From the Principal – Issue #3

From the Principal

As we come to the end of Week 4, the settings for schools around COVID safety are changing to allow a broader range of activities for students in Weeks 5 to 8. We welcome these changes, as we know the important role that participation in extra-curricular activities such as sport, debating, music and the numerous other activities on offer play in supporting the wellbeing of students at SAC. Parent attendance is welcomed at outdoor venues, whilst any indoor sports or activities will not admit parents.

Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation in following the guidelines to limit the numbers of parents on campus over this first month of the school year. From Week 5, we will open the Angas St gates to allow parents to come in to the Dunlevie Courtyard to collect primary students at the end of the school day. We ask that parents do not enter classrooms. To ensure that the courtyard does not become crowded, we will continue to dismiss the Reception and Year 1 students at 3:05-3:15pm (or 2:25pm on a Monday). We continue to follow the advice of SA Health and Catholic Education SA in these matters.

mR Neville stapleton

MUCH LOVED TEACHER, Archivist & MEMBER OF OUR ST ALOYSIUS College COMMUNITY

Staff, students and old scholars were saddened to hear of the death of College Archivist, Neville Stapleton, last Friday. Neville was employed at St Aloysius in 1984 and taught History and English for many years. His students remember him as a gifted and extraordinary teacher. In 2006, Neville retired from teaching and began his work in the Archives. Over the past 12 years, he has established a rich treasury of items related to the 142-year history of the College. Neville would recount wonderful tales of students and staff, past and present. He had a way of capturing the essence of a story in very few words. Neville was deeply loved by the staff of the College and we will keep his wife, Philomena, and their family in our prayers. May he rest in peace.

This video below was shared at our Whole School Assembly in 2020 to celebrate SAC’s history over the past 140 years. Today we share this tribute remembering the person who brought our story to life…

The warm weather has made PE lessons in the swimming pool a big hit in the last fortnight. Bringing that extra bag of swimming gear to school is certainly worth the effort when you get to have a cool dip on a 30 degree day. Many thanks to our PE staff and home class teachers for helping to build the girls’ confidence and skills in the water.

Staff and students have been watching the progress of our new playground in eager anticipation. Whilst it is taking a little longer than we had hoped, it has been great to see the primary students’ vision come to life in front of our eyes. We are grateful for the talents and commitment of the Climbing Tree crew in making it happen. No doubt the play equipment and beautiful garden setting will provide joy and inspiration for many generations of SAC students to come.

Members of the Primary Student Representative Council were presented with their badges today. Congratulations to the students who were chosen to represent their peers in this important role. At SAC, we pride ourselves on nurturing the leadership capacity of every student and we provide many different ways of expressing that leadership. According to Year 6 student, Mara, “leadership is about listening to others’ ideas”, and we know that these elected representatives will be excellent ambassadors for the College.