Term 2, Issue 2

Dear Families,

It has been a busy Term 2 with lots of community events happening in and around our school. In the last week we have had the Young Performers Concert, School Community Quiz Night and our Year 6 musical, Hoodwinked. Thank you to all involved in showcasing our school and providing the children and staff with these wonderful opportunities.

I would like to thank our Parents and Friends Committee for running the Quiz Night and Belinda See for all of her wonderful hand-crafted donations for this event. We raised $4342.12 which will go towards the upgrade of the Year 3-6 playground. Well done everyone.

Thank you also to Mel Ainslie for running our Young Performers Concert and Elisa Chillingworth for bringing together the amazing production Hoodwinked.

Below is a list of all the other events we have had in Term 2;

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Young Performers Concerts

Year 6 Musical

Quiz Night

First Holy Communion and Confirmation

Community Prayer, Masses and Liturgies

SAPSASA soccer boys and girls

SAPSASA football boys 

SAPSASA Cross country

Catholic Netball carnival

Excursions and Camps

Pyjackie Day and Vinnie's Winter Appeal

Term 3 promises to be just as busy and I have outlined some key dates that you may need to be aware of. The Term 3 calendar will also be distributed today with the e-News.

TERM 3 KEY DATES:

Monday, 22nd July: Pupil Free Day

Thursday, 25th July: Reception Room 1 – Room 5 - 100 days of School dress up

Friday, 2nd August: STEM Mad showcase

Monday, 5th August: ICAS Writing Assessment

Tuesday, 6th August 6:00pm: Dogs Connect Parent Meeting for Annie

Thursday, 8th August 2:00pm: Mary Mackillop Mass

Friday, 9th August: SAPSASA Basketball

Monday, 12th August: ICAS English Assessment and 2:15pm Year 1 Assembly

Friday, 16th August: Showdown colours and doughnuts day

Monday, 19th August: ICAS Science Assessment

Thursday, 22nd August 4:30pm – Principal Tour

Friday, 23rd August 9:00am: Book Week Parade

Monday, 26th August: ICAS Maths Assessment

Thursday, 29th August: Father’s Day stall and SAPSASA Netball Carnival

Friday, 30th August: Father's Day Celebration 8:30am and Liturgy 9:15am

Thursday, 5th September: School Disco, Reception – Year 2 5:00pm - 6:00pm  and  Year 3 -Year 6 6:15pm-7:30pm

Friday, 6th September: Pupil Free Day

Monday, 9th September: 2:15pm Year 2 Assembly

Thursday, 12th September: R U OK day and 2:15pm Year 1 Liturgy

Friday, 13th September: 9:00am - 11:00am Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Friday, 27th September: Andrew Chinn and Last Day of Term - 3:05pm finish

STAFFING TERM 3

I am taking Long Service Leave for the first two weeks of Term 3. In my absence;

Mr Greg Esposito will be Acting Principal,

Mrs Rosanna Samarzia- Acting Deputy Principal,

Ms Ashlee McCarthy- Acting APRIM (Wed – Fri).

Elisa Chillingworth- 3 weeks Long Service Leave.

Sarah Wildy is on Maternity Leave and Vanessa Marusic will replace her for the rest of the year. We wish Sarah all the best with the birth of her child and we look forward to sharing more information with you once her baby is born.

Paula Simionato and Cathy Turner are both retiring from SFX after many years of service. We farewelled Paula and Cathy on Wednesday and wished them all the best for their next chapter in life.

RECEPTION CLASSES

In Term 3 we have 2 new Reception classes. We welcome the children and their teachers.

Room 32: Mrs Oatley and Mrs Sloan

Room 33: Mrs Blackett

INTRODUCING ANNIE, OUR SECOND WELL-BEING DOG

We are excited to welcome a new member to our SFX family. We welcome Molly’s best friend, Annie to our school. At SFX we are part of the ‘Dogs Connect’ well-being program. We have experienced a positive impact on the overall well-being amongst our students since Molly’s commencement in 2023. Molly has also assisted students with the development of their communication skills and has provided students with a sense of responsibility.

Having a second well-being dog on site means that both dogs can support each other with their work. Just as the programme supported the school with the introduction of Molly, Dogs Connect will support us in introducing Annie gradually, thoroughly, and considerately to the community. We encourage anyone new to our school or who would like to know more about this program to look through the website links below: https://dogsconnect.net.au and https://dogsconnect.net.au/case-studies/

Annie is a 1 year old medium-sized labradoodle and like Molly, has been selected due to her gentle temperament, hypoallergenic coat and willingness to work. We have a core team of staff who have been through the Dogs Connect training and will be handling Annie at school. Annie will commence her work with us early next term and will start by working Thursday mornings.

We encourage the community to revisit the three expectations of having a wellbeing dog on site:

Dogs Connect Introduction Video

For those families wanting to learn more about our well-being program, please keep an eye out for our Well-being Dog Parent Workshop date release early next term.

SAPSASA FOOTBALL

On Friday, 14TH June SFX competed in the SAPSASA Boys football carnival at Tea Tree Gully. I am pleased to announce the boys won the carnival going through undefeated for the day. It was  a brilliant performance in wet conditions and as Coach, I am very proud of them. Well done boys.

REPORTS

Reports have been sent home this week and the aim of the report is to show you the progress your child is making. If you have any concerns about the report, please book a time to see your class teacher.

We look forward to seeing you back at SFX on Tuesday, 23rd July.

Regards

Jason Mittiga

Principal

Thank You, SFX SRC Members for Semester 1.

Your dedication and hard work have made a significant impact in representing our school. From support with events, sharing a student’s voice, and choosing some stellar bell songs, you have exhibited wonderful leadership and commitment. Well done.

Stay tuned for who the Semester 2 SRC representatives will be.

Wow, what a fabulous community event our Quiz Night turned out to be! A HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us, and an extra special shoutout to our amazing Parents and and Friends Committee, for organising such a memorable evening. We raised an incredible $4,342.12 towards the Year 3-6 playground upgrade!

We were extremely appreciative to have our friends at Bailey Property partner with us to ensure this night was a huge success. Thank you for your generosity and support.

Our Quiz Master was a hit, keeping us entertained all night with his humour and creating a fun atmosphere. The digital button was a new twist, and we're proud to announce that Mr Esposito holds the record for the quickest buzzer hit!

The competition was fierce, with the scoreboard fluctuating all night. Congratulations to Table 6, The Special Yoshi’s, for clinching the win! 

Events like these truly highlight the warmth and generosity of the SFX community. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our generous sponsors for your impressive contributions.

Stay tuned for photos of our students enjoying their new playground soon and thank you again for making the night a huge success!

A sincere thank you to the SFX families and staff for showing their #Compassion by helping us generously donate to the #VinniesWinterAppeal2024.

On Friday, 28th June, Michael Bone and Oscar Davis from St Vincent De Paul Modbury, gratefully collected the food items to help those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Keeping the spirit of Service alive is important to our school’s community and we will continue to make a difference by supporting worthy causes just like Vinnies.❤️ 

Young Performers Concert!

On Tuesday, 25th June, we were treated to three incredible concerts showcasing the hard work and dedication of our young performers. Over the last two terms, 75 talented students have been learning and rehearsing on piano, guitar, drums, and voice to deliver stunning performances for their families and friends.

A huge thank you to our amazing tutors Nick, Mary, Kristin, David, and Emily for their guidance and support. We also extend our gratitude to Mel Ainslie for coordinating and running a successful evening.

We are so proud of the talent and persistence our students have shown! 

On Monday, 1st July 2024, 220 enthusiastic students from Years 3-6 hit the courts at Netball SA Stadium for the SACPSSA (Catholic) Netball Carnival.

With 22 teams in action, our record turnout was made possible by our incredible parent volunteers, dedicated teachers, educators, and the amazing student umpires from Gleeson College. A big thank you to everyone involved in this carnival, which is aimed at participation and fun.

Despite a few chilly moments, the sun shone through, and the rain stayed away.

Well done to all the students who participated.

This week students celebrated National NAIDOC Week. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year to celebrate and recognise the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islander) peoples.

To begin the week, we were delighted to welcome Uncle John Lochowiak to SFX. Uncle John is an Elder and Aboriginal community leader with family ties to Ramindjeri, Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, Kaurna, Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte peoples. Uncle John performed a Welcome to Country and traditional Smoking Ceremony, with students seated facing the Bulturro-Parri Kaurna Garden. After welcoming us to Kaurna Yarta, Uncle John explained the significance of the Ceremony and reminded us that the diversity in cultural backgrounds is what makes us a strong community.

With Uncle John present, we also officially launched the SFX Narragunnawalli Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The SFX RAP is a formal commitment to Reconciliation, which documents how we will strengthen relationships, respect and opportunities with Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes peoples in the classroom, around the school, and with the community. This plan symbolizes SFX’s commitment to forging a future where Reconciliation, respect, and recognition are at the heart of everything we do.

Some other highlights of the week included:

• Reception to Year 2 students learning and playing Aboriginal games such as Weme, Gaitga, and Emu. Before playing each game, students learned about the game’s background and some of the language associated with each game.
• The Year 6 students having a go at cooking traditional Bush Bread in the Bulturro-Parri Kaurna Garden and sharing it with Years 4 and 5 students. Jams made with native Australian ingredients were spread onto the Bush Bread – delicious! A big thank you to our Groundsmen, Tony and Richard, for managing the campfire, and to Mr O’Leary for his support in organising this memorable experience.
• Some classes watched a curated screening of short films, proudly presented by Country Arts SA. The films share and celebrate Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes cultures, stories and languages through film.

Finally, please take a moment to check out the newly installed Acknowledgement of Country plaque from Kinya Lerrk. The plaque is located outside of the Administration building and features a beautiful design by Aboriginal visual artists Emma Bamblett (Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung) and Megan Van Den Berg (Dja Dja Wurrung, Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung).

Ngaityalya (thank you) to all of the students and staff for their enthusiasm and engagement as we celebrated National NAIDOC Week at SFX. Keep the fire burning!

Guess Who is Coming to Town?

We have some very exciting news to share with our community.  Next term, we will be hosting students and teachers coming to visit us from our sister school, Shengfei Primary School in China.  We have had an ongoing relationship with this school for over eight years, which has included some of our teachers going over to visit Shengfei Primary School and some of the teachers from China coming to visit us, conducting real-time reciprocal lessons via Teams where our students have run lessons for the Chinese students and vice versa. 

This year, Shengfei Primary School has decided to send students and teachers to come and spend time with us in our school and learn with our staff and students what it means to be part of the SFX community.

In Week 1 of Term 3, 30 Chinese students and 6 teachers will be coming to spend Tuesday to Friday with our Year 5 and 6 classes.  Then, in Week 5 of Term 3, we will have a second group of 30 Chinese students and 6 teachers come to spend time in our Year 3 and 4 classes.  These students from China will be using their summer vacation to come here to learn about Australia and improve their intercultural understanding.

Each class will host 5 to 6 Chinese students and a teacher.  Our guests will engage in all the learning activities with our students and take part in the life of an Australian school.  The Chinese students will be using this opportunity to improve their English language and Australian cultural understanding, while our students will be using this to improve their Chinese language and cultural understanding.

All the Year 3 to 6 students are very excited about this amazing opportunity and have been helping me plan special foods and activities for our guests.  We feel very privileged and honoured to be hosting the students and teachers from Shengfei Primary School and look forward to extending our long relationship with them.

Roma Chiera-Garnelli

Teacher of Languages (Italian and Chinese)

BOOK WEEK 2024

Are you ready for Book Week?  The theme this year is 'Reading Is Magic’.  We can't wait to see all SFX students and staff in their magic themed costumes for our parade which is being held on Friday, 23rd August (Term 3, Week 5). 

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

The school holidays is a perfect time for students to catch up on their reading for the Premier’s Reading Challenge, especially on cold, rainy days.  Please continue to support your child/ren with completing the Challenge and filling out the student reading record as we aim for 100% completion across the school.  If you need any further information regarding the Challenge or if your child/ren require a new reading record form you can visit the official website https://premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/ or contact SFX library staff. Students have until Friday, 6^th September (Term 3, Week 7) to complete their reading and return their completed form to the library.

Music Tuition Vacancies:

Would your child like to learn to play the drums?

If you would like to take up the opportunity to learn to play the drums, or would like more information please contact Mel Ainslie (Music Coordinator) at mainslie@sfx.catholic.edu.au

Our Breakfast Club is in need of your support! We currently have a sufficient supply of most items thanks to the generous contributions from our SFX families and the Food Bank. However, we are running low on butter and margarine.

If you can help, please consider donating butter or margarine to our Breakfast Club. Kindly drop your donation to the Front Office. Your donations ensure that all our students start their day with a nutritious meal.

Thank you for your continued support and generosity!

Independence Day is each Wednesday morning of the school term as this ties in nicely with Breakfast Club.

Thank you for your support in not entering the school grounds with your child/ren on a Wednesday morning.

Should you need to come into the school for any purpose, please send your child in independently and then please enter the school grounds via the Carignane Front Office entrance to sign yourself in.

Independence Day for the Term 3 Reception students will commence in Week 6 as these new students become more familiar with the school and its routines.

As we close out this edition of our newsletter and look forward to Term 3, we want to thank you for your continued support and engagement in our school community. From the fantastic events to the incredible achievements of our students, your involvement has made a significant impact.

Enjoy your holidays, and we look forward to seeing you all refreshed for a wonderful Term 3 at SFX.