Issue 9, 2 June 2023

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From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith
Pentecost
National Reconciliation Week
SAPSASA Football
Trek
First Eucharist
From the Leader of Catholic Identity, Chloe Shanahan
Whole School Liturgy - National Reconciliation Week
First Eucharist
From the Years 3-6 Director of Learning and Wellbeing, Chelsea Caputo
Learning and Wellbeing
Reception - Questacon Visit
Year 1 Science - Farmer Andrew
Year 12 Child Studies - Farm to Fork
Out and About

From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith

Pentecost

Last Sunday the Church celebrated Pentecost. The Feast of the Holy Spirit is a significant event in the Christian calendar. It falls 50 days after Easter Sunday and signifies the end of the season of Easter. This special day marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus. As we reflect upon this important feast day, let us be reminded of the strength and power of the Holy Spirit and the positive impact it can have on our lives.

National Reconciliation Week

This National Reconciliation Week we especially focus on the relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme for National Reconciliation Week is 'Be a Voice for Generations'. During our whole school Liturgy on Thursday morning, we made strong connections wth our College's theme for this year 'Called to Community' and the NRW theme. All of our students made a pledge in their class to be a voice for reconciliation in every encounter and interaction we have each and every day.

After the Liturgy, our Year 6 and 9 students attended the Reconciliation Week Youth Event in Gladstone Square. This community event was hosted by the Port Augusta City Council and out students enjoyed engaging in various stalls and activities to learn and grow in their appreciation and understanding of reconciliation.

This week students and staff have also engaged in an 'Aboriginal Artists in Schools' program conducted by Carlew. We have been fortunate to have Darryl Thomas and Lawrie Thomas (Nukunu brothers) share Dreaming Stories and teach us carving skills to learn how boomerangs, clapsticks and walking sticks are created. This has been a special opportunity for our students and staff to experience during National Reconciliation Week.

SAPSASA Football

Congratulations to several of our Year 5 and 6 students who represented our College at the SAPSASA Football Carnival last week. The girls and boys teams both did incredibly well at the carnival. The opportunity for students to participate in these types of interschool and representative competitions is a fantastic experience. I also appreciate the commitment that parents make to support their child to take part in these experiences in Adelaide.

Trek

Our Year 10 Outdoor Education students are getting excited for their Trek experience next week. This outdoor education camp, which will take place at Warren Gorge near Quorn, will provide students with the opportunity to develop practical skills such as bushwalking, camping and interpersonal skills. The experience will require them to use their leadership skills, teamwork, resilience and perseverance sa they journey through the Flinders Ranges over 3 days. We wish students and staff all the best for Trek and hope that the weather is favourable for some nice bushwalking.

First Eucharist

A number of our students in Year 4 are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of First Eucharist. This will occur on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June. As a Catholic school community, it is important for us to walk with these students and their families as they work towards this special step in their faith journey. May we offer them our prayers as they edge closer to experiencing the presence of Christ through the Eucharist for the first time.

From the Leader of Catholic Identity, Chloe Shanahan

Whole School Liturgy - National Reconciliation Week

On Thursday morning, we acknowledged National Reconciliation Week with our whole school Liturgy. The theme of National Reconciliation Week is 'Be a Voice for Generations', explored though both the passage from Matthew's gospel of Jesus healing the mute man and the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Classes have spent time engaging with the passage and Uluru Statement and discussing the importance of reconciliation to think about how they can help those who don't have a voice or allowing others the space to have a voice.

Our prayer focus included the handprints of every member of our college community, showing that we have a part to play. Each class also spent time developing a pledge for them to use their voice when it comes to reconciliation and continuing to build upon the relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These pledges were on display for the Liturgy and gifted back to classes to display as a reminder of our call to reconciliation as a community.

We thank Fr Jim for leading us in our celebration and thank him for his continued support and ministry within our college community.

First Eucharist

With a number of Year 4 students preparing to celebrate their First Eucharist in the coming weeks, have you ever wondered what the word Eucharist means?

We continue to keep these students and their families in our prayers as they continue their journey towards receiving this important sacrament.

From the Years 3-6 Director of Learning and Wellbeing, Chelsea Caputo

We have been very busy as a Year 3-6 cohort for the start of Term 2. We had an exciting visit from the travelling Questacon Science Show which had the students participating in experiments and learning about science and technology.

We have been doing lots of learning in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week and the Liturgy which was held on Thursday. Classes have been reflecting on the importance and meaning of reconciliation in our school and classroom communities and created pledges as a commitment to reconciliation for the remainder of the year.

Our classrooms have been buzzing with lots of learning activities and I am looking forward to sharing these together as a group at our assembly next Thursday.

Learning and Wellbeing

Reception - Questacon Visit

Questacon recently brought science and technology to the college and our Reception students were lucky enough to be part of it! They experimented with sound and how it travels, looked at solids and liquids and did some very fun hands on activities.

Year 1 Science - Farmer Andrew

In Science, the Year 1 students have been learning about weather and how it affects our lives. Today we were visited by Farmer Andrew who taught us all about farming and the different jobs he does in each season. We had some very interested students and aspiring farmers at the end of his visit. Thanks Farmer Andrew!

Year 12 Child Studies - Farm to Fork

The Year 12 Child Studies students recently planned and implemented an educational experience about foods from Farm to Fork. They each worked with a small group of junior primary children to undertake a practical activity then helped their young buddies explain the process to their peers. Some of the cooking activities included apples (from our school tree) to apple juice, eggs to meringues, lemons into lemonade and milk into yoghurt.