Term 1, Week 3, Issue #27 2025

Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends of CMS,

Well, what a hot start to the Term we have had! Despite the heat, lots of learning has been happening, class routines have been established, new friendships are forming, and a sense of belonging is strong and thriving. This year we welcomed several new students and staff to our community and the way our students have supported each new person has been amazing. Students unsure where to go have been helped by their new classmates, the sharing of stories with new class teachers is well underway and games are full of energy at recess and lunch (when it’s not too hot!) with old and new friendships coming together. What a wonderful school community and something we can all be proud of.

We recently gathered for a school assembly, where we acknowledged the academic, social and emotional achievements of our students. A big congratulations to each of the students who were recognised for the achievement in one of the Key Capabaility domains, and thank you to the parents, guardians and other family members that were able to come along and joins us in this celebration. More information about the Key Capabilities can be found here.

Volunteers
Volunteering is a great way to support the school and to give back to the community. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please click here to access the training and documentation needed to join us at Catherine McAuley School as a volunteer. This process also applies to those wishing to support with class excursions. For those of you that are already volunteers, please remember to check your expiry dates. The link above will also allow you to update any required training that has expired. 

Exciting New School Developments
We are thrilled to share some exciting news regarding the future development of our school’s Administration Building. Plans have been submitted for a brand-new two-storey building, which will provide much-needed additional facilities to support student learning and wellbeing.

The proposed development will feature:

• A new front office space designed to be a place of welcome and support.
• Three modern classrooms designed to enhance student learning experiences.
• A wellbeing centre, including therapy consultation spaces (for external providers) to support students' emotional and social development.
• A student services hub, offering resources and support for students’ academic and personal growth.
• A dedicated playgroup area, which will provide a welcoming and engaging space for our youngest learners and the Mini Macs Program.

In addition to the new building, we are also planning to enhance our outdoor spaces to provide more opportunities for creative play, social interaction, and environmental learning. The improvements will include a mini amphitheatre, green spaces with native plants, and additional seating areas to encourage outdoor learning and reflection.

We are eagerly awaiting council approval for this project, and once granted, we will move forward with the next stage of development. Following approval, we will also share images of this outstanding development with you. These enhancements will significantly enrich our school environment, ensuring that we continue to provide a high-quality education in a setting that nurtures student wellbeing and fosters a love of learning.

We look forward to another term filled with learning, growth, and community spirit. Thank you for being part of the Catherine McAuley School family, and we appreciate your continued partnership in shaping a bright future for our students. For those of you new to our community, WELCOME to this wonderful school. We look forward to getting to know you and your family as the year unfolds.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the Leadership Team if there is anything we can help you with.

Stay cool 😊

Yours in Faith, Growth & Unity

The Leadership Team
Marc, Krystina, Maria, Rebecca and Lisa-Marie

Blessings All and a Very Happy New Year!

It has been an absolute joy starting the new school year with so many happy children looking forward to their first day back. It is always a pleasure hearing about all the exciting adventures and celebrations which occur during the holidays! 

I am so grateful to be once again a member of this wonderful community, and I am looking forward to spending another year together. 

As a community, we started the new year with a theme to focus on, Growing in Mercy as Pilgrims of Hope. Establishing a school year theme acts as a catalyst for building a cohesive community, and it also helps to strengthen our school’s identity and mission as a Mercy School. The theme is taken from two sources, firstly we are a Catholic school based on education in a Mercy tradition. Secondly, Pope Francis the leader of the Catholic Church has established this Jubilee Year as ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ We are all on a journey of finding hope as where there is hope there is a brighter future. Our community has embraced the theme, Growing in Mercy as Pilgrims of Hope. With the theme we have a prayer, (shared at the end of this article), a quote from Catherine McAuley, ‘We should be shining lamps giving light to all around us.’ A scripture taken from the Bible, ‘Have Mercy on me Lord, for I call on you all day.’  The scripture is prayed daily after our Grace prayer, providing the constant reminder of the strength provided by our Lord. Our song for the year is ‘Rainbows’ by Andrew Chinn. The children are having so much fun singing and acting our song. Finally, a class storybook strengthens our theme in every class. Different avenues are provided for our children to Grow in Mercy as Pilgrims of Hope. Our neigbouring Mercy Primary schools also have the same theme this year, further strengthening Mercy Education.  

Sacramental Program
Recently, information was sent out to families regarding the Sacramental Program for the year. I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the program. The Sacraments are a sacred initiation and celebration and as Catholics, an important journey to take into the Catholic Church. 

Class Mass Visits to the Parish
Also, information was sent home regarding when your child/children will be attending and hosting a Mass at St Ann’s Church. The children love attending and participating in the daily Mass with the Parishioners. Please respond to the consent note and mark when your child is attending in your calendar as families are always welcomed and your children love seeing you there.

Prayer for the Year
I would like to finish off with our Growing in Mercy as Pilgrims of Hope Prayer which is shared in all off the classrooms.

Dear Merciful God,

Thank You for the gift of education here at Catherine McAuley School.

We pray that You help us to continue growing with mercy, love and hope as we journey through this school year. 

May we approach each day with open hearts, ready to show compassion and love to those around us.

Grant us the strength to treat others with respect. Help us remember that mercy is not just for those who are easy to love but also for those who may challenge us. 

May we grow together at Catherine McAuley School, where mercy, love and hope flourish, where we learn not just knowledge, but how to be kind and just.

Amen.

Blessings,

Maria Girolamo-Corbo
Assistant Principal in Religious Identity and Mission

Dear families,

Welcome back to the new school year. I trust your children have enjoyed their first three weeks of school - filled with fun and learning!

For some of our families, particularly with children in the early years, your child may bring home decodable readers. To support your child in becoming a fluent and expressive reader, this reader should be read aloud to an adult from home. A decodable reader is a story or non-fiction text that has been written only using the sounds and letters the child has been taught or currently mastering. This means your child will have the tools they need to read every word in the book. These texts also feature some tricky words, which must be learnt by heart. These words are either irregular and cannot be sounded out and need to be memorised as a whole, such as the word 'are', or the word is so frequent in texts that your child must learn the word before learning the sounds, such as the word 'the'. 

Your child may advance to the next stage once fluent in blending words and sentences in this stage without pauses. To avoid memorising the text, children are tested on unfamiliar texts that use similar combinations of sounds to ensure accurate movement of stages. 

Your child will also begin bringing home library books. We strongly encourage families to read to their child as children's literature is very engaging and fosters a love of reading. It also exposes children to sophisticated vocabulary. The texts that your child brings home from the library are often too difficult for beginning readers to decode, but are very valuable for them to listen to! You can also watch many people reading great children's literature online or listen to audio books. 

Should you have any questions about your child's specific reading ability, please contact your child's teacher. 

Yours in Faith, Growth & Unity,​​​​

Rebecca Philip
Assistant Principal, Teaching, Learning & Engagement
 

Finance Matters

Community Portal
To view your up-to-date Fee Account information including Invoices and Statements, please ensure that you log in to the Community Portal using the invitation sent from noreply@civicacloud.com.au.

If your invitation has expired, please contact the Finance Team at accounts@cms.catholic.edu.au to request another invitation.

Low Income Rebate - School Card
If you are eligible for School Card, you will receive the Low Income Rebate of roughly one-third of your payable school fees. Applications for School Card are now open.

If you feel that you might be eligible, please complete the online application as soon as possible. The earlier you apply, the earlier the rebate can be applied for those who are eligible. Final applications are due by the end of October 2025.

Early Payment Rebate
As per our School Fee Policy, there is an Early Payment Rebate of 5% available for any Fee Accounts paid in full by the completion of Week 5 of Term 1.

The rebate applicable is dependent on the number of students that you have at the School. Please contact the Office for the relevant rebate applicable for your family. Payments over the amount due will be held as a credit towards future school fees.

Hardship Remissions
The School has a process that is able to assist if you are experiencing difficulties in meeting your fee payment obligations. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please reach out to us at accounts@cms.catholic.edu.au to request a meeting with the Business Manager where your situation can be discussed in a private and confidential manner.

Yours in Faith, Growth & Unity,​​​​

David Craig
Business Manager

A very big welcome to our returning families as well as our new families at Catherine McAuley School.

At Catherine McAuley School, we pride ourselves in the support we give to our students to develop and enhance social skills, social awareness and appropriate social strategies that enable students to interact with others in a positive manner. As a part of our school program, we provide many opportunities for students to develop these skills and we appreciate their uniqueness.

Our Wellbeing Team consists of:

Lee-anne Vandenberg
Student Wellbeing Counsellor and Family Liaison Leader
Monday - Friday

Dr Danka Barlow
Student Counsellor/Facilitator for Mentoring and Social Groups
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday

Anthony Elmassih
Youth Worker/Facilitator for Mentoring and Social Groups
Thursday/Friday

Jesinta Claughton
Facilitator for Mentoring and Social Groups
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday

Lisa-Marie Sampson
Leader of Inclusive Practices and Wellbeing
Monday - Friday

Social Emotional Support at CMS:

In Class Social Support
Some programs your child may participate in to support whole class social emotional learning are: What’s the Buzz?, Play Is the Way, the 5 Point Scale, ‘Who is the Boss?’, affective statements, restorative practices, explicit teaching of feelings and emotions, Kimochis and Growth Mindset just to name a few.

Social Groups
These are short-term social groups that are organised to support, encourage, and further develop students’ social awareness, peer interaction, self-confidence and self-esteem. Students are withdrawn in small groups weekly or fortnightly to engage in explicitly planned, but relaxed interactions that help build their social emotional skills.

Mentoring Mentoring is a personalised and individual approach that supports students to develop skills, find confidence, build self-esteem and discover new ways to interact, learn and work. Mentors help to support children across the school with the aim of fostering a trusting relationship with students, which may help your child in both the classroom and schoolyard.

Counselling
We have qualified Counsellors who provide a counselling service for students who have personal or school related issues that may affect their learning and their overall wellbeing. Students engage in prevention and intervention support to enhance their wellbeing, development, and learning. Our Counsellors also supports staff in the implementation of social skills programs in the classroom setting. For one-to-one Counselling Sessions, a referral form must be completed by a parent or guardian, referrals can be found on our website or in the Front Office entrance. If you would like further information please do not hesitate to call us for a chat or we can make an appointment to meet, alternatively you can complete a Wellbeing enquiry which can be located on our website.

Yours in Faith, Growth and Unity,

The Wellbeing Team

Giggles and chuckles, everywhere we go,
With friends by our side, the laughter will flow.
Through sunny days and stormy weather,
Fun and laughter bind us together.
In the world of friendship, kindness reigns,
Like colourful confetti, it soothes all pains.
A helping hand, a caring heart,
Kindness in friendship is an essential part.

The Reception classes have made an excellent start to the year, jumping in with both feet and quickly settling into routines and learning.

There has been a lot of talk about expectations around the school and in the classroom. Students have completed activities about A-Choice Behaviours and B-Choice Behaviours, what is kind and how to make friends. We have shared our LIKES and our DISLIKES with our fellow classmates, so new friendships can grow. 

We have been busy making sure we start our day happy and positive, by sharing in class morning prayers and songs. Teachers have been giving A-Choice Champions cards to students who have been showing that they are:

• Respectful 
• Growing and learning 
• Being safe 
• Beginning to belong to CMS

Phonics lessons have begun by learning about, rhyming words, clapping syllables, identifying FIRST sounds in words, tricky words and learning letter and sounds. 

There has been a lot of Visual Arts happening in each class. Students have been cutting, pasting, colouring, glueing, painting and ripping their way to make more colourful and beautiful classrooms. 

Tracey King, Nastassja Mynhardt, Estelle Brandt, Tracey Ward
Reception Teachers

Spots are filling up quickly for 2026 enrolments, and we only have a few remaining places for 2025 Mid-Year Receptions. If you have a younger sibling yet to be enrolled, please submit their enrolment as soon as possible to secure a spot. Please note that each sibling must complete their own enrolment process to guarantee a place at CMS - siblings are not automatically enrolled.

To apply, simply download an application form and email it, along with your child’s birth certificate, to enrolments@cms.catholic.edu.au. Alternatively, you can visit the Front Office to collect a physical copy. Once received, I will arrange an enrolment interview for you and your child.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Emma Ilcesin
Enrolment Officer & Mini Macs Assistant

Rory's (our canteen provider) has refreshed their menu for 2025. Please click here to download the menu and instructions on how to order.

The process is very simple, download the Qkr! app, register your account, select our school and then register your child/ren. Once you're set up, from the Catherine McAuley School Page, click on Rory's School Lunches, select day to receive order and select the food/drinks. Once you're ready to, checkout and pay. 

Students in Years 4-6 had the fantastic opportunity to participate in a special School Crossing Training session, led by Senior Constable David Garner. This engaging session was packed with valuable information that not only taught our students about road safety but also gave them the skills to become responsible Crossing Monitors!

Throughout the session, Senior Constable Garner guided the students and staff through the different types of crossings they may encounter on their daily journeys, and how to tell the difference. Catherine McAuley is fortunate to have a Koala crossing which students are now equipped to monitor as part of their leadership responsibilities.

The highlight of the session was the focus on the important responsibilities of being a Crossing Monitor. Students were introduced to the key duties of the role, including ensuring the safe crossing of fellow students, how to use the equipment, and ensuring strong communication between the team. They discovered that being a Crossing Monitor isn’t just about helping others cross the street safely—it’s also about leadership, communication, and teamwork!

It was clear from the enthusiasm in the room that everyone is ready to take on their new roles with confidence. The students look forward to making a positive impact on the safety of their school community. Thank you SAPOL and Senior Constable David Garner for supporting our students through their training. For more information you are encouraged to watch the video here.

For those families who attended meet the teacher evening last week, you may have noticed some very large colourful flags (as seen above) at the front of the school.

These flags represent the values that the students, staff and wider community nominated as being important to our Catherine McAuley School Community.Our decided values are:

Respect, Growth, Belonging and Safety

What is PBIS?
PBIS stands for: Positive Behavioural Interventions & Supports PBIS is a way for schools, parents, and communities to help teach and positively reinforce positive behaviour patterns in children.

PBIS is a way to build a culture of nurturing and positive relationships between staff, family, and students, and these flags provide a visual of the expectations.

When visiting classrooms, you may have also noticed the Behavioural and Expectations matrix (see below) displayed. The matrix supports students to have a clear understanding of expectations.

Why is PBIS Needed?
Teaching students’ specific expectations and behaviours supports their capabilities, assisting them to identify and implement positive behaviours. Just as students need to know how to read or write, we also need to teach them desired behaviours. The Students at Catherine McAuley School are taught school wide expectations during the first few weeks of the school year. These expectations are also continually revisited throughout the year, and at other times as needed.

You will be kept up to date about PBIS happenings at school throughout the year via the newsletter.

Mini Macs is back in full swing for 2025!

Our Little Einsteins program is off to a fantastic start! Over the first couple of weeks, our little scientists have been busy creating butterfly paintings, making rain, experiencing colour explosions, and watching caterpillars grow before their eyes. They've also been learning all about the fascinating life cycles of bees and caterpillars.

Our first Pop-Up Event was The Very Messy Bear was a huge success! Our Mini Macs had so much fun making pretend donuts, mixing potions, and fully embracing the joy of making a mess!

Join us for one of our following events:

• Week 4 (20th Feb): Water Play Day (SOLD OUT)
• Week 6 (6th Mar): Little Gardeners 
• Week 8 (20th Mar): Potato Day
• Week 10 (3rd Apr): Space Day

Entry is free, but spaces are limited to 10 families per event. A family can include siblings, grandparents, and more! Be sure to book your spot by clicking the links above.

Our playgroup has been having a blast with love-themed activities and crafts, while Bop has been filling our sessions with fun music.

If you're thinking about joining us with your little one, please don't hesitate to contact Lisa Toloza minimacs@cms.catholic.edu.au.

A friendly reminder to all families: Students are required to sign their mobile phones into the front office each morning before school begins. Phones are not to be kept on them during the day. They can collect their phones at the front office at the end of the day, prior to departure. This policy helps ensure a focused learning environment for all students. We appreciate your support!

City of Playford will be conducting regular parking patrols in the vicinity of schools throughout the area. These patrols aim to maintain safe traffic conditions, reduce congestion, and ensure parking regulations are properly adhered to.

If you'd like more information on important parking regulations and safe parking practices, please download the brochure here.

It's a pleasure to share with you all this exciting news! 

Please welcome the newest member of the Wellbeing team -  Flynn Michael Keeling. A huge 11lb 2oz (5.07kg) and 59cm tall. Born on the 11/02/25. 

Dear Families,

Please take a moment  to read the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, found here.

The purpose of this document is to provide an overarching policy framework which guides and gives structure for Catholic Church agencies, schools, parishes and communities to develop and implement procedures and policies which establish and maintain child safeenvironments.

The latest edition of The Southern Cross can be found here.

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