22 February 2021 (Term 1, Week 4)
CEO/PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Last Friday, the school celebrated its Opening Mass for 2021. Fr Michael Williams, the Parish Priest of Camden, joined us and led a beautiful service and the students, as always, were wonderfully respectful and engaged. It was a surreal experience, though, as parents were unable to be there and the usual community singing was not possible. It was great to be able to officially welcome our new students and to commission our new staff with a Mater Dei candle and the Rule of St Benedict. We are hopeful that by the time we are celebrating St Benedict’s Day later in the year that parents will be part of the Mass and that things will have returned to normal.
This week we are engaged in parent-teacher interviews and. though they are impacted by COVID-19 protocols, at least we are able to meet in some form. I look forward to greeting parents and carers as they arrive at the school. I am very grateful to our staff for the creative organisation that goes into making these events possible in these challenging times.
There is a great deal happening at Mater Dei in coming weeks, with the School Open Day, our inaugural Parents and Friends Meeting of the year, the annual golf day, swimming carnival, and the list goes on. The longer I am at Mater Dei the more I grow in appreciation of what is provided here for everyone in our community. The word “community” gets used in so many contexts, but in essence the word tries to define what unifies us, what we hold in common and what our shared purpose is; and that is the learning, care and support of the children and young adults in our school, preschool and post school programs. It is all about them, and we form a community because of them, and intentionally build safe and supportive structures around them to enable every child and young adult to thrive. That is a very Benedictine way to describe community, and I trust that you are still feeling connected to our wonderful community in spite of the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
I look forward to eventually seeing you in person as the year unfolds and I wish every blessing on your family as we prepare for the Easter season that is not far away.
Kind regards
Mark Raue
CEO/PRINCIPAL
GENERAL
ASH WEDNESDAY AND THE LENTEN SEASON
Last Wednesday, Mater Dei staff and students participated in small gatherings to begin our Season of Lent. The K-6 classes learnt about Ash Wednesday and Lent in their classrooms, and the Years 7-12 classes came together in our beautiful Chapel to reflect on the meaning of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season.
Lent is a time for us to reflect on our choices and how we can improve ourselves to become closer to God. Mater Dei supports Project Compassion which is organsied by Caritas and the theme for Project Compassion in 2021 is Be More.
SCHOOL PLAYGROUND CHANGES
As part of our ongoing commitment to our students in preparing them for post-school transition, we have decided to enable the Year 11 and 12 students to have access to the secondary playground at separate times from Years 3 to 10.
As with many other schools, senior students have the entitlement of their own outdoor space and we believe that implementing this change will foster a culture of maturity amongst the students. We also hope that this change will allow them to develop a deeper relationship amongst each other.
CHANGES TO STRUCTURED WORK PLACEMENT
This year we have welcomed Catherine Smith back to Mater Dei as part of our Workplace Learning Team (previously known as Structured Work Placement). Catherine will be coordinating placements, organising documentation and run sheets, liaising with host employers and collaborating with NextPath Workplace Learning Team. Both the School and NextPath Workplace Learning team will work closely together to support students on their Workplace Learning journey and find new and exciting opportunities to develop job ready skills.
We continue to have COVID-19 impact our host employers and the team is working hard to secure two term long placements for all Year 11 and 12 students for 2021. We aim to commence a rotating term placement schedule for all Year 10 students with Meals on Wheels later in Term One.
Should any parents or carers have any enquiries regarding Workplace Learning, please direct them to Catherine Smith.
PLAYGROUND PBIS
Our Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS) focus is rewarded in the playground with students receiving wrist bands for being kind and being safe. The wrist bands are collected in each classroom then counted before every Principal’s Assembly where one primary and one Secondary class are awarded a class trophy. Well done to our students for being safe and kind at Mater Dei.
PBIS FORTNIGHTLY FOCUS
This fortnight, our PBIS Focus is on being Kind, Safe and a Learner in the pool. Students are learning to ‘have a go’ when participating in activities. They are also learning to respect other people’s privacy and to ‘look, listen and do’.
FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACE
We are very excited to be using our new Flexible Learning Space which has been designed to provide an area where one or more classes can either work together, or in small groups. There is a variety of seating options including tiered seating which fits multiple classes, couches, floor cushions, benches with stools and tables with chairs, all of which can be moved around at any time to suit the needs of the learning experience and the students. The Flexible Learning Space has already been used by a number of classes across the school and has been thoroughly enjoyed by all.
NAPLAN
A letter outlining information regarding NAPLAN and exemptions has been sent home to students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Please prioritise the return of these forms.
BLAZERS AND OPTIONAL GIRLS TROUSER ORDERS
A reminder that fittings for blazers (for students in Years 7 to 12) and the optional girls' trousers will begin today, 22 February 2021 and will close on Saturday, 13 March 2021. Orders are done via fitting at Yeronga Uniforms in Camden. Payment is due at the time of order. Please note Yeronga's new trading hours. If your student is in Years 8-12, please check your blazer still fits and, if not, organise a fitting for their new one.
Please check out our https://www.facebook.com/groups/uniformsmaterdei/ for Second Hand uniforms or if you have a used Blazer you would like to sell.
ROAD SAFETY AT MATER DEI FOR DROP OFF AND PICK UP
A few reminders to ensure safety at drop-off and pick-up:
- Adhere to the speed limit
- Park to the right-hand side of the driveway (do not access the left-hand side or staff car park)
- Utilise the pedestrian crossing at all times
Ensure close supervision of your child (hand-holding if/when appropriate).
SCHOOL FORMS
Just a reminder that Compass now has a range of forms and compass support documents for parents to access. These are accessible through the Community Icon (2 heads) then clicking on School Documentation. This will be updated will additional information over time. Forms currently include:
- Update of Personal Details
- Consent to Release information
- Application for Leave/Exemption
- 2021 Changes to Afternoon Arrangements
- Health and Medication forms and procedures
IN CLASS THERAPY
Notice for any families with students attending in-therapy in Years 7 to 12. If the student is absent or unable to attend for any reason, please advise the therapist directly.
UPCOMING EVENTS & REMINDERS
P&F AGM - MONDAY, 1 MARCH
We would like to invite parents to our first face to face P&F meeting since COVID commenced last year. We would like to especially like to extend a warm welcome to our new families from both 2020 and 2021, who will finally have a chance to connect with the school community in person.
Please see below dates from our School Calendar for additional P&F meetings.
- Monday 3rd May
- Monday 7th June
- Monday 2nd August
- Monday 6th September
- Monday 1st November
- Monday 6th December – Christmas Dinner
CANTEEN 2021
Our first Canteen day is on Friday, 5 March 2021 (Week 5). Please see below flyer for Term 1 dates and the 2021 Canteen Menu.
PRINCIPAL'S ASSEMBLY
Our first Principal’s Assembly for 2021 will be held on Friday, 5 March. As per previous communications, due to COVID guidelines, this will still be a student-only event. No visitors. Photos of award recipients will be published to the school Facebook page and students names will be listed in the next school newsletter.
POST SCHOOL INFORMATION EVENING
A reminder that Mater Dei’s Post School evening will be held in the Sr Carmela Ritchie Hall on Wednesday March 17, 6-7 pm. Year 12 students and parents are required to attend. Families from Years 10 and 11 are also strongly encouraged to attend. Chris Drimal from the National Disability Insurance Agency will be present to answer questions.
Please see the below information regarding Catholic Schools NSW Post School Webinar Series.
PAST EVENTS
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
Last Friday, the Mater Dei School community came together with Fr Michael Williams from St Paul’s Parish, Camden to celebrate our Opening Mass for 2021. The Mass was somewhat subdued with no families or friends able to attend and no singing from our lovely choir or from the classes of students. However, the students were very respectful and reverent as they listened to Father’s words. At the conclusion of Mass, our new staff were presented by Mr Raue with a Mater Dei candle and a Rule of St Benedict book. Following this, was a clip of our new students who have joined us in 2021. It was lovely to hear how happy our new kindergarten students were to see, not only their own cute faces but also the faces of their new friends too. 2021, within Good Samaritan Education, is the Year of Communio, through the lens of Stewardship and Compassion. How blessed we are at Mater Dei!
CAMDEN COUNCIL GARDEN COMPETITION 2020
Last year 11/12 Gibbons were awarded second place in the Camden Council Garden Competition for the School Plot category. The students have received a framed certificate and $150 gift card. The students agreed to purchase a lemon tree to plant in a pot in the school vegetable garden. Congratulations 11/12 Gibbons 2020.
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - GOAL SETTING
On Wednesday, 10 February, Mater Dei teachers participated in Professional Development around setting personalised goals for students. This was hosted by Leanne Woodley from the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. Teachers re-visited the big ideas behind writing personalised goals for students and the importance of collecting data to monitor and evaluate student progress. There was also collegial discussion around self-determination and how we can assist in developing this important skill, including having our secondary students participate in our upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences.
COMMUNITY NEWS
