Newsletter Term 4 Week 3

Dear Families

It has been an exciting last week at school and the children finally had some whole-school fun which brings a school to life.  The Book Week parade was a morning of laughter and excitement as each class paraded around our newly painted courts.  I would like to thank Helen Kolaczkos and the team of staff that put the event together. 

Thank you also to Kristen Victory whom planned three sports day this year and was finally able to run a very modified program here at school that concluded with the Colour Run (thanks to the P&F).  For the record, Coolock won the Spirit Cup and MacKillop the shield.  Congratulations to all our Year 6 students that took on the task of leading Sports Day, they did a fantastic job.

One of our students Ivy, wrote about the week…

“On Wednesday we had Book Week and we had a parade for the whole day.  We had fun.  Mr Weeks dressed up as a cowboy and had a whip!  Later we went to the beach and did a clean up.  I found a small crab that was dead.  On Friday we did Sports Day and the colour Run.  We all wore white T-shirts.”

Currently teachers are working very hard not only teaching their classes but also writing reports and beginning the organisation of the 2021 year.  Last week, was also quite a big ask of our teachers, but in a very professional manner, they rose to the task without much fuss. On behalf of the community I would like to thank all our staff for their efforts last week.

I have had a small number of parents contact me in regard to parents attending events here at school.  This is quite a challenging time for all leaders of our schools as our number one concern, is the safety of everyone at our site.  As if that is not enough, it weighs heavily on all the Principals I have spoken to, in regard to the decisions they have to make. If something goes wrong and we cause transmission of CV19 or break the current rules there is the possibility of a sizeable fine and possible negative media coverage. 

All schools are trying to be agile and flexible and it is confusing that different schools are doing different things.  Some are allowing parents into events, others not.  As Principals of Catholic Schools, we are all keeping in touch with each other about these events.  The rules themselves have not changed for some time now.  The difference between schools has been due to the social distancing rule, how much indoor/outdoor space is available and how many adults and pre-schoolers are likely to come to an event.  For Star of the Sea School, we do not have a lot of space, compared to the number of students in our school.  We also have a large number of adults attend events and we are very concerned about the social distancing rules.  That being said, we are currently reviewing, what we can do within the current restrictions, for the end of year Mass, assembly, carols night and graduations.  Again, this will vary between Catholic Schools in our area, depending on space and the predicted number of adults that would attend.  Within these parameters we are trying our best!  Stay tuned to the School Bag App for further announcements.

Regards
Damian Weeks

Hello Friends 

What a fabulous week we have had here at Star of the Sea School. 

Last Wednesday we celebrated our Book Week parade on our brand-new courts and the children costumes and sense of fun and excitement was tremendous to experience.

We say a huge thank you to our parents and family for helping us prepare our costumes and all of the work that goes into getting ready for our book week parade. Thanks also to Mrs Kolaczkos Mrs Turner and Mrs Ottrey.

We also experienced a fabulous day on Friday last week, when we celebrated our 2020 Sports Day. The enthusiasm, excitement and “sportspersonship” skills that were on display by our students was a fabulous thing to witness. Congratulations to our sports captains who have waited patiently and diligently throughout the whole year to lead their teams in sports day. Congratulations to MacKillop House for winning the Sports Day Shield and to Coolock House for winning the Spirit Cup. 

Carols Night 2020 Update

At this stage of planning for Carols Night 2020, we are examining our options in term of how Carols Night can be celebrated. One possibility is that we will record the Year level carols and songs and make them available through Facebook and our social media platforms. The other is that we have the traditional Carols Night format with strict social distancing regulations in place on the night, with limited numbers of adults in attendance. We will take the advice of CESA and SA Health to assist our decision making process.

Lost Property

Our Lost Property continues to over flow with unlabelled items. Many of these are expensive plastic containers and lunchboxes. There are also many school uniform items, most of which are not labelled.

Safety on our Roads

Once again, I implore all road users to exercise care and safety around our school. I have seen first-hand in the last week, cars driving through crossings with the STOP signs being displayed, cars parked in clearway zones and No Parking zones and some vehicles even driving over traffic cones. The safety of our children is paramount and we need your help to maintain this safety. Do the right thing on our roads, because it’s the right thing to do.

‘Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance’
Eckhart Tolle

Thanks and Blessings
Matt Perry

Mission Week concludes this Friday with ‘Socktober,” the Catholic Mission Charity for children around the world. Please visit socktober.org.au to see the happy and resourceful children dealing with what life throws at them.

‘Socktober’ Friday is celebrated by wearing funny or odd socks and whatever sports gear children would like to wear. Please donate via QKR or gold coin. Some intend to wear their ‘winning team’ netball uniforms. Congratulations! I hope they have fun playing with their home- made soccer balls with their buddies. Yesterday Year 5 and Year 1 kicked it off and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 5P proudly gave their soccer balls to 1MF as a memento of the day. I hope they don’t add to your odd sock collection if they fall apart.

Confirmation and First Eucharist sacrament celebrations have occurred across some months and concluded on Tuesday evening with the 9th intimate, reverent and joyful Mass. Thank you Fr Paul and Fr Tan for accompanying us through the whole journey and all the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring our families together in these unprecedented times. There is now an honour board in the Front Office displaying these photos.

The Year 4s are very excited to be attending the Parish Mass on Monday 9th November at 9:15am and having the opportunity to receive communion again. You are welcome to join with us at this Mass. The church has a COVID register near the hall, or you can check the Parish website.

As we head towards All Saints and All Souls Days, may we feel comforted by the enduring love we have for our loved ones who have passed before us. You can offer their names for our MSC priests to pray for them by visiting the church, where you will see a jar for this purpose. There are also envelopes available if you would like a special Mass said.

May all those who have gone before us rest in peace and may God bless us in our times of sorrow.

Stella Foley
APRIM

Thank you for supporting Mission Week. We have raised funds for the RSPCA, the Refugee Association and the Catholic Children's Charity Socktober. Well done!