2025 - Term 1, Week 9

Dear Parents and Caregivers, 

As we find ourselves in Week 9 of Term 1, it's remarkable to reflect on how quickly the weeks have passed! We are now nearing the end of our first term together, and what a wonderful journey it has been. These past weeks have been filled with rich learning experiences, new friendships, and plenty of fun as our students have engaged with our curriculum and school community. 

The energy and enthusiasm shown by our students continues to inspire us each day, and we look forward to finishing the term on a positive note with several important events still to come. 

FAITH LIFE 

NEW INITIATIVE: Early Years Community Prayer 

We are bringing our community together through the development of an exciting new initiative - Early Years Community Prayer 

Our Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 students will each come together in their year-level groups for a special time of prayer. Parents are warmly invited to join as we gather in faith, offering prayers of gratitude and hope. Teachers will communicate when each year-level prayer gathering will take place, providing an opportunity for families to be part of their child's spiritual journey. We look forward to praying together! Thank you to Justine Raponi for bringing this new initiative to life, 

Holy Week Celebrations - Week 11 

As we approach the end of term, our school community will come together to commemorate Holy Week. During Week 11, students will participate in a series of short presentations that explore the significance of Holy Week in the Catholic tradition. 

These presentations will help our students understand the journey from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, bringing our community together in reflection and celebration of this important time in our faith. Parents are welcome to join us for these special ceremonies - details will be provided in the coming weeks. 

LEARNING & WELLBEING 

Learning Conversations 

Our Learning Conversations provide a valuable opportunity for teachers to update you on your child's learning progress, wellbeing, and general development within the school environment. 

These conversations are designed to: 

- Share your child's academic achievements and areas for growth 

- Discuss their social development and relationships with peers 

- Address any concerns or questions you may have 

- Collaborate on strategies to support your child's continued success 

Learning Conversations will be held in Week 10. You should have already received an email containing a link to schedule your appointment times with your children's teacher/s. This year, all Learning Conversations will take place in the Mary MacKillop Centre (school hall). 

If you have not received scheduling information or need assistance booking your appointments, please contact the front office as soon as possible. 

EARLY YEARS UPDATES 

Little Learners Information Night 

Last Wednesday evening, we were delighted to welcome 100 parents to our Little Learners Information Night. It was a wonderful opportunity for families to learn about our transition program and what to expect when their child begins their educational journey at Emmaus. 

My favourite quote from the night was from Wendy who reminded us that "the best preparation for being 5 is to be 4 for a year."In other words, let us not rush our little ones. We discussed that school readiness is not what many might think – it's not about being able to read, write or count to 20. Rather, it's about being able to regulate emotions, listen, share with others, and interact positively with peers. Reading and writing will naturally develop when these foundational skills are in place, when children feel happy, and when they experience a sense of belonging at school. 

Thank you to our amazing Early Years Team, led by Wendy Moulder, for their engagement on the night. It was wonderful to hear each educator share insights about what families can expect when their child begins at Emmaus. 

2027 Enrolments Closing Soon 

A reminder that enrolments for 2027 close on April 11, 2025. Our classes are filling up very quickly, so if you know someone who hasn't submitted their enrolment application yet, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible. 

We can't wait for Little Learners to begin next term and for our mid-year class to start in Term 3. This is such an exciting time for all of us and creates precious memories for families as they begin their school journey with us. 

COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Harmony Day & Down Syndrome Day Celebrations 

Last Friday, March 21st, our school community came together to celebrate both Harmony Day and Down Syndrome Day. It was wonderful to see the children dressed in a variety of colors representing harmony, inclusion, and different coucultures. 

The day was filled with activities promoting diversity, understanding, and acceptance. Our students, shared stories from different backgrounds, and engaged in discussions about the importance of creating an inclusive community where everyone belongs. 

For Down Syndrome Day, students learned a bit more about the syndrome and the unique gifts that every person brings to our community. Many students wore colorful socks to show their support and raise awareness. 

These celebrations reinforced our school values of respect, inclusion, and community, and we were proud to see our students embracing these important principles with such enthusiasm. 

2025 Emmaus Sports Day will soon be here… 

Mark your calendars for Friday 9th May - as we kick off the new term with our much-anticipated Sports Day! The children are already practicing hard, and Mr Neiderer is busy preparing for what promises to be a fantastic event. Our senior students will soon be getting creative, making banners and creating the team chants that always bring so much energy and excitement to the day. 

We warmly invite all to come along and cheer on the students. Your support makes a huge difference and helps make Sports Day the best day of the year. We look forward to seeing you there!  

Let's make this Sports Day unforgettable! 

IMPORTANT DATES 

-Week 10: Learning Conversations in the Mary MacKillop Centre 

-Week 11: Holy Week Celebrations 

- April 11: Last day of Term 1 and closing date for 2027 enrolments 

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. - Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Wishing you all a blessed week ahead. 

Suzanne Budd

BREAD - LIVING SIMPLY AND SUSTAINABLY 

In the past, every year during Lent, the Emmaus community comes together for Bread Day. This year Bread Day will be held on Wednesday 2nd April. This day is a special time to reflect on the many gifts with which God has blessed us and consider ways we can live more simply.  

Children will be asked to bring a gold coin or donation via Qkr! for Caritas’ Project Compassion and will replace their normal lunch with a simple meal of a bread roll. We gather for a special prayer, before sharing our simple lunch. Everything we do has an impact on our earth and the environment and on our human brothers and sisters.

Project Compassion: Unite Against Poverty

This Lent, Caritas Australia's Project Compassion invites you to Unite Against Poverty and take meaningful action to create lasting change. Emmaus is participating in several fundraising and awareness-raising initiatives, including the Caritas Jar Challenge, Caritas Challenge Week, and Bread Day.

Together, let's make a difference and show our commitment to helping those in need.

Holy Week 

You are invited to our Holy Week and Easter Presentations  

Holy Week is a very special time of Lent. It is the final week before Easter and we  

remember the events of the final days of Jesus’ time on earth, before his resurrection.  

We also reflect on the impact of the Resurrection at Easter.  

Each year, as a school community, we recall these special events in our Holy Week  

and Easter Presentations. There are 4 parts to our presentations. Each part is  

presented by different year levels in the school.  

These include:  

Part One: Wednesday 9th April 9.15am  

Jesus’ Life and Ministry (Rec– Year 2)  

Part Two: Thursday 10th April 9.15am  

Palm Sunday, Last Supper, The Arrest (Year 3/4)  

Part Three: Friday 11th April 9.15am  

The Passion of Jesus through the Stations of the Cross (Year 5/6)  

Part Four: Monday 28th April 2.30pm  

Easter Prayer Liturgy- The Resurrection  

Please join us for all or part of our celebrations.  

We look forward to sharing this special time with you.  

Justine Raponi

Acting Assistant Principal for Religious Identity and Mission

With the start of Term 2, comes the return of our winter uniform! The school holidays are a great time to make sure last year's uniforms still fit!

Please be reminded of the expectation that all students arrive to school each day in the correct school uniform, to avoid a uniform infringement.

The Emmaus School Uniform Policy can be found here: Emmaus School Uniform Policy

A friendly reminder that:

• Skirts and pinafores are to be worn with white socks or grey stockings only. 
• Girls can wear black trousers or black formal shorts, with black socks.
• Boys can wear grey trousers or grey formal shorts, with grey socks.
• Long sleeve or short sleeve shirts can be worn.
• Shoes must be black lace up, buckle or velcro school shoes.
• Jumper is the red v-neck sweater.
• Emmaus black jackets can be worn outdoors, not indoors. 
• Emmaus beanies can be worn outdoors, not indoors.
• Sports uniforms can be skorts, shorts or track pants, with Emmaus polo and Emmaus sports jacket.
• Sports sneakers must be predominantly white or predominantly black. Only white socks to be worn with sports uniform.

Sports uniform and the formal winter uniform should not be intermixed.

Lowes Colonnades is our official uniform supplier. Our second hand uniform shop has limited supplies.

Emmaus Beanies are available for sale in the Front Office for $20.

At Emmaus, we love bringing language to life! Maestra Antonella has kindly translated The Emmaus Way three basic expectations into Italian—because what better way to learn than by using it every day?

• Be respectful
• Be ready to learn
• Be safe

Ricordati sempre di:

• avere rispetto
• avere voglia di imparare
• avere cura di te

By using these phrases, we’re not just learning Italian—we’re living it! Andiamo!

Volunteers play a vital role in our school community, and we welcome your support! To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, all volunteers must have:

•  A current Working With Children’s Check
•  A current Catholic Clearance
•  A current Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse, and Neglect in Education and Care (RRHAN-EC) Certificate
•  Completion of the volunteer induction

⚠ Reminder: The RRHAN-EC certificate expired last year, so please check that yours is up to date with an expiry of 31 December 2027 to ensure you are compliant.

For more information or to get started, please download your volunteer pack here. Thank you for making a difference!

A reminder to OSHC families that fees are due to be paid in full at the end of each fortnight. 

OSHC statements are generated fortnightly and notifications are emailed to families with a link to your Fullybooked accounts where you can view your latest statement. If you do not receive a notification, it is still your responsibility to check your account to view your latest statement.

Please ensure you stay on top of your OSHC payments as accounts not paid in full may be suspended and OSHC bookings may be cancelled.

Payment can be made via QKR! or via direct deposit BSB 066-782 A/C 100002617.

We thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our OSHC service running.

We're Going Cashless!

To streamline payments and improve security, our school is now completely cashless. From now on, all payments must be made using one of the following methods:

✅ Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
✅ Credit Card
✅ QKR! App

✅ Loop App (for Lucky Book Club orders)

This change ensures a safer and more efficient payment process for families and staff. If you have any questions or need assistance setting up a payment method, please contact the school office.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Please note: Cash will only be accepted for second-hand-uniform sales from the uniform shop, where a family is selling an item, as this money will go directly to that family.

QKR is a convenient app that simplifies and speeds up the process of paying for school-related items.

Emmaus Catholic School utilises QKR to make it easier for parents to pay for various expenses, including School Fees, OSHC Fees, Enrolment Fees, Instrumental Hire, P&F Events, Special Lunches, Excursions and Camps, and more.

To help you get started with the app, we've provided the QKR Guide, which you can download here!

Download QKR for Apple here

Download QKR for Android here

Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students is a top priority here at Emmaus. As such, we would like to remind all parents and guardians of the multiple avenues available to report student absences or late arrivals.

To report your child's absence or late arrival, please use one of the following methods:

Reply Text to 0417 038 063. Please note that direct messages to this number will not be received.

Phone (08) 83227211: Speak to our friendly staff or leave a message on our answering machine if calling before 8:30am.

Email: Send an email to absent@emmaus.catholic.edu.au or information@emmaus.catholic.edu.au.

We kindly ask that you contact the front office for any absenteeism notifications. Due to the morning activities in classrooms, it may not always be possible for teachers to relay messages to the office before 9 am.

For extended leave requests of 5 days or more, please complete the absenteeism form at the front office.

Late Arrivals and Early Departures:

If your child arrives late to school or needs to leave early, they must be signed in/out via the iPad at the front office by a parent or guardian.

It's important to note that if a student is late to class and the arrival hasn't been reported to the front office, they will be marked as absent, and a text will be sent to parents from 0417 038 063.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students.

We kindly remind all families that the Emmaus Staff Carpark is designated for staff parking only and should not be used for OSHC (Outside School Hours Care) drop-offs or pick-ups.

To ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families, we ask that parents and caregivers use the appropriate visitor carpark and designated kiss and drop zone when dropping off or collecting children from school (including OSHC). Using the staff carpark for this purpose can create congestion, limit staff access, and pose potential safety risks.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in keeping our school community safe and ensuring that staff have access to their designated parking spaces. Thank you for your ongoing support!

The Kiss and Drop zone is the yellow marked area as you enter the carpark from Todd Street, that enables you to drop off and pick up your children safely and quickly.

The intention is that drivers do not wait in these zones and that you stay in the vehicle to ensure traffic is streamlined and traffic queues are minimized.

In reality, it only takes one or two inconsiderate drivers to overstay in the zone and the system breaks down, leading to frustration and delays.

Please familiarise yourself with our Kiss and Drop guidelines:

• Kiss and Drop zone is a NO PARKING zone. If your child is not ready and waiting for you, please continue to lap the carpark. Alternatively, park your vehicle in a carpark and wait. Please do not park in the kiss and drop zone to wait for your child as this builds up traffic on Todd Street where accidents have occurred. The aim of Kiss and Drop is for free flowing traffic.
• It is an expectation that drivers continue to the end of the kiss and drop zone, to allow room for others.
• For safety, it is recommended that students exit and enter the vehicle kerbside only. Children should have their schoolbags on their lap to ensure the driver does not need to exit the vehicle.
• Do not get out of your car.
• If you are required to get out of your vehicle to assist your child with their bag or seatbelt, please do not use Kiss and Drop. Park your vehicle so you can assist your child safely. 
• Staff will be on Kiss and Drop duty to assist with free flow of traffic and child safety from 8.30am - 8.45am and 3.05pm - 3.25pm. Please ensure your child is collected by 3.25pm.
• Please use the pedestrian crossing when walking between the carpark and the Kiss and drop area.
• Please ensure you remain under the speed limit of 10km/h at all times.

Staff have been advised to remind all families to use the crossing correctly. If you choose not to use the crossing, you will be redirected by staff on duty. Please do not take this personally; it is their job to keep everyone safe.

As always, we remind families to speak to their children about safety and keeping themselves safe.

SAPOL would like to remind students and families to be wary of approaches from strangers, especially when students are unaccompanied or travelling to and from school. If they are approached students should not respond and should not accept offers of rides or gifts.

Students should seek the assistance of other nearby adults if they feel unsafe and should report the event to a trusted adult (parent or school staff member) as soon as possible.

SA Police advises that taking out a mobile phone and calling police can deter the offender and they recommend the student making a formal report to their closest police station.

For guidance on what to teach your child about strategies for saying safe, please see the image below.

We encourage families to review our Standard Collection Notice, which outlines how the School collects, uses, discloses, and manages personal information about students, parents, and guardians. This notice explains the types of information we collect, the purposes for which it is used, who it may be shared with, and how it is stored and protected.

The Standard Collection Notice is available on our school website, and we recommend all families review it to understand their rights and our commitment to privacy and confidentiality.

Standard Collection Notice