Newsletter Term 2 Week 7

Dear Families,

It was delightful meeting new and old families at our Transition Class induction meeting this week.  We have 33 new students joining our school next term, spread across two classes.  We will be welcoming teachers Ali Rebuli & Morgan Taylor teaming together in one class and in the other, Skye Llewellyn and Abby Hinge.  Our new students will have their first visit next week.

LITTLE STARS

As one group of students move from this program into our mid-year class, another group of students begin next term. This will be the group of students that will make up some of our 2024 Reception intake. We will be running two sessions on Wednesdays, to cater for the large number of students. We have a total of 35 students attending.

SCHOOL REPORTS

As you know, our Semester 1 reports are going to look quite different from what families have received in the past.  Our method of delivery will also be different, as we will email the reports to both parents.  We will be releasing teachers to download and email reports from Monday July 3rd to begin the process but this will take three days to complete and all families will receive their child/s report within this time frame.  Included with the report will be a “Curriculum Overview” that outlines the work covered in each subject area, relating to the Semester 1 Report.

The reports will be followed up by a chance to meet with your child’s teacher term 3, the week beginning July 31st.  Please do not feel that you have to make an appointment, it is really only if you would like to ask questions about the report and your child’s progress.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

We are currently in the process of securing a new substantive Deputy Principal for our school following the appointment of Matt Perry to the Principal role at Christ the King School.  Over the last few years, we have been spoilt with the quality of Acting Deputies, Narelle Sandercock and Kelly Manera and thank them for their work with us.  We hope to announce the new Deputy Principal before the end of term.

LONG SERVICE LEAVE

In the last two weeks of this term, I will be taking LSL. Kelly Manera will be in charge over this time and will be assisted by Domenique Laurendi and members of our Leaders of Learning.

PUPIL FREE DAY

Just a reminder about day one of term 3 is Monday July 24th and this will be a PFD.

MILITARY ROAD DISRUPTION – TOMORROW

Another major step in our Building program will occur tomorrow.  The first-floor concrete pour will begin early in the morning.  There may be a large number of trucks on Military Road in the morning and you might want to try Seaview Road as the preferred drop off point.  There will be no disruption to the afternoon pick up.

Regards
Damian Weeks

Dear Families,

The cold weather is well and truly here, and we have had some interesting conditions over the past weeks from a glimmer of sun through the clouds to a downpour within seconds. Considering that our building project has impacted space around our school site, we are fortunate to have spaces that cater for inclement weather, specifically our Stella Maris building which has been home to many PE lessons over the last few weeks. I am always impressed by the adaptability of our staff and students.

School Value: Respect

It has been wonderful to see how our 2023 school value of respect has been demonstrated around the school. Last week, I learnt that a group of Year 4 girls have taken it upon  themselves to wash and clean all the compost bins from each of the classrooms and staff spaces. These wonderful students saw a need and independently took action to demonstrate our value of respect for the environment and school. I commend Evie, Dillon, Allegra and Millie for showing their initiative to support our sustainability focus. Well done girls!

Speaking of respect, we have held a couple of our year level assemblies for this term. At each assembly we have presented awards to students who have demonstrated ‘respect’ in a variety of ways. We congratulate the following students in Year 1; Charlie M, Evie M, Ivie P, Jet K, Eddie S and Honey V. At yesterday’s very entertaining Year 6 assembly, the recipients of awards were Lachlan A, Sophie L, Mason N and Isabella G. Well done to all these students who have shown respect to either self, others or the environment.

 We look forward to the celebrating this term’s learning at the remainder of the year level assemblies to be held in the final weeks of this term. All parents and families are welcome to attend. These will be held in the Stella Maris building.

Uniforms

Although we are well and truly into Term 2, may I take this opportunity to remind families about our expectations of wearing the uniform correctly. Both this term and next we expect our students to be wearing their winter uniform not a combination of winter and summer. Our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 students wear the school’s sports uniform. In Years 3-6, the uniform consists of the following items outlined below. A reminder that our Star Outreach Committee runs the second-hand uniform shop if you require additional items. All uniforms can be purchased from Devon.

Parents and Friends

I once again commend the tireless work of our Parents and Friends volunteers. I am sure your children were more than delighted by the Donut Day held two weeks ago! In addition, you will notice that in the last week of this term, a sushi lunch is available to purchase through QKR. The much-anticipated Quiz Night returns for 2023 held at Nazareth College. Please refer to the P&F newsletter for more information.

Little Stars and New Reception Visits

Our Little Stars program is in full swing, and it is wonderful to see how settled our young people are in our school community already. We warmly welcome all the new families who will be joining us in Term 3. Next Friday, our midyear Reception students will have their first orientation visit in their new classrooms. Our educators for our two Term 3 classes are Skye Llewellyn and Abbey Hinge and Ali Rebuli and Morgan Taylor. We wish them all a successful transition into school.

Parent Evening: Strategies to manage anxiety and build resilience

I alert you to this parent information session facilitated by Australia’s leading expert on Mental Health and Wellbeing, Madhavi Nawana Parker. She will offer strategies to manage anxiety and build resilience in children. This session will be held at Christ the King Hall, St Francis School Lockleys on Monday 26^th June at 6:30pm. Bookings via link below.

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/xwxrn

I was inspired this week by Neale Daniher, who is about to mark the milestone of living 10 years from his terminal diagnosis. He shared what motivates him and what he is grateful for in a recent article. He acknowledged…… ‘you only need three things for happiness – something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to.’

Go well,

Kelly Manera
Acting Deputy Principal

Celebrating Mass at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church.

This term each Year level has been participating in the 9:15am Parish masses on a Thursday or Friday morning celebrated by Father Manu. It has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect with our Parish and to be part of the Eucharistic celebration.

Feast of the Sacred Heart Mass

Tomorrow we will gather together as a whole school to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The heart is a symbol of love, and the Sacred Heart symbolises Jesus’ love for us all. At Star of the Sea, our motto is Open Hearts, Open Minds. Through our motto, we are reminded every day to love one another as Jesus loved us.

Tomorrow is a time to think of the love of Jesus and how much Jesus wants us to show love to each other. We think of those who do not have enough to eat or warm clothes to wear and consider ways we can help them.

During this term we have been collecting items for our Winter Dignity Drive to share with those people who are less fortunate than ourselves. By donating these items, we are doing as Jesus asked us; to love one another as he loved us.

Some students have reflected on what it means to love one another.

• It means to think about the people who have passed away – Selina 2P
• It means to get married – Luca – 2P
• It is a happy moment – Andie – 2P
• It means to love everyone – Tommy 1MF
• Jesus taught us to be kind to others – Toinetta – 1MF
• To remember to always look after each other – Millie – 3G
• It means to give a helping hand to others – Frankie – 3G

Mass will be celebrated at 2:00pm in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church.
Parents and friends are welcome to join us for this celebration.

With Gratitude,

Domenique Laurendi
APRIM

Upon hearing of Star of the Sea's Winter Dignity Drive, Sophie (6C) decided she wanted to do more for those in need. Sophie spoke with Mrs Stokes and presented the idea of raising funds for the Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless Persons where Leanne volunteers. Sophie decided to sell 'magic squares' on a hundred chart for $2 to the students in Year 6 and staff at Star of the Sea. From these squares, Sophie raised $200 to donate to the shelter. The shelter will use the funds to purchase blankets in preparation for the winter. Sophie chose five lucky winners at random from the hundred chart and provided prizes to gift winners. We are extremely proud of Sophie's initiative, compassion, and drive to plan, develop, and execute a truly wonderful fundraising effort. Congratulations, Sophie!