Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- From the Principal's Desk
- Assistant Principal
- Religious Education News
- Parish News
- Sports News
- Grandparents Day 2025
- Save the Date - Art Show
- P&F Pie Drive
- Year 6 Mass with Bishop Brian
- Year 1 & 2 Excursion
- School Counsellor
- Canteen - Wednesday only
- Book Week Parade
- Birthdays to Celebrate
- 2026 iPad School Program - Year 2 Parents
- Lowes 20% Sale
- Enrolment Applications Kindergarten 2026
- Excursions
- Census - Friday 1 August
- Council of Catholic School Parents
- Digital only - Permission & Payments
- 2025 School Term dates
- Community News
Dear Parents and Carers
In last Sunday’s Gospel, Luke 11:1-13, we hear the humble request of the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” It’s a simple yet profound moment, one that reminds us that even those closest to Jesus needed guidance in building a relationship with God.
In his homily over the weekend, Bishop Brian beautifully reflected that “Prayer is not a religious duty, but a transformative invitation. We do not pray to change God, we can't, but rather to allow God to change us.” Prayer opens our hearts to grace and reshapes us in love, patience, and compassion. Immersing ourselves in a deep connection with God.
This message resonates deeply with us in our Catholic school community, especially during this Jubilee Year of Hope. Prayer is an act of hope, grounded in the truth that the Resurrection has taken place. It gives us courage in uncertainty, peace in our challenges, and joy in the everyday. In prayer, especially in silence, we listen for God’s voice in the quiet assurance that He is with us.
Jesus teaches us to pray with persistence, trust, and honesty. He calls us not only to speak words, but to live what we pray. The words of the "Our Father" become an invitation to act with justice, mercy, and love in our families, classrooms, and wider community.
May we all, like the disciples, ask again: “Lord, teach us to pray,” and may our lives reflect that prayer, with hope at the centre, drawing strength from our faith and one another.
Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL
“Let us look to grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope, capable of lighting the path for new generations. Let us not leave them alone, but join them in a covenant of love and prayer.” - Pope Leo XIV
Book Fair
Thank you to our students and families for supporting our Book Fair. Our staff, students and families have enjoyed the opportunity to browse and purchase books. A special thank you to Ms Martins for organising the Book Fair and all the staff for their support.
Staffing and Parish Announcements - Term 3
As you are all aware, Father Damien will be leaving our parish on Sunday 17 August.
Fr Damien Ellis Fr Damien has been appointed Parish Priest of St Michael’s Parish, Nowra. He will commence this appointment on Tuesday 19 August 2025.
Fr Mark de Battista Fr Mark has been appointed as Parish Priest to St Mary’s Parish, Berkeley and Parish Priest of St Francis of Assisi Parish, Warrawong, as well as continuing as Parish Priest of St Patrick’s, Port Kembla. He will commence this appointment on Tuesday 19 August 2025.
Please keep Father Damien and Father Mark in your prayers as they move to new parishes within the Diocese. God bless them in their ministry.
Ms Maloney
Ms Maloney will be taking a period of leave from the commencement of Term 3 until the end of the school year. Thank you to Mrs Kathy Zaffonato, who will be teaching Year 3 for the first few weeks of Term 3. We will inform the school community as soon as the recruitment process is finalised.
Mrs Jimenez
Mrs Jimenez will be on leave this term. Please continue to keep Mrs Jimenez in your thoughts and prayers. Mrs Suzanne Clark will continue in the role of School Support Officer Administration this term. Welcome back, Suzanne.
St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
Thank you to everyone who so generously donated items for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. We were overwhelmed with the amount of items we received, and are certain that these will make a difference in the lives of those doing it tough this winter. At the end of Term 2, all the donations were presented to Mrs Maher from the Warrawong St Vincent de Paul Centre.
St Francis of Assisi acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal people, past and present, the traditional custodians on whose land we educate our students.
2025 Celebration of Learning Timetable - Assembly starts 2:10 pm
| Term/Week | Date | Class |
| Term 3 Week 4 |
Friday 15 August | 2 Blue |
| Term 3 Week 8 | Friday 12 September | K Blue |
| Term 4 Week 5 |
Friday 14 November | 6 Blue |
| Term 4 Week 9 | Friday 12 December |
Principal and Value Awards Only |
Please see the table below for the Assembly Dates and times. These can also be found on the calendar available on Compass. Parents/Carers of students receiving awards will be notified if their child is receiving an award each week.
| Week | Date | Time |
| 2 | Friday 1 August | 8:45 am |
| 3 |
Friday 8 August Choir Interest Group Showcase |
2:20 pm |
| 4 | Friday 15 August - Year 2 Celebration of Learning | 2:10 pm |
| 5 |
Friday 22 August K-2 Dance Interest Group Showcase |
8:45 am |
| 6 |
Thursday 28 August LEGO Interest Group Showcase |
8:45 am |
| 7 |
Thursday 4 September - Father's Day Drawing and Sketching Interest Group Showcase |
TBC |
| 8 | Friday 12 September - Kindergarten Celebration of Learning | 2:10 pm |
| 9 | Friday 19 September | 8:45 am |
| 10 | Thursday 25 September | 8:45 am |
Stage Leaders 2025
For any issues regarding your child that cannot be handled by contacting the class teacher, please contact the relevant stage leaders below.
Early Stage 1 / Stage 1 (K-2) - TBC (Contact Mr Murphy in the meantime)
Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4) - Mr Murphy
Stage 3 (Year 5 and 6) - Mr Smith
St Clare of Assisi Awards
Please be reminded that these awards started in 2024. Any Merit, RE or PB4L awards achieved from this time on will count towards the St Clare of Assisi merit awards (but can only be used once).
Process:
5 x Class Awards (Merit, RE or PB4L) = St Clare of Assisi Award - please bring the 5 awards to school. These will be recorded, and a St Clare of Assisi Merit Award will be presented at the next assembly.
3 x St Clare of Assisi Awards = 1 St Francis Medallion
Please let me know if you have any questions about the awards system.
PB4L Term 3 Overview
Each week in our school, we have a schoolwide focus on an aspect of PB4L (Being Respectful, Responsible or Safe) and an aspect of SEL (Social and Emotional Learning).
Please see the table below for an overview of the focus areas ahead in Term 3.
| Week | PB4L Focus | SEL Focus |
| 1 | Be Responsible - Owning your actions | Accepting diversity |
| 2 | Be Safe - Physical contact | Being a good friend |
| 3 | Be Respectful - Correct uniform | Perspective |
| 4 | Be Responsible - Asking permission | Bullying: NO WAY! |
| 5 | Be Safe - Road Safety | Winning and losing |
| 6 | Be Respectful - Positive body language | Forgiveness |
| 7 | Be Responsible - Environment | Self Compassion |
| 8 | Be Safe - Sun Protection | Apologising |
| 9 | Be Respectful - Eye Contact | Making mistakes |
| 10 | Be Responsible - Care of belongings | Reflection |
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.
ICAS
This year, we are again offering the option for students to participate in the ICAS assessments.
Please note that purchasing for these tests has now closed. I will contact individual families to confirm student tests and the dates can be found below.
Tests will be completed under supervision at school.
Dates for the tests (if applicable) will be:
Digital Technologies: Tuesday 5 August
Writing: Friday 8 August
English: Friday 15 August
Science: Thursday 21 August
Mathematics: Monday 25 August
Mr Brett Murphy
Assistant Principal
During Week 1, the teachers began explicitly teaching the value 'acceptance', which will be our values focus for the next few weeks. At St Francis of Assisi, we value acceptance because Jesus teaches us to love one another and wants us to build a community where everyone belongs.
At St Francis of Assisi, we show that we are a community that values acceptance by:
- welcoming others into friendships
- displaying a willingness to support others,
be an upstander - interacting fairly in games
- co-operating and negotiating in group activities
- embracing diversity
At our Week 4 Celebration of Learning Assembly, the value award for acceptance will be presented to one student from each class.
Year 6 Mass with the Bishop
Each year, Bishop Brian invites Year 6 students from the various schools in our diocese to join him for a special celebration of the Eucharist. Next Tuesday, 6 August, our Year 6 students will join with Year 6 students from St John's (Dapto), SS Peter and Paul (Kiama), St Mary Star of the Sea (Milton), St Michael's (Nowra), St Patrick’s (Port Kembla), Stella Maris (Shellharbour) and Nazareth (Shellharbour City). We trust this will be a spiritually enriching experience for all involved.
Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
The whole school will be joining our parish community for the 9.00 am Mass.
Upcoming 9.00 am Parish Masses - Whole School Attending
- 8 August - Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
- 15 August - Solemnity of the Assumption
All are warmly invited to join us and our parish community.
| Date | Event | Attending | Venue |
| Tuesday 12 August | South Coast Diocesan Athletics Carnival | Selected Year 2-6 students | Beaton Park, Wollongong |
| Friday 29 August | South Coast Soccer Gala Day |
Selected Year 3-6 students | Unanderra Park, Unanderra |
| Thursday 18 September | South Coast Junior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 3-4 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley |
| Friday 19 September | South Coast Senior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 5-6 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley |
2025 SFAW Athletics Team: AJ, Aleksander, Ella F, Soraya, Mohamad JB, Noah, Stefan, Angelina, Mia D, Christian, Hussein S, Thayir, Hussein SH, Kendall, Oliver T, Rahwa, Andrea, Harrison, Helena, Joy, Olivia, Kyan, Dikran, Ella L, Ayva.
Felicity Turner will be connecting with Year 4-6 students on 14 August, as part of Olympics Unleashed.
The students will learn from Felicity Turner's Olympic journey how to build resilience, the importance of setting goals and how to find what you are passionate about.
Students will hear firsthand from Felicity Turner about how they overcame challenges to compete in their chosen sport at the very highest level, and how some lessons they’ve learned in sport can help students to be the best they can be – whether that’s in school, at home, on the sporting field or with friends.
Morning Tea was another chance to connect and celebrate. Thank you to our amazing staff for catering such a delicious spread, and to all the grandparents who spent this time enjoying the company of their grandchildren.
The day concluded with our Awards Assembly, where a huge crowd gathered to celebrate the achievements of our students. Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces was a reminder of the strength and spirit of our school community.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this day so special. We are blessed to have such supportive and loving families in our school community.
BOOK WEEK PARADE
Wednesday 20 August
Children's Book Week 2025 is held from 16 August to 23 August. The theme for the year is "Book an Adventure!". Students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character on Wednesday 20 August. Parents are welcome to join us for our Book Parade at 9.00 in the Hall.
Staff and Student Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who celebrated their birthdays in August:
Arianna, Zuzanna, Isaac, Jaxon, Lilyarna, Helena, David, Mia.C, Ariana, Gus. Rocco, Ruby, Isabelle.S, Liliana, Mason and Mrs Jimenez.
YEAR 2 PARENT MEETING
1:1 2026 iPad Program
Thursday 21 August
8.45am or 2.15pm in the Hall
Dear Year 2 Parents and Carers,
You are requested to attend a brief meeting on Thursday 21 August in the hall at either 8.45 am or 2.15 pm regarding the 2026 iPad Program.
As you are aware St Francis of Assisi has been running the 1:1 iPad initiative for a number of years. Each year the school has recommended that parents purchase an iPad for use at school. This has been called BYODD or Bring Your Own Designated Device. For the past two years, we have implemented the School Managed iPad system, with many great benefits and positive feedback from parents, staff and students.
Technology is constantly changing, and there are many pros and cons to the BYODD model. We will be holding information sessions next term to provide some information on the School Managed iPad system and allow you to ask any questions you may have.
St Francis of Assisi takes the responsibility of teaching students to be responsible and respectful users of technology seriously. We need to ensure we can support the management of technology to support the educational benefits of the iPad.
In the meantime, could we please ask that you:
Hold off on buying a new iPad for next year, the above parent meeting session will provide further information, which will be a cheaper option.
The following excursions will be held this term. Permission for students to attend will be required on Compass. These events will be issued closer to the dates.
| Week 3 | Year 6 | Year 6 Mass with Bishop Brian | Tuesday 5 August |
| Week 3 | Year 1 & 2 | Excursion to SeaLife Sydney | Thursday 7 August |
| Week 6 | Year 3 & 4 | Excursion to Stanwell Park | Tuesday 26 August |
| Week 6 | Year 4 | Excursion to Holy Spirit College Performance | Thursday 28 August |
| Week 7 | Kindergarten | Excursion to Shoalhaven Zoo | Friday 5 September |
ATTENTION PARENTS - IMPORTANT REMINDER
Please note that for school excursions and sporting events, all permission and payment must be submitted online via Parents Compass. The system is paperless, cashless and digital only. No paper forms will be supplied; all permissions must be submitted digitally on the Parent Compass.
Please note that if these are not submitted by the relevant due dates, the students will automatically be removed from the event as non-attendees. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the School Office or Class Teacher.
Students will automatically be removed from events as non-attendees if permission and payment are not submitted digitally
online by the due date.
