Dear Parents and Community Members,

Mid-Year Reports on SEQTA Engage

The term is progressing quickly, and the teachers are busy writing reports which will be sent home at the end of the term. This will be the first year that reports will not be printed but will be sent electronically to all families on SEQTA Engage so I encourage you all to ensure you are set up and seek support from your class teacher or Flavia Luppino who is our SEQTA Leader, if you require it. Flavia Luppino works out of the classroom on Thursdays and Fridays if you wish to speak with her.

Our next Learning Conversation will occur in Week 9 of Term 3, however if you wish to discuss your child’s report, please email your child’s teacher to meet at a mutually agreed time.

Mater Dei Church Roof replacement

If you belong to our Corydon Park Parish, you may have already heard that the roof to the Mater Dei Church needs to be replaced. Mater Dei Church was built in 1963, replacing the original Church from 1912 which was situated where the Performing Arts/Science Room is now. After 61 years, parts of the roof have rusted and needs replacing which will cost $120,000.

The Parish is currently fundraising to help cover this cost and the Vietnamese Martyr have organized an event with parishioners to have a dinner in our Mary MacKillop Hall on Saturday the 20th of July which is the weekend before Term 3 starts.

I take the opportunity to thank all our parishioners for your support towards this fundraising effort and if you wish to attend this event or make a donation, please have a look at the Corydon Park website of the Parish Bulletin.

Parents and Friends

Our Parents and Friends committee have been busy preparing for 2 upcoming events:

·         The first one is the Bingo Night which will occur on Saturday the 27th of July in the Mary MacKillop Centre. Please book your tickets through Qkr.

·         The second one is the School Disco Night Friday 2nd of August which will be run by SA Police and supported by Parents and Friends. This will be held in the Mary Mackillop Centre.

These 2 events are a wonderful way to have fun and connect as a school community and are important fundraisers for the school. Money from the Parents and Friends is being allocated to Stage 2 of the Masterplan which is all about creating more play space for the children with new playgrounds and nature play.

I thank you for your ongoing support of our school Parents and Friends initiatives and supporting our school community.

Wakakirri

The Year 6 children have been thoroughly enjoying the preparation and rehearsal process for their Wakakirri Performance, which takes place every Monday afternoon. This year’s performance is scheduled for Tuesday, the 6th of August, at the Norwood Town Hall. With the dedicated support of Grace Loizos, Melanie Harrald, the Year 6 teachers, and Ground Force, all Year 6 children are provided with a fantastic learning opportunity to participate in a Story-Dance Performance.

Sally Goldsmith

I wanted to let you know Sally Goldsmith who was one of our Front Office staff recently moved to a new job with Lincoln College supporting University students’ admissions. I would like to thank Sally for her kindness and for her welcoming approach to all and wish her well in her new job. We have advertised for this position, and I would like to thank Anne-Marie Kennedy for stepping in the front office for the rest of this term.

Kind Regards

Frank Congedi

Dear Families,

Please be advised interviews will be scheduled mid 2024 for children enrolled to commence T3 2026 & T1 2027.

PLEASE ENSURE ALL SIBLINGS ARE ENROLLED FOR ALL FUTURE YEARS.

Thank you 

Look closer:  God is seen at Whitefriars Catholic School during yard duty 

Yard duty is not a chore; it’s a blessing.  

Teachers ‘get to’ connect with children they don’t normally teach, ground themselves with fresh air or a cool breeze, support children with conflict, celebrate achievements and so much more.  Children get to connect with each other and reset before more learning. This blessing reminded me of last week’s gospel, Mark 4:26-34 - The Parable of the Mustard Seed.  

Jesus reminds us in this gospel that every little act of kindness, love and caring grows into a greater presence of God in our world (like a mustard seed).  Play times are like mustard seed moments.  These breaks from learning spaces open opportunities for the seeds of friendship to be fed, watered, weeded and nurtured to promote good growth.   

Did you know our school yard has a buddy bench? Children who can’t find friends or have no one to play with sit on the bench (wait like a mustard seed once planted in the soil) and hope that kindness will come along to help.  This morning on yard duty I witnessed this happen.  The young girl who sat on the bench showed strength, resilience and hope and the children who noticed and invited her to play displayed warmth, thoughtfulness and kindness.  Wow! My heart still bursts with joy as I think about it.  God is truly alive and working through us.  The images are a small snapshot of God’s presence witnessed while on yard duty. 

You’re invited to a Discipleship Retreat.

Following Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.

Saturday 6th July 9:15am - 3:30pm

At Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church 420 Seaview Road Henley Beach. Speaker:   Fr Manu Kumbidiyamackal MSFSPlease bring your own lunch tea/coffee provided.

Enquiries and bookings phone Pauline 0403002240 by 3rd July

Cost by Donation

All Welcome Thank you,

God bless

Pauline Cotton 0403002240

Superflex 3B

In Health, we have been learning about strategies to get along well as a group and understand different styles of thinking. We are learning to recognise and identify social skills within a group setting.

Superflex is a character that can remind us to be flexible, self-aware and able to co-operate in a group situation. We use these strategies to help us to communicate with and get along with others. Some examples of flexible thinking include being able to bounce back from disappointments, going with the flow when plans change and thinking about different perspectives.

Here is what some students have said about learning Superflex.

Welcome back to Parent Corner.

Technology Giants & Our Kids

Technology is advancing rapidly! Our children are increasingly drawn to gaming, social connections, live streaming, watching shows and movies, and engaging with online content at a young age. Now, more than ever, it is crucial for parents and caregivers to take control of their children's online behaviour.

In this week's Insights article, "Technology Giants & Our Kids," Dr. Justin Coulson shares his expert opinion on the effects of early exposure to technology and emphasises the importance of parental responsibility in managing technology use at home. Ultimately, we cannot rely solely on legislation to protect our children; parents must proactively learn about this issue and understand that healthy technology habits begin at home.

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

Thank you.

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

This year has been the year to bring animals back into the classroom.

Tiddles the turtle will be staying in the Year One hallway, in the Carmelite building in his new tank.  Thanks to Arnie from Aquarium World in Wingfield for supplying his lovely spacious tank.

 https://whitefriarscatholiceduau.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/staff/EX7s1ijFhi9Lr4FtH9X2WnwBpOsRZJdZJZSI5719c2ExkQ?e=FrJsNj

Last term we borrowed a Blue Tongue lizard named Becky and two green tree frogs. This term we have borrowed a Scorpion named Fluffy and now we have an axolotl named Tofu. Very exciting to watch him feed.

I got a little excited at the Nature Ed centre and purchased Spotted Marsh Frog tadpoles. These have been placed in 3T and 3L as the Year 3s learn about lifecycles in the Australian curriculum.  Both classes are loving watching the tadpoles grow legs and become frogs. There are now frogs in the Science room. 

Its so good having animals in the classrooms again.

• Week 9   - TERM 2
• Monday - -24th June -Help needed
• Tuesday - 25th June -Anne Vu
• Wednesday - 26th June  - No help needed
• Thursday -  27th June - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday -    - 28th June -Help needed

• Week 10 - TERM 2
• Monday  - 1st July-Help needed
• Tuesday -  2nd July -Anne Vu
• Wednesday  -3rd July - No help needed
• Thursday  - 4th July - Tino Bodjo/ Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday -  5th July  -  No lunches 

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.

If you child/children will not be attending school for an extended time (more than 5 days) please complete the above form and return to the Front Office  in advance.

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.