UNSW / ICAS Assessments - Online
St Francis will continue to participate in the ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is designed to target students' higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies. The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment.

ICAS Assessments are now online, allowing greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results. 

Parents may order and pay for the assessments online this year.

We hope our families had a wonderful Mother's Day. This year we celebrated Mother's Day very differently. I was unable to see my mother this year, here is a letter I received from her. An account of Mother's Day from my mum's perspective.

MEMORIES OF MOTHERS DAY 2020
This is my first Mother's Day without my Mum. This year it is just my husband and I alone on Mother's Day, so very different to every other Mothers' Day. No hugs or kisses from my children or grandchildren, we now have pretend hugs and blow kisses through Facetime. Back in the sixties and seventies, my children would bring breakfast into the bedroom for me on Mother's Day. I remember the time when Rod (Mr Green) proudly announced that he had not “cut himself” when cutting the tomato to place on the toast that his brother had made, while his older sister had made the cup of tea. It had been such a wonderful start to the day and there were cards with lots of kisses along the bottom of the card, that had been made in the classrooms. My mother, father and both of my grandmothers would come to have lunch with us and there would be lots of hugs and kisses.

Today in 2020, we have “social distancing”, through emails, Facetime and Zoom meetings. We tell our mothers and grandmothers that we love them. This year I received a very special gift from one of my sons, who you know as Mr. Green and this gift brought happy tears to my eyes. The gift was two emailed videos of St Francis' Mother's Day Liturgy and Assembly. Mr Green, his sister and two brothers all attended St Patrick's Primary School at Parramatta and each year I would attend a Mother's Day celebration there, on the actual Sunday of Mother's Day. We would all attend the 11 am Mass and our Priest Father Larkey would have all of the Mothers stand at the end of Mass, so that he could give all of the Mothers a special blessing. 

This year we can not attend Mass but the special blessings I have are the greatest blessings of all. They are the blessings of having my family, even though we are practicing social distancing. It has given me great joy seeing all of the St Francis' student's faces and photos on the video and you should always remember that you are the faces and future of Australia. Whether you are at school or home schooling, always be attentive to your teacher and lessons, for the lessons you are learning now will help you to have a good life and future success. 

Be kind to one another and always remember that the love your Mums have for you now is a love that lasts forever. Each year Mr Green grows older but in my heart, he is always my curly haired little boy.

Thank you for a Happy Mother's Day.
Mrs Dorothy Green

Mr Green
Assistant Principal