Term 1, Week 6, Issue #15 2024

From the Leadership Team

Dear families

We trust that you are travelling well and have started the year strong.

This week we saw the launch of our new certificates, which reflect the Key Capabilities we are developing with our students to help them grow, thrive, and flourish as leaders and global citizens for the world God desires. Students have been exploring these capabilities with their teachers. More information about the Key Capabilities can be found here.

We encourage you to explore these with your children and speak to them about how they are planning to grow in each of the areas. Along with each certificate, students also received a coloured wrist band reflecting the colour of the Key Capability they have demonstrated. It has been great to see students wearing these around school and sharing stories of their achievements.

Another way we work in partnership with families is through the three-way conversations. These are scheduled for Monday 8 April till Wednesday 10 April, providing you and your child/ren an opportunity to meet with their class teacher, PE Teacher, Expressive Arts Teacher or AUSLAN Teacher to discuss their progress and goals. More information and a link to make bookings will be sent to all families soon via SZAPP.

Finally, there are some important documents we would like to share with you regarding the Child Protection Curriculum and Safeguarding of Young People. Below is a link to the Adelaide Archdiocese policy for Safeguarding Children and Young People in our schools and churches.

https://cms.catholic.edu.au/our-school/policies-forms-and-reports

The other important document that we engage with is the Education Department’s website for Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, which we are mandated to teach in our schools. The two themes that underpin all that we teach in this curriculum are ‘We have a right to be safe’ and ‘We help keep ourselves safe by talking to the people we trust’. This sits alongside our MITIOG program and this core curriculum from Catholic Education South Australia guides our work in this area. Please see a member of the Leadership Team if you would like to discuss any of these documents further.

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/safety-and-wellbeing/child-protection/keeping-safe-child-protection-curriculum-information-parents-and-carers

Wishing you a safe and fun long weekend ahead.

Stay cool 😊

Leadership Team

From the APRIM

Blessings All, I hope you are all travelling well during this season of Lent. A sacred time, of fasting, repent and almsgiving. A time when we can deepen our awareness of how God is prompting us to take the next step in our walk of faith. A time to listen to God’s voice within us and explore our own thoughts and feelings as portals to discerning God’s will.

One significant ‘will’ is the yearning to help others, especially during this time of almsgiving. Two fundraising activities for Caritas - Project Compassion are happening at Catherine McAuley School. One being bringing recycle plastic bottles or cans in your child’s/children House bin. Secondly, please donate what you can to your child’s/children project compassion donation boxes in the classrooms. Thank you to all who have already donated.

Holy week celebrations will take place at Catherine McAuley School.
Please add the following dates to your diary as we would love for you to attend.

Monday 25th March - morning prayer celebrating Palm Sunday and the Last Supper
Thursday 28th March - 1:45pm re-enactment of the Stations of The Cross.
Tuesday 2nd April - morning prayer, celebrating Easter with a Liturgy.

More information on all three events will be available soon, and all are welcomed to attend.

Last week commenced the beginning of 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, please see below the day your child/children will be attending.

Mass schedule Term 1
Week 5 – 1st March = Yr. 6M
Week 7 – 15th March = Yr. 4M
Week 11 – 12th April = Yr. 5M

Mass schedule Term 2
Week 2 – 10th May = Yr. 3M
Week 4 – 24th May = Yr. 2E
Week 6 – 7th June = Yr. 5E
Week 8 – 21st June = Yr. 6E

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 also commenced last week with our first child and parent workshop on Saturday the 2nd of March. Catherine McAuley School, together with the Elizabeth Parish, St Columba College, and St Mary Magdalene’s School come together and worked through a series of information sessions and activities to deepen their understanding of the sacramental journey. If you still wish to partake in the Sacramental Program, please contact me for further information.

I would like to conclude on a reflective prayer to help us to remember the spritual and true meaning of Easter, not related to Easter Eggs and Easter Bunnies that we see in the media.

Dear Lord,

We thank you for sending your son, Jesus, who died and rose back to life for us. Thank you that his life gives meaning and purpose to us, and that you offer a hope we can hold on to. Please help us to seek strength in your hope and to experience the path that leads to life and joy.

Amen

Blessings,

Maria Girolamo-Corbo
Assistant Principal in Religious Identity and Mission

From the Leader of Teaching & Learning

After teachers were busy training themselves up in Week 0 on Multisensory Mathematics (MSM), our classes have begun a more hands-on, manipulative-based approach in their Mathematics. Classes have started introducing our new kits into their lessons and our students are thoroughly enjoying engaging with the resources. MSM is underpinned by the belief that Mathematics should be taught with a structured sequence (from concrete (hands-on), to semi-abstract (hands-on and visuals), to representational (visuals and symbols), to abstract (symbols)). MSM draws upon our three main senses: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic/tactile to strengthen the pathways to storing and retaining information in our brain.

Paired with explicit teaching, MSM follows an "I Do, We Do, You Do" approach, gradually supporting our students to reach mastery and a level of independence.

Our students are learning counting forward and backward sequences, patterning, addition and subtraction including regrouping, multiplication, division, and so on. MSM is targeted for Reception to Year 6 and is modified and adapted to suit an appropriate level of challenge. We also target the four proficiencies of Mathematics: Understanding, Fluency, Reasoning, and Problem-Solving. A capable numerate learner can demonstrate all four of these proficiencies at once.

During Week 7 we will begin NAPLAN for 2024. Our Year 3s will begin with their Writing Test on paper, while our Year 5s will begin their Writing Test on the laptops. Our tests are scheduled for the mornings, and a rough timetable is found below.

Wednesday 13th - Writing Test, 9:15am
Thursday 14th - Reading Test, 9:15am
Friday 15th - Conventions of Language Test, 9:15am
Monday 18th - Numeracy Test, 9:30am
Tuesday 19th - Catch Up Tests

If you have any questions about your child and their participation in NAPLAN, please don't hesitate to get into contact with your child's teacher or myself. We would also like to extend our support as we understand this can be a time of anxiety for some children. NAPLAN is one aspect of a school's assessment and reporting process and does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. We wish our Year 3s and 5s calm and peace during this time.

Yours in Faith, Growth and Unity,

Rebecca Philip
Leader of Teaching and Learning
rphilip@cms.catholic.edu.au