Term 1 Week 3 2025

From the Principal

Dear Families,

After much anticipation of having our Parent Information Evening it was decided your safety and that of our staff trump this opportunity this time. Information will be shared with you and you are always welcome to reach out with any queries you may have. 

Whilst many of our staff were in the same situation of being cut off from getting into our school, we were blessed to have the amazing staff from Home Hill supporting us this week. It was lovely to hear the positive feedback they shared about how well the children had settled in and were ready for their learning each day regardless of the circumstances. I'd like to extend a thank you to our families for being an important part of why our children have settled in so beautifully.

Whilst most of our children do feel familiar with the school day the year has not presented this early in our term. If you feel your child is experiencing any anxiety or nerves in this time I would encourage you to read the article that Felicity Griggs, our Guidance Counsellor has shared in her section.

As we continue navigate this weather we were keen to get our Assembly in 5B with Ms Rye will host this on Monday, 17th February at 2:15pm. 

This weekend our school has Board Formation along with the other schools in the Catholic Diocese. St Francis will host this event for our fellow schools, Burdekin Catholic High and St Colman’s this year. I look forward to meeting some of our respective families at this important event.

Take care during this time and reach out if there is anything we can do to support you.

God bless,

Lisa

Religious Life of the School

It's certainly been an unusual start to the year with all the rain and flooding with many students away this week due to the weather. We hope that everyone is staying safe and dry during these challenging conditions. Rest assured, we’re working hard to get everything back to normal, and we look forward to returning to a more settled routine very soon.

Over the past three weeks, all classes have been focusing on our Catholic Identity Model, which highlights Love of God, Love of Neighbour, and Love in Action. I thought it would be helpful to take a closer look at each of these ideas in the coming weeks.  Let’s start with Love of God. 

At the heart of our school is the Charism of Love of God, which teaches us how to follow God's call with love and care. We look to the examples of Mary, St. Marcellin, St. Francis Xavier, and Bede Polding to help us understand the true meaning of compassion and service.

Mary’s Example of Devotion
Mary, the mother of Jesus, shows us how to trust in God’s plan and love others. She teaches us to live with love for both God and the people around us, no matter the challenges we face.

St. Marcellin’s Love for Young People
St. Marcellin Champagnat founded the Marist Brothers to help young people grow in their faith. His love for children was inspired by his devotion to Mary, who showed him how to care for and guide others.

St. Francis Xavier: Spreading God’s Love Everywhere
St. Francis Xavier travelled far and wide to spread the message of God’s love. He believed that God’s presence could be found in everyone, and he worked tirelessly to share the good news with those who had never heard it. His life reminds us that loving God means sharing His love with others, no matter where we are or who we meet.

Bede Polding: Education and Service for the Marginalised
Bede Polding saw a need in early Australia for education and support for the poor. He worked to make sure everyone had access to education and a better life, following God’s call to serve others.

Jesus taught us to “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself.” He showed us how to love without limits, care for those in need, and offer hope and education to all people. Jesus’ message encourages us to be kind and compassionate and to act with love in all we do.

At St. Francis School, we show love of God by being kind, respectful, and supportive to everyone. We help those in need, care for our environment, and live out the values of faith, compassion, and love in our daily actions. By following the examples of Mary, St. Marcellin, St. Francis Xavier, and Bede Polding, we can make our school a place where God’s love is felt by all.

God Bless,

Maria

Learning Corner

Welcome to an Exciting Year when every minute counts!

 How can I help my child succeed?

Last week, I shared how you can help your child become a proficient reader.

This week we look at how children learn and how they can be supported to learn.

The information being shared comes from articles prepared by AERO.

What is AERO?

 AERO is the ‘Australian Education Research Organisation’

In December 2019, all Australian governments agreed to create an institute to position Australia’s educators at the forefront of education research to improve learning outcomes for all children and young people.

The creation of a national education evidence organisation was one of the national policy initiatives under the 2020 National School Reform Agreement aimed at lifting outcomes across Australian education.

AERO was incorporated in 2021 with the vision to achieve excellence and equity in educational outcomes for all children and young people through the effective use of evidence.

To be able to learn, children require attention and focus. This means they will actively be engaged in learning by listening, following directions, self-regulating (a child's ability to understand what is happening around them and manage their social interactions, behaviour and emotional reactions) and feeling safe with a sense of belonging.

To become learning-focused, children need rules and routines. Having clear rules and consistent routines at home supports children as learners. If children are expected to follow the rules and routines at home, the transition to school learning will not be a challenge as they are accustomed to rules and routines even though the ones at school are different.

Relationships are essential for a child to feel safe and as if they belong to the school community. Relationships are built on respectful interactions. A child who knows how to greet and respond to greetings from others is making a good start. The use of acceptable language when speaking to peers and adults in a school setting is a skill children bring from home. It creates difficulty and distracts from learning if a child has to learn how to interact appropriately in a school setting.

If children have not experienced rules, routines, and relationship expectations, they can experience anxiety about unfamiliar things, and thus, their learning in a formal school setting is hindered.

Self-regulation is a challenge many parents face with their children. Using calm, supportive, but firm language and patience to help children understand their feelings and how to manage them is always a positive response. Being able to self-regulate enables a child to focus on learning. Parenting is always challenging, and in this age where everyone is time-poor and racing to go to work or appointments, even more so.

However, family engagement is another essential for a child to become a successful learner. A child needs to see you interested in their learning and interacting with their teachers face to face or through phone contact and email.

If you are concerned about your child/children as a learner/s, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or any member of the Leadership team ( Lisa, Maria or Rita).

Do You Have a Child in Years 3 and/or 5 ?

Please see flyer below for a webinar explaining NAPLAN for parents.

Rita Cranitch (Assistant Principal - Pedagogy and Learning)

Guidance Counsellor

At the beginning of the school year it is not uncommon for children to experience anxiety. Starting school for the first time, a new class, a different teacher, or separation from parents after extended time at home are all situations that may cause children to worry and become anxious. Anxiety is a normal human experience, and equipping our children to cope with anxious thoughts and feelings will enable them to thrive. 

Psychologist Karen Young writes: 

The key to anxiety isn’t in the ‘getting rid of’ anxiety, but in the ‘moving with’ anxiety. This doesn’t mean they will be able to ‘move with’ their anxiety straight away. The point is, the way we talk about anxiety matters.

We humans crave the stories that will make sense of our feelings. This happens in all of us. Whenever we have a feeling, we instinctively look for a story (a reason) to make sense of the feeling. We need to understand why we feel the way we do, and any story will feel better than no story at all. The stories we tell ourselves matter. These stories will drive how we respond. The feelings aren’t the problem, but the way we respond can be.

When anxiety happens, our children (all of us) will tend to make sense of the feeling with one of two types of stories – either a story of disaster: ‘I feel like something bad is going to happen, so something bad must be going to happen,’ or a story of deficiency: ‘I can’t do this. I’m not brave enough, smart enough, strong enough.’ 

The story they (or we) put to their anxiety will determine their response. ‘You have anxiety. We need to fix it or avoid the thing that’s causing it,’ will drive a different response to, ‘Of course you have anxiety. You’re about to do something brave. What’s one little step you can take towards it?’

When we change the story, we make way for a different response. This might sound something like, ‘It’s okay to feel anxious. You don’t feel like this because there’s something wrong with you, or because something bad is about to happen. You feel like this because you’re doing some big things at the moment. How can I help?’

We don’t want them to be scared of anxiety, because we don’t want them to be scared of the brave, important, new, hard things that drive anxiety. Instead, we want to validate and normalise their anxiety, and attach it to a story that opens the way for brave:

‘Yes you feel anxious – that’s because you’re about to do something brave. Sometimes it feels like it happens for no reason at all. That’s because we don’t always know what your brain is thinking. Maybe it’s thinking about doing something brave. Maybe it’s thinking about something that happened last week or last year. We don’t always know, and that’s okay. It can feel scary, and you’re safe. I would never let you do something unsafe, or something I didn’t think you could handle. Yes you feel anxious, and yes you can do this. You mightn’t feel brave, but you can do brave. What can I do to help you be brave right now?’

Read the full article here: https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-its-like-getting-into-a-cold-pool/

Resources

The following resources that may be helpful for you and your child to learn about and manage anxiety. 

Websites

• Coping Skills for Kids: https://copingskillsforkids.com/
• Hey Sigmund - Anxiety Resources for Kids & Teens: https://www.heysigmund.com/blog/
• The Royal Children’s Hospital: https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/anxiety-primary-aged/

Free Online Courses

• Fearless Triple P - Help your child manage anxiety and become more emotionally resilient. https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/qld-en/free-parenting-courses/fear-less-triple-p-online/
• The Brave Program - The BRAVE Program is an interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety. The programs are free, and provide ways for children and teenagers to better cope with their worries. There are also programs for parents. https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This letter is to invite parents &/or grandparents to become part of the Tuckshop team in 2025.

The Tuckshop requires volunteers on Mondays to Fridays from 8:30am - 11:30am for First Break.

Working in the Tuckshop is a great opportunity to meet new parents in a friendly & relaxed atmosphere. Please note: you will need to have completed your Volunteer Induction Online Training prior to assistance.

 Volunteer Induction Online Training can be accessed via our website: https://www.sfatsv.catholic.edu.au/about/volunteer-induction-for-parents-and-carers/

Once all modules and documents have been completed please email your certificate and paperwork to ayr@tsv.catholic.edu.au

Please return the from below to the school office at your earliest convenience. Any amount of time that you can assist will be greatly appreciated. If you have any further enquiries please feel free to contact the school office on 4783 2877.

I am looking forward to another exciting year in the Tuckshop.

Thanks,

Kylie Farrell

Tuckshop Convenor

Community