Term 1, Week 6 2025

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

KEEPING OUR STUDENTS SAFE AND SUPPORTED

At Dominican, the safety and wellbeing of our students is always our highest priority. All staff have an obligation to respond to allegations or concerns of harm, or risk of harm, against a child or young person.  Mandatory reporting requirements for education staff exist under the SA Government’s Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 . Notifications need to be made for children and young people (and unborn children) who are at risk of harm or have experienced harm. The legislation provides recognition of the risk factors that children and young people may experience, including persistent absence from education and the cumulative impact of their care.

Click on the link below to access CESA’s Reporting Harm of Children and Young People Procedure.

Reporting Harm of Children and Young People Procedure

Staff, volunteers, and essential service providers are required to complete a Working with Children Screening. The school Induction program also ensures that all persons coming onto the school grounds have the required Child Protection documentation. It is important as a school community that we ensure all stakeholders have access to Catholic Education Child Protection and Policy Guidelines.

The following documents are the primary resources.

• Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide – Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy
• Cybersafety: Keeping Children Safe in a Connected World
• Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum

ONLINE SAFETY AND THE CARLY RYAN FOUNDATION

With the increasing use of technology in our children's lives, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to navigate the online world safely is more important than ever. To support families in this area, we have organised a parent workshop with the Carly Ryan Foundation. This workshop will provide valuable insights into how families can help children stay safe online, identify risks, and build positive digital habits. We strongly encourage all parents to attend this session to help reinforce the importance of keeping our children safe in the digital space.

📅 Date: Tuesday 18 March 2025
📍 Location: Dominican School
🕒 Time: 6.00pm

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and empowered. Let’s work together to create a safer online environment for our children! AGM to follow.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

STUDENT WELLBEING - PULSE SURVEY

Having a positive wellbeing is essential in supporting students to be the best learners they can be.  One way we are monitoring this is through our Pulse Survey Data that all students completed each term.  Teachers analyse this wellbeing data and set goals to support students to feel safe, connected, and confident both in the school and class environments.

The questions students reflect on and answer are:

• My teachers care for me
• I enjoy school
• I have friends at school
• My teacher helps me when I have a problem
• I am learning at school
• I have a say in my learning
• I feel safe
• I feel like I belong

If you would like to know more about this survey, please make a time to meet with your child’s class teacher.

CREATING SAFE AND RESPECTFUL SCHOOL COMMUNITIES

Catholic School Parents South Australia (CSPSA) is committed to ensuring that all students learn in safe, inclusive, and supportive environments. Recent media coverage has highlighted concerns around bullying, harassment, and inappropriate parent behaviour, reinforcing the need for school communities and families to work together in fostering respect and kindness.

Schools play a vital role in setting clear expectations for respectful behaviour, but this responsibility extends beyond the classroom. Families are key partners in modeling and promoting positive relationships, open communication, and mutual respect. By working together, we can create a culture where all students feel valued, supported, and safe.

We encourage parents and carers to read the attached letter, which outlines ways we can collectively contribute to a positive school environment. Thank you for your commitment to making our school a place of respect, inclusion, and learning for all.

CSPSA Advocating for Safe Respectful Communities | Parent Letter

3-WAY LEARNING CONVERSATIONS

Partnerships between home and school play a vital role in student learning. This term, our 3-Way Learning Conversations (involving parents, students, and teachers) will be an important opportunity to share learning goals and celebrate student progress. These conversations allow us to work collaboratively to support each child in being the best they can be. We encourage all families to prioritise these meetings in their calendars, showing our students that their learning is valued and supported.

SWIMMING AND WATER SAFETY LESSONS

As a coastal community, swimming and water safety are essential life skills. In Week 10, all students will take part in swimming and water safety lessons. These lessons provide vital skills for staying safe in and around water. To ensure we can provide these opportunities, we require parent volunteers to help us meet the necessary student-to-adult ratios. Without volunteer support, we may not be able to proceed with this program. If you are able to assist, please contact the school office as soon as possible.

SPORTS DAY EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING

We are thrilled to announce that Sports Day is just around the corner! This is always a highlight of the school calendar, filled with fun, teamwork, and friendly competition. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their skills and enjoy a day of physical activity and community spirit.

We would love to see as many families as possible come along to cheer on our students and show their support. Your encouragement makes a huge difference and adds to the excitement of the day.

To help the day run smoothly, class volunteers will be needed to assist with activities and supervision. If you're able to lend a hand, please let your child's teacher know – your support is greatly appreciated.

Further information, including a special lunch menu and a timetable of events, will be shared in the coming weeks. We look forward to celebrating this fantastic day with our community.

-- PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO OSHC AVAILABLE ON SPORTS DAY--

Together, as a community, let us continue to prioritise the safety, wellbeing, and learning of every student at Dominican.

Many blessings,

Angela Scodella
PRINCIPAL

THE SEASON OF LENT

On Tuesday, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a Pancake Morning Tea. Many thanks to the Justice Leaders and the P&F for their help with organising this event for all of our students and staff.

Yesterday we celebrated Ash Wednesday with an R-6 Mass at Sacred Heart Church. This was led by our Justice Leaders and was a special time to gather in faith to begin our Lenten journey to Easter. Each of us was marked with a cross of ash reminding us to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with God this LENT. 

In Pope Francis’ words, ‘Lent is a time for drawing near to Christ.’ Ash Wednesday also marks the launch of CARITAS Australia’s Project Compassion appeal on the theme, Unite against poverty. Each class and each student has been provided with a Project Compassion box to contribute to during Lent. Our support of Project Compassion is one way of putting our faith in action to support the most vulnerable in our world. So let’s open our hearts to the poor and give generously to this worthy cause this Lent. 

FAMILY FAITH FORMATION

As a school community, we pray for Thomas M and Macy Y, who are in the Faith Formation Program and will prepare for and celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Holy Communion this year. We ask God’s blessings on these children and their families, and we keep them in our prayers as they journey in faith.

JUSTICE LEADERS

Earlier this Term our Justice Leaders for 2025 were presented to our school community at our Welcome Assembly. These Year 6 students are committed to leading our school community in our catholic mission to work for social justice and outreach to the poor. They have already been active in their ministry, supporting our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Morning Tea, launching this year’s Project Compassion Appeal, and promoting the Caritas Clean Up Australia day Walk. We look forward to our Justice Leaders guiding us throughout the year to put our faith in action for a just world.

Martina Kovacev
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND MISSION

NAPLAN 2025

Our Year 3 and 5 students will be participating in the annual NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) tests in weeks 7 and 8. These standardised assessments provide valuable insights into your child's progress in literacy and numeracy skills. Our students have already undertaken practice tests to familiarise themselves with the format and testing environment, helping them feel more confident for the actual assessments.

NAPLAN schedule for Year 3 and 5 students is as follows:

Wednesday, 12^th March:  Writing

Thursday, 13^th March:  Reading

Monday, 17^th March:  Language Conventions

Tuesday, 18^th March:  Numeracy

Wednesday, 19^th March:  Catch up tests for absent students

Teachers are continuing to prepare students through regular classroom activities, and there is no need for additional studying or preparation at home. We encourage you to help your child feel comfortable about these assessments by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one aspect of our school's educational program. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Tracey Grice
LEADER OF LEARNING

RECEPTION UPDATE

Our Reception students have settled beautifully into the routines of school life. Each day brings new friendships, exciting discoveries, and plenty of learning!

We are well into our learning routines and have started learning letters and sounds. The children are already working on segmenting and blending simple decodable words using the sounds they’ve learned. Would you believe that by the end of the week, they will know six letter-sound correspondences, allowing them to read and make over ten words? What an incredible start to their reading journey! It’s been a joy to see their confidence and enthusiasm grow as they develop their early literacy skills.

 In numeracy we have been developing our knowledge of numbers to ten. We know little rhymes to help us write each number correctly, have been learning about before and after numbers, and have been doing plenty of counting! 

The children should certainly feel very proud of themselves as they reflect on their start to school life!

Hayley Manning
CLASSROOM TEACHER

Paula Northeast
OSHC DIRECTOR

SAPSASA SOFTBALL

Congratulations to Emilee G and Ava R who have been selected to represent the Port SAPSASA Girls Softball team in the upcoming carnival. We wish the girls all the best.

PORT SAPSASA SWIMMING CARNIVAL

On Tuesday, 4 March, Dominican School proudly competed at the annual Port SAPSASA Swimming Carnival. Our team of just eight dedicated swimmers represented our school against a strong field of competitors from various schools in the Port SAPSASA region.

Despite being a small team, our swimmers showcased remarkable talent and determination, achieving outstanding results in their individual races. Several of our students not only excelled but also secured placements that will see them selected for the State SAPSASA Carnival.

In an impressive display Dominican School finished in a commendable 2nd place overall—a fantastic achievement considering we were competing with only eight swimmers! This accomplishment speaks volumes about the potential of our students.

We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Teri Y, who played a crucial role in officiating the event. 

Congratulations to all our swimmers for their incredible performances and for representing Dominican School.

Matthew Annetta
PE TEACHER AND SPORTS COORDINATOR

CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY

Join the Exciting Children's University Program!

We’re thrilled to offer students the opportunity to participate in Children’s University (CU)—a program designed to inspire a love of learning through engaging, out-of-school activities. Open to students aged 5-14, CU encourages exploration beyond the classroom, helping children discover new interests and future career aspirations.

Led by the University of Adelaide, CU provides each participant with a Passport to Learning to track their educational journey. After completing the required learning hours, students celebrate their achievements at a formal graduation ceremony.

Students can access a variety of validated learning activities at school, online, and within the community. A full list of Learning Destinations and online activities is available through the CU Portal once enrolled.

2025 Membership Details

• Annual fee: $38.50 per child (includes first-year Passport)
• School Card Holders: $16.50 per child
• Replacement Passports: $7.70 each

To register for CU in 2025, please submit the completed form via QR code and payment by Friday, 28th March. Payments can be made in person at the school or via QKR!.

📢 Important: Passports and Portal access will only be provided once payment is received.

Join us in fostering a lifelong love of learning—sign up today!

Kim Murphy
CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY COORDINATOR

This fortnight our classes are focusing on the character strength of perseverance. When we are persevering, it means that we don’t give up, we are hard working and we try our best to overcome obstacles. Developing our perseverance helps us to develop a positive mindset, build resilience and learn from our mistakes. Children can be helped to better understand perseverance by discussing examples of perseverance when we see it in books or on TV and movies.

We can help children to build their perseverance by praising the effort that they make rather than the outcome. We can also model perseverance by sticking with things when they get hard or making a mistake and showing how we learn from them, or by making goals and helping children to make plans towards achieving those goals. Encourage children to use positive self talk when trying difficult tasks, for example, mistakes can help me to grow or I get better every day.

WELLBEING WEEK

In Week 7 of each term, students will have a different set of homework tasks as part of Wellbeing Week. On Tuesday, students will receive a grid of optional tasks that they can do with their families to promote wellbeing and connection. This will replace their normal homework for the week.

Lisa Osborne
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION COORDINATOR/WELLBEING SUPPORT                                             

ST PATRICK'S HOUSE LEADERS – KATIE & AMELIA:

ST PATRICK FEAST DAY

On Friday 14th March, the St Patrick's House Team will be celebrating the Feast Day of St Patrick. The students in the St Patrick's House are invited to wear a green t-shirt with their school sport shorts or their sport uniform with a splash of green (hair ties, socks, scarves etc). No hair spray or zinc is permitted. The students will celebrate by attending Parish Mass at Sacred Heart Church and have an extended lunch play. Families are warmly invited to join us for Mass at 12pm. On this day we are also raising money for our chosen charity, the Animal Welfare League. We ask all students from the St Patrick’s House Team to bring a donation to support this charity.

SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AND JUSTICE LEADERS:

CARITAS CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY WALK

We are happy to share that our CARITAS Clean Up Australia Day event was a great success! Students, staff, and community members came together to clean up our local environment, collecting litter and recycling materials from around the school and surrounding areas. This hands-on effort not only contributed to a cleaner, greener space but also helped raise awareness about the importance of caring for our common home.

In addition to the cleanup, we raised vital funds for Project Compassion, supporting those in need around the world. The event was a powerful reminder of how small actions can make a big difference, both locally and globally. A big thank you to everyone who participated - your efforts are helping us care for our planet and support those who need it most. Let's keep up the good work and continue making a positive impact!

HOUSE TEAM LEADERS:

DREAM & LEAD CONFERENCE

As house leaders, we had the amazing opportunity to attend the Dream & Lead Conference, hosted by the Youth Leadership Academy Australia. It was an inspiring experience that allowed us to learn important leadership skills, build stronger teamwork, and focus on personal growth.

The conference included engaging speakers and workshops that helped us understand how to lead with purpose and make a positive impact in our school and community. Here are a few key take aways from the day:

• “Leadership is about curiosity, creativity, kindness, listening and creating positive change."
• "Leadership is about G.O.T - Growing, Opening, Trusting. Growing by learning new things, Opening by being open to others ideas, and Trusting by having trust in others and our own abilities."
• "A resilience strategy to use is AAA – Accept, Acknowledge and Ask. Accept: This is challenging, it's here and I can do it. Acknowledge: I have been successful before and I can do it again. Ask: What do I need to power me back up?"
• "Vulnerable moments can lead to success and growth. Reach out, take a risk and step out of your comfort zone."

We’re looking forward to sharing more about what we’ve learned and working together with our fellow leaders to make a difference this year!

SCHOOL FEES

Thank you to the families who have already completed and returned the Payment Plan 2025 form. If you haven’t submitted a form yet, please do so by the end of this week.

Just a reminder, to receive a 4% early payment discount, please ensure your school fees are paid in full by 14th March 2025:

• 1 child: $2,700 reduced to $2,592
• 2 child family: $4,455 reduced to $4,276.80
• 3 child family: $5,670 reduced to $5,443.20

If you believe you may be eligible for a low income school card discount, please apply online as soon as possible at https://online.forms.sa.edu.au/content/forms/af/public/application-for-school-card.html

For any questions regarding your school fees, please contact Jo Freer, Finance Officer, at accounts@dominican.catholic.edu.au or call 8114 3600.

All relevant information and forms are available on our website: School Fees Information.

QKR TIPS

To ensure your child receives their lunch order please check that you are ordering prior to 9am, selecting the correct date for the order and completing checkout to confirm and pay.

To cancel an order that has already been paid for?

1. Open Qkr! and tap 'Activity'.
2. Scroll down to 'Order History' and sign in with your password.
3. Tap the red circle with a minus symbol on the order to be cancelled. Select the entire order or individual items to cancel and tap “OK”.

Cancelled items are shown in red on your eReceipt confirming they have been cancelled and a credit is available for future orders. 

The value of any credits will automatically be deducted from your next Qkr! Order.

Jo Freer
FINANCE OFFICER

KISS AND DROP SAFETY REMINDER  

For the safety of our students and the Dominican community, please ensure that you do not park in the Kiss and Drop zones on Dunn Street during school pick-up and drop-off times.

These areas are strictly for quick drop-offs and pick-ups—you must remain in your car to keep traffic flowing smoothly and ensure the safety of everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe!