Term 3 Week 7

Our term continues at breakneck speed, we welcome a special guest to our school, school photos occur with precision, we acknowledge a big few weeks of events and activities and we thank our P and F for ‘keeping things moving along’! This is Week 7!

VISIT FROM DR NEIL MCGORAN – DIRECTOR OF CESA:

On Wednesday we had a visit from Dr Neil McGoran, the Director of Catholic Education SA. I invited Neil to join us for a tour of the school and to discuss the work we have been doing over the last 18 months and how we continue to be a ‘school of choice’ for families in the South-West region. He met with our Leadership team and spent time visiting classrooms. He was very impressed with our school, our students and the direction in which we are heading.

A BIG FEW ‘WEEKS’:

Over the course of the last few weeks, we have acknowledged some significant focus weeks in the life of our school.

In Week 5, we celebrated Science Week. This year our theme was: Food: Different by Design. As such, classes were immersed in activities and learning about ‘sustainable food production’ and the importance of ‘living off the land’. We acknowledged the week in a number of ways and I thank Nicki McCann and Ella Kirkham for their organisation and support of the week.

During Week 6, it was one of my favourite weeks of the year. I will unashamedly tell you that I think the MOST important learning skill we can develop in students is READING. Reading is such an important skill in our lives. Almost everything we are asked to do in our lives involves some form of ‘reading’. I also strongly believe that we must ‘inspire’ kids to love reading and love books. The more a child reads, the more likely they are to read with fluency, good comprehension, build a strong vocabulary and therefore achieve success.

Book week allows us to focus on books and reading. Once again, a number of class and whole school activities were completed throughout Book Week and although I missed the opportunity to ‘dress up’ there was plenty to keep us entertained through the week. Once again I thank Ella and Chandra Payne as well as our classroom teachers for ensuring that Book Week and the importance of ‘reading’ remains a very high priority at our school.

And finally, on Friday we acknowledged the beginning of Child Protection Week. Our most important job as teachers and educators is to ensure that we provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for our students and families. Child Protection is key and central to this. As you would know, every class teaches the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum which aims to develop understandings and skills which enable and empower students in their relationships with others.

This Thursday we will acknowledge R U OK day. I encourage you to read on and hear from Emily Hughes about our activities planned for the day.

COVID CONTINUES:

One of the disappointing aspects of all of the information and activities I have spoken about above has been the inability to welcome parents in to see and hear about this wonderful work. Believe us, we would like nothing more than to have parents wandering our corridors, entering classrooms and seeing our students in action. Unfortunately, it is still not able to occur. Recently, we were provided with a very important (and directed) reminder from CESA about our current restrictions in place and the need to abide by them:

The COVID cases interstate are keeping us on high alert. As such we ask that the following is occurring across all school sites, at all times:

· No non-essential visitors are allowed in the school

· Large gatherings (of students and particularly parents) should not be occurring

· Adults are required to wear masks if they enter school grounds

· All practise social distancing, good hygiene and ensure your child is well

I again thank you for your ongoing support of our school and the current restrictions asked of us.

THANKS TO THE P AND F COMMITTEE:

The last few months have continued to challenge our ability to gather and our sense of ‘community’. I have been so impressed however, with our strong and committed Parents and Friends Committee who have met very regularly to ensure that our sense and invitation to live as community remains well and truly in place including supporting the following things:

QUIZ NIGHT:

Our committee have worked tirelessly to ensure that our planned Quiz night, originally scheduled for August, has had every chance of going ahead. Despite many hurdles and phone calls, I am pleased to say we will be holding our Quiz night, albeit in a modified and different form. For those that have bought tickets, stay tuned for more information coming out tomorrow.

To the many local business (many of which are owned by families here at Stella) our deep thanks is extended to you. We have a phenomenal line up of raffles, prizes and auction items up for grabs. Again, for those unable to attend on the night, you will have a chance to bid for these prior to the night and buy raffle tickets as well. Stay tuned for more details.

FATHER’S DAY STALL:

We have also managed to have a ‘different’ Father’s Day stall organised and run once again. We hope you have found a great gift for the special ‘man’ in your child’s lives.

I want to acknowledge our outstanding P and F committee and Maureen Watts (as Chair) for their ongoing work in ensuring all of these opportunities are provided to our students.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY:

Finally, I hope that all of our fathers had a very special Father’s day on Sunday and that you were acknowledged for the very important role you play in the lives of your children!

Take care,

James

Book Week 2021

Students had a great week exploring the theme ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’. Thank you to families for your support of the Book Swap, it was great to see the excitement as students picked out their ‘new’ books.

Parent Workshop: Resilience, The Heart Of Wellbeing

Please see the flyer below for details of a CESA parent workshop focusing on resilience, that is being offered at Christ the King on the 15^th of September. Please register by September 9^th using the link below (password: Resilience150921).

CESA Registration Centre - Parent Workshop: Resilience, The Heart of Wellbeing

This workshop will explain the neurobiological development of children aged 0-6 and adolescents 9-17. It will discuss some of the key parental and family interactions that underpin healthy neurological development, the foundations of emotional regulations, the skills for developing and maintaining peer relationship and engagement with learning. Further, it will explore how these things promote resilience and enhance the experience of wellbeing.

Kind Regards

Ella Kirkham

Assistant Principal ( Learning & Wellbeing)

Thursday, September 9 is R U OK Day, a day that is particularly relevant amidst a global pandemic. It's 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. We will be celebrating this in combination with Gratitude Day which is officially September 21. Students will be involved in a special activity and community prayer based in classrooms that highlight and celebrate being a good friend, and being grateful for our connections and relationships at school. 

Students are invited to wear a splash of yellow on this day, whether that be a ribbon, bracelet or socks. 

Emily Hughes

ESO|Pastoral Care Support

The Stella Maris choir will be performing on Thursday, September 23.