Term 2, Week 6 2024

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Out Little Dominican Transition Program starts next week, where we welcome 16 new students into our Dominican School Community. We also welcome Angus (Year 5) and Clara (Year 6), as well as three new staff members Louisa Martino (Performing Arts), Heather Manning (Transition) and Tanya Weber (Executive Assistant). We extend a warm welcome to all our new students, staff and families and we hope that their journey at our school will be full of excitement, new learning and lasting friendships. 

South Australian Catholic Primary Principal Association Conference: Leading a High Performance Culture Now and Into the Future

Two weeks ago I attended this year’s South Australian Catholic Primary Principal Association (SACPPA) conference, which was centred on the compelling theme, "Leading a High Performance Culture Now and Into the Future." The event brought together visionary educators and thought leaders to explore innovative strategies for fostering a culture of high performance within schools, ensuring that students receive the best possible education and support for their futures.

All leaders left with a renewed sense of purpose and a toolkit of strategies to implement in their schools. The discussions underscored that leading a high-performance culture is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment to excellence, adaptability, and innovation.

The SACPPA conference once again proved to be a pivotal event for educational leaders, providing us with the insights and inspiration needed to lead our schools effectively now and into the future. Together, all Catholic leaders are poised to make a lasting impact, ensuring that South Australian Catholic primary schools remain beacons of high performance and holistic education.

National Reconciliation Week

Last week we celebrated National Reconciliation Week.  National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The 2024 theme, ‘Now More Than Ever’.  This theme is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue. The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Pupil Free Day

This Friday on the Pupil Free Day all staff will be participating in a staff retreat day that will focus on The Dominican Spirit Alive in Our World Today.  Our day will be structured around our four Dominican Pillars and grounded in the Dominican tradition and the work of Jesus.

This staff retreat day is designed to foster personal and professional growth among staff members, to enhance teamwork, deepen individual reflection, and to participate in faith in action.

A huge thank you to Mrs Kovacev for her thorough planning and organisation of this event.

125 Year Celebrations at Dominican

This term we have two significant celebrations:

Back to Dominican Day – Tuesday 25^th June from 2-6pm.  We welcome back all old scholars and families for an afternoon of memories.  Visitors are invited to take a tour of what’s new, revisit what’s old and share stories with fellow past students.

Dominican Gala Ball - Saturday 6 July. Invite all your family and friends to an evening of good food, dancing, silent auctions, and celebrations.  Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If possible, families are also asked to contribute any donations for either the silent auction and/or wine wall at the Gala Ball.  All donations can be left in the front office.

We thank all our families for their kind generosity and their continued support of our Dominican School Community.

Many blessings for the weeks ahead.

Angela Scodella
PRINCIPAL

RECONCILIATION WEEK MASS

Last Wednesday, RN and 5/6T led a Reconciliation Mass at Sacred Heart Church. They gathered together as one, to give thanks for the diversity of peoples and cultures with which we live. At Dominican, Reconciliation means that we have the grace to say sorry, to hear sorry and to live with forgiveness. We thank RN and 5/6T for leading us in prayer during Reconciliation Week. 
 

FAITH IN ACTION

Our Justice Leaders are inspiring us to take action and work for social justice with their ‘Be the Sunshine on Someone’s Cloudy Day’ campaign. Donations have been collected to create care packs for the Hutt St Centre and hospital packs for Aboriginal Catholic Ministries Otherway Centre, which will be given to Indigenous hospital patients. To thank everyone for their support and generosity, on Thursday 6th June we had a casual day celebration. Justice Leaders  also sold smiley face cookies for $2 with all money raised going towards the hospital and care packs.

PHILIP KENNEDY CENTRE VISIT

Over the last few weeks, our Justice Leaders made heartfelt visits to Philip Kennedy Centre, bringing joy and companionship to its residents. This visit was part of our ongoing commitment to community service and social justice. The students spent quality time engaging with the residents through conversations, reading sessions, and even a few games of balloon tennis. Their efforts not only brightened the day of the residents but also fostered intergenerational connections and empathy among our students. We are proud of our Justice Leaders for exemplifying compassion and making a positive impact in our community.

FAMILY FAITH FORMATION

On Saturday 1st June, our students and families in the Sacramental Program gathered for their first Confirmation Family Workshop. We pray for Brooklyn, Scarlett, Brax, Sophia, Robben and Addison who are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. May they receive the fullness of God’s Spirit. The next workshop is on Tuesday 11th June 4.00pm – 5.00pm at the Sacred Heart Meeting Room.

SUSTAINABILITY AND ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION

The Dominican Sustainability Committee (which includes five students, three staff members, two parents and a Green Adelaide representative) are excited to announce their latest initiative to foster ecological stewardship within our school community. Our dedicated team is diligently developing a comprehensive School Action Plan for Sustainability and Ecological Conversion, aimed at promoting practices that align with our commitment to caring for our common home. This plan will include actionable steps for reducing our environmental footprint, enhancing recycling programs, and integrating sustainability education into our curriculum. By engaging students, staff, and families in these efforts, we aim to cultivate a culture of environmental responsibility and ensure a greener, healthier future for all. Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to get involved!

Martina Kovacev
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR

🌟 Celebrating National Reconciliation Week 🌟

This year's theme for National Reconciliation Week is "Now More Than Ever”. Reconciliation taking action is important now more than ever, with a growing number of students in our Nunga Club, and with us as a school deepening our understanding of Aboriginal culture and history. These actions resonate deeply with our school's pillars of community and recognising the diversity of all our students and what they bring to our community. We're proud to be taking meaningful steps towards a more inclusive and respectful future by engaging our students with the rich traditions and wisdom of the Kaurna People.

During National Reconciliation Week, we began our recognition of this occasion through a liturgy led by our Nunga Club. This took place on the courts so that all students could sit in a circle around the prayer space, an Aboriginal symbol for gathering of people or coming together at a meeting place. During this liturgy, each of our Nunga Club students read a statement from the Statement of Reconciliation and acknowledged steps we could take together as a school towards this. 

Throughout the week, students were also engaged in recognising indigenous Australian culture by creating artworks based on indigenous symbols. Each student was provided a wooden hand outline which was decorated with indigenous patterns, symbols, and colours. In some Aboriginal cultures, hand motifs are associated with the practice of healing and creating a healing touch, a significant symbol for our students to reach out for reconciliation. 

On Thursday we celebrated a NAIDOC-themed day with students from our Nunga Club proposing a coloured shirt day. This also allowed us the opportunity to create a living flag with students in our community. A great initiative to show our support and acknowledgement for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students within our community. 

This year, Dominican School staff have also begun the process of developing an Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to promote awareness and take meaningful action to advance reconciliation. Look out for more initiatives and learning opportunities that will be shared throughout this year. 

Nick Ryan
LEADER OF LEARNING

JAPANESE

Language is interconnected with culture and our students are learning not only the Japanese language but also culture.

As part of the year 5/6 classes lessons on Hinamatsuri, Girls’ Day in Japan, students made and decorated paper Japanese dolls. Our younger students enjoyed making origami Japanese dolls that wore a Kimono, a Japanese traditional dress.

In Term 2, students have learnt about Children’s Day, which happens every May, and is one of the biggest celebrations in Japan. One of the highlights was making a carp streamer. Carp fish is a symbol of strength in Japan, and students made their fish beautifully.

Matthew Annetta
PE TEACHER AND SPORTS COORDINATOR

GROW YOUR MIND @ DOMINICAN

The last of the Grow Your Mind animals for us to meet is The Sensitive Octopus- the insular cortex. We know that in nature, the octopus is always aware of its surroundings and is constantly changing. Likewise, our Sensitive Octopus can notice when a friend is sad, lonely or frustrated and can respond. This super power is called empathy. We teach students that having empathy is a core part of friendships. What are some ways that you can stay connected and show empathy to others? Check out the poster below and for more insights into how to grow your Sensitive Octopus, have a listen to episode 1, season 2 of the Grow Your Mind children’s podcast- https://growyourmind.life/podcast/.

Lisa Osborne
STUDENT COUNSELLOR

SACPSSA LACROSSE CARNIVAL

Dominican School showcased their sporting abilities at the recent Catholic Schools Lacrosse Carnival held at Woodville Lacrosse Club in Findon. With a representation of 26 students from Years 3 to 6, the school entered four competitive teams that battled it out against other Catholic Schools in a great display of sportsmanship and skill.

A huge thank you to our dedicated parent volunteers - Adrian Tatrai, Mimma Lupoi, and Rebecca King whose support in supervising and managing the teams ensured a smooth and successful day for all involved.

SAPSASA REPRESENTATIVES

Congratulations to Luisa Z and Imogen M on their recent selections into their respective Port SAPSASA Representative teams. Luisa was selected into the Port District SAPSASA Girls Netball Team and Imogen was selected into the Port SAPSASA Cross Country Team. We wish the girls all the best for their upcoming carnivals.

SAPSASA CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

We are thrilled to share the news that 35 of our talented students, ranging from Years 3-6, represented our school at the SAPSASA Cross Country Carnival on Tuesday 7 May, at Point Malcolm Reserve in Semaphore Park. These remarkable students showcased incredible grit, stamina and determination throughout their nominated races.

Congratulations to the students who achieved outstanding results and placed in their respective races.

A special thank you goes to Katy Tatrai and Troy Jamieson for their officiating and support during the carnival.

Matthew Annetta
PE TEACHER AND SPORTS COORDINATOR

 REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE TODAY!

Gather your friends and purchase your tickets now via QR code.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART KICKS OFF THIS TERM AT DOMINICAN!

Jump Rope for Heart is the Heart Foundation’s primary school skipping challenge that helps kids move more, have fun, and raise funds for life-saving research and programs.

This year we’ve got an audacious goal to see our student Heart Heroes at Dominican to log 40 hours of skipping throughout the program!

Register your child online, so they can receive the full benefits of the program and participate in online fundraising, simply follow the link below to get started. www.jumprope.org.au/parents

Students will be skipping throughout the term in PE lessons, during fitness lessons and during recess and lunch breaks.  During this time you can share their online fundraising page with family and friends to help raise money for this great cause.

Thank you for supporting the Jump Rope for Heart program!