Term 1, Week 10 (3 April 2023)

CEO/PRINCIPAL'S ADDRESS

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S DESK

The return of the ‘Camden Show’ resulted in our Stage 4 and Stage 6 classes taking the opportunity to expand their learning experiences beyond the classroom. While Year 7 and 8 continued their exploration of the Dairy industry and the range of food products that can be manufactured from milk, they were also looking at sustainable agriculture and solutions for food wastage. Year 11 and 12 students spent the day at the Camden Show as part of their 'Work in the Community' Unit, where they were given opportunities to communicate in the community, and practise communication skills and decision making through responsible and appropriate behaviour. On a personal note, I was most appreciative of the pink fairy floss that made its way to me courtesy of Year 11/12 M. 

The C91.3FM Road Crew visited Mater Dei last week to present us with ‘Ally Redondo’s Award for Greatness’. This caused great excitement and a group of students graciously accepted a trophy to acknowledge all the great work that happens at Mater Dei. A big ‘Thank You’ to Neris Taylor, one of our Mater Dei drivers, for nominating Mater Dei through the C91.3 breakfast show as we were selected as one of only 3 schools across the Macarthur to receive the award. 

There was a flurry of activity in the Hospitality Centre recently with students from Years 5 - 12 assisting the bakers and staff from Woolworths to put the finishing touches on some hot cross buns. Suffice to say that there were no ‘leftovers’! The atmosphere in the Hospitality Centre was filled with excitement and anticipation as each group of students and staff came through the doors. Our students were exceptional in their behaviour and willingness to be involved in the process including eating their finished hot cross bun!​

SCHOOL NEWS

MISSION & VISION

PEDAGOGY

Mrs Twine had the opportunity to join 1/2B for one of their News sessions. For our young students News is a great time for students to increase their communication skills, through listening, speaking and using Augmentative  and Alternative Communication (AAC) and visual prompts. Miss Crawford scaffolds her News session by following a specific routine so the students know what the expectations are for communicating. She provides visual supports for asking questions with a ‘wh’ chart for why, who, what, when, where, how. The students select a ‘wh’ question by pointing to the visual and signing the ‘wh’ word. Mrs Twine also visited 3/4P to share her own news as a follow up from a science lesson. Mrs Twine shared her home grown vegetables and the students had many ‘wh’ questions to ask. Such as, How much does the pumpkin weigh? Why is the potato purple?  News is not the only way for students to achieve the NESA English Syllabus Outcomes for communication. Our older students engage in discussions, debating, interviewing and role play.

CURRICULUM

Stage 6 has been thoroughly enjoying the process of Community Based Instruction on Thursday mornings as part of the ‘Work in the Community Unit’. They have been purchasing items from Oran Park Podium independently and focusing on building their social and communication  skills. Most of the Year 11 and 12 students have a great opportunity to also build on their own goals that they set for work placement using the ‘Self Determination Learning Model’ (SDLMI).

SPORTS NEWS

REPRESENTATIVE SWIMMING

PRIMARY
On Thursday 30th March, Nate and Joshua represented Wollongong Diocese at the Mackillop Swimming Championships at Homebush. They both swam well with Nate winning silver in the backstroke and bronze in the freestyle. Joshua finished in 6th place in both the freestyle and backstroke.

SECONDARY
On Friday 31st March, Mischa and Maya represented the Wollongong Diocese at the Combined Catholic College Championships at Homebush. The girls swam really well with Mischa winning silver in the backstroke and Maya winning bronze in the backstroke.

AUSTRALIAN TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Over the last four days one of our Year 12 students has been representing New South Wales at the Australian Track and Field Championships in Brisbane. Jack C competed in a number of events achieving personal best times in the 100m, 200m and 1500m. Jack won bronze in the 800m, which is an amazing achievement. Well Done Jack!!!!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

END OF TERM

This Thursday, 6 April will be our last day of Term 1.

School will resume for Term 2 on Wednesday 26, April 2022 (in winter uniform).

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS

School Photos will take place on Friday, 19 May 2023.

Order envelopes will be sent home with students this week. Sibling envelopes will be sent home with the eldest student.

COVID - CURRENT MEASURES IN PLACE

Given we are a high risk, disability setting, we wish to remind families of the mandatory 7 day isolation requirement remains in place at Mater Dei for all staff and students who test positive to COVID (including if you are a close contact).

Students should not attend Mater Dei if unwell or displaying COVID symptoms and only return after completing isolation and/or when symptom free.

YEAR 12 TRANSITION MEETINGS

Parents of Year 12 Students are now able to book in their Year 12 Transition meetings with the Stage Leader and Teacher. 

Please refer to the Compass Conference Cycle to book in your timeslot.

YEAR 12 JERSEY

We have designed and selected Year 12 Jersey’s for 2023 Year 12 students. To place your order, please do so via the Compass Insight (available to Year 12 Students only).

The cost of the jersey is $83.50.

Orders need to be received by Thursday, 6 April 2023.  Payment will be due no later than Friday, 12 May to ensure delivery of your order. 

2023 SCHOOL DROP OFF / PICK UP PROCEDURES

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.

MAISY'S CORNER

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN LEARNING? 

In 5/6 Gibbons and 3/4 McCabe they have been doing lessons to help them prepare for Maisy. They have been learning the difference between a working dog and a pet and the expectations of how to interact with Maisy. To help with this they have been using pretend Maisy to practice their patting and giving Maisy personal space.

Maisy also visited the school to see the wonderful drawings the students had done for her.

WHAT HAS MAISY BEEN LEARNING?

What does it take to become a Therapy Canine for Cornerstone Companions?

Cornerstone Companions ensure the training implemented for their Therapy Canines is of the highest standards. In fact, all Cornerstone Companions Canines undergo Assistant Canine Training.

PAT dogs Australia and Cornerstone Companions work in partnership. All Cornerstone Companion Canine Handlers are both Educational Assistants and Apprentice, Trainer, and/or Assessors for PAT dogs Australia.

PAT dogs Australia assists procure, train, and certify assistance dogs. The dogs are trained to reduce the impact of specific symptoms for people with disabilities and improve their overall quality of life. Assistance Dogs can help guide those living with a disability back to a sense of safety, helping to improve interpersonal connections, encourage engagement in the community, and regain areas of functioning that their disability may have diminished.

Maisy has been working through the levels of Assistance Dog Training to ensure that she is well prepared to work alongside the students' differing needs within the Mater Dei School community.

This level of training requires the dedication of her handler Prue Broughton who works daily with Maisy in acquiring the skills she has been assigned to master. 

Maisy is able to be clearly  identified as a Therapy Dog in Training by the coat she wears whilst she is working. This coat has both Cornerstone Companions and PAT dog logos on it. Whilst at MaterDei Maisy will also have the MaterDei crest displayed on her coat.

As we excitedly move towards bringing Maisy into the classroom space early term two. The preparation required for her to seamlessly enter the classroom has come about through the following;

• Working with key staff at Mater Dei.
• Observing student needs.
• Allowing students to acquire capacity building skills as they too understand how a Therapy Canine will assist them in increasing targets to meet their learning goals.
• Developing a scope and sequence of Key Learning Ares for the Mater Dei students.

• Developing Advanced Skills Training Goals for Maisy inclusive of the Human-Animal bond.

Maisy continues to excel as she is taken through novel situations to increase her awareness and conditioning of desired responses. Her training sessions have been specifically designed with the needs of the Mater Dei students in mind.

Maisy’s journey will take a full 18 months of intense training with ongoing assessment to ensure she is ready to pass the public access test. 

Maisy will always be a lifelong learner and continue to train to keep her skillset up to date and present with the never ending changes of the Mater Dei school Community.

Should you wish to find out more about the services of Pat dogs Australia you can visit their website at Pat Dogs.

EVENTS

Miss Hielman and Mrs Twine attended the Kindergarten to Year 8 Mathematics Conference hosted by Mathematics Association of New South Wales (MANSW). The theme for the conference was The Practice of Mathematics and Mathematics in Practice. They attended presentations about what makes a maths lesson special, effective practice in the primary classroom and mastering lesson sequence. Professional teacher development is always an advantage for our staff to maintain current practices they can bring back to the classroom for our students’ benefit.

MATER DEI CHARITY GOLF DAY

BLESSED WITH THE BEST!

The annual Mater Dei Charity Golf Day, was held on Friday, 17 March at Lakeside Golf Club, Camden. The event marked its 29^th year, with a full complement of players and supporters.  The day provided perfect conditions for which we were blessed.

The opportunity to finally catch up with our wonderful Major and Gold sponsors was well worth the wait. School Captains Breeana & Jack were equally excited to get the opportunity to go around the course to meet the players.

Funds raised on the day were over $140,000, a new record for this event, which is a testament to the sponsors who continue to support with such generosity. The spirit was fun filled as the day also marked St Patrick’s Day, so touches of green were encouraged, with best dressed team the Campbelltown Catholic Club embracing the theme.

At lunch, all our guests listened to current Mater Dei parent, Karen Witherspoon who shared her families journey with son Jack and how support through events like the Mater Dei Golf Day make a difference to our students lives.

The luck of the Irish blessed the golfers from Knapp Property Group who claimed victory in the team event, with last year’s winners, the West Tigers Foundation our runners up.

MATER DEI FRESH FOOD TURNS 1!

On Tuesday, 21 March we were joined by special guests from Woolworths and Fujitsu for a celebratory Morning Tea to commemorate the first anniversary of Mater Dei Fresh Food (MDFF), the mini Woolworths store onsite at Mater Dei.

Over the past 12 months, Mater Dei Fresh Food has proven to be an incredibly valuable resource for our Mater Dei School students and NextPath young adults, helping them develop skills such as customer service, register operations, money handling, store upkeep and order packing.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

On Thursday 6th April, parents and carers are invited to attend “Stations of the Cross” in the school hall at 12pm.

ANZAC DAY MARCH

The Camden RSL Sub-Branch will be conducting services to commemorate the Anniversary of the Landing at Gallipoli on Tuesday, 25 April 2023.

The Camden RSL Sub-branch ANZAC Day March will commence from Elizabeth Street, Camden at 10.30am sharp. The March will make its way down Argyle Street and conclude on Cawdor Road to the Camden Bicentennial Equestrian Park.

At the conclusion of the March, parents/carers of participating children are advised a pickup zone will be at Onslow Park. No parents/carers will be able to collect their children from Cawdor Road.

Road closures will commence from 3am on Tuesday 25 April 2023. Ample parking will be available in the surrounding streets of Camden. Roads will reopen by approximately 2pm or when deemed safe to do so.

If your child would like to join the march under the Mater Dei School  banner in their full summer uniform please contact Jen Twine (jennifert@materdei.org.au). Our meeting spot will be in Elizabeth St at 10am, look for the Mater Dei School banner.

TREK FUNDRAISER

LIPSTICK LUNCHEON PREPARATION

IMPORTANT DATES

HELPFUL REMINDERS

COMPASS PARENT GUIDE

PARENT FORMS AND SCHOOL DOCUMENTATION

School documentation and common forms are stored in Compass for parents to access at any time.  Parent Forms can be found by following these steps on your Compass App:

 (Steps 1-3 are for App users only)

1. Click on the student
2. Click on the 3 lines in top left corner
3. Click Open in Browser
4. Click on Community Icon (2 heads)
5. Click on School Documentation
6. Click Parent Forms

ATTENDANCE EXEMPTION FORMS 
Any families who wish to apply for attendance exemptions to attend therapy services in 2023, please download the Application for Leave Exemption form on Compass, complete and return to schooladmin@materdei.org.au 

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