Term 4 Week 2 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
A massive thank you to those families who came and whipper snipped and mowed at the end of last week and over the weekend to get our grounds looking neat and tidy again. I am truly grateful for their time and efforts. We have such a wonderful community here at St Francis and as a school we are so appreciative of the time that families give in a volunteer capacity.
Flipped Lunch Break Trial
At St Francis we are continually reflecting on our processes and the needs of our students. As such we are seeking to trial a Flipped Lunch Break starting in Week 3 for the remainder of 2022. This means that students will be playing first, then eating. Students will still have the same amount of eating and play time. There are many schools who have made this change and they have seen positive results ranging from students being calmer in class after lunch consequently demonstrating greater engagement in learning, students eating their lunch instead of being eager to get to play and the ability to solve minor playground issues before heading back into class. We are very keen to see how this works for us at St Francis. Teachers will be explaining these changes over the coming week so that students are well prepared for the change. We will be reviewing the outcomes of the trial before any decisions regarding 2023 lunch times are made.
Tomorrow we welcome the Verification Team from Townsville Catholic Education. We are looking forward to showing off our wonderful school and sharing with them the work that we have been doing as well as receiving feedback to help us plan for moving forward.
Next Monday - Wednesday I will be away at the Term 4 Principal’s Meeting. If you have any questions or concerns during this time, please contact Mary Ferguson.
Have a wonderful week
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
There was a judge who was often unjust and unfair, who was asked by a widow to help her settle a quarrel with her neighbour. (Luke 18:1-8 Gospel for the 29th Sunday in ordinary time.) The judge was not interested and each time she came sent her away. But the woman kept pestering the judge, determined that he would hear her request, listen carefully to what she wanted and help her resolve the quarrel. Often when students are angry they find it difficult to resolve their quarrels peacefully. A good strategy is to initiate a cooling off period to calm emotions and then bring the students together to talk through their disagreement and resolve the matter with clear heads.
Missionaries of Charity Sisters: Last Wednesday, our year three and four classes were visited by two Missionaries of Charity Sisters from Brisbane. The Sisters were founded by St Mother Teresa of Calcutta and are friends of the friendless and work where they are needed in the community. We had two of the Sisters, Sr Maria and Sr Florian visit us from their community in Brisbane. They were very impressed with the students’ knowledge of the Bible and worked with them on an activity about the ten commandments. Sister Florian’s special message, ‘Do ordinary things with great love’ is very important as no person is too small or too insignificant to make a difference. The Sisters were lovely and the students enjoyed their visit.
Mission Month: This year Catholic Mission is focusing on Ethiopia in its October appeal. The development of a goat rearing and breeding program at the Emdibir Farm Centre in Ethiopia aims to provide the broader community with skills and resources to improve their livelihoods through goat breeding and the sale of by-products. It will be a centre for production with innovative technologies in rearing, housing and processing goats promoting dignity and lifelong learning with farmers gaining skills which can be applied in their own farming.
Today in the Mission liturgy each class received a map of Ethiopia to display in their classrooms. Students were challenged to fill the interior of the map with coins they have earned from doing jobs around the house. I hope you all can support your children as they put love into action in this small way.
HAVE YOUR SAY!
We have been working on clarifying the Catholic Identity of our school for the last couple of years. We have developed a framework we believe has captured the special religious character which defines the ethos of St Francis. The Catholic Identity which we have articulated in our framework draws from three specific Charisms.
The first Charism is that of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the order of St Benedict. The Sisters were founded by a Benedictine Bishop, Bede Polding to work with convict women and children. They answered the call of the first parish priest, Fr Bucas to found a school for Catholic children in the district and taught in our school from 1912 till 1996.
The second Charism we draw upon is that of the Marists who were founded by St Marcellin Champagnat to teach poor children about Jesus and his Mother Mary as well as provide them with an education. They arrived in the district in 1953 and subsequently taught at our school with the nuns with the first Marist Principal being appointed in 1973.
The third Charism we draw upon is that of St Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest who was one of the greatest missionaries. He was the Patron of the Church of Australia. The Sisters taught school at the Convent school in Brandon and at St Francis Xavier Church in Ayr between 1912 and 1924. When it was decided to build a new church, The Sacred Heart Church, the little wooden church was moved across the road in 1924. St Francis Xavier Church became the first school building where we are now.
The following framework has been developed to explain our Catholic Identity. Our overarching Gospel value is love. Scriptures tell us to love God and love our neighbour.
The Good Samaritan parable Luke 10:25-37,teaches us the answer to the question “who our neighbour” is.
The parable teaches us that our neighbour is whoever is in need regardless of race, religion, status or appearance.
Our love should be unconditional. It begins with compassion and leads to tangible action without looking for reward or praise.
Students at St Francis are encouraged to follow Jesus’ example through ...
Love of God - Exemplified by Mary
- St Marcellin’s devotion to Mary and teaching young people about Jesus.
- St Francis who found God in all things and worked with the marginalised.
- Bede Polding who saw a need in the early Australian Church for education and help for the poor and marginalised.
- All followed (obeyed) their calling from God.
Love for Neighbour - Exemplified by the Good Samaritan parable
- to be neighbour, especially to the excluded and disenfranchised
- to stand with and be a voice for those who are voiceless
- Inspired the work of the Good Samaritan Sisters
Love in Action - Exemplified by the lives and work of significant figures
- to give hope, education and love to those in need – without judgement, limits or conditions.
- empowered to create positive change and work for the common good of all.
This logo artwork and the framework are a work in progress and seek to draw the threads of all the influences and traditions that have shaped our school’s Catholic Identity, together. We are interested in seeking input from our school community. If you would like to comment on our framework we would love to hear constructive feedback from you. You can email me at mferguson4@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au or Amanda at ajones16@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au
God Bless
Mary
Aiming for Excellence
Ready Set Write!
This week, the children continue the art of being an author by working with a partner to share descriptions of a character from a book they have read. They will then use an illustration to develop a character describing not just appearance but personality as well.
Progress or Results?
It can be difficult to separate the two. If your results are good, isn’t progress being made? Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In some cases, a child may demonstrate ‘A’s on their tasks but they are able to achieve this with minimal effort and the progress made is at a ‘C’ level and the further through the classes they progress their results begin to flounder as they have not needed to ‘work’ for the result.
On the other hand a child who demonstrates a ‘D’ standard and maintains that standard as they progress through the classes is making progress as they are keeping up with the increased difficulty of the work although a gap in achievement still exists. Their consistent effort and attitude to maintain this growth, in many cases leads to an improvement in standards and results.
Learning is developmental and children learn at different rates. No one wants a child to ‘fail’ which is often defined as not being awarded a ‘C’ or above for a task. To focus on progress for all children ask: ‘What do they know now that they didn’t know two months, six months or twelve months ago?’
NAPLAN 2023
The dates for NAPLAN 2023 are March 15 to 27. The final 5 days are available for catch - up tests. The writing MUST be administered on Day 1. More details on timing will be provided as it becomes available.
In response to this earlier time years 2 and 4 will write a narrative and a persuasive text this term. This will help teachers identify and focus on the writing skills that each child needs to develop before March.
For all classes, the final weeks of this term will involve reteaching and the revision of skills that have been identified as requiring more development. The skills are chosen by reviewing the Years 2- 6 PAT R and PAT M results in the light of what has been observed in class. For Prep and Year 1, the results of the Early Years Post Tests combined with classroom observations will be used to determine what will be covered.
Students who have demonstrated a knowledge of the skills for their Year level, will be provided with opportunities to extend their application of the skills in complex and unfamiliar settings.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in NAPLAN 2023, please contact the office for an appointment.
Rita Cranitch
Leaning and Teaching Adviser
Inclusive Practices Teacher
Reflection
A DECADE A DAY KEEPS THE DEVIL AWAY.
“The Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God”- St Louis De Monfort
Welcome back to Term 4. I am sure you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Welcome to the month of October- the month of the Holy Rosary. I remember watching with beauty and excitement when each of you made Rosary beads on Founders Day at BCHS in July this year. All of you made a colourful decade of the Rosary for each of you to take home. Some of you have them on your wrists or around your neck and some on their school bags.
The month of October is a special time to take them up and pray. It is an easy method for anyone, especially for children. It is more than a devotion for the old and the dying. It is like a gun in the hands of a soldier. Saint Padre Pio, who was ill in bed one day, asked his colleagues to fetch him his Rosary by commanding, “Get me my weapon!” The Rosary is a weapon, a sword, or a shield used for warfare for the devil if you want to tackle him easily.
It is very much Biblical. It is a meditation on the life of Jesus Christ as we find it in the Bible. Throughout the week, we are exposed to the four mysteries of Mary and Jesus- the joyful, sorrowful, luminous and glorious. Each mystery tells a story of important events in the life of Jesus. It gives us a chance as Catholics to reflect, remember and recall these events through the power of prayer.
Catholics have traditionally found it a very powerful prayer in moments of their spiritual and physical needs. Praying the Rosary can bring healing or answers to your life. Never underestimate the power of prayer in your life.
If you ask your parents or grandparents, they will recall praying the Holy Rosary as a family every evening. As Catholic families, it would be wonderful for you to share your decades of the Rosary and restart that beautiful family tradition and pray the Rosary either as a family or even individually. Have a Blessed Month of the Holy Rosary.
Fr. Manoj Mathew, C.Ss.R.
Parish Administrator, Burdekin Parishes
The Good Samaritan's P.A.T.H.
In Term 4 we will be continuing our work on our new behaviour management program The Good Samaritan’s P.A.T.H
In Week 1 we reviewed our whole school expectations for each letter of P.A.T.H. This week we turn our focus to what P.A.T.H means in our learning spaces. Teachers will be continuing to hand out positive praise notes for students who are demonstrating our rules and expectations.
Last term we had 38 students who achieved P.A.T.H. This means that they received at least 1 positive praise note for each letter. These students celebrated their achievement on Friday with a special pizza lunch with Mrs Jones.
Week 2 Winners - Clancy Galvin, Roman Burkett and Sari Oar
From the Guidance Counsellor
In this edition of SchoolTV - RAISING BOYS
Many parents will attest to the fact that most boys are active, loud, rambunctious and prone to rough play, but this should not affect how a parent acts towards their son. Be careful not to pigeon-hole your son into sex-specific behaviours or gender roles. The male brain is distinctly different in its development. A boy’s physical maturity is often at odds with his mental and brain development.
Societal beliefs about how to raise boys can sometimes influence their adult carers. Although we are not determined by our biology, it is a factor. It is important to support boys in their natural tendencies and nurture their strengths and abilities. Teach them the skills they need for their future and to develop a healthy identity. It is important for boys to have a role model they can connect with and acknowledge who they are. One of the most important determinants for a boy’s development is how secure they feel growing up.
In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will gain a better understanding into some of the more complex issues relating to raising boys.
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 Raising Boys edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-boys
Tuckshop
Updated Tuckshop Menu
Term 4 Calendar
Community
NAIDOC Medal of Excellence - Keira Lace
