Newsletter Term 1 Week 1

Dear Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you well as we kick off a new school year. We are excited to welcome both returning and new families to our school community.  What a difference a year makes as we enter our new building for the first time.  I would like to thank Partek, our builders, for the ‘big push’ to have the classrooms, staff room and atrium area ready for our first day back.

What a difference a year has made at our family shack! The ground was underwater a year ago but thankfully, as our shack is on stilts, it did not reach the building!

When left our shack I started caravanning, first to Sydney for basketball and then to Melbourne where I caught a day of the Australian Open.

The staff returned for three days of professional learning last week, but not before we completed a tour of the new building and the grand opening of the Staff Room. Over the three days we worked on SEQTA, our learning management system and Clarity, our work on building teacher and leader capacity to increase student achievement and growth in an ongoing, sustainable way.

On Monday we welcomed 84 Reception children and their families, many of the children having their first day at school, joined by 463 students from Year 1 to 6.  We also have several new teachers who have joined us, Annette Diassinas (Deputy), Gabby Di Bartolo and and Iliana Toumbas.  In the ESO arena we have Kate Moore, Sally Thompson, Abbey Griffiths, Kelsey Noll, Sarah Balboa, Carla De Virgilio, Lauren Pfotenhauer, Jordan D’Angelo and Will Chandler.

Bell times remain the same as last year and will do so until the builders leave our school site later this term.

As usual, schools are very busy places!   Please take note of the School Calendar for this term as it has a number of School activities, some of them approaching quite quickly, the volunteer induction course is on Tuesday morning at 8.50am in the Stella Maris Building.

We look forward to a successful and productive school year and are eager to work together to provide the best education for our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

MEET THE TEACHER
During Week 2, Monday 5 February to Wednesday 7 February 2024, you have the opportunity to book a 10-minute chat with your child’s teacher(s). The aim of the chat with the teacher is for you to share with the teacher your child’s needs, strengths, interests and future goals.

You will be able to log into PTO and book your interview. The last date to book online is midnight Friday 2 February 2024. Please contact Vivian Andrews on 8115 7412 or email vandrews@star.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.

CARPARKING
We are fortunate to be able to use the Parish carpark in the mornings and afternoons.  In the morning there is a Parish Mass so please vacate the Parish carpark by 9:15am.  There have already been Police cars monitoring the roads around the school and I believe fines have been given out.  With this newsletter you will find an attachment with a full comprehensive explanation of carparking around our school.

Regards
Damian Weeks

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the 2024 school year. I hope your holiday break and Christmas season enabled rest, relaxation and time with family.  I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Annette Diassinas and I am the new Deputy Principal of Star of the Sea.  I am so excited to be part of your school community and look forward to meeting every child and family and building strong partnerships with you to support the learning and wellbeing of your child. If you see me out in the yard, please come and introduce yourselves I would love to get to know you all. 

Prior to joining the Star of the Sea community, I served as the Acting Principal at Immaculate Heart of Mary. My professional journey spans 15 years within Catholic Education, working as a teacher and in school leadership, including 5 years working on the beautiful Yorke Peninsula.

I have always had a passion for working with children and enabling them to flourish and reach their fullest potential. Work life balance is an essential element in all our lives and spending time with my family, husband Sam, two children Mia and James is my greatest joy. I love travelling, keeping active, great tea and a good book or movie.  I am a positive person who has a strong passion for sustainability and caring for our earth and I look forward to bringing my gifts to the wonderful school community of Star of the Sea.

BEGINNING THE SCHOOL YEAR:
As we commence the school year together the first two weeks will be a focus on building relationships, class connection, routines and rhythms and finding out all about your child so teachers can establish a strong foundation for effective learning and positive wellbeing.  

Some reminders for parents and caregivers that will help students develop these routines;

• Wear the uniform with pride. Don’t forget your hat
• Bring a water bottle daily to keep hydrated and a piece of fruit for brain break time
• Healthy, wrapper free food to support our Nude Food initiative
• Label all belongings

For our students beginning their journey of transition to school, whether they are navigating a new school environment or commencing with a new teacher, it's important to understand that the process extends beyond the first day:

• For some children the first week maybe easier than the second or third week
• Be aware of ongoing challenges, children may be facing so you can make it easy for them and talk to your teachers
• Make sure you have plenty of time in the morning, so you all have a relaxed morning before school. You want to avoid mornings full or arguments and hurry. Avoid distractions like T.V.  Time to eat a good breakfast is important.
• Your child’s relationship with you will be more important than ever as they begin this new adventure.
• Parents, families are the safe base from which children can move out to explore the world more independently.
• Your child will want to share with you their new friendships and learning. They will need your understanding comfort and support. We all need to tell people close to us when something goes wrong. Having a safe place to come back to, where people understand and support them gives children the confidence to try new things and the courage to have another go if they don’t first succeed. Children need time to download their day and once expressed they often move on.

NUDE FOOD
This year, we are having a school wide focus on our school waste. As a school, we are making sure that we are using the correct bins, focusing on which bins our waste goes into. We are also looking at different ways that we can reduce our waste across the board. With this in mind, uneaten food will be returned home with your child, as will any lunchbox rubbish that comes with your child to school. We are encouraging a focus on more Nude Food.  As a school community, we thank you for your support in helping us make our school more sustainable.

Have a safe and happy fortnight.
Annette Diassinas

WELCOME TO 2024
It is an honour and privilege to be back in the role of APRIM this year. It was wonderful to see so many students and families back at school on Monday. I am very excited to be able to move into my new office which is located in the admin area of the new building. Feel free to come and say hello as you are passing through.

I look forward to another exciting year ahead and to have the opportunity of working with this wonderful community.

CATHOLIC IDENTITY: YEAR OF INCLUSIVITY
The school value we are focusing on this year is Inclusivity. When we focus on being Inclusive, we are reminded of the uniqueness of everyone as created in the image of God. We welcome all people, regardless of colour, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality. Being Inclusive means treating others as we desire to be treated. Everyone belongs and is welcomed here at Star of the Sea.

LENT
In week 3 we begin our Lenten journey. Lent is the six-week period leading up to Easter. It’s one of the most important times of year for many Christians around the world.

Lent is a time for praying, giving, fasting, or giving something up. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, as a wedding, or birthday, Lent invites us to make our minds and hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ life, death, and body resurrection.

SHROVE TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. All our students will celebrate this day by eating pancakes. A huge thank you to our parent volunteers who are coming to assist with cooking and serving our pancakes. Thank you also to our Year 4 families who will provide all the pancake mixture.

ASH WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY
Our school community will begin the season of Lent by receiving the ashes at our school Liturgy on Ash Wednesday at 11:45 in the Church, everyone is welcome.  Each class and family will receive a project compassion box to take home for the duration of Lent.

This year's Project Compassion theme is “FOR ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS”.

This phrase is a powerful affirmation that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come.  It is also a call for all of us to play our part in making the world a better place by working together as sisters and brothers in finding long-term solutions to global issues.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2024
In the Archdiocese of Adelaide, Sacramental Catechesis occurs within the local parish with the focus on a strong partnership between families, parish and school. We acknowledge that parents are the first and enduring nurturers of faith in their children. The local Catholic community supports parents and families in their role and the parish community welcomes and supports each family as they undertake the sacramental journey within the community.

This journey begins with the decision taken by the family to initiate their child into the faith and life of the Christian community through the sacrament of Baptism. Parents then make the decision for their child to participate in the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Holy Communion based on the readiness of each individual child.

If you feel your child is ready to embark on this journey and you would like them to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Holy Communion in 2024, please contact me at dlaurendi@star.catholic.edu.au

With gratitude

Domenique Laurendi
APRIM

Dear Families,

A warm welcome to you all as we commence the 2024 school year. We especially welcome our new students and their families. We look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks.

The first few weeks of this term are crucial in establishing a positive, safe, and supporting learning environment for the year ahead. A focus in all the classrooms for our educators and students is to foster positive relationships, discuss school and classroom expectations and develop routines and procedures to lay the foundation for a successful year of learning and connecting.  In addition, our ‘meet the teacher’ chats next week will assist our educators in understanding more about your child and fostering a collaborative partnership between school and home.

At Star of the Sea, all classes engage in learning centred around the Zones of Regulation. This curriculum provides an easy way for our students to think and talk about how they feel on the inside and sort these feelings into four coloured Zones, all of which are expected in life. It is important for our young people to build a vocabulary of language that helps them express their specific feelings at any given time. I encourage you to discuss this learning with your child so they can utilise the ‘Zones of Regulation’ language both at home and at school. 

I once read that our brains will first ask, ‘Am I safe?’ followed by ‘Am I loved or noticed by others?’ When the answer to this is ‘yes’ then it will be ready to ask, ‘What can I learn?’ Our children’s social emotional skills and wellbeing are key in establishing positive and successful experiences at school and in life. As educators and parents, we can support this by helping our young people name their emotions, talking through how this is natural and normal and discuss ways to support the regulation of that feeling or reaction.

If your child is experiencing some anxiety or beginning of the year jitters, here are a few conversation prompts that may help you commence a dialogue with them.

• ‘Being nervous doesn’t mean you are not brave. You can be nervous and brave at the same time.’
• ‘When I was a kid, I used to have lots of worries. Have I ever told you about that?’
• ‘There is something about this that doesn’t feel good. I believe you. Let’s work through this together.’
• ‘I see you are having some big feelings. That is why I am right here.’

I look forward to seeing you at our Carnevale parade next Friday at 9:15am on the school oval. It is always a fun event!

Go well,

Kelly Manera
Assistant Principal Learning and Wellbeing

Caryl Ryan Foundation Parent Internet Safety Session

As part of our school’s commitment to guiding children to be responsible digital citizens in Week 3 of this term all children in Years 4, 5 and 6 will participate in an information session provided by the Carly Ryan Foundation.

In addition to the student sessions, The Carly Ryan Foundation, a certified eSafety Education Provider, has developed an hour-long program designed to provide adults caring for children with the most essential and up-to-date information needed to keep their children safe online.

We are calling all adults in our school community to attend this important presentation in the evening that addresses current risks posed to children online, and tips to manage these within your families.

Our children are accessing the world through their internet-connected devices, and that borderless world may not always be a safe one. Child Exploitation is a Global Public Safety Issue and children in Australia are just as susceptible as anywhere else. Research conducted by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) shows that parents are not accurately informed about how predators can access, manipulate, and coerce children online, or how to prevent this.

Our school will be hosting this very important event on Tuesday 13 February at 6:30 pm in the Stella Maris space.

PLEASE NOTE that this event is not appropriate for children.

Please invite Grandparents, friends, Aunties and Uncles. The information shared by the Foundation at this session is relevant to all internet users, especially those in the care of children.

We hope that this event is well represented by adults in our community. To RSVP for this important event please use this link. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/carly-ryan-foundation-parent-information-session-tickets-814552256727?aff=oddtdtcreator