Issue 7, 3 May 2024

Welcome back to school for Term 2. I hope all our families had a nice term break. The beginning of a new term brings fresh opportunities. We have the ability to build upon our successes from the first 11 weeks of school and learn from any particular challenges that we encountered. Let’s use the beginning of Term 2 to renew our commitment to our school theme for this year to ‘Let Our Light Shine’ so we can continue to grow in love, wonder and understanding for everyone in our school community.  

May our prayers be with Sr Catherine Clark rsj who died peacefully on Monday 22 April. Sr Catherine was a Josephite who had strong connections with our Diocese. She was born and raised near Orroroo and she served in many communities in our Diocese. She was a strong and faith-filled leader. Her contributions to Catholic education across South Australia were many. She was a Teacher, Principal and the Chair of the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools for an extended period of time. Her committed work over many years contributed greatly to the strong legacy of Saint Mary MacKillop. May we remember Sr Catherine’s family and the Sisters of St Joseph as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary woman.  

During the term break our School Leaders laid a wreath on behalf of our College at the ANZAC Day Commemorative Service in Gladstone Square to pay our respects to all those who have served our nation during war. Charlee Morgan and Joe Clancy represented our school with pride at the special ceremony.   

Next week our Year 10 students will travel to Adelaide for their Post School Careers Excursion. This experience will support them as they begin to make decisions regarding post school pathways and related subject selections for their senior years of schooling. The purpose of the excursion is to provide an opportunity for students to experience a wider range of options, through visits to both tertiary and vocational education campuses, as well as job and business sites. They will also attend the Careers and Employment Expo, which hosts over 150 organisations and employers, and other careers focussed experiences. This is a fantastic opportunity for our senior students to explore options and possibilities for post school pathways. At Caritas College, we have a proud record of supporting our students to successfully transition to post school pathways. The Post School Careers Excursion is an important ‘cog in the wheel’ of the work that we do in this space to ensure that we are setting students up for success beyond school.  

Catholic Education Week is being celebrated in Catholic schools throughout South Australia from 13 – 19 May 2024. This week is an opportunity to reflect on and share all the things that we love about Caritas College and what makes our community special. We are looking forward to celebrating the strengths of our college community with students, staff, families, parish and the broader community. More information will be communicated over the next couple of weeks. 

We now have in place a new Mobile Phone & Personal Devices Policy. Parents/caregivers are reminded to read and familiarise yourself with the policy, which can be accessed here here. This has been presented to students and they have had the opportunity to learn an understand their roles and responsibilities. So far, we are pleased with the way they have responded to the changes that have been implemented which are aimed at ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment at school to enhance their learning and wellbeing.

On Monday our whole staff engaged in The Zones of Regulation training in preparation for implementation this term. A letter outlining what this means for their young people was emailed to families on Wednesday, please click here to access. The Zones of Regulation aids in recognition of emotion in self and others, developing a toolkit of strategies to use to regulate and building the capacity of young people to help themselves navigate the feelings and emotions that come with every day life. Over the term, students will engage with this curriculum through their Social and Emotional Learning programs, pastoral care sessions and natural learning moments as they present. Families can learn more about this curriculum and ways to use at home by visiting the Zones of Regulation website.