First Holy Communion Program

Please continue to keep in your prayers the children and families in our school and parish who are nearing the end of their preparation period.

Happy Anniversary, Bishop Brian

We extend our congratulations to Bishop Brian, who celebrated his 31st anniversary of priestly ordination on Tuesday.  We are very blessed to have him as the leader of our diocese.  We pray:

Lord, you have called Brian to lead and guide this Church of Wollongong. Through the power of your Spirit, give him the wisdom to discover you, the diligence to seek after you, the patience to wait for you, and a life to proclaim you.   Keep him faithful in his service of you and your church. May he perform his ministry with gentleness and care.  Through his prayer, teaching and living, may he help your people to know your Son Jesus and make him known in our world.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen. (Prayer taken from Bishop Brian’s episcopal ordination)

Significant Feast Days - All Saints Day and All Souls Day

On Wednesday, 1st of November, the Catholic Church throughout the world recognised the Feast of All Saints.  All Saints Day is a holy day that honours all martyrs and saints, known and unknown.  Saints are people who dedicated their lives to God and served others unselfishly.  Through our Baptism, we are all called to be saints.  All Saints Day is a day to reflect on the qualities of the saints and the model of Christian living they provide for us as we strive to be the saints of the future.  We observed All Saints Day in our classrooms by reflecting on some saints in prayer. 

Today our Church celebrates All Souls Day.  All Souls Day is a holy day of prayer dedicated to all who have died.  On All Souls Day and throughout the month of November, we remember with thanksgiving and prayer, those who have died.  We joined with the parish community this morning for Mass to pray for those we know who have died.  If you would like to observe All Souls Day there is another Mass being celebrated at St Mary of the Rosary, Berkeley at 7pm tonight.

Both All Saints Day and All Souls Day are important feast days for Catholics, and many other Christians, because they remind us that we are always connected, even to those who are deceased. As you remember your loved ones in prayer this November, you may like to say the following prayer from our Tradition:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Mini Vinnies Food Drive - Christmas Hampers for St Vincent de Paul

For many people, Christmas is about spending time with family and friends, sharing a meal and creating meaningful memories.  For families experiencing financial difficulties, Christmas can be a particularly challenging time.
Over the next few weeks, our local St Vincent de Paul conference is seeking donations of festive food to add to the Christmas hampers they provide for those in need.  If your family is able to support this food drive, it would be greatly appreciated.  We would love your help with these donations:

Kindergarten	Chocolates and pancake mix
Year 1	Sweet and savoury biscuits
Year 2	Family packs of chips and lollies
Year 3	Soft drink and cordial
Year 4	Plum puddings and Christmas cake
Year 5	Tinned ham and long life milk
Year 6	Tinned fruit and long life custard or cream
Open to all Year groups	New toys for children aged 1 - 12 or gift vouchers (gifts do not need to be wrapped)

Donations are due to school by Thursday 7th December.

Ms Marita Maloney
Religious Education Coordinator

Below is a flyer outlining the end-of-year dates for our Year 6 students. The students have received a copy of this flyer to put on their fridge. All these dates are on the parent calendar in Compass. We have had a few parents asking if they can assist with preparations for the Year 6 Graduation.

We are always grateful for any assistance from our parent community.

If you would like to help out, please fill in the Google form on the link below, and we will be in touch to organise a time to meet.

Google form

The Book Fair will be at St Francis this week.  It will commence on Thursday 2 November and run through until Friday 10 November.  Please visit our Book Fair in the Sports Room. 

Opening Hours

Payments can be made via Eftpos or cash, or pre-payment can be made through Scholasitc Book Fair, or the QR Code provided on the flyer below.  If pre-paying, our school name for payment is: St Francis of Assisi School.

This term, our teachers have been enjoying collaborating and consulting with parents and carers of students with additional needs. This is an important part of the relationship between school and home, in order to ensure that the students are being best supported. On some occasions, these meetings include consulation with outside agencies involved in a child's learning and development, to support their learning at school. 

Collaboration means working with others to pursue a common goal, such as ensuring that a student with disability participates in education on the same basis as other students.

Consultations can involve more people than a teacher, or a parent, guardian or carer. There are benefits in bringing together a group of people on a regular basis who can work collaboratively to support a student with disability.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Mr Murphy.

Night of the Notables 2023
What a fabulous night! Congratulations to our Year 6 students on their tremendous efforts in putting together their research and costumes for the "Night of the Notables" event. The students selected an eminent individual who has made a notable contribution to their field of expertise, researched their story and presented it to the staff, their families and guests. A special thank you to Mr Gilmore and Mrs Briscoe for your hard work and continuous support. We are super proud of all our students!

Pevan and Sarah Live Show 
Wollongong IPAC 

Pevan and Sarah are children entertainers and educators who create videos and resources that can be used in Kindergarten classrooms.  The students love their music, which has been incorporated into a number of key learning areas. Later in the term, the students will have an opportunity to see Pevan and Sarah in a live show at the Wollongong IPAC theatre. More information will be provided closer to the date including the online Parent Compass permission. 

At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, we recognise and value the development of leadership qualities in our students. With this as a focus, student leaders are elected from the Year 5 cohort at the end of each year to represent the school throughout the following year. It is coming to that time of year, where our Year 5 students are learning about leadership and preparing their speeches to support their interest in being nominated for different leadership roles. 

Please see the attached document, which outlines the policy and procedure for this important journey. This has recently been updated to reflect a shift in philosophy, whereby students and staff are encouraged to vote for the students they feel demonstrate the desired leadership qualities, aligned to our school values. Please contact Mr Murphy or Mr Green if you have any questions about this.  

Year 5 students will present their speeches to students and staff in Year 3-5 in Week 8 this term, before the voting process takes place. 

P&F General Meeting
Monday 13 November (Term 4 Week 6) 3:00 pm

P&F AGM
Tuesday 27 February 2024 (Term 1 Week 5) Time TBC

All parents, grandparents and carers are welcome to come along to these meetings.  Join in the conversation on what is happening at St Francis, join the committee and help make a difference to our school community.

A friendly reminder the Compass account for Year 6 students will automatically close at the end of the school year.  Please remember to log in and download your child's school reports for your own records before Friday 16 December 2022.

St Francis of Assisi has successfully secured funding from the Australian Government Schools Upgrade Fund 2023.  The Schools Upgrade Fund provides funding to improve and upgrade school facilities, to help keep students safe and get their education back on track after the COVID-19 disruptions of the last couple of years. This investment demonstrates the government's commitment to providing our students with the best possible learning environment. 

With this funding, the school has placed an order to replace the playground shade sail in our playground for staff and students.  This space sits alongside teaching and learning class lessons of PE, Sport, Assemblies, and school gatherings. Our specific focus is for sun protection and safety in the outdoor area for our whole school community. These improvements will undoubtedly enrich the educational experience of our students and contribute to the well-being of our entire school community.

We acknowledge the Australian Government’s contribution and thank Alison Byrnes MP, Federal Member, and all those involved in making this funding possible. Through this partnership, we can continue to shape a brighter future for our students. 

Students are required to be present at school every day. Please make appointments outside school hours, where possible.  If your child needs to be collected early for an appointment, a note explaining this is required to be given to the class teacher by the student on the morning of the appointment.  As a matter of courtesy, this communication assists in the organising of the day for the class and teacher.  Telephone messages during class time interrupt class learning and we avoid this unless urgent. This explanation is documented in your child's attendance records. 

All students are required to attend school unless they are unwell. Students should arrive by 8.30 am and finish at 2.50 pm.  Daily attendance recording in the Compass Parent Portal notifies parents of their child being absent. Parents are required to record their explanation in Compass by completing the link they receive via text or by logging into the Compass parent portal.

All absences including early leave and late arrival must be reported by parents with an explanation and or a medical certificate if required.  Please teach your children the importance of punctuality and arriving at school on time.

PLEASE RETURN FORM
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 term 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. 

Dear Parents,

Please find enclosed Parent Newsletter, Health in Motion for your information.