TWCS Newsletter Term 2 Week 2 2025

Dear Tenison Woods Catholic School Community,

We hope this message finds you well after a wonderful Easter and Term Break. As we continue to journey through the 2025 school year, we are delighted to share some of our recent achievements and highlight upcoming events that we are eagerly anticipating.

Building Update #1

We are excited to share that the construction of our new Learning Centre is progressing well. This state-of-the-art facility will provide our students with modern learning spaces designed to enhance their educational experience. In the coming weeks the contractors will be finalising the earthworks in preparation of the concrete pour. This will mark an important milestone for the project. We will keep you updated on the progress and look forward to its completion.

Sports Day Thanks: A big thank you to everyone who participated in and supported our recent Sports Day. It was a fantastic event, and we are proud of all our students for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. A big thank you to Katie and Mitch for the amazing set up of Richmond Oval and for the coordination of the day. A massive congratulations to PENOLA for winning the Spirit Cup and TENISON for taking out the Shield.

Holy Week and Easter: We recently celebrated Holy Week and Easter with various activities and services. It was a meaningful time for our school community to reflect and come together in faith. Mrs Pattinson worked with different classes to bring to focus the Easter story. Thank you to all the children who led these liturgies.

Vinnies and Moore Street Winter Appeal: Throughout Term 2 we will be collecting donations for our annual Vinnie’s and Moore Street Winter Appeal here at Tension Woods. The most vulnerable people in our local community have been hit extremely hard by the increased cost of living. Donations made by families towards this year’s Winter Appeal will assist those experiencing homelessness by providing warm clothing and essentials. Please keep an eye out on Audiri for a list of the items that we are seeking which will be posted next week. All donations can be placed in the Vinnies bins or dropped into the Front Office. 

On the last day of the term, Friday 4th July, we will be having a ‘Pyjama Day.’ Students (and staff) will be invites to wear their pyjamas, or other warm clothing to school to remind us of how grateful we are to have warm, comfortable clothing to wear during the cold winter months. All students will be given a cup of hot chocolate to enjoy on this day also. More information about this will be sent our toward the end of the term.

Sunsmart Guidelines: Recently the School Board has been working with the Cancer Council of SA to review and improve our Sunsmart Guidelines. The major change has been realigning the times when hats need to be worn as well as the application of sunscreen. Beginning this term, our Guidelines state that in TERMS 1, 3 and 4, hats must be worn during outdoor activities. During Term 2, children are asked to have their hats at school and when the UV rating is 3 or above, children will be asked to wear their hats outdoors. This will be monitored by the school.

With these changes, Tenison Woods Catholic School is now a registered SUN SMART SCHOOL.

Staying informed: This term is filled with a range of excursions and hands-on experiences designed to complement and enrich our classroom programs. To stay informed about upcoming events and classroom activities, please keep an eye on both Seesaw and Audiri for regular updates.

Some of the exciting excursions planned include:
Reception students visiting the Marine Discovery Centre
Year 1–2 students heading to the Adelaide Zoo
Year 3 - The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre
Year 4–6 students exploring Old Tailem Town

These excursions provide valuable learning experiences that link closely to curriculum goals and help bring learning to life.

General: A few reminders for our school community:

- Parking Reminders: We have had a number of complaints from our neighbours regarding parents parking across driveways. When asked to move by the residents, unfortunately some of our parent community are not doing so. This is unnecessary and I know council inspectors regularly patrol the streets issuing fines for illegal parking. Please ensure that you are parking in designated areas to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
- Welcome Pre-Service Teachers: We are pleased to welcome our pre-service teachers who will be joining us this term. Tyrell and Julia will be working in our Reception classes this term. Mr Molloy’s Year 6 class will also have Isabella as a pre-service teacher. They will be working closely with our staff and students to gain valuable teaching experience.
- Catholic Ed Week: Catholic Education Week is approaching, and we have a range of activities planned to celebrate our Catholic identity and values.
- Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum: Our Term 2 Keeping safe Child Protection focus is ‘Relationships’. Throughout the term students will engage in age-appropriate lessons through the Health Curriculum to develop an understanding of this topic in particular trust and our trust networks. Students are asked to identify a network of people and support services they can trust and seek help from.  The communication letter was sent home in February. If you would like any further information regarding the Keeping safe Protection Curriculum, please feel free to have a look at the Keeping Safe website, http://kscpc.2.vu/DE_ParentsCarers.

Dance Aerobics Comp: A very big ‘Good luck’ to our Dance Aerobics teams as they put all that hard work in to their first competitions this weekend. All the best.

Mothers Day: We will be celebrating Mothers Day with a special event to honour all the wonderful mothers in our school community this week. A very bog thank you to the P&F team led by Kirsty Miller for this event.

Conclusion
As we continue to grow and evolve as a school community, we are grateful for the dedication and support of our staff, students, and families. Together, we are creating a nurturing and inspiring environment for our children to thrive. We look forward to sharing more updates and celebrating our achievements in the coming months.

To all our mothers and special women in our lives – have a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday.

God Bless,

Ben, Claire and Sheena

Stars at Tension Woods

In Term 1 Xavier Chubb (Year 6) beat his PB at the State Individual Championships to win the gold medal in High Jump with 1.41m. U11’s State Champion! He won silver 2 years ago, and last year also came equal 2nd but didn’t medal on a count back, so this is 3 seasons of work and early morning trainings with his coach. He’s so proud of himself and rightly so! Well done Xavier!!!

Ella Bond (Year 6) was recently selected in the SAPSASA Airport District Swimming Team. During the meet Ella competed in the 12 year old girls division, finished first in 50m butterfly,  1st in 50m breaststroke,  2nd in medley relay, and 3rd in freestyle. An amazing set of results and reward for her hard work.

Great work Ella!

What a fantastic season it's been for our Tenison Woods tee-ball team! 

The players showed incredible enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship each week, and it was such a joy to watch their skills and confidence grow throughout the term. Every child gave it their all and, most importantly, had a great time.

A big thank you to all the families who supported the team - whether it was helping out at games, cheering from the sidelines, bringing fruit snack for after the game, or simply encouraging the kids each week, your involvement made such a positive impact.

We’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Adelaide Angels Baseball Club for hosting and supporting this wonderful sport. The welcoming environment, great facilities, and encouragement from the club made it a truly enjoyable experience for our young players to learn and grow.

Tee-ball will recommence in Term 4, and with the strong interest we saw this season, we’re hopeful to field not just one, but possibly two teams next time around. 

We’d love to see our current players return and welcome new faces to join in the fun.

Go Tenison Woods!

On Wednesday 2nd of April, select swimmers from Years 3-6 competed at the annual SACPSSA Swimming Carnival. These students went through a 3-week trial process earlier in the term to secure their spot in the team. Between our freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and relay events, Tenison Woods put up a strong fight on the day across the board! 

With our students placing first in 90% of all events for the carnival, Tenison Woods took out first place overall in the Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 age brackets, as well as claiming the title for Section 8 SACPSSA Swimming Carnival champions! 

A special mention goes to Macey in Year 3, Alyssia in Year 5, and Ella in Year 6 for winning their respective age level champion titles! A big congratulations to all competitors on the day for giving their all, and to the immense support received from parents and volunteers at the pool. The day wouldn’t be possible without our marshal volunteers! GO TWCS! 

On Friday 11th April, on the last day of Term 1, Tenison Woods Sports Day began! Our four houses of Aloysius, Mackillop, Penola, and Tenison put up a hard-fought clash to determine who would be declared our Sports Day Champions for 2025!

Consisting of a wide range of activities and games, such as Soccer Shoot-Out, Vortex throw, as well as the classic Egg + Spoon and Sack Races, all students had an amazing time surrounded by the electric atmosphere of the West Adelaide Football Club oval.

With a point difference of only 330 between fourth place and first, and 10 points from second to first, shows the immense effort and motivation of each student on the day. A massive congratulations goes to Tenison for claiming the title of Sports Day winners for 2025, with Penola also taking glory in the Spirit Cup for their positive energy and strong encouragement for all.

A big thank you also goes to all our staff, parents and other volunteers for their support in setting up, packing down and facilitating our Sports Day through running events and collating scoresheets. This day would not have been possible without the overwhelming support received from our school community and beyond.

A special congratulations to all students for putting their best foot forward and giving their best! We’re looking forward to what exciting experiences are to come on Sports Day 2026!

On Monday we had a liturgy about Pope Francis who passed away in the Holidays. After the liturgy we read ‘Dear Pope Francis’ as a class and spoke about what a great leader he was and how he cared so much for everyone and everything god created. After reading the book we spoke about leaders in our school community and chose to practise our Question sentences and write our own letters called ‘Dear Mr Catalano’. Here are some of our letters and their responses from Mr Catalano.

Term 2 in 4/5M shapes to be another exciting and busy term highlighted by our excursion to Old Tailem Town in week 5. It has been great to be able to hear what students got up to in the holidays and all about sports day on the last day of term.

In English this term the focus is on narrative writing. Students have been developing their writing skills through exploring literary devices and indirect and direct speech to make more creative and engaging stories for the reader. We look forward to sharing these in the future.

In Numeracy, we have been learning about 3D shapes and how we can connect them to objects in the environment around us. Students are showcasing their understanding by creating models by combining different 3D shapes together. Students have used Maker’s Empire to plan their model designs. We have also had a major focus on developing our multiplication and division skills.

In Science, the year 4’s have been learning all about forces, and are looking forward to making marble runs in the coming weeks to show what they have learnt about friction and gravity. The year 5’s have been learning about light and the direction it travels. Students are going to showcase their understanding by creating light mazes to hit a target.

It has been a very pleasing start to the term in 4/5M and we look forward to creating more memories with each other along the journey.

The Year 4 students have spent the first few weeks of term reconnecting with their peers and educators.

In English, we have begun focusing on narrative writing, with an emphasis on using literary devices such as onomatopoeia and similes to make our stories more engaging and imaginative.

In Mathematics, we have been exploring 3D shapes and their properties. Students are currently working on an exciting learning task where they are designing their own town using various 3D shapes. Later this term, students will be learning about multiplication and division.

In History, the students have been learning about British Colonisation and its impact on Australia. We are especially looking forward to our excursion to Old Tailem Town in Week 5 to deepen our understanding.

It has been a productive and engaging start to the term, and we are excited about the learning opportunities still to come.

A very warm welcome to term two from the P&F, and we hope everyone managed to catch up on some rest and time with the family over the school holidays.

The conclusion of term one included a wine drive, and our thanks go out to Kirsty, as well as those who supported this fundraiser. Thanks to Marissa for coordinating the Easter fundraiser with Kyton Bakery, we hoped you all enjoyed your hot cross buns and thanks for your support!

We are looking forward to the Mother’s Day Breakfast on 9th May, and would like to thank our volunteers Dads for their support on the day.  

The first P&F Committee meeting for term two will be held at the school, at 7pm on Wednesday 14th May. All are welcome, and even if you can only contribute a short amount of time, many hands make light work as we plan towards events for the remainder of the year.

Looking further ahead, a tickets are available for purchase on the Qkr! app for a Parent’s Night out, on Saturday 16th August. Last year’s event was very well attended, and was a great opportunity for parents to connect in a social setting, so it's to line up the babysitters!  Thanks so much to Tracey for your support organising this event.

Wishing everyone a great few weeks ahead as we move into the cooler months.  

Kind Regards,

Jane O’Donoghue & David Marshall