Term 4, Week 6 (14 November 2023)

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

The highlight of this past fortnight has certainly been the ‘PAN’ performances. I have received nothing but positive feedback and appreciation for our Mater Dei staff in providing an experience for our families and friends where every child gets to shine. The range of talent, creative ideas and dance moves certainly had us all entertained as we sang and clapped along together. Well done to our Year 12 emcees for being excellent hosts and keeping ‘Rocking Gorey’ under control. I commented to our staff that ‘thank you’ seems so insufficient for the enormous gratitude that I have for them, not only for the planning, organisation and performances of PAN, but for their daily commitment, care and compassion. The ‘Mater Dei School of Rock’ was the perfect place to both witness and experience this.  

Last Friday evening I attended the 26th Annual CDF Diocesan Sports Award in Wollongong, where several of our students were acknowledged for their contributions and achievements in sport at representative levels. The evening highlighted the breadth and depth of talent and sportsmanship across primary and secondary schools, along with the commitment of school staff, coaches, team managers and families who have also contributed to the successes throughout the year. Congratulations to Lilly-Rose, Marco, Corrado, Maria, Cooper and Jack for each receiving a medallion in recognition of their achievements. Jack was further acknowledged for his outstanding achievements, particularly on a National level, by receiving a major award for the Para Athlete of the Year. Lilly-Rose and Mrs Hanrahan were in the spotlight during a wonderful recorded presentation of Lilly-Rose’s achievements in cross-country and a supportive partnership that has formed with a secondary student from St John’s, Nowra who initially ran with Lilly-Rose around the track in Nowra to ensure her safety as it was quite a challenging one to navigate. Towards the end of the evening, Mrs Hanrahan was one of two teachers who received the 2023 CDF Teacher Service Award where she was acknowledged for her passion, commitment and dedication for providing opportunities for the students at Mater Dei to actively engage in physical activity and sport. Her outstanding and continued contribution to the wider Wollongong Diocese was also recognised, particularly in the major diocesan sporting events and pathway development for athletes accessing multi-class progression. We are certainly proud of Mrs Hanrahan’s achievements and acknowledge her selfless and passion driven motivation to all students across the Diocese. 

As we come to the end of our school year, there is some staff news that I wish to share. Firstly, we look forward to welcoming Mrs Katherine Power as a classroom teacher in 2024. Mrs Power is a highly experienced secondary school teacher, specialising in English. She is currently employed at Magdalene Catholic College, Narellan and comes to us with extensive experience in both Pastoral Care and Curriculum. Miss Kayla Crawford will be taking leave during 2024 and will be working in the area of behaviour therapy. Mrs Jema Langham will also be on leave from Mater Dei as she undertakes a one year teaching immersion at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Narellan Vale. This is a wonderful opportunity for both Kayla and Jema and we look forward to their return to Mater Dei in 2025.  We have completed our interviews for the new Deputy Principal and I look forward to sharing this news with the community in the coming days.

I remind all parents and carers that this coming Friday, November 17, is a pupil free day. During this day, we will commence our planning and preparation for the 2024 school year.

Our partnerships with parents, carers and family members is a vital component of the success that our students experience at Mater Dei. We value the opportunities to extend the invitation to the various celebrations, assemblies and significant events throughout the year and appreciate the positive feedback about these. In the event that a parent or carer may need to discuss a school related concern with a member of staff, please contact the relevant staff to request a meeting and identify the reason for the meeting. Such meetings should always occur in a calm and respectful manner. In the instance where a class teacher is requested to attend a meeting, the relevant Stage Leader will also be present to offer additional support. 

The appearance of Jacaranda flowers is always a visual reminder for me that we are heading into the season of Advent. While the messages on social media, TV and radio have us focussed on counting down to Christmas Day and ensuring that we are up to date with purchases of food and gifts, I encourage you to put aside some quiet time to reflect on the gift that the holy season of Advent brings to each and every one of us. A season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. It marks the beginning of a new liturgical year in the Church that slowly builds momentum towards Christmas as the weeks go by.  As with all new beginnings, this season is intended to renew our joy, hope, faith and love. Here are some suggestions that you may wish to explore in your own families in preparation for Advent:

1. Begin preparing for Advent through prayer.
2. Learn about the season of Advent 
3. Create an Advent Calendar
4. Make an Advent Wreath
5. Make a Jesse Tree
6. Prepare a nativity scene

Bringing the season of Advent  into your home will shift the focus from the glittering lights of the Christmas tree to the anticipation of welcoming the newborn Christ on Christmas morning. 

JENNIFER FOLDES
PRINCIPAL

SCHOOL NEWS

MISSION & VISION

For Remembrance Day, School Captain Jack and Mrs Gorey represented Mater Dei School at the Camden R. S. L. Sub Branch Commemorative Service.   It was a beautiful Service and the address by Glenn Toddhunter was very moving.  Students from our fellow Good Samaritan Education school, St Patrick's College Campbelltown, attended dressed as nurses from that era. The students looked wonderful in a variety of nurses’ uniforms.  We will remember them. 

ST VINCENT DE PAUL'S CHRISTMAS APPEAL

As a school community, we are supporting the St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas Appeal, which assists struggling families during this festive season with much needed grocery items and financial supports. This year, we would like to extend this invitation of support to our families by donating a grocery item from the list below, and sending it with your child to school any day during WEEK 8 please.

Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2:
Long-life milk, Tea/coffee, Biscuits

Year 3 and 4: 
Tinned fruit, Cordial, Long-life juice

Year 5 and 6:
Jelly, Long-life custard, Non-perishable Spreads

Year 7 and 8:
Tinned vegetables, Tinned soup, Gravy mix       

Year 9 and 10:
Cereal, Pancake mix, Cake mix

Year 11 and 12:
Pasta, Noodles, Pasta sauce

Thank you for your much needed support during this time of year.

MATER DEI STAFF CHRISTMAS APPEAL FOR ST VINNIES

Mrs Gorey and Mrs Gorey’s son Max, won every round of the Mater Dei NRL footy tipping competition!! Wahoo! This led them to becoming the final winners at the end of the competition! Max and Mrs Gorey decided to donate their winnings to the Mater Dei Staff Christmas Appeal for St Vinnies!  $250 was spent buying five Woolworths Wish Cards.  Thanks to our friends at Woolworths Camden for also donating two Wish Cards to the value of $50 each.  Mater Dei lives and prospers within a generous community.  Our staff also practise our Benedictine Values of Community and Love of Christ and Neighbour.  

2023 VINNIES CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION

SHARED LEARNING

This week will be our final visit to St Gregory’s Junior School with our Stage Three classes for the year.  This interaction between these two schools has grown and developed strong connections between all the students.  Our students literally run into their playground to find their friends to say hello!   Aryan, from 5/6 Gibbons said to Mrs Gorey this morning, “Are we going to Greg’s today?  I want to see my friend Noah”. We will definitely continue to grow, develop and strengthen this relationship during 2024!

PEDAGOGY

This year across New South Wales all Kindergarten to Year 2 students have been accessing the new English Syllabus. The new outcomes and content are informed by evidence and identify skills needed by all students to develop competence in oral language, reading and writing. Foundational skills are taught and developed in Kindergarten to Year 2, then continue to grow in Years 3 to 6 across all areas of English. Within the new English Syllabus, Kindergarten to Year 10, there is a focus on students reading regularly for understanding, challenge, interest and enjoyment to enhance reading fluency and build vocabulary, contributing to improved writing and use of language. Specific text requirements for English support the connection of reading and writing practices through quality texts, ensuring students are read to and are reading and writing for wide purposes. It is very well known that regular reading enhances fluency and builds vocabulary. This can be encouraged at home too. For students to make sense of what they read, students must be able to decode words accurately and effortlessly (automaticity) and then put them together into meaningful phrases with the appropriate expression (prosody).

Mater Dei SchooI encourages parents to make use of the following resources to support you in reading with your child at home. The resources give clear advice about how to support word reading success, blending success and word attack tips.

MATHEMATICS RESEARCH

Matt Thompson, PhD candidate, continues his research project this term about the mathematics experiences of students with Down Syndrome in Australian primary schools. Matt is visiting Mater Dei classrooms to observe Mathematics lessons and collect data.

CURRICULUM

As the work placement chapter concludes for Stage 6 students, it's a moment of pride and accomplishment. In this final week, Jacob Celan emerged as the standout, clinching the coveted 'employee of the month' title at Woolworths for his exemplary independence in the produce section. 

The entire cohort of Stage 6 students demonstrated unwavering dedication, tirelessly working towards and achieving their set goals. The fruits of their labor are not just evident in their workplace contributions but in the robust development of invaluable self-determination skills.

To celebrate this journey, there will be a heartfelt thank-you morning tea on Wednesday, the 15th, a small token of appreciation for the hosts, providing a fertile ground for our students to cultivate essential life skills and work ethics. Their support has been instrumental in shaping these young minds into capable and confident individuals.

As we bid farewell to Stage 6, the torch is passed to Catherine Smith and Cassie Nyguen, who are now channeling their expertise towards Stage 5 students. Together, they are focused on honing prevocational skills and setting new, ambitious goals. The cycle continues, and with each passing day, our students become more equipped for the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead, thanks to the invaluable experiences gained during their time in the workforce.

SPORTS NEWS

Wollongong Diocese Sports Awards:

On Friday night, we celebrated the outstanding sporting achievements of our students, at the Annual CDF Wollongong Diocese Sports Awards. Six Mater Dei students were recognised for their Representative Sporting achievements.

• Maria and Lilly-Rose received a Primary Red Medallion
• Jack received a Secondary Blue Medallion
• Marco, Corrado and Cooper received sports Medallions
• Jack was announced as the Secondary Para-Athlete of the Year.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

PUPIL FREE DAY

A reminder that Friday, 17 November, is a Pupil Free Day for students at Mater Dei School.

END OF YEAR IMPORTANT DATES

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.

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

LABELLING UNIFORM ITEMS

Just a reminder to families to please label all items of clothing as this greatly helps us in finding the owner of any missing items.

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

During pastoral lessons, years 3 and 4 have been comparing features and characteristics of living and non-living things with the support of Prue and Maisy. 

The students had the opportunity to learn about how Maisy depends on others and the environment to survive.

EVENTS

PAST EVENTS UPDATE:

Mater Dei School teachers recently engaged in professional learning focusing on reading comprehension. Comprehension is the active process involving the reader to understand and interpret what has been read. Our teachers reviewed The Simple View of Reading (Gough and Turner 1986) which suggests that reading comprehension is the product of two sets of skills, decoding and linguistic comprehension and Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001) which further explains reading comprehension using a rope metaphor with strands of the rope representing the various interconnected components of skilled reading necessary for reading comprehension. At Mater Dei our teachers implement a gradual release of responsibility model to support students’ reading and reading comprehension through modelled instruction, shared practice, guided practice, collaborative practice leading to independent practice. Within this model of instruction students are using their prior knowledge to make connections, predicting, visualising, asking and answering questions, summarising and evaluating.

PERFORMING ARTS NIGHT

On Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd November, our talented students took to the stage at our Annual Performing Arts Performances. The students were amazing.

CAROLS AT MATER DEI

IMPORTANT DATES

HELPFUL REMINDERS

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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