FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear SCA Families,
Friday is the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. You may be aware that Mary Help of Christians is the patron saint of Australia. We pray this week to Mary to help and guide us in our quest for healing and a new beginning.
Mary is a powerful symbol of Jesus’ call to unity. Jesus calls us to acknowledge our wrongs and to seek forgiveness. Jesus is also very clear in his call for us to forgive others who hurt us. Reconciliation is precisely about this – acknowledging wrong, seeking and accepting forgiveness from those who have been wronged. This is the challenge for Australians as we continue the journey of healing that will lead to National Reconciliation. The presence of God within and among us makes this journey possible. We are, as Saint Paul says, ‘one body’ in Christ.
In the ACT, Reconciliation day is next week (Monday Public Holiday). During this time we pray for the grace to be people with generous and forgiving hearts who will be instruments for reconciliation in our families and our communities.
Athletics Carnival
It was a fantastic day last Friday. We were blessed with the beautiful weather, the children participated enthusiastically, the parents support was encouraging and the facilities were great. Congratulations to all the children for their participation and cooperation. Thanks to all the parents who came along to help, along with the students from St Clare’s College and St Mary MacKillop College. Thanks also to all the staff for the work in preparing for and managing the carnival. Special thanks to the coordinating team, led my Mrs Belinda Breen who coordinated the carnival. Well done one and all.
Democracy Sausage
Sincere thanks to Emma Phelan for organising our BBQ to coincide with the election on Saturday. It helped to raise a few dollars, while also making all our visitors feel welcome at SCA. Thanks also to each person who helped with the BBQ on the day.
2020 Fete
Believe it or not, but preparations for next year’s Fete will commence shortly. We have a band of willing volunteers who already make the core of our organising committee. If you would like to get involved please let us know by emailing sca@cg.catholic.edu.au.
1994 – 2019
Later this year we will celebrate our specials school’s 25th anniversary. If you would like to be involved in planning the celebrations, please let Val Ciuffetelli know.
Save the Date - Community Council Open Meeting
All parents and guardians are invited to the SCA Community Council Meeting on Tuesday 18th June and 6.00pm.
The meeting will be an opportunity to hear about school developments and goals, while also providing a forum for parental feedback and questions. More details will be provided in coming newsletters.
APPA and ACPPA Meetings
For much of next week I will be in Melbourne meeting with primary school principals from all over Australia. I represent the ACT as a Board representative for the Australian Catholic Primary Principals’ Association (ACPPA) and the Australian Primary Principals’ Association (APPA). During this time Val Ciuffetelli will be in charge.
NAPLAN Update
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has been inundated by comments from principals across Australia questioning the validity and reliability of this year’s NAPLAN testing. Across Australia, principals reported connectivity issues, and many teachers had to adjust arrangements quickly while Year Three and Year Five primary students felt the pressure of delays and interruptions.
Here at SCA we had some drop-outs and delays with connections. Our staff and students managed them well, and it appears that we were not as adversely affected as some schools across Australia. I thank and congratulate our staff for working so well to ensure the tests were administered as well as they could be. It will be interesting to see, when the results are published, what possible impact such problems had.
If you would like to provide some feedback about your child’s NAPLAN experience this year, please send me an email on matthewer@cg.catholic.edu.au.
Facebook and School Staff
Catholic Education, the employer of our school staff, has a Social Media Policy that staff are required to follow. The policy states that for staff:
- Inappropriate use of social media includes, (but not limited to): Inviting or accepting students into personal social media platforms, including ex-students or the parents of current students on these platforms
Essentially this means that staff cannot be Facebook friends with students, parents and ex-students. While it is common practice for staff to not have parents as Facebook ‘friends’, I am aware that some staff may inadvertently have. I also realise that this may be a tricky issue for staff who have children at the school, and are friends with parents. However, their professional responsibility takes precedent and I have asked staff to abide by the policy. If you have any questions or queries regarding the Catholic Education policy, please do not hesitate to contact me.
2020 Enrolments Closing Soon
A reminder to parents that the Catholic schools’ enrolment period closes soon. If you have a younger child who is commencing school in 2020, or have friends at preschool and childcare who are interested in enrolling at St Clare of Assisi, please let them know.
Reconciliation Day Public Holiday
On Monday 27 May (next Monday), the ACT will celebrate its 2nd Reconciliation Day public holiday. As it is a public holiday, all schools in the ACT will be closed on that day.
2019 Key Improvement Goals
In last week’s newsletter we reminded you of our four Key Goals for school improvement for 2019. Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter is a short update on the first of these; communication.
It was once said…
"Moses had the first tablet that could connect to the cloud.” – Unknown
Blessings to you and your family.
Matt Egan-Richards
Principal