1 and semester 2 and look forward to continuing our work on this in 2022. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to Bunnings in Mt Barker for their ongoing support and generosity. They have provided our school with many items this year and have already started planning ways in which they can continue to support our students in the coming year. 

The Garden Book – By Oliver R/1B 

Sacramental Program 

Children who will be in Years 4, 5 or 6, and who are baptised, are invited to complete their initiation in the Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist. The Sacramental Program will commence in February 2022 and through a series of workshops, children will prepare for Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist. Registration forms are available from the Parish website (Adelaide Hills Parish), the school office or you can access one HERE.  Completed registration forms may be given to Krystina Dawe (APRIM) or emailed to Cathie Oswald (Parish Pastoral Coordinator): catherineoswald@ozemail.com.au  

Please send completed forms through as soon as possible. For those who are taking part, our first meeting will be held at 6pm on February 8th at St Matthew's Church, and will be an orientation evening. Please note this date down in the diary and we look forward to seeing you then. 

Christmas 2021 Mass Times - St Matthew’s Church, Bridgewater 

Mass times:   24 December (Family Mass): 6pm Vigil           
                      25 December (Midnight Mass): 11.30pm 
                      25 December (Christmas Morning): 9.30am 
                      26 December (Boxing Day): 10.30am 

All families are invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus by attending Mass at one of these times. 

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is necessary for the Vigil Mass at 6 pm. This is a Family Mass and the church capacity is limited, so early registration is highly recommended. To register, please email: catherineoswald@ozemail.com.au 

 NATIVITY PLAY:  A Nativity Play will form part of the Vigil Mass celebrations at St Matthew’s Bridgewater on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2021 at 6pm. Parents of children who are interested in participating in the Nativity Play should contact Cathie Oswald: catherineoswald@ozemail.com.au. There will be one or two rehearsals prior to the performance; the date(s) for the rehearsals to be confirmed.  

Finally, as we now come to the end of another very busy year, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas with family and friends. I also extend my thanks to the school community for their support throughout the year.  

Many Blessings, 

Krystina Dawe 
Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission 

SACPSSA Athletics Carnival 2021

Congratulations to Hugo Year 5, and Giselle Year 4 who were awarded their “Age Champion” medallions for their outstanding efforts in the recent Catholic Schools Athletics carnival.

Hugo’s results were;

1st in 100m – HUGO ALSO BROKE THE RECORD FOR THIS EVENT RUNNING 12.67 SECONDS
1st 200M
1st High Jump
2nd Baton Relay

Giselle’s results were:

1st 100m
1st 200m
1st 800m
4th Baton Relay

Steven De Giovanniello
Physical Education Teacher/Sports Coordinator

Wow what a year! The Year 2 children have enjoyed every second of these last few weeks as we prepared for Advent.

In Science, the children designed, created and self-assessed a toy that moved through the forces of push or pull. All of the children enjoyed bringing their design to life and were honest when self-assessing their work.

In Religion, the children have been learning about the season of Advent and what symbols begin to appear in our lives to show us that we are preparing for Christmas. The children enjoyed creating Advent wreaths, learnt about the Christmas Story and created Nativity scenes to place in their homes.

In writing, the children enjoyed practicing their persuasive writing pieces where they wrote a letter to Santa to convince him to send our classroom an Elf on the Shelf. As you can imagine, the children were extremely convincing and our classroom elf, Ginger, was delivered to our classroom from the North Pole! We have all enjoyed seeing what mischief Ginger gets up to each night!

I want to thank all 2F families for such a wonderful year! Thank you for your support and kindness! I look forward to what 2022 holds!

Bianca Foote 2F Teacher