Term 1 Week 11 Newsletter 2025

Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students of St Catherine’s,  

As the end of term draws closer by the hour, I am reflecting upon the first term. Term one is the longest and the most formative term for the students. As I sit at my desk glancing out through the window to the beautiful grounds of St Catherine's, I am reflecting on the journey so far. It has been a term filled with growth, learning, and achievement, and I am proud of the progress our students have made. 

Holy Week 

This week, our community has reflected on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and explored how His love continues to be made present through the sacraments. I would like to commend our students for the respectful and thoughtful way they have engaged with these sacred events. A heartfelt thank you to our APRIM, Carla Thomas, for her dedicated work in preparing the students, Clare Thompson and the Year 6 students who led these services and to Fr Fred for his ongoing pastoral leadership. I also extend my gratitude to our staff for their continued support. I encourage you to read more in Carla’s section of this newsletter.  

As a community, we seek meaningful relationships – with God, with ourselves, with one another, and with others. We prioritize the dignity of every person, embracing equity and inclusion.  We value respect, openness to new ideas, active listening, and thoughtful dialogue. We strive for justice and reconciliation, extend healing and compassion, and practice forgiveness and mercy. 

Staff 

A special thanks to the staff. We are blessed to have a wonderful staff at St Catherine's. Their care, creativity, and deep commitment to their students are evident in their work. I witness first-hand every day the way the staff work tirelessly to support each child’s individual needs  while remaining focused on ensuring the dignity, formation, and learning of every child and young person.

Staff Changes 

As I mentioned previously, we are also saying goodbye to Deanna Puliatti who will be leaving us to pursue new opportunities interstate. We wish Deanna all the best for her future. I am delighted to announce that Maria Niedorfer will be joining our team as the teacher of Italian next term in a 1.5 permanent role. Maria is well known to us having worked at St Catherine’s previously. Maria brings considerable expertise having taught Italian for the past 17 years and had considerable success in engaging students in learning Italian in a range of creative ways. Maria will be joining us from the first day of term 2 and will complete a comprehensive handover from Deanna. We look forward to welcoming Maria to our school community. 

Learning

This term, our students have shown tremendous dedication to their learning, deepening their understanding, fostering their creativity, and building their real-world skills, and I am delighted with the progress that’s been made. 

Outside the Classroom

Outside the classroom, there has been no shortage of excitement excursions to the Zoo and the Adelaide Space Discovery Centre. Our students have represented the school in a range of co-curricular competitions including at the Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival and the SAPSSA Hills Athletics Carnival often exceeding expectations, demonstrated outstanding teamwork and leadership skills. I hear frequently, St Cath's is a school where the students constantly "punch above their weight". 

Upcoming Events

Looking ahead, we have some exciting events to look forward to. In the coming weeks, our students will compete in a range of activities including Debating, Podcasting, SAPSASA Hills Cross Country Carnival, and the Catholic Schools Netball Carnival. 

Term 2 Extra Curricular Clubs 

Next term we are pleased to be able to offer the following extra curricular clubs available for interested students. 

• Mondays:  R-2 Cricket 3.15 - 4.00pm 
• Mondays: YELP and Gardening Club on alternate weeks
• Yr 3-6 Sewing Club 1.00-1.30pm (lunchtime from week 3) 

Further information about these will be shared early next term via Audiri and with students who have expressed interest. 

Please be sure to look at the Term 2 calendar which was sent out on Audiri.

Sports Day 

St Catherine’s Sports Day is always a fantastic occasion, bringing our community together for a day of fun, games, and friendly competition. Once again, we were blessed with perfect weather, and it was wonderful to see our students demonstrating courage, persistence, resilience, and teamwork throughout the event. 

A big thank you to all the parents and relatives who were able to join us in making the day so special. A special shout-out to our P&F and parent volunteers for ensuring that the bake sale and BBQ lunch ran smoothly. We also want to congratulate our Year 6 leaders, who did an excellent job leading each house team with energy, enthusiasm, and their unforgettable chants and health hustles. 

Congratulations to the 2025 shield winners: 

• House Shield - Dominic
• Spirit Shield - Catherine

ANZAC Day service 

Thank you to our student leaders Aliyah, James, Charlie and Raphi who will be representing us at the Stirling ANZAC Day service and laying a wreath on behalf of the school. Thanks also to Mrs Barolo who will be accompanying the students at this event. We are proud of you for honoring this important occasion. 

Parent Teacher Learning Conversations 

In week 2 of next term, Monday 6th - Friday 10th May, we will be holding Parent Teacher Learning Conversations. These meetings are an important part of with your child's learning journey at St Catherine's and information about meeting times and how to book will be made available on the first day of next term.  

Enrolment for 2026 and 2027 

We are currently accepting enrolments for 2026 and 2027. If you have a child that is due to start school next year or the year after and are yet to enroll them, please contact Cathy Fischle (cfischle@stcaths.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible.  

Gratitude to Our Community

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to all our staff, students, and families for your ongoing contributions to the life of our school. A special thank you to our parents, guardians, and volunteers for your continuous support. Your involvement is vital to the success of our students, and we are truly grateful for the time, energy, and resources you dedicate to making our school a better place for everyone. 

Wishing you all a restful holiday and look forward to seeing you again next term. 

Warm regards, 

Mark 

Ecology Update 

YELP Composting Project 

Our Year 5 Youth Environmental Leaders Program (YELP) students have been hard at work researching a new composting system for our kitchen garden area. With the support of Jeremy Gramp from Green Adelaide, they have explored various composting methods to find the most effective and user-friendly solution to producing quality compost that we can use in all garden areas around the school. 

A key focus of their research has been ensuring the system is easy to use while also preventing rodents. After careful consideration, the group has decided that a simple one-piece system is the best option.           

Butterfly Garden 

The Year 1/2 classes are continuing their work in re-establishing the Butterfly garden.  As part of their planting for Easter, the children scattered seeds and planted 4 butterfly plants donated by John Leeton, Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council.  We are very grateful to John for the support he has provided. 

The students created a video to explain this important project and how you can help. 

Butterfly Garden Video

We are excited about these two initiatives and the positive impact they will have on the ecology and sustainability within our community. If you are interested in supporting either project, please contact Carla Thomas cthomas@stcaths.catholic.edu.au. 

Kitchen Garden update 

Our kitchen garden has been a hive of activity as we prepare for the cooler months. Students in Year 5AW and 1/2BB have been busy preparing the garden beds and planting winter seedlings, ensuring they are ready for the season ahead. The students have also enjoyed a term of cooking, practicing chopping and grating skills and creating orange cakes, zucchini muffins, pasta sauce, fettucine and spaghetti!  As 5AW and 1/2BB finish their time in the Kitchen Garden, 3/4SB and RecJS are excited to be stepping in to have a go next term. 

We've also been tidying the space in anticipation of a special visit from Stirling Kindy, who joined us to assist with native planting. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Stirling Kindy and watching our new seedlings grow over the coming months! 

In other news, we farewelled our 3 older chickens to enjoy retirement with a lovely family in Finnes.  We are looking forward to welcoming new chickens to our school next term.  Our new additions will need names, so get your thinking caps on!  We will have a suggestion box at the front office for any creative names you can think of!  

Celebrating Our Students' First Reconciliation 

Last Friday, thirteen St Catherine’s students took an important step in their faith journey by celebrating their First Reconciliation. This sacrament allowed them to understand  forgiveness and grow in their relationship with God. 

With the guidance of our parish, teachers, and families, the students prepared through prayer and reflection. The celebration was a beautiful and reverent occasion, highlighting their openness and courage. 

We give thanks to the priests, families, and community who supported them. May this milestone strengthen their faith and inspire them to share Christ’s peace with others. 

Congratulations to our students on this special achievement! 

Project Compassion fundraiser - Charlie, Raphi, Aliyah and James 

Today our school community came together for to put their 'best foot forward' for our Project Compassion fundraiser. R-6 students wore odd shoes and socks as a reminder that many people around the world do not have the privilege of owning matching pairs. 

A huge thank you to our school captains Charlie, Raphi, Aliyah and James for their leadership in encouraging our community to support the work of Project Compassion and for helping to raise much-needed funds. We will announce next term how much we raised through this initiative.

We also extend our gratitude to the P&F for organising the 'Guess the Number of lollies in the Jar' during sports day event, which contributed an additional $100. 

Thank you to all who participated and donated—your generosity is making a difference! 

Celebrating Holy Week 

Palm Sunday Celebration 

Our school community gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday with a reenactment of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. Students waved palms and called out “Hosanna!” as they processed, recalling the events of the Gospel. 

Following the reenactment, our SRC students led our liturgy, guiding the students, staff and families in prayer and reflection of this significant day. This event marked the beginning of our Holy Week celebrations and provided an opportunity for students to engage with this important journey towards Easter. 

Holy Thursday 

Six of our Year 6 leaders led our community in prayer focused on the powerful act of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Through scripture, reflection and symbolic action, they helped us deepen our Dominican pillar of ministry, and how we can follow Jesus' example in our daily lives.  

Walk of Witness 

Our school community recently came together for the Walk of Witness, a reflective journey through the Stations of the Cross. The Year 6s again led students, staff, and families to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, pausing at each station to reflect on His sacrifice, love and his act of redemption for all humanity. 

These Holy week events are significant moments in the Catholic Calendar that help us remember to carry our own crosses with faith and perseverance.  Through each celebration, we are encouraged to live with humility, serve others and embrace the hope that comes at the resurrection. 

As we now approach the end of Term 1, we reflect and give thanks for the growth we have witnessed and the blessings we have experienced through the celebrations and events over the term.  May this holiday break be a time of rest and renewal. We wish all students, families and staff a very blessed Easter and safe holiday period. We look forward to seeing all the bight, happy faces when we return on Monday 28th April. 

Carla Thomas
Acting APRIM

On Friday 28th March St Catherine’s School participated in their annual Sports Day at Stirling Oval. Our school was blessed with magnificent weather and a picturesque oval for the day. Congratulations to the eventual winner Dominic (yellow) and our Spirit Cup winner Catherine (Blue).

The day began with our whole school Health Hustle performed by Veritas (Green) Team and followed with each teams cheers. This was followed by class 100m sprints before breaking off into our rotation activities.

Special mention to all teachers and parents that attended on the day to help create a fantastic atmosphere for the students. Also, big thank you to Lucia Clements, the P&F and other parents for organising the BBQ, cheese toasties and cake stall on the day as well as Mrs Cathy Fischle for coordinating this. Another huge thank you to Donnie Pascale for once again helping to transport equipment to and from the oval. Sports Day couldn't happen without so many people working together.

Mr De Giovanniello

NAPLAN Conclusion 

We are pleased to share that the NAPLAN testing process for our school has now been completed, with all students who were registered to participate completing all tests. 

We couldn’t be prouder of the way the Year 3 and 5 students approached each assessment. Their integrity, persistence and determination were evident as they gave their best effort. 

We also want to extend our gratitude to the support provided by families. Your encouragement helped create a sense of security and confidence for the students, allowing them to navigate the testing process with ease. 

We look forward to sharing the results with families when they are received later this year.

Reading success with Literacy Pro 

This year we are excited to continue our partnership with Scholastic and using Literacy Pro to help track students reading success. Students in Year 3-6 have completed placement tests in Scholastic's Literacy Pro, assessing their reading through multiple-choice questions to generate a Lexile score. This helps them select suitable books from our school library, many of which are labeled with Lexile numbers. 

Within Literacy Pro, students can choose themes of interest, receiving tailored book recommendations based on their Lexile score and texts that are available. They can also access the online platform at home to read digital texts or find books at the public library. After reading, students can take quizzes to track comprehension and build their 'words read' total—our school has already reached 11 114 656 words! 

Literacy Pro provides teachers with valuable insights into student reading and comprehension, supporting their growth as confident readers. To access the platform at home, follow the link below. Contact your child's teacher for login details if needed. 

Scholastic Learning Zone 

Debating 2025 

We are excited to continue our involvement in the SA Debating Competitions, with 7 teams registered to compete this year. Our year 5 and 6 students will compete at St Dominic's Priory College starting on Tuesday 13th May over 5 fortnightly rounds. We wish out teams all the best as they prepare and participate in this exciting competition.  

Children's University Update 

This week students who are new to Children's University should have received their learning passports and instructions on how to use the parent portal. On Thursday 1st May (Week 1) we will be welcoming Emma Scott from Children’s University to visit us. During this session, Emma will provide participating students with valuable information about the program, how to navigate the online portal and guidance on how to accumulate hours towards graduation. This session will begin at 9:00am in the Treehouse. We encourage Parents who are new to the program to attend.  As you navigate recording hours over the school holidays, it may be helpful to encourage your child to write down any questions they may have to bring to the session.  

There are a wide variety of activities to  undertake over the upcoming school holidays. By logging into the parent portal you are able to search through a variety of learning destinations and online learning activities to find something of interest. If you are heading away for the break, you may like to check out what is available in the area that you are visiting. Don’t forget there are opportunities to engage with Children's University outside of South Australia so remember to take your Children's University passport with you so that it can be stamped at participating locations.  

If you have any questions please reach out to Carla Thomas for assistance.   

We have been fortunate to secure Madhavi Nawana Parker to present an amazing parent session for our school community on the important topic of Anxiety and Social Media. This engaging presentation will be held in the Sienna Hall on Tuesday 13th May 2025 from 6:30pm-8pm. 

Madhavi Nawana Parker is one of Australia’s leading experts on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Her evidence-based programs are implemented throughout Australia and overseas, providing over two decades of contribution to her field, positively impacting thousands of young people. 

At this session, Madhavi will be discussing issues many families are currently facing in a contemporary, compassionate and understanding way. She will provide strategies on how to manage your child’s anxiety and how to navigate the complexities of social media. 

All families are highly encouraged to attend this evening as Madhavi is so incredibly engaging, a wealth of knowledge and an expert in this field. Many of our teachers will also attend this important community event that you won't want to miss! 

This event will be open to the Adelaide Hills community! 

Registrations close on the 24th of April to provide St Catherine’s families early access. This event will be open to the Adelaide Hills community to register from 24th April so get in quick!