School Newsletter

• From the Principal
• International Day - June 26
• Pentecost
• Albemarle Street Gate
• SACPPA Conference
• From the APRIM - Religious Education News
• Sacramental Program
• Pentecost
• Vinnies Winter Appeal
• Children's University: Bottle Moments
• From the Leader of Learning - Learning Highlights
• Bullying. No Way!
• What the students have been learning
• Advice and Support for Parents and Families
• Visible Wellbeing Project - Year 5/6 Focus
• Conversations about Emotions - Year 5/6 T
• Emotional Management - Year 5/6 DG
• Changing Emotions - Year 5/6

• Preschool News
• Early Learners Go Wild @ Wittunga
• School News & Reminders
• National Reconciliation Week Assembly
• Catholic Education Week
• Parents & Friends News
• Volunteers Needed
• Thank you
• National Reconciliation Week & Sorry Day

 Term 2

Term Dates

This week I will attend the annual South Australian Catholic Primary Principal’s Association conference.  The theme for this year is ‘Leading and High-Performance Culture, Now and in the Future’. Throughout these three days, a number of nationally and internationally recognised presenters will lead us through key notes and workshops, supporting us to lead successful schools whilst navigating conflicting priorities, multiple stakeholders and ever evolving cultures and expectations.

The SACPPA Conference has, in the past, provided learning and reflection for me as a leader that is immediately impactful, and I have no doubt this year will be the same. Whilst it is difficult to be away from school for these days, I am grateful for our leadership and administration teams, as well as all our staff, who ensure the operations of the school run smoothly and our students continue to learn and thrive in our community.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Marianne Farrugia

Celebrating the Sacrament of First Reconciliation

It is with great joy that we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Leandra for her recent celebration of the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. This significant celebration reaffirms her commitment to faith and embracing the grace of God's forgiveness.

Leandra's dedication to preparing for and participating in this sacrament reflects her growing understanding of the importance of spiritual growth and moral integrity.

As Leandra continues her journey of faith, may the grace she has received through the Sacrament of First Reconciliation empower her to live with compassion, and continue to grow in faith and love.

Presentation of the Sacramental Candidates

You are warmly invited to join us at Mass on Sunday 26th May, 9am at Sacred Heart Church, Hindmarsh where Father Santhosh will present our sacramental candidates to the parish community. We congratulate all the candidates in our parish who are preparing for the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion.

Along with Visible Wellbeing, our students have also been exploring ways to keep themselves and others safe with a focus on Anti-Bullying across all the year levels. It is so

important that this is a subject we all talk about openly and empower our pupils with key strategies to stop it from happening in or out of school.

The national definition of bullying for Australian schools says:

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.

Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:

• mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• not liking someone or a single act of social rejection
• one-off acts of meanness or spite
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.
• Being bossy

However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved. Likewise not all online issues are bullying. (Online bullying is sometimes referred to as cyberbullying and refers to bullying that is carried out through information and communication technologies.)

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/safety-and-wellbeing/bullying-and-cyberbullying/bullying-and-harassment

https://parenting.sa.gov.au/pegs/PEG29-Bullying-Parenting-SA_Green-6pp-Factsheet_v9_Final_Web.pdf

In 5/6T we began the term with an exercise which required us to think about our emotional state, on the first day of a new term. We engaged in a conversation about a number of emotions – nervous, excited, unsure, apprehensive, calm and many more. We were then asked to think about the weather as an analogy for the emotion that we were feeling. Through creative and expressive art, we created a water colour landscape to depict the weather that we felt best expressed how we were feeling on the first day of Term 2. Our final images show our emotional state, and the different intensities of emotions amongst our class.

We have continued to monitor our emotions in 5/6T with nonverbal signals such as 'thumbs up/down/in the middle’ as well as incorporating a common language around the Zones of Regulation.

In Year 5/6DG, we have implemented emotional management learning through a variety of strategies. Each student is provided with Unifix cubes in the Zones of Regulation colours, which they keep in their book box or pencil case to conduct emotional check-ins throughout the day. Students show the colour zone they are in for teachers to see, and if they are in any zone besides green, teachers have a quick conversation with them to understand why they may be feeling that way.

Additionally, as a class, we created a 'rewind area' where students can select a zone-coloured card with a corresponding time limit to take a break and calm themselves down. We collaboratively established rules and expectations for this area, and students contributed to designing what the space should look like.

In 5/6O, we have been engaging in activities and discussions involving different feelings and emotions that people have and how they change depending on the situations we are in. We have identified emotions that we connect with to build a class display as a way of supporting each other. We have also looked at how emojis represent different feelings and can be interpreted differently depending on how they are used. We did this by arranging them in order from positive to negative feelings.

The P & F are seeking volunteers to support our upcoming International Day in Week 9, Wednesday 26th June. We appreciate any amount of time you can offer, even if it's just for a short while. More hands make light work!

✅ Registered Volunteers:
If you are already a registered volunteer and would like to help, please email Andrea Boseley at theparidons@gmail.com 

🙋 New Volunteers:
If you would like to become a registered volunteer, please contact Seva Maitianos at seva.maitianos@sjsh.catholic.edu.au to receive a registration pack.

Thank you for your support!

The P & F extend their gratitude to the wonderful volunteers who generously contributed to the success of our recent events held within the span of two weeks.

The Donut Day was a terrific success, largely thanks to the efforts of the Year 3/4 I parents. Similarly, the Mother's Day stall was supported by parents from Year 1/2 M.

We kindly request volunteers from other classrooms to come forward and lend their assistance for upcoming events. If you're interested, please reach out to Andrea Bosely via email at theparidons@gmail.com.au, and we'll get the ball rolling.

+ God of all the peoples of the earth, your son Jesus cared for all the lost ones.

May all Australians walk together seeking healing and reconciliation.

May all Australians work for a united Australia, where all are welcome and are at home.

We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Extracts from Prime Minister Rudd’s Apology Speech

February 13th, 2008

“I move that today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.”

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