Dear Families,

As we step into Week 7 of the term, we find ourselves embracing a sudden change in the weather—a reminder of the beauty and unpredictability of the seasons! We certainly give thanks for the rain and the way it rejuvenates the environment around us. We know how desperate some parts of our state have been for decent rainfall so to hear the sometimes, heavy drops on the roof over the weekend was very welcome!

Just as the weather shifts, so too does the journey of learning, with each child progressing at their own pace, growing in confidence and knowledge. Across the school, teachers are diligently preparing Semester 1 reports, capturing the learning achievements and ongoing assessments that reflect the hard work of our students. We celebrate the progress each child makes in their own way, acknowledging the dedication and perseverance they bring to their learning. These reports provide a detailed summary of your child’s progress with a comment and grade for Religious Education, Mathematics and English as well as a General Comment. All other subject areas are marked with an overall grade. We anticipate that you already have a good understanding of your child’s progress as this was discussed in depth at our recent Parent Teacher Interviews. Students will bring home their Semester 1 Report in Week 10.

Pentecost

Last Sunday, we celebrated a significant moment in our faith journey—the Feast of Pentecost, a time to celebrate the birthday of our Church and the gift of the Holy Spirit among us. It is a moment for reflection and gratitude, strengthening our community in faith and unity. For many of our younger students, they know this day as when the disciples could suddenly speak in ‘tongues’ (different languages) and they had a flame appearing on their heads – both representing the Holy Spirit. For others, they know this day as the day the ‘Church’ started. This is when people started to go forth, around the world and spread the message of Jesus. The word ‘Pentecost” literally translates from Greek meaning ‘fiftieth’. It is the fiftieth day since Easter Sunday. May we all be beacons of hope and life within our school and wider community, spreading the gospel message of love.

Class Masses in the Magdala Chapel

It was beautiful to celebrate Class Mass with our Year 5/6 cohort last week. It was the first time this year that we have celebrated Mass in our Magdala Chapel. Fr Santosh was most impressed with the reverence and grace of our students. Please keep an eye out for when your child class celebrates Mass and please join us in the chapel. If you have never been inside the Chapel and would like to visit it please reach out to a member of the leadership team as we would love to share it with you.

National Reconciliation Week

We have just experienced National Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3). This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To commemorate this week, our students engaged in a range of activities including the Sea of Hands and the eating of yummy reconciliation donuts.

Bells

There are a series of new bells that you will hear within our school yard. Our Student Leadership group decided that it was time for a refresh. All classes took ‘ownership’ of a bell throughout the day and voted on their choice for a new bell song. While it will take some getting used to, we hope everyone enjoys the change up.

Umbrellas

We acknowledge the need for children to keep warm and dry when travelling to and from school and that some students use umbrellas during this time. During the school day there is really no need for umbrellas to be used in our school yard. If the rain is heavy, our students play indoors. Umbrella’s can at times be a hazard and have caused conflict in our school environment. By all means use them on the way to school and then bring them back at days end.

Volunteers

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our school volunteers and seek to strengthen the vital role of volunteers within our school. Caregivers are encouraged to explore ways to become involved as registered volunteers, supporting our students and enriching school life. Your time and contributions make a meaningful difference, and we welcome new volunteers to join us in building a strong, engaged community.

Wishing you all a smooth and steady final few weeks of term. With the winter weather now here, we hope the you all stay healthy and warm. Take care.

Shaping our Future Together
Belinda and Gareth

Welcoming Our Mid-Term Receptions

Exciting times ahead as our mid-year Receptions begin very soon! Our teachers have been visiting local kindergartens, fostering connections with the children and helping them feel comfortable as they prepare for this big transition into school life. These visits allow us to build relationships, answer questions, and ensure each child feels welcomed and ready for their new adventure.

We are delighted to welcome these young learners and their families into our school community, where they will embark on a journey of discovery, friendship, and growth. This is a special moment for both students and parents, and we look forward to embracing them with warmth, encouragement, and the support they need to thrive.

Starting school is a big step, and we are committed to making this transition as smooth and joyful as possible. We can’t wait to see our newest students settle in, explore, and begin their learning journey with us!

School Evacuation and Lock-In Drills: Keeping Our Community Safe

At school, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priorities. To ensure we are well-prepared for any emergency, we conduct regular evacuation and lock-in drills each term. These drills are an essential part of our school’s safety protocols, helping students and staff understand what to do in different situations and ensuring a calm, orderly response when needed.

Each term, students and staff participate in both evacuation and lock-in drills. Evacuation drills prepare us for emergencies such as fire or other situations that require us to quickly and safely exit the buildings. Lock-in drills, on the other hand, help us practice staying safely inside the school if there is an external risk. By practicing these procedures regularly, students become familiar with the steps they need to take, helping to reduce anxiety and ensure a swift, confident response in real situations.

These drills are carefully planned to be clear and reassuring for students, ensuring they feel confident in what to do should an emergency occur. We appreciate the cooperation of all students, staff, and families in supporting these important safety measures. If you have any questions about our emergency preparedness, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum

At the heart of our work is also our deep commitment to providing our children with a safe, happy and successful education. As a diocesan school, we are responsible for implementing the following policies and curriculum:

• Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum Information for Parents & Carers: Homepage – KSCPC

• Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy:
• Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Adelaide_Safeguarding_Children_and_Young_People_Policy.pdf
• Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Adelaide_Commitment_Statement.pdf

As part of this work, we teach the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, a program designed to empower students with the knowledge and skills to help keep themselves safe.

This curriculum is age-appropriate and focuses on important themes such as recognising unsafe situations, understanding personal rights, building respectful relationships, and seeking help when needed. By teaching this, we equip students with the confidence to make informed choices and ensure their well-being in different environments.

Protecting and nurturing our children is a shared responsibility, and through education, we help them develop resilience and awareness. Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum is mandated in all Catholic schools in South Australia. Our teachers undertake professional learning to implement this important area of curriculum. If you would like more information about the curriculum, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher. Together, we can build a safe and caring community for all.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information.

A fact sheet is available via this link: nccd_parent_fact_sheet_english_0.pdf

To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy). Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.