St Augustine's Parish School eNewsletter

Principal & Deputy Principal Message

Dear Families,

For many children, Term 4 is when the learning they have done throughout the year really consolidates and they feel a sense of confidence in their abilities. It is also a time of celebration and reflection, for children to have great satisfaction and pride in what they have achieved. This week 95 children from St Augustine’s have celebrated their achievements by graduating from Children’s University with a special ceremony at Bonython Hall, Adelaide University. We congratulate them on their hard work, with a total of 102 children completing out of school learning opportunities, 5 achieving over 200 hours and 3 achieving over 300 hours. We thank Ms Kathy Martin for her work supporting them through this.

During the first few weeks of the term, we focused on our next learner quality: Courageous. Being a Courageous Learner can look like a lot of things:

Trying something new
Setting goals
Challenging ourselves
Standing up for others

Our children and teachers spent some time talking about this in their classrooms. We also had a special message from Paralympian Jed Altschwager about being courageous. As we often identify the Lion as a symbol of courage, to finish off the week, we had a visit from a Courageous Lion at lunchtime. Children shared with the Lion, how they show courage in their classroom.

As a Catholic school, Term 4 is also a special time in the year of the Church. The month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers and prays for those who have died as well as celebrating and giving thanks to all of us who make up the body of Christ, those who are saints here on earth and in heaven. November also marks the end of the Liturgical Year, with a new Church year starting on the First Sunday of Advent, the four-week period of preparation before Christmas.

As a Sun Smart school, a reminder that students need to be wearing hats when outdoors, during recess, lunch, fitness and PE lessons. Please ensure you remind your child to place their labelled hat in their school bag each day. School hats can also be purchased online or from the front office.

We are looking to the end of year celebration ahead, including our Carols Night, Year 6 Graduation and End of Year Mass.

Take care,

Dan Cowan, Principal &
Michelle Thomas, Deputy Principal

Catholic Identity Updates

ALL SAINTS
Every year on the first ofNovember is called All Saints in the Catholic Church. It is a day we celebrate the people who followed God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit with all their heart. These people are known as saints.

Saints exist even today. They are amongst us: doing good, caring for others and living lives of love. Saints walk the earth today. Amongst us. Living lives of love.

We ask those saints in heaven, especially St Augustine, his mother St Monica and St Dominic de Guzman to pray for us.

ALL SOULS DAY
Every second November, Catholics around the world pray for deceased loved ones. It is known as All Souls Day.

Loss is always deep. Those we love, for Catholics, enter a new reality when they die: they come face to face with God for all eternity.

The children will be having a Liturgy (a prayer with a Gospel passage) to pray for families.

If you would like the children to pray for particular people, please email me their names at: rtullio@saps.catholic.edu.au

PRAYING THE ROSARY
The Parish of St Augustine’s pray the Rosary every Monday morning from 9am to 10am in the St Augustine’s Church. You are all warmly welcome to join the parishioners. You don’t have to stay for the whole hour – stay as long as you need to.

The Rosary is a prayer prayed with beads. The Rosary was given to St Dominic de Guzman by Our Lady – Mary. It has been prayed for hundreds of years and is a very popular prayer devotion.

ST VINNIES CHRISTMAS HAMPERS
Twice a year, the beautiful families of St Augustine’s Parish school donate with great love to St Vinnies. This year, more than ever, we have been asked to donate food or items to bring a smile to faces. If you can donate, Rosemary from St Vinnies has asked that we start our collection on Monday 11 November and conclude on Friday 29 November. The volunteers will be putting together Christmas hampers on Friday 6 December. Please bring all donations to your child’s class.

DATE CLAIMER:
Year 6 children will have their end of year Retreat on Monday 25 November. It will be a special time to reflect and reminisce on their time here at St Augustine’s Parish School.

ST DOMINIC:
Fun facts: Did you know that St Dominic is the Patron Saint of Astronomers? Those who study the planets and the stars have him as their saint.

THOUGHTS:
Sainthood in never out of our reach. God creates goodness from the start. We are all born good. It is how we live out that goodness: whether we accept it or not – that makes sainthood possible.

PRAYER:
Loving God, you created saints to deliver a message of love to all. We thank you for these role models. Help us all attain that same love with each other. Amen.

Dr Rachele Tullio,
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission

Catholic School Music Festival

On Wednesday 25 September our Year 5 and 6 Choir students participated in the Catholic Schools Music Festival in the Festival Centre. They were joined by students from 20 other Catholic schools around South Australia on the Festival Theatre stage.

At the very end of Term 3 on Wednesday morning our students attended a dress rehearsal at the Festival Theatre and later that evening performed 10 songs in a combined choir made up of approximately 400 students.

Our students sang beautifully and represented SAPS proudly. They were very excited to have the opportunity to perform on such an iconic stage in the stunning Festival Theatre where the biggest musicals and artists from around Australia and the World perform.

A highlight of the evening was when our very own Xian (Year 6) also represented our school by being chosen to sing the National Anthem with a small group of students from other schools.

Our students’ hard work, commitment and dedication in rehearsals over the last 3 Terms was evident in their remarkable performance. What an amazing night of talent. A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to them all!

Thriving People Event

On Tuesday week 2, we attended the Thriving People Event at the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre. Thriving People is a CESA run event for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across South Australia. The day provided culturally rich experiences through a variety of workshops including a cultural bushwalk, learning about Aboriginal artefacts, and Native Plant Propagation.
The students were given the opportunity to try some native plants and see a very old scar tree. The children returned to school with some native seeds to plant in our school community and homes. Thank you to the students for making it a day to remember!

Jayme-Lee Sonneman,
Year 2 & Aboriginal Education Focus Teacher

Year 4 Port Adelaide Excursion

Recently the Year 4 classes enjoyed an excursion to historic Port Adelaide. We visited the Maritime Museum, the City of Adelaide Clipper Ship and the Railway Museum.

At each of these locations the children were involved in a variety of activities and tours which complimented our learning in HASS about ‘First Contact’, ‘The Voyage of the First Fleet’ and the eventual ‘Colonisation of Australia’.

The Year 4s also walked to the Railway Museum where they climbed on trains and carriages from the past. They also got to take a thrilling ride on the resident Choo-Choo train which they loved (and so did the teachers 😉)!

The Clipper Ship was a particular highlight, and we highly recommend families go and experience it. It would make a fantastic family fun day outing.

A GREAT DAY WAS HAD BY ALL!!!

Year 4 Teacher

4MBee
Our class had an unforgettable time in Historic Port Adelaide! We learned about the first contact between Aboriginal people and early settlers, as well as the fascinating trade with the Macassans from Indonesia, and how these connections shaped the northern Aboriginal nations. We loved hearing about the different ways people immigrated to South Australia on ships. A highlight was exploring the compartments of The Clipper Ship and the Ketch, hearing stories of long voyages—how people entertained themselves, coped with limited food, dealt with sickness and outbreaks of disease, and even had surgeries on board. We also experienced how convicts endured months-long journeys and heard horror stories from their time at sea. The ride on the Choo-Choo train at the Railway Museum was thrilling—Choo-choo!

4CE
Our favourite thing at the Maritime Museum was exploring the ship and seeing the under-ground part. It was really cool to see how old it looked. We also got to see the cabins. When we walked to the Railway Museum we loved going on the Choo Choo Train. It was so fun, we went on it over 4 times! Our last visit was the Clipper Ship. This was huge! It was all old & rusty and there were so many rats.

4LL
Our class enjoyed a fun-filled and educational excursion to the Maritime Museum, Railway Museum, and Clipper Ship. We loved learning about Indigenous Australians' connection to the land and their cultures through interactive displays and videos. It was exciting to see how everything we had been studying in HASS connected to what we experienced on the excursion. One of our favourite parts was getting to explore the different ships, it was such an adventure!

4DM
Our class had a memorable day in Historic Port Adelaide! We were fascinated by the early stories of Aboriginal trade with the Macassans and how these connections shaped the region. Stepping aboard The Clipper Ship, we imagined life at sea, hearing about the long voyages, limited rations, and the makeshift medical care provided on board. The challenges faced by convicts during their months-long journey to Australia were eye-opening. The highlight of our day was exploring the Railway Museum and taking a ride on the Choo-Choo train—what a blast!

Mid Year Reception Cultural Day

Our Mid Year Reception classes celebrated the diverse range of cultures by inviting all children to dress in their traditional clothing and bring some traditional foods to share. This gave us an opportunity for the children to share about their cultural backgrounds.

SACPSSA Athletics Carnival

On Monday 4 November, St Augustine’s boys’ and girls’ students from year 3,4,5, and 6 attended the SACPSSA Athletics Carnival at SA Athletics Stadium.

The students competed against other Christian schools in various athletic events. We are proud to announce that many of our students came home with 1^st,2^nd, and 3^rd place ribbons from both individual and team events. Special mention to Jax who won the Year 4 boys age champion – a great achievement. This was a valuable and memorable experience for all students.

Thanks to the teachers and ESO’s involved for your support in providing this opportunity for our students.

Bo Roper & Dylan Baker
Health & PE Teachers

Fostering Thoughtful Learners

This week, we introduced the final learner quality, Thoughtful Learner, to the students. This initiative is a wonderful opportunity to continue exploring the learner qualities we have been developing throughout the year. There are three focus areas that students and teachers will be working on in the classroom.

Growth Mindset: Encouraging students to embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities to learn and grow.
Metacognition: Helping students become aware of their thinking processes and strategies.
Use of Feedback: Teaching students to effectively use feedback to improve their learning and performance.

These focus areas are not new to our students; they are practices teachers have been integrating into their classrooms. Here are some ways we have been fostering these skills at school:

Bump it up Wall: A visual tool that helps students understand the steps needed to improve their work.
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria: Clearly defined goals and criteria that guide students in their learning journey.
Learning Pits: A concept that helps students understand the learning process, including the challenges and breakthroughs.
Establishing Learning Norms/Expectations: Setting clear expectations at the beginning of each term to create a supportive and structured learning environment.

We encourage families to discuss these concepts at home and support their children in becoming thoughtful learners. You can do this by:

Embrace challenges as an opportunity to learn,
Use positive self-talk,
Not giving up and persisting with a challenge when things get tough,
The power of the word ‘yet’, instead of saying I can’t do this, say I can’t do this yet,
Persistence and effort are key to learning and improving
Using the success of others as motivation by seeking help
Set goals and plan your work,
Evaluate your work as you go,
Apply existing knowledge and strategies to new challenges,
Reflect on what you are doing, and
Use feedback to understand their opportunities for further growth.

Thank you for your continued support!

Ian Aitchison,
Wellbeing Coordinator

District SAPSASA Football Carnival

Congratulations to Annika (6ML) on her selection to represent the Para District at the Girls’ Aussie Rules State SAPSASA Carnival in Week 2! This was a fantastic achievement, and we are incredibly proud of her efforts throughout the 3-day carnival. Well done, Annika!

Bo Roper & Dylan Baker
Health & PE Teachers

Community Hub

During the October school holidays I was honoured to receive an Award for Excellence in Playgroup Facilitation at Government House.

Thank you to Playgroup SA and Emily Bowden from Catholic Education SPiCE network for nominating our service.

A huge thanks to all our beautiful families who attend St Augustine’s Community Hub & Playgroup program. It is a privilege to work alongside you all to support your parenting journey.

Thank you to my colleagues Parisa, Victoria & Ding for all your hard work and dedication to building a welcoming inclusive space for our school community.

https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/news/104111/catholic-school-playgroups-shine-bright-at-playgroup-sa-s-playgroup-excellence-awards

Carole Smith
Community Hub Coordinator