Term 4 Week 8 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thursday saw our Year 5 students present their Sports Captain leadership speeches. The students delivered high quality speeches again this week and they all should be incredibly proud of themselves. Congratulations to Chase Nucifora and Talea Leilua-Kava (Champagnat), Asha Licciardello and Robbie Munro (Samaritan) and Summer Pennisi and Brax Wight (Xavier) who will lead our sports houses in 2023.
There was a lot of excitement around the school on Friday morning as our Year 6 students held their fundraising stalls. I am incredibly proud of the initiative that the Year 6 class has shown in the organising and running of the stalls. The event was an amazing success and all the students had a wonderful time purchasing tickets, enjoying the treats for sale and participating in the games being played. Thank you to our Year 6 teachers for helping guide our students through this endeavour and a massive thank you to our Year 6 parents for your support in ensuring your children’s ideas came to fruition. The money raised will go towards an ANZAC garden to commemorate our community's link to the Australian Defence Force.
Year 6 Stalls
At our final FACE Meeting for 2022 we discussed events for 2023 as well as some changes to the Class Parent Representative Role. The changes to the Class Parent Representative Role are to do with clarity around the role as well as a change in the name of the role. From 2023 it will be known as the Class Community Contact. Not all students are raised by their parents. There are students who live with aunts, uncles, grandparents, foster parents etc and the change in name is more inclusive of these family structures. These changes were written in consultation with the current class parent representatives and have been passed through the School Board. I have included a copy of the new role description in the newsletter this week.
We are getting closer to finalising our teaching staff for 2023 and I am hoping to share this information with you later this week. I thank you for your patience as we work towards the best outcome for our students. Next year we welcome Andriana Dawson to the St Francis teaching team. Andriana is an experienced early years teacher and will make a wonderful addition to our teaching staff. I’m sure you will make her feel welcome when you meet her.
Next Monday we will be holding our Transition Day where students are given the opportunity to meet their teacher and classmates for 2023. Teachers will be organising a range of activities for their new classes to participate in during the morning. Students will bring home a slip of paper on Monday afternoon informing you of what class they will be in for 2023.
There will be no Book Lists issued for 2023, instead, we have made the move to bulk ordering all resources that students will require for their class. While this means that your school fees will contain a slightly higher resource levy, it will also mean that the overall cost will be less as well as the added bonus of saving you from having to shop for books. This move also assists our teachers in that each child will have the correct number and type of books from the beginning of the year. Students will need to bring an art shirt, their Library bag and a set of headphones as these will not be included in the bulk orders.
Next Wednesday will be our last Tuckshop day for 2022. Students will need to bring their own lunch next Thursday and Friday.
Just a reminder that school finishes next Friday 2nd December at 12pm. All students will need to be picked up from school as the buses will not be running at this time. Semester 2 reports will be available on the Compass platform after 12pm on this day. If you have forgotten your Compass details, please contact the Office before next Thursday to have them reset. If your family is leaving St Francis at the end of 2022 you will need to have downloaded your child/ren’s report cards from the Compass portal before the end of the year.
End of Year Events
Before I sign off for this week I would like to take this opportunity to say some thank yous.
A thank you to all the parents, grandparents and family member who have volunteered and given us help when needed throughout the year;
A thank you to all the parents and carers who have regularly looked through students bags for notes and messages sent home;
A thank you to all the parents and carers who called or logged in Compass when their child was sick and would be absent from school;
A thank you to all the parents and carers who made sure their children spent time reading at home;
A thank you to all the families who came along to Learning Breakfasts, Book Week Parades, Eisteddfod Concerts;
A thank you to all the parents and grandparents who have helped in the Tuckshop throughout the year;
A thank you to all families for sharing your most precious gift, your children, with us.
Have a wonderful week
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
As we busily prepare for Christmas; planning, cleaning, spending, giving, and attending breakups and concerts, it is important we take a moment and reflect on what it all means for us and our families. The first Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning of a period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ, our Saviour, at Christmas. All the readings in the Mass advise us most urgently to make ourselves ready, to be on the alert, to turn aside from our errant ways, and give more time to God in our lives. The season of Advent encourages us to reflect and prepare for the coming of Jesus who came to show us a new way of being with God, ourselves and each other. As we count down to the end of the year and participate in the prayer celebrations of the last week, our students will be reflecting on their achievements and spiritual growth during 2022.
SCHOOL YOUTH MASS: We will have our last school youth mass this Sunday at 5:30 pm mass. It would be great to see all our Year 4 students who made their confirmation and first communion come along and join the parish for mass. Everyone is welcome. If you would like to help by reading, singing or helping with the offertory, please let me know.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS HAMPER:
We will have a casual day on Friday 25th November with the cost being a Christmas Hamper item. Students who wish to wear casual clothes must bring an item for the Christmas Hamper. Some suggested items include: tinned ham (no spam), peas, corn etc., shortbread, nuts, wafer sticks, biscuits, candy canes, custard powder, plum pudding, jelly, fruit cake, dried fruit, bonbons etc. Books and toys are always great as well so put your thinking hats on. What would you like to find in your Christmas stocking or on your Christmas table?
Hamper Ideas
Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, Tea and Coffee, Milo, Long life milk, Tim Tams, Christmas lollies, Fruit cake, Tinned fruit, 1L Cordial, Tinned ham (no Spam), Tuna, Chips, Cereal, Fruit mince pies, Shortbread, Biscuits – sweet, savoury Christmas lollies, Jelly, Custard, Spreads – jam, vegemite, Cereal, Pancake mix, Tinned vegetables, Gravy mix, Soup, Dried pasta, Pasta sauce, Bonbons, Christmas Decorations, Toiletries (soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant), Sports equipment, Books, Dolls, Outdoor games, Board games / card games, Toy cars or trains, Stationery, Colouring-in books/textas, Dress-up costumes, Water pistols, Christmas stocking.
God of Love,
Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
As we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour.
Amen
God Bless
Mary
Aiming for Excellence
This week classes are continuing with ‘Revision Bootcamp.’
Bootcamp included a revision of skills addressed earlier in the year. It is surprising how many children needed a quick reminder of these earlier skills before being able to apply them. This week all students are writing a narrative under NAPLAN conditions. This writing will be corrected using year level specific criteria, and the results for each feature of writing, e.g. main ideas and supporting details, sentence types, spelling, grammar and punctuation. The results will be entered into a spreadsheet provided by TCE. This means that at the beginning of next term, teachers will have detailed data on the learning needs of the students in their class.
Booklists
One of the most frustrating and time-consuming events for teachers at the beginning of the year when organising books for different subjects is when students do not have the correct number or type of books.
As mentioned in the From the Principal section of this newsletter, there are no booklists for 2023 as all stationery and text requirements will be purchased in bulk and be available for all students on the first day of school.
Students will need to bring the following personal items:
Paint shirt
Library bag
Headphones -wired headphones with a 3.5mm jack (nothing wireless) with microphone.
Please avoid large headphones to save storage space.
Mouse - this makes it easier for students to move between documents on screen and when answering multiple choice questions.
SAVE THESE DATES
NAPLAN 2023 March 15 to 27.
The writing MUST be administered on March 15.
If your child is in Year 3 or Year 5 in 2023, please keep these dates free.
Rita Cranitch
Leaning and Teaching Adviser
Inclusive Practices Teacher
The Good Samaritan's P.A.T.H.
This week's P.A.T.H. winners: Charlotte Drain, Eva Roncato, Jobe Oar, Ryan Ziliotto, Gabriella Mottin, Connor Griggs
Guidance Counsellor
School Transitions: Starting Year 7
Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. There will be feelings of exhilaration, but also the fear of the unknown. Therefore, it will be important for parents and carers to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s mood and mental health during this time. They could easily become overly anxious or even depressed.
During this time of transition, parents and carers need to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. This is an important milestone in your child’s life. In this Special Report, there are a number of strategies offered that can make this transition period smoother and start things off on the right foot!
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/special-report-starting-year-7
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