Fr John

Hello friends

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family is well and the past fortnight has been one of connectedness and happiness for you and your family.

It has been a relief to feel some cooler weather during this Autumn phase and we even enjoyed some rain a couple of days ago. 

Parent - Teacher Interviews

I would like to thank our teachers and our parents for their engagement and enthusiasm for our parent teacher interviews which have been scheduled for this week and next. I encourage parents to share the information that teachers have given to you with your children and set some specific learning goals that can be worked on at home that will enable skill development and learning enhancements at school. I acknowledge the amount of time and energy that goes into the teachers’ preparation for these interviews and I hope they proved to be information giving and rewarding for everyone.

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 April in the Multipurpose Room. There will be a crèche available for Star of the Sea school aged students. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Lisa Burman and I look forward to seeing as many parents there as possible. If you haven’t RSVP’d and you are intending to come, can you please let us know.

Building project page on our Website 

We have set up a building project page on our website which contains frequently asked questions (FAQs) plans and designs of the building and this page will be updated as building and progress information comes to hand. I encourage you to have a look at this page and pop it in your favourites section of your computer to remain up-to-date with the latest building information as the project gets underway.

Children’s University 

A couple of weeks ago in our newsletter I wrote about children’s university and I encourage you to have a look at the attached information and encourage children to be involved. Children’s university allows for children to link their passion to learning in a fun way. 

Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive. Jamais Cascio

Thanks and Blessings
Matt Perry

 The Parable of the Lost Son

“There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 1He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything, so he decided to go back to his father.

 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field…“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.   “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Lk 15:11-19, 22-32

This year at our AGM and our guest speaker will be Lisa Burman – “Spelling Workshop” parent evening.

We encourage your attendance as the “Learning to Spell— What’s Changed? What’s the Same?” workshop will be most informative.

There will be a crèche available for Star of the Sea School aged children from 6.45pm.

Please RSVP Vivian DePalma at vdepalma@star.catholic.edu.au with your name and number attending.

Star of the Sea is participating in the Children's University program again this year. Children in Years 3 - 6 are able to be a part of this voluntary opportunity. The annual cost is $33 which can be paid via QKR from Week 4 until Friday 29 March 2019.

If you would like more information about the program please click here.

On Monday 18 March 2019, Star of the Sea Students form Yr 3-6 attended the SACPSSA Section 1 Swimming Carnival. What a morning it was! Out of 44 events Star of the Sea placed in 43 of them and 25 of those were 1st places.
Zoe set 2 records, won the Yr 3 Individual Age Champion and the Yr 3’s won their Yr 3 age group overall.
Kristian won the Yr 4 Individual Age Champion and the Yr 4’s won their age group overall.
The Yr 5’s won their overall age group and Sean won the Yr 6 individual Age Champion.
As a result of our fantastic swimmers Star of the Sea won the Sec1 Swimming Carnival with 299 points.
This was definitely a team effort! Congratulations to all swimmers!

Devon clothing uniform shop are pleased to announce that Star of the sea customers can now purchase uniform from:

84 daws Road, Edwardstown Ph: 83731776

Email: dcus@devonclothing.com.au

What does this mean for you?

You can now purchase your uniform Mon – Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-12pm during the school holidays* and school term, as well as during the usual opening times a the School Shop.
Your Online Orders will now be processed as we receive them, at Edwardstown, and you can still opt to have your order put in your child’s classroom box or have it sent to your Business or Home address or you can collect it from the school uniform shop on Tuesdays or anytime during regular trading hours at Edwardstown

Monday 1 April
P&F Meeting 7pm

Tuesday 2 April
AGM 7pm

Wednesday 3 April
Assembly 1.50pm Year 2 Hosting All Welcome

Friday 5 April
First Reconciliation 4pm

Saturday 6 April
First Reconciliation 10am

Monday 8 April
First Reconciliation 5pm

Tuesday 9 April
First Reconciliation 4pm

Thursday 11 April
Sports Day
End of Term

Join our Community on Facebook for a 'behind the scenes' look at what happens at Star of the Sea School.

Here we are at Week 9 of this term! How time flies.

I must start by acknowledging the tragedy experienced in our sister city of Christchurch. Like you, I am sure you were shocked and devastated when hearing the news and continue to try and process how these tragic events to continue to occur around the world. I feel we must continue to emphasise the importance of tolerance to everyone we encounter, at home, at school, in our communities and in our world. I am yet to meet a child born with intolerance – this is surely learnt or created over time. It rests with us to teach about accepting difference, to welcome all cultures and to understand we are all God’s chosen and loved people. I know my son had some questions about the shootings and it is impossible to protect our kids from hearing the news coverage. I have attached an article from Michael Grose’s parenting ideas website to this newsletter, titled “Responding constructively to the Christchurch shooting”, in the hope it may help with conversations at home. I hope you find it useful.

Parent Teacher Interviews

I trust you have found the Parent Teacher interviews a helpful opportunity to hear about the progress of your child(ren) thus far. The teachers have put in a lot of work preparing for these and informing you on the academic, social and behavioural achievements of your child. Thank you for making the time to meet with class teachers. These interviews will continue into next week too. We value open communication at Star of the Sea so please know you can email or touch base with your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns throughout the year. At the end of next term, you will receive formal written reports on your child’s achievements.

“You are infinitely worthy and matter absolutely.” Vicar General Phillip Marshall at the ‘Live, Learn, Lead – Together’ event, 2019.

‘A man had two sons.’ Imagine the First Century: no phones, Internet or Cafes; people gathered by the lake shore or in the synagogue to share news and gossip. The crowd surrounding Jesus must have been waiting excitedly to hear what saga was about to unfold, and they wouldn’t have been disappointed by this family tale of greed, extravagance, poverty, jealousy, forgiveness and love.

Take a moment to read the Gospel. The parable of the Prodigal Son or Lost Son is unique to Luke’s Gospel. Who are you in this story? Are you the Father, the oldest son, or lost, forgiven son? Where is the mother in this parable of love? Never underestimate the power of a touch, a kind word, or the smallest act of caring to help another feel valued.

Look at the two artistic interpretations of ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son.’ The first is by Rembrandt; painted near the end of his life – a theme he constantly revisited, moved by the mercy of the Father. The second is a modern interpretation of this masterpiece by Vladimir Zunuzin; a more abstract painting filled with colour and light.

Stella Foley
APRIM

Please continue to support the student stalls and donate your small change to the Project Compassion boxes. Thank you.

For many years, Star of the Sea has been a school connected to our environment and committed to doing what we can to help sustain and preserve it.   Over time, a number of programs and systems have been creatively implemented to help achieve this; and in 2019 our commitment continues.  Under the guidance of Peter Hoskin and Elisa Russell, each year level has been entrusted with certain environmental responsibilities.  Each Wednesday, the Eco Warriors then help small groups of children from Reception to Year 3, to carry out these roles.  From Nude Food to composting our organic waste;  each student is playing a part, while at the same time, developing a range of valuable skills and appreciation for the world we live in.  It is wonderful to see children so engaged and driven to help make a difference.   What a fantastic team effort from everyone involved - from our school, to the MDC and local community groups such as KESAB and NRM.

Here is an article from Michael Grose’s parenting ideas website to this newsletter, titled “Responding constructively to the Christchurch shooting”, in the hope it may help with conversations at home.

The Year 6 House Captains had a wonderful day at the Halogen National Young Leaders Day. They got to listen to a variety of well known people share their stories of success and leadership.  These included people like Rosanna Mangiarreli from Today Tonight, Australian Olympian Leisal Jones, author Phill Cummins and the team from Cotton On Foundation.  The speakers were all very inspiring as they shared their journies and gave tips on how to achieve your goals and make a difference in the world.  There were a lot of lessons we took with us!

If you are able to contribute in any way it would be most appreciated.

Ways to help…

Are you a scone chef? We need a mountain of scones! Drop them to the Multi purpose room in the morning of Friday 10 May .

Here is a basic recipe for scones you can try…

Beat 1 dessertspoon of sugar with 1 egg
Add 1 tablespoon of melted     margarine
Add 1 cup of milk
Sift in 2 large cups of SR flour
Add a pinch of salt
Mix with a knife to a very soft mixture
Tip out onto a well floured surface
Knead, roll and cut out scones
Brush the tops with milk
Bake in moderate oven

To get all these delicious scones jammed and creamed could we put a call out for help the  morning of  Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day.

From 8.50am we need a small army of helpers. If you can spare some time come to the  Multi-purpose room at 8.50am and be ready to create a sea of Devonshire cream teas for our beloved Grandparents and Special Friends.

Year 6s please bring jam and send to the office before the day.

If your family has a specific dietary requirement please provide scones on the day with attached label eg gluten free.

Term 1 - 29 January to 12 April
Term 2 - 29 April to 5 July
Term 3 - 23 July to 27 September
Term 4 - 15 October to 13 December

Pupil Free Dates
Term 2 - Friday 7 June
Term 3 - Monday 22 July
Term 4 - Monday 14 October

To view the  this term's Road Monitors Roster click on the link below.

To view the Tuck Shop roster and price list click on the link below.