Newsletter 12 2021

From the Acting Principal

Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students, Staff and Friends of St Raphael’s School,

Working together to keep our community safe

As we continue into Term 3 amid continued COVID restrictions, we are thankful that, due to the current situation in South Australia, we can continue to remain open for face-to-face learning. Thank you for adhering to the directions in regard to remaining offsite wherever possible, and, when attending for pre-arranged meetings, office errands or supervision of sport, wearing a mask and checking in using the QR code. The current restrictions will remain in place until we advise you otherwise. Please continue to stay in touch with your child’s teacher via Seesaw, through email and through telephone conversations, when necessary, to continue the strong partnership that we know is vitally important for your child’s learning and wellbeing.

Staffing Announcement

Ms. Deborah Hansen, our Numeracy/STEM coach and co-Year 4 teacher, has been appointed to the Catholic Education Office as Education Advisor – Primary Years. This appointment begins on 16 August and therefore this week will be Deborah’s last with us at St Raphael’s School. Whilst we will miss Deborah’s expertise and leadership, we wish her all the very best in this significant leadership role in the Catholic Education system.

I am pleased to share that Ms. Sarah Edson, who currently teaches the Year 4 class for three days per week, will be the full-time class teacher from next week for the remainder of the year.

School Hats

In accordance with our policy and as recommended by the Anti-Cancer Council, school hats are to be worn by students between 1 August and 30 April. Please ensure your child has their school hat in their bag to be worn during outdoor activities each day.

Staff Professional Learning

Today our teachers will meet with their year-level colleagues from St Catherine’s School, Stirling and St Joseph’s School, Kingswood via Microsoft Teams to engage in moderation. During this time, teachers will share and critique each other’s learning programs in HASS with particular focus on ensuring the learning and assessment opportunities are rigorous, engaging and aligned with the Australian Curriculum. Our teachers meet with their colleagues once per term for moderation purposes and highly value this opportunity to improve their own professional practice and contribute to the improvement of others.

Marianne Farrugia
Acting Principal

Religious Education News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It is clear, as we move around the school, that we are well and truly back into the swing of things. The classrooms are buzzing with learning and it is wonderful to witness!

Staff Formation Retreat Day

The staff were blessed to gather together at the Monastery to engage in a retreat day led by Father Denis Travers. The theme of the day was Jesus: his life, his times, his Passion. The wintery day was a beautiful combination of reflection and theology, and the opportunity to come together as a staff for spiritual and relational nourishment was well received. We thank Denis and the team for their hospitality.

RELAT (Religious Literacy Assessment Tool 2021)

In Week 5, our Year 4 students will take part in RELAT which is a tool developed by Catholic Education SA to assist with the reporting and evaluation of Religious Education in schools. It provides a snapshot of Year 4 students’ basic religious literacy within a broader suite of assessment approaches used in our RE curriculum. All Catholic schools in SA participate in this online assessment and this year, as the implementation of the new Crossways curriculum is rolled out, the content of this assessment will be based on general basic religious knowledge that can be assumed for a student who has been educated in a Catholic school. Results from this assessment will be available in the early weeks of Term 4.

Knitting Initiative

Our new Receptions loved their gifted beanies. We will be selling the remaining beanies for $3.00 each with proceeds going to Fred’s Van which has been a charity close to our hearts after a visit from Teresa who heads up the organisation. Some Year 5 students have written cards of thanks to the parishioners who have volunteered their time to knit the beanies. We hope the initiative continues this term!

Important Feast Days

Last Sunday we acknowledged the Feast of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop, Australia’s first saint whose story still resonates with us today. Like Mary, we in Catholic schools welcome and embrace everyone. We endeavour to care about the dignity of whole person and show compassion in our interactions with others. May we continue to be inspired by this great woman of faith, courage and selflessness.

This coming Sunday is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of two holy days of obligation for Catholics in Australia (aside from Sundays). We will mark this feast day on Monday with a Liturgy with our students. We will remember when Mary was taken ‘assumed’ into heaven, body and soul, after she died. It acknowledges how Mary experienced the resurrection in its fullness, just like her son Jesus.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

FOR THE HEART......

“Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves.”
Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, 288

God bless and go well,
Kelly Manera
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission