Dear Parents/Caregivers, Students, Staff, and Friends of St Raphael’s School,
This week we welcomed new student Luca U, to our Year 1 class. We wish him well as he begins his educational journey with us.
Last week our Year 6 and Year 5 classes moved into their new learning spaces in the two storey building and are excited about the new spacious areas. We have also set up a new STEM space for all our students from Reception to Year 6 to utilise.
COVID Updates
On Monday I sent home a letter to families detailing some of the easing of restrictions beginning from next week, Monday 28 February. Some protocols currently remain in place until Week 8 this term. Face masks continue to be required to be worn by parents/caregivers whilst on school grounds and we continue to restrict parent access.
Our extra-curricular activities can begin once again from next week, including after school sports, incursions and excursions, art classes and instrumental lessons with music tutors. Volunteers will be welcomed back as directed by the school. Indoor assemblies remain on hold for a few more weeks as we will not be assembling as a whole school.
Shrove Tuesday 1 March
Next week we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when traditionally this day was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes were the perfect way of using up these ingredients. We will be cooking pancakes for our students to enjoy and we ask that students bring a gold coin donation to help with our fundraising efforts. All proceeds will be donated to Project Compassion. This year will be different because we are unable to ask families on site to enjoy a pancake or two, we will however cook pancakes for students and distribute to classes.. I thank James Cook, grandfather of Annabella Year 3, who will be cooking the pancakes for us all to enjoy.
Ash Wednesday
We celebrate Ash Wednesday on Wednesday 2 March and this marks the beginning of Lent.
There is an Ash Wednesday Mass at St Raphael's Church for parents/caregivers who wish to attend. Masks must be worn and social distancing applies.
All classes will be hosting their own class liturgy as we cannot gather as a whole school at this point in time. We will endeavour to take lots of photos and share these with our parent community. We continue to find different ways to connect our community with our liturgical celebrations.
School Drop off and Pick up Etiquette
Please be mindful of each other and the local residents when waiting in line to acces the Kiss and Drop area, particularly in the afternoon. If parking your car in surrounding areas, please refrain from parking in the areas of Kenilworth Road where cars will be waiting in line to access the drive-through, as this means road access can become blocked. This process usually moves fairly quickly and we thank you for your patience and etiquette during those peak times.
2022 School Board
On Tuesday 22 March we will hold our Annual General Meeting at 6:00pm. If parents/caregivers are interested in nominating to become a School Board Member please select here for the Nomination Form. If you wish to have more information please contact the Office at info@raph.catholic.edu.au or alternatively, you may wish to have a conversation with our current Board Members:
Fr Denis Travers
Courtney Hood
Kirstie Coultas
Gaia Hunt
Lev Makaev
Luke Read
Marianne Farrugia
Matthew Pike
Samuel Chua
With every best wish,
Mia Harms
Principal
Here we are in Week 4 already. The season of Lent is almost upon us. It will begin on Ash Wednesday 2 March and conclude on Holy Saturday. The 40 day period (not including Sundays) is a time for reflection, renewal and change as we prepare for Easter. The three pillars of Lent, taken from Matthew’s Gospel, that we focus on include; praying, fasting and almsgiving. Our students will explore these practices in their learning here at school and connect ways in which they can express this in their own lives. I share with you a refreshed way of looking at the three pillars: Praying is love for God, fasting is love for yourself and giving is love for others.
Project Compassion and Shrove Tuesday: Caritas Australia: End Poverty, Promote Justice, Uphold Dignity.
St Raphael’s major fundraising and awareness effort during this Lenten season will be supporting Project Compassion. We will kick this off with a gold coin donation for pancakes on Shrove Tuesday 1 March. Students will receive their pancakes at recess time this year. These will be cooked onsite, and delivered and served in a COVID safe manner.
Next week every family will also receive a Project Compassion box to keep at home during Lent. We encourage our young people and families to support Caritas by donating loose change into the boxes. You may wish to visit the attached link for more information about Project Compassion 2022 https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/
Ash Wednesday Liturgies
This year we will be holding class liturgies on Wednesday 2 March to mark Ash Wednesday, in line with CESA and SA Health guidelines. Unfortunately we will not be able to have families on site, however I hope your child will share their prayer experience with you. We will be reminded that the season of Lent is a time to change to become better versions of ourselves and be more like Jesus. The ashes (from Palm Sunday last year) are the physical symbol of this. God knows what is in our hearts and the ashes remind us to turn our hearts toward God. The phrase that the priest ordinarily would say when placing the ashes on our forehead at Mass would be ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel’. May we keep this in our hearts and minds this Lent.
School Mercy Values
We have had a wonderful response from our students, staff and parent community around our three desired Mercy Values to represent the school we aspire to be. There is still time for families to have their say. Please refer to the parent questionnaire sent to you via email last week. We look forward to discerning the data and sharing with the community our selected values. Across the course of the year, our school mercy values will be embedded in all that we do; in word and in action.
Year 6 Leadership Retreat
On Monday, our Year 6 students will be attending a Leadership Retreat Day at the Monastery to reflect on their significant role as leaders in a Catholic school context. The day will give students the opportunity to experience some quiet time outside the classroom setting to reflect on their lives, to connect with one another, and to deepen their understanding of leadership. The will explore what they can learn from Jesus and other influential leaders in our world, past and present. We thank Fr Denis and Sue for supporting us on the day and sharing the beautiful Monastery grounds with us.
The Southern Cross
Please find attached the link to the most recent edition of The Southern Cross. https://thesoutherncross.org.au
Sacramental Program
A reminder that on Friday 25 February, all enrolment forms are due to the Parish office for those children wishing to participate in the Confirmation and First Communion Sacramental program for 2022. Please contact Sue Schulz or myself if you require further information.
Reflection
How often do you reflect on God’s presence around you? Do you pay attention to your spiritual needs? Do you find God in a beautiful sunset, your child’s smile, a quiet afternoon?
Jesus frequently went into the desert to pray and withdraw from the world. Do you allow time for yourself, to withdraw and spend some alone time with God? It may be through prayer, through meditation, through listening to a special song, reading Scripture or going for a walk alone. As our lives become busier, why not invest in some ‘YOU’ time. This is time where you can sustain your faith life and speak to God. In appreciating these gracious moments we are recognising the presence of God in the here and now. Just like Jesus, we too should enrich our lives by making a special time to withdraw and be conscious of God’s ever presence in our lives.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24
Have a wonderful week ahead!
God bless
Kelly Manera
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission
It has been so nice to put some faces to names now that all students are back on site. I am slowly starting to know students across year levels.
South Australian Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival
Last week year 3- 6 families would have received notes about the South Australian Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival, if your child is interested in trialling for the team please return the trial form ASAP, indicating which strokes they would like to try out for. Please keep in mind that your child must be able to swim 25m without stopping. Trials will be held at Norwood Outdoor Pool on 7, 11 and 18 March. The carnival will be held on Thursday 24 March at the SA Aquatic Centre.
Sports Day
Sports Day is coming up we have just finished the process of selecting our Year 6 Sports Captains. The process required the Year 6 students to write a speech and deliver it to their fellow teammates. Students then voted for whom they thought would best represent their team. Congratulations to the following students;
Raphael (Blue): Roman R
Fitzpatrick (Green): Aiden B
Mercy (Red): Gracie N
McAuley (Yellow): Holly K
A reminder that Sports Day will now be held in Week 10, Thursday 7 April.
Auskick
It is also getting close to footy season. If your child is interested in participating in Auskick this year, please register through the QR code provided in the side content. Our closest Auskick is situated at Parkside Primary School on Saturday mornings. It would be great to see some St Raphael's School students involved with this activity.
'NAB AFL Auskick is simply the best introduction for kids into the world of Australian Football. Auskickers run, jump, kick, laugh, express themselves and create their own special moments that just happens to be footy. No matter if you know the game or not, Auskick is inclusive for everyone aged 5-12 at any ability to play.’ NAB AFL Auskick
Yours in sport
Hannah Reid
PE and Sport Coordinator
The Parent and Friends Committee’s role is bringing our school community together and raising funds to go towards special projects at the school to improve facilities and resources for our children. Keep an eye on P&F News in each school newsletter to get up to date information on fundraisers, meetings, events or social activities coming up. This year we are running a Trivia Night on Saturday 14 May – so please save the date.
We would love to see some new faces in the P&F and thank everyone who has so far filled in the Parents and Friends Committee form that was sent home earlier this term. Please consider becoming a member. The commitment is as big or small as you can manage and it’s a great way to keep up to date with school activities and get to know other families in the school. To become a member, come along to our next informal meeting at our School Playdate on 6 March from 2pm at Marshmallow Park.
If you’d prefer to be a non-member volunteer, please email Katrina at ktucker@raph.catholic.edu.au and you can be added to our volunteer list and be sent invitations to upcoming volunteer opportunities.
For our school community we hope you’ll be able to support us throughout the year, it’s all for the very best cause!
Contact the Parent and Friends Committee: If you want to ask the P&F a question or make a comment or suggestion, please email ktucker@raph.catholic.edu.au
Katrina Tucker
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Social