Term 2 Week 8 2023

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Last week I attend the Term 2 Principal’s Meeting. These meetings serve as a platform for principals to hear about upcoming directions and initiatives, enhance leadership skills, share knowledge, communicate, and collectively work towards improving outcomes for our school communities. On Friday  Rita joined me for our annual Safe Person Training Day.  The Safe Person role is of great importance in our schools and is a role that is grounded in legislation.  Each school has at least two dedicated Safe People.  The role of the safe person is to promote and organise child protection initiatives in our school, support colleagues on student protection processes and educate our students and staff on the role of the School Safe Person.  

This morning we had the first of our 2024 Prep Open Days. It was great to welcome so many students and families to our school and it was wonderful to hear a few of the children already calling St Francis their school and to see just how excited they are about starting ‘big school’. If you or someone you know wasn’t able to make it along to our Open Day today, we will be doing it all again on Monday 12th June. Please encourage them to email ayr@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au to register their place. It isn’t too late to register. I would like to thank our amazing Prep Team of Kelly Harris, Megan Tatnell, Katrina Rainbow and Kaylaha Malaponte for the time and effort they put into ensuring that our Prep Open Day is a welcoming and joyful experience for families.  

Semester 1 Reports will be issued via Compass on Friday 23rd June.  It is important that students take the time to read the comments that were written by their teacher and see where they have glowed in their learning and where they can continue to grow as a learner as well as the positive comments about their attitude towards learning and the effort that they have put in.  I encourage you to discuss these with your child and then take the opportunity to help them set a personal learning goal for Semester 2.  This weekend, I will have the privilege of reading every student's report card. Whilst it is a big task, it is something I thoroughly enjoy doing. I always learn something new about each of our students and I enjoy being able to chat with them about this learning.  I hope you share the pride I have in your children when you read their reports in Week 10. 

As I mentioned in my letter home earlier this week I am going on long service leave from Wednesday 14th June for the remainder of this term. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Sharyn Bell to St Francis as Acting Principal during my absence. I'm sure you will all make Sharyn feel welcome when you meet her.

If I don’t see you before Wednesday, I hope you all have a wonderful end to Term 2 and a safe and relaxing holiday. See you next term!

Have a wonderful week

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

This coming Sunday, the Church calendar celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This Solemnity provides the opportunity to deepen our understanding and celebration of the Eucharist, particularly the Body and Blood of Christ. Our faith teaches us that when we gather to celebrate Mass, Jesus is present to us. The bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus makes himself present to all who receive; this is transubstantiation.

This Solemnity always brings to mind the last supper, where the Eucharist began. 

The “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most celebrated and well known artworks in the world. It is on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, its original place of painting.   

It is a huge painting of 4.60 meters high and 8.80 meters wide, painted on a wall not on a canvas as some think. To ensure that the fresco is maintained at room temperature, since the last restoration in 1999, visitor entry has been restricted to a group of 25 people every 15 minutes. This makes it difficult to access and tickets need to be bought well in advance.

I believe that the small audience makes the experience more intimate and spiritual. A place where one may feel connected to the event just as we are connected to Christ through the Eucharist.

Mini Vinnies

Over the next few weeks, the Mini Vinnies Committee will be facilitating the making of a video to send to Regis Aged Care. The video will give the residents an opportunity to sing and dance along with the students as it is not possible for us to visit in person. This is one way we are able to help serve our community.

Community service reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we believe in serving others, especially those who are most vulnerable and marginalized in society. Through community service, we can put our faith into action and make a positive difference in the world around us. Participating in community service helps students to develop empathy, compassion, and a sense of solidarity with our fellow human beings, which are key values of Catholicism.

Vinnies Refugee Assistance Program (VRAP) is looking for winter blankets and doonas to donate to refugee families in Townsville. If you have any clean blankets or doonas that you would like to donate, they can be dropped into school.

God bless

Nicole

Learning Corner

NCCD DEADLINE!!

Teachers continuously monitor student learning and progress. If progress is not event through general teaching practices, then that child’s learning is investigated at the class and school level to identify specific areas of concern. These concerns will be addressed with the parents/carers to discover if there are any known causes.

In the absence of known causes for limited progress, parents/carers will be asked about assessments of the child’s vision and hearing and a referral to the school Guidance Counsellor may be initiated for further information gathering. The outcome could be a diagnosis of a learning disorder or a recommendation for a paediatric assessment.

In some cases, parents/carers have noticed some concerning social and emotional behaviours at home and prefer to proceed with a psychometric assessment privately.

If a learning disability or learning disorder is identified and diagnosed, the child is provided with support specific to the identified learning need. This need can be cognitive, physical, sensory or emotional in nature.

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students who are receiving adjustments because of a disability. The data we provide determines the amount of funding that the school will receive to provide access to the curriculum for children identified with a learning disability or disorder.

Evidence that we must provide includes:

• A diagnosis of a learning disability or disorder.  A learning disorder diagnosis states that the child meets the criteria for a learning disorder. A learning disorder includes, for example, dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), dyscalculia (maths) and dyspraxia (movement coordination and auditory processing disorders or developmental language disorders.
• Evidence of communication with parents about the disability or disorder.
• Evidence that the adjustments are being implemented in the classroom and, in some cases evidence of the involvement of specialist services.
• Evidence that the child’s learning progress is monitored and adjustments reviewed.

This term, teachers have finalised uploading classroom and parent communication evidence into a school file dedicated to NCCD requirements.

The teachers are to be commended for the quality of data they have provided to ensure students receive the support their identified disabilities and disorders deserve.

 Parents, you can assist us in supporting your child by providing copies of medical or psychological reports related to your child’s learning needs and maintaining regular communication with your child’s teacher about their progress.

If you have any questions or concerns about this article, please contact me ASAP at rcranitch@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au.

Rita Cranitch,                                                                                  

Learning and Teaching Adviser

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - THE STATE OF YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH - AU

Parents and carers can play a crucial role  in their children's mental health. As a result, staying informed on the current state of youth mental health is vital, as it not only affects individuals, but also families and communities. According to recent research, the frequency of mental health disorders among young people is increasing, with anxiety, depression, and self-harm being among the most common challenges.

One of the reasons being attributed to this rise is the heightened stress and anxiety that many young people face in today's society. Academic success, social media, and family issues are all influencing factors. Many young people are still suffering the long-term consequences of the pandemic, such as social isolation, uncertainty, and loss.

Parents can play an important role in their children's mental health. Creating a safe and open environment for your children to talk about their emotions, thoughts, and feelings is vital. Encouraging healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and proper sleep can help reduce their stress levels and boost your child's overall mental health. There are also many resources and services available to children, adolescents, and their families, such as school counsellors, various mental health organisations, support lines, and of course, mental health professionals. It is important to remember that seeking help is a show of strength, not weakness, and that early intervention is critical in addressing young people's mental health difficulties.

This edition of SchoolTV, discusses some of the major mental health issues affecting young people and how to support a child experiencing them. 

We hope you take time to reflect on the resources 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 The State of Youth Mental Health - AU edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/state-youth-mental-health

Class in the Spotlight - 6A

We’ve had a wonderful week in 6A! 

• In Mathematics we revised Data. To make this more engaging we were told that we would be going to collect data on cars but the categories that we used were up to us. Most of us chose to categorise the cars by their colour. Other categories we had were brand and type. We transferred this data into a column graph and analysed our findings. 
• On Wednesday, in celebration of the State of Origin, we collected data on all Origin games since 2017 and graphed it. Did you know that, excluding this year, Queensland had only won two of the past six Game One games? 
• In Health / Technology we have been investigating healthy and sustainable practices. To consolidate our learning, we created a poster for a healthy drink. We provided a list of healthy ingredients that were in our drink and even made sure its packaging was sustainable. 

We cannot wait for Athletics Carnival and holidays in a few weeks.

6A

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