The Morphett Vale Antonio Catholic School Mini Vinnie’s Team along with Lillian Van Brussel, APRIM, recently engaged the entire school in a project to support Catholic Charities month. Each class was invited to represent one of the agencies that Catholic Charities raises money for. Their challenge was to present at a whole school assembly; some information about their charity; how they propose to support it and what they expect to happen as a result of their work.
Antonio Catholic School’s hard-working Mini Vinnies group presented the students at the very successful assembly where they shared what they had learned so far and how they would support their charity. Annie O’Neill from Catholic Charities attended and thanked all the students for their amazing efforts.
The R/1 team are supporting the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry and the Catholic Deaf Association and are creating a class DVD which is being sold for $5 each to support their charities.
The 2/3 team are making badges representing teams in the schools Olympic Week and popular football teams to sell for $1 each to support Mary McKillop Care: Ain Karim and Our Lady of La Vang School.
The 4/5 team are supporting the Mercy House of Welcome by paying to watch a movie that gives insights into accepting diversity. They will sell popcorn and drinks on the day as additional ways to add to their fundraising efforts. They have already organised and enjoyed a visit from Meredyth of the Mercy House of Welcome who came with an asylum seeker who had each and every student enthralled with her courageous story. These students will also visit the centre at Kilburn to sit in and support an English class and art class which gives the clients an opportunity to practice their English skills and for the students to hear more of their stories.
The year 6/7 team are learning about Catherine House and Centre care. They are putting together toiletry packs to send to Catherine House.
The Mini Vinnie’s Team have worked hard for the Hutt street Centre. They have visited the facility and had a Winter Sleep-out at school to raise awareness amongst the school community. They put together more than 150 pairs of `Socks of Love’ and collected box loads of blankets, hats, scarves, gloves and toiletries for the centre.
Lillian said that the whole school is very engaged in their learning about their assigned Catholic Charities. The students are working towards presenting their learning experiences at another assembly later in the term where they will present a deeper understanding of how each agency was formed, the important works they are doing to help people in the South Australian community and how the efforts of each class will support the agencies. These learning experiences are being supported by the teachers who are integrating the learning into a variety of curriculum areas including Religious Education, Mathematics, English, Civics and Citizenship and Economics.
The 17 strong Antonio Mini Vinnie’s Social Justice Team are very excited to have instigated and implemented such an exciting initiative that has led to deeper learning and engagement of the whole school and wider community in the social justice.
Annie O’Neill on behalf of Catholic Charities would like to thank Lillian and her students for their hard work and dedication in finding ways to support our agencies helping the disadvantaged in our community.
Follow the link to find out more about the me4u website
Intergenerational playgroups are truly something special — an experience that enriches the lives of both the young and the older members of our community. These playgroups are more than just a space for children to play; they are a vital platform for different generations to come together, share wisdom, and build meaningful relationships.
