Newsletter Term 1 Week 5

Dear Families

Well, the school is almost in full operational mode as all nine curriculum areas gear up.  Although, it is worth giving a reminder that students alternate a half year of learning in Italian and Art, doing only one of these each semester.

The first two weeks of school are totally devoted to wellbeing and during this time we do not allow any educational testing (except for just one 10 minute test for our Reception classes).  So, a feature of the last two weeks has been some testing in all classes and teachers have been busy looking at the data and adjusting curriculum programs accordingly.

Many families have taken the opportunity to “meet the teacher” and share information about their child.  Personalised Plans for Learning (PPL’s), that were developed last year, were a small point of discussion, as we now begin revising these for the new year.  PPL’s are the formal way of planning and tracking the learning of those students progressing more slowly than we would expect, and a way of continually communicating with families about the plans we have for learning.

There will be another formal opportunity to meet with teachers early next term for Parent/Teacher interviews.  This is a very important opportunity for discussion where teachers will report on progress, especially if there are any difficulties arising.  It will also be an opportunity to share the update PPL for any children that have one.

SCHOOL REPORTS – CHANGES ON THE HORIZON

As you would be aware there are two formal School Reports, mid and end of year.  Catholic Education SA has adopted a SEQTA as a Learning Management System and this year the “School Report” module is being rolled out.  This means that the report we have used in previous years will change to the reporting system being used within SEQTA and it is quite different from what we have previously had.  If you have a child at St Michael’s you may be familiar with the SEQTA system, however for the Primary School level, SEQTA is slowly being rolled out a little at a time.

BUILDING

Our project is on time and on cost, as at the end of January.  There has been a period of inactivity since the building was knocked down, as we awaited development approvals (this was part of the timeline of our project).  This week brought groundwork progress and a first, small pour of concrete is expected soon.  In the background we have been working hard meeting to finalise the interior of the building, you may have seen the fantastic fly-thru of the building that was placed on Facebook.

APRIM

With last year’s retirement of Stella Foley as our Assistant Principal, Religious Identity and Mission, you would know that we have Sheena Pattinson and Domenique Laurendi working part-time in this area this term.  We have advertised this position and expect to make an appointment, so that the new person will start in term 2.

MAINTENANCE

Over the Christmas holidays there were a number of projects that received attention.  The most obvious is the oval, where about a third of the turf was replaced.  This was done in readiness for this year as we do not have access to the green courts due to the building.

New carpet has been laid on the first level of the convent. The new admin offices were built in the library and staff room relocated.  The canteen has had a redevelopment where the staff room cupboards were relocated here.

Other minor jobs have included:

• Lift maintenance.
• Electrical lighting fit out
• Data and PA system works
• New temp fencing school access
• Air con and filter maintenance

UNIFORMS

The Education Committee proposed two options for our girl’s summer uniform and boys shirts to the School Board.  There are some ongoing issues that require further clarification from our supplier and we will share more information in our next newsletter.

Damian Weeks
Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome to Week 5.

This week I had the privilege to listen to two very inspiring speakers, Lorin Nicholson and Hannah Smith at an Inclusive Education Network Day. Both openly and honestly shared their accomplishments, challenges and views around inclusion and our collective understanding of disability in our society.

Lorin Nicholson, at age four was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa RP with only 10% sight. Despite the enormous challenges of blindness growing up and the low expectations of many, his inner strength and determination was inspiration and he has gone on to achieve extraordinary accomplishments throughout his life including but not limited to; being an award winning musician, author, health practitioner, key note speaker and record breaking cyclist (with his brother, the first blind persons to ride over 4100km across Australia from Perth to Sydney). Key take aways for his presentation included the importance of developing a culture of inclusion, in our schools, in our families and in our community. He shared that one of the biggest challenges for him still to this day is the impact of how others see and treat him and how that is internally manifested. Those that didn’t see his blindness as a disability ended up being his biggest influences. His dad, who asked him to jump on a ride on mower as a teenage and mow the vast property he lived on. You can only guess how that went but week after week, he asked him to fulfil his chore and thus growing an independence that has held him in good stead as an adult. The other was a Maths teacher that went out of his way to make accommodations with the learning tasks so that he wasn’t singled out nor excluded from accessing curriculum at the time. Lorin’s final statement, “the greatest mountain you will ever climb in life is the mountain inside yourself” was an important and timely reminder for us all, regardless of the challenge we may be facing at any given time.

The second presenter was Hannah Smith, a secondary teacher in Brisbane who was diagnosed with autism at 21 years of age. She strongly advocates for empowering all students with ASD and has published a book titled, ‘Girls, Autism Identities and Education’. Hannah shared some personal challenges of bullying from peers, misunderstanding from educators and always feeling different during her schooling years. She stressed that autistic voices in education, politics and beyond need to be listened to and the burden of expecting those with ASD to conform to a world ‘designed for the neurotypical brain’ is always going to be problematic. She presented lots of helpful and empowering strategies that schools can utilise from her perspective of experiencing school as a student and now working in them as an educator with autism. Her concluding statement around ‘existing in a world that wasn’t designed for me’ was a powerful reminder for all those in the room.

The importance of inclusion and acceptance of learner diversity is a core belief for us at Star of the Sea and Catholic Education SA. We pride ourselves by not just knowing our students by name, but who they are by heart. We aim to work in partnership with families to educate and nurture the whole person, helping them become thriving individuals throughout their schooling years and beyond.

CARITAS PROJECT COMPASSION LAUNCH

Last Tuesday four of our Year 6 students travelled to Mercedes College, for the 2023 Caritas Project Compassion Launch Liturgy. Student leader representatives from 7 other Catholic schools were there also. Star of the Sea students were involved in the Entrance Procession, as well as the Prayers of Intercession.

During the Liturgy, Archbishop Fr O’Regan delivered a homily focussed on Lent and explained the importance of this time, in the lead up to Easter, as a time of praying, fasting and giving. He said that Project Compassion provided a “focus beyond ourselves” and urged the faithful to extend this focus past the six weeks of Lent.

After the Liturgy concluded, Premier Peter Malinauskas spoke of how Australians pride themselves on “looking after others more than we just look after ourselves” and “that is what is at the heart of our mission as Christians, as Catholics,”. He finished by saying “Not everyone around the world gets the opportunities that we get here in this beautiful country that we call home…Project Compassion gives us the opportunity to take all the fortune we have as Australians and South Australians and hopefully spread a little bit overseas.”

Our students were fortunate enough to meet with, and speak to Archbishop Fr. O’Regan, Premier Peter Malinauskas and Catholic Education SA director Dr. Neil McGoran at the conclusion of the Liturgy.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Last Wednesday, on Ash Wednesday, our school community came together to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. Our Year 3 to 6 students participated in a Mass at the Church led by Father Manu.  Our Reception to Year 2 students participated in a Liturgy in the Stella Maris Room. During both of these gatherings, we were all reminded to ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel’ as ashes were placed in the sign of a cross on our foreheads.  Both gatherings were a reverent way to begin our Lenten Journey.

PROJECT COMPASSION

During the Ash Wednesday Mass, Fr Manu blessed bags containing Project Compassion boxes for each class. The eldest child in each family should have brought one home last week. During Lent we are encouraged to put loose change into the Project Compassion boxes to help raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.

This year’s Project Compassion has a theme of “For All Future Generations.” This message invites us to step up for those who do not have the essential resources they need for their survival and those whose needs are far beyond ours. By putting compassion into action, we can make a difference today, For All Future Generations.

Jesus did more for people every time he saw a need, often surprising those around him by some of the amazing things that he did; healing the sick and being a friend to people he knew were excluded or lonely. Jesus said: “I am the Light of the World.” Jesus helped people every day. This Lent we are encouraged to try to be MORE, by being more kind, being more friendly and being more careful of looking after our world.

With Gratitude,

Domenique Laurendi
Sheena Pattinson

Acting RECs

2023 School Fee statements were sent home to all families last week.  This statement is the total of tuition fees for the 2023 school year.

Unless there is a payment plan or regular deduction authority in place payment of a minimum of one third of the total account is payable by Thursday 6^th April 2023.

The tuition fee above covers all tuition, levies and charges for each child’s education.

Extracurricular activities such as after school sport, choir, camps, and uniforms are excluded and will be charged separately.

Sibling Discounts are available for families with more than one student attending our school.

Full Fee 

Lower Income Fee

To be eligible for the lower income fee, you need to qualify as a low income family. This is determined by your family’s gross income and is a $ value set by the State Government.

Proof of income is required, and applicants will need to apply via the State Government’s School Card scheme.  Application forms are available online at https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/financial-help-scholarships-and-grants/school-card-scheme or from the Front Office.

Our Finance Manager can help you if you have any questions about applying for the lower income fee. 

Lower Income Fee 

Payment  Methods 

Payments can be made in full, in three instalments in Terms 1,2 and 3 or by an approved payment plan. 

We encourage all families to set up weekly, fortnightly or monthly direct debit payments

Payment options include:

• Cash or Eftpos – through the Front Office
• Direct Debit – deductions from your bank account (forms available on the school website).
• Credit Card – regular deduction from Visa or Mastercard (forms available from the Front Office).
• BPay – reference numbers are printed on invoices and statements.
• Qkr! – by downloading the app

Please email Karyn Burlow at accounts@star.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions regarding your school fees.