St Raphael's School newsletter September 19

As we approach the end of the term, it’s time to farewell one of our most cherished staff members, Tanya Stott. Tanya has been a genuine blessing to our school, with her warm heart and deep understanding of children shining through in all that she does. Her unwavering commitment to honouring student voice has been a guiding force, especially in how we approach our liturgies and Masses. Tanya ensured that our students were always central to our celebrations, and her legacy will continue to inspire us in this mission.

We will miss Tanya dearly, but we are excited for her as she embarks on a well-deserved family holiday to Germany. There, she will reconnect with family and friends, and we wish her all the joy and relaxation this trip promises. Tanya, thank you for your dedication, kindness, and the love you’ve poured into our community. St Raphael’s won’t be the same without you, but we look forward to hearing all about your adventures when you return!

At the same time, we are delighted to welcome Linda Lowe, who will be joining us in Term 4. Linda brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and she too is passionate about ensuring student voice is heard in all aspects of school life. We are excited to see the positive impact she will have as she joins our community, and we know she will fit right in with the caring and supportive spirit of St Raphael’s.

I am thrilled to announce that Anthony Sicari has been officially appointed as our Substantative Assistant Principal. This is a well-deserved recognition of Anthony’s hard work, passion for learning, and his deep commitment to the students and families of St Raphael’s. Over the years, Anthony has proven to be an incredible asset to our community, and we are excited to see him continue in this leadership role. With his dedication to fostering a love of learning and his genuine care for each and every student, Anthony is the perfect companion to help lead St Raphael’s into its next chapter. His enthusiasm, combined with a strong focus on supporting our families, ensures that we will continue to grow and thrive as a school community.

Congratulations, Anthony! We look forward to the positive impact you will continue to make in this new role and know that with you as part of the leadership team, the future of St Raphael’s is bright.

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce the permanent appointments of six remarkable staff members: Tia Della Pace, Meeiying Lee, Janelle Scrivener, Katrina Tucker, Verity Arthur and Amy Pellegrini. Each of them has already made such a strong and positive contribution to our school, and we are so pleased to welcome them into the St Raphael’s family in a permanent capacity. Their dedication, energy, and love for our students are evident in everything they do, and we are incredibly fortunate to have them with us.

This is a time of both farewells and new beginnings, and it’s a reminder of the vibrant and evolving nature of our school community. We are grateful for the staff who have shaped us, excited for those who are joining us, and proud of the journey we are all on together.

At St Raphael’s, we are always striving to provide the best experience for our students and families, and one of the key areas we’d love your input on is our canteen service. Whether your child regularly enjoys lunch from the canteen or just an occasional treat, your feedback is invaluable to us as we work to ensure it meets the needs of our community.

We’re keen to hear your thoughts on the menu options, quality of food, pricing, and overall service. Are there certain meals your children love, or perhaps something you’d like to see offered more often? Your suggestions and ideas will help us make improvements and ensure the canteen continues to serve our students in the best way possible. We encourage you to take a few minutes to share your feedback, as it will directly influence the choices and improvements we make.

Thank you in advance for your input! Together, we can ensure the canteen remains a valuable and enjoyable service for our students. https://forms.office.com/r/VqCxQSyzNd

Dear families and friends,

Mercy Week – Week 10

In Week 10, we are really looking forward to celebrating our rich Mercy Heritage!  Our school was established 135 years ago in 1889 by the Sisters of Mercy and we are still going strong!

Each day during this week, classes will spend time learning about and reflecting on what this means to us today.  

There are also a couple of whole school events planned. The first of these is our Mercy Day Stalls, which are occurring between Recess and Lunch on Monday September 23rd.  This event is being coordinated by our senior Yr.5/6 classes who are preparing a range of stalls and experiences and this year, each class has also been invited to contribute a stall.  Some of these may require some family support and if this is the case, class teachers will reach out to and inform caregivers.  Money raised from the stalls will be shared between the 2024 Catholic Charities Appeal and the Sisters of Mercy Charity known as Mercy Works.  Families will all have received a Catholic Charities Appeal pamphlet – on it you can find details if you would like to donate directly to this appeal.

On Friday September 27, our whole school will be heading to the Monastery for the day, beginning with Mass at 9.45am and returning to school shortly before the end of the day.  All families will have received a note with full details of this event.  Please ensure that you have read it and returned the permission and medical information section to the class teacher.

ReLAT – Religious Literacy Assessment for Yr. 4 students

Each year, Yr. 4 students in Catholic Schools are required to do an online assessment of their Religious Literacy.  This is not an assessment of faith, but of the knowledge and skills taught through the Crossways Religious Education Curriculum.  Our Yr.4’s completed this assessment last Tuesday September10.  Later in the year we will receive their results which are passed onto families.  These also inform our future planning for Religious Education.

Term 4 APRIM

Next term, we welcome Linda Low to St Raphael’s in the APRIM role as I head off with family on a long planned holiday.  Linda and I met recently for handover and she is greatly looking forward to meeting you all!

Farewell

Finally, I thank you all for having welcomed me so warmly into your community and I sincerely cherish the time I have spent among you.  St Raphael’s is a very, very special place and a part of it is in my heart and will remain there!

I will leave you with a blessing from my heart to you all…

Loving God,

We ask your blessing on each of us.

May we continue to support St. Raphael’s to strengthen and grow, generously adding our unique threads and encouraging all to do the same.

May this precious tapestry be welcoming and nurturing of all, animate the wisdom of our faith, contribute to a hope filled future, harmonious relationships and educational excellence and endure to inspire with its beauty and relevance.

We ask this through Jesus Your Son, Amen.

Blessings to you all,

Tanya

Dear St Raphael's School Families,

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming "Reading Revolution" program, featuring two exciting events designed to celebrate and promote literacy in our school community. We invite you to join us in fostering a love for reading and highlighting the importance of literacy in our children's lives.

Read-a-thon: November 4-8

We encourage all St Raphael's students to participate in our school-wide read-a-thon from November 4-8. During this week, students will be challenged to read as many books as possible, either independently or with others.

To get involved:

• Look out for SeeSaw guidance from your child's teacher
• Keep a tally of books read so they can be marked on the classroom chart each day
• Generally encourage reading at home and school

Special book prizes will be awarded to top readers in each class. Let's make this a fun and engaging way to boost our reading habits!

Expert Panel: Literacy - The Foundation of Success

• Date: Monday, November 4th
• Time: 6:15 PM
• Venue: St Raphael's School Hall

Join us for an insightful evening as Principal Emma Fowler hosts a panel of literacy experts including: 

• Representatives from Raising Literacy SA
• Unley Library specialists
• Local children's authors: Andrew Joyner, Tania Ingram and Mandy Foot

This event will explore:

• The crucial role of reading in children's development
• How reading fosters brain development and neural connections
• Practical strategies for families to support literacy at home

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and tools to support your child's reading journey.

We look forward to your enthusiastic participation in both the read-a-thon and expert panel session. Together, let's ignite a passion for reading that will last a lifetime!

To RSVP for the panel and see who the speakers are please click here. Children are welcome to the expert panel event. For any questions please contact Katrina on ktucker@raph.catholic.edu.au

Happy reading!

Term 4 Save the Date:

Christmas Concert

• What: A festive performance featuring each year level presenting a unique performance, along with an assortment of sideshow performances and some surprise acts!
• Date: Friday evening, 15 November -- Week 5
• Venue: St. Raph’s Theatre/School Hall

Celebrating the Arts Evening

• What: R-6 Instrumental Tuition Concert (Piano, Guitar, and Drums) and Year 4-6 Drama Club performance 'The Constellation Show', written by Maria Arias Contreras (Year 5/6H)
• Date: Thursday evening, 21 November -- Week 6
• Venue: St. Raph’s Theatre/School Hall

Please mark your calendars for these exciting events! We look forward to seeing you there!

Celebrations:

Our school community recently had the pleasure of witnessing four of our incredible Choir students—Mila, Maria, Leo, and Senul perform the song ‘Puttin' On The Ritz’ at our Community Fair on Sunday 8 September.

A special thank you goes out to our talented students and their supportive families for their time and commitment. 

As you can see from the photo, audience members were transported back to the roaring 1920’s!  

End of Term 3 Reminders:

Catholic Schools Music Festival Performance

• Date: Tuesday, 24 September
• Time: Show commences at 7:30 PM
• Venue: Adelaide Festival Centre
• Tickets: Available for purchase through Ticketek ($41 per person)

Over the last three terms, our Year 5 and 6 Choir Ensemble students have been diligently preparing to perform ten soulful songs at this year’s Catholic Schools Music Festival.

We warmly invite all families to attend and strongly encourage Year 4 students who are considering joining the Year 5/6 Choir Ensemble in 2025 to come and see what it's all about while supporting our talented performers.

Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing our students' artistic talents. Your encouragement helps them shine!

As we look ahead, we are excited about the upcoming events and the opportunities they provide for our students to showcase their talents. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to celebrating together.

Warm Regards,
Mandy Flynn
Performing Arts Teacher and Coordinator

We are excited to announce that Sports Day 2024 is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for Friday, October 18, as we gather at the wonderful Walford Parks Playing Fields for a thrilling day of athletic competition.

We warmly invite all our school families, friends, and relatives to join us for the festivities, which will kick off at 1pm. This year’s Sports Day promises to be an exhilarating event, featuring a variety of activities suitable for all skill levels—think of it as a mini-Olympics packed into one afternoon!

In a new twist, we will be celebrating at Walford, and we encourage everyone to stay after the events conclude. Enjoy delicious offerings from our food trucks and continue the celebration until 5pm.

Come out and support our students as they showcase their talents and sportsmanship. We look forward to seeing you there!

• Friday October 18
• 1pm - 5pm
• Walford Parks Playing Fields
• Cnr of Cross Rd and Belair Rd - parking in surrounding streets please be sure to check the signs.

We are delighted to offer an after school coding opportunity in Term 4 for all our Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students. You can book your child in via www.codecamp.com.au/straph

Get in quick as spaces are limited.

Madhavi Parker of Positive Minds Australia recently delivered our parental educative session on managing behavior at home. For those who couldn't attend, here's a summary of key takeaways and the slideshow Madhavi put together for the session:

Shifting Perspectives

Madhavi emphasised the importance of adapting parental approaches rather than solely focusing on changing children's behavior. This shift in perspective can lead to positive changes in the home environment.

Framework for Discipline

A comprehensive framework was provided to address common challenges and offer practical solutions tailored to each family's unique needs. The goal is not just to modify children's behavior but to empower parents with new tools and perspectives.

Key Insights

Overwhelm and Teaching

• When a child is overwhelmed, it's not the time to teach
• Avoid adding your alarm to their alarm
• Parents should be comfortable with their children's discomfort

Problem-Solving

• Allow children to work out their own solutions sometimes
• Don't fix all their problems for them

Relationships and Connection

• Focus on building strong relationships
• Understand that what adults see as minor events can be significant to children

Positive Storytelling

• Share good stories and positive encounters from your day with your children

Empowering Decision-Making

• Encourage children to make decisions by saying, "That sounds so disappointing, what are you going to do about it?"

Dealing with Disappointment

• Teach children that it's normal to want things they can't have
• Allow them to experience their feelings, but don't let them dwell on negativity

Teachable Moments

• Have conversations and teachable moments outside of overwhelmed states
• When a child is overwhelmed, focus solely on calming them

Compassion and Empathy

• Always approach situations with compassion and empathy - to your child and yourself

Event Information

This session explored how parents can adapt their approaches to create positive change at home. The goal was to empower parents with new tools and perspectives to create a more harmonious home environment.

By implementing these strategies, parents can work towards creating a more positive and supportive atmosphere at home, fostering better relationships and more effective behavior management.

We sincerely hope that this session provided a positive outcome to those who attended and for everyone else - we hope that the above notes provide the same.

Dear School Families,

We are excited to announce that our Annual School Photos Day will take place on Friday, September 20. We want all our students to look bright and smart for their photos, and we kindly ask for your support in helping them achieve this.

Dress Code Expectations

To ensure that our students present themselves in the best possible light, we ask that they adhere to the following guidelines:

Neat and Tidy Appearance:

Please ensure that students are well-groomed and presentable.
Students are to wear their full PE uniform or their New school uniform.
Year 6 are to wear their Year 6 jumpers please.

This includes avoiding non-uniform items such as:

• Crazy hair clips
• Casual weekend jumpers.
• Socks in colors other than those specified in our uniform policy

Upholding Our Standards Every Day

We believe that maintaining a neat and uniform appearance fosters a sense of pride in our school community. We encourage our students to uphold these standards not just on Photo Day, but every day. By wearing their school uniform with pride, students contribute to a positive school environment and a sense of belonging.

Support for Families

We understand that there may be circumstances where families need assistance in meeting these expectations. If you are facing challenges in ensuring your child adheres to the uniform policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for support. We are here to help!

Thank you for your cooperation and support in making our school a place of pride and excellence. We look forward to seeing all our students looking their best on Photo Day!