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Dear families and friends
Here we are almost at the end of term one and so much has happened. To celebrate
St Patrick’s, St Joseph’s and Harmony Day, we recently held our annual Green, Brown & Orange Day which everyone embraced enthusiastically. Thank you for the gold coin donations which go to Caritas for Project Compassion.
Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter and a time to observe, with special solemnity, the Passion of Jesus Christ. The students have been re-enacting the events of Jesus’ last week of ministry including Palm Sunday, The Last Supper, Stations of the Cross and the Crucifixion.
Next Thursday 8 April we have the Be Active-A-Thon which will culminate in the Slime Spectacuar on the oval. Parents are welcome in the morning for the Catherine McAuley Cup Run and the Expo before recess and must leave the school grounds following the conclusion of the Expo. Families are welcome to watch the Slime Spectacular, which will be on the back oval accessible via Somerset Drive from 1.30pm.
All visitors to all events must adhere to Covid-19 restrictions and practices and must use the QR codes on the school fences to sign in.
Thank you for your attendance and participation at Learning Conversations recently. We value the partnership for these very important meetings to support student learning. If you missed this opportunity, please make it a high priority to make a time with your child/ren’s teacher/s before the end of the term.
The school concludes for term one at 12.30pm on Friday 9 April for a two-week break recommencing on Tuesday 27 April after Anzac Day. We will commemorate Anzac Day as a campus on that Tuesday afternoon with a ceremony led by students from Defence families. This is a parent free event.
Yours in Faith, Growth and Unity
CMS Leadership Team -
Belinda, Angela, Linda and Courtney
EASTER: A reminder to be patient: a time of reflection
Easter is a very sacred time in our Liturgical calendar year. It represents a chaotic, angry time during which much pain was inflicted, resulting in the death of Jesus Christ and his subsequent entombment and resurrection. The Easter egg has become a favourite symbol of hope and new beginnings. The key message of Easter is hope – faith in the future, and a new beginning.
Over the next couple of weeks, students and staff will be involved in reflecting on the various aspects of Holy Week, celebrating them through school liturgical celebrations, class work and gatherings. All Catholic schools reflect on this most important week and do things a little differently. What is constant however, is that staff ensure the events of Holy Week are explained and presented in a child friendly way, ensuring that the message of the Easter story is clear and full of hope. It can be challenging for our students to emphasise that the message of peace is one that is drawn from the violence of Jesus’s Passion and Death and the triumph of his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. However, Holy Week’s celebration of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Good Friday and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday make this an important and uplifting week in our school.
As families of Catherine McAuley School, please engage with the sacredness of Holy Week as we involve our students in the special events of this Easter celebration. Please speak with your child/ren about what has been retold and join our celebrations where you can.
This term in Year 4/5 O’Neil and 4/5 Timmins, we have been learning about Earth and Space as our Science focus. We were given the challenge of trying to determine the power of the sun. With a restricted amount of materials that we had to use, we worked collaboratively in teams to discover just how powerful the sun really is.
We have also been working as a unit to develop our cooperation and communication skills through Play is the Way. Our focus in these sessions has been ‘The Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated’ and being brave to participate. Through many different games, we have improved our ability to get along with others, treat everyone with kindness and respect, follow rules and work together as a team.
In Week 9 we had a visit from two police officers who trained us in being Crossing Monitors. This training allows us to develop our leadership skills and be responsible members of our school community.
During Harmony Day we joined with students from Playford Primary to participate in a range of activities to promote harmony within our campus community. We wrote messages in chalk, played a round of Rob the Nest, practiced skipping and had a mini disco. It was great to see everyone participating and getting along with new people.
It has been a very busy start to 2021 and we are looking forward to what Term 2 will bring, after a visit from the Easter Bunny and a well earned break of course.
Ms O'Neil and Ms Timmins
Health and Physical Education Dimension
Cricket Carnival
On Friday 26 February Catherine McAuley participated in the Catholic Schools cricket carnival at Karen Rolton Reserve. We entered three teams involving 26 students from year six and seven. The students played in a round robin competition involving four games. The carnival provided a great opportunity for students to implement their skills and knowledge taught in Physical Education lessons.
Teams started strongly, with a good understanding of the game. Throughout the day it was great to see students improve their bowling and catching skills resulting in many wickets taken. The ‘6 hitting’ and spectacular catching were a few of the highlights. As the day progressed teams grew in confidence and worked well to score many runs and restrict the opposition from scoring with great fielding.
Thank you to Ms Connelly, Mr Marafioti and Mrs Rositano for their help and support in providing a successful experience for the students.
Catholic Schools Student Driven Leadership Program
Last Friday the Sports Captains participated in the student-driven leadership program held at St Augustine's School. Students collaborated with eight other Catholic schools in the northern area and discussed the question, "What qualities make someone a good leader?”
The workshops offered effective student leadership initiatives to support Daily Physical Activity and promote an active curriculum. It also offered structured leadership strategies through personal and social skills to motivate students to run effective leadership programs in schools. The sessions featured a range of practical and theoretical components to inspire developmentally appropriate activities for students which were connected to the personal and social capability component in the Australian Curriculum.
Students will use the knowledge and skills gained at the leadership workshop to lead, assist, and design activities to support the Physical Education program at Catherine McAuley.
SAPSASA District Swimming Carnival
Congratulations to Brody Paynter and Addisyn Deblaauw on making the SAPSASA District swimming team. Brody and Addisyn represented the Playford District at the State Metropolitan SAPSASA Swimming Championships this term. Congratulations on a fine achievement!
Top Effort Everyone!
PE Co-ordinator
Fabian Chevalier
Slime Spectacular School Run 4 Fun
Thursday, April 8 is gearing up to be a massive day of activities and fun with the Be Active-A-Thon, Sports Expo, Mercy Cup and Slime Spectacular.
Parents are welcome to join us to spectate during the Be Active-A-Thon morning and afternoon sessions.
Also, if you are currently a Registered School Volunteer and are willing to help during the Be Active-a-Thon activities, such as being part of the slime crew (helping mix or transport slime before/during the slime spectacular), please let the school staff know of your interest.
Money raised by students for the Slime Spectacular School Run 4 Fun on Thursday 8 April will go towards upgrading the Upper Primary School Playground Nature Play.
For the Slime Spectacular School Run 4 Fun, please ensure your child brings a white shirt for the Fun Run! They will be covered in non-toxic, water based slime from head to toe! They will also need a water bottle and their hat. Sunscreen will not be provided so please ensure your child has their own.
Information about the fundraiser went home this week with children able to win prizes for their efforts.Visit myprofilepage.com.au to create your child’s cybersafe fundraising profile. Instructions are in your child’s sponsorship booklet. You have until the day of the event to fundraise, so make sure you get cracking!
Breakfast Club
We will be offering Breakfast Club everyday again this year thanks to our amazing morning volunteers and Kickstart for kids who provide our supplies each week.
Breakfast club is now located in the Joan Haren Centre and is open from 8:30am through to 8:45am. A sign is put out each morning just outside the hall, so students know that Breakfast Club is on and children are to eat thier toast sitting outsudide under the trees closest to the play equipment.
Breakfast Club or affectionaly known as toast on the go, is available to all children even if you have had breakfast at home!
Canteen
Our Canteen service is run by Rory’s School Lunches. Please ensure you are using the new 2021 Menu for Catherine McAuley School available on their website at: rorys.com.au/menus/catherine-mcauley/ and ensure you update your child’s class for this year. Orders online need to be placed by 8.30am on the day of require. For further information visit www.rorys.com.au or call their support line on 0413 575 800.
Campus Supports Defence School Hit by Fire
This term some of our Defence students along with our wonderful Campus Library donated bundles of books to Puckapunyal Primary School in Victoria after their school burnt down in Dec 2020. A very special thank you to members of the Royal Australian Air Force for assisting us with delivery.
COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
Video Spotlight
Do you share stories of your childhood or teenage years with your children? Dr Arne talks through how sharing your childhood experiences (the good and the bad) with your kids is one of the most important things you can do for them!