Issue 3, 7 March 2023

International Women's Day is on Wednesday 8th March.  It is an opportunity for us to acknowledge and celebrate all the wonderful women in our school community.  Our College has so much to be grateful for in recognising the hard work, dedication and unwavering commitment of women.   

Loving God,  

As we gather together to celebrate International Women's Day, we give thanks for the countless women who have made immeasurable contributions to our school community.  We honour the women who have paved the way for us, from Saint Mary MacKillop to the Sisters of St Joseph and all the women who have gone before us.

In particular, this week we pray for Sr Mary Laurencia who was a pioneer in our school community.

We ask that you bless all the women in our school community with strength, wisdom and courage.  May they always feel empowered and may we strive to create a more just and equitable society where all women can thrive.  

Amen. 

Parent/Teacher Learning Conversations are being held this week.  Teachers look forward to the opportunity to share important information with parents/caregivers about their child's learning and progress so far this year.  These conversations help form the essential relationship that must exist between 'home' and 'school' to support each of our students to grow in their learning and wellbeing.

You might have noticed some work happening on the primary courts in the front section of the school over the past week.  The old asphalt courts are being resurfaced with synthetic grass.  This will complement the space between the Penola Learning Centre and the wonderful Nature Play Area.  We expect the works to be completed this week and are excited for the students who will no doubt enjoy this new space.

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 to support them.  The Check In survey will be carried out during the school day.

I am conscious that life in school has its' ups and downs, but I am allso 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 Rec-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. 

This year the NAPLAN testing will be occuring in Term 1 for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.  The testing window is open from 15-27 March.  These tests provide useful data for individual achievement in comparison with national results and are a means 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.  There have been some small changes to NAPLAN for 2023.  The reportin language has changed and students will now be identified as 'Exceeding', 'Strong', 'Developing' or 'Needs Additional Support'.  This is intended to provide more clarity for parents/caregivers and schools.  If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact the College.

Our College Board AGM will be held on Wednesday 15 March at 6.30pm in the Tappeiner Room.  Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend.  The 2022 School Performance Report will be presented, along with reports from the President, Chairpoerson, 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.

The College will be reviewing our policies and procedures for mobile phones and personal devices for students.  As part of the review, we would like to form a committee to provide input and feedback about the policy and procedure.  The committee will make recommendations about the policy and its implementation to be considered by the Board.

The committee will be comprised of staff, students and parents/caregivers.  If you are interested in learning more about this review, or being on the committee, please contact the College.

On Thursday, our Year 5-12 SRC representatives will attend a memorial liturgy at the Stirling North Cemetery to mark the 145th anniversary of the death of Sr Mary Laurencia Honner.

In 1874, a young Mary entered the Sisters of St Joseph and was given the name Laurencia.  In 1877, she was professed a Sister of St Joseph and at 18, in 1878, Mary MacKillop asked her to live and teach here in Port Augusta.  On March 3, there had been devotions in the Church, and as Sr Laurencia and Sr Immaculata were clearing the church and preparing it for school the following day, a kerosene lamp caught fire, burning both the sisters.  On 11 March, 8 days later, Sr Mary Laurencia passed away aged 19.

The beautiful stained-glass window which adorns our College Reception area, was donated by Sarah and Richard Honner, Sr Mary Laurencia's parents.  This window comes from the old convent chapel on Flinders Terrace.

We continue to give thanks for the Sisters of St Joseph who have responded with enthusiasm and love to the call to serve in the remote and rural areas of South Australia.  May we here at Caritas College, continue to walk in their footsteps and to find courage when times are difficult and consolation from the love of those around us. 

Compassion creates a ripple effect of kindness throughout communities.  Whilst we consider how we can give to Caritas Australia's Project Compassion compaign, we also encourage our students to focus on their gifts that they can offer to others - to create ripples that will improve the livelihoods of our global brothers and sisters and to support all future generations.

By supporting Project Compassion, we can proclaim the faith that is in our hearts and help our brothers and sisters in need by sharing the gifts that we possess.  During Lent, we are invited to take up the call to fast, pray and give, in solidarity as a global community.  Our commitment to those in need is a direct call to our response, beautifully located in our College entrance statement, 'to act justly, live tenderly, and to walk humbly with our God' (Micah 6:8).