Term 3, Week 3 2024

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back to a new and exciting term! Who can believe that we are already at the half way mark of our school year? They say time flies when you’re having fun, and at Dominican our students are definitely having fun whilst learning and achieving new levels of excellence!

From weeks 1-6 Mrs Martina Kovacev has taken Long Service Leave and is travelling through Europe with her family.  During this time, Mrs Lisa Osborne will be working full time to support with Leadership duties and responsibilities.  I welcome Lisa to this new role, and I am looking forward to her sharing her wealth of knowledge and skills as she supports our leadership team during this important time.

This term we are delighted to welcome 18 new Transition Reception students and families into our Dominican school community, as well as other students in our Year 2 and 3 / 4 classes.

LLL SURVEY

Thriving People, Capable Learners, Leaders for the World God Desires...

Everything we do at Dominican is underpinned by Catholic Education South Australian’s Living Leading Learning Framework - ensuring our students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive in a rapidly changing and complex world.

We believe:

• Every child has the right to thrive in our community
• Each child is a capable learner 
• Each child can be a leader for the world God desires.

These beliefs form the foundation of the way we teach, the way we use curriculum and the opportunities we provide for our students to develop their key capabilities and learner agency.

As part of our school and system improvement, CESA is inviting all students, pare

nts and staff to participate in a short survey about our school’s performance in order for us to capture a community snapshot. It is important that we hear the voices of all stakeholders.  See below regarding information about how to access the LLL Parent and Caregiver Survey by no later than 23rd August. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and all responses a

re anonymous. We thank you for your time and effort.

Please send your class teacher a seesaw message when you have completed the survey to go into the draw to win a $50 Schnithouse Port Adelaide voucher.

NCCD NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION OF DATA

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year. The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability

• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

If you would like further clarification or information regarding your child and NCCD, please contact Nick Ryan nryan@dominican.catholic.edu.au or your child’s class teacher. 

125 YEAR GALA BALL

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks for all the incredible support of our 125th Anniversary Gala Ball. It was a truly memorable evening, celebrating the remarkable students and the vibrant spirit of our Dominican community.

A special shout-out to our Parents & Friends (P&F) for their unwavering dedication in securing donations, to my amazing staff for their endless efforts and to Greer for her outstanding organisation and live painting that added a unique touch to the night. Everyone’s efforts helped make the Gala Ball a night to remember.

Dominican is renowned for its strong sense of community, and this event was a shining example of just how special this community is. Thank you all for making it such a wonderful celebration.

2025 AND BEYOND FUTURE ENROLMENTS

As we plan for the upcoming 2025 academic year and beyond, we are kindly requesting your assistance in understanding your family's intentions regarding your child/ren enrolment at Dominican School. This information is crucial for our planning and ensuring we provide the best educational experience for all our students.

We value your cooperation and ask that you fill out the form that was sent home last week with the requested details and return it to the school office by Friday 16 August 2024. Your timely response will greatly assist us in our preparations for the next academic year.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Dominican School.

Have a great week,

Angela Scodella
PRINCIPAL

LIVING IN THE SPIRIT OF ST DOMINIC

Thank you to all who attended our VIP morning for St Dominic’s Day. We had over 200 special guests join us on the day. Special thanks to Deacon Tim and Sister Marie Egan who spent the morning with us, attending our liturgy and visiting all of the classes. Our Year 6 House Captains did an amazing job leading our liturgy for the school before our guests participated in activities in the classrooms with the students.

Many thanks for your support of the Sophia Centre, established by the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Cross to work for justice in the world. We are grateful to all students, families and staff for contributing gold coin donations on St Dominic’s Day. The money raised will be forwarded on to the Sophia Centre to support their work in providing English Classes for Refugee Women and a child-minding service for their children. The Dominican Way is to live with love and in the spirit of Dominic, we are inspired to put our faith in action. Our school community is always so generous in giving to those in need and we thank you for your continued support. 

I’ve left you an example of how you should serve and take care of those who are in need. For we must always cherish the words of our Lord Jesus, who taught, ‘Giving brings a far greater blessing than receiving.’ (Acts 20:35)  

ASSUMPTION OF MARY

On Thursday the 15^th of August we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Friday’s celebration commemorates Mary’s assumption into Heaven, body and soul. On this day the Catholic Church recognises the important role Mary played in the life and mission of Jesus. It is also an occasion for Catholics to reflect on the life of Mary. She is a model of faith for all demonstrating what it means to truly and authentically follow God. We will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary with a Mass at Sacred Heart Church, led by the Year 3- 6 students, beginning at 12.00pm.  Students in the St Mary’s House team will celebrate their St Mary’s house day on Friday 16^th August. They can wear a blue top with their school sports shorts or a splash of blue with their sports uniform on the day.

Lisa Osborne
STUDENT WELLBEING AND LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

CELEBRATING OUR NAPLAN RESULTS AND COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS

I am pleased to share with you the results of our recent NAPLAN assessments, a key tool in evaluating our students' learning progress across critical areas such as literacy and numeracy. Our school's performance in this year's NAPLAN demonstrates not only the hard work of our students but also the dedication of our teachers to fostering a strong learning environment.

Our students have shown remarkable achievement in several areas, with the Year 5 mean being in the Strong proficiency strand across all domains and Year 3 mean being in the Strong proficiency band for 4 of the 5 domains. These results reflect the effectiveness of our teaching strategies and the strong support network within our school community. While we celebrate these successes, we also recognise areas where we can continue to grow, ensuring every student reaches their full potential.

At our school, we believe in the power of data-informed practices to guide our educational strategies. The insights gained from the NAPLAN data allow us to pinpoint strengths and identify areas for further development. By analysing this data, we can tailor our teaching approaches, provide targeted interventions, and ensure that all students are on the path to success. This term, teaching staff will be reflecting on the results of NAPLAN to celebrate student success but also identify key areas of further development.

Across the Year 3 and Year 5 cohorts we had 100% of Year 3 students participate and over 91% of Year 5 students participate, with only 10 students having outcomes identifying them as Requiring 

Additional Supports. All these students have already been identified through school-based assessments in our whole-school data collection cycle and are already involved in Tier 2 intervention programs.

Our commitment to reflective practice means that we continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our teaching methods and learning programs. The NAPLAN results serve as a valuable tool for this reflection, prompting us to ask critical questions and adjust our strategies where necessary. Additionally, we engage in ongoing monitoring throughout the school year, using a variety of data sources to track student progress and make informed decisions that benefit our learners.

The success of our students is at the heart of everything we do. By combining data-informed practices with reflective teaching and consistent monitoring, we create an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be. We are committed to working closely with parents and the broader community to support our students' learning journeys and ensure their continued success.

SEMESTER 1 REPORTING THROUGH SEQTA ENGAGE

SEQTA Engage is the parent portal within SEQTA, designed to give parents real-time access to their child’s educational journey. Through SEQTA Engage, parents can view their child’s timetable, academic reports, attendance records, homework, and teacher feedback. This portal also facilitates direct communication with teachers, allowing parents to stay informed and engaged in their child’s progress.

Due to this being the first year of utilising SETQA Engage, the only portals that are available for parents is the portal page and the Reports page. This is to allow parents to access student reports for each semester. Parents can then choose to download or print these documents at their or leisure.

The key benefit of SEQTA Engage is the transparency and convenience it provides. By having up-to-date information at their fingertips, parents can support their child’s learning more effectively, address any issues promptly, and actively participate in their educational experience. This enhanced connection between home and school helps foster a collaborative environment where students can thrive.

At this stage, there are many parents who have not downloaded the SEQTA Engage app or accessed their child/s report. As a school community, we currently have 177 parents active out of 330 who have their contact details included in SEQTA. This means there is 46% of parents who have not downloaded or accessed Semester 1 reports. Parents have been reminded that this will be the platform that we will be using to share student learning and will continue to be reminded to download this app. Parents can speak to the Kim Murphy (Administration Officer) or Nick Ryan (Leader of Learning) to learn how to download the app, as welcome emails will need to be resent to parents who did not access the link at the end of Term 1.

Nick Ryan
LEADER OF LEARNING

NOEL FAIRWEATHER MEMORIAL TRUST - PRESENTED TO DOMINICAN SCHOOL

Noel Fairweather was the Grand Secretary of Freemasonry in South Australia and the Northern Territory for 11 years. Noel held this position until his tragic passing on June 15^th ,1998, at aged 53. He left behind wonderful memories as a fun-loving character who adored his family and loved the company of family and friends. Noel was married to his wife, Bev in 1965 and from that union had three children: Mark, Elizabeth and Suzy. Suzy is a very active member of our community and Parents & Friends Committee being the mother of Charlie Barrett, a student in our 3/4S community. 

In October 1998, Noel's friends wanted to honour his memory and his dedication of service by establishing a memorial scholarship in his name. A Trust was established through the Masonic Foundation and commenced with a bequest (gift from Noel's will) to the Masonic Foundation, together with the donations made at Noel's funeral in lieu of flowers. Additional funding was donated from the Rotary Club of Adelaide of which Noel was a member of, as well as a donation from his widow, Bev.

This Memorial Trust has been utilised to support scholarship funding for over 25 students since its inception. This year was the final year of the funding for the Memorial Trust for which Bev made an application to the Masonic Foundation for a gift of $2,000 to be made to Dominican School, where Charlie, Noel's youngest grandson, attends. 

Bev's application stated that Dominican School has 'warmly embraced Charlie and is providing an excellent education, despite the challenges that Charlie experiences being neurodiverse, for which his family is very grateful'. It was a great pleasure to welcome Bev into our school where Sue was able to show her the classrooms and learning spaces that support Charlie's education. Bev presented us with a certificate on behalf of The Masonic Foundation for $2,000.  We are very grateful for this funding to go towards supporting all students to be successful and be the best they can be.

MAKING AN ABACUS TO HELP US COUNT!

This term in Mathematics, the Reception students have started to learn about number bonds. They have made abacus’ as a hands-on tool to support their visual learning. By dragging the beads from one side of the line to another, the students can see the different parts of any number sum. We have learnt all the ways to make 5 and 10!

This counting tool will help us during the term when we learn how to add on to make a number bigger and take away to make a number smaller.

Lisa-Marie Siviglia
RS CLASSROOM TEACHER

BEFORE SCHOOL CARE 7AM START TRIAL

As per the communication sent out to families in Week 1, we are pleased to announce that we will be trialling an earlier start time for before school care.

Trial Details:

• Start Date: The trial will commence from Week 6 of this term.
• Time: Before school care will now begin from 7:00am.
• Duration: This trial will run until Week 10 of this term to assess its effectiveness and impact.

Purpose of the Trial: The primary goal of this trial is to provide a more convenient option for families who require early morning care for their children due to work commitments.  We understand the challenges that many of our families face in balancing work and school commitments, and we hope that this adjustment will alleviate some of the stress associated with morning routines.

Feedback and Evaluation: Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us during this trial period.  We encourage you to share your thoughts, experiences, and any suggestions you may have regarding the 7:00am start time for before school care.  Your input will help us assess the success of this initiative and determine whether it should be implemented permanently.

Paula Northeast
OSHC DIRECTOR

SAPSASA SOCCER

Congratulations to Zane T (5/6AO) who was selected to represent the Port District SAPSASA Soccer team at the upcoming carnival. We wish Zane all the best.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

We are excited to share the highlights from the recent Catholic Schools Cross Country Carnival held at Park 15, Adelaide Parklands on Wednesday, 7th August. We had 26 dedicated students from Years 3 to 6 represent our school, showcasing their talent and determination.

Among the participants, there were several outstanding individual results that deserve recognition for their hard work and perseverance. 

We extend our gratitude to our parent volunteers - Troy J, Deanne C, and Alana S, whose support and supervision ensured a smooth and safe experience for all our students throughout the day.

Matthew Annetta
PE TEACHER AND SPORTS COORDINATOR

GROW YOUR MIND - OPTIMISM

We encourage our students to develop optimism by acknowledging ‘shark’ thoughts and ‘dolphin’ thoughts. Everytime you catch yourself saying something negative, ask yourself, “is there a dolphin way to look at this problem?” More often than not there will be a more positive way to view things! Life is full of ups and downs – sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it isn’t. Try and think if the thoughts you are having are helpful or not helpful, then challenge them! For example a shark thought might be “Oh no I have to perform on stage. I hate performing, I get so nervous I forget my place.” Is this going to help you with what you need to do? How else could you look at it? What would a dolphin thought be? “It’s performance time.  I’m not crazy about it, but I guess the more I practice being on stage, the easier it will be.”

Lisa Osborne
SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

BOOK WEEK - 19-23 AUGUST

It’s that time of the year again…Book Week!

This year, the students will be involved in a range of classroom activities to celebrate Book Week.

Our parade is a highlight of Book Week and students are asked to dress up in the theme: ‘Reading is Magic’ or as a book character. We ask that, if possible, students bring in a book that represents their character to showcase during the parade.

The Book Week parade will be held on Friday 23rd August. Please ensure that your child is dressed in sensible and appropriate clothing and footwear on this day for recess and lunch play.

Parents/family/friends are invite to join us for the Book Week parade. The parade will be held in the MFC and courts (weather permitting) at 9.00am.

We are looking forward to a great Book Week.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR - 8-15 AUGUST

Once again our P&F have organised for the Scholastic Book Fair to be held at Dominican. The Book Fair will be located in the Convent and will be open over the next two weeks at the following times and dates for students and families to purchase books:

The P&F have also organised a colouring competition! Encourage your child to enter and go in the running to win a number of great prizes!  Entries close Friday 9 August at 9.00am.

TERM 3 UNIFORM REMINDER

Just a reminder that the correct winter and sport uniforms must be worn everyday.  This includes wearing the appropriate jewellery, having hair tied back if longer than shoulders and no nail polish.  It is important that all students are wearing their uniforms respectfully and showing pride in our school community.  Thank you to all parents/caregivers for your support in ensuring the correct uniforms are being worn. Please see below for details of the correct uniforms:

POSITIVE PARENTING CONFERENCE

The Catholic School Parents SA are hosting the Positive Parenting Conference, which has an outstanding line up of guest speakers, who will touch on three different topics. As listed below.

• Maggie Dent: Help Me Help My Teen.
• Paul Dillon: Teens, Parties, Alcohol and Vapes. What do parents need to know?
• Madhavi Nawana Parker: Being calm in the eye of a parenting storm.

Event details :

• Tickets are $25ea with a light lunch provided & a fantastic line up of speakers.
• Held at The Sanctuary Adelaide Zoo  
• Term 3, Sat 31^st Aug
• 9:30am – 3:00pm

Tickets on sale now.  They will sell fast! https://events.humanitix.com/stronger-families-conference