Newsletter 17 2020

There are many feast days in the Catholic Church that recognise individual saints. 1 November is All Saints Day, the day that we share a global celebration for all the saints that have lived at different times and in different places across the globe. They share a common faith and commitment to spreading the Good News of Jesus.  What do we know about saints?  

God is the one who calls people to become saints;
Saints are people who love God and others - you can't separate one from the other;
Saints show their love for God by loving others;
The love that Saints have for others is an echo, a reflection of the love that God has for others;
Saints find out how God is calling them to love by being attentive to the needs of people in the world they live in;
The lives of Saints tell us something about God: when God calls certain people in certain situations to love in certain ways, God is telling us what is important in God's eyes;

Saints are called by God to respond to the needs of the time. Saints are not just people who lived in the past.  We are all called to be saints in each new day of our lives.

What does our world need to hear from God today?   
What will 21st century Saints look like?  
What will these Saints do to love others and to be a sign of God's love in our world? 

St Raphael… Pray for us
St Paul of the Cross… Pray for us
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop…Pray for us 

Blessings,
Sue Coghlan
APRIM (Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission)

Catholic Schools Music Festival Choir 2021
The CSMF choir is open to students in Year 5 and Year 6 in 2021. It involves learning set repertoire and then performing in a massed choir at the Festival Theatre. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to perform in a professional venue and students learn many skills along the way. Choir is inclusive of all students and does not require an audition process. Students may trial choir this term, however in order to run the choir next year sign up and payment will need to be completed by the end of this year, with a minimum of 10 students involved.

Instrumental Lesson 2021
All students currently taking instrumental lessons at school have received a note regarding next year. Please return these notes as soon as possible to plan for teacher availability. If you have a child who would like to learn an instrument next year, notes are available in the office. Students who return an expression of interest will be placed on the list and be contacted by the relevant tutor in 2021 to confirm a place.

Amanda Rugari
Performing Arts Coordinator

Moderation
This week our teaching staff travelled to Stirling to engage in moderation conversations with our colleagues from St Catherine’s School and St Joseph’s School, Kingswood. Each school staff have been engaging in professional learning about standards-referenced assessment – that is using the Achievement Standards of the Australian Curriculum to both inform learning design as well as assist with assessment decisions.

Whilst our focus is primarily on learning growth and progress for our learners, teachers are required to make a decision about the level of achievement for each learner two times per year in relation to A-E grades for reporting purposes. These decisions are made based upon learning evidence in relation the Achievement Standards.  It is important when making these decisions that we are consistent and accurate and that is why moderation conversations with colleagues who teach the same year level are important.

Our teachers appreciated the opportunity to engage in professional conversations with colleagues and, going forward, this will become a regular part of our professional learning to ensure consistency and accuracy of assessment decisions.

For your information the Achievement Standards are available on the Australian Curriculum website – follow the links below.

Achievement on a Page – Foundation

Achievement on a Page – Year 1

Achievement on a Page – Year 2

Achievement on a Page – Year 3

Achievement on a Page – Year 4

Achievement on a Page – Year 5

Achievement on a Page – Year 6

Marianne Farrugia
Assistant Principal Director of Learning

Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival
On Monday, 2 November, 45 students from Year 3-6 participated in the annual Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival at Athletics SA Stadium. Students had been training for a number of weeks leading into the carnival with before school trainings. We were competing in the second top section across all Catholic Schools in SA, with the opposing schools providing very tough competition on the day.

All members of the team put forward their best efforts, with both our boys and girls finishing a gallant 8th overall. One of the highlights of the day, was a strong and courageous win in the Open Girls 1500m race by Sienna C (Year 5). Sienna led from the front for the entire race, maintaining a strong pace throughout. She went on to also win the 400m and came second in 800m. A massive achievement considering the long distances you had to cover, Sienna!

Well done to the following athletes who placed in their event: Jessica S (2nd, 4th), Rebecca S (2nd), Savannah D (2nd), Max L (2nd), Mia K (2nd, 4th), Angela M (4th, 4th), Ada L (3rd, 4th), Alessandro C (2nd, 4th), Brodie S (3rd), Jackson M (4th).

Congratulations to all of the members of the 2020 Athletics Team, who ‘gave it their all’ on the day: Jessica S, Ella B, Ivy H, Luella R, Jemima M, Luca L, James M, David M, Ethan T, Nicholas P, Mia K, Savannah D, Natalia S, Gracie N, Holly K, Max L, Aiden B, Sidney D, Roman R, Joshua R, Sienna C,  Angela M, Rebecca S, Ada L, Naomi T, Alessandro C, Zane G, Archie N, Xavier R, Johnny M, Lucas S, Chloe B, Angel M, Edwina R, Millie R, Alice K, Hannah E, Pallas H, Yafa El K, Jackson M, Brodie S, Cormac R, Mitchell B, Liam B and William W.

Many thanks to the following parents who volunteered as officials for the day:  Emma Read, Luke Read, Kylie Neal, Joanne Ryan, Adriana Calvanese, Connie Kosti, Julie Rechichi, Sally McIntosh, Phil Buttfield and Niklas Ljungberg.

Finally, many thanks also to my colleagues, Anthony Sicari and David Monti, for assisting with supervision of the team on the day. A great team effort!

Sports Day
Sports Day is fast approaching on Thursday 19 November. Later this week a note will be sent home with your child with all of the details you will need regarding this whole school event. Please take the time to read it, so you will be familiar with all the requirements needed for a successful day. Parents / caregivers will be most welcome to attend.

Water Safety Program
In Week 7, all students from Reception to Year 5 will participate in the annual Water Safety Program at Unley Pool (outdoor). Later this week, you will receive a note with all the details of the program, including consent /medical forms that must be completed and returned to school by the end of Week 6.

Soccer Achievements – Alessandro and Sienna 
Year 5 twins, Alessandro and Sienna, have been doing extremely well in their chosen sport of soccer recently. Alessandro has juggled three SAP (Football SA) Trials as well as two Club trials to make the West Adelaide JPL U12 Squad and he was selected for both! Sienna is in her second year of state selections and she too was selected for the U12 Boys West Adelaide JPL team. Congratulations, Alessandro and Sienna!

Jeanette Archer
P.E. and Sport Coordinator