Term 1 Week 7 2023

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

I have a lot of news and information to share this week so before continuing to read go grab a cuppa and make yourself comfortable.

It is hard to believe that we are in Week 7. I’m not sure where the time has gone and I have recently heard many other people making the same statement. I read an interesting blog post over the weekend that spoke to this very notion. The theories discussed in the post about why the perception that time is moving quickly is a common experience for many people really spoke to me.

One theory is that as we age, our sense of time becomes distorted because our experiences and memories are happening in a shorter amount of subjective time. This has to do with the networks of neurons in our brains and the time it takes to process them slows down as we age.

Another theory pointed to the fast pace of modern life making time seem to fly by.  We have so many distractions and things to do, it can feel as though there is never enough time in the day to get everything done. We are constantly stimulated and busy which makes time seem to speed up.  The blog also discussed that our brains simply process time differently at different stages of our life. Who remembers being a child and time just seeming to drag on (especially when our parents were making us do something we didn’t want to!)? On the flip side as an adult, the same activity can feel like it’s flying by.

What really stood out to me, and while it is an undeniable fact and common sense, time hasn’t changed. Regardless of the reason, it seems as though time is flying by, it is important that we take a step back and appreciate the present moment and find ways to slow down and enjoy life. I hope that this week you can take time to slow down and appreciate the present.

External Sports

Last Friday night I was sitting watching TV when I heard the ding of my email. It was an email from Anna Lynch (our Year 6A Teacher) to the parents of students playing AFL for External Sports this term. I cautiously opened the email but what I read filled me with great joy and pride in our students. We have been talking about high expectations in our classrooms this year and what they look and sound like in our school and when we are out in the community. The email that I read demonstrated that the students are taking this on board. I am looking forward to catching up with these students to congratulate them. I love being able to share happy stories such as these. I have Anna’s permission to share the email with the entire school community.  

CSPQ Grant

Last year I applied for a Catholic School Parents Queensland Grant. These grants are intended to encourage new and innovative ideas to develop, enhance or improve parent engagement in their children’s learning and wellbeing. We are very lucky that for the past four years, the Diocese of Townsville has offered this initiative as a way of encouraging parent engagement in schools. It was one of these grants that saw our Francis’ Friends Playgroup get up off the ground in 2020.  I am very pleased to announce that our 2022 grant application for $2500 was successful. Our project centred on the first three years of schooling is called The Right Start to School and is designed to provide education for families of students in Prep-Year 2. It aims to provide information about early years concepts as well as give parents easy and practical ways that they can be engaged in their child’s learning and help support their child at home. I look forward to bringing you more details as they are finalised.

P-2 Parent Sessions

Our Prep - Year 2 families will have received a Compass Notification and a flyer about a wonderful parent engagement opportunity which will be run by Amanda Banister from Townsville Catholic Education.  Amanda will be presenting two sessions for our P-2 families on how to support your child at home with Literacy and Numeracy. Amanda is a very experienced early years teacher and is our System Learning and Teaching Adviser for the Early Years. These sessions will be incredibly informative and I encourage you to come along to both sessions to gain a further understanding of how you can support your child with their learning at home. We kick off these information sessions this Thursday night with our Literacy session. If you haven't registered yet its not too late.  I am looking forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.

Crazy Hair Day

Next Monday we will be participating in Crazy Hair Day in support of Team Jonah and The World’s Greatest Shave which raises money to help fight blood cancer. Team Jonah is on a mission to raise funds to support Australians living with blood cancer and to fund vital research. Please bring a gold coin donation on Monday and scan the QR Code to contribute to Jonah’s fundraising efforts.

Parent-Teacher interviews

As we come close to the end of Term 1, teachers will be organising Parent Teacher Interviews. These interviews will be held during Week 10.  This is a great way to hear about what areas your child is shining in and where they may need a little extra support. I encourage all parents to make the most of this opportunity for the following reasons:

• It provides parents with an insight into their child’s classroom
• Helps you as parents understand your child’s progress and areas they still need to work on
• It allows teachers to provide positive feedback to parents 
• It is another opportunity for you to raise any concerns you may have
• It helps to build partnerships between the school and home

Parent Teacher Interviews will be booked via Compass this term.  More details to come soon.

Teacher Professional Development

Over the coming weeks and months, teachers will be attending a variety of Professional Development days. Professional development helps teachers gain insight into and knowledge of their craft. It promotes new ways of thinking about content and different approaches to teaching. 

Through professional development, teachers acquire new knowledge and skills and modify their existing beliefs and attitudes in relation to their teaching. By investing in the growth and development of our teaching staff we have a direct impact on improving student achievement and modelling to our students the importance of being a lifelong learner.  Some of the professional development that our teachers will be attending this year include:

• Australian Curriculum Version 9 English and Maths
• Participation in the Writing Project 
• A variety of Religious Education professional development
• Christian Meditation
• Spirituality Retreats

Class Community Contacts

Our Class Community Contacts had their first meeting of the year last Thursday evening. I am very grateful for their willingness to take on this important role in our school community and I am including in this newsletter a list of CCCs for your reference. The role of your CCC is to bring ideas or school-level issues to the school leadership team and the FACE Group as well as help arrange support for families during difficult times. They will also help promote events within the school and may organise a social function throughout the year. Please remember that all concerns and/or enquiries from families regarding the education, health and safety of your child/ren must be directed to the class teacher.  It is not the role of the CCC to facilitate this.

Board Formation Day

On Saturday the St Francis Catholic School Board joined with the School Boards from St Colman’s and Burdekin Catholic High School for our annual School Board Formation Day. In his address, Bishop Tim spoke about the importance that our schools are built on love because where there is love there is God. The Bishop also conveyed that the school board is a contributor to the mission and life of the school and it is through using a shared wisdom model that we can continue to be of service to the school community.

The focus of the day revolved around Townsville Catholic Education’s 2022 - 2026 Six Strategic Directions which are at the core of what we do in our schools. We explored each direction and looked at why each of the pillars/directions is important to our school, how the board can contribute and board members be involved and finally what success looks like for our school for each area. The Six Strategic Directions are:

• Faith and Mission
• Capabilities and Partnerships
• Governance and Sustainability
• Learning and Teaching
• Authentic Faith Leadership
• Diversity and Wellbeing

I would like to thank our School Board Members for being part of this important work. Our 2023 School Board members are Fr Manoj, Tony Polga, Dean Sgori, Alicia Roncato, Dominique Taylor, Matthew Oar,  Amanda Rayner, Melissa Neilson, Teena Butler, Nicole O’Connor and myself.

Rescheduled Disco

We are very pleased to let the school community know that we have managed to reschedule the Carnivale Disco to Friday 17th March. Please see the flyer attached for further details.

I know I have covered a lot in the newsletter this week and I thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter each week in order to keep up to date with what is happening in our school.

I am away at the Principal's Meeting Monday - Wednesday this week and then at an Early Years Committee Meeting on Friday. I leave you in Nicole's very capable hands during this time. 

Have a great week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

Welcome to Week 7 and the second week of Lent. I hope your Lenten journey has started well and you are finding some time for personal reflection. Our easter raffle for Caritas begins tomorrow. Students will be selling tickets in the morning near the tuckshop. Tickets are 50c each and there are three Easter baskets to be won.

Second Week of Lent 
(Week beginning Monday 6^th March)

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Tereesa, a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. At just 16 years old, she had to leave school after falling pregnant with her first child. A single mother struggling with homelessness, Tereesa’s only concern was finding stability for her children.  

Seeking a better future for her family, Tereesa joined Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation’s Young Mums and Bubs Group, supported by Caritas Australia. Baabayn helped Tereesa access housing and psychological support. Through Baabayn, Tereesa was also able to hear stories from Indigenous Elders and reconnect with her culture. 

Today, Tereesa is studying a certificate in Community Services so that she can strengthen her skills and give back to her community. Tereesa now works at Baabayn, providing support to young mothers and mentoring the next generation of young people. 

Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

God bless

Nicole

Learning Corner

Vehicle Drivers and Students: What do they have in common?

Most of us are capable of driving safely. We know and follow the road rules, treat other road users with respect and do not cause accidents because of our poor driving abilities. As a driver, we would be allocated a ‘C’ for driving. This is a great result for what is needed.

However, if I were to drive heavy machinery with an extra long load, my ‘C’ standard skills would not be enough as I need more skills than those required to drive a car or similar vehicle. As a driver, this heavy machinery driver would receive a ‘B’ rating. They have learnt the skills and apply them to familiar settings.

The racing car driver, who needs to be highly attentive, focused, and prepared for the unexpected every minute of a race, is demonstrating an ‘A’ standard of driving while racing.

A student who learns their work and can show that they know what has been taught is at a ‘C’ standard. They can access the curriculum independently or with some adjustments. They are at the standard expected for their year level.

Like a driver, to reach an ‘A’ they start to apply the ‘C’ standard to more complex work which may be familiar (B) or unfamiliar(A).

In their written work they move from describing an event to providing ‘thorough’ and ‘detailed’ descriptions.

Achieving an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ is not about learning more, practising more or getting help, it is about attitude and asking questions to find out the details. It is about making connections between what they already know and new or different information. This comes from an enquiring mind that does lots of ‘wondering’; e.g. what would happen if………..?

 We can all help our students achieve a ‘C’ standard but we can only guide and provide an environment for  them to achieve a ‘B’ or or an ‘A’ standard.

High expectations and aiming for excellence is the pathway to improve standards.

PROMOTING LITERACY LEARNING (PLD)

Last week we talked about the importance of phonemic awareness when learning to read. Once children can tell the difference between sounds and manipulate sounds they begin to develop phonological knowledge. This is when they connect sounds to letters. The goal is for children to look at at letter and say the sound it makes. This is o be known so thoroughly that they can match a sound to a letter without hesitation. Matching letters to sounds without hesitation is referred to as orthographic mapping.

Next week: What happens when a child has phonemic awareness and  age appropriate phonological knowledge?

NAPLAN - changes to reporting.

On 10 February 2023, Australian Education Ministers agreed to change the reporting of NAPLAN results in response to the transition to online adaptive testing and the earlier time.

Four levels of achievement will be used instead of the ten bands used previously.

The four levels are:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.

The individual student reports will change to represent these four levels of achievement.

Due to this change, we cannot compare this year’s results with previous NAPLAN results.

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE A MOUSE and working HEADPHONES?

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: SCIENCE LITERACY STUDY   

We have been randomly selected to participate in an online Science Literacy assessment. These assessments have been in place since 2003; this is the first time we have been chosen. The tests developed by ACER ( Australian Council of Educational Research) monitor the development of Science Literacy Skills over time and informs the type and quality of resourcing required.

The test is for Year 6 and Year 10 students and will be held on a set date between May 8 and 26. Twenty students will be randomly selected from the Year 6 cohort to participate. Students do not need to study for this test. 

As this test is part of a National Assessment Program study, no parental permission is required for students to participate. However, parents/caregivers may withdraw their child from the assessment.

We do not know which students have been selected or the date for the test. We will be provided with this information next term.

Have a great week

Rita Cranitch

Learning and Teaching Adviser

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Planet Protectors

Schools Clean Up Day

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On Schools Clean Up Day, St Francis Catholic School Ayr responded to the goals of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si'. Our school is adopting a simple lifestyle choice and sustainable practice by being responsible for our own waste. The School Clean Up Day at St Francis was led by our school committee, the Planet Protectors.

This group was created to recognise the cry of the Earth. Our students will be collecting recyclable materials like plastic bottles which will be put into the Containers For Change Program. All money raised by the program will go to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society to acknowledge the cry of the poor in our local community. Initiatives like Clean up Australia Day and Schools Clean Up Day, create great opportunities for our St Francis family to take action to clean up our common home - the Earth.  

Popi Loizou

Year 6 Planet Protector

Class in the Spotlight

4A is our Class in the Spotlight for Week 6.  They certainly have been busy completing activities in their class!

They have enjoyed PE activities.

On Wednesday with Mrs Johansen 4A was busy learning how to draw cubes as they explored 3D shapes.

4A loves books and reading!  They have loved selecting new books during their weekly visit to the Library as well as working in their reading groups. They have developed their comprehension skills using Literacy Planet.

They have been mastering their spelling skills using online resources.

On top of all this, they presented a wonderful Assembly on Monday!  Well done 4A!

My New Gallery

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P.A.T.H.

Our P.A.T.H. note winners for Week 6 are: Ruben Minuzzo, Bridget Ahern and Olivia Felesina.

Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - RESILIENCE

Resilience is one of those skills that all kids need and should have. It refers to their ability to cope and adapt in situations when confronted with challenges such as adversity, trauma, tragedy, or even stress. It is essential to their mental health and wellbeing as part of their journey to adulthood. It is a skill that can be learned from an early age through the support of an adult role model.

However, being resilient does not mean your child won't experience any difficulties, but it will better equip them to manage those situations. Over-protective parenting can be viewed as being unhelpful towards the building of resilience. Although this may be a natural instinct, potentially experiencing failure is all part of the process. Encouraging children to take healthy risks will help them trust their capacity to deal with uncomfortable situations and increase their capacity for courage.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will gain an understanding of how to support their child’s brave behaviour to help them adapt and build resilience.

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 Resilience edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience

Library

Class Visits

Reflection

HAPPY LENT 2023.

Dear students, staff, and parents,

It was an inspirational experience for me to begin the season of lent 2023 with you on Ash Wednesday. I was able to be part of the beautiful liturgy organized by your school. I would like to extend my gratitude to your principals and APREs for their exceptional interest shown in engaging you with the catholic identity of the school. You will see Purple coloured decorations at the sacred place of your school which will remind you constantly of this beautiful season. During these days of this special season, we are retelling the events that brought us life through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ loved us even to the point of dying for us, the most cruel death, death on the Cross.

"A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

This year we had a lot more parishioners attending the Ash Wednesday liturgy. This was a good gesture of us growing in our faith and a gesture of our longing to come closer to Jesus.  We have about 10 Lenten groups this year around the Burdekin. They come together once a week and share their reflections on the Bible, especially the crucial moments in the lives of Jesus, passion, death, and resurrection. They include your parents, teachers, parishioners, your neighbours, friends, and priests.

On Fridays, there is the Stations of the Cross at all our churches. The parish bulletin will give you more details about these special Lenten services. Please try and join us in any of them.

Some of your schoolmates told me that they do some kind of fasting, and some give up chocolates, their favourite TV show, or something that they like. Some of you are saving money and giving that money to Project Compassion to help poor children elsewhere. I thought that was an excellent thing to do. I congratulate them on this.

I have seen these days more people coming to daily masses or making good confessions. Again, these are something you could do if your school time or work permit. I hope and pray that you do not miss the blessings this season offers to all of us. The forty days of Lent is a Sacred Time. This will lead us to the celebration of Easter.

May we be able to be walking with Jesus in His moments of suffering and death because He walks with us in our days of struggles without fail. 

Fr Manoj

Birthdays

Community