Issue 3, 5 March 2024

I had the great pleasure of attending the Aquinas College Collegiate Dinner and Awards Ceremony in Adelaide on 24th February. It was wonderful to reconnect with some of our past students from Caritas and see them flourishing in their endeavours beyond school. Aquinas College provides a supportive environment that values and promotes academic excellence, family spirit, respect, faith and justice. All of our old scholars looked certainly comfortable and confident in their ‘home away from home’. Congratulations to Lilah Hill who was presented with an award for the Aquinas College Scholarship for the highest ATAR from Caritas College.

This week, we will be welcoming our ATSI families into our school for an opportunity to meet, chat and share a BBQ dinner with key staff and the leadership team. We will have guest speakers at this event who will share some important insights and advice. This special gathering will play a key role in working in partnership with our ATSI families to support their children and young people.

Next Tuesday 12th March we will commemorate the anniversary of Sr Mary Laurencia. The Years 5-12 SRC will visit the graveside of Sr Laurencia to honour her short life of service and the work of the pioneering Sisters. Celebrating the life of Sr Mary Laurencia each year helps us to understand and appreciate who we are. She is a key figure in the history of Caritas College and her story, along with many others, continue to inspire the work that we do today.

Our College Board AGM will be held on Wednesday 13th March at 6:30pm in the Tappeiner Room. Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend. The 2023 School Performance Report will be presented, along with reports from the President, Chairperson, Treasurer and Principal. I encourage parents/caregivers to consider coming along to support the important work that the Board does in its governance of our College. 

I would like to pay tribute to Sr Helen Duke who will be stepping down from her role on the Board after 10 years. Sister Helen first came to Port Augusta in 1974 as a teacher for three years. She returned to Caritas College 25 years later to support the faith dimension of the school before again leaving to take on the role of Josephite Community Leader at Kensington. 

Our school community welcomed her back again in 2010, where she resumed her work in supporting the faith and spiritual formation of students and staff. Despite some stints away from Port Augusta, Sister Helen has remained connected to the Caritas College community since her first posting here in 1974. She was the last Josephite sister to reside in Port Augusta following more than 150 years of continuous connection with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. 

Sr Helen’s contributions to the school community have been immeasurable and her passion for Catholic education has helped to shape the lives of countless students and families. Mary MacKillop’s legacy has been strongly evident in Sr Helen’s commitment to our school. I know the school community will join me in giving thanks and appreciation for the true and wonderful gift of Sr Helen. 

Sister Helen Duke, rsj (seated, second from left) photographed as part of 150th Birthday Celebrations

Excitement is building for our annual Sports Day which will be held on Friday 15th March. I look forward to seeing strong sportsmanship and camaraderie on display when our three house teams - Joseph, Tenison and MacKillop - compete against one another on the day. Our Sports Day always draws lots of interest from families and friends, so we look forward to welcoming plenty of visitors into our school next Friday. More information and important details are available here.  

As part of our College’s commitment to continuous improvement, we are engaging in ongoing professional learning around Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is an evidence-based system that schools can use to promote positive behaviour and a healthy school climate. It is a multi-tier system framework that integrates data, systems, and practices within a school. The focus of PBIS is prevention (because prevention is better than cure!). It helps schools focus on preventing problem behaviours through positive motivation. 

We are unwavering in our commitment to support our students’ learning and wellbeing. We are excited that this approach will yield benefits for our students, staff, and families once we begin implementation. As part of our initial implementation, we want to support parents/caregivers to learn about PBIS. As a starting point, I encourage you all to watch a short 5-minute video by clicking here. 

Each term every student in a Catholic School in South Australia participates in a simple online Classroom Pulse Check In. This Check In survey has been developed to ascertain how students are currently feeling about their experience in school. It is tailored to allow your child’s teacher(s) to check in and provide immediate feedback and support to them. The Check In survey will be carried out during the school day. 

We are conscious that life in school has its’ ups and downs, but I am also confident that your child’s teachers want to understand how they are feeling so they are able to support you and your child in meeting any social, emotional, or learning needs that they may have.

To enable this, the College follows up on any concerns raised in the surveys and provides support as required. Please be assured that, as your child’s prime caregiver, any support required will be communicated and discussed with you. 

There are a range of simple questions about your child’s life at school, their identity as a person and a learner, their sense of belonging, safety, and friendships. For each statement, students will select whether they feel it applies to them “most of the time,” “sometimes” or “not very often.” Students in Reception – Year 3 will have emojis alongside the options to help them identify their feelings.

A sample of the Check In survey can be found here. In addition to supporting your child, de-identified data from all participating schools will be used by Catholic Education SA to identify trends to assist in future planning for the support of the learning and wellbeing for students across South Australia

• Notification process for the afternoon OSHC service - the names of students attending OSHC in the afternoon are now being provided directly to Caritas from the OSHC service at lunch time of that day. Therefore, parents/caregivers no longer need to call or text to notify the front office about attendance each day unless the plans for your child to attend OSHC changes throughout the day. If changes do occur, for example your child is either now going to attend OSHC in the afternoon or will no longer be attending OSHC in the afternoon, you will need to inform Caritas College Front Office staff. 
• Transfer to the service after school – students will now walk to the OSHC service accompanied by staff members. Therefore, families will no longer need to provide bus tickets for the transfer to PAWPS. On days of extreme weather conditions this transfer will be managed as necessary.    

Friday 8th March is a Student Free Day. Staff will focus on data literacy to deepen and grow our understanding of each and every student. All staff will work together to synthesise the evidence and data we have on students to know exactly where they are at with their learning and wellbeing. This school-wide use of data strengthens our practices and sets direction for the next steps in supporting our children and young people to grow and learn. 

A final reminder for the 2024 Catholic Education Awards. Nominations close strictly at 1pm on Friday March 8th 2024. We have another opportunity this year to shine a light on a teacher, support person, leader, volunteer or program that makes a positive difference in our school community. Please click here for further information.

NAPLAN Testing will again be occurring in Term 1 for students in Years 3,5,7 and 9. The testing window is open from 13th – 25th March. These tests provide useful data for individual achievement in comparison with national results and are a means of identifying particular needs at each year level. They are, however, one mode of assessment in the overall learning program and Caritas College uses a variety of assessment strategies. Last year there were some small changes to NAPLAN. The reporting language changed, and students are now identified as ‘Exceeding’, ‘Strong’, ‘Developing’ or ‘Needs Additional Support’. This provides more clarity for parents/caregivers and schools. If you have any questions about NAPLAN please contact the College.

Throughout the six weeks of Lent, students across the College will learn about the work of Project Compassion and how it helps provide individuals and communities across the world. 
This week we introduce Leaia who lives with her five children, husband, brother and sister-in-law on the island of Upolu in Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result. 

With the support of Caritas Australia's local partner, Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed at Leaia's home. She and her family now have a steady supply of clean drinking water at home. Next year, they will also have a toilet built, with the support of Caritas Samoa, which will further improve their health and living conditions.

The 2024 Sacramental Preparation Program will begin in Term 2, with Year 4 students preparing to receive their first Holy Communion. Parents/caregivers of students in Years 3, 4 and 7 would have received an email from Fr Jim Monaghan this week advising of a change of date for the information session, originally being held on Thursday 14 March. Please note that this will now be held on Thursday 21 March, at 7:00pm, at All Saints Catholic Church.

If you did not receive a letter about the program, please contact the All Saints Catholic Church on 8642 2847 or click here to access the letter.

As we continue to animate our theme, 'Let Your Light Shine', across the College, our Year 9 and 10 students throughout the last few weeks have spent time exploring the Project Compassion stories. They have been encouraged to think deeply about the social justice issues within each story and how they can shine a light on the issue or on the work of Caritas Australia. Students have spent time individually reflecting on the theme and our passage from Matthew’s Gospel before working together to determine action plans to raise funds for our Project Compassion campaign or to raise awareness of the plight of some of the most vulnerable members of our global family. Classes are now working to implement one of the presented action plans to make a change within their world.