12th March - Parents & Friend Meeting 7pm

16th March - Sunday FUNDAY Rec - Yr2 - 11am-2pm

17th March - Year 6 Camp Departure

18th March - School Tour 9.30am - 10.30am

19th March - Year 6 Camp Return

28th March - Year 5 Surf Education 

31st March - Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival

3rd April - School Tour 9.30am - 10.30am

7th April - Pupil Free Day

11th April - End of Term 12:30pm finish

Dear Parents and Community Members,

InitiaLit Parent Session

At Whitefriars Catholic School, children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 learn phonics through the InitiaLit Program. Each year our Reception teachers lead a session with Reception Parents in regard to our InitiaLit program and, once again, it was well attended by our parents who are eager to support their child at home forming a formidable home/school partnership. Thank you to our reception teachers for their work in fostering parental engagement in the process of learning.

Cybersafety

Keeping children safe online is possibly one of the most challenging aspects for modern-day parents. I recently listened to a book on Audible called ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt and it highlighted for me the close link that social media has to higher levels of anxiety amongst our young generation. Federal and State Governments are working hard to move social media platforms to 16+, however, in the meantime, it remains at 13+.

At Whitefriars Catholic School, we are striving to work together with all of you to keep our children safe. On the 12th of February, we held a Parent Session regarding cybersafe led by speakers from the Carly Ryan Foundation and last week they spoke to all our Year 5 and 6 children.

I too, recently spoke to all the Year 4, 5 and 6 children and I asked if anyone was 13 years old or over. No one put their hand up of course. I then proceeded to highlight to them that this meant that no one in primary schools should be on social media platforms. I now take this opportunity to re-remind all parents that children below the age of 13, therefore all children of primary school age, are not allowed to be on these social media platforms:

·         Snap Chat 13+

·         Facebook  13+

·         Instagram  13+

·         Creating Tik Tok accounts 13+

·         Creating Youtube Channels 13+

·         Discord 17+ 

Parents of primary age children need to resist any pressure that your child places on you to begin using these social media platforms as they are not psychologically mature yet. In fact, if you are allowing your child to be on these social media platforms, you are breaching the Children Online Privacy Act of 1998 and you are knowingly allowing them to lie about their year of birth.

Messenger Kids is available for children below the age of 13, however, it is essential that it is linked in a way that parents can monitor their child’s conversations as, at times, children use this platform to be unkind and hurtful to one another in their conversations. 

The reality is that children’s ability to navigate through technology can often supersede the ability of the parent. Consequently, parents need to be very alert about the activities of their child as you may not be aware that they may have commenced using these social media platforms. Consequently, you need to ensure that mobile phones, IPads and laptops are used in a public space in your home and never left in the children’s bedroom, especially when they go to bed. 

Our children at Whitefriars Catholic School are not just raised by their respective parents but they are raised by their village. Their village is every family in our school. Every parent has a responsibility, in fact an obligation, to ensure that they help to provide a safe environment for all children. In today’s technological world the village is not just the physical school, but it is also the online world.

You may wish to explore the eSafety Commissioner (www.esafety.gov.au) to learn more.

I thank you in advance for your support of our school community.

Kind Regards

Frank Congedi

What a wonderful, exciting time of the liturgical year.  

A big thank you to our P & F volunteers for supporting the Shrove Tuesday pancake recess treat.  It was a lovely reminder to put away greed, treats and self indulgence choices for the next 40 days. 

Some of our Year 5 students joined in the Shrove Tuesday fun by organising a Lolly Stall on Shrove Tuesday raising $250 for Project Compassion. This would not be possible without the support of their families so a big thank you to them too. 

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, a special day in our Church year.  For some it can be a gentle, quiet time when we ask for God's help to be better and do better. It's a season where we are invited to get our hearts ready to say sorry for the times we've made mistakes. We remember that God loves us and is always ready to forgive us. It's a chance to start fresh, with hope in our hearts!

Our Whitefriars community are inspired to be people of hope through the example of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and ashes on our forehead was a joyous outward sign of our faith. Let's continue to pray that we make inward decisions to be the change needed in our world.

Father Charles reminded us to keep it simple this Lent with 3 things to remember - 1. Prayer, 2. Fast and 3. Be generous.

Help! My Child Has Been Replaced by a Human Shrug!

The Simple Tricks That Get Kids Talking at Any Age

Building open communication isn’t about forcing conversations or expecting instant changes. It’s about creating moments of safety where sharing feels natural, whether your child is four or fourteen. Consistently plant these seeds of connection, nurture them with patience, and watch them grow into a strong, lasting relationship—one that can weather any season.

In this week’s Insights article, ‘Help! My Child Has Been Replaced by a Human Shrug!’ Justin reminds open dialogue doesn't just improve today's family dynamic—it weaves stronger decision-making abilities into your children's future and creates family bonds that can weather any storm. In short, it’s worth the effort to make conversations happen with our children. 

Please click on the attachment below to read the article. 

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

Thank you.

Grace Loizos

Wellbeing Leader

gloizos@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au

Week  7 - TERM 1

• Monday - 10th March - Public Holiday
• Tuesday - 11th March - Help needed
• Wednesday - 12th March - No Help needed
• Thursday - 13th March  -Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 14th March  - Linda Light/Wendy Forrest

Week 6 - TERM 1

• Monday - 17th March - Help needed
• Tuesday - 18th March - Help needed
• Wednesday - 19th March - No help needed
• Thursday - 20th March - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 21st March - Linda Light/Wendy Forrrest

We have over 280 registered volunteers who help our school in so many different ways, contributing to our school and supporting children and staff.  Registered volunteers contribute to the school community in just some of the following ways:

• School Board 
• Parents & Friends events
• After School Sports (Coaches and Team Managers)
• Canteen
• Learning Assistance Program (LAP)
• Reading with children
• Assisting at excursions

All volunteers are required to obtain appropriate clearances, including a Department of Human Services (DHS) Clearance and Catholic Clearance.

Once submitted, clearances may take up to 6 weeks to process.

When you receive your clearance or card please bring this into the office for us to update to the Volunteer Register.

If you would like to volunteer, please see staff in the front office for a Volunteer Information Pack and support in registering as a volunteer.

Please see below for current volunteers wanted in our school.

Dear Families,

We are currently conducting Term 3, 2026 student enrolment interviews.

Term 1, 2027 interviews will be scheduled in Term 1, 2025.

All interviews are usually scheduled 2 years before commencement date.

PLEASE ENSURE ALL SIBLINGS ARE ENROLLED FOR ALL FUTURE YEARS.

Thank you 

If you child/children will not be attending school for an extended time (more than 5 days) please complete the below form and email back to us at info@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au in advance.

This form is now also available to be completed in the Audiri app - via the Forms tab and select the Extended Leave Form and submit.

Please note a form must be completed for each child.

Thank you 

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.