Dear SCA Families,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and Holy is his name.’

On Saturday (25^th March) we remember God’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. Because of Mary’s openness to the will of God the world received Jesus. May we also, as parents, guardians and carers, be open to God so that we make Jesus real to all in our school and community.

Harmony Day

Our school and community are filled with families from a wide range of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Harmony Day is a wonderful chance for us to foster inclusiveness and celebrate the unique opportunities and richness this diversity brings to our community.

Colour Fun Day

Please encourage friends and families to sponsor your child. Every cent raised helps us to improve the playground equipment at our school, with a percentage going towards our Lenten Appeal, helping those who really need our help.

Assistant Principal

Mrs Jo Reed, who has been our Assistant Principal (acting) this term, has had her contract extended to include Term 2. I thank Jo for her hard and effective work so far this year, and her willingness to keep working with us.

Strategic Plan

We have commenced the process of writing a new school strategic plan, while still operating with the 2023 Annual Improvement plan. Our three key improvement goals are:

• That every student is a competent reader
• High impact teaching practice is visible in every classroom
• Creating a religiously literate school

Our new strategic plan will be written in the five domains used by all the schools in our Archdiocese:

• Catholic Identify and Culture
• Excellence in Teaching and Learning
• Staff Capacity and Leadership
• Partnerships and Community
• Stewardship and Resources

Staff and the Community Council have already had an opportunity to contribute, and a great deal of school data has been, and will continue to be reviewed. If you would like to contribute, please send me an email and I will forward to you a proforma used by our Council members. I am happy to send a paper or electronic copy as per your preference.

Towards the end of this term, our Leadership team, with the support of our CE Performance Improvement Leader, will collate the feedback and formulate an initial draft. Drafts will be shared again with staff and the Community Council before being finalised and published, during the middle part of this year.

My email address is matthewer@cg.catholic.edu.au

Parent Teacher Interviews / Oral Reporting

Educating our children requires an effective partnership between parents/carers and the school. To ensure this partnership has any chance of success, please book a time to meet with your child’s teacher next week.

It’s Just Not Right

When you are leaving the school carpark between 8.45 - 9.15am and 2.45 - 3.15pm you MUST TURN LEFT. When you sit there and wait for a break to turn right, you add to the congestion of the traffic. Your time is no more important than any of the parents in line behind you. Please set a good example to your children.

Parking on the Courts

If you park on the netball/basketball courts, we seek your cooperation, to ensure the safety of all in our community:

• Please leave a safe walk-way along the playground equipment (i.e. park at least 1.5m away from the covered area).
• Cars leaving the courts area are asked to give way to cars moving though the car park, especially those leaving the “donut” area.
• The courts area is unavailable for parking between 9am and 2.45pm.
• In the afternoon all cars must be off the courts by 3.20pm as OSHC require this area. This also includes the junior play equipment.
• Children are never to walk unaccompanied across the courts area before or after school. Please walk side-by-side with your child/ren.

Term Dates

This term ends on Thursday 6 April, with Friday being a public holiday (Good Friday).

Term Two commences on Wednesday 26 April for students, and Monday 24 April for staff. Tuesday 25th April is a public holiday (ANZAC Day).

It was once said…

Lenten blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

Have you ever heard of the saying ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’? Essentially, it means that in order to effectively take care of others, we must first take care of ourselves.

As a daughter, wife, mother, teacher, and friend, the pull of others can be immense. To find time to refill our cup may take discipline, grit, and a strong weekly schedule – things that can often feel emotionally and physically burdensome in themselves. It may seem counterproductive to take a stricter approach to what already seems like too much, and for many, the solution to wellbeing doesn’t include a perfectly highlighted fridge whiteboard. 

Teachers at SCA pour their emotional selves out from their cup every day to help all students experiencing problems with behavioural issues, confidence, self-regulation, and friendships. The cup continues to pour, using their intellectual selves to wholly commit to teaching and learning - nourishing a comprehensive education for your children.

Over the past 18 months the staff have engaged with a Health and Wellbeing consultant, Adrienne Hornby, to upskill us in strategies to improve wellbeing across the school.

For staff, having professional development by the lake, enjoying Family Week without meetings, and the annual St Patrick’s potato lunch has been one of many ways we have been able to laugh, engage with our spirituality, and grow as a team.

It’s not just the teachers that have benefited from the consultation on health and wellbeing. The students have been encouraged to recognise their support networks around them so they can continue to flourish both inside and outside of school hours. At SCA we have recognised the necessity of wellbeing, and strive to create an environment that breeds positivity, self-regulation, and socio-emotional development.

Wellbeing is interwoven throughout the daily curriculum through means such as daily class exercise, brain breaks, inter-house sports, Harmony Day, class liturgies and masses, water fun day, and lunch time clubs for knitting, walking, netball, and music.

As parents, we often see our children happiest when they are playing. Whether it is through organised team sports, out in the backyard, or cross legged with a controller in hand, our children innately seek out fun – the increase of wellbeing just happens to be a brilliant side effect of this. We can learn a lot from our children as they are, without all the external stresses of work and commitments, the purest example of what it means to be human. What it means to enjoy being human.

This year, SCA encourages parents to reinvite the concept of wellbeing into their lives. This does not mean that you have to immediately jump onto Amazon and fill your cart with pseudo therapy books, or spend all your savings on a trip you can’t afford. While wellbeing encompasses physical, spiritual, emotional, and social aspects, we can start this journey simply. Using joy as a priority may include reconnecting with your inner child and whipping out the tarp for a backyard slip n slide, sitting with your child as they teach you how to play online games, or hiding in the pantry to let yourself have those nice chocolates or biscuits you’ve been saving for when you have company over. The need for wellbeing transcends age.

The best time to start prioritising your wellbeing was years ago, the second best time is today.

So, what does filling your cup look like?

Have a happy week, we look forward to seeing you at Parent Teacher Interviews!

Jo Reed

Assistant Principal (Acting)

Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards at the 8.45am Friday Morning assembly

Our first Parent Teacher Conferences in 2023 will take the form of Parent / Teacher Interviews for Kindergarten to Year 6 students. The 15-minute sessions will be available between Monday 27th of March -  Wednesday 29th March. 

You will receive your child's Interim Report today Wednesday 22nd March.  Parent Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for open dialogue about your child's learning strengths, successes, and areas for future growth. 

Just a reminder: 
1. Book a time via COMPASS Conference Booking System.
2. Attend School at your designated time and date. 
3. Adhere to CE COVID SAFE practices. Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell on the day and we can make alternate arrangements. 

Parent Teacher Conference Portal on COMPASS will CLOSE on Thursday 23rd March at 5 pm.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher or the St Clare of Assisi Office.

9 SLEEPS TO GO UNTIL OUR COLOUR FUN DAY!

Thank you so much to all our amazing SCA families who have signed up and have been raising money. We are edging closer and closer to our goal. Every little bit really does count. It is not too late to sign up and raise some money for our new playground.

If you have not already, please click on the link and sign up. https://scacolourday2023.gofundraise.com.au/

Alternatively, if you’d prefer you can simply share the website and ask friends and family to donate to the school by clicking ‘donate now’, rather than setting up individual profiles.

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU

A huge congratulations to Cohen H, Charles G, Hailey W and Amelia B who have all raised over $500. In appreciation of their huge fundraising efforts, they will be having a special lunch with the Principal in Week 10. Any other children who reach over $500 before the Colour Run will also be invited to this special lunch!

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DAY

More detailed information about the day will be sent to families on Friday via Compass. We will also be reaching out to parents who have offered to help out, in the upcoming days. 

Ribbons will be presented at morning assembly next week for those children who received an overall place in their age group for the different events.

Monday 27^th March 8:45am - 8, 9 and 10 year students

Tuesday 28^th March 8:45am - 11 and 12 year students

Age Champions will also be presented on these days. Parents are more than welcome to attend

TERM 1

WEEK 8 (20th March to 24th March)

Wednesday 22nd March - Interim Reports available on Compass

Thursday 23rd March at 5 pm - Parent Teacher Conference Portal on COMPASS will CLOSE

WEEK 9 (27th March to 31st March)

Monday 27th of March to Wednesday 29th March -  Parent Teacher Conferences

Friday 31st March - Colour Fun Day

WEEK 10 (3rd April to 6th April)

Thursday 6th April - Last day of Term 1

2023 TERM 2

WEEK 1 (26th April to 28th April)

Wednesday 26th April  - First Day of school for all students - Winter Uniform

A reminder that there is only 1 week to register for Saturday morning netball.  Netball is open to children in Years 2 to 6 and is played on a Saturday mornings in winter at the Calwell Netball Courts.

Please use the link below to register.
https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/register/1e9769

Many thanks

Katherine Austin

Mums, Dads, Grandparents, Carers everybody is welcome to volunteer. Babies in prams, toddlers and younger siblings are more than welcome!! 

Darren (6B), Dakota (5G) and Jasmine (5B) have been selected as representatives from the ACT for the Southern Country Pride team in oztag. Darren in U12 boys and Jasmine and Dakota in U11 Girls. 

All three have represented the ACT in both the State and National competitions for the ACT since 2020. They have been selected, in their respective age groups, from many teams throughout NSW to be apart of the 16 person squads. This is a great achievement  for all of them. We look forward to hearing about your adventure later in the year!