23 Term 3 Week 3

Tuesday the 8^th August was the Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first (and only) Saint. She provides us, particularly in education, with an amazing role model whose vision for education for all is still a calling we hear today. Mary chose to make a difference to the communities in which she, and the Sisters of St Joseph, lived in throughout the 19th century, by educating the poor and working with the marginalised and most vulnerable members of society. We gathered as a school community this week to give thanks and to commemorate the remarkable life and legacy of Mary MacKillop.

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of week 3! As always, it has been a busy start to the term with classrooms being hives of activity, various sports carnivals and the building project making great progress. The sunshine we’ve been having has also been enjoyed by all- a sign that spring is on the way!!

WELCOME TO STELLA GATHERING

On Monday 14^th August we will be gathering in the Church at 9am to officially welcome the new students to our school, including our mid-year reception class. Families are invited to join us for this gathering.

FATHER'S DAY

Father's Day is approaching! As always, our P and F will hold a Father's Day stall - with further information about this provided in the next week or so.

We will also hold a Father's Day morning tea and liturgy - with a similar format to the Mother's Day liturgy from earlier in the year. Dads / Granddads or male role models in your child's lives will be invited to attend a morning tea followed by a brief liturgy in the Church on Monday 4^th September from 8:15am. To help with catering, we would ask that you rsvp to the following survey if you are coming along:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=q2QiNpggQkGJVNZfIlG_pfvhQh5W_e5MtVMowIUvk1VUNEZKMlFLQ0JHQ09NSE1FVjRSV1FRMFdQWC4u

LLL SURVEY

Thank you to the 100+ families who have responded to our Live, Learn, Lead survey- which is an important tool used by schools and CESA to track school satisfaction data.

Just a reminder that you are invited to participate in the short (3 to 5 minute) survey about your school’s performance. Similar surveys will be administered to staff and students to enable us to capture a community snapshot. All responses are confidential and will be used for school improvement purposes. Completion of the survey is on a voluntary basis. The survey consists of 6 domains including Catholic identity, Learning and Curriculum and Safety and Well-being. 

To complete the survey you can click here: https://www.nsipartnerships.com.au/

ENTER CODE: SMPSLLLP

Thank you once again!

CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS SA

Catholic School Parents of South Australia (CSPSA) is an organisation that aims to promote and support parents and families by providing a voice for education and issues which affect their children. The website: https://cspsa.catholic.edu.au/home and Facebook page are a great place to find information and resources along with events that are being hosted by CSPSA.

If you use Facebook, I would recommend following the CSPSA page as they are quite active in posting information and promoting events such as the one mentioned below.

The Parent Engagement Program is one of the services provided by CSPSA and welcomes all parents and carers of children in Catholic schools to attend. The next event is an inspirational evening with Madhavi Nawana Parker with a focus on ‘helping children and teenagers respond to friendship difficulties and bullying’.

The details of the event are in the attached flyer and below:

Date: 20 September 2023 @ 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Location: St Mary’s College

Cost: Free

Registration: Registrations can be made via the Registration Centre https://registrationcentre.cesa.catholic.edu.au/event-5309077

PUPIL FREE DAY

A reminder that Friday 1^st September is a pupil free day at Stella Maris. On this day we will be gathering as a staff for a Staff Reflection and Formation day with a focus on our calling to  be 'Ecologically Aware in God's creation'. Camp Australia will provide care for those families who required it. Please ensure you book your place asap if you require this care on the day. 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our great school!!

Ella Kirkham

Dear families and friends,

Celebrating Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and the Feast of the Assumption

Within a period of a week, we celebrate two very significant and influential women in the Catholic faith; St Mary of the Cross MacKillop who is Australia’s first and so far only Saint and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  Our Yr. 2 classes attended the 9.15am Tuesday Parish Mass on St Mary MacKillop’s actual feastday and yesterday, our Yr. 5 classes lead Community Prayer for our whole school to acknowledge and celebrate her life and legacy.  She was a woman of outstanding vision, compassion, courage and determination, who truly lived one of her most well-known sayings – “Never see a need without doing something about it.”  Seeing the lack of education opportunities for the children of poor families, she established a school in Penola in a disused stable.  From these very humble beginnings, came the establishment of the Josephite Order and the opening of schools throughout Australia and New Zealand which were open to all, especially those with no other means to acquire an education.

Next Tuesday morning, our school will join with parishioners for mass to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption.  On this day we celebrate Mary, Jesus’ mother and the day her earthly life ended and she was tenderly received into heaven.  Mary is often referred to as Jesus’ first disciple.  From scripture, we learn that she was also a woman of great courage, lovingly accepting the gift of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and raising him with the support of her husband Joseph, in the Jewish faith.  She supported Jesus in his early ministry through to his death, suffering the unimaginable anguish and pain of seeing her son put on trial, be sentenced to death and die on a cross. 

One of Mary’s titles is ‘Stella Maris’ (meaning ‘Star of the Sea’) and we are honoured to have her as our schools’ Patron Saint.

Sacramental Programme News

A group of 22 young people, 10 of which attend Stella Maris, are currently engaged in the Parish Sacramental Programme in preparing for Confirmation and First Eucharist.  Next Tuesday August 15^th at 7pm is the final preparation session, in which Confirmation Sponsors are asked to attend along with the students and their parents.

This year, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan is officiating at the Confirmation Ceremony which is being held on Wednesday August 23, 7pm at Holy Spirit Church.  On Sunday August 27 at the 9.15am Mass, the candidates will receive their First Holy Communion and celebrate with a special morning tea afterwards in the Parish Hall.

Our school community is warmly invited to attend these celebrations and support our young people and their families. 

Religious Education Related Events for Term 3

I have once again included a timetable below for your information, of Religious Education related events that we have so far scheduled for this term.  Hopefully having some advance notice, may give you the opportunity to attend, especially when your child/children are involved.

I will leave you with more wisdom from St. Mary MacKillop…

“Be calm and full of hope…”

“Believe in the whisperings of God in your own heart…”

Many blessings to you all,

Tanya

More details will be provided next week.

Please contact the office if you would like more information.

Students commencing at Cabra in Year 7, 2024 will be invited to attend an Orientation Day held in Term 4 on Thursday 24 November 2023.

For any families who may be considering enrolment at Cabra in Year 7, 2026, applications will close at the conclusion of Term 1, 2024.