Week 3, Term 2 2024

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Welcome back to what is already shaping up to be a busy term of learning and new challenges.

MOTHER'S DAY

At Dominican we believe in the importance of celebrating the incredible women who shape our lives and nurture our dreams. As we celebrated Mother's Day last weekend, it was the perfect opportunity to honor not only our mums but also any significant female role models who have made a lasting impact on our lives.

Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and mentors—these women are often the unsung heroes of our families and communities. They provide unwavering support, boundless love, and invaluable guidance. Their contributions go beyond the roles of caregiver and nurturer; they are our first teachers, our confidants, and our strongest advocates.

To all the mums and significant female role models in our community, we say thank you. Your love and dedication are the foundation upon which we build our dreams and aspirations. We hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day!

A special thank you to all the dads who supported with our Mother’s Day breakfast last week.  Your help and support was greatly appreciated by all.

NEW UPSTAIRS LEARNING SPACES

At the beginning of this term Dominican School was buzzing with excitement and pride as students moved into their brand-new upstairs learning spaces- a significant milestone in our school's growth and development. This modern learning spaces promises to enrich the educational experience for our students and provide a comfortable environment for learning.

The upstairs building features 4 spacious, airy classrooms, each equipped with the latest educational technology. Additionally, the new building includes a STEM Space, a Performing Arts area with individual music rooms for private tuition, an open space multi-purpose area, a sensory room and a Learning Hub.

At Dominican, we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation in education. We believe that this new facility will not only enhance academic achievement but also inspire creativity, collaboration, and a lifelong love of learning.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this project. Together, we are building a brighter future for our children and our community. We look forward to welcoming you to our new upstairs building and sharing in the excitement of this new learning space.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

This week we celebrate Catholic Education week. The focus is very much on education and celebrating quality teaching and learning across our sector. We are very blessed to have such an amazing community at Dominican, where staff, parents and students work collaboratively to ‘Inspire hearts and minds to be the best we can be.’

It takes a village to raise a child and this team approach is evident at Dominican from the moment you walk through the door.

WINTER UNIFORM

Following a two-week transition period, all students are now expected to be wearing their full winter uniform for Term 2 and Term 3. 

GIRLS FORMAL UNIFORM

• Grey/Blue tartan pinafore
• Grey/blue tartan skirt
• Blue long sleeve shirt with school emblem
• Jumper with school emblem
• Jacket with school emblem
• Plain grey tights or socks
• Black formal school shoes 

BOYS FORMAL UNIFORM

• Grey pants
• Blue long sleeve shirt with school emblem
• Jumper with school emblem
• Jacket with school emblem
• Plain grey socks
• Black formal school shool

The sports uniform is the same all year around and can be worn with either the shorts or tracksuit pants depending on the weather.
Sports shoes are only to be worn with the sports uniform
Hair longer than shoulder length should be tied back with only school coloured hair accessories
Students are permitted to wear a watch, one pair of silver or gold plain sleepers or studs for pierced ears and a simple chain with a religious medallion.
No makeup to be worn.

We ask that all families support our uniform policy by ensuring the students wear their correct uniform neatly and respectfully.

FR RODERICK'S RETIREMENT

Fr Roderick will be retiring as Parish Priest of the LeFevre Parish on May 20 - his 75th birthday.

Unfortunately, Fr Roderick will not be replaced by a priest.  Deacon Tim Grauel will become the Pastoral Director of the Lefevre Catholic Community, and Vicar General Dean Marin will be the Priest Moderator.

Deacon Tim Grauel is not on the pathway to becoming a priest.  He is a married person with a wife and family (in his early 60's).  He does a lot of work for the Archdiocese and will work in the parish 2 days per week. 

As a Deacon he cannot "say" Masses.  Vicar General Dean Marin assured the gathering that he will try his utmost to ensure there is a parish Mass for the 2 schools and weekends.

This Friday will be the last school Mass that Fr Roderick will celebrate with our school community- all are invited to attend the 1/2A and 3/4S Buddy Mass at 12pm.

WELLBEING EXPO

This week we held our inaugural Wellbeing Expo. Classrooms were open from 9-9:30am where all students showcased their amazing new learning through the Grow Your Mind Program-Mental Health and Wellbeing Program.  This is a whole school initiative that commenced at the beginning of this year and one that we are already starting to see the benefits from.

Parents/Caregivers were then invited to attend a parent information session facilitated by Courtney Quigley (CESA Wellbeing Co-ordinator).

This day was a great success that highlighted the important link between student wellbeing and academic success. At Dominican we care about all the students within our school community; not only as learners, but as people, who each have their unique skills, talents, and strengths.

For more information https://growyourmind.life/

Angela Scodella
PRINCIPAL

REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE TODAY!

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

This week we are celebrating Catholic Education Week on the theme: Raising Hearts and Minds to the Wonder and Awe of God’s Creation. As a school community, we are engaging in various activities that immerse us in exploring this focus. We had prayerful moments and reflections, an outdoor pop-up prayer space, mindfulness activities, art activities and will celebrate whole school Mass at Sacred Heart Church on Friday.

Throughout the week we also shared with one another what we love about Dominican School. It is a special week which gives us the opportunity to rejoice in our school as a great place of faith and learning that… RAISES THE HEARTS and MINDS of our young people to be thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires.

LAUDATO SI WEEK

Next week is Laudato Si Week which marks the 9th anniversary of our Pope’s encyclical on the CARE OF OUR COMMON HOME.  As we celebrate this important week, we are reminded of our commitment to ecological conversion and the call to be stewards of God’s gift of creation.  At Dominican, we work in partnership to care for our school environment by actively engaging in nude food lunchboxes, class indoor and outdoor environmental responsibilities, composting of food scraps, looking after our school gardens, and caring for our local Sand Dunes.

To celebrate Laudato Si Week, and its theme: Seeds of Hope, each class will have an opportunity to plant herbs or vegetables in our school garden beds. We will also participate in the KESAB 'Less to Landfill' challenge which encourages classes to reduce the amount of material they send to landfill to one 300ml mini wheelie bin (or less) each day!

We give thanks for the beauty of God’s creation and we look forward to continuing to work together to care for it.

BIRTHDAY WISHES TO FR RODERICK

We give thanks for Fr Roderick who celebrates his birthday on Monday 20th May. As a school community, we have been blessed to have Fr Roderick as our leader of faith who guides us to live with God’s love. Over the last six years, Fr Roderick has celebrated Mass with us and helped us to learn more about God, Jesus and our Church. We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Fr Roderick for his ministry to our school community as our Parish Priest. This Friday will be the final Mass Fr Rodericks leads us in before his retirement. We hope you can all join us for this special celebration.

BE THE SUNSHINE ON SOMEONE’S CLOUDY DAY

Our Justice Leaders are inspiring us to take action and work for social justice with their ‘Be the Sunshine on Someone’s Cloudy Day’ campaign. Donations are being collected to create care packs for the Hutt St Centre and hospital packs for the Otherway Centre, which will be given to Indigenous hospital patients. Items required for the care and hospital packs is listed in this newsletter . To thank everyone for their support and generosity, Thursday 6th June will be a casual day celebration and the final day to bring in donations.

Martina Kovacev
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR

MOVING ON UP WITH 2K

The Year 2 students have started the term with excitement, as we are now in our new classroom. The students began their first day of Term 2 in their new classroom and have settled in with ease!

We have enjoyed getting to know how to transition through the new learning spaces and look forward to working alongside our Year 3 and 4 peers. Here are some of the things our Year 2 students think about the new spaces:

• I like how the room looks with all of the new furniture - Angus
• I like our new desks and and our new cupboards - Jett
• I like all of our new whiteboards - Mykey
• I like how our new classroom is upstairs - Conner
• I like how our room is brand new and all sorted - Mason F
• I like that it is fancier and it is not the Maker Space! - Lennox

Matthew Kosta
YEAR 2 CLASSROOM TEACHER

GROW YOUR MIND @ DOMINICAN

Focus on Focusing

One of our key areas for the Grow Your Mind program is all about….focus!

So, what does a famous musician, a sports star and a tight rope walker all have in common? They have a strong reticular activating system (RAS). Grow Your Mind calls this part of the brain the Sifting Sooty- named after the real Sooty Shearwater who has the most incredible focus in the animal kingdom. Flying up to 500km a day, you would want to have a strong RAS!

Really cannot focus, but want to?

Name one thing you can taste, smell, hear, see and touch. This will bring you back into the present moment and allow you to regain your focus.

Lisa Osborne
STUDENT COUNSELLOR

SAPSASA REPRESENTATION

Congratulations to Tiger M, Elijah W, Oliver B and Isaac S who were recently selected in the Port SAPSASA Football (AFL) team. We wish the boys all the best for the upcoming carnival.

Matthew Annetta
PE TEACHER AND SPORTS COORDINATOR

CHILD PROTECTION

We are committed to ensuring our school is a safe place for all.

All staff and volunteers of our school are mandated reporters under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. Staff and Volunteers respond to allegations or concerns of harm, or risk of harm, against a child or young person by following the South Australian Commission for Catholic School's Reporting Harm of Children and Young People Procedure.

HAVING OUR SAY ON THE SEMAPHORE FORESHORE DEVELOPMENT

Soccer goals, more barbecue areas, wider pathways and lots of shaded areas were just some of the suggestions from our students when Melissa Clarke, Community Engagement Officer with the Port Adelaide Enfield Council, came to seek feedback on the revised Draft Master Plan for the Semaphore Foreshore. 

Our Year 3 and 4 students, along with students from our Enrichment Program, took part in the interactive sessions which involved students telling what they did and didn't like about the proposed plans, adding in their suggestions and also giving their recommendations to some of the proposed play areas.

"The interaction from the students of Dominican is so important as they are using the area constantly, and they were so engaged in the process," Melissa said, "I have some great feedback and really interesting ideas to take back with me."

Thank you to Miss Spencer, Mr Hunjet and all the students involved for their wonderful representation of our school in this important community consultation.

If you would like to see the Draft Master Plan or make your own suggestions for our local area, go to https://participate.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/semaphore-foreshore. Community engagement is open until Sunday 19 May.

Alison Appleby
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

AUSTRALIAN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENSUS (AEDC)-
Building a national picture of child health

From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school. (Reception students)The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.

Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information. The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need.

AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.

Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.

Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au

2024 MID YEAR INTAKE - FREE

Catholic Education SA are committed to providing opportunities for all students to access high quality teaching and learning. This year, Reception students who join a 2024 mid-year intake at any Diocesan Catholic school will get free tuition in Terms 3 and 4.

This initiative of the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS) aims to reduce the financial burden on families.

At Dominican, we will offer the 2024 Term 3 Reception intake to parents free of charge. The free intake will include tuition fees and compulsory charges. It will exclude uniforms and extra-curricular costs.

“We remain committed to ensuring our schools are accessible for all families seeking a Catholic education for their children, as well as focusing on improving educational and wellbeing outcomes for every student in our schools.” (CESA website)

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART KICKS OFF THIS TERM AT DOMINICAN!

Jump Rope for Heart is the Heart Foundation’s primary school skipping challenge that helps kids move more, have fun, and raise funds for life-saving research and programs.

This year we’ve got an audacious goal to see our student Heart Heroes at Dominican to log 40 hours of skipping throughout the program!

Register your child online, so they can receive the full benefits of the program and participate in online fundraising, simply follow the link below to get started. www.jumprope.org.au/parents

Students will be skipping throughout the term in PE lessons, during fitness lessons and during recess and lunch breaks.  During this time you can share their online fundraising page with family and friends to help raise money for this great cause.

Thank you for supporting the Jump Rope for Heart program!