Term 1, Issue #14 2024

Dear Families

A warm welcome to you all as we commence the 2024 school year. We are really looking forward to a fantastic year of learning and connecting with the CMS community. We especially welcome all our new students and their families. We look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks and reconnecting with our returning families.

Starting school can be an exciting time and it can also bring some nervousness and anxiety. The first few weeks of the new school year are crucial in establishing a positive, safe, and supporting learning environment for the year ahead. Our focus has been on ‘Beginning and Belonging’ - building relationships, class connection, routines and procedures and finding out all about your child so educators can establish a strong foundation for effective learning and positive wellbeing to lay the foundation for a successful year of learning and connecting.

In addition, our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions last week assisted our educators in understanding more about your child and fostering a collaborative partnership between school and home.

At the start of the year, we welcomed 54 Reception children and their families, many of the children having their first day at school, joined by 29 students from Year 1 to 6.  

We also welcomed the following new and returning staff to our community:

• David Craig ~ Business Manager
• Maria Girolamo-Corbo ~ APRIM
• Breanna Cummins ~ Leader of Inclusive and Wellbeing R-6
• Leigh Philip ~ Enrolment, Marketing and Communications Officer
• Marissa Taveuveu ~ OSHC Director
• Sally Reid ~ Assistant Director
• Lauren Rasmussen and Gemma Fahey ~ team teaching in Year 2R
• Victoria Bach in Year 3E
• Matt Hill in Year 4E
• Leanne Crompton and Julia Mules ~ team teaching in Year 4R
• Karlie Rossiter in Year 6E
• Alayna Borg ~ Counsellor
• Tayla Keeling ~ Counsellor
• Kellie Russell, Michelle Elmore and Louise Hall ~ Co-Educators

Just a reminder enrolment spaces are booking up fast, so if you have any more children to start at Catherine McAuley with their siblings from 2025 onwards, please get your applications in ASAP. Pop into the Front Office to pick up a form or download here and email to enrolments@cms.catholic.edu.au 

We look forward to another exciting year ahead and to have the opportunity of working with this wonderful community.

With gratitude
The Leadership Team

Our preschoolers had a wonderful time last week as they completed their first week of school as full-time students. With backpacks almost bigger than some of them, the air was filled with excitement as they expressed their creativity through arts and crafts, building blocks, singing, dancing, and many other activities. 

Here at Catherine McAuley School child wellbeing and mental health is at the forefront of what we do daily. Positive child wellbeing promotes positive learning experiences and this is supports our ongoing to commitment to supporting students and their families in this area.

We have a strong wellbeing team which consists of; Breanna Cummins, Leader of Inclusion and Wellbeing along with Lee-Anne Vandenberg, Wellbeing Counsellor and Family Liaison as well as counsellors Alayna Borg and Tayla Keeling​, a youth worker Anthony Elmassih and a dedicated wellbeing co-educator Jacinta Claughton.

Our team are committed to providing our students with a positive school experience and strive to provide supports to the individualised needs of each student.

At school, students can access social skills programs, wellbeing support sessions, counselling sessions as well as individualised in class learning support relating to emotional regulation.

If you feel like your child would benefit from any of the above supports, please get in touch. Visit our website here or contact me on the below. 

Breanna Cummings
Leader of Wellbeing & Inclusion
bcummins@cms.catholic.edu.au

Blessings All, I would firstly like to mention how very fortunate I am to be part of such a welcoming community here, at Catherine McAuley School. 

Students, Families and Staff are all so friendly and have made me feel so welcomed throughout the beginning of this busy and prosperous school year. 

We started the term with one of the significant weeks in the Liturgical Calendar, week 3, which marks the beginning of our Lenten Journey. This is a time of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.  

With the assistance of staff and our parents and friends committee, we prepared for Lent by celebrating Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The word shrove derives from the old word shrive, which means to confess and receive absolution for one’s sins. Moreover, it is customary in many cultures to eat pancakes made from the ingredients of butter, eggs, and fat that would be given up during the fasting period of the Lenten season. Thus, students enjoyed a pancake with toppings of their choice. A special thanks to St Patrick's Technical College for lending us their very cool car BBQ! On the following day, we had our Ash Wednesday Liturgy. 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our Lenten Journey, a time to reflect, fast and ask for penance. A time to wean bad habits, wrongful thinking, painful actions, and focus on positive living to walk closer to Jesus and prepare us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.  

As written in the Gospel of John, (1 John 1:9),  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us, and symbolise grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God. As the ashes are applied to a person's forehead, the words, " Repent, and believe in the Gospel” are said. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year's Palm Sunday Mass. 

So, my friends, as we journey together in the Lenten season, we pray. 

Merciful God, as the Holy season of Lent begins, turn our heart towards you.  
Let the mark of the ashes remind us throughout the season of this call to conversion.  
May our repentance be truthful and sincere.  
May our prayer be open to your guidance and grace.  
May our almsgiving be generous.
Amen. 

Caritas Project Compassion
This week we also began our Project Compassion campaign. The theme this year is, ‘For all Future Generations.’ Please donate as much as you can to help build a brighter future for all future generations. A Project Compassion box can be found in all classrooms, every little bit counts. 

Blessings  
Maria Girolamo-Corbo 
Assistant Principal in Religious Identity and Mission

My name is Jacqui Langstreth, I am the Defence School Mentor here at Catherine McAuley School. I am employed by our school to support and encourage the smooth transition of defence families posting into and out of our school environments. My aim is to assist students and their parents to quickly become part of our school community.

In addition to this, I also offer support to the families of defence members who may be absent from home due to a deployment, exercise or training course. I act as a link between defence families and the defence community resources that are available to them.

My office is located in our school library, and this year I am in the DSM role every Monday and Wednesday. You can contact me on 8284 1666 or email: jlangstreth@cms.catholic.sa.edu.au

If you are a defence family and have not received a welcome email from me, please let me know.                                  

Jacqui Langstreth
​Defence School Mentor
 

Many of the events offered by the school require the support of volunteers to make them successful. These include Sports Day, Mother’s Day & Father’s Day Stalls, Sports Carnivals, as well as excursions and community events.

It is hard to become a volunteer at short notice and we strongly encourage you to become a volunteer at the beginning of the school year, so that you are ready and available when you would like to support your child in this way. If you or anyone in your family would like to become a registered volunteer at the school, please complete the three  Volunteer requirements via our School website.

Catherine McAuley Parents & Friends (P&F)
Interested in joining Catherine McAuley Parents & Friends? Our next meeting will be Tuesday 5th March, we would love to see some new faces joining the P&F isn't in an ongoing commitment or formal obligation whether you just come along to a meeting or two or just want to join an email list and never attend meetings or just want to help out volunteering at events we welcome all the input you are able to give. Please email Eleni evailas@cms.catholic.edu.au if you want to be involved in P&F events.

We have hit the ground running with our P&F Volunteers this term. Thank you to Ashlea for overseeing and perfecting the yummy pancake batter mix for 2024.

Thank you to our amazing parent volunteers – Adam, Ashlea, Jan, Maria, Rowena, Sam and Vanessa who gave up their morning to cook and serve pancakes for our whole school community on Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day, the pancakes were big and fluffy. Thank you for doing an amazing job!!!

Eleni Vailas-Colonico
Deputy Principal

Catholic Schools’ Music Festival
The Catholic Schools’ Music Festival is once again happening in September this year. We have a lovely choir who have already started rehearsing for the big event! A highlight of the evening’s performance will be a Wizard of Oz medley. Everyone is welcome to attend the performance. Information regarding dates and ticket prices will be available later this year.

Children’s University Australia
A record number of students from year’s 4-6 are very excited about commencing Children’s University this year. Approximately 20 students proudly graduated from Adelaide University in November last year, after undertaking a wide variety of learning experiences and activities outside their regular school day learning. Enthusiasm is already high regarding this rewarding activity.

If your child/ren have expressed interest in either of the above activities, please keep an eye out on SZAPP for further information coming, and costs involved. If you have any further questions, please contact me via email: mpollard@cms.catholic.edu.au

A free community event at the newly opened Mofflin Reserve. Bring a picnic rug and enjoy an outdoor movie beneath the starry night sky.

5pm Friday February 17
Puss in Boots:The Last Wish
Mofflin Reserve 90 Trimmer Rd, Elizabeth Vale

Contact epfc1962@outlook.com if you're interested

Contact Craig cjwillow07@gmail.com if you're interested.