Newsletter Term 1 Week 3

Welcome to Week 3! It has been wonderful to see our students settling into school routines, building strong relationships with their peers, teachers, and ESOs, and engaging in positive learning experiences. We have especially enjoyed getting to know many of our new Star of the Sea students and their families. Thank you all for the warm welcome you have extended to us and for your ongoing support.

We truly appreciate your role in supporting your child’s success by ensuring they arrive at school on time, dressed in the correct uniform, and prepared with healthy snacks and minimal waste lunches.

Important Reminders:

• Student Supervision: Our duty of care for students begins when a teacher is on duty at 8.20AM and concludes at 3.25PM.
• Please ensure that children are not at school before 8.20AM unless they are attending OSHC, and that they are collected promptly by 3.25PM unless they are attending OSHC.

If you would like to get in touch with us at any time, please email principal@star.catholic.edu.au This ensures all correspondence reaches both of us as Co-Principals.

As Co-Principals, we are both at school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, we alternate our days off site, with one of us leading the school each day. This approach ensures strong, consistent leadership is always present to support our students, families, and staff.

WINE AND CHEESE NIGHT PARENT FORUM AND AGM

We are excited to invite all Star of the Sea parents to our Welcome Wine and Cheese Night Parent Forum and AGM. This will be a fantastic opportunity to connect, engage in meaningful discussions, and gain insights into what is planned for the year ahead. It will also be one of multiple forums where you can gather in a friendly and relaxed setting to contribute your ideas and help shape our Strategic Plan for 2025-2028.

WHEN: MONDAY MARCH 17 at 6:30PM IN THE STELLA MARIS BUILDING

Come and enjoy some delicious nibbles and wine while connecting with other families and staff in a social atmosphere.

RSVP: Please complete the MS Forms RSVP by Wednesday 17 March 2025. We look forward to seeing you there!

JOIN OUR SCHOOL BOARD – MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We are looking for passionate and engaged members of our school community to join the School Board in 2025! This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of our school and supporting the education and wellbeing of our students.

Being a member of the School Board is a rewarding experience, offering:
✅ The chance to contribute to key decisions that impact our school
✅ A deeper understanding of how the school operates
✅ The opportunity to collaborate with staff and other community members
✅ A meaningful way to support students and families

What’s involved?
The commitment is only two meetings per term, making it an achievable and fulfilling way to be involved.

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Monday, March 17 where new members will be welcomed. If you are interested in nominating or would like to find out more, please contact principal@star.catholic.edu.au.

We encourage parents, caregivers, and community members to consider joining – your voice matters!

BOOK A CHAT
It has been wonderful to see so many families taking the opportunity to meet their child’s class teacher. Our teachers have found these meetings incredibly valuable for building learner profiles and fostering strong partnerships to support each child’s growth. At Star of the Sea, open communication is vital and always welcomed. Your child’s class teacher should be your first point of contact via email if you have any concerns or celebrations to share.

We also appreciate the positive feedback from parents and staff regarding the use of MS Forms to book these chats. Thank you for providing such valuable information—it truly helps us set every child up for success.

SWIMMING CARNIVAL
What a fantastic event our Years 3–6 Swimming Carnival turned out to be! Students who participated embraced the opportunity to compete with enthusiasm and school spirit. Congratulations to Fitzpatrick who were the overall winners of the day.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Kristen Victory for her dedication and countless hours spent organising this event.  Our students truly appreciate the opportunities that she has created for them. We are also incredibly grateful to the many parent volunteers who supported the event—without you, days like this wouldn’t be possible. We look forward to our next sporting highlight, Sports Day, later this term.

CREATING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS FOR ALL & CHILD PROTECTION CURRICULUM
At Catholic Education South Australia (CESA), the safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority. We are committed to ensuring that every child feels safe, supported, and protected from all forms of abuse, including bullying, harassment, and neglect.

In line with CESA’s commitment to child safety, our school is a mandated child-safe environment, guided by legal policies and procedures that all staff and volunteers must follow. We believe that every child has the right to learn and grow in an environment where they feel secure and valued.

As part of our child protection efforts, our school is required to teach the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC). This curriculum helps students develop the knowledge and skills to recognise, respond to, and report unsafe situations. It is delivered in an age-appropriate way to support children’s understanding of their rights to safety and respect.

The South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS) requires all Catholic schools to implement robust child safety policies and practices, including comprehensive child safety education. To learn more about current child protection policies and resources, please click here to visit the CESA website.

Parents and Friends Committee 2025
We are excited to introduce our new Parents & Friends (P&F) Team for 2025!
The members include: Jade Pounendis, Belinda Bird, Marina D’Cruz, Emma Russo, Jemma O’Leary, Anna Wilson, Krystal Rossetto, Cassandra Altamura, Candice Deutrom, Gabrielle Cowie and Daniella Nankervis. 

They’ve been busy planning a range of fantastic events throughout the year, kicking off with our upcoming Family Fun Day. This special event will be held at Star of the Sea on our oval, from 11 AM to 2PM on Sunday 2 March. Join us for an afternoon filled with fun, including free games and activities for the kids, along with a complimentary sausage sizzle. It is the perfect chance to connect with our school community, enjoy quality family time, and meet the P&F Team. We’d love to see you there!

2025 TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION STAFF
Please find below our 2025 Staff List.

We wish you a wonderful weekend ahead with your family.

Go well,

Annette Diassinas and Kelly Manera
Co-Principals

Preparing for NAPLAN 2025
As we begin the new school year, our students in Years 3 and 5 are preparing for the upcoming NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) assessments. These assessments, scheduled for March, provide valuable insights into students’ literacy and numeracy skills, helping to inform our teaching and learning practices at a whole-school and individual level.

NAPLAN results support teachers in identifying strengths and areas for improvement, allowing us to tailor instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of our students. Alongside other school-based assessment data, NAPLAN contributes to a well-rounded understanding of student progress and helps guide future curriculum planning.

We acknowledge that NAPLAN is just one measure of student achievement, and we encourage all students to approach the assessments with a positive mindset. Our focus is on growth and learning, and we support students in building their confidence and skills leading up to the tests.

Exemptions and Withdrawals

While participation in NAPLAN is encouraged, parents and caregivers who wish to apply for an exemption or withdraw their child from the assessments are welcome to contact the school leadership team. This process must be completed before the testing period, and we are happy to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

The National Assessment Program (NAP) site has demonstration assessments available for students to become more aware of the assessment conditions prior to the administration period, https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site

If you would like further information regarding NAPLAN or the exemption and withdrawal process, please do not hesitate to reach out to the school office.

Supporting Student Learning Through a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

At our school, we are committed to providing all students with the support they need to succeed in their learning journey. We implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to ensure that every child receives the appropriate level of instruction and intervention based on their individual needs.

Tier 1: High-Quality Classroom Instruction

Our foundation for student learning begins with high-quality Tier 1 classroom teaching. In literacy, we use Playberry Laser, an explicit instruction approach that ensures all students engage with structured, systematic, and evidence-based literacy learning. This method supports the development of strong foundational skills in reading and writing for all students.

Tier 2 and Tier 3: Targeted Support and Intervention

For students who require additional support, we provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention groups. These small-group sessions focus on tailored and explicit learning points designed to help students develop confidence and experience success. By providing structured and intensive support, we ensure that every child has the opportunity to progress at their own pace and reach their full potential.

All parents whose children participate in the intervention programs are consulted regarding their child’s inclusion. Students do not remain in these groups permanently as these are formed on whole-school data sets and monitored closely for students to return to Tier 1 classroom instruction when adequately prepared.

This model will also be applied to student wellbeing programs throughout the year.

If you have any questions about how our MTSS framework supports student learning or if you would like to discuss your child's specific learning needs, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Clune, Literacy Intervention Key Teacher, or Nick Ryan, Assistant Principal Learning and Wellbeing.

Providing opportunities for all students to experience success
We are excited to announce the launch of our newly developed Enrichment Program! This initiative is designed to extend students who have demonstrated competence in their year-level curriculum and provide them with opportunities to further enrich their learning.

Students in the program will engage in the Design Thinking Model, a problem-solving approach that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and innovation. Through hands-on, inquiry-based learning, students will explore real-world challenges, collaborate with peers, and develop solutions using a structured design process.

In addition to the in-class enrichment activities, students will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and competencies through various external programs and competitions. These experiences will allow students to extend their learning beyond the classroom and gain valuable insights into different fields of interest.

We look forward to seeing our students thrive in this enriching learning environment and celebrate their successes along the way. Students who have been selected for participation in this program in Semester 1 will receive a letter within the next few weeks seeking permission for participation in the program.

Kind regards
Nick Ryan, Assistant Principal Learning and Wellbeing.

Today we came together as a school community to celebrate our first Whole School Mass for 2025. Our theme was ‘Walking Together in Hope’. It was a beautiful celebration and a wonderful way to begin our school year together.

Our student leaders, House Captains, Justice Leaders and SRC reps were all presented with their badges which were blessed by Father. Our staff were also commissioned into our community in recognition of the wonderful work they do every day.

Congratulations to all these students on their important leadership roles in our school.

Student Representative Council
What is the Student Representative Council (SRC)?

The Student Council is a student-based group designed to help promote school spirit, student voice and leadership among students. 

Students participating in the Student Council maintain a high standard of personal conduct, which reflect our values and school motto. 

Student council meetings will be facilitated by Domenique Laurendi and Nick Ryan.

Congratulations to the following students.

Justice Leaders
This year we had a large number of students apply to be a Justice Leader. I was overwhelmed with the amazing passion and dedication these students have shown towards Social Justice and wanting to make our school a better place for all.

I am very excited to work with these wonderful students this year.

With Gratitude,
Dominque Laurendi APRIM