Term 2, Week 6, Issue #19 2024

Dear CMS Families and Friends,

Very quickly it feels as though Winter is upon us and we hope that you are keeping warm.

The past few weeks have been busy with Walk Safely to School Day, Reconciliation Week, a visit from the Nature Education Centre to our Year 1 students, a trip to the Zoo by our Receptions and the release of our school podcast through Arch D Radio.

To hear our amazing students, live in the studio, please click here, and as our youngsters say today “don’t forget to Like and Follow”!

Last Friday we welcomed 40 new Reception students who have started their Small Mercies Transition and will be “big school” kids starting in Term 3. Their excitement for learning, resilience to new experiences and sense of adventure as they navigate our school and make new friends is reflective of the wonderful community we have collectively created and continue to welcome people into.

Enrolments are very strong for most year levels at Catherine McAuley School, with waitlists beginning to start. If you do know of anyone looking for a place for Reception in 2025 or 2026, encourage them to lodge an application as soon as possible, as 2025 places are now limited, and interviews are well underway.

It is also a timely reminder that it is always best to consider your high school options and start enrolling enquiries as soon as possible to avoid waitlists.

Xavier College (Gawler Belt & Two Wells)  

Thomas More College

St Columba College 

Technology is a large part of our world, and at times it can be hard for those of us who did not grow up with this rapidly changing technological world to keep up. Supporting and monitoring our children’s use of these technologies is becoming more and more important, while at the same time, challenging. Below is a link which will provide you App Fact Sheets, which have been designed for adults to better understand the Apps our children are using and ways we as parents or carers are able to promote the safe use of Apps at age-appropriate times.

https://www.carlyryanfoundation.com/resources/fact-sheets

The Carly Ryan Foundation is a wonderful resource, and we strongly recommend you take time to explore the site and the information, stories and supports is provides. Knowledge is power and an important step in keeping our children safe online.

During the upcoming holidays, we will be installing four new transportable classrooms and relocating T4 (counselling room) in preparation for building works of the new Administration Building and classrooms to commence in early 2025. For those that use Vacation Care, please note that Monday 8 July 2024 Vacation Care will be closed to ensure the safety of all students and staff while cranes are onsite.

Wishing you a restful and warm long weekend with loved ones.

Yours in Faith, Growth and Unity​

Leadership Team

Blessings All.

As we approach the colder months of the year, we start to prepare ourselves and our families the means to keep warm and healthy avoiding any virus and nasty colds. This is the time when we also think about our neighbours in our community who go without food, warm clothing, and a roof over their heads. Organisations such as Centacare and St Vincent de Paul are so vital in assisting families and individuals in our community. Weekly, classes at Catherine McAuley School donate to Centacare, and as a thank you, I received a wonderful letter addressed to the Catherine McAuley School Community. I have attached sections of the letter below.
 

We want to thank you and the Catherine McAuley School community for the generous donation of nonperishable food, books, and colouring sets to Centacare Catholic Family Services.

Since 1942, Centacare has been supporting South Australians in the belief that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect - regardless of their circumstances and the challenges they face. 

We allocated your donation to our Youth Homelessness Services located at Elizabeth and Barossa. At these locations, we support young people at risk or experiencing homelessness and provide accommodation, food, case management, outreach support, and connections to other services and to the community. 

We appreciate your support in our mission of empowering our clients with a sense of purpose, hope and stability. 

Yours Sincerely, 
Leanne Haddad
Executive Director Centacare Catholic Family Service

Your assistance goes along way, I sincerely thank you!

This week we also had a representative from Centacare visit and speak to students, staff, and parents at our school assembly. Megan Welsh who is the Executive Manager of Domestic Violence, Homelessness & Youth Services, presented powerful messages on the importance of lending a hand and helping others. Megan was so grateful of the wonderful generous donations the school has provided so far. Thank you, Catherine McAuley families!  

Mercy Leaders visit to Resthaven. 
Our Mercy Leaders went for a walk to visit our neighbours at the Resthaven this week. They listened and shared stories with the friendly residents. The topics discussed were centred around on how school life changed. Many fun facts, experiences and funny stories were shared, and friendships were developed. After the visit, the Mercy Leaders reflected on their experience. A few examples are presented.

I had so much fun learning about how school was like back when they were our age, I hope to go back soon,

I enjoyed playing with some of the school yard games played many, many, years ago.

It was great going to the nursing home and putting a smile on their face.

I think we really made their day!

I learnt what it was like to go to school 80 years ago, how students used an ink pot to write and were taught cursive writing. I even saw a book written in the 1800’s. I can not wait to go back.

Class mass continuation
On Friday the 7th of June 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 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 of gratitude to the many who help our neighbours in need.

Loving God, 
Provide us with the means not only to uplift ourselves, 
but also, to extend our hands in support to our neighbours.
May our hearts overflow with gratitude, 
and a deep commitment to assist those less fortunate. 
We offer our thanks for your ceaseless blessings. 
Amen.

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

In our Year 3 classes, students have enjoyed exploring addition, subtraction, and multiplication concepts with the introduction of our brand-new MSM blocks, unifix cubes, and counters. We're thrilled to enhance our math lessons with a visual component, making learning even more engaging. Throughout our lessons, students are mastering various strategies for addition, subtraction, and multiplication, including number lines, column methods, chunking, and arrays.

In case you missed it, our very own Year 4 student Jordon has recently been selected to train with West Ham United’s International Academy in the UK. We caught up with him for a chat here 🎥 We're so excited for you Jordon and wish you all the best!

On Thursday 16th May, 94 Years 4-6 students participated in the Regional Catholic Schools Netball/Soccer Carnival at Argana Park. The round-robin competition allowed students to develop their skills and knowledge of Soccer and Netball.

On a perfect day for sport, all students showed enthusiasm, discipline, teamwork, and a high level of skill to produce some great results.

The Netball teams started well showing great persistence, passing the ball around with accuracy and scoring some fantastic goals. Students displayed good teamwork in defence to intercept many passes and shared the ball around to transfer the ball from defence to attack. Well done everyone!!

The Soccer teams were extremely competitive and experienced success in various forms. The boy’s and girls’ teams managed to move the ball quickly to create many scoring opportunities with some cracking goals being scored and saved. It was fantastic to see students work together to create opportunities for team members to showcase their skills in a friendly environment.

All the boys and girls enjoyed the day and are to be congratulated on their fine sportspersonship during all matches. Thank you to Katrina Timmins, Adrian Zoccali, Matthew Hill, Mitchell Wood, Mary-Anne Hayward, Anna Rossitano, Hayley Orchard, Georgia Simmons, Ella Spackman, Adam Marafioti and the many other parents that attended on the day for their help and support during the carnival.

Yours in Faith, Growth, & Unity

Fabian Chevalier
PE Teacher/Co-ordinator

Join us for our Mini Michelins Cooking Class on Tuesday, June 11th, 18th, and 25th from 9:00 am to 10:30 am! 

Ages 3-5 are invited to explore the wonderful world of food and cooking in a fun environment. Older guardians can assist with trickier tasks for safety. 

Let's discover exciting lunchbox ideas together, making mealtime both delicious and educational! Don't miss out on the fun! Sign up now. Spots are strictly limited to 10 per group.

Click here to book

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