Newsletter Term 3, Week 1

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

Welcome to Term 3!

It was so lovely to see all the children’s smiling faces as they returned to school on Tuesday, despite the chilly winter weather! What a contrast to the heatwave I experienced while travelling through Europe at the end of last term and holiday break. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and found time to connect with family and friends.
My family trip was truly memorable. Watching my children experience some of the world’s most iconic landmarks for the first time made it extra special. From climbing the Eiffel Tower and visiting the final resting place of Pope Francis, to walking through the Holy Doors during this Jubilee year, enjoying boat rides in Croatia, and soaking up the rich history of Rome - it was a holiday we will always treasure. Of course, it wouldn’t be a family trip without a few squabbles... and a missing suitcase! But nothing quite beats quality family time.
I am pleased to share that our wonderful staff returned to school feeling renewed after our annual Reflection Day on Monday, which centred on the themes of pilgrimage, synodality, dialogue, and revisiting our school vision and mission. A heartfelt thank you to Domenique Laurendi for her thoughtful preparation of the day, and to Peter Bierer from the Adelaide Archdiocese, who delivered an engaging and thought-provoking session for us all.

Staffing Update

This term we have new staff members joining our team. We welcome Michael and Yen to the ESO Curriculum team and Georgina as our OSHC Assistant Director. We welcome back Chelsea Gilbert and Abby Griffiths who will be teaching our Transition Recpetion classes and Sam Carpenter who will teaching Art this semester. We also welcome university students who are on placement at our school throughout the term.

Welcome New Students to Our Community 

There is nothing more special than witnessing our newest Reception students begin their school journey. We are delighted to welcome our transition classes to the Star of the Sea family!
In Reception Griffiths, we warmly welcome:
Eleni-Renae, Ariana, Pacey, Evie, Margaret, Remy, Hauke, Zalia, Valentina, Zane, Hudson, Leonardo, Angelina, Isla, Rafael, Charlie, Trung, Aaliyah, Mario, Luca, Georgia, and Isabel.
In Reception Gilbert, we are excited to welcome:
Anna, Margaret, Elijah, Leon, Ayla, Zoe, Hayden, Mavis, Molly-May, Molly, Lando, Archie, Archer, Charlie, Charles, Kiki, Macy, Harper, Madeline, Akshara, Sabrina, Charlie, and Oliver.
We would also like to extend a Star of the Sea welcome to Lac in Year 1, Isabelle in Year 3 and Daniela and Erin to Year 4.
We look forward to seeing all these bright young faces grow, learn, and shine in our community.

Term 3 Events

As we begin Term 3, I shared with staff the importance of this term as a time for consolidation on learning and continued relationship building, both in the classroom and across our broader school community.

We have a rich and exciting calendar of events to look forward to, including:

• Silly Scientist Incursion
• Book Week
• Year 5 and 6 Camp
• Blanc Soirée Parent Event
• Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion
• STEM MAD Showcase
• Season of Creation Beach Day
• School Disco
• Strength Switch Parent Workshops
• Whole School Mass
• Sporting Events

These events are a wonderful opportunity to connect, celebrate, and grow together. We warmly invite you to be part of as many of them as possible throughout the term. Your involvement makes a real difference in the life of our school community.

Birthday Celebrations Reminder

As part of our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and healthy environment for all students, we kindly remind families not to send food or treats to school for birthday celebrations. Any such items brought to school will be sent back home. 
  
This is in place to ensure: 

• Safety for All: Many students have food allergies or dietary restrictions, and even minimal exposure to allergens can pose serious health risks. 
• Equity and Inclusion: By avoiding food-based celebrations, we create a more inclusive environment where all students feel equally valued, regardless of their family’s circumstances. 

  
We also want to emphasise that there is absolutely no expectation for families to provide anything for birthday celebrations. However, if you would like to acknowledge your child’s special day, here are a few thoughtful, non-food suggestions:  

• Donate a favourite or meaningful book to the classroom library. 
• Arrange a fun class activity or game in coordination with the teacher. 
• Provide small keepsakes like stickers, pencils, or bookmarks. 

  
Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us create a positive and welcoming environment for all our students.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead (and a Port win at the Showdown).
Go well,
Kelly Manera

Pope Francis' Tomb. 

Walking through the Holy Doors at Basicilca Di Santa Maria Maggiore. 

Annual Staff Reflection Day – Pupil Free Day

Each year our entire staff engage in our annual Reflection Day. The aim of the Reflection Day is to further develop the charism of our school and to give our staff an opportunity to engage in personal faith formation and reflection.

This year we were blessed to have Peter Bierer as our guest presenter. Peter is a professional lay ecclesial minister with over 20 years of experience in the Catholic Church across Australia and the United States. He serves on the Council for Ministry with Young People in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, providing strategic leadership and fostering youth engagement in the church’s mission. His role includes promoting youth ministry, supporting existing groups, and guiding annual strategic planning for the diocese.

As this year is a Jubilee Year, the theme of our reflection day was ‘Journeying Together in Hope’. Peter began the day by inspiring us with stories of his own personal journeys and how each journey has been an opportunity to learn, reflect and connect. We delved into what it means to be a Synodal Church and community and the importance of coming together and listening to the voices of all people.

Peter broke this down under 3 main points: Communion, Mission and Participation.

Communion: knowing each other, the importance of relationships and the act of listening
Mission: what we do and how we do it
Participation: everyone matters and ensuring every voice is heard

Peter also led us through a process of reviewing and rewriting our school’s Vision and Mission statements by using a model called ‘Conversations in the Spirit’.

This process enabled us all to listen to each other, gave us the power to be heard and invited the Holy Spirit to speak to us through moments of silence.

We will continue this work throughout the term, where we will also consider whose voices were missing from these conversations.

Together, we will endeavour to create a Vision and Mission for Star of the Sea which is a true reflection of how our entire community journeys together in Hope.

“May the God of Hope fill you all with joy and peace, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~Romans 15:13