Week 2 Newsletter, Term 4 2025

Principal's Messages

We’ve had a fantastic and busy two weeks back at school, filled with opportunities for our students to shine both in and beyond the classroom. Our Year 6 students have already stepped up to exciting challenges, participating in the Regional Debating competition and the Aspire Scriptwriters program. It’s always inspiring to see young people embrace opportunities that might seem daunting to adults, and in doing so, build new skills and confidence.

Next week, we look forward to our fundraising day for Catholic Mission. Students have been learning about the lives of families in regional Zambia and how their efforts will support local farming projects. This has been a meaningful way to connect learning with global citizenship and compassion.

We invite all parents and friends to join us for our Liturgy at 9am in the school hall. It will be a special moment to come together as a community and reflect on the impact our students can have in the world.

Faith in Focus

This Weekend’s Gospel: Humility and Hope in Action
Every Monday morning, we share the Gospel from the weekend's Mass and make connections with students and their own experiences.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Both prayed, but only the Tax Collector’s humble heart drew him closer to God. Jesus reminds us that it’s not about showing off our goodness—it’s about being honest, humble, and open to God’s love.

With the children we connect this message by encouraging children to look inward, to pray with sincerity, and to act with kindness. Next week, as we fundraise for Catholic Mission, students will live this Gospel message by putting others first—sharing hope and compassion with those in need. We learn that true greatness comes from humility and love in action.

Looking forward to a great two weeks,
Katie

Religious Education and Spirituality

Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Day

Teachers have been hearing quite a number of children who are excited about the prospect of celebrating Halloween. The prospect of dressing up and eating treats is very enticing. When asked if they also knew what other special days we are celebrating in the Church calendar, students weren't so sure.

Parents we need your help to teach your children about our special days and beliefs. Perhaps take the excitement of Halloween to remind your child that after Halloween comes All Saints and All Souls Days.

All Saints, a day when we can remember all the holy men, women and children who have died after living lives based on the teachings of Jesus.

All Souls, a day when we remember and can pray especially for those who have died. Both days are important to the Church community.

Origins of Halloween

"Halloween" is a name that means nothing by itself. It is a contraction of "All Hallows Eve," and it describes the vigil of All Hallows Day, more commonly known today as All Saints Day. ("Hallow," as a noun, is an old English word for saint. As a verb, it means to make something holy or to honour it as holy.)

All Saints Day, November 1, as a feast and the vigil have been celebrated since the early eighth century, when they were instituted by Pope Gregory III in Rome.

                           Helpful Tips for Family Discussion

All Saints Day

• We honour/celebrate but do not worship these heroes of the Christian Faith.
• The lives of saints are one way that God teaches us how to live a good life.
• We thank God for the saints, who are models for us how to live Jesus’ teaching.

All Souls Day

• Is a day to remember fellow Christians who have died.
• Our prayers for them, especially in the Mass, can help them on their way to God.

Celebrating 90 Years

Today, as part of our 90th anniversary celebrations, each student at Corpus Christi was presented with a special commemorative gift — a school badge.

Throughout the year and on our 90th celebration day, we’ve had the privilege of sharing stories and memorabilia from past students. These included badges from different eras — some featuring the black Dominican shield, and others from when our school was known as The Rosary School. some of these historical badges have been generously donated back to the school as part of our heritage collection.

We shared with our students the significance of this tradition and offered them the choice to either keep their badge as a personal memento or wear it proudly with their academic uniform. 

Infants All Saints Day Mass

WE INVITE PARENTS AND CARERS TO JOIN OUR INFANTS CLASSES FOR MASS ON Monday 3rd NOVEMBER AT 9:15a.m  TO CELEBRATE ALL SAINTS DAY.

Year 5 Formation Day -Called to Serve

Today, our Year 5 class participated in their first formation day to develop and strengthen their leadership skills and learn about the responsibilities of being a buddy to the 2026 Kinder students.

Year 5 explored service leadership and the qualities and characteristics of a service leader. We reflected on Jesus as a role model for serving others, and we built our teamwork skills. It was wonderful to hear and watch the great leasdership qualities already coming through in all our Year 5 students.

Mrs Castles, Mrs Deveridge, Mr Deed and Mrs March were incredibly impressed with the positive way every Year 5 student participated in the day.

Our next Year 5 formation leadership day will take place in a few weeks, where we will continue to explore the gifts and talents that every student has to give to our school community and unpack the next steps for senior leadership. More details about this day will come to paretns via compass in the comming weeks.

Year 5 Formation Day

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Curriuclum Update - PAT Testing

Every year in October, every school in our Diocese participates in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). PAT tests are online and facilitated by Australian Council for Education Research (ACER). Staff use these annual test benchmarks (in conjunction with other standarised data eg NAPLAN) for whole school curriculum decisions. In terms of individual students they are only seen as one tiny part of the picture are not considered as reliable as the teachers specific data, as they are one online test, on one day, once a year. The data is important to show whole school trends, for example last year we were able to show improved growth in student spelling results from years 4-6 after one year of implement of the Spelling Mastery program. 

This year Corpus Christi students will complete PAT in Weeks 3 and 4 of this term. Kindergarten does not participate. Year 1 will complete the maths test. Year 2 will complete maths and reading. While years 3-6 complete maths, reading and spelling. 

Aspire Scriptwriters

We are incredibly proud of Lucy T and Sophie for their outstanding achievements in the Aspire Scriptwriters Program. Under the expert mentorship of Anna Kerrigan, both students developed their own original scripts, which were brought to life by Aspire student actors during a special performance at the Civic Playhouse on Tuesday evening.

This was a truly wonderful experience, and we commend both girls for embracing the challenge and dedicating their time to such a creative and long-term project. It was inspiring to see the final productions and to watch Lucy and Sophie confidently present their plays to the audience.

Well done, Lucy and Sophie!

North’s Regional Debating at Corpus Christi

North Region Debating

On Thursday 16th October, Corpus Christi hosted our North Region schools for our interschool debating competition.

Many students in Year 6 had been involved in learning the rules, roles and skills involved in a debate. We had many students contribute prior to the day by brainstorming ideas, filling chairperson and timekeeper roles, debating practice topics and providing ideas and feedback.

On the day: Lucy, Lucy, Sophie and Julia represented our school as our debate team. Lara, Riva, Sam, Connor and Evan assisted with timekeeper and chairperson roles.

Many thanks to Meredith MacDonald from San Clemente for being our expert adjudicator for the day and providing excellent feedback to all teams.

We can report that Corpus Christi won their debated in Round 1 and Round 2 and will now have a final debate against St Michael’s Nelson Bay to decide our regional winner.

Congratulations!

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Our school rule focus for weeks 1 and 2 has been Be Respectful with a focus on 'Play fairly and consider others.'

Our 'Dominican Detectives, Rogue, Sofia, Ari, MJ and Charlie shared with us at assembly examples of our students sharing, letting others have turn, respecting the rules and ensuring fair play. Great work Corpus Christi!

Canteen Now Open Three Days a Week!

We’re excited to share that our school canteen is now open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays via Qkr!

A huge thank you to Nicole Griffiths, our fantastic Canteen Manager, for her dedication and hard work, and to our wonderful volunteers who help keep the canteen running smoothly each week.

If you're interested in volunteering in the canteen, please reach out to Nicole at:
nicole.griffiths@mn.catholic.edu.au

Sport Update

Good luck to the following students who are taking part in the Diocesan Trials in November:

Cricket

• Ashton (Year 5)
• Deacon (Year 5)
• Sam (Year 5)

Basketball

• MJ (Year 5)
• Eli (Year 5)
• Aisha (Year 4)

Mango Fundraiser

Our Mango Fundraiser is available on Qkr! until next week!

Get in now to secure a tray of mangoes for delivery in December.

All funds raised are towards our fundraising goals for 2026.

Uniform Shop

Our uniform shop is open for online orders via Qkr! and in-person shopping on Friday mornings from 8:30am-9am.

Any online orders are processed on Friday mornings and sent home with students via the class note bags.

Our uniform shop is run by our wonderful parent volunteers, and all items are at close to cost price.

School TV - Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers wield significant power, shaping opinions, particularly among young people. However, their impact on youth mental health is concerning. Most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate and his rise to fame, has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate's content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs. In today's digital world, anyone can be an influencer, exerting influence through their audience relationship. Comparisons to idealised lives on social media can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, while exposure to inappropriate content and distorted body image perceptions exacerbate the issue. The fast-paced environment inundates young people with information, making them susceptible to certain beliefs and evoke strong emotions. Attention has become a valued commodity, therefore influencers design content to captivate their audiences. Filtered portrayals of perfect lives create unrealistic expectations often resulting in dissatisfaction. Comparisons with peers intensify insecurities and anxiety. Social media algorithms may also expose a young person to inappropriate content, fostering negative and divisive narratives which can then lead to cyberbullying and online harassment, further harming their wellbeing. It is therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to guide a young person's social media use, encourage open communication, and educate them about the realities of social media. Be curious to comprehend why they might be drawn to radical influencers, like Andrew Tate, and actively seek understanding as part of the solution. Through modelling kindness, respect and positive values, you can help tackle the sway of such influencers, countering unhealthy masculinity and mitigating potential harm. While not all influencers have a negative impact, it is important to ensure there is a balanced approach between online and offline activities. Emphasise the importance of critical thinking, real-life connections and positive values. For more information on how to instil positive values in your child, you may find the following websites useful. White Ribbon: This is part of a global social movement working to eliminate gendered violence. Orygen: A framework to help boys learn healthy behaviours and develop a positive approach to masculinity. R4Respect: An education strategy to prevent domestic and family violence led by young people for young people. Flourish Girl: Promoting mental health and emotional intelligence for teenage girls and gender diverse teens in schools. Girl Power: Fostering a positive mindset, inner confidence and resilience in girls at a young age, before they embark on their teenage years and are exposed to the powerful world of social media.