Newsletter 1 2021

Dear Parents/Caregivers, Students, Staff, and Friends of St Raphael’s School,

Welcome to the new 2021 school year. We especially welcome all our new families who have joined our school community. Isla B, Henry F, Samuel F, Gabriella G, Mackenzie H, William H, Audrey S, Nathanael F, Matthew G, Evan Z, Leo B, Nathan F and Elaine G.

We also welcome our new staff members, Mrs Kelly Manera, Assistant to the Principal, Religious Identity and Mission, Ms Deborah Hansen, Numeracy/STEM Coach and Leader, Miss Sarah Edson, Year 4 Teacher and Mrs Elizabeth Bello, Year 1 Teacher. We wish these teachers well as they work in and amongst our community, making a positive impact on your child’s learning and wellbeing. We also welcome back Mr Pontecorvo, who returns to support students as an Education Support Officer assisting students with their continued learning.

We began the term with a Welcome Liturgy. Our message to our community was to be kind in all things and to value one another.  Our APRIM, Kelly Manera asked our students, how do they, like Jesus, welcome others? How do they demonstrate kindness? As a school community we work hard to ensure that students and their families always feel a sense of welcome and belonging.  We know that students thrive when they feel valued and nurtured.  This is what parents/caregivers and educators want for all children.  

As you would have read as part of Class Newsletters communicated last week, our Welcome/Meet the teacher night is taking place this evening.  This is a wonderful opportunity to meet teachers and hear about their educational expectations for 2021. This evening will look a little different to previous years as we have staggered the evening beginning with Linda Clune’s presentation ‘The Science of Reading’, for families from Reception to Year 3 at 6:30 pm. This year we are implementing a new synthetic, explicit phonics approach to literacy learning (Reception to Year 3) to maximise early phonics understanding and application. Parents from Years 4-6 are invited to meet in the Hall at 7:15 pm when staff will be introduced. Teacher information sessions begin at 7:20 pm -7:40 pm followed by a repeat session beginning at 7:45 pm - 8:05 pm for families who have more than one child at St Raphael’s School.  Students are welcome to attend and will be supervised in the playground and oval by additional staff. Attending students do not need to wear their school uniform.

I look forward to seeing you at the Welcome Meet the Teacher Night.

With every best wish,
Mia Harms
Principal

Welcome
A warm welcome to you all as we commence our new school year! I trust you had a wonderful holiday break spending time with family and friends. I have very much enjoyed being warmly welcomed into the St Raphael’s community. You are blessed to be part of a beautiful school community. I look forward to working with you all this year.

How wonderful was it to return to school and see all your friends again? Likewise, it was lovely to be able to join with you and all the teachers for your welcome back liturgy last Friday.

I can’t believe how much so many of you have grown! There was a great sense of joy and community in the hall. It’s important that we all feel we have a place to belong and somewhere we can gather and celebrate.

That’s what it’s like when we gather to celebrate Mass. We come together as a community to honour and pray to God, but also to join with others, sharing our joys and our challenges.

God is ready and waiting for us and the people who gather at Mass are also waiting to hear our story and to share in our lives. Imagine how lively the conversations and celebrations could be!

It’s just not the same without you! The Mass times can be found on the website along with information about what’s happening. Please take a look and let us know if there’s something you’d like to get involved with.

www.themonastery.net.au

Pauline Connell
Parish Associate

School is a place for learning
The fundamental purpose of school is to ensure that all students learn at high levels. 

As a staff we have been reflecting on this statement as we have begun the 2021 teaching and learning year. We, like you as parents, know a great deal about learning.  One of the things we know is that for students to learn they need to be in a ‘good place’ emotionally and physically.  

Instrumental Lessons
Instrumental lessons have commenced this week with Piano on Mondays, Drums on Tuesdays and Vocals and Guitar on Wednesdays. There are currently vacancies in drums, guitar, vocals and piano. Instrumental information booklets and enrolment forms are available in the office if your child is interested in learning. Please contact me directly if you have any questions. 

School Fee accounts have been mailed out to all families.

Accounts paid in full by no later than 1 March will receive 5% discount on Tuition fees.

Upfront Payment Discounts per family:
1 child family $140.00
2 children family $245.00
3 children family $315.00

Please deduct this amount from your payment.

Regular payments from a bank or credit card can be arranged fortnightly or monthly.  Direct Debit forms are available from the front office or from the school website and are due on 22 February 2021.

School Card application forms for 2021 are available from the front office or apply online:

https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/content/forms/af/public/application-for-school-card.html

Discounts for eligible school card families will be applied once application is approved.

Jodi Jansons
Finance Officer
accounts@raph.catholic.edu.au

Welcome back.  I am looking forward to cooking lots of delicious and nutritious things for the children again this year.

The Canteen is open on Thursdays and Fridays for recess and lunch.  Please note there have been some changes to the menu items and prices this year.  Qkr! is our preferred method for ordering.  If you are doing a manual order, please check our updated menu here for prices. 

There is a limited lunch menu at the moment, but we intend to have this rectified by Term 2.

Emma Alexander
Canteen Manager

In the holidays St Raphael’s School held a free STEM experience, ‘Flex your thinking’. These sessions were hosted by Ms Deborah Hansen, the Numeracy and STEM Coach at St Raphael's School.

STEM is science, technology, engineering, and math. These are all areas of learning that can be integrated to allow students to be prepared for the 21st century.  STEM allows children to become critical and creative thinkers. It creates problem solvers, innovators and inventors.  

This day allowed the students and parents to collaborate, experiment, think and explore together. They used construction, coding and questioning to solve problems. The day was filled with thinking, wondering, questioning and smiles.

STEM and Numeracy will be a key focus at St Raphael’s School to allow students to learn new skills and acquire the knowledge they will use to become our future leaders, scientists, developers, analysists and problem solvers.

Sports Day 2021
Our annual school Sports Day will be held on Thursday 25 March (Week 9). It will be held on the school site from 9:15am – 1:00pm. Family members are most welcome to come along to join us for this whole school event and support the students, providing we stay COVID free. Parents/caregivers will be able to take their child /children home at the conclusion of the event. Remaining students will return to class after lunch and dismissed at normal time. OSHC will operate as usual. Students will prepare for this active, fun-filled event in their PE lessons. More specific details regarding this event will be distributed as time draws closer.  So put the date on your calendar and hope to see you there!

School Cricket 2021
A reminder that all ‘expressions of interest’ for students wishing to play school cricket in Years 2 – 7 must be returned by TOMORROW (Thursday 4 February), so that teams can be organised. Spare copies of the note are available from the office.

KELLY SPORTS Programs in Term 1
I have organised for outsourced sports provider, KELLY SPORTS, to hold a 5-week after school skills program for students in our school in Term 1. There will be two programs offered – Multi-Sports for Reception to Year 2 students and Volleyball for Year 3 to Year 6 students. It will be a user pays system. Information regarding the skills programs will be distributed soon.

Jeanette Archer
P.E. and Sport Coordinator

The department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) has updated its information about fruit fly restrictions in South Australia.

New colour coded maps for metropolitan Adelaide and Riverland residents show the red outbreak areas, yellow suspension areas, and green areas not affected by fruit fly.

If you live in the red outbreak area:
Your child must not bring any fresh fruit or vegetables on this list to school.  This applies even if it has been cut up. Instead, PIRSA has provided a list of alternative fresh fruit and vegetable options suitable for lunch and breaks.

If you live in the yellow suspension area:
Your child can bring any type of fresh fruit or vegetable to school.

If you live in the green not impacted area:
Your child can bring any type of fresh fruit or vegetable to school.

All fruit or vegetables on this list must be eaten and disposed of at our school. These items cannot return home at the end of the day and will be disposed of safely at our school.

Grated, dried, frozen, cooked or pureed fruit and vegetables of any kind are acceptable in any area.