2025 - Term 2, Week 6

Dear Emmaus Families, 

I hope this message finds you well as we move past the halfway mark of Term 2 – a term full of learning, growth, and memorable experiences for both students and staff. 

Last week, I was fortunate to attend the SACPPA Principals’ Conference, held at the Novotel in the Barossa. The theme of the conference was Wellbeing, and we explored what it means to eat well, grow well, and move well. From hands-on sessions about growing your own vegetables to insights into how food and movement support mental health, it was a deeply inspiring and refreshing few days. 

One of the real highlights was hearing from Martin Heppell, a passionate and high-energy speaker from The Resilience Project. Some of you may already be familiar with Martin or have heard your children speak about him through our school’s wellbeing initiatives. Martin shared the importance of GEM – Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness – and how these simple yet powerful practices can transform our lives and support our children’s emotional development. 

As Martin said: 

"We can’t always change the world around us, but we can change the lens through which we see it." 

And another favourite: 

"Teaching kids to notice the good stuff doesn't just make them feel better – it builds resilience." 

Martin’s messages were not only powerful but also incredibly moving. His ability to make you laugh and cry, sometimes in the same sentence, is a rare gift. I am absolutely thrilled to share that Martin Heppell will be visiting Emmaus Catholic School very soon to present to our community. This is a truly special opportunity – one we’re proud to share not only with our families but also with nearby Catholic school communities. 

A huge thank you to the Resilience Team for organising this visit – what a gift to our school! And thank you also to our School Board for allowing me the time to attend this conference. I’m grateful to the leadership team who kept everything running so smoothly in my absence – the school was in excellent hands. 

At the heart of Martin’s message is something I believe we all need reminding of: the importance of being kind, respectful, and understanding. Our teachers work incredibly hard to do their very best for every child. Like all humans, we are not perfect – we will make mistakes. But as we teach our children, mistakes are how we grow. 

What’s Coming Up: 

As always, Term 2 is a busy one! 

Pupil-Free Day – Tuesday 10 June: Our staff will be participating in a retreat day focused on reflection, renewal, and spiritual growth. 

Assembly Schedule Change: Please note that our final assembly for the term will now be held on Friday of the last week of term. See the updated calendar on our website for details. 

Reception Swimming Week: Our youngest students are gearing up for their swimming program at the Marion Outdoor Pool – such an important part of growing up in Australia. Every child deserves the chance to learn water safety. 

Excursions & Camps: Over the past two weeks, our Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6 students have each been away on camp. These experiences build independence, confidence, and lifelong memories – thank you to our dedicated staff for making these possible. 

SACPSSA Netball Day – Week 9: This year, once again all of our year 4, 5 and 6 students will be attending the SACPSSA Netball Carnival. We will be travelling to the Netball SA Stadium on Friday the 20th of June. This will be fun and exciting culminating of learning in Physical Education this term.  

Knockout Sports: Josh has been coordinating opportunities for our older students to represent Emmaus in knockout competitions – a great way to foster school spirit and resilience. This term we have our round of games for netball and soccer.  

STEM Night – Wednesday 19 June 

We’re excited to invite all families to our inaugural STEM Night on Thursday 19 June! 

This special evening is all about hands-on engagement, where families can explore a wide range of exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities together with their children. Rather than a showcase, the main focus of the night is participation and discovery—so come ready to experiment, build, create and learn side by side! 

We’re planning a variety of engaging activities and will provide a map and program on the night so you can choose what interests you most. To make the evening even more dynamic, we’ve hired some exciting tech resources through CESA and Adelaide University, and we’re hopeful that Cardijn College students will also be joining us to support and add to the experience. 

A heartfelt thank you to Kieren Gulpers, whose vision and coordination have brought this idea to life—on top of her teaching load and responsibilities as a Pedagogical Coach. We’re also incredibly grateful to all staff donating their time and energy to make this event happen. 

In addition, a big thank you to Andrea Dezsery, who has organised an Art Exhibition for the evening, showcasing the talent and creativity of our budding artists. The Arts are such a vital part of our curriculum and deserve to be celebrated. 

We’d really love this to become a well-supported and much-loved annual event, so please come along and help us make our first STEM Night a success! 

And finally—stay tuned for upcoming instrumental music showcases, where even more of our students’ creative gifts will be on display. 

Thank you for your continued support of our school and your partnership in helping our children grow into kind, capable, and resilient young people. 

Wam regards 

Suzanne Budd

Congratulations to Our Students Celebrating Their Sacraments

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to several of our students who are taking important steps in their faith journey by celebrating their sacraments.

Please join us in congratulating Lincoln, Leah, Imad, Julian, and Bethany as they mark this special occasion.

May this be a joyful and meaningful milestone for each of them, filled with blessings and love from their families and community.

Loving God,
Bless these children as they receive their sacraments.
Fill their hearts with Your love and guide them each day.
Help them to walk in Your light and grow closer to You.
Amen.

Pentecost - Come, Holy Spirit!

This Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost, a very special and important day in the Catholic Church.

Pentecost happens 50 days after Easter and marks the moment when the Holy Spirit came to the apostles and followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave them courage, strength, and joy to go out and share the Good News with others. This day is often called the birthday of the Church because it was the beginning of the apostles’ mission to spread Jesus’ message to the world.

We remember that the Holy Spirit is still with us today – helping us to be kind, brave, and loving in all we do.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” – Acts 1:8

Justine Raponi

Acting REC

This year, student reports will be distributed differently. Families will be able to access their child’s Semester 1 report via SEQTA Engage on the last day of Term 2.

If you have already logged in to SEQTA Engage, simply use your account to access the report when it becomes available. If you have not yet logged in, please check your primary email inbox (including spam/junk folders) for the welcome email containing your unique login link. If you cannot locate a valid or working link, please contact Kate Thompson at kthompson@emmaus.catholic.edu.au to have a new link sent to you.

Please remember that grading may look different from what many of us are used to. In line with the 2013 Education Act and Education Regulations, Catholic schools use an A–E Grade Scale to report student achievement from Years 1–10:

Note: Parents/carers will be contacted prior to reporting if a student receives a D, E, IE, or N/A grade.

A big thank you to all the families who joined us for the Resilience at Home webinar, part of our journey with The Resilience Project. It was a fantastic opportunity to explore how we can support children’s wellbeing through simple strategies like gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness (GEM). The session highlighted how these tools help build emotional resilience and support positive mental health in both children and adults.

Families took away practical ideas to use at home; like daily gratitude sharing, mindful breathing, and encouraging kindness. These tools align with what students are learning at school, helping to create a consistent and supportive environment.

Connecting school and home is vital. When families reinforce the same messages of resilience, children feel more confident, secure, and empowered. Thank you for being part of this important partnership, we’re stronger together when it comes to nurturing resilient and happy kids!

Are you looking for a rewarding way to give back to the community? We’re currently seeking enthusiastic volunteers to support charitable work at our school. While this role does not involve working directly with children, appropriate checks are required.

Some of the tasks may include:

• Assisting with online record keeping and ordering
• Light manual handling tasks

Time commitment: Just one day per fortnight, for approximately 2 hours.

Your support will play a valuable role in helping us serve others and uphold our school’s mission of compassion and community.

If you’re interested or would like to know more, please contact Emily Simunsen at: esimunsen@emmaus.catholic.edu.au

We’d love to have you on board!

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.

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.

A message from SAPOL: "Students and families are reminded to be wary of approaches from strangers, especially when they 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. 
SAPOL 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."