Term 1 Week 2 2024

From the Principal

Dear Families,

What an interesting start to 2024 we have had. There is nothing like a cyclone followed by a heat wave to keep things interesting. Our students have done an incredible job this week in managing their emotions after the weekend. On Monday each of our classes had a debrief about the weekend in order to give students the opportunity to share with their classmates their experiences over the weekend. We heard a lot of stories about being very hot from not having air conditioning (I can relate to that one)  to information about trees and fences that were down. Everyone was keen to share their stories. Due to the heat wave, students spent play time on both Monday and Tuesday in classrooms in an effort to keep them cool. We definitely enjoyed our Zooper Doopers on Tuesday and it was a great treat after a few very long and hot days. 

Family Engagement

A reminder that our Information Evening will be held on Tuesday 6th February. This is a wonderful parent engagement opportunity and a way of building a strong and productive partnership with your child’s teacher.  The program will be:

• 5:45 - 6:00pm - Gather in the Samaritan Centre for Prayer and staff introductions
• 6:00 - 6:25pm - 1st classroom session
• 6:30 - 6:55pm - 2nd classroom session (a repeat of the 1st session) 

During these sessions you’ll hear about what your child will be learning, their teacher’s expectations, how you can help your child with their learning at home, how you can become involved and much, much more. 

FACE

At St Francis Catholic School, we believe that parents play a significant role in supporting their children’s learning and well-being. The goal of family engagement is to empower families to be active partners in their children’s learning journey.

Why is Parent Engagement so important? 

• Research shows that 'parents and carers are one of the most important influences on a child's education.  When you are engaged in your children's education, your children are more likely to attend school and to perform better.'
• When families and schools work together, children are more likely to build good relationships and do better at school. Research also shows that any and all family involvement is beneficial, however, family engagement has the greatest benefit.  

What does FACE look like at St Francis Catholic School?

All parents and carers make up the FACE of St Francis Catholic School therefore there is no executive structure. We meet each term with dates and times to be advised ahead of time. Meeting focus areas include Catholic Identity, engagement in learning, social gatherings and activities, and some fundraising opportunities (this is not a major focus)

Meeting structure:

• Welcome and Prayer
• Reflection of previous meeting and minutes
• Principal’s reflection
• Feedback from parents about the previous term
• Looking ahead to what’s coming up and how parents and families can be involved
• Creation of small working groups when required to assist with events

Our first FACE (Family and Community Engagement) meeting will be held on Tuesday 13th February at 5:30pm in the Staffroom. All families are invited to attend this meeting. We will be discussing the Term 1 Disco and fundraising for 2024. If you have any items for the agenda please email them through to the Office by Friday 9th February. 

Class Community Contact Role

Here at St Francis, we believe that the Class Community Contact Role enhances the quality of relationships within our school community. Together we strive to develop mutually trusting and vibrant relationships between all members of the school community.  In accepting this role, the CCC is taking on a responsibility, which requires mutual trust, confidentiality and a desire to assist in building a harmonious school environment for us all.  

What is a Class Community Contact?

The Class Community Contact is a volunteer role held for the school year. This role can be held by up to 2 parents or carers for each class. This role has two main purposes:

1. Be a support person for the classroom
2. Work in conjunction with school leadership and the FACE Group to support school activities and events

This role requires volunteers to respect with confidentiality, the events of the classroom whilst providing staff, students and families with absolute privacy.  This role requires the commitment of volunteers to

How can a Class Community Contact help you?

• Bring ideas or school-level issues to school leadership and the FACE Group
• Help arrange support for your family during difficult times

All concerns and/or enquiries from parents/carers regarding the education, health and safety of their children must be directed to the class teacher. 

Class Community Contacts must complete the online volunteer induction and attend the site induction (completed every 3 years).

If you are interested in taking on this role for your class in 2024, please see your child’s class teacher.

Uniforms

When walking around the school and visiting classrooms over the past week I have noticed that we have many hair styles including hair accessories, earrings and sports shoes that do not meet the uniform policy. Earrings should be plain studs or sleepers. This does not include pearl earrings or shaped studs such as little dogs.  The Uniform Guidelines was sent to all families before school started and also included in last week's newsletter. I will include another copy in the newsletter today. I ask that you please read this document carefully and ensure your child's uniform is following the guidelines. From Wednesday 7th February Compass notifications for incorrect school uniforms will be sent out.

Have a wonderful week

Take care and God Bless

Amanda 

UR STRONG

You are invited to take advantage of a FREE Parent Membership to access hundreds of resources – including an 8 session video series. This will allow you to learn the same language & strategies being taught in the classroom through the Friendology 101 curriculum. We hope that, as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.

As a next step, we would recommend:

• Click here to view an overview of URSTRONG.
• Activate your FREE Parent Membership and explore all the resources available to your family.
• Explore the hundreds of resources available to you!

We believe that empowering our students with these skills will create a culture of kindness at our school and we hope that, together, we can support your children to have healthy, feel-good friendships.

This week in classes students learnt how to be Inner Ninjas. In order to create healthy friendships, students first need to treat themselves like a best friend. Make sure you ask your child/ren about what they learnt!

Religious Life of the School

I am pleased that my first cyclone is over and it was a gentle one from what I have heard. I hope everyone faired well and it wasn’t too disruptive. It is pleasing to see the students have settled back in nicely after our mixed up first week. 

We have a busy time coming up with the Beginning of Year Mass and the induction of our school leaders. All family and friends are welcome to attend this special occasion. I’m sure the Year 6 students are looking forward to proudly wearing their badges. 

The same week will host Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Look out for the volunteer call to help with cooking pancakes or lending an electric frying pan. Ash Wednesday 5A will host a liturgy and everyone is invited to join the St Francis community to be blessed with ashes.  

The Church's Liturgical Calendar

After the joyous celebrations during the Season of Christmas, the Church commenced the first period of Ordinary Time in the current liturgical year. At the beginning of the Church’s liturgical calendar in Advent, the Church commenced using Year B, which draws primarily from the Gospel of Mark. Ordinary Time is signified by the colour green. Green is a symbol of life and growth. During Ordinary Time, we are growing and moving forward, and the weekly scripture guides our prayer life and our reflections on our relationship with God. The Church will move into the Season of Lent on Ash Wednesday (14th February), at which time the liturgical colour will become purple.

Take care and God bless

Nicole

Learning Corner

HELP!  If our goal is for our students to become excellent learners then help could be one of the most inappropriate and misunderstood words used by children at school and at homework time.

The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘help’ as:  making it easier or possible for (someone) to do something by offering one's services or resources "they helped her with domestic chores".

When a child asks for help, often before they even attempt the task, it can mean they don’t know how to do something, they are anxious about starting the task of they would like someone to do it for them. The response to a request for help is usually someone else doing most of the task and the outcome is relief and joy for the child but there has been no learning.

In class when a child asks for help it is clarified with the child explaining why they need help or what part of the task they are finding difficult. Children are asked to show what they know and can already do before they are prompted through the steps to complete the task. This type of help results in learning and a sense of achievement for the child. When help is understood as doing it for them, the child reaffirms their perception that they cannot do the expected work unless someone does some or all of the task and they do not see themselves as learners.

Parents often ask how they can help their children with schoolwork. The best way to help a child become a learner is to encourage them to attempt everything they are asked to do, to try and do it better next time to believe in themselves and develop independence appropriate for their age. Do not do anything for your child that they can do for themselves even if it takes longer. Give them opportunities to experience a sense of accomplishment as they complete something they did not think they could do. Acknowledge their effort and achievement. There is no need for material rewards, just your joy in their accomplishment.

EARLY YEARS Testing

Years P-2 will complete the TCE Early  Years pretest in Week 4 of this Term.

NAPLAN

Years 3 and 5 will commence NAPLAN Practice tests in Week 3. These will be online for children to become familiar with the types of questions and the online tools they will be using during the NAPLAN testing in March.

If you have any concerns about either of these tests please contact your child’s teacher or email/phone me.

Rita Cranitch

APPL (Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning-Acting)

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Class in the Spotlight - 5/6B

We have had a great start to the Year in 5/6B.  Despite the heat, we have still managed to keep working hard and learn lots of new things.

In Religion we have been looking at our Founders - The Good Samaritan Story, St Marcellin Champagnat and St Francis Xavier - and the values that make our school so special.

In Maths Yr 6 are looking at integers and Yr 5 are learning about place value including decimals.

English has us looking at different types of text.  We are reading Nim’s Island as a class which is a narrative text.

Year 6 met their Prep buddies this week and are looking foreward to doing lots of great things with them throughout the year. 

We were lucky to all be given a Zooper Dooper this week to help us cool down - thank you Kylie.

5/6B

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Tuckshop

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This letter is to invite parents &/or grandparents to become part of this year’s Tuckshop team.  Thank you to those parents who have already reached out.

The Tuckshop requires volunteers from Monday to Friday from 8:30am - 11:30am for First Break.

Working in the Tuckshop is a great opportunity to meet new parents in a friendly & relaxed atmosphere.

Please note: you will need to have completed your Volunteer Induction Online Training prior to assistance.

Volunteer Induction Online Training can be accessed via our website: https://www.sfatsv.catholic.edu.au/about/volunteer-induction-for-parents-and-carers/

Once all modules and documents have been completed please email your certificate, paperwork to ayr@tsv.catholic.edu.au

Please return the from below to the school office at your earliest convenience. Any amount of time that you can assist will be greatly appreciated. If you have any further enquiries please feel free to contact the school office on 4783 2877.

I am looking forward to another exciting year in the tuckshop.

Thanks,

Kylie Farrell

Tuckshop Convenor

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