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Enhancing Catholic School Identity Survey
The Catholic University in Leuven was commissioned by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) to design a process and tools, based on sound research, to accomplish the goal of understanding our current Catholic identity and where the school community might like to see itself in the future.
The ECSI Survey is a key element of this process and I encourage your participation. The online survey gathers responses from students in Years 5 and 6, all staff and a representative sample of parents.
More detailed information will be sent home via a hard copy in an envelope labelled, ECSI parent survey. The information will contain a fact sheet, letter from the principal and general instructions for parents on how to complete the survey. This information will also be available in digital format on Operoo.
Parents of year 5-6 students will also receive a separate Operoo, seeking permission for their child to participate in the student survey, which will be completed by students at school.
Labour Day Public Holiday- Monday 13 March
SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY- Tuesday 14 March- There is no school for students on this day
School Tours/Enrolments
We are currently conducting many school tours and accepting 2024 enrolments.
Families who have siblings starting school in 2024 need to complete an enrolment form. Enrolment forms are available from the school office.
Please encourage friends and neighbours to book a tour of our beautiful school.
Letter Drop/School Banner
We are seeking families to letter drop our school brochures, around the local area. Please see Carmel Donlon if you are able to support us. We are also looking for families to display a school tour banner on their front fence. Please see Laura in the office.
Parent Teacher Student Meetings
OR
Parents/Guardians can also book via the school app or left hand side menu of the newsletter
Parent Teacher Student Meetings will take place on:OR
Enter the following address into your browser
https://scmoorabbin.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/25
Wednesday 22 March from 3:45-6:30pm
Thursday 23 March from 3:45-6:30pm
All students will participate in parent/teacher/student meetings. The meetings are designed to promote conversation between the student, their parents and their teacher, allowing students to demonstrate their individual growth and literacy and numeracy achievements that they are proud of.
The meeting structure will follow a simple format and will take place in your child’s classroom. The teacher will talk for 5 minutes, students for 5 minutes and parents for 5 minutes.We suggest that parents with more than one child do not book back to back meeting times, to allow time to move to the next meeting. We ask that siblings do not play on the playground or courtyard and wait quietly in hallways.
HOLY WEEK LITURGY
Students will participate in a Holy Week Liturgy at school in the learning hub on Wednesday 5 April at 9:00am.
Parents/Guardians and Families are welcome to attend
Easter Raffle & Hat Parade
The Parents and Friends Easter Raffle will be drawn on Thursday 6 April, after our Easter Hat Parade beginning at 9:00am
We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each family has received a Project Compassion box for your donations or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: lent.caritas.org.au
If you choose to collect during Lent, please return the boxes to school so we can add the school donations to St Catherine's Parish Donations.
The 2023 Theme is ‘For All Future Generations’. This phrase is a powerful affirmation that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It is also a call for all of us to play our part in making the world a better place by working together in finding long term solutions to global issues.
TERM 1 Reconciliation- 2023 Important Dates
Reconciliation Presentation Mass
On Sunday 5th March, the Reconciliation candidates and their families attended mass and were presented with their Reconciliation candle. Father John blessed the candidates and their families. Many stayed for tea, coffee and raisin toast after mass- Yummy!
Reconciliation Reflection Day (At school for students)
Wednesday 8th March- Reconciliation Reflection Day for students at school (All Years 3’s- Students may wear casual clothes)
Reconciliation Family Workshop
Wednesday 8th March- 6.00pm Reconciliation Family Workshop- St Catherine’s Learning Hub
First Reconciliation
Saturday 18th March- 10.00am Year 3 Group Celebrating Reconciliation- St Catherine’s Church
The following children will make their reconciliation on this day:
Term 1 2023 Parish Mass Attendance
Parents are welcome to attend Parish Mass (Whole School & Parish)
- 10.00am Wednesday 8th March- Year 3 & Reconciliation Candidates- Part of Reflection Day
- 10.00am Wednesday 15th March- Year 5/6AT & Foundation- Cancelled due to Healing Mass
- 10.00am Wednesday 22nd March- Year 3/4MD & Year 1/2CG
- 10.00am Wednesday 29th March- Year 3/4JB & Year 1/2TC
- 10.00am Wednesday 29th March- Year 5/6AT & Foundation (New date)
Please contact me by phone or email if you have any questions or require clarification.
Carmel Donlon- Religious Education Leader
Swimming
Cross Country
Foundation Literacy
As part of our new phonics program, Little Learners Love Literacy, the Foundation students have thus far been learning about the letters M, S, F, A and P. Each week, students participate in a variety of activities targeted to help them understand the sounds each letter makes and how to voice each sound correctly.
Literacy in 1/2CG and 1/2TC
In Year 1/2 we have been working hard everyday to consolidate our knowledge of single letter sound correspondence. We use the Little Learner’s Love Literacy program to develop our phonemic awareness, handwriting, spelling, reading fluency and vocabulary. This term we have been revisiting the simple code with a new sound each day, before moving onto the extended code blending and segmenting adjacent consonants, consonant digraphs and syllabification later in the term. We begin our lesson with a sound box to discover and discuss our new sound for the day, we then read a page of Milo’s Birthday Surprise and practise our Chitter Chatter Chants. Each day we practise decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) our sound as well as our handwriting.
Persuasive Writing
In 3/4JB we have been focussing on persuasive writing. We have added a real world twist to this by allowing students to design their own houses and using their persuasive skills to write a small blurb trying to sell their house. The students have really enjoyed this activity and using their vocabulary jamboards to incorporate lots of detail.
3/4MD CLASS READ ALOUD
Tomorrow we will finish reading our class novel, ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’. This book has taken us on quite the journey - from loss and recovery, to kindness and compassion and finally to self-discovery. The main theme is nicely summarised by a quote from the book: "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless."
We have really enjoyed reading this book together. Here are some of our thoughts -
Edward Tullane is full of mixed emotions for me. One minute you are happy, then you are sad. My favourite part so far is when Edward lived with Bull and Lucy because it was heartwarming because the homeless man and his dog really loved Edward. Duke, Year 4.
I have really enjoyed this book. I really like how Edward gets to go on exciting journeys around America and I really like how Edward has learned to love. (Spoiler alert ) We are up to a part where Edward has just been broken. I am sad because his world went dark and I don’t know how the book will end. Vanessa, Year 3.
I am so excited to finish this book tomorrow because Edward’s world went blank and I want to know if he is okay. I have enjoyed reading this book as it has been a miraculous journey and reading it has been really cool. Serephin, Year 3.
STEM ACTIVITY
Today, like Bryce (one of the characters in the book) we made our own Edward Tulane marionette. We had to draw our design and think about what resources we would need to create our marionette and make it move. It was a fun, hands-on activity where we learnt a lot about the STEM process and our own problem solving skills.
Frayer model
The Frayer model is a template that has five different sections, this includes a definition, an example and a non example, a drawing or image and a section in the middle for the word.
The Frayer model is a unique way to broaden vocabulary and use context clues to have a better understanding of the word. The Frayer model helps create a visual representation in your head that gives you a better understanding.
By Rebecca and Cristina
Chess club has begun at St Catherine’s on a Friday afternoon. The students are preparing for the upcoming Inter School Chess Tournament on Monday, 20th March. St Catherine's will host the Tournament for local schools in the hall. The students have had fun interacting and learning new moves from their chess coach James Donlon.
Carmel Donlon - Chess Club
When: Monday 20th March- 9.00-2.30pm
Where: St Catherine’s School Hall
Facilitators: Kids Unlimited
Bookings & Cost: See Kids Unlimited Flyer
Easter Raffle -
Our first fundraising activity for 2023 is our annual Easter Raffle, which will be drawn
following the Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 6 April.
We'd love each family to please donate an item to help create the prize hampers. Items can be dropped off to the school office by Wednesday, March 29.
Suggested items include chocolate eggs; Easter bunnies; biscuits/cookies; decorations; easter themed items, fun prizes.
Easter Raffle tickets will be sent home with each family’s oldest child on Monday, March 20.
Sausage Sizzle
To celebrate the end of term 1, the P&F committee will be holding a sausage sizzle for lunch on April 6, the final day of term. Order forms will be sent home with children in the next week to be returned to the school office.
Mums Time Out Group
The Mums Time Out Group had a fabulous first event recently with 21 Mums taking some time out and having a Welcome drink at Wilbury and Sons! With eight Mums new to St Catherine’s attending, it was nice to form new friendships across all year levels of the school and had a great night!
Out next event will be Drag Trivia with Max Drag Queen at Sunny Boy in Mordialloc on Wednesday 22 March. The perfect way to get you through hump day, join our fabulous group of mums and test your knowledge. Specials on the night include $15 grazing boards plus regular al la carte menu. Please RSVP as soon as possible as bookings are essential.
To attend events or to join the What’s App group, please contact Natalie on 0438 548 739.
Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, March 22
Drag Trivia at Sunny Boy, Mordialloc
6pm for Trivia 7pm start
Drink and food specials, prizes available
Please RSVP ASAP
Tuesday, April 4
Taco Tuesday at Hecho En Mexico, 277 Charman Rd, Cheltenham
7pm onwards
Please RSVP by Tuesday March 28
Dads Group
The next event on the Dads Group calendar is dinner and drinks at Sandy By the Bay
(Sandringham Football Club) on Friday, March 31, time TBC. Bookings are essential, so please get in touch with Bernard Laville on 0429 055 911, Pete Brook on 0422 082 281 or Darren Brady on 0490 502 108 to RSVP and to join the WhatsApp group to stay up to date with all the Dads Group calendar events.
