Term 1 Week 7 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that we are in the second last week of Term 1. With our disrupted start to the year and staff and students being sick on and off throughout the term, this term has certainly flown by. Classes are currently finalising their end of term assessment and teachers are busy preparing for Oral Reporting which will be held next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If you haven’t yet returned your preferred interview time to your classroom teacher, please do so tomorrow as teachers will be sending home confirmation of interview letters on Thursday. Parent/Teacher interviews are a wonderful opportunity for you to discuss your child’s progress with their teacher and to learn about where your child is shining as well as opportunities for growth.
Just a reminder that the pick up/drop off zone is for a quick pick up/drop off and parents and carers should be staying in their car. If your child requires assistance with their seatbelt, we kindly ask that you please park and assist your child. This ensures that the traffic continues to flow through this area. I have noticed that there is an increasing number of students being dropped off early in the morning. As there is not a teacher on duty until 8:10 am, students should not be arriving before this time. We thank you for your cooperation with both of these issues.
We continue to have staff and students unwell and while we do our best to keep the stability of teachers in classrooms, this isn’t always possible due to supply teacher availability. I thank you for your patience as we continue to move through these challenging times. Just a reminder to keep your child/ren at home if they are sick. We will be continuing to send students home when they present to the Office unwell.
Next Thursday we will be holding our St Francis Cross Country. A huge thank you to Mrs Eathorne for all of the hard work that she has put into organising this event and preparing our students through Run Club. Please see further details about this event later in the newsletter. If you are able to assist us with the Cross Country, please contact Cate at ceathorne@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au.
Last week we held our first lockdown drill for the year. Lockdown and evacuation drills are part of our safety procedures and we do a number of these throughout the year as it is important that students know what to do should we have a situation arise. Our first drill went smoothly and students responded well. We will be practising an evacuation drill before the end of this term.
I will be away Monday and Tuesday next week at a professional development course. If you have any questions or concerns during this time, please contact Mary Ferguson.
Have a wonderful week.
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
Do you find it hard to forgive someone who has hurt you? On the fourth Sunday of Lent we listen to the story of the Prodigal son. (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) We all know how good we feel when we say” sorry” and make up after a quarrel. Jesus told the story of the Prodigal son, who took his share of his inheritance from his father because he wanted to enjoy it now. He wasted his time and money, partying and having a good time, eventually ending up with nothing. The parable not only reminds us of God’s infinite love and mercy for us but shows that when we forgive and are forgiven we can find true peace and happiness with each other.
Project Compassion: Rosalie 44, is an ex-combatant who lives with her husband and seven children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Forced to join the army when she was just 15-years-old, Rosalie experienced significant trauma and hardship during her years in the military. After she was demobilised from the army, Rosalie, like other ex-combatants, was left to fend for herself in the community. With support from Caritas, Rosalie was able to connect with other members of her community and participate in business skills training to help her to reintegrate into society. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations. You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes.
Easter Raffle: Our Mini Vinnies students will be busy for the next two weeks selling tickets in an Easter Raffle which will be drawn on the last day of term. Tickets will be on sale before school near the tuck shop or they can be purchased from the office. Tickets will be 50c each or three for a dollar. All money raised will go to Caritas to help fund their projects working with people in communities for a more sustainable future.
Prayer
Thank You: What a lovely way for our Year 6 leaders to receive their senior badges celebrating Eucharist with our school community. We thank Father Manoj for presiding at our celebration and for his wise words. With Harmony week underway we will remember his words to be like the Good Samaritan and be kind to everyone. Below is the pledge that the Year 6 have written and promised to follow this year.
Year 6 Leadership Pledge
As a 2022 Leader of St Francis School, I promise to be the best leader I can be. I acknowledge that leadership is not a right, but a privilege and responsibility. I will model our school rules to be respectful, to be responsible, to be safe and to be proud.
I promise to be a true role model by showing a love of neighbour, in the way I treat everyone in our school community with love and compassion.
I promise to treat all St Francis students, staff and guests with;
hospitality, justice, sportsmanship and self-control through my words and actions.
I promise to care for God’s Creation by ensuring the school is clean and tidy.
I will deliver my promises without compromise.
We ask the Lord our God to guide us to fulfill our role as leaders and help us to follow the example of Jesus as we grow and learn together in Christ and Knowledge.
Please email your Certificate of Completion to ayr@tsv.catholic.edu.au to be entered into the draw.
Aiming for Excellence
Ready Set Write!
The focus for our writing this week is cohesion. We are looking at the devices we use to link our ideas to keep a flow in our writing and the meaning clear. The most common cohesive devices are pronouns and conjunctions.
NAPLAN - This Thursday at 9.00 am, all students in years three and five will participate in the Coordinated Practice Test. This is a nationally coordinated test to ensure the internet can meet the demands of concentrated online use during the May NAPLAN tests. The online practice tests in the NAPLAN Training platform use fictitious names.
Thursday’s test will be an Omnibus test which consists of questions on Language Conventions, Reading and Numeracy. On Friday, Year Five will complete a Writing task online. These tests will familiarise students with the test environment and the online tools they will be using during the MAY tests.
Teachers are using the opportunities for online practices to become familiar with the processes for providing rest breaks for students, late arrivals and dealing with interruptions.
Extra time and rest breaks must be requested using a Record of Adjustment available from the School and approved by the Principal.
DO WE UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE AS IT IS INTENDED?
Last week I was reminded that words have different meanings in different contexts.
My apologies to rowing enthusiasts. My grandson in South Africa recently participated in a rowing competition. My daughter told me that they caught a crab during one of the races and lost time. I had images of a creek crab clutching an oar. They must have massive crabs in the rivers to affect the balance of a canoe! Sharing the story with someone well versed in the language of rowing, I quickly learnt that ‘crab’ is the term used to describe the way an oar enters the water and disrupts the fluid movement of the canoe.
I wonder how often our students are in the same situation. Is it possible that the words we use with children are not understood as intended?
Rita Cranitch
Leaning and Teaching Adviser / Inclusive practices Teacher
Students of the Week
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