Term 2, Week 3, Issue #18 2024

Dear Families,

We trust you have had a smooth start to Term 2 as our classes have enthusiastically emersed themselves into their learning.

We would like to extend a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and significant female role models in our community. It was lovely to see lots of mums, grandmothers, aunties, and important women come along to the breakfast last Friday - this was a wonderful expression of the Catherine McAuley School Community. We would also like to acknowledge the P&F Team for their extensive effort in organising and running our Mother's Day Stall.

This week we have celebrated Catholic Education Week where our students and staff have reflected and identified the excellent teaching and learning that takes place at Catherine McAuley School. This is also an opportunity for our families to reflect on what makes our school so special. Please see below some of the wonderful examples our students provided. 

A few calendar reminders; we have a Pupil Free Day this coming Monday 20/5. In Week 8, our long awaited Quiz Night will be making a return on June 21st - 6:30pm for a 7pm start. This is sure to be a fantastic night filled with community and friendly competition - table themes encouraged! Get your tickets here: http://tix.yt/cms-quiz-24 

Finally, we would like to congratulate two of our staff on their recent marriages over the holidays and start of the term. Congratulations to Miss Lyons on her marriage - who will now be known as Mrs Brodley, and Mrs Philip on her marriage - who will retain her surname. 

We hope you all stay warm as we enter the colder months. 

Yours in Faith, Growth and Unity​

Leadership Team

Blessings All.

I hope your children and you have all had a restful break and a great start to Term 2. It is so good to be back among the busyness of the classrooms and the sound of laughter in the schoolyard.

Fundraising 
This term as a community, Catherine McAuley has directed our fundraising to Centacare and St Vincent de Paul. Centacare, Catholic Family Services supports over 20,000 South Australians every year through client-centred community services. Each class is rostered to donate to nonperishable food items, toiletries, toys, clothes, ETC. Your child’s class teacher will inform families when donations are due. Thank you to the three classes who have    already donated. 
 
Families are invited to donate to St Vincent de Paul also, a donation bin is located outside the school office for students and families to donate what they can. All donations will be taken to the St Vincent DePaul in Elizabeth.

Mother’s Day Liturgy and Monday morning services/assemblies
Friday the 10th of May, Catherine McAuley School celebrated Mother’s Day with a beautiful and delicious morning tea organised by Mrs Colonico, followed by a sacred Mother’s Day Liturgy hosted by Mrs Julia Mules and the students 4R.  The students prepared lovely prayers and reflections honouring and thanking their mothers and special women in their lives. 

Please come and join your children every Monday mornings when we start the week with a Prayer Service or Assembly.

Class mass continuation
On Friday the 24th of May we continue our Class Visits to St Ann Parish Church. Each class will travel to St Ann’s Church and partake in a Parish Mass Service. We would love for you to attend if you are able too. For reference to the remaining visits, please see below the day your child/children will be attending.

Mass schedule Term 2
Week 4 – 24th May = Yr. 2E
Week 6 – 7th June = Yr. 5E
Week 8 – 21st June = Yr. 6E
Week 9 – 28th June = Yr. 3M

Mass schedule Term 3
Week 2 – 2nd August = Yr. 4E
Week 4 – 16th August = Yr. 3E
Week 6 – 30th August = Yr. 4R
Week 8 – 13th September = Yr. 2M

Mass schedule Term 4
Week 2 – 25th October = Yr. 3R
Week 4 – 8th November = Yr. 2R

The Sacramental Program continued this term with one of our Confirmation workshops on Saturday the 11th of May. We are approaching the final workshops of the sacramental program, and our students are preparing for their sacramental celebrations of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist. 

If you are thinking about enrolling your child in the 2025 Sacramental Program, please contact me for further information. Children who wish to partake in the sacraments need to be Baptised in the Catholic/Christian church and are in year 4 or higher. 

I would like to conclude with a prayer celebrating all the special women in our lives in honour of Mother’s Day. 

Loving God,
We thank you for the love of the special women in our lives,
Whose love is so precious that it can never be measured,
whose patience seems to have no end.
May we see your loving hand behind them and guiding them.
We pray for those mothers who fear,
they will run out of love or time, or patience.
We ask you to bless them with your own special love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our saviour.
Amen 

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

A very big thank you to our amazing and hardworking P & F volunteers – Ashlea, Chantel, Pam, Sam and Vanessa, who took time out of their busy week last week to serve and assist our children in selecting gifts for their mothers support this school event, we really appreciated it!

We hope all the mothers and special women in our community had a blessed and wonderful Mother's Day.

Eleni Vailas-Colonico
Deputy Principal

Thank you to the children, staff and parents, who supported our Walk Safely to School Day morning on Friday. It was a lovely walk back to school promoting road safety and heathy exercising. The children received a WSTSD tattoo to celebrate this free community event within our school community.

Year 2 students are having fun learning about addition this term. We had lots of fun playing a What’s Missing Rainbow Facts game. Students took it in turns to work out how many blocks were missing when their partner took some away from the group of ten. We used our rainbow facts to quickly identify the number of blocks that were missing!

In celebration and acknowledgement of "Walk To School Day", 2R were tasked with the challenge to create a sneaker of their own design that illustrates their best artist talents. They then had to write a persuasive sentence or statement that would urge other children, adults and even the teachers to buy their sneakers as to why it is the best shoe for walking to school in. The students came up with all sorts of designs from colours to rainbows, to symbols and pictures and even a snapshot of our religious studies. Here are some of our creative designs and very persauding sentences... 

"I think my shoe is the best because its cool and its good for running" - Corban 
"My shoe is the best because it makes me faster"- Ethan
"It's a cool shoe and it never gets dirty, and its fast for soccer to win"- Gunoor
"My shoe is the best because it is colourful and pretty"- Gemma
"My shoe is the best because it is out of space"- Chloe
"You should pick my  shoe because it is normal but different and it is called the N" - Natalia

We are very lucky to have 4 Preservice Teachers from Uni SA learning alongside our staff and working with our stidents over the next few weeks. Chavali Tesselar is in her 3^rd Year of her Bachelor of Education degree and is placed with Year 2M Holland.

We also have 3 Preservice Teachers in her 1^st Year of the Bachelor of Education.  Georgia Simmons is placed with RE King, Ella Spackman is placed with Year 1E Fitzgerald and Hayley Orchard is placed with Year 6M Timmins / Chevalier.

We are pleased to be able to support the Preservice Teachers and provide exciting opportunities for them to learn from our amazing educators, as well as from children and families in our wonderful CMS community.

We wish Chavali, Ella, Georgia and Hayley well in their time here at CMS and thank the teachers and the children for their support of these future teachers.

Eleni Vailas-Colonico
Deputy Principal

We're thrilled to announce that Jayla has made it onto the SAPSASA District swimming team!

Last term, Jayla represented the Playford District at the State Metropolitan SAPSASA Swimming Championships, where she showcased her incredible talent and dedication, finishing third in the 50m freestyle relay. What an outstanding achievement!

In week 9 of term 1, our students embarked on a journey of self-discovery and camaraderie through a series of exhilarating activities on our Year 6 camp to Glenhaven Park. From the adrenaline rush of the Giant Swing to the teamwork challenges of the High Ropes course and raft building, every moment was filled with adventure and growth.

Through these activities, our students not only pushed beyond their comfort zones but also honed essential skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking. The bonds formed and the lessons learned will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on their personal and academic development.

Upon returning to school, both students and staff were exhausted but brimming with a sense of achievement and pride. It's clear that this experience has not only strengthened friendships but also instilled a newfound confidence in our young leaders, as the thriving students they are.

Here we see children engaged in AUSLAN Twister, following one child's signing of colors for directions.

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

For more information visit olsh.catholic.edu.au/node/50 

If you're interested in your son attending Blackfriars, please click here to download a letter from the principal regarding enrolment cut of dates.