Issue 19, 18 November 2024

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From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith
Mass of Thanksgiving
Graduation Dinner
Cyber Safety Sessions
Port Augusta Outstanding Business Awards
R-6 School Social
Primary Carols Night
From the Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission, Chloe Shanahan
Mass of Thanksgiving - Let Your Light Shine
Year 9 Rite Journey Community Day
Advent - A Season of Preparation
Teaching and Learning
Year 2 - SEL
Year 5 - Science
Year 10 - Home Economics
Out and About

From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith

Mass of Thanksgiving

Last Friday we came together as a school community to celebrate our Mass of Thanksgiving. It was an opportunity to reflect on a full and successful year. In the context of our College theme - Let Your Light Shine - we have lots of examples of our students doing great things this year. Some have demonstrated and achieved great things their learning. Others have experienced individual and team success at sporting events and competitions. We have seen students make a positive difference in the lives of others through fundraising and raising awareness for social justice issues. It was lovely to come together to celebrate all these things and more.

Importantly, it was also very special for us to mark the graduation of our Year 12 students with a whole-school celebration. It was a memorable day for them and their families, and we asked for God’s blessing on them as they step into a new phase of their life beyond school.

Two students from each cohort in R-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were presented with a Saint Mary of the Cross Christian Leadership Medallion to acknowledge their contribution to our school community this year.

The Mass of Thanksgiving was a great opportunity to live out our faith and show gratitude for each other and our school community as the school year draws to an end.

Graduation Dinner

Following on from the Mass of Thanksgiving on Friday, the Year 12 graduates and their families gathered to celebrate their Graduation Dinner in the evening at Central Oval. The graduates looked ‘all grown up’ in their suits and dresses and there were lots of smiles and laughter. The Graduation Dinner is really a special celebration of them crossing the border from being a student at school to becoming a young adult in the real world.

Individual efforts were acknowledged and awards were presented to students in a variety of categories. The graduates were presented with a Student Achievement Record and a parting gift from the College. The School Leaders shared their reflection on their time at Caritas College. In addition to farewelling our graduates, we also said goodbye to several families who concluded their association with our school.

The Graduation Dinner is always a fabulous event. For the graduates, it is the crescendo of their schooling journey. We wish them all the best for what lies ahead.

Cyber Safety Sessions

Last week we held Cyber Safety sessions for students in Years 7-11. Our guest presenter shared lots of important information and hints and tips about online safety for children and young people. While much of this information is covered in various parts of the school curriculum every year, it was good for the students to hear it from someone else other than their teacher or a parent.

A number of families attended the Parent Information Session in the evening, which provided strategies to help make home environments cyber safe. One of the key resources shared was the Online safety | eSafety Commissioner website. There is an excellent article on the website about how to keep your family safe online.

Start the chat
Create a family technology agreement
Set up parental controls
Choose games and other apps carefully
Use digital technology together

I encourage families to read the whole article, which is available here. In helping our students to be safe online, we look forward to working with parents/caregivers to ensure our children and young people are supported to be successful at school and outside of school.

Port Augusta Outstanding Business Awards

I had the pleasure of attending the Port Augusta Outstanding Business Awards Dinner on Friday 8th November. Our Caritas Cubs Playgroup was nominated for the Family Friendly Award and we were pleased to be a finalist in the category. Thanks and well done to Belinda Clohessy who coordinates our Playgroup. It is great recognition for her hard work and the wonderful atmosphere she creates for everyone who comes into our school community which is open to all.

R-6 School Social

The R-6 students are invited to attend a Social this Thursday 21st November. No doubt it will be lots of fun for those who can attend. I am grateful for the staff who will facilitate this experience for our students. Students can be dropped off at 4:00pm via the Shirley Street gates and collected at 5:30pm. We encourage our families to RSVP so that we can gauge numbers. You can RSVP via this link

Primary Carols Night

The Primary Carols Night is planned for Monday 2th December (Week 8). We are excited to be able to host this event and look forward to seeing lots of families and friends attend to celebrate the end of the school year. We will be presenting some special awards to students and, of course, beginning to spread the Christmas cheer with carols and lots of dancing.

From the Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission, Chloe Shanahan

Mass of Thanksgiving - Let Your Light Shine

It was wonderful to join together as a College community on Friday for the final time in 2024 to give thanks for the year that has been and to formally farewell our Year 12 students. The banner that was hung behind the altar was a collective effort of our students and staff, reflecting all the different ways that classes have lived out our theme for this year, Let Your Light Shine. Our community has certainly reflected Christ’s light this year, showing care for those most in need, both in our College and broader community.

It is clear that our theme has been deeply explored throughout the year in all areas of the College. There is something special about gathering to celebrate the Eucharist as a College community, as it is the source and summit of our Christian lives. We give thanks to God for the many gifts and blessings that we have received throughout this year, our successes and our struggles, our joys and sorrows; a year where we have truly been salt of the earth and a light for the world (Matthew 5:13-14).

As we consider our understanding of the theme at this point of the year, we continue to reflect on the life of our school foundress, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, who allowed her light to shine, even in some of the darkest moments of her faith and service. Focusing on the Josephite charism, we can allow the lights of others to shine more brightly in our world through using our God-given gifts and talents. Each of us are called to serve others and consider the needs of those in our community who need us, and our students will continue to have opportunities to be the light for others throughout the remaining weeks of this year in the lead up to the Christmas season and beyond.

Year 9 Rite Journey Community Day

I look forward to gathering with our Year 9 students on Tuesday as they consider their call in giving back to the community in a variety of ways. Students will gather at All Saints Church at 8:45am before celebrating mass with Fr Jim. Students will have the opportunity to deeply understand our community and its needs, shining their lights to make the world a brighter place for all.

Advent - A Season of Preparation

The season of Advent begins on Sunday 1 December, and so does the beginning of the new liturgical year of the Church. The Advent wreath is a sign to us of the coming of Christ our Light into our lives and our world.

Advent is a time to pause and reflect upon our lives and to decide what is important and where our energy and attention should be focused. As Christians, the more we pause and reflect, the more we become open to the presence of God in our lives and the power of God’s grace to shape our lives. Advent is the time for conscious reflect upon our lives in the light of the presence of Christ among us.

As we see in our society, the Christmas preparations have well and truly begun and this is a real challenge for us. At this time of year, the parties, events and Christmas events will begin and we speed up and busy ourselves in attempting to do so many things. The invitation to us throughout Advent is the opposite. A time to pause, slow down, reflect, listen and pray – making the experience personal. Advent is a time for more prayer as individuals, families and as part of our All Saints parish community.

Advent is an opportunity for real change and renewal in our lives, unleashing the power to reflect upon our lives, humbly name our challenges, be freed and forgiven for past choices and experiencing the loving forgiveness of God as we move forward with hope and confidence

Teaching and Learning

Year 2 - SEL

For World Kindness Day, our two Year 2 classes came together to create kindness rocks as part of a special project focused on social and emotional wellbeing. Each child designed and decorated their own rock with positive messages, colorful patterns, or uplifting symbols. The purpose was not only to tap into their creativity but to encourage empathy and kindness. Once the rocks were ready, they were hidden around the school for others to discover, bringing unexpected moments of joy and inspiration to the whole community.

Year 5 - Science

Year 5s have been focusing on science experiments, what makes them safe and how to gather evidence for science reports. Starting with a hypothesis, identifying variables and planning an experiment. This experiment tested if salt changed the buoyancy of objects in water. The class prediction was 50/50, but ultimately the experiment taught them that salt increases the density of water and can make objects, such as a grape float. They went back to class and began to write a science report focusing on draftting a discussion and conclusion.

Year 10 - Home Economics

The Year 10s have been learning about food presentation techniques. Here are a few of the celebration cakes they made and decorated this week. Judging from these results, it is clear we have some very creative and talented students.