Issue 12, 26 July 2024

Welcome back to school for Term 3. I trust our students and families enjoyed the term break. I particularly welcome our newest Reception students who started their schooling journey with us on Monday. I often say that we don’t enrol students per se, but we enrol families. Therefore, I also extend a warm welcome to all our new families who join our school community for the first time. I wish all our students and families all the best for the term ahead.  

The feast of Saints Joachim and Anne is celebrated each year on July 26th. It is often referred to as 'The Feast of Grandparents' because they were the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Joachim and Anne represent the importance of fostering and nurturing younger generations in faith, morals, and in an atmosphere of love. We know that grandparents play an important and essential role in our school community. To celebrate the feast day of St Anne and Joachim, the R-3 classes today hosted a Liturgy for grandparents and special people in our families. Following the Liturgy our visitors had an opportunity to visit classes and share a BBQ lunch. It was a very special event and brought much joy into our school community.  

A new semester generally brings about some staffing changes. At the end of Term 2, we thanked and farewelled Jess Hurt and Mary-Louise McKenzie as education support officers. With appreciation for the time they spent in our school community, we wish them well for the future. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Lee-Ann Maule back in Week 4 after some time away on long service leave and we wish Mrs Susy Rodger all the bets for her well-earned long service leave for Term 3.  

We welcome to Laura Carcuro and Gemma Horgan into our school community as an education support officers who will support students with their learning in and outside of the classroom setting. We also welcome Wendy Black on staff who will assist in the Canteen.  

We will also have a number of university students from Adelaide University, University of South Australia and Australian Catholic University completing preservice teaching placements in the first half of this term. We wish them all the best as they as their navigate the early stages of the teaching profession.  

The beginning of a new term is an opportune time to remind students and families about our Uniform Policy. The policy seeks to ensure that our school uniform develops a sense of unity and school spirit. At the same time, it seeks to be comfortable and functional for school activities.  

It is important that a strong partnership exists between school and home to support the Uniform Policy. We understand and work with families in instances where a particular item cannot be worn because it is out of stock or if there is a legitimate medical reason that does not allow a student to wear a particular item. We also appreciate the support from families who ensure that the correct uniform is worn if the above exceptions are not relevant.  

As per the policy, the role of parents is to:  

• Ensure each student has the correct uniform to wear and to support the student in wearing it  
• Communicate with relevant school personnel and negotiate where appropriate, reasons for a student not meeting uniform expectations  

The role of students is to:  

• Wear the correct uniform and to wear it appropriately for all school activities  
• Be aware of when to wear the regular uniform and when to wear PE uniform  

The role of staff is to:  

• Monitor students’ wearing of the uniform in accordance with the Policy  
• Consistently implement procedures for ensuring the Policy is adhered to, and working in partnership with families when students are not in correct uniform  
• Model appropriate professional dress which is at least in accordance with requirements for students as per the College uniform  

Our school community is proud of Year 11 student, William Clifton, who was recently announced as the recipient of the 2024 Youth of the Year NAIDOC Award. The NAIDOC Youth Award recognises a young person aged between 16 and 25 years as an inspirational role model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Congratulations William on this excellent achievement! 

We are pleased to inform you that the results of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) have been released. These will be available for children in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 on SEQTA by the end of Week 2. If you would like a hard copy of your child’s NAPLAN results before then, please contact the office and we can organise this for you. 

NAPLAN is a nationwide assessment conducted annually for students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It evaluates students' skills in key areas of literacy and numeracy, providing valuable information about their strengths and areas for improvement. This assessment allows us to identify trends, tailor our teaching approaches, and support each student's individual needs effectively. 

At Caritas College, we strive to develop thriving individuals, capable learners, and leaders for the world God desires. We achieve this through a holistic education that encompasses academic achievements, personal growth, social skills, and a lifelong love of learning. Recognising that while NAPLAN is an important assessment, it is just one of the many tools we use to evaluate your child's progress. 

You are invited to participate in a short (3 to 5 minute) survey about our school’s performance. Similar surveys will be administered to staff and students to enable us to capture a community snapshot. All responses are confidential and will be used for school improvement purposes. Completion of the survey is on a voluntary basis.  

Your confidentiality

To protect your confidentiality all surveys are anonymous. All answers go directly to National School Improvement Partnerships, where the results are analysed for your school. Answers from individual surveys will NOT be reported back to the school. National School Improvement Partnerships staff are bound by a Code of Ethics and follow strict professional conduct. To protect your anonymity, we do not report scores for groups of less than four parents or caregivers.  

Use of the data

National School Improvement Partnerships will report the results to the school in an aggregated format. To enable drilldown reporting, the information provided to the school will contain data based on background information. This anonymous data will be provided to CESA for reporting and consideration of support for schools.  

How to complete the survey  

• To respond to the LLL Parent and Caregiver Survey at Caritas College, Port Augusta in 2023 click here and enter the code ‘CCPALLLP’ in the ‘Start Questionnaire’ field. 
• Alternatively, you can scan this QR Code and enter the code ‘CCPALLLP’ in the ‘Start Questionnaire’ field. 
• For each statement, you are asked to rate how well you think the school is performing by selecting one of six responses. The responses are numbered 1 to 6, with number 1 being the lowest or worst rating and number 6 being the highest or best rating.  
• If you have more than one child at the school, and your perceptions differ for each child, please respond with respect to your perceptions related to the oldest child enrolled at the school.  
• There are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. Your opinion is what is wanted.  
• Please answer all questions.  
• Some statements may be fairly similar to other statements. Don't worry about this. Simply give your opinion about all statements. To get started, use the QR code (located at the top of the page) or go to www.NSIPartnerships.com.au and enter the access code provided above.  

If you require more information or have any feedback, please contact our friendly team at: LLL@NSIPartnerships.com.au  

Your time and consideration are appreciated. 

This week families received an SMS in relation to Carits College friends and family participation and involvement in our school community.  If you are interested in becoming more involved in various school activities with our students and teachers, please complete this survey. If you are aware of someone else who may be interested in engaging in this process, please direct them to contact Miss Alanah Rowe on 8648 9700. 

The results of the Stage 2 Research Project were released on Tuesday and I am pleased to share the achievements of our Year 12 students. Firstly, every student successfully completed their Stage 2 Research Project achieving a C+ grade or better.

Furthermore, an impressive 45% of our students achieved an ‘A’ for this compulsory Stage 2 subject. These results reflect our student’s deep commitment to learning and the sound support provided by teachers and ESOs to achieve such a high standard. 

As a school community, we will come together on Thursday 8 August (Week 3) to celebrate the feast of our founder, and Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. How lucky we are here at Caritas College to be able to walk in Mary’s footsteps as she continues to teach us what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Mary chose to make a difference to the communities in which she, and the Sisters of St Joseph, lived in throughout the 19th century, by educating the poor and working with the marginalised and most vulnerable members of society.  

Classes from R-12 are spending time exploring the story of Mary, her connection to Port Augusta, her deep love of all people and of Christ, and thinking about how her life’s journey inspires how we continue to let our lights shine in 2024. We acknowledge with deep gratitude the Sisters of St Joseph who still continue to provide support from afar to our community 153 years later. 

The families of students receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday 18 August are reminded of the next iformation session this weekend, Saturday 27 July at 6:30pm or Sunday 28 July at 10:30am. We continue to keep these students, and their families, in our prayers. We look forward to celebrating with them in the coming weeks as they complete the full initiation into the life of the Catholic Church.

Solly Bushby will be connecting with Year 7 & 8 students on Wednesday Week 2, as part of Olympics Unleashed.

The students will learn from Solly's Olympic journey how to build resilience, the importance of setting goals and how to find what you are passionate about.

Students will hear firsthand from Solly about how they overcame challenges to compete in their chosen sport at the very highest level, and how some lessons they’ve learned in sport can help students to be the best they can be – whether that’s in school, at home, on the sporting field or with friends