Dear Parents and Community Members,

Welcome to Term 2. I hope you all celebrated a lovely Easter with family and took the opportunity to spend time together enjoying a variety of different experiences.

Pope Francis

On Easter Monday we heard the sad news that Pope Francis passed away. The death of Pope Francis has brought many world leaders together providing hope for a more united world. Pope Francis was a progressive leader who helped us to focus on being people of ‘Joy’, promoted peace and helped us to focus on our environment through Laudato Si’.

I share a statement from Archbishop Patrick O’Regan on the death of Pope Francis:

With profound sorrow, the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide joins the universal Church in mourning the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis.

A shepherd of deep faith, compassion and humility, Pope Francis dedicated his life to serving God’s people and advocating for the poor, the marginalised and the dignity of all human life.

Pope Francis was a tireless witness to the Gospel, always reminding us of God’s mercy and calling us to a life of love and service. His leadership and pastoral heart have left an indelible mark on the Church and the world.

As the Church enters a time of mourning, the faithful of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide are invited to join in prayer and reflection, entrusting him to the loving embrace of our Lord.

May Pope Francis rest in peace, and may his legacy of love, justice, and peace continue to inspire the faithful around the world.

Parish Priests Movement

Towards the end of Term 1, we heard the news that Father Charles Lukati and Father Sam Arockiasamy have been appointed by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan to the Salisbury Parish. We were blessed to have Father Charles in our parish for the last 7 years and Father Sam for the last 3 years and we now wish them well as they embark on a new journey in their new parish.

The archbishop has appointed Monsignor Minh-Tam Nguyen as our new Parish Priest and Father Olek Stirrat as our new Assistant Priest. Monsignor Minh-Tam has moved from the Pooraka Parish whilst Father Olek has moved from the Mt Gambier/Penola Parish.

We were blessed to have Father Olek attend our Easter Celebration gathering last Wednesday and spoke beautifully with the children.

Jackson and Giuseppe are acknowledged for their dedication to helping others, consistently giving their time and effort to support those around them. Their actions reflect the spirit of generosity and compassion that Mary MacKillop lived by. Mitchell is recognised for his kindness and the extraordinary ways he goes out of his way to support his peers, living out the Josephite values in everyday moments. These students are a true example of what it means to live with empathy, courage, and a commitment to making a difference.

2025  St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

It’s that time of the year for adding extra non-perishable foods to your shopping trolley. Whitefriars in conjunction with the Croydon Parish will be supporting the Winter Appeal by collecting food items from May 19th  to June 27th.  Food hampers will be made up consisting of cereal, long life milk, pasta and pasta sauce, canned meat or fish, canned vegetables, biscuits, spaghetti, baked beans and canned fruit. Sauces, coffee, tea or hot chocolate are also ideas. This year each class will have its own box to add the donations to.  At the end of the collection the class with the most boxes will receive a large number of house points for each team.

In 2C we have been learning about the seven elements of art including colour and line. We have spent many art lessons experimenting with the use of colours including, mixing primary colours to create secondary colours as well as what the difference is between warm and cool colours. We have also learnt about how to use line in our artworks to make our creations more effective, interesting and eye-catching.

We have been focusing on using these elements within our overall focus of self-portraits and what we need to include when creating one. As a way to show what we have learned in these areas, we each created our own self-portrait to display in our classroom. Here are some of our creations:

Welcome back to another term of Parent Corner.

Finding the right balance between structured activities and free play is challenging. There is a line that balances the competing demands of structure, growth, and enrichment with stress, financial costs, and protecting childhood. The problem is that none of us really knows where that line is until we’ve crossed it. It’s different for each child, and it changes as they mature and develop.

In this week’s Insight’s article, ‘Protecting Childhood‘, Justin talks about the importance of embracing childhood and allowing our children to simply play, learn and create; to sit quietly on the grass under a tree and stare at clouds; to experience the simplicity of childhood; and to simply be.

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

Thank you.

Grace Loizos gloizos@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au

Week 3 - TERM 1

• Monday - 12th May - Help Needed
• Tuesday - 13th May - Help needed
• Wednesday - 14th May - No help needed
• Thursday - 15th May - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 16th May - Linda Light

Week 4 - TERM 1

• Monday - 19th May - Help Needed
• Tuesday - 20th May - Help needed
• Wednesday - 21st May - No help needed
• Thursday - 22nd May - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 23rd May - Wendy Forrest

Dear Families,

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

In Term 3 this year we will be 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 

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.