Term 4 Week 2 2025

From the Principal

Bentornati a scuola! A belated welcome back to school families and friends. It has been an absolute whirlwind of a holiday with much to love about Italy and even moreso coming back and seeing the students straight back into their learning and and following our PATH for Term 4.

Expression of Interest - School Board Members

We have been blessed to have a dedicated group of members on our Board this year and throughout the course of their children’s education here at St Francis. As the children are moving into secondary schooling next year we are looking for those who may be interested in joining us. If you have skills that you believe will benefit a School Board we would love to hear from you. Expression of Interest can be emailed to ayr@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au or any questions please feel free to give me a call.

Water Safety

Living in North Queensland, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful beaches, rivers and swimming spots. With this comes the responsibility of making sure our children know how to stay safe around water. Whether it’s the backyard pool, a trip to the beach, or swimming in local creeks and lagoons, water safety is something we all need to be mindful of. This term we have hit the swimming pools commencing in Week 2 and continue through until Week 6. Week 7 will be our Swimming Carnival for Years 3-6 on the Friday. More information will be forthcoming.

Our Student Youth Mass is on again this Sunday at Sacred Hearts Parish. It starts at 5:30 pm for those wishing to come along.

God Bless

Lisa Fitzsimmons

Religious Life of the School

Dear families,

It’s week 2 and we are well and truly into the business of the term.  A big thank you to all the families who helped make our Crazy Sock Day today a success. It was delightful to see the students in their colourful and creative socks, bringing a splash of fun to our school.

MISSION MONTH

This October we continue Mission Month, a special time in our Church when we focus on the work of Catholic Mission and how we can live out Jesus’ call to love and serve others.

This year, Catholic Mission 2025 invites us to reflect on how we can bring hope and support to communities in need around the world. The focus for this year is on Zambia, where our fundraising and prayers will help mothers and babies access healthcare, nutrition, and education through local mission programs.

There are many stories of hope where we learn about people who are turning Mission into action.

Let’s meet Sr Jane.

Sr Jane grew up in Kabuta in Kabwe, Zambia.  She currently works in Mpika as the diocesan women coordinator, meaning she focuses on engaging and supporting women through organising events, facilitating discussions and other needs of the women within the church community.

Read more about Sr Jane and the wonderful work she does. https://www.catholicmission.org.au/stories-of-hope/sr-jane-bio

YOUTH MASS

This Sunday at 5:30 pm, we will gather for our final Youth Mass of the year at Sacred Heart Church. We especially encourage our students to come along and be part of this beautiful celebration of faith. It’s a time to pray together, connect with friends, and give thanks for the year that has been. We look forward to celebrating with you all.

Wishing everyone a restful weekend surrounded by family and friends.

Blessings,

Maria

Learning Corner

LEARNING and TEACHING

Every minute counts!

How do you know your children are making progress with their learning?

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is having teachers share their excitement about the learning progress their students have made. They share the evidence of learning growth, from screeners such as the PLD screening, which happens every term.

The results guide the class teacher's planning by identifying what the children still need to consolidate and if the teaching strategies used have worked.  For example, children who made noticeable progress when working in a small group but did not show progress when working with a larger group were then returned to a small-group setting for learning.

We have been working on implementing a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) across all our classes. During this term and the beginning of next term, our teaching staff will further develop their understanding of MTSS and what it looks like in the classroom. School Officer roles in the classroom will be defined so they can best support teachers’ use of MTSS to respond to and support all students' needs. The child who needs support at Tiers 2 and 3 will spend more time with teachers in the classroom rather than with a school officer.

All students receive instruction at Tier 1.  For 80% - 90%of students this is all they require to understand a new concept and can then move on to mastery and consolidation activities with School Officer support.

Students, 5%-10%,  (Tier 2) who required a revised and detailed instruction at a slower pace are taught by the teacher who is skilled at identifying misunderstandings and responding appropriately. This is usually in a small group setting.

 Tier 3 level of instruction is for students (1%-5%) who require intensive support to understand concepts at their year level. Tier 3 instruction is provided for students who have missed concepts that are essential for them to progress with learning. Instruction is provided by a teacher in a one on one or small group no larger than 2 students setting.

If you have any concerns about your child’s progress or would just like to know more about our teaching and student learning, I am always keen to hear from you and chat about your child’s, children’s schooling experiences.

Enjoy the weekend.

Rita

Community