Advent 

Even though Advent does not begin until Sunday November 29th in the Church calendar, as a school community we begin preparing for the birth of Jesus a little earlier. Advent is the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, the birth of Jesus.  

Advent is a time of waiting for Jesus to come. It is an exciting time. We are filled with anticipation and we prepare for God coming near to us in a special way.  When we have a party, we prepare by sending out invitations, preparing games and food and songs so that when the party happens everyone has a wonderful time.  We prepare for Jesus coming at Christmas during advent. It is a time when we prepare our hearts, by looking inside ourselves and working out how to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.  During Advent, we often give more of ourselves to others. We reach out as a reminder that God reaches out to us in Jesus. So, we might give money or things to those who don’t have as much as we do, or we might take extra special care of those we know and love, or we might simply try to be a better friend.  Preparing can be as exciting as the actual event we are preparing for, if we really get into the spirit of it.  While we reflect on God being near us, let us take a moment to think about how we can get ready for Jesus’ birthday. 

Vinnies Giving Tree 

Once again, as a School Community we will be supporting St Vincent De Paul, Gawler and placing The Giving Tree in the front office. Vinnies Gawler provides gifts for families in our local area. These gifts are made up of the generous donations from our school community which they are truly grateful.  Your generous donations of non-perishable foods and gifts for children, adults or families can be placed under the Giving Tree at any time between weeks 6 - 8. The gifts will be distributed to needy families in Gawler through St Vincent De Paul. Vinnies prefer the gifts to be donated unwrapped. Please ensure gifts are new and not used. Included in the newsletter is a flyer from Vinnies with examples of gifts that you might consider donating.  In anticipation of your generosity, Thank you! 

End of Year Mass 

We are looking forward to celebrating the end of the school year at the End of Year Mass on Tuesday December 1 at 11.40am in the SAMMAT. So, we can abide by the COVID restrictions, the mass will be a “ticketed event” and you will need to complete an online RSVP which will be available on Szapp prior to December 1. Please ensure you keep an eye on this announcement and be aware that circumstances could change.  

THIS EVENT IS A MAJOR SCHOOL FUNCTION.  

WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILD WEARS THEIR  

FULL SUMMER SCHOOL UNIFORM 

Creative, Collaborative, Connected Learners - Inspired by Love 

NAIDOC Week 2020: 

Throughout this week we have been celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

This year the theme is “Always was, always will be”, which reminds us of the richness and continuous longevity of the oldest civilization in the world. Our role as educators and parents is to instill this knowledge and understanding of the truth of our past in our children, while celebrating the broad contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to our society. In doing so, we help them develop the empathy that is required to bring healing that is so important for the future of our Indigenous community. 
 

Year 1/2A and 5A

Sports Day:

It was wonderful to be able to share our Sports Day with families last Friday. We were blessed with good weather and abundant space for families to share in their children’s events safely. 

We are grateful to the Gawler South Football Club Committee for making the oval available to us. We also thank Miss Xerri for her coordination of the day and all staff for preparing the children and supporting them throughout the day. The feedback was positive despite the challenges of moving the event off the school site. Congratulations to Team Paul for winning the 2020 Spirit Cup and Team Brigid for overall Sports Day Team champions!  

SPORTS DAY WINNERS!! Team Brigid

SPIRIT CUP WINNERS!! Team Paul

Ceili 2020:

Congratulations to our student performers at our annual Ceili. On Wednesday afternoon the students and parents were treated to an array of talent from our instrumental students, bands and Festival choir.

It was wonderful to see the emerging development from beginner to proficient. Well done to the Performing Arts leaders, Tech Crew and of course, Mrs. Isaacson for preparing and coordinating the event. Thank you to Mr. Allan Dean for always being there for his guitar students. 

Uniform: 

As the year draws to a close, we are seeing some examples of incorrect uniform being worn. The main issue is incorrect footwear and socks being worn with the formal uniform. We ask parents to be vigilant with how your child leaves home ensuring they are wearing the correct uniform for the day. It is important that we continue to maintain the high standard set by most students ensuring that we don’t ‘switch off’ as we come to the end of the term. 

Building: 

The new building is close to practical completion stage with the building being handed over next week and the new furniture being delivered. We are both excited and proud of what has been achieved through this project and we look forward to sharing this through group tours over the coming weeks. 

The OSHC redevelopment is going to plan along with the new ‘Village Green’ area works continuing over the remainder of this term.   

Immersion Band Program 2021: 

After the initial launch of this program in 2019, it was heartening to see the persistence of our young musicians throughout the disruptions caused by lock downs and online lessons. For some instruments this has been difficult, particularly for very young students. However, with a positive outlook for 2021, we wish to draw your attention once agin to this exciting program. 

The program offers a limited number of students to take up a band instrument where the school covers the cost of hiring the instrument and parents pay for a reduced cost of a group lesson of no more than three students. Parents also have the option of a private lesson at full price while still accessing the free use of the instrument. The violin program is open to students in the Early Years and up, while the brass and woodwind program is open to students from Year 4 –6. Continuing students can access the hire program for up to 3 years before they will need to provide their own instrument. Instruments must be returned prior to any child moving on to secondary or other school. 

In planning for 2021, we would like to have an idea of numbers of students interested in either continuing or beginning this program. If you would like your child to explore this program for your child, please complete the expression of interest form that will come out separately on SZapp. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Gennaro Mannella for further information. 

Remembrance Day Commemoration: 

On Wednesday we commemorated Remembrance Day, remembering both the Armistice of the end of World War 1 and the sacrifice that millions made in the pursuit of peace for the world at the time. It was also a time to recognise the service of current serving  Defence Force members of our own community who work to maintain peace in our world today.