Issue 18, 1 November 2024

Today is All Saints Day. It is a feast day that reminds us that God has a special plan for everyone. On All Saints Day we praise and thank God for giving us all the saints. We honour these saints in our own special way through our local Parish, which is named 'All Saints'. Therefore, today is our Parish’s feast day. As such, may we focus on the great communion of saints that we know as part of the reality of our Catholic tradition. 

May we also keep a special place in our hearts for those who have died - friends, family and those unknown to us - as we celebrate All Souls Day on Saturday 2nd November.

Last Friday the Year 12’s celebrated their final day of formal schooling. They hosted an assembly and expressed their gratitude to the staff who have supported them on their schooling journey at Caritas College over the years. Following the assembly, the Year 12s and staff gathered for a shared lunch in the staff courtyard. Serendipitously, each year the Year 12’s final day of school usually falls on World Teacher’s Day. Accordingly, over lunch there was a lovely dialogue of gratitude between staff and students. Of course, the day rounded out with the traditional water games and activities for our Year 12s. They had plenty of fun and I’m pleased that their final day was flavoured with gratitude and enjoyment. May our prayers be with them as they continue to study hard in preparation for exams and put the final touches on their learning before they graduate.

A couple of weeks’ ago, a group of teachers who worked together more than two decades ago returned to our school to reminisce and rekindle the deep bonds they formed with the school and our community. These teachers, who many of which moved away to continue their careers elsewhere, had the opportunity to walk the halls and visit the classrooms they once filled with laughter, learning, and life-changing moments. Their visit was not just a walk down memory lane but a reminder of the wonderful and special connections people form in schools. I know this is particularly the case in our Caritas community.

While Jack Muirhead and Chelsey Caputo have both been on leave this year, we will formally farewell them from our school community as they will be exploring new opportunities elsewhere and not be returning to Caritas in 2025. Jack and Chelsey have both been an important part of our school community for an extended length of time. Chelsey aptly filled key leadership roles in the primary school and is well regarded as a teacher who built positive relationships with her students. Similarly, Jack presented as a great role model for students at school and in the broader community. He also made valuable contributions to our school as a leader, particularly in the area of sport. We wish Jack and Chelsey all the best for their next adventure and thank them for their time at Caritas. 

• Progress of learning 
• Student’s individual needs (social/emotional, learning, physical, behavioural) 
• Relationships
• A balance of gender  

• Introduction to the most popular and current social media platforms
• Tools to recognise and manage cyber bullying
• Information about online grooming and other risks
• Communication strategies – how to start difficult conversations
• Strategies for supporting positive online behaviour, including tips on managing screen time

Our College prides itself on ensuring that a Catholic education is accessible, affordable and inclusive of all. This has been demonstrated through our commitment to keeping school fees as low as possible. As such, school fees have not increased for the last 5 years. 

While the College remains committed to supporting all families, we also need to balance this with resourcing the excellent educational and pastoral experiences that families expect and appreciate at our school. After careful consideration, and in consultation with Catholic Education SA, the School Board has approved a 2.5% increase for school fees next year. 

Information relating to school fees is accessible on our school website, along with additional financial information for families. Please know that our school fees are inclusive of booklists, laptops (for 7-12 students), camps, excursions, performances and other curriculum-based learning experiences. We welcome any questions or queries you might have regarding financial matters.

In the Catholic Church, November is the month of Remembrance and commences with All Saints Day on 1 November and All Souls Day on 2 November. During this month, the Catholic Church observes a tradition of honouring and remembering both the Saints of the Church, as well as our departed relatives and friends. It’s a powerful reminder that, whether living or deceased, we all belong to the Communion of Saints, a spiritual unity that transcends time and space. It is a reminder of those who have been faithful to the Gospel and how we are continually inspired to live a faith-filled life. These saints and these souls; these people, have gone before us and responded to the invitations of their time with imagination, creativity and courage. In honouring their journey, we also commit ourselves to living out our faith tradition in a way that honours the past and a confidence in a life beyond what we know. 

All Saints Day is also the feast of our parish church and community and we give thanks to those who have gone before us and paved the way to be the children of God and bring about the kingdom here on earth.

It was wonderful to spend the beginning of Week 3 with all the RE leaders of the Port Pirie diocese in Port Pirie as we began to explore the 2025 theme, which I am excited to share with the wider Caritas College community at a later date. This was a time to deeply dive into the theme and what this may mean for our respective communities but also our diocese and how we can connect throughout the year. I know our community will be able to truly reflect deeply in 2025 on what our theme means for us, just as we have as we have considered how we can let our lights shine.

We will join together as a College community for the final time on Friday 15 November at 11:00am for our Mass of Thanksgiving. This is an opportunity for us to farewell our Year 12’s and reflect on the year that has been, giving thanks to God for the wonderful opportunities and experiences that we have been given. Classes are busy reflecting on how they have been salt of the earth and light of the world to assist in creating a banner, which will be unveiled to the College community at this mass, focused on our theme 'Let Your Light Shine'.