Term 3 Week 8

Tournament of the Minds 

Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Tournament of the Minds competition at Adelaide High School. During the last two terms Sarah Morris has worked with a very creative and energetic group of Year 5 and 6 students to prepare for this competition. 

They presented in Language Literature section and this involves an indepth analysis and research of texts from a variety of fields. Their performance was full of enthusiasm, strong teamwork and commitment to their individual and collective roles. 

I would like to congratulate the students and Sarah for their time, energy and passion for Tournament of the Minds. Very excited about what creativity and possibilities will be show cased next year.

If you read further in this newsletter, Yash has written a report for us.

We are in the latest Southern Cross publication! 

Following our successful SALA exhibition this year, we have had an article written about our event in the Southern Cross publication. If you would like to read the article, here is the link to follow: https://thesoutherncross.org.au/schools/2022/09/02/gift-of-creation-reflected-in-artwork/

Student Led Learning Conversations

Again, we were able to welcome families back onsite this week as we held our Student Led Learning Conversations. Originally these learning conferences were going to held in this format last year but we all know what changed that for us. 

At St Monica’s we are fully committed to the empowerment and inclusion of students’ voices. These conversations provided each student with the opportunity to share with their family their learning goals, showcase what they have been learning, what are their strategies when faced with challenges in their learning and finally what are the next steps. They were the creators of the content of these conversations and the teacher’s role was to support them in the development of their learning portfolio and strengthen their skills in leading the conversations.

I hope that you found these conversations to be beneficial in understanding who your child is as a creative and critical thinker, a planner and a learner. We will be seeking feedback on these sessions from all stakeholders in the coming week and I look forward to hearing your insights and reflections. 

Congratulations!

We have a national champion amongst us! Last week Ms Jade Ryan, teacher of our Reception Ryan class, competed in the Australian International Sport Aerobics and Fitness National Championship. Jade and her team were the winners of their team category. Next step is to compete internationally against other countries later this year in the Czech Republic. Congratulations Jade!

School Closure Days

Just a reminder to families that the school will be closed for two days in the coming weeks.

Thursday 22 September – National Day of Mourning – NO OSHC is available

Friday 30 September – Pupil Free Day for Staff Training and Planning – OSHC is available, and bookings are open for this day and vacation care. 

Blessings,

Emily Sayer

Principal

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a program for all primary and secondary students providing the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork.

This year Yash, Zavier, Emilia and Holly (Year 6) and Adela, Gabriel and Natalie (Year 5) were successful in winning a spot on the St Monica’s Team.  We spent 6 weeks rehearsing and preparing for a long-term challenge and a spontaneous challenge.

Challenges are set in the following disciplines... The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences and STEM.

These were the steps…

1. We choose a topic and we talked why or why not

2. We started doing a spontaneous challenge

3. Two people wrote the script

4. Mrs Morris checks it 

5. We choose our characters and remember our lines

6. We start acting the play out

7. Make props

8. Present to the judges at Adelaide High School

9. Present to the school

Overall, it was a fun experience and I learned a lot.

Yash Soni – Year 6

This morning, girls from years 4-6 enjoyed a Girls in STEM Breakfast, an initiative used to engage girls in STEM focused career opportunities. STEM leaders from Kildare College joined us for the breakfast before treating the girls to a healthy competition to build a 'paper ball run challenge'. We thank Kildare for the opportunity.

Last Thursday, the Year 3-6s attended the Touch Football Carnival against other Catholic Schools. It was exciting when an opposition snuck through us with the ball. We were satisfied when we nailed a pass to a teammate. 

We of course made a couple of mistakes in the beginning.  I was so happy when I scored my first try! Someone ended up scoring 12 tries!! How? It was tough on the field with all the noise and distractions. My team ended up with 2 ties, 3 losses and 1 win. 

It was fun versing other schools because it was not about winning it was about having fun and playing with other schools even if some of them were tough. It felt like they were scoring and scoring the entire game long! There was a lot of positivity in the air when we were playing on the field. Touch football is a game where you need to be honest and smart. Our strategy changed over the games we played, and we started to make a lot less mistakes by the time we got to our last game.  

Thanks Mr M and the parents and teachers who helped make this carnival a great day for all!

Ryan and Anwesha, Year 6

The students and I are currently in the process of finalising their Children's University hours, which need to be finalised by the end of the term. If your child is worried about not achieving the minimum hours to graduate please ask them to come and see me as soon as possible. Our school has been allocated WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER for graduation. Once your child has had their passport stamped with the necessary amount of hours they will be given their invitation which contains more details about the event. 

Due to meeting correct staffing ratios and requirements (qualified staff), families must book their child/ren into afternoon OSHC by 1 pm of the day required. This then allows Ms Byrne or myself to try to organise extra staff if required. If you have a permanent booking each week, you do not need to make a daily booking. Thank you for your support with this.

St Monica’s acknowledge the Kaurna People as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual connection and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to this country and commit to the ongoing journey of Reconciliation.