Term 4 Week 9 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of the year. It only feels like yesterday that we were navigating our way through a delayed start to school due to Covid. As we take time to reflect on the year we have had, we need to remember to be grateful for the many experiences we have had this year, the lessons we have learnt and the memories we have made. We have a lot to be grateful for and so much to celebrate.
I would like to share some exciting news with you all. Our student-led environmental team submitted a Sustainability Through Catholic Social Teaching Grant Application to Townsville Catholic Education earlier this term and I am very pleased to announce that they were successful in receiving $1000 to go towards their major project for 2023. The students were all very excited and are looking forward to beginning their project which is centred around waste reduction at our school early next year. I look forward to working with this group again next year.
We started our final week of 2022 with a bang as students participated in our Transition Morning yesterday. They had a wonderful time meeting their classmates and teachers and learning about what next year is going to look like. Last night we celebrated the end of our Year 6’s journey here at St Francis with their Graduation. It was a beautiful celebration that highlighted their journey throughout their primary school years. It was certainly a memorable evening. A special thanks to Fr Manoj, Mrs Ferguson, our Year 6 teachers and our Year 6 parent committee for their efforts in making the night such a success. This week there are several other events that we warmly invite you to. Our Awards Morning on Wednesday is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the success of our students throughout the year as well as acknowledge some other special people. We will be presenting Rebecca Horan with the Mark Mappas Medallion at this event, as well as celebrating staff service awards. Thursday evening we will be holding our 2022 Christmas Carols. Each class will be presenting and we will have some community singing as well. We hope that you are able to come along and lend your voice to this special event. Friday at 11am is our final farewell where we will say goodbye to not only our Year 6 students but also several staff members. School then finishes promptly at 12pm. All students need to be picked up from school as there will be no buses running at this time.
As our Year 6 students finish their time at St Francis so do a number of families. Some families have spent many years as part of our school, some a much shorter time but all have left their mark on our school community. Thank you for your contribution to St Francis during your time here. On behalf of the school community, we thank you and wish you all the very best for the future and every success and happiness.
To our parents, carers and grandparents who support the St Francis school community, we are very grateful for all you do. At a school level, we can’t do what we do without the support of our parent and grandparent volunteers whether that be in the Tuckshop, helping in classrooms, sports days, or organising special events such as discos and Mothers and Fathers Day stalls. I would like to thank you for your continued encouragement and support in helping to make our school a wonderful community.
To our students; What a year you have had! You demonstrated resilience at the start of a tricky year, embraced the challenges and never looked back. The best part of our job as teachers is watching the students grow and discover new things about themselves. Personally, for me, it is all about the look on a student's face when they finally understand something or have achieved a new personal goal. For some students, this can take longer than for others, but what is important is that no matter what the situation, our students are always trying to do their best. Each and every student has made some amazing progress throughout the year and they should all be very proud of their achievements.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated and talented staff who have gone above and beyond this year to support our students and provide them with many opportunities to succeed and excel, thank you. I am incredibly grateful for all that happens in our school on a daily basis and the wonderful staff that are at the core of our school. To our staff taking leave or leaving us at the end of this year thank you for all of your contributions to our St Francis family. We wish you joy and happiness for the adventures to come.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Mary Ferguson and Rita Cranitch for their wonderful support and achievements this year. Some of what they have achieved is obvious to our community but much of what they do takes place behind the scenes and makes much of what we achieve as a school possible. To the amazing ladies in the Office, Debbie and Areti for their ongoing support. Thank you for your patience and dedication and for always being willing to lend a hand and help me whenever needed. The work that these ladies do holds everything together.
Finally, I hope that this Christmas season provides you all with an opportunity to relax and enjoy time with family and loved ones. If you are travelling, please take care and stay safe. The true joy of Christmas is the love of Christ, shared with family and friends. May you find His peace, love and joy in the coming New Year. Have a very holy, happy and safe Christmas.
See you in January!
Take Care and God Bless
Amanda
End of Year Events
Religious Life of the School
On Sunday, at Mass, the first candle was lit on the Advent wreath. It was lovely to have students attend the mass with their families. Thank you to all who read, sang and came along to join our parish family in celebrating the first Sunday in Advent.
THE ADVENT WREATH: The advent wreath is a traditional centrepiece of the Christmas season. A candle is lit on each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas. The first candle (violet) represents hope, the second (violet) peace, the third (rose) joy, and the fourth (violet) love. The central white candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Christ. The word ‘advent’ means ‘coming’; lighting the candles on the Advent wreath symbolises the coming of Light (Jesus) into the world. The Advent Wreath teaches us about Christian preparation for celebrating Jesus’ birth and making our hearts truly ready to receive Him. Making an advent wreath and praying a blessing each week with your children is a wonderful way to countdown to Christmas.
Blessing for the Advent Wreath
Lord God, Your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its Saviour,
who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin.
Pour forth your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath;
may their light reflect the splendour of Christ,
who is Lord, forever and ever.
Amen.
FEAST OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER (1506-1552) St. Francis Xavier's feast on December 3 falls at the beginning of Advent. One of the greatest missionaries of the Church since Saint Paul, Francis was canonised in 1622 and proclaimed patron of all foreign missions by Pope Pius X in 1904. As a priest who blessed and baptised more than 300,000 in his travels through India and Japan, St Francis Xavier was one of Australia's missionary patrons and many parishes, cathedrals, schools and Jesuit ministries are named in his honour. Ayr and Jarvisfield both had churches called St Francis Xavier Church before Sacred Heart Church was built. We can look to St Francis Xavier to teach us a love of God, love of neighbour and love in action as he brought the love of Christ to many people in his travels.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL HAMPER: A BIG THANK YOU to all who have generously donated items for our annual Christmas hamper. Our office area is bursting with Christmas goodies which will be used in Christmas Hampers for those in our community who are in need at Christmas time. Senior students will hand over the hampers to our local St Vincent de Paul representative on Friday. What a wonderful way to start the Christmas season by showing care and mercy for those less fortunate.
SEASON OF GIVING: We also thank the Year 6 parents and students who donated food and the volunteers who worked in the kitchen for the CWL Christmas Luncheon. Your support for this event is very much appreciated. We received many lovely comments about the students' manners and how beautiful they were when serving and chatting with the ladies. They also loved the nativity placemats the Year 6 students made. So thank you all.
Throughout the school, the students in every class are busy making cards and decorations for the residents of the Aged Care Home. Mini Vinnies students have not been able to visit the home because of the lockdowns so this is one small way we can brighten up the resident’s Christmas.
As I take a break next year, I’d like to thank everyone for their support for the last few years. I could not do my job without the support of the school community and hope you extend the same to Nicole as she steps into the role. I wish you and your families a happy, holy Christmas and a relaxing holiday.
God Bless
Mary
Aiming for Excellence
Did your child/ren reach their goals for 2022?
Did you set a goal for your child/ren at the beginning of the year?
In discussions with parents, I know many of you have goals for your child/ren, and none of those goals were linked to a result. Instead, they were about enjoying coming to school and learning, being courteous to everyone, listening in class and doing their best.
When Semester Reports are released at 12.00 pm on Friday, your most important information about the success of your child as a learner can be found in the subject and general comments sections and the Work Habits section. The results give you an indication of the level of achievement your child has demonstrated in relation to the expectation of Achievement Standard for that subject.
Achievement Levels (Prep - Year 1)
Applying (AP) | The child applies the curriculum content and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the required knowledge. The child demonstrates a high level of skill that can be transferred to new situations. |
Making Connections (MC) | The child makes connections using the curriculum content and demonstrates a clear understanding of the required knowledge. The child applies a high level of skill in situations familiar to them and is beginning to transfer skills to new situations. |
Working With (WW) | The child can work with the curriculum content and demonstrates an understanding of the required knowledge. The child applies skills in situations familiar to them. |
Exploring (EX) | The child is exploring the curriculum content and demonstrates an understanding of aspects of the required knowledge. The child uses a varying level of skills in situations familiar to them. |
Becoming Aware (BA) | The child is becoming aware of the curriculum content and demonstrates a basic understanding of aspects of the required knowledge. The child is beginning to use skills in situations familiar to them. |
Achievement Levels (Years 2 – 10)
A | Evidence in a student's work typically demonstrates a very high level of knowledge and understanding of concepts, facts and procedures, and application of processes |
B | Evidence in a student's work typically demonstrates a high level of knowledge and understanding of concepts, facts and procedures, and application of processes |
C | Evidence in a student's work typically demonstrates a sound level of knowledge and understanding of concepts, facts and procedures, and application of processes |
D | Evidence in a student's work typically demonstrates a limited level of knowledge and understanding of concepts, facts and procedures, and application of processes |
E | Evidence in a student's work typically demonstrates a very limited level of knowledge and understanding of concepts, facts and procedures, and application of processes |
When you view your child’s report with them, I am sure you will find it confirms what you already know about your child’s learning. This is the time to congratulate them on what they have done well and the progress they have made. Having the same results as last semester does not mean they have not made progress. It means they have maintained their standard.
To move from a ‘C’ to a ‘B’ means their approach to learning has changed as they have begun to think deeply about what they are learning and are making connections to what they already know to develop a new understanding of the world around them.
2023 BOOKLISTS
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 a 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. |
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. |
BEST WISHES for CHRISTMAS
See you in 2023!
Rita Cranitch
Learning and Teaching Adviser
Inclusive Practices Teacher
Guidance Counsellor
In this edition of SchoolTV - BULLYING
Bullying is an ongoing or repeated misuse of power in relationships, with the intention to cause deliberate psychological harm. Bullying behaviours can be verbal, physical or social. It can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious or hidden. Bullying in any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.
Despite the efforts made to reduce bullying behaviours, the research tells us that one in four students still report being bullied every few weeks. However, not all negative behaviour should be considered bullying. The key difference is that bullying does not stop on its own. It’s important young people learn how to identify behaviours that are rude, behaviours that are mean, and behaviours that are related to bullying.
Often the reasons for bullying can be complex. Some young people do it to get approval from others, some do it to regain control, whilst others may do it because it makes them feel safe. Supporting young people as they work through their emotions will help them unpack the motivation and reason behind the behaviour.
In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers can better understand why some young people engage in bullying behaviours and what to do to support a child experiencing it. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
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 Bullying edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/bullying
Tuckshop
Birthdays
Community
