22 Term 2 Week 9

The crane arrives and new temporary classrooms are here, we prepare to acknowledge the oldest living culture on earth, a number of new students join the Stella family and we look forward to a Music concert! This is Week 9 of Term 2.

NAIDOC WEEK CELEBRATIONS:

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

Often the first week of July occurs in our ‘holiday time’ so it seems appropriate this year that we make a ‘big deal’ of NAIDOC week at Stella. During Week 10, all classes will engage in regular class activities which acknowledge the amazing contribution of Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander peoples.

On Thursday, 7^th July, we will hold our NAIDOC celebration day. On this day, we are very excited to welcome Uncle Tamaru – a Kaurna Aboriginal elder who will conduct a Welcome to Country and join us for a liturgy. From recess-end of the day all students will engage in various fun activities in buddy groups which will have an Indigenous focus. Parents are welcome to join us for our Welcome to Country and Liturgy which will occur from 9:00am.

NEW STUDENTS AND CONTINUED INTEREST:

In Term 3 we will welcome 23 new students to our Stella family. 17 students will join us as new Receptions as they begin their time with us. Another 6 students will join various classes in Years 1 – 4. These additions will mean that we are essentially ‘full’ in most year levels across our school.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I conducted over 40 enrolment interviews for families looking at a 2024 enrolment. Interest in joining our school is at an amazingly high level. I always begin enrolments with the question ‘tell us why you chose to come to Stella Maris?’ and the answers have been very consistent. There is a great ‘community feel’, a sense of ‘welcome’ and a ‘vibe’ that other schools don’t have and ‘so many people we speak to who have kids here love what you do and how you do it’. I am very proud of our team and community when I hear this feedback. Thank you for continuing to promote the great things we are doing in the community.

BUILDING UPDATE:

As I complete this article, I am watching 2 new transportable buildings being craned onto our grass space. It is the first step in a major building development which will begin in earnest over the coming months. We are in the final stages of the approval process, and once this occurs, we are looking forward to inviting parents to a Community meeting regarding the development. Our architects – Stewart and Rhiana from Russell and Yelland are very keen to present our new design and what it will mean for our school moving forward.

There are exciting times ahead. Of course, tempering some of the excitement is the reality that there will be some disruption and need for flexibility and understanding that some ‘short term pain’ will be required for ‘long term gain’. Having said this, my absolute aim and promise to you is that I will do everything I can to ensure that the learning and well-being of your child remains our absolute priority and focus. I encourage you to contact me at any stage should you feel anything other than this.

STELLA’S MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA:

Next term we are excited to hold our inaugural ‘Stella’s Music Extravaganza’. This will be an opportunity for us to showcase the musical talents of our students on stage in ‘performance mode’. We see this as an essential element of our Arts program and we know you will enjoy this night. This will take place on Thursday, 11^th August and there is an expectation that ALL students and families make themselves available for these concerts. There will be 2 concerts on the night – one beginning at 6:00pm and one beginning at 7:30pm. They will last about an hour. Details of which concert your child will be involved in will be provided next week.

MISSION AUSTRALIA INFORMATION SESSIONS:

Mission Australia is a non-for-profit Christian organisation which has at it’s heart a desire to help and support those in need. Recently Mission Australia and Catholic Education SA have partnered together to support families who have a child with a disability access the extra help and support they need to ‘thrive’. More specifically they support families through the difficult process of applying for and managing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Whether you already have a student on the NDIS or you are thinking about applying, but decided it is ‘too hard’ Mission Australia could be the help you need.

Next week Mission Australia are running online sessions to provide parents with information about what they do and how they can help. There is a flyer attached to the newsletter and you can join these sessions by clicking the following links:

SESSION 1:

Tuesday 5^th July – 10:00am - Session 1 Mission Australia

SESSION 2:

Thursday 7^th July – 5:30pm - Mission Australia Session 2

Please contact me here in the office if you have any further questions about this.

2021 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT:

Each year we are mandated to compile an ‘Annual Performance Report’ as part of our obligation as an Educational Institution. This report includes information about our school, academic results, staffing composition, financial information and our achievement of various goals and strategic intentions.

Our 2021 Annual Performance Report can be found online through our website here:

https://www.smps.catholic.edu.au/our-school/school-information

If you would like a hard copy of the report, you are welcome to email Cathy Lainio in the front office (contact@smps.catholic.edu.au) and a copy will be sent home with your child.

As we near the end of another busy term I wish you all a happy holiday break after Week 10 next week. Students will finish on Friday, 8th July at 3pm and we look forward to welcoming all students back on Monday, 25^th July.

James

Welcome to the final newsletter component containing information relating to the aim of our “The Stella Capabilities.” I trust you have found the information helpful in piecing together the learning goals we have for our “Stella Learner.” Today’s focus capabilities are:

• Inspired by Faith
• Globally Minded
• Literate and Numerate
• Critical and Creative Thinkers
• Ecologically Aware
• Collaborative and Self-Aware
• Responsible Digital Citizens

At the heart of our Catholic Identity is the daily and constant promotion of the Gospel values and living the example Jesus set us. We speak to our students about how we interact with others, the environment and ourselves with a strong focus on our Catholic values and beliefs. Whilst each student learns from our Religious Education Curriculum “Crossways”, the integration of our Catholic beliefs and traditions occurs across many curriculum areas.  The range of behaviours and skills we are seeking and developing in our Inspired by Faith learners are:

• Following the example of Jesus.
• Recognising God in their lives.
• Treating others the way we like to be treated.

The need to foster our students into becoming globally minded people is very important. This capability develops our students into possessing a cultural awareness that allows them to not only show sensitivity to other people's differences but it encourages students to take risks, embrace diversity and recognise the importance of collaboration with others to work towards the common good. The behaviours and skills we are seeking and developing in a Globally Minded learner are:

• Being aware of others in our world.
• Recognising my role as a global citizen.

The final capability focuses on the strong development of skills that ensure our Stella Learner is literate and numerate. Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen in ways that will allow our students to communicate effectively and provides our students opportunities to access wider understandings of the many dimensions of their world. The behaviours and skills we are seeking and developing in a Literate learner are:

• Communicating effectively in both verbal and written form.
• Reading and comprehending a variety of texts.

Numeracy, like literacy, is key for students to access and make sense of their world. Being able to quantify and measure their environment in different ways will help them to make knowledgeable judgements about the kind of actions to take in their lives. The behaviours and skills we are seeking and developing in a Numerate learner are:

• Making real world connections to their learning in Mathematics.
• Demonstrating their ability to solve problems in various ways.

The criteria for our ‘Inspired By Faith’, ‘Literate’ and ‘Numerate’ capabilities and their elaborations are clearly displayed in each classroom, allowing students a visual reminder of what skills and experiences they need to focus on during lesson time, to grow and develop further in each of the capabilities.  Our teacher’s quality teaching and learning programmes contain the content that will provide students with a multitude of opportunities to demonstrate their ability to apply these skills confidently and effectively in their learning.

It has been with great pride that I have worked collaboratively with the fantastic teachers and leaders at Stella Maris to develop our “Stella Capabilities.” The dedication demonstrated by all educators on staff to ensure the development of the whole child here at Stella Maris contributes to what makes our school the greatest school there is.

Kindest regards,

Louise Perry

Capabilities Leader