Newsletter Term 2 Week 8

Dear Families,

It was delightful to hold our first parent meetings over the last couple of weeks.  With the change in Covid restrictions meetings are no allowed.  So far, we have held a welcoming morning tea with for Reception and Year 1 parents.  We have also held an Early Years Literacy meeting for those that were interested.  Next term we will hold a meeting during the evening to unpack our Literacy practices for those that are interested.

VOLUNTEER INDUCTION

Next term, we will also be running meetings for those wishing to become volunteers or renew their volunteer credentials. We will be holding a Volunteer Induction meeting on Thursday 28 July in the Stella Maris room from 8:50am.

 Volunteering in Catholic Schools is a four step process:

1. Obtaining a Working with Children Check (WWCC)
2. Attending an induction
3. Completing a RAN course
4. Showing proof of vaccination (in most cases that is two jabs)

ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Narelle concludes her time with us at the end of term. Narelle has had another very successful time at our school. A highlight, is how she has kept our staffing on track through Covid and illness. This has meant rearranging timetables daily, which is very time consuming. These timetables are usually only done once a term!

I thank Narelle for the way she has led this work and other areas during her time with us.

Matt Perry will be returning next term, after completing his Acting Principal role at Christ the King School (and a couple of weeks LSL).

MID-YEAR RECEPTION TEACHERS

I am pleased to announce that we have contracted two part-time teachers, Skye Llewellyn and Abbey Hinge, for this class.  These would be very familiar names for those who have been in our community for some time.

LITTLE STARS

As one group of students move from this program into our mid-year class, another group of students begin next term. This will be the group of students that will make up some of our 2023 Reception intake. We will be running two sessions on Wednesdays, to cater for the large number of students. So far, we have a total of 35 students attending.

PUPIL FREE DAY

Day one of term 3 is Monday July 25th and this will be a Pupil Free Day. Staff will be involved in a faith development day that is being planned by Jhovana Fenu and Stella Foley.

LONG SERVICE LEAVE

In the last two weeks of this term, I will be taking LSL. Narelle will be assisted by Stella Foley and Jhovana Fenu during this time. They will also be assisted by our Leaders of Learning, one of which will be released from class towards the end of each week.

SCHOOL VISITS

Following the very successful visit of Sally Egan, Deputy Chair of the National Catholic Education Commission, we have been asked to host a further visit. Bhakti Shah is one of NCEC’s Data Analysist, and Sally has suggested Bhakti visit Star of the Sea to see the impressive results the school has achieved. Bhakti will visit next term.

We will also be hosting another visit of educators coming to see our literacy program in action. The visitors will come from a variety of schools, but it will include our first teachers from the State system!

SCHOOL REPORTS

Teachers are concluding their work on reports, which are being proof-read this week,
printed next week and sent home on Monday July 4^th.

SURVEY CLOSING
As you know, we are in the final stage of preparing our School Strategic Plan.  Our community have been asked to contribute to our prioritising survey and this survey will close on July 1^st. 

If you have not had a chance to contribute yet here is the link to the survey…

Regards
Damian Weeks

As we approach the end of the Semester 1 assessment cycle in our Star of the Sea learning community, there is so much ‘good news’ to reflect on!

Co-constructed Learning

In week 6 our students completed the ‘Pulse Check In’ surveys. These are a Catholic Education initiative, designed to capture qualitative data regarding the metaphorical ‘pulse’ of our learners. The once a term survey promotes learner agency, giving students a voice and choice in helping to shape their learning. The children’s answers are reviewed by the school leadership team and classroom teachers, providing insights into how students feel they are going with their learning, their experience of the classroom and their level of connectedness in the community. Upon review of the student data, one of the big take-aways for many of our staff this term, was to provide increased opportunities for learners to be able to identify survey concepts in the everyday happenings of their classroom. For instance, ‘co-constructed student learning’ is embedded within every lesson plan and curriculum unit, however, not always readily identified by learners. Professional dialogue amongst our staff has led to subtle changes in the way classroom teachers present and set up learning tasks for children so that they can see and feel when they are involved in ‘co-construction’ of learning. When an educator seeks the opinions of students regarding the days’ schedule, they are essentially providing opportunities for co-constructed learning. When a learner has choice within a learning task, they are provided with opportunities for shaping their learning experience and are therefore co-constructing the learning. Our students identified these many wonderful ways in which opportunities for co-construction of learning happens at Star of the Sea School:

Connectedness in our Community

Collaboration and co-constructed learning don’t only happen with our young people but also in partnership with our families! Educators have been working closely with families to finalise Personal Plans for Learning recently. These are a co-constructed plan for connecting all learners with the curriculum. In recognizing families as the first educators of their children and teachers as the experts in curriculum delivery and classroom practice, the collaborative process is important and cannot be rushed. We offer sincere thanks to all families for their involvement and patience in this process as our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure each plan for learning is personalized, practical and purposeful.

Welcome Mornings and Literacy Information for Families

In weeks 5, 6 and 7 we were delighted to welcome the Reception and Year 1 families into Star of the Sea School for morning tea. The official ‘Welcome to the Start of School’ milestone for our Reception Families was celebrated a full term and a half after their children commenced school and for the Year 1 families, a whole 5 and half terms after their children commenced school! Whilst covid has caused delay to us hosting these community events, it has not interfered with our commitment and vision for thriving learners. Welcoming families into the classroom for the Mid-Year Reception Transition Days has been beneficial in preparing our newest members of the community for connection and successful learning engagement. Our Literacy Information morning for families was so well received, we have decided to offer another session next term!

Learning has no finish line!

Teachers are currently wrapping up assessment cycles in preparation for the writing of student reports. Whilst reporting on student learning in this formal sense is important, it is also important to recognize the many informal ways that learners receive feedback from educators throughout the assessment cycles. Teachers carry out many wide and varied forms of assessment for learning, of learning and as learning and students receive qualitative, real-time feedback on their learning, daily. Assessment for learning involves active approaches by teachers to establish prior knowledge of learners and therefore the various learning entry points into the curriculum. Assessment of learning involves a measure of progress within a particular time frame. For example, how much information did a learner acquire or how well does the learner apply their new knowledge in various settings? Assessment as learning means that the assessment task is essentially the medium for learning to occur. Assessment in these conditions is time bound and as with the ‘learners as popcorn’ analogy, not all learners ‘pop’ within the same time frames. Learning really does not have a finish line. It does not end once the assessment item finishes or once a teacher report is written and the winner is not always the one to cross the metaphorical finish line first. Therefore, it is important to remember that Student Reports can be likened to Student School Photographs; they capture a learner at a precise moment in time. They reflect student growth and development across a period and are not a predictor of future progress or learner success in the future. By ensuring students love learning and see it as a life-long pursuit means that we are ‘future-proofing’ them!  Reports will come home with all learners on Monday 4 July, 2022.

"How to make fairy bread"

"Year 4 Geography Test"

"Year 1 Money task to establish prior knowledge"

Narelle Sandercock
Acting Deputy Principal
 

Next Friday 24 June we celebrate Pentecost, the birth of the Church and the lead up to the Feast of the Sacred Heart! As an outward sign of this significant moment in time, our learners are invited to clothe themselves in red. The red clothes represent all learners and all community members being alight with the red-hot flame of the Holy Spirit; “Be who God intended you to be and you will set the world on fire” are the words of Saint Catherine of Sienna and of course she meant this in the metaphorical sense, setting the world ablaze with the good news of who we are and how we each contribute to making the world a better place!

It was with shock, disbelief and then sadness that we learnt that our wonderful MSC priests will be withdrawing from our parish at the end of the year.  The Provincial, Fr Chis McPhee, came and spoke to us regarding this. It became apparent that the reality of an ageing clergy is one of the key challenges facing the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart order. We have been truly blessed to have had such caring and vibrant ministers, who have been, to us, the heart of Jesus since 1914.

Archbishop O'Reagan will appoint a new parish priest to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish.

This term some classes have been able to attend the 9:15am Parish Mass with Father Peter.

The children are actively involved by following the Mass booklet and participating in Prayer.

Upcoming Masses/Liturgies

Monday 20 June: 9:15am Year 5T and 5P

Monday 20 June: Reception Liturgy

Tuesday 21 June: Year 2’s visiting the Church to learn about the Rosary

Wednesday 29 June: Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus whole school Mass

Monday 4 July: Year 1 Liturgy 11:45am

Congratulations to all students who took part in the SAPSASA Metro Cross Country Day particularly Grace B who won Silver for her age group.   

Currently on Skoolbag App and QKR! Is:-

SACPSSA Year 3 – 6 Cross Country Carnival closing Friday 1 July, 2022.
After School Year 2 – 6 Netball & Basketball closing Tuesday, 28 June.
After School Year 3 – 6 Futsal closing Tuesday, 28 June.

If your child/ren are interested in taking part in any of the above please register through QKR! prior to the closing dates.

SACPSSA Netball Carnival is Wednesday of Week 10.  Students must be at school no later than 8.30am on the courts in front of the sports shed. 

If your child has been signed up for the Cross Country Carnival they will need to be attending beach running on a Wednesday morning at 8am. 

A reminder to all families that all sporting information will come out through the Skoolbag app, if you do not have this app please feel free to see the office staff for support. 

All registrations are made through QKR.  If you do not have this app once again the office staff are a great resource.  Once you have registered using QKR please ensure that the registration has gone through by checking the receipts section in the app.  If you do not have a receipt, then it hasn’t gone through. 

Kristen Victory
Sports Coordinator / Teacher