Term 1, Week 8 2022

Dear Community Members

Welcome to Week 8.

The term is certainly flying by and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all families for their utmost support of us over these last few weeks while we have been navigating our way through an increase in positive COVID-19 cases amongst our student body. I believe we are managing this extremely well and our numbers have been significantly low compared to other school communities. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Next week commences with our Learning Conversations. This year these will be conducted via phone calls. Class teachers are well prepared for these to take place and I look forward to hearing how they go. This is an excellent opportunity to hear about your child’s learning and to hear how they are tracking at this stage of the year. If you have not made a time with your child’s teachers please do so by tomorrow Thursday March 24 at 3.30pm.

I would like to announce that Wendy Benson our Office Secretary and Enrolment Officer has resigned from her position at Dominican and is looking forward to new and exciting endeavours in the future. Wendy has served our Dominican Community for 18 years and I would like to thank Wendy for all that she has brought to our school during this time. I am sure you will join me in wishing Wendy all the very best on this next chapter of her life. Wendy will conclude her time with us at the end of this term. I am currently restructuring the Administrative Team of the front office and I will inform you of new appointments before the end of the term.

There are many things to look forward to before the school term concludes. We have our AGM and Guest Speaker Mark Le Messurier on Monday 4 April. Mark will speak with us at 7pm. I strongly encourage you all to attend this event. We also have Sports Day on Friday 8 April and I look forward to seeing you all there. It’s always a great day for our school community.  As we move into the final week of the term we prepare for Easter with Holy Week class liturgies. So there is lots on and I know we will finish the term successfully.

Go well, stay safe and have a great week!

Kind regards

Phil

HARMONY DAY

This Friday we will gather as one to celebrate HARMONY DAY on the theme, Everyone Belongs.  At Dominican, living in HARMONY means that we celebrate diversity and that we are inclusive of all.  We acknowledge that each of us is unique and we value our differences in a culture of welcome and respect.  On this day, all students are invited to wear orange, the colour of harmony, and to participate in a range of activities to celebrate cultural diversity.  We look forward to sharing in prayer, playing games from different countries around the world, creating Harmony Week posters, and tying orange ribbons around the world flags on our school fence. 

PRAYER FOR PEACE

This Friday March 25 Catholics around the world are invited to join with Pope Francis to pray for peace in the Ukraine.  The Bishops of Australia will unite with our Pope as he leads the faithful to consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the protection of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  On this day, we are called to stop and turn to God to pray for the thousands that have died and been wounded, the millions who have fled and are living in fear, and for this war to end.  We are asked to pray for God’s protection, peace and justice for the innocent men, women and children afflicted in the Ukraine.

Alison Tanti-Clark
Assistant Principal Religious Identity & Mission

AGM – Monday 4th April 2022 

If you would like to nominate to be a parent representative on the Dominican School Board, please email our Principal at principal@dominican.catholic.edu.au expressing your interest. No prior experience is necessary however, Board members will need to be available to meet after hours, twice a term. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the future developments at Dominican School.

If we receive more nominations than available positions for the Board, it will be taken to voting at our AGM, on Monday 4th April.

Guest Speaker Mark Le Messurier will present at the School Board Annual General Meeting with - Monday 4 April at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start- this will be an amazing opportunity to listen to a world renowned speaker on Children’s Wellbeing. Web link to 'A Mental Health Hygiene Approach' flyer.

The school have recently begun to use whole-school data to track the progress of students’ literacy skills on an individual basis. This has been done through to use of a collection of assessments within the DIBELS suite. DIBELS stands for the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills and is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. They are designed to be short fluency measures that can be used to regularly detect risk, and monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills from Reception to Year 6.  

The research-based tasks focus on early literacy skills that are foundational to students’ reading proficiency and later reading development. The tests are informative to teaching practices and allows teachers to monitor individual targeted needs for students.  

The first set of testing was conducted within the last three weeks by the Educational Support Officers (ESOs) with the information being provided to the classroom teachers. This testing will be conducted three times throughout the year to ensure each student is being tracked on a regular basis and provided with necessary support to be successful readers, as this can often be an indicator for successful learners.  

If you would like further information on the whole-school data being collected to inform teaching and learning, feel free to contact the Pedagogical Coach or your child’s classroom teacher.  

During HASS in Term 1, 1/2S have been learning about Family History and Technologies of the past. This has allowed students to make comparisons to life now compared to when their grandparents were younger!

We have shared our knowledge using different learning techniques such as making comparisons through Venn Diagrams, using De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats, Reading books about life in the Olden Days and sharing about our families.  

Our future learning will consist of how technologies have advanced and changed since our Grandparents were our age! The students will have the opportunity to implement technology to practice their research skills and further develop their knowledge on the topic.

Congratulations to the following students on receiving Dominican Pillar Certificates in Week 4 and Week 7 this term:

Study

Aliza Fawkner, Willae Atkinson, Zahlia Rowe, Tiger Martinella, Madison Smith, Eli Mudge, Alana Herbig, Mykaylah Simpson, Emilee Gough, Samuel Durdin, Daniella Gagliardi, Lincoln Summerton, Kyan Jamison, Nate Tatrai, Isaac Welcome

Community

Scarlett Jovanovicklis, Dylan Dworak, Oliver Birrer, Siahn Schopfer, Connor Wiliams, Aitana Chamorro Zweck

Ministry

Angelique Juric, Emma Williamson

Prayer

Jenny Phan, Sean Lamont, Emma Sibbin, Macy Young, Jenna Young

Burnside Swimming Centre was the scene of the annual SACPSSA Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival, held on Monday 21^st March. We had 20 swimmers from Year 3-6, who put on a very exciting and entertaining day for us. They showed great sportsmanship, courage and determination throughout the day.

Congratulations to all competitors! We are incredibly proud of you!

Martina Kovacev

Dear OSHC families, 

My name is Paula Northeast and I am the new OSHC Director. I have already met many children and families and are overwhelmed with the friendliness and care you have shown me. I have been involved with OSHC at my previous school in Wallaroo for the past 16 years. I have been living on the Yorke Peninsula for the past 21 years and have moved back to the Lefevre Peninsula to be with my family and friends. 

I have four beautiful children. Will (26yrs), Olivia (24yrs), Harrison (14yrs) and Jack (12yrs). I love going to the beach and spending time with family and friends. I love going out to dinner and going to the movies. I am really looking forward to meeting you and your children and I hope that their journey through their OSHC years will be filled with happiness, care and respect. 

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR OSHC  

FRIDAY 1ST APRIL  Wk 9

OSHC will be available on Pupil Free Day Friday 1st April from 7:30am to 6:00pm. Light snacks are provided. Children will need to bring a packed recess and lunch. Child Care will be paid according. Please book your child/ren on the XPlor App. 

VACATION CARE – TUESDAY 19TH APRIL –FRIDAY 22ND APRIL (WK 1) 

TUESDAY 26TH APRIL – FRIDAY 29TH APRIL (WK 2) 

The Vacation Care program is prepared and ready for families to book their child/ren in. Please do this on the XPlor App so that you don’t miss out. Children will also need to bring a packed recess and lunch. Light snacks will be provided.  Weblink to view program.

ADVANCE NOTICE 

All families are aware of the current enrolment and booking system XPLOR. After consultation with Staff at Dominican School, we will be reverting to SPIKE – the OSHC booking/billing system OSHC had used previously. Families will still be provided access to online bill payments and bookings. 

I will be forwarding more information for this to occur in the upcoming weeks.  

We will begin to utilise SPIKE beginning Term 2, so please continue to make weekly payments to your accounts and booking online for your childfren via XPLOR until Friday29th April. We will use SPIKE on the week beginning May 2nd 2022 (Week 1 Term 2). 

Any queries, please do not hesitate to call me on the OSHC mobile 0408 844 306. 

Looking forward in spending time with your child/ren at OSHC. 

Best wishes,  

Paula  

STARTING SCHOOL

Vacancies exist for 2022 Mid Year Intake

Free Term 3 and Term 4 Tuition for Mid-Year  Reception starters.

ENROLMENTS FOR RECEPTION 2023

We are currently finalising our interviews for 2023 enrolments. If you have a child due to start school in 2023 please complete an Enrolment Form asap. Please note that siblings require an enrolment interview.

Families are kindly asked to contact the school office before 9.30am if your child will be absent or late. Please leave the students name, class and the reason for the student’s absence. You can do this by:

• Emailing absent@dominican.catholic.edu.au
• Phoning 8114 3600 (select option 1 and leave a message)

Please don’t email teachers directly or use Seesaw for absentees. If an absence is unexplained an automatic SMS message will be sent to parents requesting confirmation of an absence. If a student arrives at school after the 8.50am bell they must sign in at the Front Office. If a student leaves the school before 3.05pm dismissal time they must be signed out in the Front Office by an adult. Communication with the classroom teacher is required when a student:

• Is going to arrive at school late, due to a pre-arrangement
• Needs to leave before dismissal time
• Is going on a family holiday
• Any other pre-arranged absence.

SA Health advises that if your child has a cold, cough, runny nose or flu-like symptoms, please keep them home to avoid exposing vulnerable people, staff, students and families to illness.

If children present at school with any of the above symptoms, parents will be contacted to collect their child from school.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school healthy.

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land. We acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to the Kaurna people living today. Approved by Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis O’Brian 2004