Recent News
Prayer
Father’s Day and all Special Male Role Models who care for us.
Loving Father,
Bless all fathers and all the special men in our life. Give them strength and wisdom, tenderness and patience, courage and perseverance to walk the journey of life with us. St Joseph, pray for all dads as they, like you, respond to life’s challenges. Like you, may they have great trust and faith in our God who loves us unconditionally. We remember dads and grandfathers no longer with us but who live forever in our memories and hearts. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen
(Prayer from Sacred Heart Parish-Hindmarsh)
Masses and Liturgies
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Led by 1/2K
We thank our Year 1/2K class for leading The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mass on Wednesday 21 August.
They reminded us how special and humble Mary truly was. Pope Francis said:
‘Today we are celebrating the ‘great things.’ Mary is assumed into heaven: small and humble, she is the first to receive the highest glory. She, a human creature, one of us, attains eternity in soul and body.”
We thank Father Santhosh for being our celebrant, family members who attended and Luka’s Dad Dejan for reading the First Reading.
Season of Creation
The Season of Creation is an annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the cry of Creation. It unites our Christian family around the world to listen and care for our common home. The Season of Creation begins on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and concludes on October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. This year’s theme is ‘To Hope and Act with Creation’ with the symbol ‘the firstfruits of hope’, inspired by Romans 8:19-25.
Our 5/6L students will be leading Season of Creation Mass on Wednesday 11th September at 9am. Father Santhosh will be our celebrant.
You are invited to click HERE to access the Season of Creation Celebration Guide.
Safeguarding Sunday and National Child Protection Week
National Child Protection Week will take place from 1 to 7 September 2024.
The theme for this year is “Every Conversation Matters” and has been selected because conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe. Safeguarding Sunday follows National Child Protection Week and will be celebrated in all Australian Catholic Dioceses on Sunday 8 September 2024. This includes our Sacred Heart Parish - Hindmarsh and Findon.
For more information click HERE
Sacramental Program - Confirmation and First Holy Communion
With a proud heart we congratulate Paige (3/4P) and Tiana (5/6L) and Zara for celebrating their Confirmation and First Holy Communion on Sunday 18 August at the Sacred Heart Parish, Hindmarsh. Archbishop Patrick O’Regan and Father Santhosh were our celebrants.
If you would your child/children to participate in the next sacramental cycle, which begins with Reconciliation, please email jfenu@ihm.catholic.edu.au
Religious Literacy Assessment Tool (ReLAT) - Year 4 Students
Religious Education (RE) is a core Learning Area in all Catholic schools. It is a foundation for all learning and is integrated into the life of the school through prayer, masses, liturgies and social justice programs.
ReLAT will focus on knowledge content which is core to the Year 3/ 4 Crossways Religious Education curriculum. Students in Year 4 in 2024 have been engaging in the new Religious Education curriculum for two years. As a basic knowledge test, ReLAT complements the continuous, fuller, and deeper assessment of learning that occurs in the RE classroom.
Our Year 4 students will be undertaking this assessment in Week 8.
Student Leadership (SRC - Student Representative Council)
Catholic Mission Day- Friday 27 September
Pope Francis inclusive message for Catholic Mission is from the Gospel of Mathew (22:09) -‘Go and invite everyone to the banquet’ He is asking us to gather and not divide, to invite and not to exclude.
Our SRC’s will continue to build on this this message and plan for our Mission Day on Friday 27 September. This day will be a Casual Day- More details to follow.
Jhovana Fenu
Assistant Principal-Religious Identity and Mission/Learning Diversity
Ph: (08) 8115 7600
Email: jfenu@ihm.catholic.edu.au
G.A.T.E.ways (Gifted and Talented Education) is an Australian organisation that offers enrichment programs to support the intellectual and creative growth of high-achieving students. This term, G.A.T.E.ways held two half-day Mathematical Marvels workshops at Dominican School, led by specialist educators. IHM, in partnership with families, sent along several high-potential students, providing them with a personalised educational experience to nurture and recognise their abilities.
The Gateways Eureka program 'Mathematical Marvels' gave students an exciting chance to explore advanced mathematics through engaging, hands-on activities. The program aimed to ignite curiosity and enhance problem-solving skills, encouraging students to think critically and creatively while connecting classroom maths to real-world applications.
Below, our participating students have briefly summarised their experience:
Norah: I loved everything about G.A.T.E.ways but my favourite part of the maths day was learning about chance because I enjoyed multiplying the fraction and finding the answer.
Finley: G.A.T.E.ways was hard but not too hard. I really had to think! I liked learning about infinity and that it means endless. It was fun to work with infinity boxes too.
Hannah: One thing I liked about G.A.T.E.ways was how the maths was more challenging.
Alexandra: I liked G.A.T.E.ways because I learnt some new things and how to do them – we learnt how to traverse paths in a Zoom around the Zoo activity marking coordinates which were odd or even that made them traversable or not.
Tom: I really like the chance investigation because of the fun games we played such as the Powerball-esque game. Spinning the google dice and trying to guess which numbers would appear on three octagonal dice. What were the chances? I got all three correct! I also liked the many breaks throughout the event. It was super fun!
Maria: G.A.T.E.ways was challenging and fun. It was nice to be pushed further and know other students. It felt good to learn more advanced maths other than multiplication, addition etc.
Clara: I enjoyed G.A.T.E.ways most of the time. I think it was a good idea to have lots of breaks to go outside. I think they could have done one or two things in each class instead of saying what something was and then moving on straight away. But – it was fun.
Vincent: I loved G.A.T.E.ways. The teacher was nice. I had a lot of breaks, and it was easy to understand everything. It was a roller coaster discovering so many new things like ellipses, the chance of winning something, and space.
Ivan: I loved G.A.T.E.ways because the activities were fun, and we learned about space’s distance per second and infinity.
Julieta: I loved it! I liked it because it was fun, I learned a lot of new things, and I made friends. We learned that in the galaxy there are a lot of ellipses and about Pi. I learnt that Pi is 3.14 infinite. If I could do it again I would definitely do it. At G.A.T.E.ways the teachers were really nice too. Mathematics Marvel.
Jacob: I loved G.A.T.E.ways because it was more suited to my likings, and I liked being challenged. I felt welcome and happy. I like the space activity where I learned there is so much more to space than I knew – quite scary actually! We blew up the solar system through the black hole! We also drew circles and ellipses and measured the degrees.
Eva-Lee from 2/3HW is a winner of the City of Charles Sturt Make-a-Book competition 2024 with a story she wrote entitled The People Zoo. She will be receiving her award from Her Worship the Mayor Angela Evans at a special ceremony at the Charles Sturt City Council this Friday. Congratulations Eva-Lee!!!
We would like to share this year’s NAPLAN results with you which highlight our students' progress in literacy and numeracy. Both our Year 3 and Year 5 students achieved a strong proficiency across all domains, reflecting the hard work of our students, dedication of our teachers, and support of our school community. In celebrating these successes, we also remain focused on areas for growth to help every student reach their full potential.
At IHM, we use data-informed practices to guide our educational decisions. NAPLAN data provides valuable insights that help us identify strengths and areas for improvement, so we can tailor our teaching and offer intentional interventions to ensure all students are on the path to success. Teachers have already unpacked and reflected on NAPLAN results to celebrate these successes and identify key areas for further development.
This year we achieved strong results across all domains. Only one student was identified as needing additional support—and this student was already recognised through our whole-school data collection and was already receiving Tier 2 interventions. NAPLAN results play a key role in this process, prompting us to refine our strategies. We also engage in ongoing monitoring throughout the year, using various data sources to track progress and make informed decisions.
IHM is always proactive in your child’s education, consistently monitoring data, refining our teaching methods, and incorporating the latest evidence-based practices. In 2023, our analysis revealed a need for stronger support in spelling. After careful consideration and significant staff training, we introduced the Playberry and Heggerty programs in 2024, both employing Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) to improve spelling skills. Already ahead of the curve, this year’s NAPLAN data has affirmed the importance of our focus on spelling.
The success of our students is central to everything we do. By combining data-informed practices with reflective teaching and consistent monitoring, we create an environment where every student can thrive. We are dedicated to working closely with parents and the community to support our students' learning journeys and ensure their continued success.
Year 3 - Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Year 5 - Immaculate Heart of Mary School
As you know, this year IHM implemented a significant evidence-informed spelling program-Playberry Multisensory Literacy Program alongside the phonemic awareness program Heggerty, to help all students to thrive in spelling and reading.
Throughout this implementation process, we have held several parent sessions and surveyed students, staff, and our parent community, as we highly value feedback and are committed to improving our practice. A few weeks ago, our Leaders of Learning, Sonia Bianco, and Catherine Hulley, facilitated another family workshop. This session highlighted the rationale behind choosing Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), saw a live demonstration of how it is applied in the classroom, and provided families with information about how to support their children in consolidating their classroom Playberry knowledge during home learning.
Thank you to our families and community for your continued support and partnership.
If you would like to know more about EDI or how you can best support your child, please contact us 😊
Sonia Bianco & Catherine Hulley
LEADERS OF LEARNING
National Science Week in Australia is an annual event that celebrates science and technology. It aims to promote interest and awareness in science, encourage participation in S.T.E.M. activities, and highlights the importance of science in everyday life.
This year’s science week theme was Species Survival: More than Just Sustainability and our buddy classes came together to take part in themed science activities while fostering a culture of scientific inquiry and literacy across IHM.
Bookings Now Open for Rocketeers Spring School Holiday Program
No two days are the same at Rocketeers! Each day offers something new, sparking creativity and joy in every child. See the program below:
Celebrate Camp Australia's 30 Year Anniversary
On Tuesday 10th September 2024, we invite the entire Immaculate Heart of Mary School community to join us at our OSHC for an unforgettable celebration! Enjoy an afternoon of fun, food and festivities.
What's in Store:
DIY Friendship Bracelets
Ball in a Cup
Pass the Parcel
Egg & Spoon Races
and yes, cake!
Important Dates
School Photo Day
House Meetings (students wear House coloured top)
Student Centred Conferences 9th - 13th Sept
School Board Meeting - 7pm
Excursion to Urrbrae Wetlands - R/1s & 1/2K
Choir Performs - Adelaide Festival Theatre 6 - 9pm
End of Term 3 - 3:00pm
School Hats
A reminder for families that as from 1st September, all students must wear an IHM school hat during all outdoor activities. Hats are available from the Office or can be ordered and paid for via Qkr! NO HAT = NO PLAY.
Legionnaire Hats - $7.00 .
Brimmed Hats - $12.00
Fitzroy Cricket Club
Royal Adelaide Show
We would like to inform our families that IHM does not have a 'Show Day'. If you are attending the Show on a school day, we ask that you inform the school (via School Stream or phone call) that your child will be absent. Thank you.
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