Term 2 Week 1 2024
From the Principal
Dear Families,
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter break. This term we welcome four new students and their families to our school. Welcome to Jack, Douglas, Henry and Royce.
Over the holidays our refurbished Prep Classrooms were completed and our teachers moved rooms. The classrooms look fantastic and there were a lot of excited Prep students on Monday morning as they explored their new rooms. A huge thank you to Simon Bell Construction for the refurbishment and i4 Architecture for helping us with the design and layout of the rooms. Make sure you pop in and have a look over the next week.
Congratulations to Melinda and Mitch on the safe arrival of their little bundle of joy over the holidays. Isla Rose was born on 8th April.
ANZAC Day
Next Wednesday is ANZAC Day and students are once again invited to participate in the ANZAC Day March. Students should be assembled at the assembly area on Queen St between Mitre 10 and Harvey Norman at 8:45am. The main parade will march off at 9am. We will march to the service at Anzac Park which will conclude at approximately 10:10am. The march is for students only. Parents are asked to meet us at Anzac Park at the conclusion of the march. Parents are welcome to take their children directly after the march, however, those students staying for the service will need to sit with the school group for the entirety of the service.
Children must wear their formal uniform (not sports uniform), school hats, correct socks, and black shoes are a must. Students cannot march with water bottles but can collect them from their parents once we reach Anzac Park.
Uniforms
As we begin a new term, please ensure that your child is wearing the correct school uniform. This includes shoes and socks, hair accessories and jewellery. Students should be wearing their school uniform with pride at all times and this begins with ensuring that their uniform is correct. I have included the Uniform Policy in this week's newsletter.
School Attendance
I would like to take a few minutes to emphasise the importance of regular school attendance for your child’s ongoing success at school. Regular attendance at school not only ensures your child stays on track academically but also helps to develop their sense of responsibility and commitment. Regular attendance at school aids students in developing social skills, establishing routines and building relationships with others.
Consistent attendance is a legal requirement and students are expected to attend school regularly unless they are sick or have a valid excuse. We understand that at times there are unavoidable situations that lead to absences, however, we urge you to prioritise your child’s attendance at school. If your child is unable to attend school, please ensure that you mark their absence in Compass or notify the school office as soon as possible.
The graphic below shows the cumulative effect of regular student absence. It is quite alarming when you consider the impact over a child’s years of schooling.
What about arriving late or leaving early? You might not think that this has a direct impact on students, however not only does arriving late and leaving early create disruptions to classes but students also miss important notices and information when they are late or leave early. These times are a vital part of classroom culture and developing relationships with peers as well as alleviating anxiety about the day.
Have a wonderful week
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
Dear families,
Welcome back for Term 2. I hope the break was restful and you were able to spend some time with family and friends.
Easter is the most important feast in the Catholic liturgical year, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Easter season begins with Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, culminating in Holy Week which we celebrated during Week 10 of Term 1.
The Easter season concludes with Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. It's a time of joy, hope, and renewal for Catholics worldwide, reflecting the central belief in the resurrection as the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
Have you thought about why Jesus came to live as a human with us? This question came up during some recent study and challenged my thinking. How many reasons can you think of? Once you have your answer, ask yourself why you believe that.
Project Compassion
THANK YOU!
Caritas Australia would like to THANK YOU for supporting Project Compassion 2024. If you still have your Project Compassion box at home, please bring it back to school next week or visit caritas.org.au/project-compassion and donate online.
Your generosity will empower the world’s most vulnerable communities to grow stronger and lift themselves out of poverty.
Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow, for all future generations.
Watch the Project Compassion Thank You film.
SAVE THE DATE
Anzac Liturgy - Monday 22 April
Years 1 & 2 Class Mass - Wednesday 8 May, 9am
Years Prep, 5 & 6 Class Mass - Wednesday 22 May, 9am
Christian Meditation - Feast of Our Lady, Mary Help of Christians - Friday 24 May, 8:45am
Years 3 & 4 Class Mass - Wednesday 5 June, 9am
Prayer
May the glory and the promise
of this joyous time of year
bring peace and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear.
And may Christ, Our Risen Saviour,
always be there by your side
to bless you most abundantly
and be your loving guide.
Amen
Have a wonderful week
God Bless
Nicole
Learning Corner
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Welcome to Term 2!
Term Two is one of change and focused improvement.
High Expectations always lead to improvement, which is identified through evidence of progress.
Following the TCE expectation that all schools work on continuous improvement, we, as a staff, looked at student academic and behavioural data and identified areas we would like to see improved and excellence achieved. We then chose two strategies that we believed would help us achieve this. Firstly, we would reinforce high expectations inside and outside the classroom, and secondly, each teacher would keep their class for all subjects. These changes would allow each teacher to carefully monitor academic progress, effectively respond to student needs, and consistently communicate high expectations for each student.
An educational author and speaker, James Nottingham is passionate about transforming the most up-to-date research into strategies. He is also known for designing the Learning Pit, which shows each child's journey to successful learning.
I am sure you have heard these statements at home, as we listen to them daily in the classroom. There is no need to panic, as this is part of learning. If a child goes from start to success without entering the pit, then no learning happens, as it is work they already know.
AEDC - Australian Early Development Census
The AEDC is a national assessment conducted every three years to examine how children have developed by the time they start school.
Since 2009, communities, schools and governments across Australia have used results from the AEDC to help provide the right kind of services, resources and support for children and. Teachers of children in their first year of full-time school will complete online training before completing the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument (AvEDI) for children in their class. Data collection at St Francis will occur between May 7 2024, and May 23, 2024. School results will be available from late 2024. Individual children are not identifiable in the results.
Next week, parents/carers of children in Prep will receive a letter explaining this in detail. Parents have the option to exclude their child from the Census.
If you have any queries or would like more information on the topics mentioned, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Rita Cranitch
APPL (Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning-Acting)
Inclusive Practices Teacher.
Class in the Spotlight - 4A
4A in Review
* Students using their bodies to make 3D Shapes
* Using a variety of given plane shapes to make a 3D shape
* Creating patterns using different 2D shapes
* Creating a Cross to write in key words from a Scripture reading
* Writing up the results of an experiment in Science
* Trying out a Robotics Program
* Learning about a Spike Kit during the Lunch Break
4A
School Photo Day
Sibling photos will be taken at 8am. Envelopes for sibling photos are available from the school office.
Cross Country
Term 2 Calendar
Long sleeved shirts for sale
Community
