Term 3, Week 2 2025

Welcome Back! We hope you had a restful break and are feeling refreshed for the exciting term ahead - there is so much to look forward to! A very special welcome to the 23 new Reception students and their families who have joined our community this term, plus Rachel, Maren and Lily who have also joined us. We hope you already feel a strong sense of belonging here at our school and we look forward to getting to know you all in the weeks ahead.

Tomorrow,  we look forward to celebrating St Dominic’s Day, a special occasion to honour the life and legacy of St Dominic, whose values of truth, compassion, and service continue to inspire our school community. After a liturgy at 11:15am, our students will take part in a variety of activities with their buddy class as we reflect on what it means to live out the Dominican spirit in our daily lives.

Parent-Teacher Interviews Thank you to all families who have already booked a time to meet with your child’s teacher. While official bookings have closed, it’s not too late, please reach out directly to your child’s teacher or contact the front office if you’d still like to arrange a time to connect and discuss progress and goals for the semester ahead.

Catholic Schools Open Week
Next week is Catholic Schools Open Week - a wonderful opportunity to showcase our school to prospective families. If you know someone considering enrolment, we are hosting school tours on Tuesday at 9:15am and 5:00pm. Bookings can be made via our school website. We’d love your help in spreading the word!

T2D Traffic Changes (effective tomorrow)
We have now been informed that as part of the ongoing Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project, access to Walsh Avenue and Crystal Avenue from the South Road right-hand turn lanes will be permanently closed from tomorrow evening. From Monday, please allow extra time and plan alternative routes as needed. During this period of transition, I kindly ask that all community members remain patient and respectful to one another and to staff during our busy kiss-and-drop times - thank you.

Building Works
Our long-awaited building works are about to begin. In preparation, the playground and part of the back verandah adjacent to Francesca and Lynda’s room will be demolished. Internal hoarding will be installed in these classrooms late next week, with demolition commencing the week beginning August 11. We will continue to keep you informed of changes as they occur to ensure the safety and smooth operation of our school environment.

Meanwhile, our new playground is developing beautifully – the sandpit is really starting to take shape. We are hopeful that the trampolines, sandpit, and new monkey bars will be ready for the students to enjoy later this term. Exciting, but very busy times ahead!

Staff News
We are also pleased to share the wonderful news that Chelsea Foord is expecting her second child. Chelsea, Nic, and big sister Sadie are looking forward to welcoming their little girl around Christmas time. Chelsea will be taking leave for the first half of 2026.

Next week, we also welcome back Marlo, who has just returned from a wonderful honeymoon exploring Europe. A sincere thank you to Simon Angley for his work supporting our Year 6 learners over the past two weeks while Marlo was away.

What a gift it is to be part of such a vibrant and caring school community.

As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership.

God bless,
Michelle Starr

The 3A students learnt about St. Dominic, to celebrate St. Dominic’s Day. They learnt about his life, and why we celebrate him. The students then drew St. Dominic in their art books to create a beautiful piece of art. 3A were then able to paint and learn more about why he became a Saint.  We asked a few students about who St. Dominic is, and here are their answers.

What did St. Dominic do?
He built schools so nuns could teach students and the poor. He also studied six years in arts and four years in something else.

What does the dog mean?
It is a vision his mum got, to see that Dominic was special.

Why do we remember St. Dominic?
Because he built all the schools and if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be here at a private school.

Abiral

What did St. Dominic do?
He made schools and helped homeless people.

What does the dog mean?
It was like God showing the mum that he was special.

Why do we remember St. Dominic?
Because he gave up what he had for other people, and he started St. Bernadette’s.

Indigo

What did St. Dominic do?
He made schools, and the sisters were teachers. He made new buildings. He helped poor people.

What does the dog mean?
The dog means something special to Dominic. The dog came from the mother’s dreams. The dream meant the dog will set the world on fire.

Why do we remember St. Dominic?
Because he built the school, he helped poor people and sold his books to do it. He was a good person.

Hajia

What did St. Dominic do?
Instead of doing stuff, like buying expensive stuff, he bought things for the homeless. He walked to Rome, and he asked the Pope permission to have a group.

What does the dog mean?
The dog represents the meaning of Dominics mum, saying that the dog will light the world with fire, to show that Dominic is in this world.

Why do we remember St. Dominic?
Because he is a Saint. They are kind, always take care of each other.

Patrick

From Japanese Lessons日本語の授業から

Konnichiwa minasan, good afternoon, everyone!

I hope that you have been enjoying a fulfilling two weeks in Term 3.

It is remarkable how swiftly time progresses—only five months remain until the conclusion of the year. This reality underscores the diligence of our students as they strive to attain a sense of achievement.

Below are some highlights of their educational endeavours:

-All year levels had a warm-up challenge with Kahoot.

- Reception students are successfully recognising greetings in both Romaji and Hiragana scripts.

- Year 1 students can count fluently up to 10 in Japanese and have begun reading these numbers in Kanji characters; several students have advanced to counting up to 20.

- Year 2 students are utilising personality adjectives to describe their family members.

- Year 3 students are learning the names of the months to discuss their families’ birth months and are practising writing them in Kanji characters.

- Year 4 and Year 5 students are engaged in discussions about age to describe their family situations while also writing these in Kanji characters.

- Year 6 students are utilising classroom expressions in Japanese and learning to recognise these expressions in Hiragana scripts.

I look forward to witnessing continued proactive participation and progress in the students' Japanese speaking abilities and intercultural understanding. Their pronunciation is commendable. I encourage all students to seize opportunities to express themselves in the language and not fear making mistakes!! 😊

Wishing you all a successful Term 3.

Chizuru Banks

Here are a couple of quizzes about the Japanese Summer Festival

1. What type of food is commonly sold at festival stalls (屋台)?
   A. Sushi
   B. Ramen
   C. Takoyaki
   D. Tempura
2. What is the purpose of the Obon Festival, held in summer?
   A. To celebrate the harvest
   B. To honour ancestors
   C. To welcome spring
   D. To pray for good grades

 
Answers:          1. C                  2. B