Newsletter 15 2020

Dear Families,

We are very fortunate that Fr Denis is taking a very ‘hands on” role as our Parish Priest. This term he has spent time with each of the classes leading them on a tour of the church and answering their questions. The Year 3 and Year 4 class have spent the term learning about the parts of the Mass and they welcomed Fr Denis into their classroom to answer their questions. There were several comments appreciating the way Fr Denis presented his information:

Fr Denis listened to our questions and answered them respectfully. He was very knowledgeable and very kind. (Ivy)

I liked Fr Denis coming to visit because he was open to all the questions we asked. (Georgia)

Some of the things we learned:

Stained glass windows were put in churches because people could not read and this was a way they could learn about the message in the Bible. (Luella)

The priest wears different coloured vestments at different times of the year to match the seasons in the church. It is now Ordinary Time which is the colour green. (Mia)

The bread (which becomes the body of Jesus after the special prayers by the priest) is kept in the tabernacle and this can be taken and given to people who are not able to attend Mass (Loraine)

It is wonderful that our students have this rich opportunity to pose questions and reflect of these important aspects of their faith.

Mercy Day

We conclude our term with our Mercy Day celebrations. As part of their RE learning this term the Year 6 class have looked at how we are called to show mercy, love and compassion to all our brothers and sisters around the world who are in need of our care.  Mercyworks is the charitable arm of the Mercy Sisters that we have chosen to support this year. Students will be involved in a whole school Liturgy at 10:15 am and then there will be a variety of activities for all the students to learn more about this importance of MercyWorks.

Wishing you all peace and blessings as you prepare for the term break together.

Sue Coghlan
APRIM (Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission)

The Learning Zone – where improvement happens!

In Australia the goal for education is that all young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community.

In Catholic Education South Australia our goal is that all young people are thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires.

With these goals at the forefront of what we do every day at St Raphael’s School, we aim to make sure our school is the ultimate ‘learning zone’.

Teachers have recently been considering this TED Talk by Eduardo Briceno, Co-Founder of Mindset Works who presents the idea of the importance of Learning Zones and Performance Zone and how each are useful for learning. The Performance Zone is where we put into action what we have learnt, but the Learning Zone is all about improvement.  In this space we can experiment and make mistakes and learn from them in a low-risk/low-stakes environment.

As a part of our Visible Learning Project we are developing a shared language of learning across the school.  The development of our Learner Dispositions (resilience, curiosity, thinking, taking responsibility and collaborating) will contribute significantly to this goal. 

At St Raphael’s School we are changing our language with our learners – consciously speaking of ‘learning’ rather than ‘work’.  We are also using the language of ‘yet’ to help our learners to have a growth mindset rather than a closed mindset about their learning.  This could certainly be something you can use at home. When you hear your children say things like ‘I can’t do that’ or ‘I don’t understand’ help them to add in the word ‘yet’.  This simple change helps them (and us!) to acknowledge their potential to learn and be open to growing their skills and understanding.  This helps our learners to get into the Learning Zone!

Marianne Farrugia
Assistant Principal – Director of Learning

Throughout Term 3 the Reception and Year One students have been using their learning powers when engaging in activities across the curriculum.

In Mathematics, the students engaged in making fractions and in Visual Arts they created a paper pizza to demonstrate their learning and understanding. The students cut their whole pizza into halves and/or quarters. The students then moved their learning focus to money. The student's role-played shops using pretend money to consolidate their understanding. We are all wondering if notes and coins soon become the thing of the past? Hmmm a great wonder question.                                  

In Health, the students continue to practice personal and social skills to interact positively with others. As a collective group they identified and described emotional responses that they may experience in different situations and worked through a process of how they can get help. We have spoken about our mind being like a pond with all the emotions being like fish swimming around. The main goal is to keep your mind a calm pond, not becoming a certain fish (emotion). When a fish pops up, such as an angry fish, it is important to acknowledge that fish and let it swim back into the pond which is your mind and to regain a calm pond once again. The students have been learning about the importance of relationships and as a class we used the story ‘The Rainbow Fish’ as a resource. To celebrate Book Week, we used the message from this story for multiple activities, and we thought it was fitting to create a colourful fish for our costume to wear at the parade. The students made their own colourful paper fish during Visual Arts lessons.

‘While we try and teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is all about’
Angela Schwindt

Louise Rowson
Reception-Year One Class Teacher

Soccer Skills Program

Our 6-week Soccer Skills Program led by Ernie Luongo and his team of coaches came to its conclusion recently. Twenty-six students from Reception - Year 5 enthusiastically arrived at school bright and early on Saturday mornings throughout the term, with the aim of developing their soccer skills and having some fun with their school peers. Thank you to the parents of the students involved for supporting your child in this extra-curricular activity.

Congratulations to the following participants for your willingness to be involved and being prepared to practise your skills in this sport:

Angus A, Sebastian B, Julian S, Jake J, George E, Murray S, Leo P, Andrew G, Lachlan J, Harry R, Quade M, Nate G, Alex Z, Herbie S, Caroline S, Josh S, Jed S, Manny G, Harry E, Alexander G, Jemima M, Ella B, Max L, Zane G, Josh M and Stefan G.

Basketball Skills Clinic in Term 4

Information has been distributed to the school community regarding our Term 4 Basketball Skills Program for all interested students from Reception – Year 6. Kelly Sports, an outsourced organisation that facilitate sports programs in schools, will be leading the Basketball Clinics. It will be a 5-week program which will be held after school on Tuesdays from 3:15 – 4:15pm, commencing in Week 2 (20 October). There is a cost of $71.50 to participate. Registration / payment is done online directly to Kelly Sports. To view the flyer please click here.

Netball

After a COVID interrupted start to the school sport winter season, a Year 6 Netball Team was formed to play in the local ‘Unley Life Be In It’ competition after school on Mondays this term. It was wonderful to watch this group take responsibility and manage themselves by organising their own lunchtime trainings for many weeks before the season commenced. Also, good leadership and collaboration skills were on display as they worked together, with those who had more experience teaching and supporting those team-mates with less playing experience. Many thanks to Orlanda R, Millie R’s older sister, for her willingness to take on the role of coach throughout the term. Finally, congratulations to the following team members on your sustained efforts in making this a positive experience for each other: Millie R, Hannah E, Edwina R, Lucy B, Chloe B, Yafa E, Pallas H and Alice K. 

AFL Football

For three of our Year 6 students who were keen to play school football this term, there was an opportunity to join the Linden Park Primary students, who were needing some top-up players to complete their team. Cormac R, Brodie S and Jackson M were keen to join and assimilated well into the team, quickly displaying their skills and experience, making them a very handy addition to the existing group. It has been a good opportunity to make connections with students outside our school and continue to develop their football playing skills.

Jeanette Archer
P.E. and Sport Coordinator