Term 4, Week 8 2023

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

WELCOME

Next year we welcome the following 3 new teachers to our staff.

Chelsea Fiore – Year 1 Class Teacher.
Chelsea comes from Saint David’s Parish School, Tea Tree Gully, and is a highly skilled educator.  She has a passion for supporting students to thrive both socially, emotionally, and academically. 
 

Olivia Andrew - Year 1 Class Teacher.
Olivia comes to our community from Rosary School, Prospect, and thrives on ensuring all students are connected to their learning.

Sophie Teakle - Year 5/6 Class Teacher.
Sophie has been a part of our school community for a long time as an ESO and knows all our students deeply. Sophie is very excited about having her own class and is looking forward to the challenge.

We look forward to having Chelsea, Olivia and Sophie as part of our Dominican teaching team and we are blessed to have them on staff.

FAREWELLS

At the end of this year we will be farewelling the following teachers: Shenae Dougan, Dani Higgs, Melissa Littos, Sue Brogden and Alison Tanti-Clark.

Shenae Dougan will be leaving us to take on a permanent teaching position at CBC.

Dani Higgs will be taking on a classroom teaching position and Performing Arts role at Westport Primary School and

Melissa Littos will be doing TRT days at various schools.
 

Sue Brogden is taking a year off to travel and take some well-earned time for herself.  Although Sue will not have her own class, she will be doing relief days when needed and continuing in her EALD role. 

Lastly, we farewell Alison Tanti-Clark, who will be taking on a Religious Education Leadership role in Catholic Education for a two-year contract.  Her expertise, knowledge, compassion, and kindness will be dearly missed by the whole school community.

On behalf of the Dominican School Community, I would like to sincerely thank all of these staff members for their passion and contributions to our school community and wish them all the best in their new endeavours.

We also sadly farewell all of our Year 6 students who will be embarking on new and exciting challenges at high school.  We have no doubt they will be amazing leaders and truly live out our vision ‘Inspiring hearts and minds to be the best they can be.’

The following students will also be leaving our Dominican community and we wish them all the best in 2024: Nidal and Jackson.

END OF YEAR CHRISTMAS CONCERT

What a wonderful celebration of song, dance and a real sense of community spirit.  This was a great opportunity where both students (and staff) showcased their many talents, in celebration of the true gift of Christmas. A special thank you must go to our Performing Arts Teacher, Stacey Webb for her tireless efforts, passion and vison; to our amazingly talented students, to our parents, caregivers, and wonderful school community and to our staff for their hard work and efforts.  This night was a true reflection our Dominican School Community.

STAGE 2 UPDATE

Exciting news! We are thrilled to announce the upcoming opening of our new open space, contemporary learning areas at the beginning of next year. The upstairs refurbishment has been designed to enhance the learning environment, foster collaboration, and provide innovative spaces for our students to learn.  Upstairs, will include 4 new classrooms, a STEM room, a Performing Arts room, individual music rooms, an open space learning area, a balcony learning space, a Sensory room and a Literacy Hub. The students in Year 2, 3 and 4 will be upstairs in the new classrooms.

PLAYGROUND UPDATE

This week we had Climbing Tree come out to look at our playground space.  This will be a work in progress throughout 2024, with the designers working closely with the students to ensure it suits the needs of all.  The money raised from the Colour Run will contribute to the design and planning costs.

SCHOOL BOARD AND P&F

I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support and dedication of our School Board Representatives and our P&F committee members. Their commitment to fostering a positive school environment and advancing the school’s vision and mission is to be commended.  A special thank you to the following Board reps especially those who will be finishing their tenure on our school board:

• Ben Evans, current chairperson of our school board
• Alison Tanti-Clark, APRIM
• Martina Kovacev & Lisa Osborne, Staff reps
• Sam Whitton, current Finance Rep
• Kevin Blute, parent rep
• Kathleen Connellan, Parish rep
• Katy Tatrai, parent rep
• Angela Petts, current deputy chair
• Sara Thompson, parent rep
• Chris Russell, parent rep
• Greer Tappert, parent rep
• Henry Klis, parent rep

I would also like to extend a special thank you to Fr Roderick for all his pastoral leadership within our school community.

2023 REFLECTION

As the school year draws to a close and the joyous spirit of Christmas fills our hearts, I extend my warmest greetings to our hardworking students, dedicated teachers, supportive parents, and the entire school community.

This year has been a testament to resilience, dedication, and unwavering faith. Our students have grown not just academically, but also in character, kindness, and compassion.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us remember the values of love, peace, and goodwill towards all. Christmas is a time of joy, a time to cherish the blessings of family, friendship, and togetherness. It’s a season that reminds us of the profound impact of generosity, kindness, and empathy.

To our graduating students, as you embark on a new chapter in your lives, carry with you the values and teachings you’ve learned here. You are the future, and we believe in your potential to make this world a better place.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to our teachers and staff for their unwavering commitment and dedication. Your hard work and passion have created a nurturing environment where our students thrive and grow.

To our parents and caregivers, thank you for entrusting us with the education and well-being of your children. Your partnership and support are invaluable to our mission of nurturing young minds and hearts.

Let us take this opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and spread love, kindness, and joy to those around us. May the peace and blessings of Christmas be with you and your families throughout this festive season and into the new year.

Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season to all!

With warm regards,

Angela Scodella
PRINCIPAL

SCHOOL DRESS AND BOYS SUMMER SHIRTS

A reminder that all students must be in the correct summer uniform when we return to school in 2024. The transition period for the Summer Dress and Short Sleeve Shirt will end on the first day of term 1.

Families are asked to pay particular attention to the Summer Dress, ensuring that it is the new style with the yellow stripe. Also, please note that the boys short sleeve shirt must be the new style with the Veritas logo on the breast pocket. Old style shirts without the Veritas and dresses wth the red stripe are not part of our uniform poilcy and families may be asked to purchase the new style.

END OF YEAR THANKSGIVING AND BLESSING MASS

This Friday we will gather as a school community for our END OF YEAR THANKSGIVING & BLESSING MASS. This is always a special time for us to celebrate and give thanks for the blessings of the year that has been. It is a particularly significant occasion for our graduating Year 6 students, as well as for those staff members who are leaving our school community.  Our Mass will provide us with the opportunity to acknowledge these members of our school community and bless them on their journey ahead.  We keep them in our prayers and wish them all the very best.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Many thanks for your generosity in providing donations to support the VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL. Class boxes are filling with goods!  Any of the following items would be much appreciated - packaged foods such as pasta, noodles, and biscuits; tinned foods such as vegetables, soups, baked beans, and spaghetti; Christmas items such as bonbons, decorations, puddings, and tinned hams; long life products such as tea, coffee, milo, milk, juice, jam, and honey; and small gift items such as puzzles, books, stationery, and toiletries. 

We will be collecting donations until next MONDAY DECEMBER 11. These will be bundled into Christmas Hampers to give to those families in need in our local community this festive season.  Thank you again for your generous support! 

Advent Prayer
Loving God, Your Son Jesus is Your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of Your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent
as we wait and prepare for His coming.
We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Wishing you and your families all the blessings of a joyous Christmas filled with hope, peace and love.

Alison Tanti-Clark
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND MISSION

PERFORMING ARTS  - 2023 REVIEW

What a talented school we have!

Each of our year levels have been exploring different elements of the Performing Arts!

Music
We have had a wonderful year exploring instrumental, singing and listening skills!

Reception to Year 2 students have been learning about keeping a steady beat and using our bodies as percussion instruments! We have also learnt how to read music.
Using Chroma Note instruments, students have been successful in learning songs on Boomwhackers and Handbells. We have also explored instruments such as untuned percussion instruments, singing and Ukuleles.

Upper primary students have also explored playing the Boomwhackers and Handbells. They have also explored Cup percussion and learnt how to compose their own their own patterns to accompany 'The Wellerman' sea shanty. Students performed as an ensemble playing  percussion instruments and learnt about musical form.

Drama
In the early years, students have explored tableau, characterisation, mime and a variety of drama games. Through each task, they have further developed confidence in their abilities. From character movement and voice, students have demonstrated some fantastic assessment pieces. 

In the upper years, students have also explored characterisation, tableau and moved into tasks such as process drama, physical theatre, movement in the space, and children's theatre. We have also had a focus on Improvisation where students have learnt to create scenarios based on starting prompts. 

Dance
Throughout the year, students have learnt about cultural dances, community dance and more formal devised dance routines. Some of the highlights included the 5/6 Bangarra Dance Theatre task, The Snow is Falling and Giraffe's Can't Dance.

Choir
Both the Junior and Senior Choir students have worked hard to learn new songs. Standout performances included the Catholic School's Music Festival, The Dominican Christmas Concert and the Semaphore Street Fair.

Drum Corp
This year students have had the opportunity to play in different sections and learnt how to read Drum charts. We have learnt about different types of notes and meter, learnt about form, technique and movement. Their most recent performances at the Semaphore Street Fair and the Christmas Concert displayed their skills as percussionists and a substantial growth in their musicality.

Congratulations to you all! I am so proud of what you have achieved this year!

Stacey Webb
PERFORMING ARTS TEACHER

BUDDING ENTREPRENUERS 

This Semester the 4-6 Enrichment team have created figurines that represent each Dominican Pillar. Firstly, we needed to choose what animal and pillar we were going to make. We each chose an animal that linked to our Pillars of Community, Study, Prayer and Ministry. Then we brought our ideas to life using Makers Empire. We designed them in Makers Empire over many weeks changing and tweaking them after getting feedback to improve, before we created the finished product.

After we had finished them, we sent them to Ms Spencer, who would use a program called FlashPrint to slice and add supports to the model. Finally, she sent them to the 3D printers to be printed! Once printed we checked for quality then packaged them to sell at the Semaphore Steet Fair. We sold 26 figurines on the day for our local Vinnie’s. We are looking forward to our next creative and entrepreneurial adventures! 

The Year 4-6 Enrichment Students

All families with outstanding fees would have recently received Statements via post.

Please ensure all fees are paid in full as per your payment plan. 

Dominican School continues its commitment to support any family through difficult times. If you are at all concerned about your ability to pay your school fees by the end of the school year, 15 December 2023.

I strongly encourage you to have a confidential discussion with myself or our Principal, Angela Scodella. If you have not communicated with us, we have no option but to follow the South Australian Commission for Catholic School (SACCS) Debt Collection procedures.

Jo Freer
FINANCE OFFICER