Issue 6, 14 April 2023

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From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith
Christ is Risen!
Staffing
Year 8 Camp - Woodhouse Activity Centre
Year 12 Retreat
Project Compassion
Interim Reports
SEQTA Engage (Years 3 through to 12)
Uniform - Shoes Reminder
End of Term
Teaching and Learning
Year 5 Art
Year 6 Art
Years 11/12 Visual Arts & Design Excursion
Out and About

From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter to all of our families! Easter is a time of great joy. It is a time of celebration and reflection. The season of Easter lasts for 50 days through to Pentecost. During this period, we remember and celebrate the hope and promise that Jesus' resurrection brings to all of us. May the joy and hope offered to us in a special way at Easter inspire us to live out the Good News in our daily lives.

Staffing

At the end of this term we farewell Marsha Bolitho as a staff member at Caritas College. Marsha is heading off on an exciting new adventure with her family to Queensland. We give thanks and gratitude for Marsha's commitment to our college community as an Education Support Officer over the past 2 years, and wish her all the best.

Year 8 Camp - Woodhouse Activity Centre

The Year 8's have been on camp this week in Adelaide at Woodhouse Activity Centre. They engaged in a range of activities to develop and enhance their communication skills, teamwork, resilience and confidence. They also delved deeper into the story of Mary MacKillop with a visit to the Museum at Kensington. These experiences are important as we continue to honour and celebrate our college's charism. The students were also fortunate enough to attend an AFL game between Adelaide and Carlton as part of the 'Gather Round'. At Caritas, we ensure that camps are meaningful and an extension of the curriculum offered at school. We also want to make sure that they are memorable and fun. I am pleased that our Year 8 students have had this opportunity which has no doubt ticked all the boxes.

Year 12 Retreat

Our Year 12 students participated in a 2-day retreat experience at Spear Creek Holiday Park on Wednesday and Thursday. The theme of the retreat was 'Our Call to Love'. The experience offered them the opportunity to pause, reflect, pray and explore their faith. The retreat opportunity also supported the students to connect with their peers and grow together as they journey through their final year of schooling. A Catholic education is more than just educating the mind. It is about forming a human spirit. These types of experiences play a key role in supporting our young people to become thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires.

Project Compassion

Our efforts over the 40 days of Lent culminated in a whole school event at the end of Week 10. Our Student Leaders worked incredibly hard to raise awareness and funds throughout Lent for Project Compassion. As a result of various activities and events that included Caritas Ks, Project Compassion Collection Boxes, Easter Raffle and the Lolly Jar Guess, the school community raised over $3000! Staff wanted to support the students in their fundraising efforts and urge them on to raise as much money as they could. Subsequently, students nominated certain staff members to be drenched with water depending on the amount of money they raised. The students were thrilled to have reached the set fundraising benchmarks that resulted in all the nominated staff members being soaked with a bucket of water. It was a fun way to end our Lenten journey, but the most fulfilling feeling was to know that our school community raised money for Project Compassion which will go to those people who are most in need.

Interim Reports

Parents/Caregivers will receive an Interim Report for their child(ren) at the end of this week via SEQTA Engage. The Interim Report will indicate the grade achieved so far this year, as well as, the student's effort in each learning area. Please take this opportunity to discuss your child's achievements and growth at this point in the school year. Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any questions about their Interim Report.

For your information, I have provided further details below relating to how and when we use SEQTA to report on student achievement throughout the year.

SEQTA Engage (Years 3 through to 12)

Student achievement is reported to families and caregivers in a variety of ways including formal parent teacher learning conversations, end-of-term and end-of-semester formal reports. Last year our college changed the way we report to be more seamless and help families to access information about their child's growth and acheivement more regularly.

SEQTA Engage supports reporting of achievement to students and families in a continuous manner. Students experience a series of ongoing assessments across learning areas which embrace a mix of:

Formative (identifies areas of strength and challenge - may not contribute to overall grade - rather informsthe learning)
Summative (assessment of achievement at a point in time, contributes to overall grade). As summative assesment tasks are completed, teachers release results through SEQTA Learn (students) and SEQTA Engage (parents/caregivers) in a timely manner

Therefore, parents/caregivers can expect the following:

Release of results through SEQTA Engage in an ongoing manner
An interim report at the end of Term 1 and Term 3 which will indicate the grade achieved so far in each learning area as well as an indication of effort, made available through the SEQTA Engage Dashboard
End-of-semester report end of Term 2 and 4 to indicate the overall grade achieved in each learning area as well as an indication of effort, made available through the SEQTA Engage Dashboard

If you need help accessing the SEQTA App, please contact the college and we will happily assist you. Information regarding SEQTA is also available on our website.

As a parent/caregiver, you will find the information in the tabs on the left-hand side of the screen. This is where information regarding assessment and reports will be accessed

Uniform - Shoes Reminder

The end of the term is an opportune time for a gentle reminder about the expectations for our college uniform. Firstly, I would like to thank parents/caregivers for ensuring that students wear the newly branded college uniform following the transition period that concluded at the end of 2022.

I would also like to remind parents/caregivers that the approved college shoe is a black leather school shoe with no discernible logos or imagery (remembering that canvas shoes are not permitted). The college has been quite lenient in supporting families to meet this expectation. Please see the below infographic to understand which shoes are appropriate for school.

End of Term

I want to acknowledge the efforts of staff, students and families over the past 11 weeks. Congratulations on a successful Term 1! I wish all of our families a happy and safe term break. May you find some rest and relaxation before coming back refreshed and ready for Term 2. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday 1st May.

Teaching and Learning

Year 5 Art

The Year 5 students have made their own community logos during Art. They used the 2023 college theme 'called to community' as their inspiration and designed logos that they believe represent our Caritas College community.

Year 6 Art

The Year 6 students have created pieces of art work which display the colour wheel. They needed to display the colour wheel in a creative way with many choosing water colour paints as their medium. For first time users of water colour, they did a fantastic job. So many creative minds within our college community!

Years 11/12 Visual Arts & Design Excursion

On Wednesday of Week 10 Visual Arts and Design students from Years 11 and 12 experienced the Arts in Adelaide. They visited the JAM Factory and toured glass blowing, ceramics, metal and furniture workshops. They were lucky enough to meet artists and learnt about individual professions. Students were able to visit the SACE Art Show that is exhibiting the 2022 top achievers of Visual and Design SACE, as well as, the Art Gallery of SA who were offering Andy Warhol's photography exhibition as well as showcasing his famous Campbell's Soup and Marilyn screen prints. A visit by 2022 Old Scholar, Josh Sambi, was also a bonus as he joined in on the gallery tours.