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Dear Parents and Carers
Catholics across Australia celebrated Social Justice Sunday on 27 August. Almost every year since 1940, the Australian bishops have published a social justice statement encouraging the Catholic community to reflect and act on social, economic and ecological issues.
This year's statement is 'Listen, Learn, Love – A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples'.
We join our prayers with those of the Australian bishops: "We hope for an end to the pain, the hurt and the injustice that has burdened the First Peoples of this land for far too long. Let us commit ourselves to fostering a civilisation of love in Australia. Let’s come together in friendship and love to show all that love can not only change individual lives but that it can change society for the better." May the inspiration of this Social Justice Sunday compel us to work towards healing, justice and reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples.
National Child Protection Week - "Where we start matters"
This week is National Child Protection Week which reminds all of us of the important role we play in creating school and home environments that keep our children safe and happy.
An added pressure to protecting our children is trying to guide and support them in the online world they are often very keen to explore.
It is true that children can learn, explore, play and make friends online. But there can be risks. Your child might accidentally see upsetting content, be contacted by strangers or experience bullying. They might also miss out on important things like spending time outside.
I strongly recommend you refer to the E-Safety Commissioner Website regularly for advice on how to support your child online to try and lessen the risks your children face. If you are going to give your child time on a device that can access the internet, you cannot leave them to navigate it alone. Here are a few general pieces of advice from the E-Safety Commissioner to get you started:
Talk about online safety as a family
Let your child know they can always come to you if something happens online that makes them feel scared or upset. You can ask your child to show you the games and apps they use. Use eSafety’s conversation starters to help you get started.
Set up family rules together
As a family, you can choose some easy rules to help keep everyone safe online. You can include things like where devices can be used, what games and apps your children can use, and how much time can be spent online. Most devices and apps have features to set limits on how they are used. Watch this video to learn more about parental controls and settings.
Know where to get help
If you need help with an online issue and you are not sure what to do, talk about it with someone you trust. You can also speak to someone at Parentline for help with parenting challenges.
You have value. You have worth. You have the right to feel safe.
You are a child of God, and you are loved. We believe in you.
Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL
Staff Spirituality
What is a Staff Spirituality Day? At St Francis of Assisi, we believe the spiritual growth of our staff is an integral part of Catholic education, as staff lead students' spiritual growth. As a Catholic school, we support our teachers and support staff to deepen their faith and connection with God. All school staff are encouraged to develop their faith and understanding. They are provided with opportunities such as:
- Annual Staff Spirituality Days
- School prayer and reflections
- Spirituality retreats
- Staff immersion experiences
Tomorrow, our staff will be engaged in a Staff Spirituality Day. Through prayer, purpose and passion, staff are supported in their calling to enable each student to achieve the 'fullness of life' (John 10:10).
Welcome to St Francis of Assisi
This week, we welcomed the Cao and Picciolo families to our St Francis of Assisi school community. Welcome Roman (Year 4), George (Year 5) and Joshua (Year 5). We hope you have enjoyed your week.
We look forward to working in partnership with you and your family.
Lost Property
Parents and carers, we have a large number of jumpers and jackets in the lost property tub. Please let your teacher know if your child has misplaced any of these items. Any items not collected by the end of Term 3 will be washed and placed in the clothing pool.
Just a reminderAs we head into the final month of Term 3, please check your Compass and Seesaw notifications, social media posts and newsletter for upcoming events. Thank you for all your support.
Year 6 Blue Celebration of Learning Assembly
CDF Public Speaking 2023
Well done to Linda (Year 5) and Marco (Year 6) who were judged the winners of each grade. They will now represent St Francis of Assisi at the CDF (Catholic Development Fund) Southern Region Finals next Monday 11 September. Best wishes to them at this event, and we thank CDF for their ongoing sponsorship of this learning opportunity for students.
Christmas Art Competition 2023
Stage 3 has been busy completing their Religious Education unit around the Christmas story and art competition, this term. As part of this, every student created an artwork based on one of the Christmas Scripture stories they learned about.
This resulted in many quality and creative artworks being created and displayed for staff to judge. Each artwork also contained a written description and reflection on their artwork, which was included in the judging process.
Congratulations to our selected finalists:
Year 5 - Mateo, Levi, Antonio
Year 6 - Eunique, Manee, Tahlia
These artworks will now be judged for Shortlisting at the Catholic Education Office. Best wishes to all of our students and we look forward to hearing about how they fare against the finalists from all schools in our Diocese.
RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Art Competition for 2024
The RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration was first held in 1953 and co-hosted by RSL NSW and the Department of Education. Over the years the service has expanded to Catholic Schools NSW and the Association of Independent Schools NSW. Proceedings, held at the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park in April each year, are delivered entirely by school students including the Master of Ceremonies, keynote address, readings, and musical accompaniment. The Service also includes an Inspection of the Guard by the official party, The Ode, The Last Post, and Rouse.
The service aims to educate primary and secondary school students about Australia’s military history, whilst paying respect to the service and sacrifice of servicemen and women of the Australian Defence Force.
To mark the 71st Anniversary of this service in 2024, RSL NSW, the Department of Education, Catholic Schools NSW and the Association of Independent Schools NSW are launching an art competition for NSW school students. The theme of the competition is “Why Lest we Forget?”, inviting students to create an artwork that considers why we commemorate ANZAC Day. Two artworks will be selected for the cover of the 2024 service program and all finalists’ artworks will be displayed at the Anzac Memorial and included in the program.
More information including the guidelines, how to submit artwork, judging and FAQs can be found here.
Congratulations, Deacon Lawrie!
Last Saturday, Bishop Brian ordained Lawrie to the permanent diaconate. We are extremely blessed to have 2 deacons serving in our parishes. Special thanks to Claudia, Giselle, Quinton and Oliver for representing our school community at this diocesan event. Deacon Lawrie was pleasantly surprised to see some of the youngest members of our parish community in the congregation. We congratulate Deacon Lawrie on his ordination to the diaconate, and we pray that God’s blessing will be upon him as he carries out this new role of service within our church community.
The Season of Creation - Are you willing to be an instrument of God’s peace? During the Season of Creation, which started on September 1 and culminates with the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4, you are encouraged to pray the Prayer of St Francis and reflect on how you can help promote justice and peace by being instruments of God’s peace in our world. The Prayer of St Francis reminds us to bring goodness and light to the darkness that exists in the world and to focus our attention on what we can do for others rather than what others can do for us.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake.
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
in forgiving that we are forgiven;
and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Catholic Mission Launch
Next Wednesday, 13 September, our Vice Captains, Samuel and Tahlia, will travel with Mrs Davidson to Holy Spirit, Bellambi, for the diocesan launch of Catholic Mission Month. They will be joined by Bishop Brian Mascord and other school representatives from around the diocese. We look forward to hearing about the work of Catholic Mission and exploring ways that we can support their life-giving work as a school community.
Significant Feast Days in our Parish Communities
The feast of St Francis of Assisi occurs on Wednesday 4 October, which is during the school holidays. Our parish community at Warrawong will be celebrating his feast day with 9 am Mass followed by a cup of tea. The parish will also hold a morning tea on Sunday 8 October, after the 10:30 am Mass as an additional opportunity to celebrate our parish’s patronal feast. If you would like to join the parish at either of these gatherings, you would be most welcome.
Due to St Francis’ feast day falling within school holiday time, we will celebrate as a school community on Friday 13 October. More details about our feast day celebrations will be communicated in our Week 10 newsletter.
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
On Saturday 7 October, our parish community of St Mary of the Rosary, Berkeley, will celebrate its feast day with a BBQ after the 4 pm Mass. This will be a dual celebration as we will also be celebrating the Centenary of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation. All are warmly invited to join in the festivities at Berkeley. I’m sure Sr Anna, Sr Lucy, Sr Mary and Sr Elizabeth would love to see you there!
Ms Marita Maloney
Religious Education Coordinator
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and The Season of Creation
In 2015, Pope Francis established 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging communities around the world to pray for our common home. Inspired by the prophet Amos, this year's theme is "Let Justice and Peace Flow' inviting you to imagine a world where your every action is like a drop in a mighty river. Thank you, Year 6, for leading us through a beautiful prayer to mark this significant day. May we always recognise the importance of caring for God's creation.
| Date | Event | Attending | Venue |
|
Thursday 14 September |
Junior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 3-4 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley |
|
Friday 15 September |
Senior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 5-6 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley |
Jump Rope for Heart
We are skipping at St Francis of Assisi School! It is so exciting to watch students practising their new skills in the playground. Whether they are skipping by themselves or in groups they have shown improvement and are exercising. Our school has 64% of registered students actively fundraising on the Jump Rope for Heart portal. We have raised a whopping $3986 - nearly double our initial goal of $2000!! Our students have logged in 56 hours of skipping practice. Great job everyone! It’s not long until our Jump Off Day which is on Friday 22 September, so keep on practicing those tricks! And don’t forget to share your online fundraising page with friends and family to raise money for a great cause! If you would like to register your child, just go to www.jumprope.org.au/parents. Thank you for all your support. Please contact Mrs Briscoe if you have any questions.
Kindergarten will be attending an excursion to Shoalhaven Zoo on Friday 15 September. The excursion includes exclusive lessons with a ranger and a guided tour of the zoo. The students will explore many native and exotic species in their custom-designed enclosures to mimic their native environment. Students will explore environments from wetlands, water lagoons, and bushland to beaches, how each is special, and why we should care for them. In the Farmyard, children will hand-feed animals and investigate where food comes from and discuss the ways we care for animals.
Excursion details are:
On: Friday 15 September
Time: 8.30 am-3.30 pm
Bring: Small backpack with recess, lunch, water, school hat, raincoat, and jumper.
Permission: Parents to complete the Compass online permission for children to attend.
Staff and Student Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthdays in September:
Ronan, Kendall, Mohamad.S, Aidan.O, Omin, Oliver, Zeinab, Levi.B, Zynab.R, Abdul, Genevieve, Tahlia, Mrs Neilsen, Mrs Johannesen,
Mrs Beckhaus and Mrs Welch.
Term 4 Week 1
The official date for the children to change over to summer uniform is Monday 14 October (Term 4 Week 1). If there is an extra warmer day towards the end of term, parents are advised to use discretion, and summer uniform will be acceptable on these warmer days only; otherwise, winter school uniform is compulsory. Full summer uniform is to be worn by all students from the beginning of Term 4.
Parents, can you please ensure all uniform pieces are relabelled clearly with your child’s name using a permanent marker. Students should know where their name is marked for easy checking. Please encourage your child to place all items straight into their bag rather than leaving them on the playground or in the classroom.
School Uniforms are available for purchase online via Lowes online at the link below. Please order with enough time for the current delivery delays. Lowes uniform price list is below.
Our school takes part in the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment. This will take place from Wednesday 31 January to Tuesday 6 February, and your child will be rostered to attend a 1-hour session during this time. Due to the Best Start Assessment schedule, all Kindergarten students will commence their first day of school on Wednesday 7 February 2024. Information about Best Start, including a letter and handouts, will be provided at Orientation. We look forward to meeting with you again and sharing your child’s educational journey. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.
St Francis of Assisi enjoyed celebrating Father's Day last Friday afternoon with an Afternoon Tea, Liturgy, and Assembly. Our students value their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, father figures, and male role models in their lives. Thank you for joining us and sharing this special occasion with you. Click on the link to access the photos of our Father's Day celebrations on Facebook.
Every year Book Week is enjoyed and celebrated at St Francis. On Friday 25 August, we celebrated with our Book Week parade. Students, your creative costumes lit up the day. Parents, your support brought smiles to our young readers and Staff your dedication to education and enthusiasm made the event a success. Let's keep nurturing the love of books as we read, grow, and inspire together.
Last week we held our Year 5 and Year 6 Public Speaking school final. The top 8 students from each grade were selected after lots of work this term on their speeches. Congratulations to all of the finalists who spoke amazingly well and made it difficult for the judges to select the winners. Well done to Marco in Year 6 and Linda in Year 5, who were selected as the School Winners and will now represent St Francis of Assisi at the Southern Region finals in Week 9. We must thank Tony McMahon from Wollongong Toastmasters for his time, expertise, and support with judging. He brought a wealth of knowledge and experience and provided students with valuable feedback. Thank you, Tony!
Whom to Contact
We know that when parents have a concern that relates to their child at school, whether it is pastoral, academic, or staffing in nature, they may be unsure of who to approach.
- Communications of classroom concerns should be directed at first to your child’s teacher. In our experience, any of these concerns can often be most quickly resolved by talking to the class teacher as they know your child best.
- If you have an issue with a particular staff member, first try to address those concerns with that staff member directly.
- If you have discussed with your child’s teacher and the issue has not been addressed to your satisfaction, then please speak to the Office and make an appointment to speak a member of the school leadership team.
- Please recognise that as a school, we operate with openness, collaboration and the shared best interest for every student.
How we communicate
As a school, we communicate with parents in a range of ways:
- Compass Parent Portal News
- Compass App notifications
- Weekly planner
- Facebook notifications
- Fortnightly newsletters
- School website
- Weekly assemblies each Friday afternoon
- Weekly Flag Raising each Monday morning
- Hard copy notes
- Emails
- Absences via Compass
How to Communicate
The clearest form of communication is a discussion. Our classroom teachers are more than happy to make a time to meet with you to discuss your child. Please be aware, the teacher's time is limited as they must attend to their class during the school day and attend professional learning meetings on Wednesday afternoons. Emails are also an acceptable form of communication, please read further details below.
Emails and/or SeeSaw Communication
Email is seen as an effective form of communication between the school and parents/carers. By communicating via email and/or SeeSaw all users agree to adhere to the following expectations.
- To ensure the use of email communication between teachers and parents/carers is carried out in a mutually respectful manner.
- To ensure all email communication is treated in a confidential, legal, and ethical manner.
- Appreciate that using email to communicate does not result in an immediate response; however, acknowledgment of receipt will be responded to within 24-48 hours (workdays). Actual response to an email query may take up to 2 more days depending on the request.
- All email communication will be carried out in a professional and appropriate format and tone.
Time to Respond to Communication
- Teachers will make every effort to respond as soon as possible to parent communications, with the understanding that the teaching day precludes immediate responses.
- Teachers and staff may need some time to collect relevant information before responding.
- Teachers are teaching during school hours and a response will be acknowledged within 24-48 hours.
- Digital communication does not result in an immediate response, an acknowledgment of receipt will be responded within 24-48 hours (workdays).
Seesaw
Seesaw is an app that is used by our teachers and students. It is centred around the creation of personal student portfolios and student and family engagement.
Seesaw is a great way for parents to keep in touch with what their child has learned, how they express their ideas in the classroom, and, most importantly, how proud they are to show their work. Students are able to share what they know using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links. Seesaw also provides an alternative means of communication between home and school.
We value our parent volunteers who kindly support and assist the school in school events and activities. We are required to update our Parent Volunteer Declarations for Child Protection in Schools. This form was sent home last week and we would appreciate it if you could please complete both sides of the form and return this for school records. Thank you for your assistance.
Our school will be participating in Fruit & Veg Month 2023. This year’s theme is: Fruit & Vegie STEMs!
Together we will learn about the science, maths and technology behind fruit and vegetables. Students will be involved in various classroom and school-based activities to encourage them to eat more fruit and vegetables. Fruit & Veg Month 2023 runs from Monday 28 August to Friday 22 September.
and
These costs are included in the school fee account and payment is required. Please check your account and ensure payment is being made. Thank you.
* Reminder texts are automatically issued by the Catholic Education Office *
* Weekly BPay Payments are Required *
Dont' forget your HAT, DRINK BOTTLE and put your NAME on your property.
Your child needs enough good-quality sleep so they can play, learn, and concentrate during the day. Screen time and digital technology use can affect how quickly your child falls asleep and how long your child sleeps. This happens for several reasons:
- Screen time in the hour before bed can stimulate your child.
- Light from televisions, computer screens, phones, and iPads might suppress melatonin levels and delay sleepiness.
- Your child might be tempted to stay up late to chat with friends or play online.
- Your child might be disturbed in the night by notifications, messages, or calls.
- Avoid digital technology use in the hour before bedtime. This includes mobile phones, iPads, and computer screens. Encourage reading or quiet play instead.
- Limit and monitor violent content at any time. This can affect sleep regardless of the time and length of use.
- Encourage your child to connect with friends during the day rather than late in the evening.
- Encourage your child to replace daytime screen time with outdoor physical activity or pl This can improve sleep at night.
- Have a family rule that mobile phones and other devices are left in a family room overnight
How much sleep do children need?
If you're concerned about how much sleep your child is getting, it can help to know that children need less sleep as they get older, but teenagers still need more sleep than adults:
- Preschooler 2 needs: children aged 3-5 years need 10-13 hours of sleep a night.
- School-age children aged 5-11 years need 9-11 hours of sleep every night.
Why sleep is important for children aged 5-11 years
When your child sleeps well, your child will be settled, happy, and ready for school the next day. That’s because good-quality sleep helps your child concentrate, remember things, manage emotions, and behave well. This all helps your child learn well. Getting enough sleep is also important for your child's health. That's because it strengthens your child's immune system and reduces the risk of infection and illness.
Sleep: what to expect at 5-11 years
At years old, children need 9-11 hours of sleep a night. For example, if your child wakes up for school at 7 a.m. and needs approximately 10 hours of sleep per night, your child should be in bed before 9 p.m. Some children fall deeply asleep very quickly when they go to bed. Others sleep lightly, fidgeting and muttering for up to 20 minutes, before getting into deep sleep. Children have different kinds of sleep during the night. The first few hours of sleep are usually the deepest. Most dreams happen in the second half of the night.
How to help children sleep well
A good night’s sleep is about getting to sleep, staying asleep, and getting enough good-quality sleep. Here are ideas that can help your child get the sleep they need.
Bedtime routine
A bedtime routine is very important at this age. It helps your child wind down from the day. For example, a child who normally goes to bed at 7.30 might have a bedtime routine that looks like this:
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6.45 pm: Put on pyjamas, brush teeth, go to the toilet
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7.15 pm: quiet time in the bedroom with a book and a bedtime story or quiet chat.
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7.30 pm: Goodnight and lights out.
After a big day at school, your child might still be thinking about the day's events and worries. If your child's mind is still busy at bedtime, it can cause a restless night or bad dreams. You can help your child by making time for calm, quiet activities in your child’s bedtime routine. For example, you could play music, read a story together, or encourage your child to have a bath before bed.
Good daytime and night-time habits for better sleep
These habits might help your child sleep better:-
Keep regular sleep and wake times, even on the weekend.
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Turn computers, iPads, and TV off an hour before bedtime
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Have a quiet and dimly lit place to sleep.
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Get plenty of natural light during the day, especially in the morning
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Avoid caffeine in tea, coffee, sports drinks, and chocolate, especially in the late afternoon and evening.
Child Protection Week | Parent Information Session Available - Tonight!
CatholicCare is running Parent Information sessions on various topics during Child Protection Week. Locally at St Patrick's Port Kembla have sessions that the parents of St Francis are invited to attend. Please see the flyer below for more information and registration.
St Patricks Port Kembla - 7 September 6pm- 7pm
Supporting your child in managing big emotions
The "NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook" is a comprehensive and free resource to assist parents, carers, and teachers on a range of topics essential to child safety. The Handbook's emphasis is on prevention. Our children are precious and all of us who live and work with them will find information in the Handbook useful to keep them safe.
The Bishop of Wollongong, Most Rev. Brian Mascord DD, has published a new document on the nature and purpose of Catholic schools in our diocese. Titled Bearers of Christ’s Love — Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong, this document is the first of its type in our diocese since the 1970s. In it, Bishop Brian explores the purpose of Catholic schools as an expression of the Church experience, as well as the vital connection between schools, parents/carers, parishes, and the diocese itself.
Throughout the document, Bishop Brian reiterates:
- The significant role Catholic schools play in the evangelising mission of the Church and the nurturing of students’ faith.
- The commitment of Catholic educators to complement and support the educational rights and duties of parents as their child’s first educator.
- The essential requirement for Catholic schools to be places of educational excellence, where learning, wellbeing and actions of outreach and service are integrated in a holistic educational vision and practice.
- That Catholic schools are places where those seeking a Catholic education are welcome, reflecting the diverse mix of cultures, nationalities and religious traditions that currently make up our school communities.
I encourage you to take the time to watch the short video from Bishop Brian and read this important document on the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong website.
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