Term 1, Week 8 2023

Dear Community Members,

As I reflect on these past few weeks at Dominican School, I am reminded of the many and varied ways our school community has … Inspired hearts and minds to be the best we can be, including:

Parents & Friends Information Evening
SAPSASA Swimming Carnival – Achieving 1st Place
Senior Choir Catholic Schools Music Festival Rehearsal
R-6 Community Prayer & Assembly led by 3/4S and RS
Sacramental Workshop – A Walk through the Mass
Year 6 Aquatics Day
R-6 Harmony Day Celebrations

One of the highlights was our Annual General Meeting which was held on Monday evening. This provided the opportunity to convey the work of the Board and report on our achievements in 2022.  In addition, our architects from Brown Falconer, Michael Lambert and Rua Hashlamoun, joined us to present the design plans for our Stage 2 Building Project.  Exciting times ahead!  It was a successful evening and well attended by community members. Holding the AGM in our new building showcased our contemporary facilities and enabled those in attendance to experience this space.   

I am pleased to announce the 2023 School Board Members:

Ben Evans - Father to Hazel in Year 5​
Katy Tatrai - Mother to Zane in Year 5​
Kevin Blute - Father to Grace in Year 5​
Greer Tappert - Mother to Max in Year 5​
Sam Whitton - Mother to Jake and Lachie in Year 6​
Sara Thompson - Mother to Grace in Year 6​
Angela Petts - Mother to Oscar in Year 6 and Annabelle in Year 4
Chris Russell - Father to Jett in Year 1​
Henry Klis - Father to Scarlett in Year 1​
Lisa Osborne - Staff Representative

I take this opportunity to thank Martina Kovacev who has served on our School Board as the Staff Representative for the past two years 

The Annual General Meeting Report is available from the Front Office.

LEARNING & WELLBEING
At Dominican School, we are committed to providing a high-quality education with an emphasis on positive wellbeing and personalised learning.  Knowing our students and knowing them well provides the foundation for catering for each child’s strengths and needs, to support them to achieve personal success.  We view each child as a capable learner, full of potential, and engage data-informed practices to support students on their learning and wellbeing journey to be the best they can be. 

Since our last newsletter, students have participated in two significant assessments that provide a snapshot and insight into their learning and wellbeing:  NAPLAN and the Pulse Check In are just a small sample of the varied assessments we utilise to inform practice for continuous improvement.

Congratulations to all Year 3 & 5 students who engaged with the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) last week.  The NAPLAN testing has been brought forward this year with the aim of providing results to schools much earlier.  This will mean access to valuable data about student achievement in literacy and numeracy at an earlier point in the school year that will inform teaching and learning for improved outcomes.  Another significant change to NAPLAN this year will be the way results are reported. Student results in each of the tests will be reported as Exceeding, Strong, Developing or Needing Additional Support making it much clearer to parents and caregivers as to how students are performing in Literacy and Numeracy.

Over the past two weeks, all Reception to Year 6 students were involved in the Classroom Pulse Check Ins. This survey occurs each term and is implemented across all Catholic Schools in South Australia.  It provides students with the opportunity to express their feelings about their school experiences with questions related to identity, learning, relationships and belonging.  At Dominican we value student voice, and this tool provides us with a way to check in with students.  As a Leadership Team and with teaching staff, we review the summary data each term to promote the engagement, wellbeing, and social and emotional learning of our students.

We look forward to seeing all parents and caregivers attend Learning Conversations next week.  This is an important opportunity to discuss your child’s learning and wellbeing with their class teacher, including their achievements and areas for growth.  

Go well,

Alison Tanti-Clark
ACTING PRINCIPAL

HARMONY DAY
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 Tuesday, all students were invited to wear orange, the colour of harmony, and they participated in a range of activities to celebrate cultural diversity.

This Friday we will gather as one to celebrate HARMONY DAY on the theme, Everyone Belongs. Our R-2 Classes will be leading a whole school Mass at Sacred Heart Church at 12pm. All families are warmly invited to join us for this special celebration.

PROJECT COMPASSION
As we continue on our Lenten journey to Easter, we are reminded to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with God.  Our support of Project Compassion is one way of putting our faith in action to support the most vulnerable in our world to ‘be more’.  Thank you for your generosity in donating to this year’s appeal. 

It would be much appreciated if all Project Compassion boxes are returned to school by Tuesday 11th April.

FAMILY FAITH FORMATION
For those students and families in the Sacramental Program, our Confirmation Family Workshop will occur on Saturday 1st April from 2 – 3.30pm at the Sacred Heart Church Parish Office, Semaphore. This will have a focus on Confirmation and the Holy Spirit: Life in the Spirit – The Sacrament of Confirmation.  We pray for Angelique, Amelia, Harrison, Angela, Isabella, Matilda, Harrison, Parker, Peyton, Tiger and Macy who are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. May they receive the fullness of God’s Spirit.

Martina Kovacev 
ACTING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR

CONGRATULATIONS to the following recipients of our Dominican Pillar Certificates:

PRAYER
Georgia M, Ryan M

STUDY
Finnegan L, Debra G, Parker D, William M, Sophia S, Maverick S, Daniella G

COMMUNITY
Charlie W, Mason F, Lincoln S, Angelique J, Addison D, McKinley G

MINISTRY
Rocket E

School commences at 8.50am and concludes at 3.05pm each day. Students who arrive after 8.50am must sign in at the Front Office.

If your child is absent from school, please email absent@dominican.catholic.edu.au or phone 8114 3600 Option 1 and leave your child's name, class and reason for absence.

If your child needs to be collected before the end of the school day, they must be collected from the Front Office and be signed out.

Whilst we are able to put many COVID restrictions behind us, COVID-19 continues to affect the community. We all have a part to play in keeping our school community safe and minimising the disruption to learning that can occur when illness circulates at school.  Students who are unwell should stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms and get tested for COVID-19. If students have COVID-19, please advise the school as soon as possible, and stay at home until all acute symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever) have cleared.