23 Term 3 Week 7

STAFF REFLECTION DAY

Last Friday we had a student free day for our annual Staff Reflection Day. This is a day dedicated to the faith formation of staff along with being a great opportunity to explore our Catholic identity in a collegial and purposeful way. Tanya goes into more detail in her newsletter article, but I would like to thank her for her hard work, dedication and passion in planning and delivering such as worthwhile day.  

REPORTING SURVEY:

At Stella Maris, we aim to provide you with ongoing information re: how your child is progressing at school. This is done through informal and formal learning conversations, SeeSaw updates, sending work home etc. In a more official capacity, we offer parent- teacher conversations and formal reports are sent home twice a year, which provides a graded summary of your child’s progress.

This year, our reports look a little different to previous years. We have opted for a ‘summary’ report, whereby teachers provide an overall grade (A-E) for each subject area, rather than also including a grade for each strand within a subject as we have previously done.

We are interested in hearing your thoughts about the ways in which we provide you with information about your child's progress and growth and also the new reporting format we used.

You can do so by completing this short survey:

https://forms.office.com/r/nJFF9JKETx

We would appreciate hearing your thoughts. 

SPORTING NEWS:

It has been a very busy term in many ways, and our sporting program is no exception. Our students have done a wonderful job representing Stella Maris in a range of sports, with excellent results particularly in our Knockout competitions. We wish our Year 5/6 girls luck as they compete in both the knockout Soccer and basketball carnivals next week.

This week, our Year 4-6 students also had the opportunity to represent Stella Maris at the touch football carnival. We are always impressed by the way our students represent Stella Maris at days such as these. We thank Kym Hill and James McCarthy for their leadership and expertise in making these events possible for our students.

R U OK? DAY

Thursday, September 14 is R U OK Day, which is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask , 'are you OK?' and support those struggling with life's ups and downs. It is about noticing when someone around you is not being their usual self, asking them how they are going, giving them an opportunity to talk and ensuring they know who to go to or how to access support.

Students are invited to wear a splash of yellow on this day, and we will acknowledge it with various activities throughout the day.

MARKET DAY

On Tuesday 26th September, our Year 6 class will be holding our annual Market Day. This is a significant component of their Business and Economics studies. The markets will be held between recess and lunch and all classes will take part in the event. This consists of a range of games, activities and food stalls that students can access, with all money raised going to Catholic Charities. Further information will be sent out about the event but in the meantime, it is important that the school has up to date records related to student dietary needs. Please contact the front office if any changes need to be made.  

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT:

As we continue to embed ‘The Resilience Project’ throughout our classrooms and school community, I thought it was a great chance to remind families of the resources available to all parents through the Parent Portal- a great resources provided through the school partnership program. This portal has a huge number of resources that can support parents at home in using well-being tools and strategies for both you as parents and importantly your children. 

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

You can also access a number of other resources available through the TRP@Home site:

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/home-2023/

CYBERSAFE FAMILIES - PRESENTATION - WEDNESDAY 13^th SEPTEMBER:

Next Wednesday the 13^th September we will hold a Cybersafe Families Presentation dealing with Cybersafe practices in the home environment. Last years presentation was well attended and those who attended spoke highly of the information presented on the night. 

The presentation will take place here at school (in the library space) beginning at 7:00pm. You can see more information about Cybersafe families and their work by visiting their website: https://cybersafefamilies.com.au/ The workshop will last for around an hour.

Please rsvp for the evening by clicking here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=q2QiNpggQkGJVNZfIlG_pfvhQh5W_e5MtVMowIUvk1VUREw0VjAySUNWTlo1OFJJMERKTFBHWjdBQy4u

Students in Year 3-6 will also undertake a workshop presentation by Cybersafe Families during the day. 

As always, thank your for your ongoing support of our school.

Kindest Regards

Ella Kirkham

Dear families and friends,

Precious moments

Life is full of moments where we touch the lives of others, without an inkling of the positive impact of these interactions. Each term, class year levels are rostered to attend the 9.15am Tuesday Parish Mass, joined by a regular group of mainly older parishioners.  The students and their teachers are invited to select the songs for the mass and then gather the week before to practise them.  I have often reflected on how privileged I am to join them each week, hearing their angelic voices as they sing the songs and responses.  We are led beautifully by Victoria Traeger our Music Teacher, who accompanies us with her playing and singing.  Often, student musicians add their bit of magic with the Djembe (African hand drum) and tambourine.  Father Joseph always thanks our students for their joyful participation and the parishioners provide a hearty round of applause.  However recently, parishioners have approached us afterwards and in a very heartfelt manner, expressed how much the music we provide enriches their experience of the mass and starts their day in the best way possible, adding that we probably had no idea how much it meant to them.  Such a lovely anecdote to share with you all!

Fathers’ Day Liturgy – ‘Walk Gently Together’

We were blessed with dry weather on Monday morning, as a large group of dads and grandfathers gathered to enjoy a cuppa, bite to eat, the company of their children/grandchildren and each other.  At 9am, we were in the church for a liturgy to celebrate and give thanks for these special men, who ‘walk gently together’ with their children through life.  Our students’ thoughts and feelings were expressed in prayer, through a power point reflection, a blessing and through their singing.  These are the words of blessing created by senior students especially for the day…

“God of blessings, may all the significant male figures in our lives stay healthy and safe.  May happiness follow them through their life journey.  May their families and loved ones cherish them.  May their passions and dreams come true.  May they always be guided to their happy place.  We ask God’s loving blessings on them all.  Amen.”

Staff Reflection Day – Ecological Conversion Focus

Last Friday September 1, was our Staff Reflection Day and also the World Day of Prayer for the Season of Creation.  One of Pope Francis’ messages for this day was that people around the world must resolve to transform their hearts, their lifestyles and the public policies ruling our societies for the healing of the Earth.  Julian Kluge who heads the Religious Education Team at CESA (Catholic Education South Australia) lead us for the first half of the day, with a focus on our relationship with the natural world and after lunch, we were challenged to identify and commit to actions.  Fr Philip Marshall completed the day for us beautifully with a very personal staff mass. 

We care for, are prepared to make sacrifices for and put in effort for what we love, value and have a relationship with – hence the need to be regularly out and about in the natural world.  Moving forward, we will be naming what we have been compelled to commit to as a school staff in terms of Ecological Conversion and begin to map out a plan for this journey together. 

Journey to Emmaus – Year 6

Next Friday September 15, our Year 6 classes will join their peers from McAuley Community School, Christ the King, St Bernadette’s and St Martin de Porres, on the first day of a student retreat programme, which complements and enhances our Religious Education curriculum.  The theme for Day 1 is ‘You are Loved’ and we have chartered a bus to take us to and from the venue – St Martin de Porres School at Sheidow Park.  In the next newsletter, our Year 6’s will provide us with a summary of their day.  A second day is planned for Term 4.

I will leave you with some wisdom from St Thomas Aquinas,

“The things we love, tell us who we are.”

Many blessings to you all,

Tanya

Please contact the office if you would like more information.