23 Term 1 Week 9

HOLY WEEK

Next week is arguably the most important week of our Catholic Calendar as we acknowledge and reflect on the events of Holy Week. Tanya unpacks this beautifully in her Newsletter article below. As a whole school, we will be acknowledging the week with liturgies each day as follows:

Monday 3rd April = Palm Sunday led by 5JW at 9:15am

Tuesday 4th April = The Garden of Gethsemane led by 3JM at 11:30am

Wednesday 5th April = The Last Supper led by 3KZ at 11:30am

Thursday 6th April = Stations of the Cross led by at 11:30am

Parents are most welcome to join us for these important liturgies throughout the week.

Welcome to Week 9! It has certainly been a busy fortnight with NAPLAN, Harmony Week, Parent/Teacher conversations and sports carnivals.

NAPLAN

Last week, our Year 3 and Year 5 students completed NAPLAN testing in Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. The testing went really smoothly and we were really impressed by the way students approached these tests with a positive, ‘have a go’ mindset. We thank teaching, ESOs and families for the role they play in supporting students during this process. We are expecting NAPLAN results for be available for families at the end of term 2. There are changes to the reporting of achievement bands from 2023 onwards and further information will be shared about this later in term 2.

COLOUR RUN

We are looking forward to a great day on the last day of term - Friday 14th April for our Colour Run. This is a major fundraiser for the school and students are encouraged to seek donations from families and friends - every small amount can make a big difference. Final donation amounts can again be provided through the QKR! App. Further information and some FAQs are included in a flyer below. We thank our Parents and Friends committee for their organisation of this event.

PARENT WORKSHOP- Capabilities

Our final Parent Workshop for Term 1 will focus on The Stella Learner and will be held on Monday 3rd April at 6:30pm. Your child may have come home talking about how they are a 'Stella Learner' when they use Critical and Creative Thinking skills or Personal and Social capabilities or as Responsible Digital citizens. These 'capabilities' are essential for 'life success' and play a significant role in our teaching, learning and pastoral care programs. Again, we believe that you as parents play a big role in developing these skills at home and so we would like to spend some time explaining the Capabilities to you and providing you with some examples of how you can support your child to develop these skills at home. We encourage all families to attend and we look forward to sharing this information with you.

KISS AND GO REMINDER:

We had a great response to a previous letter issued to all families at the Kiss and Go pick up zone earlier in the term. There was an instant improvement in the way the Kiss and Go zone was being used. Unfortunately, over the last few weeks some unhelpful behaviors, particularly the unnecessary early arrival at school and the banking up of traffic onto Ramsay Avenue, have crept back in and so a reminder letter has been issued this week. You may have noticed that yesterday there was a Community Safety Office from Marion Council, who was observing and giving reminders on Mulga Street in relation to the maximum 2-3 minute wait time. We know that fines will follow if drivers are parked on Mulga street for more than 2-3 minutes, or if cars are stationary for any time on Ramsay Avenue. We ask that you also pass these messages on to grandparents, family members and carers who may be collecting your children.

PARENT-TEACHER CONVERSATIONS:

Stella has been a very busy place after school this week, with parent teacher conversations occurring throughout the week. Parent teacher conversations are a great way of ensuring home/school partnership, which we know are an essential component of your child’s education. Thank you for your engagement in these conversations. Our teachers certainly appreciate the opportunity to connect with you in person and we hope you have found these conversations useful.

As always, we thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind Regards

Ella Kirkham

Dear families and friends,

Welcome to the fifth week of the Lenten Season!

In a few days, Palm Sunday will herald the beginning of Holy Week. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus was welcomed by a huge crowd to Jerusalem.  Many had heard about him and were curious to see this man who cared for the marginalized, healed the sick, taught about love, compassion, inclusion and forgiveness and although a devout Jew, challenged a number of Jewish laws.  He shared his relationship with and vision of a loving, forgiving and inclusive God.  Jesus was in many ways an enigma - a man of peace, who put himself at grave risk by challenging the established norms, teachings and culture of the times in which he lived – 1^st Century Palestine.  This would ultimately result in his arrest, trial and death.

Each day of Holy Week, we will highlight a major event that occurred during this time so long ago.  We invite you to join us in the Church if you can and the details are included below.

Monday April 3 at 9.15am, Year 5JW have prepared a presentation for Palm Sunday.

Tuesday April 4 at 11.30am, Year 3JM will lead us in reflecting on The Last Supper.

Wednesday April 5 at 11.30am, Year 3KZ have prepared a presentation for the Garden of Gethsemane.

Holy Thursday April 6 at 11.30am, classes have prepared the Stations of the Cross. 

This will also be presented in the Church. 

Easter Week – Tuesday April 11 at 11.30am, our Year 4 and Year 6 classes have prepared an Easter Liturgy for all, with the theme of ‘Celebrating the Light’.

Project Compassion 

We share another story illustrating how the donations you make to Caritas’ Project Compassion can support vulnerable individuals and communities in our global family. Today you are introduced to Thu, who lives in Vietnam. “When Thu was 12 years old, he stepped on an unexploded land mine and lost his leg. ​

Living with a disability in rural Vietnam presented many challenges for Thu, who worked mainly as a rice farmer. Thu also took on the role of caring for his wife, Linh, after she suffered a stroke.​

Determined to turn their lives around, Thu and Linh joined the Empowerment of People with Disabilities program, run by Caritas Australia’s local partner in Vietnam, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD).   

For Thu, the greatest impact the program has had is enabling the change in Linh’s physical and mental wellbeing. With the support of a physiotherapist, Linh can now walk short distances with the aid of a walking stick.” 

Watch a short film about Thu’s story here.

Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

You still have time to contribute to Project Compassion by adding money to the boxes your children brought home or you may prefer to donate via QKR or online via the link above.  Boxes can be returned to the Office anytime from now until the end of term.  Many thanks for your generosity and remember that even a small amount contributes to the whole and does make a difference.

Sacramental Programme

On Tuesday evening, a number of students from Stella Maris and St Bernadette’s, gathered with parents to begin preparing for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation.  Sr Jasmine, Matthew Min and myself, lead the activities supported by parishioners, Celine and Lucy.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is focused on healing relationships, forgiveness and reflecting on our actions, so that we make positive choices in the future.  We will gather again on Tuesday May 9, for our next session.

I will leave you with some wisdom, that fits in well with Lent and trying to be the best version of ourselves…

”Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary…”

J.M. Barrie

Easter blessings to you all,

Tanya Stott 

Week 9 has been a significant week for parent - teacher conversations. A great opportunity to check in and review how your child is settling into the new school year. Every child has their ups and downs at school, like in life. By showing your child you care about how they are going and are involved in their school life and education, you can help them feel supported no matter where they are in their journey. 

Emily Hughes 

Pastoral Care Support

A reminder to all families wishing to receive the early payment discount of $100 per student ($50 per student with split family accounts) that full payment of fees is due by 31 March 2023. Please contact Kathy Groat, Finance Manager, telephone 8306 4833, if you have any questions.

Who are Kaurna?

For those on Kaurna Country, the Marion Council are offering an information session during Reconciliation Week on Friday 2 June from 10:00am – 11:00am titled, “Kaurna Language and History – Who are Kaurna”. Tickets are free and bookings are required. A precis of the event from the website:

Jack Buckskin is a Kaurna, Narungga and Wirangu man, born in the Adelaide Plains region, who has dedicated himself to learning and sharing the Kaurna language and culture. He has been heavily involved in the Kaurna revitalisation movement for more than 15 years and continues to contribute to the development and teaching of the Kaurna language. Jack also shares his culture and stories through dance and other cultural workshops through his cultural services and dance group, Kuma Kaaru, which translates to ‘one blood’. Jack and Kuma Kaaru have also been given the opportunity to showcase dance, language and culture internationally, having been invited to perform and speak in a number of countries, including India, Nauru, Canada and Austria.

Participants will be taught Who Kaurna are, Kaurna Lands, the History of the Name, Observers and who documented Kaurna Language, the important people in the documentation and the revitalization of the Kaurna Language and how Kaurna is used along with its strengths and weaknesses.

Weblink: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/things-to-do/events-calendar/kaurna-language-and-history-who-are-kaurna (for online bookings).