Term 4 Week 5 2023

From the Principal

Dear Families,

What a week we have had at St Francis. 

On Monday we held our 2024 School Captain Speeches. The fourteen students who presented speeches should be immensely proud of themselves. The caliber of speeches this year was above and beyond what we have had in previous years. The students spoke passionately about their love for our school, being active and positive role models who represent the school with pride. They focused on how as leaders they can lead by example to include others, work as part of a team and inspire the rest of the student body to not only give everything a go but to participate in events and make memories. Congratulations to Harry and Lara for being nominated as School Captains and Cruz and Inara who are our 2024 Vice Captains. Next Monday we will hear students deliver Sports Captain Speeches.

On Monday I was able to present a number of Principal Awards at Assembly. These awards are given to those students who have received 25 P.A.T.H. Praise Notes and is something to be celebrated. Thank you to those families who were able to attend the Parish Installation on Tuesday evening. It was a wonderful celebration, presided over by Bishop Tim and a great occasion for our Parish community. Wednesday we held our Term 4 Learning Breakfast and Whole School Christian Meditation for All Saints Day. Popi and Asha represented our school at the Colls Lecturette on Wednesday evening and then today we welcomed our 2024 Prep students for their second Step into Prep Day. It has been an incredibly busy but rewarding week for our school community. 

I am very pleased to announce that our Prep teachers for 2024 will be Miss Megan Tatnell and Mrs Kelly Harris.  Other class teachers will be announced in the coming weeks as our teaching staff for 2024 is finalised. As you can imagine this can take some time to get right, so I ask for your patience while we complete this process. Classes will be announced at our Step Up day in Week 9.

Just a reminder if you have a question or concern, you are encouraged to first make contact with your classroom teacher if it is related to a classroom issue.  If it is a question or concern of a different nature, please pop into the Office to have a chat with a member of the leadership team or make an appointment time to see us.  At times, people have concerns or questions and instead of coming to a member of the leadership team who can give you an accurate answer, these concerns are talked about in the car park which doesn’t solve anything.  While we may not be able to solve a problem immediately, we can’t do anything if we do not know about your concerns.  Both Nicole and I have an open door policy and are always more than happy to answer any questions you may have or address any concerns.

During the week I shared with you a draft logo for your feedback. I would like to thank those families who have taken the time to provide feedback so far. The reasoning behind a new logo stems from our school renewal process and recommendations from the panel that oversaw our renewal that we revitalise our mission statement, logo and motto so that they reflect a contemporary Catholic School position.  There has been various levels of consultation in the design of this logo. You may remember back in Term 2 families were invited to be part of a community consultation process to gather data around what is viewed as important for our school, this work was also completed with the teaching staff. Our School Board and Catholic Identity Committee's feedback was also reflected throughout consultation phase. I am including our logo and the rationale behind it below. Should you wish to provide feedback, please do so by Monday 13th November to ajones16@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au. I look forward to sharing some draft motto's with you next week for your feedback.

Have a wonderful week

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

Recontextualisation

During my year in the role of APRE, recontextualisation is a word that keeps coming to the forefront. Recontextualisation refers to the process of taking knowledge or concepts from one context and applying them in a different context. It involves the reinterpretation or restructuring of information, making it relevant and meaningful in new settings. It is a word that holds a special significance in the context of a Catholic school as it is a tool which can be used to infuse a faith-based education with a dynamic and relevant perspective that resonates with students in a meaningful way. Even the revised Australian Curriculum has changed approaches to students’ learning through identifying areas to change to keep it relevant and meaningful for young people.

As we move forward, it is imperative to reflect on how society has changed in even the last 15 years to have an understanding of today’s needs. Students are growing up in a world that is familiar to them, but at times makes people from a different generation feel like ‘dinosaurs’. I know that I am using words today that never used to exist and more words seem to keep adding to the list. If we don’t change the way we see and do things that have been, we run the risk of young people being disengaged in an environment that is not meaningful to them.

I feel very blessed to be working in an environment where students are listened to and the way we do things are challenged so we may grow and be a better fit for today’s young people. A great example of this is our mission and logo work. Elements from an older context have been taken and placed into today’s context to bring meaning and authenticity to our school’s mission.

In a Catholic school, recontextualisation is about nurturing the whole person in a faith-based environment, promoting holistic learning, preparing students for real world challenges and inspiring lifelong curiosity. When we recontextualise, we prepare our students both academically and spiritually and help them to live their faith authentically and carry it into the world with purpose and conviction.

CWL Luncheon

We have the CWL Christmas Luncheon coming up on 15 November.  Remember to reply with permission and let the office know if you are able to assist during the morning. 

The Year 6 students will be creating a gift next week and they look forward to showing their ‘love of neighbour’. This luncheon is a tradition the school and parish enjoy every year. The money raised will be donated to the local St Vincent de Paul, to help families during the Christmas season and beyond.

Save The Date

5th November, Youth Mass, 5:30pm

6th November, Remembrance Day Liturgy, 2:15pm

15th November, CWL Luncheon

24th November, Thanksgiving Mass, 9am

27th November, Yr 6 Graduation, 6:30pm

29th November, Awards Morning, 9am

1st December, Final Farewell Liturgy, 11am

God bless

Nicole

Learning Corner

How many days until Christmas?

We really don’t want to know, as it reminds us of the time we have to prepare for 2024.

As children are completing their ‘point in time’ assessments to show how they have progressed, teachers are making observations and notes about each child’s learning needs to continue making progress.

The measure of learning progress is made by comparing the evidence of student work against the Achievement Standard for their year level.

For some students, this will mean providing challenging work to extend their application of skills. For some students, it means the provision of targeted intervention in the areas that were not yet at the year level.

Whenever a child is achieving below year level in one or more of the subjects, there is always a reason. When the reason is known the targeted support is provided. When a reason is unknown, the cause is investigated through the collaboration of teachers, guidance counsellors, parents and specialists.

A high absence rate, unless there is an underlying reason such as physical or mental health already being addressed, interferes with the positive outcome of personalised support.

 All formal assessments will be finalised by the end of next week, but teaching and learning will continue. Students will be consolidating areas identified as requiring extra practice or participating in challenging extension activities.

During the last week of school, teachers will finalise transition statements for each student. This informs the child’s 2024 teacher how the child learns best, their strengths and areas of learning concern.

The final weeks are as important for learning as the weeks before assessments.

Thank you to parents who have already shared with class teachers their concerns about their child’s progress, both social and academic.

CONGRATULATIONS

Popi and Asha are to be commended for their enthusiasm and commitment to preparing their speeches presented at the Colls Speaking Competition on Wednesday evening.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Rita Cranitch,                                                                                  

Learning and Teaching Adviser

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - DEPRESSION

When kids feel sad, irritable or anxious most of the time, this is not considered a ‘normal’ part of adolescence. Depression may be indicated by uncharacteristic behaviour such as social withdrawal, changes to academic performance, use of drugs or alcohol, or even engaging in risky behaviour. The symptoms and signs are a combination of what a parent can see externally, plus what a child is feeling internally.

Every child can feel sad or down in response to a particular situation. However, these feelings should only last a short time and should not interfere with a child’s day-to-day activities. Should the sadness continue for longer than two weeks, then your child could be at risk of depression. This is more than just sadness, it is a serious health problem with no singular cause. Usually depression is the result of a combination of things.

In this edition of SchoolTV parents will learn how identify the signs of depression and what the effects are on their child’s wellbeing and overall health.

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 Depression edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/depression

Class in the Spotlight - 5A

This week in 5A

• We started the week off with School Captain speeches, everyone did a fantastic job and displayed respect and encouragement for those who have received their roles this week.
• This week our sound was /th/ and we were busy completing many activities on our sound
• In English we have been learning about poetry, we have created Hiakus, Limericks, Shape poems and Cinquains. We have also been studying Indigenous poetry and Ballads. 
• We have been discovering how to manipulate light in science. We have been looking at the various ways light can pass through objects.
• In HASS and Design Technologies, we have created a shopping centre that features the use of sustainable energy choices. We had a lot of fun creating our businesses. 
• We enjoyed showing off all this work to our families at the learning breakfast this week!

5A

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

P.A.T.H.

Library

Swimming Carnival

Tuckshop

Upcoming Events

Community