Term 3 Week 10 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
WOW! We have made it to Week 10. What a massive term we have had and there is still a few days to go. This Friday we are finishing off Term 3 with a bang as we celebrate Samaritan Day. A huge thank you to Mrs Ferguson for organising our celebration. All families are invited to join us for our liturgy on Friday morning at 9am and then our dance display at 2pm. Students are invited to wear either their sports uniform or their house colour shirt with their sports shorts on Friday.
School holidays are usually the time when parents take the opportunity to get their child’s hair cut. Just a reminder about our Uniform Guidelines in relation to hair styles. Students must not have tracks or extreme parts. Extreme hairstyles, such as rats' tails, mullets, mohawks, shaved heads or sections of hair are also not appropriate for school. Hair should be neat and out of students’ eyes, and must be of a natural colour. If shoulder length or longer, it should be tied up or back in a ponytail or plaits. Ribbons, bands and scrunches should be simple and understated in school dress fabric or shades of plain blue, red or maroon. Thank you for your support with this.
In some staffing news, Lee-Anne Smith will be getting married over these school holidays. We wish Lee-Anne and Chris love and blessings for their special day. We look forward to seeing photos next term! At the end of 2022 we will be saying goodbye to Bonnie Robson as she is moving to Townsville and joining the Good Shepherd Rasmussen teaching team. There will be time before the end of the year to farewell Bonnie.
What a win by the Cowboys on the weekend! Their never say die attitude and belief in themselves as a team was truly remarkable and something to be admired. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire game and can’t wait to watch the preliminary final in two weeks time! Go Cowboys!
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support of our school. Your support of your children, our staff and our school is greatly appreciated and ensures that we can work together in partnership to provide the best possible education for our students. I hope that you all have a wonderful break. If you are travelling take care on the roads. Thank you for your support over the past 10 weeks. I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 4th October.
We thank you, Lord, for this term.
For the challenges, the successes, and the mistakes from which we have learnt.
Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends.
Give us strength and courage to do what is right: to be witnesses of our faith.
Help us to be practical people these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to give time and effort to help others.
To be peacemakers in our family.
Keep us safe in our activities; give us good rest and good fun.
Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.
We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents
And a community that cares for us.
May we always be conscious of you in our lives.
Amen
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
On Friday we are celebrating the Catholic Identity of our school with Samaritan Day. Our Student Council, Sports Captains, Environmental Committee (Planet Protectors) and Mini Vinnies Committee will be helping with the running of the day. The day will begin with a prayer celebration celebrating our three Religious Charisms that have blended into our special Religious character. Students will then rotate through three activities including a trivia activity testing their knowledge about our school, our history and Charism; environmental games and olden day sports games such as egg and spoon races.
Students will be participating in their colour teams to earn points towards the end of the year House Cup. The colour team that wins the House Cup earn points for their house throughout the year through positive behaviour, on special days such as Samaritan Day and with spirit points at our swimming, cross country and athletics carnivals.
What are the Charisms that make up our special Religious character? We look to three significant characters who founded the religious orders that worked in our school or who had a special connection to our school. These Charisms work together to infuse our school with a special spirit that is unique to us and guides us in the way we live and learn.
...our school is centred on Christ and his message of love and understanding.
Each had a love of God, love of neighbour and were empowered to put that love into action in teaching others about Jesus Christ and his Gospel messages. They all heard the call of God to work with those in need to better their lives.
School Prayer
Father,
Help us to live our motto of 'Christ and Knowledge' at St Francis School.
May we strive to follow the example of Jesus and treat each other with fairness and respect.
May we make our school a place of love for Jesus, his mother Mary and each other.
We pray that St Francis Xavier, our patron saint, will guide us as we try to make our school a better place in the way we play and learn.
Amen
God Bless
Mary
Aiming for Excellence
Ready Set Write!
Our focus this week is on partner writing. Children will work in pairs to plan, write and edit a text developed from an idea chosen from the ideas they generated during their first session of the week. This is to support students who are hesitant to commence writing because they ‘can’t think of anything to write about’. Once they commence writing they are fearful of making mistakes. Working with a buddy will get them involved in the writing process.
PAT R and PAT M
This week all students in years 2 -6 will complete the PAT R and Pat M tests. These are adaptive tests similar to NAPLAN where the next set of questions is provided based on the student’s responses to the previous questions. Many of our students have been challenged by some questions as they reached a level beyond their class.
If your child comes home upset because the questions were too hard, it is because they had moved beyond their year level expectations.
PRODUCT or PROCESS - How do you see your child’s success?
It is always interesting to hear parents speaking about their child’s learning. Some say they want their child to get ‘C’s or above on their reports while others say they look at the attitude section to see how their children engage with learning.
To emphasise the product and results highly is to be dismissive of the process. The product is a ‘once’ event. The process is how to learn and then apply what has been learnt to a variety of learning contexts and different tasks. Knowing the process and applying it continues to contribute to products. For example, if we focus on writing an information report for assessment and we focus on the product and follow the recipe, all we learn is how to complete one task. If the focus changes to the variety of ways we can relay different types of information, and the purpose for presenting that information, the child will be able to be selective in how they can present different types of information to suit different purposes.
Processes need to lead to products. A child who is motivated with a positive approach to learning and values process over product will be successful, especially if they are not anxious about the product.
To support your child focus on, and praise what they can do.
Any concerns about your child’s progress, please see your child’s teacher.
Congratulations to our Quest For Knowledge team!
Rita Cranitch
Learning and Teaching Adviser
Inclusive Practices Teacher
The Good Samaritan's P.A.T.H.
Congratulations to our P.A.T.H. winners for this week: Eva Felesina (2A), Cruz Roncato (4A) and Jace Klaka (5A).
From the Guidance Counsellor
In this edition of SchoolTV - EATING DISORDERS
Understanding an eating disorders can be difficult for families. There are many myths around what causes an eating disorder, but it is actually diagnosed as a mental illness. Although the focus is on food, weight and shape, there is often an underlying issue being masked by the eating disorder. It is the biggest killer of any psychiatric illness for young people. It affects both males and females of any age or background.
An eating disorder is a serious and potentially life-threatening mental health illness. It can have significant physical and emotional effects. The beginning of adolescence and late teens are peak periods for kids to experience their first symptoms. Young people with eating disorders can have reductions in cognitive function, emotional changes and may even stop participating in their normal daily activities.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn what warning signs to look for and what can be done in the prevention of an eating disorder.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school guidance counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to the Eating Disorders edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/eating-disorders
Students of the Week
Tuckshop
Updated Tuckshop Menu
Lolly Count Winners
Library
Book of the Week
Students are invited to enter their name into a weekly draw to win a book. A book is displayed for students to share why they like reading the selected series/genre. Below is our next collection of winners.
Butterfly Count
During Book Week, students had to guess or count how many butterflies they could see in the library. The correct answer was 84 (including the balloon and my earrings). Five students guessed correctly, with Ryan’s name being the first drawn out. The other winners were Arden, Maggie, Sam and Cooper T.
Library Drawing Competition
Premier's Reading Challenge Incentives
Colouring Fun with Miss Naomi
Community
