Dear Parents and Community Members,

It was with such joy that I return to Whitefriars Catholic School, following 13 weeks at the Catholic Education Office as an Acting School Performance Leader, I have certainly missed the children and missed the daily interactions with family members and staff.

I think the joy of being part of a school community cannot be understated and I know many families really relish this joy and often miss it once their children begin secondary education due to the age and independence of children.

During Term 3, I continued to remain connected to Whitefriars Catholic School and I was able to attend Wakakirri, Catholic Schools Music Festival Choir and the Year 5 and Year 6 Soccer Finals. Each event was a huge source of pride for our school community as the children strived to be at their best and represent themselves at a high standard making their families and school proud. Congratulations to the Year 5 Soccer Team who became the best Year 5 Primary school team in Adelaide.

Masterplan update

The Tenison Building’s demolition was meant to occur during the September/October Term Break. However, although we were advised we did not need council permission, it proved to be incorrect as according to the Council there is a verandah attached to the Carmelite Building which is considered heritage building and the Tenison Building is considered to be on heritage land which is part of the original school. Council permission was received very late in Term 3 but it was too late, so the demolition has now been postponed to the December/January holidays. 

On the 27th of October, work between the Performing Arts and Caritas Building will begin and will hopefully be finished just before Christmas. This will mean that doors west of the Performing Arts Room and Instrumental Rooms will be blocked and it will limit access surrounding the Caritas Building facing Beaufort Street.  

Matthew Bell from Irmcon Fencing, is one of our parents at our school, and he has now completed the fence in front of the 3 empty blocks to provide a more secure environment for the school. Unfortunately, we have had some unexpected delays surrounding commencing Stage 2A and I will hopefully have positive news that this must needed project will commence soon.

Staffing news

I wanted to let you know that 3 of our class teachers will be ending their time with us:

• Hannah Dalidowicz (Reception Teacher) was successful in winning a permanent position at Our Lady Queen of Peace.
• Julie Sosa (Year 2) teacher will be travelling with her husband in Europe for her belated honeymoon in Term 2 next year.
• Kelsey George (Year 4 Teacher) will be moving back to the Northern Territory.

I take this opportunity to thank each of the teachers for sharing their skills, knowledge, and expertise with our school community over the last few years and wish them well for their future.

I also wanted to let you know that Rachel Cagliuso (Year 2 teacher) is expecting her first child early December and will complete her time at the end of Week 4 of this term (Friday 7th of November). We wish Rachel and Dave well as they commence their family. We are pleased that Misha Berecry who is a long-standing reliever in our school will teach the 2C class for the last 5 weeks of the year.

Robyn Mercer will also be completing her time as English as Additional Language on Thursday November 6th of November. Robyn’s contribution as an Education Support Officer (ESO) English as an Additional Language and Dialect (AELD) teacher and relief teacher is always outstanding and we are blessed that she has chosen to be part of our school community in her latter part of her career. We wish her well as she spends some time travelling with her husband.

New Teachers in 2026

In 2026, we have appointed the following 4 teachers:

• Karlee McCarthy who is currently teaching one of our Term 3 Reception Teachers.
• Chiara Mori who has been one of our Curriculum ESOs and has now graduated.
• Emma Rainsford who has been teaching in Port Pirie and is keen to return to the city.
• Grace Brianni (3 days a week) who has been teaching at St Martin’s Greenacres and will now moving to our school.

I also wanted to let you know that Matthew Annetta will be returning 2 days a week as a class teacher at our school in 2026.

Family Mass

Each month, on the 3rd weekend of the month, a number if our children take an active part at the 6pm Saturday Mass at Mater Dei.

Thank you to Patrich M, Rafaela M, Sandra G, Megan F and Lara B. who read on the night. Below is a photo of them with our Assistant Parish Priest Father Olek Stirrat.  A thank you also to Joel K and Alesia K who usually read but were not feeling well on the night. 

Welcome back to Term 4 – I hope everyone managed to have a wonderful break and are ready for another fun and busy term to finish off the 2025 school year.

Community Prayer and Parish Mass Roster

Please find attached the Term 4 Community Prayer and Parish Mass roster. Community Prayer is held in the Mary Mackillop Hall on Monday mornings at 8:45am (except for Week 4 – information below), and Parish Masses are on Friday mornings in the Mater Dei Church at 9:15am.

Each class will be hosting a community prayer this term, and will either host or attend a Parish Mass across the term. Our four Reception classes will host an Advent Liturgy in Week 8 – with final details regarding time to be confirmed shortly.

All parents and caregivers are invited to attend prayer and masses.

Volunteer Morning Tea – following Week 4 Community Prayer

We are incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated group of volunteers who generously give their time and energy to support our school community. Whether it's helping with incursions, excursions, outside school hours sport, or our wide range of extracurricular activities, their contributions make a world of difference.

To acknowledge, thank, and celebrate these amazing individuals, we invite all our volunteers to a special morning tea on Monday the 3rd of November. Following Community Prayer, our volunteers are invited to head the staffroom for a cup of tea/coffee and morning tea, as a small gesture to show our immense gratitude for the big impact they have on our students' experiences and opportunities.

Our Year 3 unit will lead us in Community Prayer, where we will acknowledge All Saints and All Souls Day, and this Prayer will commence at 9:15am on the Mary MacKillop Hall.

End of Year Thanksgiving Mass 

Our End of Year Thanksgiving Mass will be held on Tuesday the 9th of December (Week 9) The Mass is a Whole School Mass and will be held in the Mary Mackillop Hall at 9:15am. All parents, caregivers and grandparents who are able to attend are welcome to join us to celebrate.

Congratulations to the Whitefriars Festival Choir who performed beautifully at the Catholic Schools Music Festival, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Thursday 25th September. It was a fantastic night of entertainment and after three terms of hard work in learning their songs our choir did themselves very proud.  I would like to thank the parent volunteers who came along and helped with supervision at the rehearsals in Term 3, and for the support of all the families involved.

We are also proud to announce that Xavier K, was selected to perform at the AMEB SA & NT 2025 Showcase Concert, held on Saturday 27 September at Elder Hall, University of Adelaide.

This prestigious annual event features students who have successfully passed an AMEB practical exam at Grade 4 level or above and have been nominated by their examiner for delivering an engaging, polished, and commanding performance under exam conditions. Final performers are selected by the Program Director and invited to participate with media consent.

Xavier performed Prelude (No. 1 Op. 43) by Reinhold Glière, a Grade 5 Piano piece, showcasing his musical skill and expressive artistry. His performance was a wonderful representation of the high standard of music education at our school.

Congratulations to Xavier, his teacher, and family on this outstanding achievement!

In term 3 and early term 4 we explored the colonisation of Australia and discovered the remarkable technological contributions of Indigenous Australians. To deepen our understanding, we asked the question: What Indigenous Australian technologies were already in use during Australia’s colonisation?

Working in groups, we researched different areas of traditional First Nations technology, such as fishing traps, canoes, stone tools, shelters, and fire-stick farming. We discovered that Indigenous Australians had developed clever and sustainable ways to live with the land for tens of thousands of years. Based on this research we made dioramas, wrote information reports and created a green screen explanation video!

Supporting Autonomy Without Losing Authority

Parenting involves a delicate balancing act: we want our children to grow into capable, independent decision-makers, but we also need to guide them with clarity, confidence, and care. That’s where the great parenting challenge lies—supporting autonomy without losing authority.

In this week’s Insight’s article, ‘ Supporting Autonomy Without Losing Authority‘, Justin has suggested some practical ideas that can help when establishing rules and trust with our children. 

For more parenting information, visit the Happy Families website: https://happyfamilies.com.au./

Thank you.

Grace Loizos Wellbeing Leader gloizos@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au

We’d love to welcome more volunteers into our school community! Getting started is simple just head to our school website to get started:

If you have any questions or need a hand, feel free to pop into the front office and chat with our friendly staff, or email us at clearance@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for supporting our school and helping make Whitefriars such a vibrant, connected community! 

Dear Families,

We continue to support our community with fairness and understanding, and we appreciate your ongoing partnership. To ensure equity for all students, it’s important that financial obligations are met in a timely manner.

Please note:

• Families without confirmed payment plans in place: Tuition Fees are now overdue.
• Extra-curricular fees must be paid separately via QKR.

➡️ If this applies to you, please action urgently.

If you require financial assistance or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Finance Office at accounts@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Dear Families,

It is important to know that Whitefriars Catholic School holds enrolment meetings approximately 2 years ahead of the child's start date. 

We are currently conducting enrolment meetings for children eligible to commence Term 3 2027 (Children born 1st May 2022 to 30th October 2022)

In Term 1 2026 we will be conducting enrolment meetings for children commencing in Term 1 2028. (Children born 1st November 2022 to 30th April 2023)

PLEASE ENSURE ALL SIBLINGS ARE ENROLLED FOR ALL FUTURE YEARS.

Thank you 

Office Assistant – Croydon Park Parish Permanent Part Time - 16 hours per week

The Croydon Park Parish is seeking a friendly, organised and dedicated Office Assistant to join its Parish Team in a meaningful role at the heart of a vibrant, faith-filled community. The role involves administrative tasks, newsletter preparation, general enquiries and assisting the Parish Priest and team. Strong communication and Microsoft Office skills are essential. For more information about the roles and how to apply click here.

We acknowledge and pay our respect to the Kaurna people as the traditional owners of the land of Mikawomma on which Whitefriars Catholic School is located.  We come with open hearts and minds to listen and learn from Elders - past, present and emerging.