Term 3, Week 2 (25 July 2022)
CEO/PRINCIPAL'S ADDRESS
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back to Term III. It unfortunately feels very familiar, but we are once again in the midst of a period of raised community health concerns and will be continuing our safety measures at Mater Dei. I trust you and your families will stay safe and get through this winter period as well as possible.
There are several significant staffing announcements I wish to make:
The first is that Eryn Lonergan, the Deputy Principal of Mater Dei School, has accepted a position with The Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) as an Education Consultant and her last day with us will be Friday 26 August. Eryn has been at Mater Dei since 2008 and her contribution to our organisation has been substantial. Whilst she will do a fine job at AISNSW helping independent schools across NSW, she will also leave a huge gap at Mater Dei. Her knowledge and commitment to educating students with disability has been first class and we will miss her very much. The position Eryn has accepted is very prestigious and is a credit to her expertise in this area. We will appropriately farewell her and recognise her contribution to Mater Dei in coming weeks. On behalf of the Mater Dei community I would like to congratulate Eryn and wish her all the best in her future career.
A recruitment process for the position of Deputy Principal will commence shortly. In the meantime, I have appointed a very experienced educational leader to cover Eryn’s position as Deputy Principal for the rest of 2022. Karen Young was formerly the Principal of John Therry Catholic High School, Rosemeadow, and St John’s Catholic High School in Nowra. Prior to that she was the founding Assistant Principal at Magdalene Catholic College. Karen filled in as Acting Director of Next Path in 2021, knows Mater Dei well, and will return to help us through the next few months leading the school community under my direction.
Last week I also confirmed the appointment of Sarah Ryan as the Director of Development. Sarah has been acting in the role for six months after the departure of Cath Jeffcoate last year, and has demonstrated high capacity and commitment leading this important part of the wider Mater Dei organisation. I congratulate Sarah on her appointment and look forward to her ongoing leadership at Mater Dei
Kind Regards,
MARK RAUE
CEO/PRINCIPAL
FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S DESK
WELCOME
Welcome to Liz Kulmar and Erin Dobinson, who began with Mater Dei School this term as part of our AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety Team. Liz joins Jodie Dobinson in the pool on a Monday and Erin on a Tuesday, for the remainder of 2022.
FAREWELL
Michelle Charles, currently PPT Teacher, has resigned from her permanent teaching position at Mater Dei. Mrs Charles’ last day in a permanent capacity will be Wednesday 27 July (Term 3 – Week 2).
Mrs Charles has dedicated 15 years of exceptional service to Mater Dei. She has always been a valued, committed and consistent special education teacher. Our students have been the lucky recipients of her reliability, preparation and delivery of accessible curriculum, where a minute of golden learning time is never wasted.
Mrs Charles advised that it was a particularly difficult decision for her to make but feels the timing is right for her and her life circumstances. She will move to casual teaching with Mater Dei and how lucky we are that she will remain connected with our community.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers for Ethan S, who had been in hospital since February, after a significant medical emergency. Ethan finally arrived home earlier this month!
Ethan still requires ongoing care and the gofundme page remains active for those who are able to help support the family. https://www.gofundme.com/f/sk6k4c-help-ethan-recover
Olivia T, who previously attended Mater Dei, has recently been very unwell in hospital. Please keep Olivia, her Mum Megan, Dad Andrew and little brother Jack in your prayers. Jack’s daycare centre is currently fundraising for the family and have allowed Mater Dei to share this information via our newsletter. Please see the attached information if you are able to help.
SITE UPDATE
An infants playground upgrade was anticipated to be completed during the holidays, however due to supply delays, the install of new equipment will now occur during Week 4. This may see some timetabling and location changes to allow for this work to occur. This will unfortunately coincide with our St Benedict’s Feast Day celebrations. As usual, our solutions focused staff are ensuring all activities can go ahead with some alterations to the plan of the day. We are very excited about the upgrade of the playground which includes more engaging and accessible equipment for our students.
COVID-SMART MEASURES
SCHOOL NEWS
YEAR 10 VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations for Year 10 Students will take place at school on the 3rd of August 2022. Vaccination packs were sent home with all students this week. Please read the included information and complete sections 1 to 3 on the card. You will be required to sign the card on each page. Please return the card to school on Monday the 25th of July 2022.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact the school between 8:30am and 4:00pm.
WORKPLACE LEARNING
Workplace Learning starts back this week! Our students are very excited to partake again this term. Some students will have a new Workplace Setting and other students will continue on with their current placement. Either way, our students’ skills and knowledge will deepen and strengthen. So wonderful having our supportive hosts working with our students!
PBIS FOCUS
This term with PBIS, students are working on Social Skills and Friendships. How do we make friends? How do we keep friends? What does friendship look like on the playground or in the classroom? Friendships are so important here at Mater Dei!
MISSION & VISION
Sacramental Mass
Students continued with their Sacramental lessons last week. Students are receiving Sacramental instruction from both Mrs Gorey and Mrs Musso. Families are reminded that the Mass will be on August 13 at 11am. All students have been designated one pew and any remaining guests will be required to sit behind all Sacramental families. The Chapel will only have six pews available for remaining guests. There is also limited seating available in the mezzanine level.
Reconciliation will be happening for all students participating in the Sacramental program. Fr Victor from St Paul’s Parish will come to the Mater Dei Chapel to give the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Thursday 4th August at 11:30am. Parents are welcome to attend. The students will be wearing their full winter uniform.
WRITING IN K/1 BENEDICT
K/1 Benedict has been working hard on developing their writing skills. Their teacher, Ms Duffy, has been using a variety of Evidence Based Practices to support her students and build their independence with this important skill. One strategy that she has been using is the implementation of Graphic Organisers. These help students organise information and have been used effectively to teach the structure used when writing a procedure. K/1 Benedict has written a number of procedures which they then followed to help them to make some yummy treats including pizzas, milkshakes, fairy bread and pancakes. Another strategy that has been used is a Task Analysis, where a complex task is broken down into smaller steps or behaviours. Students were explicitly taught how to use their Task Analysis to prompt them to complete each step of the procedure writing process and then mark it off as they completed it. Great work K/1 Benedict!
SPORTS NEWS
All Schools Cross Country
On Friday 22nd July, Jack C and Cooper C represented the Wollongong Diocese at the All Schools Cross Country Championships, at Eastern Creek Raceway. Both boys ran extremely well, with Jack finishing in 6th place in the 17-19 years Multi Class event and Cooper finishing in 14th place in the 12-14 years Multi Class event. Congratulations Boys!!!!
Wollongong Diocese Athletics Championships
On Friday 29th July, selected students from Year 7 - 12 will represent Mater Dei at the Wollongong Diocese Secondary Athletics Championships at Campbelltown Stadium. On Friday 5th August, selected students from Year 3 - 6 will represent Mater Dei at the Wollongong Diocese Primary Athletics Championships at Campbelltown Stadium. We wish all the students the best for the competition.
Staff vs Students Soccer Game
On Thursday 4th August, we will be holding a “Staff vs Students” soccer match, during class time. Students from Year 11 and Year 12 have been selected to make up the students’ team. Staff from throughout the school have been selected to make up the staff team. Students from other years will be cheering both teams on.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - SEMESTER TWO
Parent Teacher Conferences for Semester Two will occur across four days from Monday 8th August to Thursday 11th August from 3:30-6:30pm. It is preferred that Conferences take place via online Zoom Meetings otherwise phone calls. If a face-to-face meeting is preferred, please contact your child’s Stage Leader.
Bookings must be made online via Compass and will open on Monday 25th July 2022 at 10am. A Compass notification will be posted once open. Instructions on how to book will be posted on Compass.
The above is all subject to change based on current COVID guidelines from NSW Government and any changes will be posted on Compass.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact school between 8:30am and 4pm.
MUFTI DAY - FRIDAY 29 JULY
PUPIL FREE DAY
Friday 5th August will be a Pupil Free Day.
Mater Dei Teachers and Teachers’ Assistants will be involved in professional development on this day.
STUDENT BIRTHDAYS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
A reminder to families, we are currently not able to share any food at school including birthday cakes. If your child is celebrating a special event, we kindly ask families not to send in homemade treats or birthday cakes.
We understand these are important milestones and are more than happy to distribute individually wrapped, pre-packaged items such as lollipops, freddo frogs and cake bars.
EVENTS
PAST EVENTS:
Mater Dei Teachers have embraced the beginning of Term 3 with some collaborative planning. They are preparing engaging, focused lessons across all Key Learning Areas. Our Teachers’ Assistants are supporting, by preparing resources specific to the students’ learning for this term.
YEAR 7/8 SPORT
Sport with peer students from Magdalene Catholic College has begun for Term 3. 7/8 Gregory are attending Lawn Bowls at Camden Sports Club whilst 7/8 Benedict are attending Bujutsu Martial Arts.
G DAY MASS AND ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
On Friday 24th June, we held our Annual G’Day Mass and Athletics Carnival. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were excited to welcome Grandparents, Godparents and Good Friends to share in our celebration. We started the day with a lovely Mass that was celebrated with Father Michael Williams.
After Morning Tea we moved to the playground to participate in a range of athletics events. We started with the highly contested staff race, which was won by Mr O’Neill. We then moved into the age races starting with our infants.
Following the running races, we moved to the field events, including high jump, standing long jump, discus, shot put and hurdles. It was a great day and we were very pleased to have students from Magdalene Catholic College join us on the day to assist with the events.
FUTURE EVENTS:
YEAR 6 MASS AT ST PAUL'S CAMDEN
Year 6 students have been invited to attend Mass at St Paul’s in Camden on Wednesday 27th July. Bishop Brian Mascord will be attending along with students from many other local schools.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
Mater Dei Teachers and Teachers’ Assistants will be involved in professional development on Friday 5th August. The Association of Independent Schools (AIS) will be conducting a course on Positive Practices for Classroom Management. The course will focus on proactive and positive orientated approaches, establishing productive learning environments, maximising instructional time and promoting student engagement.
ST BENEDICT'S FEAST DAY
Mater Dei will celebrate St Benedict’s Feast Day on Friday, August 12.
The day will start with Mass being celebrated by Bishop Brian Mascord at 9:30am. Families are welcome to attend the Mass. Parents, you will be notified if your child is participating in the Mass.
Following the Mass, morning tea will be served for families and guests before the departure of families.
After morning tea, students will participate in student-only activities on the playground. Students will receive both morning tea and lunch.
Students are to wear their full winter school uniform.
More information will be made available via a Compass event for this day.
MATER DEI FOUNDATION DINNER - INVITATION
Purchase your tickets to the Mater Dei Annual Foundation Dinner now. Get in quick as seats are limited.
A hard copy will be sent home in diaries too!
Any questions contact Alison McManus - alisonmc@materdei.org.au
BOOK WEEK
Get excited - Book Week is coming! Every year The Children’s Book Council of Australia brings children and books together across Australia during Book Week. This year, Book Week will be celebrated during the week of August 20-26 with the theme Dreaming with Eyes Open. Keep an eye out for more information about the K-6 Book Week activities and start thinking about costumes for the Book Week Parade!
PROJECT 5
Mrs Jacqueline Gorey (Classroom teacher and Leader of Mission & Vision), Mrs Nicole Robinson (classroom teacher and Administration Coordinator) and Dr Rachel Perry (NSW Association of Independent Schools, Research Consultant) are working together on a research project. The project is focused on measuring students’ achievements of their goals at their Workplace setting through the Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction. The journey of Project 5 and the findings will be presented at the Australian Association of Special Education Conference in September. It is wonderful to see the progress of our students achieving their goals!
In 2023, the Mater Dei Trek for Opportunity will be heading to NEW ZEALAND! And we want YOU to join us!
The first Trek group is sold out, and due to overwhelming demand, Mater Dei will be hosting a SECOND Trek group to NEW ZEALAND in 2023!
This 7-day Trek will see our Trekkers explore the picturesque Southern Alps of New Zealand, including mountain peaks, remote lake and valley systems, and spectacular views.
Dates: 31 Mar – 6 Apr 2023
For more information, please contact Sarah Ryan at sarahr@materdei.org.au or call (02) 4655 7481. Hurry, only 6 spots remain!
HELPFUL REMINDERS
PARENT FORMS AND SCHOOL DOCUMENTATION
Just a reminder that Compass now has a range of forms and Compass support documents for parents to access. Parent Forms are now located on Compass using the following steps:
(Steps 1-3 are for App users only)
- Click on the student
- Click on the 3 lines in top left corner
- Click Open in Browser
- Click on Community Icon (2 heads)
- Click on School Documentation
- Click Parent Forms
ATTENDANCE EXEMPTION FORMS
Any families who wish to apply for attendance exemptions to attend therapy services in 2022, please download the Application for Leave Exemption form on Compass, complete and return to schooladmin@materdei.org.au
AFTERNOON ARRANGEMENTS 2022
In the event of either of the following:
- Student to be collected by a different family member or family friend over 18 years of age
- Student to be collected INSTEAD of usual taxi arrangement for specified day
Parent/Guardian is required to advise the school of the change, and MUST include the full name of person collecting, PRIOR to 2:30pm on the day of the change. This may be done via one of the following options:
- Noting change in student diary
- Phoning School Reception on ph. 4655 7481
- Emailing schooladmin@materdei.org.au
If your child needs to be collected by a service provider, a Parent/Guardian is required to complete a Collection by a Service Provider form (available on Compass) and email it to schooladmin@materdei.org.au
This form must be received PRIOR to 3pm on the day before the new arrangement is to take place.
If unable to provide the full name of the staff member collecting, the Parent/ Guardian is required to arrange the Service Provider to notify the school via schooladmin@materdei.org.au email by 2:30pm on the day the student is to be collected.
COMPASS CALENDAR TO YOUR PHONE
Any parents or carers wishing to sync the School Compass Calendar to their iPhone will need to set up a Google account and then following the below steps:
You can sync Google Calendar with the Calendar app that comes on your iPhone or iPad.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open your device settings.
- Scroll and tap Passwords & Accounts.
- Tap Add account Google.
- Enter your email address Next.
- Enter your password. If you don't have the latest operating system and you use 2-Step Verification, enter an app password instead of your regular password.
- Tap Next.
- Emails, contacts, and calendar events will now sync directly with your Google Account. To sync only your calendar, turn off the other services.
- Open the Calendar app on your iPhone to find your Google Calendar events.
To sync with an existing account, tap the account and turn on Calendars.
JOIN US ON OUR SOCIALS
IMPORTANT DATES
COMMUNITY NEWS
INTERCHANGE AUSTRALIA OPEN DAYS
Interchange Australia would like to invite you to attend their Open Days across three locations:
- Springett House in Burradoo on Tuesday 26th July 2022
- Narellan Campus on Wednesday 27th July 2022
- Lagoon House in Goulburn on Thursday 28th July 2022
Come and see what they do as part of the Day Programs curriculum and enjoy some light entertainment, morning tea and a coffee brought to you by our Steps to Success participants.
Bookings via events@interchangeau.org
WeFlex - HEALTH & FITNESS FOR EVERY BODY
WeFlex is upskilling the health and fitness industry to create a better inclusive and accessible sector for people with a disability and unique needs. We support clients to get more active with a wide range of settings and sessions, like in a local gym, a local park, at home, one-on-one sessions, and group fitness classes too! We will support clients with a local WeFlex Fitness Professional to help increase their health and wellbeing goals. We are also a registered NDIS provider and have our prices listed on the website www.weflex.com.au