Newsletter 2 2023

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

What a tremendous turn out of families at the Welcome Family Barbeque last weekend! I don’t imagine it was just the free sausage sizzle that brought our families out for the day. The weather was glorious and the company was excellent! It was lovely for our new families to meet other families and for existing families to reacquaint themselves with friends.

Our Parents and Friends are always looking for ways to connect our families and continue to build on our community spirit. To this end, on Sunday 5 March we are holding a major ‘fundraising’ event and we are asking for your support. Firstly, please come along and support the event with your presence. Secondly, have your own ‘car boot’ spot and sell some of your unwanted trinkets, remember someone’s trash is someone’s treasure! Thirdly, please send us some homemade biscuits with food ingredients labelled, potted plants or old books for the school to sell. If you are able to help cook the BBQ we would love your help too!

If you wish your child to have his/her own ‘busking spot’, speak with Katrina or myself so we can set this up for them. They too can be little entrepreneurs and make a little pocket money on the side with their musical talent!

Ash Wednesday

Today marked the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days, not counting Sundays which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter.  During the Lenten season, Christians are invited to focus on their relationship with God and do acts of kindness for anyone who is in need. This could be becoming more prayerful, restoring a broken relationship, helping a local charity by donating goods or making a monetary donation. Students were involved in an Ash Wednesday Liturgy today, led by Fr Denis Travers, Parish Priest. During the Liturgy, each student was signed with a small cross on their foreheads as a reminder that we are loved by God and given an invitation to become more like Jesus in our everyday life.  Thank you to the parents/caregivers who were able to join us today.

School Board Nomination Forms

We are seeking parents/caregivers to nominate and become part of the School Board. At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 21 March we will be formally voting new members to the Board. If you are considering becoming a Board Member, please complete the nomination form available here or you can contact me for further information. No experience necessary. All parents/caregivers are invited to attend the AGM.

New Building Update

I am pleased to announce that I will be attending a ‘tender reveal’ on 28 February when I will be able to share with our community the building company appointed to build our new Administration Building and new learning spaces. We have been working with Studio 9 Architects for about 12 months designing our new facilities, and we are hopeful that construction will begin in the next few months. We are very excited about the new building facilities. Click here for images of our new building.

With every best wish,
Mia Harms
Principal

Dear Parents,

Today we gathered as a community to commemorate Ash Wednesday. We celebrated a Liturgy led by Fr. Denis.  It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday, a day to empty out the pantry of all the good things of life. Ash Wednesday marks the start of the 6-week Season of Lent within many Christian Churches. It traditionally has been a day of fasting and prayer. In the modern world it has become more of a day of prayer and promise. Ashes were placed on the forehead of each child in the shape of a cross. In our community it is used as a reminder that we all make choices we are not proud of God is there to support us to make better choices.  They are encouraged to wear it during the day and let it gently disappear as the day progresses. Sharing it with parents is a positive thing, as it can lead to a discussion about their goal/promise for Lent. All the children have been asked to make Lenten promises. Whilst Christians are called to repent and reflect during Lent, it can also be seen as a 6 week challenge to better ourselves.  That is exactly what the church is asking us to do to improve. A Lenten promise is not only about giving something up but to take something up, like being a good listener, or helping each other.

Below are some FAQ’s about Lent.

When does Lent begin in 2023?
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

Why is Lent 40 days long?
Lent lasts for 40 days because Christ suffered in the desert for 40 days.

How is the date of Ash Wednesday determined?
Ash Wednesday always falls six and half weeks before Easter.

When is Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday is the final day before Lent. In 2023, it takes place on February 21. Shrove Tuesday is known as Fat Tuesday or Pancake Day in other parts of the world.

How long is Lent?
Lent lasts 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, excluding Sundays. Sundays are an important part of Lent, but we do not include them in the “40 days” because on every Sunday we remember and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ in the Mass.

When does Lent end?
Lent ends with the start of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. This year, Lent ends on April 6, 2023.

Project Compassion
The work of Project Compassion is a major pillar of the season of Lent. At school we will highlight others who need our support to build dignity and basic needs such as food or water security and education. Yesterday at our Shrove Tuesday celebration, we cooked and served many families and their children a pancake. Many families gave a gold coin donation and we were able to raise $131.00. This money will go to Caritas and Project Compassion.  The theme for Project Compassion this year is for ‘all future generations’.

Blessings to you all,
Helena Card
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission

Yesterday's Shrove Tuesday breakfast of delicious freshly made pancakes, was all thanks to the cooking skills of our fabulous staff and we thank them!

Thank you also to all those who joined us and donated money towards Caritas.

The season of Lent leads us on the journey towards Easter and begins on Ash Wednesday. The day before the start of Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday and is celebrated around the world with pancakes.

New Initiatives at St Raphael’s School for 2023

As part of my role, I will be introducing some new initiatives across the school to offer our students co-curricular options that support and stretch their learning. These include:

Debating: This will be offered to Year 5 and 6 students. Debating gives students an opportunity to develop confidence in public speaking, thinking and research skills, communication and sportsmanship. Students will be competing with Debating SA throughout Term 2 and 3.

Tournament of Minds: Students participating this year in Tournament of Minds (ToM) complete short and long term challenges in an area of their choice from either The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences or STEM. ToM provides opportunities for students to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking and developing collaborative teamwork.

Children’s University: Children’s University is an innovative program that engages children in out of school opportunities to increase their chances for educational achievement and taking responsibility for their own learning.

Girls in Tech (continued from last year): I will be taking our Year 5 girls to visit St Peter’s Girls School to participate in Girls in Tech. The purpose of the visit is to draw girls into technology and recognise the different career and pathways that are on offer.

I will also be supporting teachers in stretching their learning and teaching, as well as supporting them in new initiatives such as:

STEM MAD: Clare Deverson and I are offering our Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students the opportunity to participate in the STEM MAD challenge. The students are invited to participate in STEM learning initiatives that address real world problems and take action. They will design a product, service or innovation to Make A Difference to others or the environment.

Rich Mathematical Approaches Through Collaborative Inquiry: Julie, David and Anthony will be leading this through exploration of pedagogical practices using open ended tasks. They will analyse the school data and define actions to improve outcomes.

Maker’s Empire: Clare and Leeanne will be attending Professional Learning using Maker’s Empire. We have purchased two 3D printers for students to use.

Corey-Lee Lewis
Assistant Principal – Leader of Learning

Drama Club

Years 4/5/6
Fridays at lunch 

Drama Club has commenced on a high note this year with many returning student actors from 2022 who have warmly welcomed our new Year 4 students to the rehearsal space. 

Over the last four weeks, student performers have enjoyed participating in an assortment of acting games and theatre sports with a focus on developing each child's stagecraft skills, improvisation abilities, self-esteem and comradeship as a united ensemble. 

Moreover, our student actors recently voiced that they are eager to return to the stage with a new theatre project as soon as possible and once again this will feature a large list of talented student actors and stage crew members. 

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned as more information will be announced in the next newsletter! 

Kindest Regards,
Mandy Flynn
Performing Arts Teacher 

School Soccer

Students in Year 2 – 6 have the option to play school soccer in Terms 2 and 3 on Saturday mornings. In order to register a St Raphael’s School team we will need to have 10- 12 boys or girls interested and keen to play in the following age groups Year 3/4 and Year 5/6. Year 2s will play modified soccer and will only require 8 players. If we do not get the required numbers, unfortunately we will not be able to fill a team. In which case I will provide you with a list of local clubs you may want to join.

The most pressing concern however is that we do not currently have parent volunteers to help facilitate the team. On game days each team will require a Coach, Marshall and Linesman and they will need to have a Catholic Education SA Police Check and the volunteer RAN training and volunteer pack completed.

If we do not have parent volunteers to assist with managing and coaching during games and trainings, unfortunately we will not be able to register a team. If you hold a current Catholic Schools Police Check and will be attending your child’s games, please strongly consider putting your hand up to help out.  This can ultimately be a shared role between multiple parents to help spread the load across the duration of the competitions. Coaches will need to be available to run soccer trainings afterschool on a day that suits them. If you are able to assist, could you please contact me at your earliest convenience, and I will pass on further information regarding what the role entails.

Sports Day

Earlier in the year, students in Years R-6 voted for their Sports Leaders. Congratulations to the following students who were elected:

Raphael –      Blue:        Oliver H
Fitzpatrick -    Green:      Mia P
Mercy –          Red:         Jessica S
McAuley –      Yellow:     Braxton C

Sports Day will take place on the school grounds on Friday 24 March at 9:00am and conclude at 1:00pm approximately. Students will be expected to arrive at school at normal time. OSHC will operate as usual (before and after school care) on this day. 

Sports Day will be a rotating ‘activity station/tabloid’ format (6 stations in all), followed by baton relays (Reception – Year 6) and tug-of-war (Year 3 – Year 6). A distance race also will be held for selected students in Years 3 - 6. Parents are encouraged to move around the stations with their child’s class.

If a designated parent/caregiver is present at the conclusion of the events, there is the option to take your child/children home early. If not, students will remain at school until normal dismissal time at 3:10pm.

Sports Day Raffle

We kindly ask every family in the school to donate one or more items in their child’s team colour. All items will be collected and placed into themed Sports Day colour gift baskets, which will be raffled on the day. A few basic suggestions could be a red drink bottle, a blue cap, a yellow beach ball or some green tennis balls. Be creative, thinking of items that will excite and surprise! If donating food items, non-perishable is the way to go. We would appreciate if all items can be brought in by Monday 21 March. They can be deposited in your child’s classroom or the office.

Hannah Reid
P.E. Teacher and Sports Coordinator

Welcome to Week 4 Term 1, 2023

The Parents and Friends have lots in store for our school this term and across the year.  

School Family BBQ

What a spectacular success our Family BBQ was last Sunday with 85 people in attendance and 120 sausages eaten! We will certainly make this an annual event and may even look to having another this year. Thank you to Gaia our P&F President who managed the sausage sizzle for us on the day.

Community Car Boot Sale
Sunday 5 March, 9am to 1pm

We are gathering momentum with this event and have already sold many stall spaces. The cost is $20 for the stall.  If you are interested, please contact Katrina  ktucker@raph.catholic.edu.au.  We are looking for stalls of bric'a'brac, tools, plants, clothes, toys, books, food, bespoke items and treasures.  Set up on the day will be from 8am and we request people pay in advance to secure a spot.

What is a Car Boot Sale? - I've had this question a few times now. It is basically a market where stallholders can drive their cars in and sell out of their boots. You don't need to drive your car in, and you can also set up tables to sell from.

Please have your donations of biscuits and slices with ingredient labels to the front office by Friday March 3, to be sold at the school's trading table. We will also have a book swap area, so if you have any books you would like to donate and/or bring on the day to swap with others, please do so. Sausage sizzle will start around 9am so bring your $2 coins!

Volunteers call out

We need volunteers to work the Sausage Sizzle at the Car Boot Sale on March 5 and also to help with set up and pack down with regard to helping direct stallholders under the direction of Katrina - I just need extra people to help please. If you can offer an hour on March 5 to help, it would be greatly appreciated and you can use this roster to lodge your availability https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/dNOy84pe. Thank you in advance. 

Join us

Our Parents and Friends Committe meet online once a term via TEAMS.

These meetings are a great way to connect with our school and find out about fundraising and community buildings events taking place.

There are no expectations to join the group or actively participate unless you choose to. Your contribution can be as little as volunteering once to help sell sausages at a BBQ, to leading an event. It's up to you. What you can give is very much appreciated. To register your interest, find out more, or to make a comment or suggestion, please email Katrina at ktucker@raph.catholic.edu.au

Katrina Tucker
Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Screen Time and Mental Health 

With the new school year in full swing, and children now working on laptops or iPads regularly, it's important for parents to have knowledge around what their child is using their screen for, and how to manage screen time. We can't remove technology from our children as it is now a normal part of every day life however, it is becoming more prevalent that children are struggling with mental health issues due to exposure to misinformation, or influential social media personalities endorsing unhealthy lifestyle choices, and plain old fake YouTube stories. I am confident that many of you reading this newsletter can relate to this issue.  Child Mind Institute has a range of articles on how to manage screen time and technology. One of their 4 key points states "the best way to model healthy screen use, is for parents to model it themselves". You can find more information about managing screen time here and for more specific information around technology and mental health, please click here.

Sarah Byrnes
School Counsellor

Our mulit-million dollar redevelopment will feature more purpose built flexible learning spaces to inspire creativity and encourage collaboration, as well as a new administration building and larger carpark to welcome families and visitors to the school.

Watch this space!