Term 2 Week 3 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Wednesday evening we held our Parent Engagement Wine and Cheese night. It was a wonderfully positive evening with families mingling, talking and coming up with some great ideas for our school. I would like to thank all of those families who came along. Over the next few newsletters, I will be sharing with you information about some of the topics that were discussed on Wednesday.
Parent Information Wine and Cheese Night
As you know we dissolved our P&F at the AGM earlier in the year and decided that we would move towards a new way of family engagement. Family and Community Engagement or FACE is the model that we will be moving towards. This format still comes under the Catholic School Parents Queensland Association (which oversees P&Fs) and is based on the following principles:
- All families and schools want the best for their children
- All children have the right to the opportunity to reach their full potential
- Families are the first and continuing educators of their children
- Effective schools provide a nurturing and supportive learning environment
- Families and schools value quality teaching and respect teachers' professional expertise
- Families and schools value the diversity of families and use this as a resource for building partnerships and communities
- Family-school partnerships are based on mutual responsibility, respect and trust
- Family-school partnerships improve student motivation and learning
- Family-school partnerships strengthen the connections between schools and their communities
- Partnerships can involve all organisations that support families and schools
- It is a team, responsible for planning, organising, implementing and evaluating activities
- Support networks, to enable the community to share ideas, issues and best practice
- Skills building for families to build their capacity to support their children’s learning at school and at home
As parents you have always been a part of the P&F. This doesn’t change with FACE. One of the main differences between FACE and P&F is that we no longer have an executive structure. FACE is very much about sharing the love and the load and encouraging all to be involved. We will still continue to have many of the wonderful events and activities that have been held in recent years while working on including some additional events to engage parents and carers in the education process. We will be holding our first FACE Meeting on Thursday 26th May at 6 pm in the Staffroom. I encourage you to come along.
We currently have a number of staff and students who have tested positive for Covid or are sick with other viruses. Please continue to follow hygiene and social distancing protocols. We will continue to send home any students who present to the Office as unwell. As a school, we are working to keep disruptions and changes to a minimum, however, at times some of these are unavoidable. I thank you for your patience and understanding.
On Friday we have a group of students attending District Cross Country. I know that they are looking forward to the event and I’m sure they will represent St Francis with pride and demonstrate great sportsmanship. We wish them all the best.
This Friday is also Office Professionals Day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Areti, Debbie and Angela for all that they do in the Office. We would be lost without these ladies. If you are passing through the Office on Friday, please take a few moments and thank them.
On Thursday I will be spending the day at St Benedict’s in Townsville to see how they run their environmental programs and the links that they have made to the curriculum. I am looking forward to sharing what I learn with the staff and students.
This Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day. I know everyone will have something special planned for their mothers and the mother figures in their lives. I am so incredibly lucky to have two incredibly wonderful ladies who have shown me nothing but love, patience and encouragement. My Mum and my Nan have been my rock, sounding board and greatest supporters and I feel so blessed to have such two remarkable women in my life. I hope all our Mums and mother figures enjoy their special day this Sunday. I will be taking a few days long service leave from this Friday as I am heading to Brisbane to spend Mother’s Day with my Mum and Nan. If you need anything over this time, please contact Mary Ferguson.
Have a wonderful week
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
Jesus said: ‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.’ (John 10:27-30) In Jesus time, a good shepherd knew each one of his sheep and immediately was able to tell if any were need. Jesus used this metaphor so the people would know that he knew and loved each one of them and that he would guide and look after them. We have to be prepared to listen and open to Jesus’ message of love and compassion.
Catholic Identity Model for St Francis upacked:
Where has our school ethos or character come from?
Students at St Francis are encouraged to follow Jesus’ example through ...
Love of God - Exemplified by Mary, Mother of Jesus and Significant Characters such as…
- Bede Polding, St Marcellin Champagnat and St Francis
Who are these significant Characters that have influenced the character of our school? How did St Francis Xavier show love for God and love for his neighbour?
St Francis Xavier is one of the greatest missionaries in Catholic history, traveling to faraway places such as India and Japan to spread the word of God. He had a genuine love for those among whom he moved, seeing Christ as truly present in them in a time in which racism and disdain were commonplace and oftentimes formed the basis for genocide. He insisted on missionaries learning the languages, mores and cultures of the people among whom they lived. He invites us to follow his example in going out to the margins of our society in order to commend the love of Christ and the joy and compassion of the Gospel.
Mary, Mother of Jesus Many Catholics pray to Mary for intercessions when they are in trouble. When Fr Therry arrived in the Australia in 1820, he dedicated the first Catholic church to Mary. Catholics at the time, had had it hard in Australia: Mass was rarely permitted in the previous 32 years; many were convicts in chains and hard labour, poor or powerless. Like those early Catholics, we know we need God’s help and so today we pray together for Mary’s guidance and protection in difficult times. We pray she’ll make us more like her, in our openness to God, our active service of others, and in showing her love and compassion towards others.
As Mary, mother of Jesus, loved and nurtured her son, so too mothers of today can follow her example, teaching their children about Jesus and the love of God, and how to put that love in action in their relationships and activities. I hope all our special mothers, carers and grandmothers are blessed with a day of love with their families on Sunday.
Prep and Year 6 will celebrate with a Mothers theme with our first class mass on Thursday at 9 am in the Sacred Heart Church. Everyone is welcome to join us.
God Bless
Mary
Dear God,
As Mary was the model of prayer,
of love, and of obedience to the will of God,
by your grace make mothers holy and rich with your gifts.
Bind families together in the bonds of peace and safety
so that mothers will feel nurtured by love.
May all mothers enjoy good health and spiritual wellbeing
to enable them to care for their families.
(Source: Written by Bishop Kevin Manning, Parramatta Diocese)
HISTORICAL FACT:
The schools run by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan were originally known as the ‘Convent School’. In 1924 the old St Francis Church building, which also doubled as a school building during the week was moved across the road to make way for the construction of the Sacred Heart Church. The old building continued as the only school building until 1935. This possibly is when the school became known as St Francis Xavier School.
TERM 2 CLASS MASSES
9 am at Sacred Heart Church
Week 3 Thursday, May 5th Yr 6 & Prep
Week 6 Thursday, May 26th Yr 1, 2 & 5
Week 8 Thursday, June 9th Yr 3 & 4
Aiming for Excellence
Ready Set Write!
This week students in years three to six will focus on thinking before writing, planning and writing paragraphs made up of a main idea and details.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN commences on Tuesday, May 10. Please refer to the school NAPLAN Timetable for details.
A reminder that all participating students will require working headphones to access the test.
The best preparation parents can provide for their children is to ensure they are well rested and arrive at school with time to spare.(8:30am at the latest)
PM Benchmark
All reading books, regardless of the program, are levelled according to the number of words, the variety of words, the structure of sentences and topics relevant to age. The more complex the words and the sentences, the greater the number of skills required to understand the text.
The primary use of the levels in reading is to ensure the accurate selection of books for children to extend their reading and comprehension skills.
PM text range from levels 1 to 30. Levels 1 to 5 cover the beginning (emergent) reading skills while levels 6-14 is for early readers and the topics are familiar to most six year olds.
Levels 15-19 cover topics appropriate for six to eight year olds and is the developing phase of reading. During levels 20-24, children are consolidating their reading and comprehension skills and extend these skills in levels 25 -30.The extension levels are written for nine to twelve year olds.
PM Benchmarking identifies the reading and comprehension skills that children have mastered and tells the teacher which skills need to be developed next.
Children can be working at different levels depending on the text type. When reading an informational text the level demonstrated could be lower than when reading a narrative text.This is because the majority of children read far more narrative than informative texts and therefore the skills needed with that text type are further developed.
When children bring a levelled book home to read, it should be one that is at an independent level for them. The home reading book is usually two levels below the level being used in class. Home reading is about enjoyment.
If you have any concerns about your child’s reading development see your child’s teacher.
Help your child by having them see you read, talk about what you have both read and share your opinions of the book.
Rita Cranitch
Leaning and Teaching Adviser.
Inclusive practices Teacher
Birthdays
From the Guidance Counsellor
In this edition of SchoolTV – Celebrating Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day originated from humble beginnings in 1908 as a simple tradition to honour all mothers, living and deceased. However, it did not take long for florists, confectioners and card companies to jump onboard and commercialise the day, much to the disappointment of its founder, Ann Jarvis.
Mother’s Day is a good annual reminder to say thanks to the mums and other special carers who play an important role in our lives, but it is essential we mark the day with love and sincerity. This year is especially important due to the recent pandemic, where mothers play multiple roles providing care and support to those they love under difficult circumstances. Mothers will often put the needs of others above their own, so it is paramount to remind them to take care of themselves also, especially when it comes to mental health.
Research has shown that women experience some mental health conditions more so than men and at much higher rates. There are many factors that can impact a woman’s wellbeing physically and emotionally. Seeking effective treatment can enable her to engage more readily in everyday activities and fulfil the needs of her children and family.
This Special Report highlights the role mothers play in the developmental growth of her children and the importance of self-care for good mental health.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school guidance counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/celebrating-mothers-day
Reflection
A Mother’s Day: Lest we forget her!
Is there anyone else more influential than a mother in our lives? Probably not. It is hard to define what she is briefly. As someone said, she is a walking miracle. Where do they get the formation to be a mother? They are born with their motherly qualities. God considers Himself as a mother in the Bible so often. For example, Isaiah 66:13: "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you."
Let us not forget those who miss a mother's love for some reason. God speaks to us in the Bible, Isaiah 49:15-16, “Can a mother forget her nursing child or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even if she forgets, I will not forget you. See, I have carved you on the palms of my hands.”
Let the celebration of Mother’s Day 2022 make us calmer and gentler like our mothers. Please take some time to make your mum, step-mum, grandma or chosen mum on May 8 feel appreciated because so often, we forget or even ignore what they have been to each of us.
Fr. Manoj Mathew C.Ss.R.
Administrator, Burdekin Group of Parishes
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