St Kieran Newsletter Term 3, Week 10 - 19th September 2024

Principal's Message

God of Compassion and Mercy, source of compassion and love; 
Inspire us to live the Gospel call to care for those who are most vulnerable. 
Kindle in us a fire for justice poured out on our world.  
May we be like Catherine McAuley in our faith, our love and our hope. Amen 

This week we celebrated Mercy Week and all the amazing things that the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Works do for our community.  

Catherine McAuley is the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. Catherine’s faith led her to dedicate herself to serving the poor, sick and uneducated. Throughout her life she was deeply aware of the human suffering caused by social, economic and religious injustice.  

To "comfort" and to "animate" are among the most frequently used words in Catherine's writing. These words reflect the outgoing, life-giving and self-sustaining nature of her life and ministry. 

 'Animation' was the word Catherine repeatedly used to describe the desired effect of her sisters’ lives on those they had contact with. Through acts of comfort, love and mercy she strove to impact and ‘animate’ lives. To be animated by the spirit of Christ is part of the spirit of the Mercy order.  

Catherine used every opportunity to applaud and invigorate her sisters and she deliberately nurtured their God-given gifts. She animated them through her words, her example, her presence, her affection, and her own concrete commitment to works of mercy.  

Hospitality was a fundamental part of Catherine’s sense of service. The story is told that even as she laid on her death bed with sisters travelling from far and near to pay their last respects to her, her first concern was their comfort. “Be sure to give them a cup of tea” was her instruction which has become a symbol of Mercy hospitality and servant leadership. 

Yesterday we ended Mercy Week with a beautiful Mass and a fete to raise money for Mercy Works. Mercy Works is the development arm of the Sisters of Mercy in Australia and Papua New Guinea. They work in partnership with vulnerable communities and local organisations domestically and in the Asia Pacific region. They work with the people of these communities and organisations to build capacity, dignity and self-reliance. We thank our St Kieran families for their financial contribution to the fete and free dress today, all money will go to those in need.  

As the term comes to an end, I would like to wish everyone a relaxing and restful school holiday break. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 7th October with renewed energy and excitement for Term 4.  

Sacha Doepel 
Assistant Principal
Sacha.doepel@cewa.edu.au 

Pupil Free Day and Staff Professional Service Learning

Today the staff at St Kieran spent time giving back to the community by participating in much needed jobs around the school, St Catherine's House of Hospitality and the Parish Church. We spent time during the morning reflecting on the mercy charisms, listening to Sr Elizabeth, Jo Ketteringham, and Deacon Gionata about how service is good for our well-being. It is important for ones own well being to be of service to others.  

School Calendar

Term 3 will see the school closed and conclude for students on Thursday 19th September (Friday 20th September is a Staff Development Day). We return to St Kieran for Term 4 on Monday 7th October. 

Make a Move Concerts

Congratulations to all students who participated in the Make a Move Dance performances last week. It was fabulous to see so many students really give it their best and showcase their talents.  

Contact Details - Parents

It is imperative that parents and families update the school when your personal details change during the year. If you change your email address or mobile number please ensure that the school administration is contacted so we can update these details for communication purposes. 

Servite College

Just a reminder to all of our St Kieran families you must get your children's applications into Servite College nice and early. Please don’t wait until Year 5 as it will be too late we would suggest getting the applications in before Year 4. While St Kieran and Servite have a great relationship and are very close, parents still need to submit a separate enrolment application to Servite College. Please make sure you are organised nice and early with this process. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. 

Students Leaving St Kieran

Can you please let the school know as soon as possible if your children are moving on from St Kieran in 2024. We currently have families on our wait lists and would like to accommodate as many people as possible. Please note a terms notice should be given in order to not be charged any subsequent fees. 

Placement of Students in Classes for 2025

Each year, staff use professional judgement to make fair and informed decisions about where they place students for the following year. These decisions are based on many aspects that consider the whole child. Staff consider academic ability, behavioural concerns, socio-emotional considerations, gender, learning needs, as well as friendships evident at school and attempt to even the distribution across both classes when making these decisions. 

If you have a significant matter that you wish to discuss with the Principal, please email Mr Burnett directly before Thursday 19th September daine.burnett@cewa.edu.au this date is not extended. 

St Kieran Parish Fundraiser

CSPA 2024 Parent/Caregiver Survey on Student Wellbeing & Learning

2024 ADHD WA Conference -Saturday October 19 2024

URSTRONG Online Workshop

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

URSTRONG’s whole-school friendship strategy has improved the social climate in schools around the world, connecting over a million kids, parents, and teachers with a common language of friendship. We are proud to be a URSTRONG School, empowering your children with friendship skills through their award-winning Friendology curriculum.

You are invited to attend an ONLINE Language of Friendship parent-child workshop for URSTRONG Schools on Wednesday 16 October at 6:00pm. Dana Kerford (Founder of URSTRONG) will teach you and your children skills + language to foster healthy, feel-good friendships.
 
This workshop will take place online via Zoom. If this is a first for you, you might want to try a test by clicking here.
 
When it’s time: CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Meeting ID: 833 7236 8909
Password: URSTRONG

You are also invited to keep the conversation going at home with a FREE membership for URSTRONG Families.
Take advantage of activities, videos, & articles to continue empowering your child with friendship skills. 

After the workshop, we encourage you to:
Activate your FREE Parent Membership and explore all the resources available to your family.
Encourage Green-Zone Friendships with this activity: Must-Haves, Deal-Breakers, & Ice-Cream!
Try out this interactive tool: Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose?
Pop over to URSTRONG’s BLOG with news & advice.

We believe that empowering our students with these skills will create a culture of kindness at our school and we hope you will be part of this whole-school initiative! 

Dana is looking forward to seeing you all online from around Western Australia!

Kieran Connect

After School Program in Mathematics and Physical Sciences