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- New Painting!
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- 2024 Term Dates & Pupil Free Days
- School Fees 2024
- Before & After School Care
- 2024 Enrolments | Online Application
- Allergy Aware School
- Compulsory School Attendance
- Year 7 Open Days
- Community News
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2024.
It has been wonderful to warmly welcome back staff, students and families to St Francis of Assisi. We hope you have enjoyed the holiday break and feel re-energised for a year that is filled with exciting learning opportunities where all students experience growth in faith and improvement in learning.
Our Catholic faith teaches us the importance of beginnings – each new day, each new season, and especially each new school year. It is a time for fresh starts, renewed commitments, and endless possibilities. As we embark on this journey together, let us do so with hearts filled with gratitude, minds open to learning, and spirits strengthened by our shared faith.
As a staff, it is our hope that all students commence the school year knowing the great opportunities that a Catholic education at St Francis of Assisi provides. We encourage all students to embrace this year filled with enthusiasm, determination and a positive growth mindset. We look forward to continuing to work with our parents and carers to create learning communities that build and maintain collaborative partnerships, which will enhance student faith, learning and well-being outcomes.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to Mr Kyle Smith, who will be teaching Drama and Physical Education. Mr Smith will be teaching Tuesday to Thursday, providing teachers with professional planning time (PPT) each week. We also extend a warm welcome to those families who have joined the St. Francis of Assisi community this year: Ryan (Year 5), Zondrei (Year 3), Veronica (Year 2), Estelle (Year 2), and Xiaz (Year 1). Additionally, we warmly welcome our Kindergarten students who started school yesterday. We wish all of our new students a rewarding and fulfilling experience at St. Francis of Assisi.
May we enter this new adventure together in anticipation of the possibilities that lie ahead and remember our collective responsibility to empower all learners to reach their full potential.
Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL
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.
Next week I will be attending the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress to be held in Anaheim, California, USA. Over a number of years, the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong has invited principals and school leaders to engage in this experience.
This Congress is an international gathering of some 40,000 Catholic educators, clergy, catechists and ministers who are actively involved in aspects of Religious Education in their dioceses, parishes or schools. The Congress includes keynote speakers, workshops, liturgical experiences, prayer and collegial gatherings. I will be on leave from 12-23 February. I look forward to this invaluable opportunity for spiritual growth, community building, and learning.
2024 - STAFFING
| Classroom Teachers | |
| Kindergarten Blue | Ms Beckhaus |
| Year 1 Gold | Mrs Burrows and Mrs Grey |
| Year 2 Blue | Mrs Matos and Mrs Briscoe |
| Year 3 Gold | Mrs Agius |
| Year 4 Gold | Ms Maloney and Mrs Zaffonato (Wed) |
| Year 5 Blue | Mr Murphy and Ms Maitand |
| Year 6 Gold | Mr Gilmore |
| Literacy and Numeracy Support | Mrs Mansbridge |
| EAL/D Teacher | Mrs Johannesen |
| Physical Education and Drama teacher | Mr Smith - Tuesday-Thursday |
| Administration | |
| Senior School Support Officer | Mrs Brabender |
| SSO Office Administration | Mrs Jimenez |
| School Support Officers (SSOs) | |
| Classroom Learning | Ms Martins, Mrs Staffiero, Mrs Adams, Mrs George, Mrs Kinnas, Mrs Logue, Mrs Stewart, Miss Ivancevic |
| School Counsellor | Mrs Neilson |
| School Leadership Team | |
| Principal | Mrs Davidson |
| Acting Assistant Principal | Mr Murphy |
| Religious Education Coordinator | Ms Maloney |
| Middle Leader and Instructional Coach | Mrs Burrows |
| Parish | |
| Parish Priest | Father Damien Ellis |
| Deacons | Mick Flew and Lawrie Burns |
| Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation (Sisters) |
Sister Anna, Sister Lucy, Sister Mary and Sister Elizabeth |
Mr Brett Murphy has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal. Mr Murphy has worked as part of the leadership team at St Francis of Assisi since 2019, having performed the roles of Middle Leader and Acting Assistant Principal (for extended periods of 2023). A recruitment process for the substantive position of Assistant Principal will be held later in the year.
Mrs Patricia Burrows has been appointed to the position of Middle Leader for 2024. Mrs Burrows also holds the position of Instructional Coach and has been an integral part of the leadership team.
We take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Murphy and Mrs Burrows on these appointments.
Aboriginal Education Assistant
We welcome Uncle Kevin Butler to St Francis of Assisi school.
Uncle Kevin Butler is a well-known local Aboriginal artist and recognised by our local communities as a respected Elder. His traditional homeland is Gumbainggirr, originally from Nambucca Heads, and has lived in the Illawarra area for thirty years. Uncle Kevin's painting experience spans well over 35 years. He has been working across many Catholic schools in our Dioceses supporting Aboriginal Education where he shares his Aboriginal cultural knowledge with students and staff. Uncle Kevin's murals can be found in many schools in the area. His artworks are his legacy for future generations and constitute his personal step towards reconciliation.
The Catholic Education Office places great importance on the role of Aboriginal Education to raise awareness and support the learning and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' heritage. This role is connected to the integrated Improvement, Learning, and Wellbeing Service area of Catholic Education and supports cultural initiatives across our school community.
Connecting with the Community
We look forward to engaging and communicating with families on a regular basis through the following avenues. Please continue to use these forms of communication to keep updated with what is happening in and around our school.
The School Newsletter is emailed to families in even weeks of term. It is also available on the School Website.
The St Francis of Assisi School Website - https://www.sfawdow.catholic.edu.au
Includes information about our school.
The Compass App enables parents to engage closely with the school and ensures parents are informed by email, SMS, or push notifications. In addition, the app has many features that allow parents to actively engage within the school. Our school's Facebook and Instagram pages keep families and the wider community up to date with school events. Photos and videos of activities and events are shared regularly. If you have Facebook or Instagram, you are welcome to like our page. Class teachers will use Seesaw to share information about the learning that is taking place in the classroom and provide the students with an opportunity to share their work with families. The school email - info@sfawdow.catholic.edu.au is another way for families to communicate with the school.
Welcome Back - 2024
I would like to wish all of our students a big welcome back to the 2024 school year. Hopefully, you had a joyful and peaceful break with family and friends. It has been wonderful to see the smiling faces of the students and families as they return to school and reconnect with their friends and teachers. Thank you for all of the preparation that you, as parents and carers, put into ensuring your child was set up to have a successful start to the school year.
Meet and Greet - Week 4 and Week 5
In Week 4 and 5 this term, you will have the opportunity to meet with your child's class teacher/s. This is an important first step in establishing positive relationships so that we can work in partnership for your child to experience growth in faith, well-being and learning.
These sessions will be open next week (Monday 12 February) and a separate Compass news article will be sent on Monday with details on how to access and create bookings. Please contact your child's class teacher if you need assistance making a booking.
Friday Assembly - Achievements
At St Francis of Assisi, we celebrate our student achievements in faith, learning and well-being each Friday afternoon with a whole school assembly. Sometimes we may have assemblies on other days due to other events on the calendar.
As part of this, we would like to acknowledge any significant achievements that our students complete outside of school. To streamline this process, we have created a form to complete if you would like to share your child's achievements. This will allow you to add relevant details, and photos if you like, to support us in presenting this information accurately.
Please complete this form (link below) if you would like us to recognise your child's achievement at our Friday assembly. This could be a sporting achievement, dancing/singing/performing achievement, martial arts, etc. Anything that your child has achieved outside of school. We would love to share the good news stories of our students.
NOTE: All forms completed by the Monday of the week of the Friday assembly will be included. Any forms received after that will be included in the following assembly.
In addition to our weekly assemblies, we also hold Celebration of Learning Assemblies - 1 per class each year. These assemblies allow each class to present highlights of their learning to the whole school, and we also present Principal and Value awards. Please see below for the 2024 Celebration of Learning timetable.
PLEASE NOTE: Celebration of Learning Assemblies begin at the earlier time of 2:10pm.
2024 Celebration of Learning Timetable
Assembly starts 2:10 pm
| Term/Week | Date | Class |
| Term 1 Week 5 | Friday 1 March | Principal and Value Awards only |
| Term 1 Week 10 | Friday 5 April | Year 4 |
| Term 2 Week 5 |
Friday 31 May | Year 2 |
| Term 2 Week 10 | Thursday 4 July | Year 1 |
| Term 3 Week 4 |
Friday 16 August | Kindergarten |
| Term 3 Week 10 | Friday 27 September | Year 6 |
| Term 4 Week 4 |
Friday 8 November | Year 5 |
| Term 4 Week 9 | Friday 13 December | Year 3 |
St Francis of Assisi will be welcoming Healthy Harold on Friday 1 March, Monday 4 March, and Tuesday 5 March. Each class will have one session focusing on a particular aspect of health and well-being. The program presents interactive lessons delivered by specialist educators. The lessons cover core areas of physical health, safety, and social and emotional well-being. The lessons are developed specifically to be unique, memorable, and interactive experiences.
Merchandise is also available to be purchased (Optional); see the flyer attached below for details.
Sr Lucy
This term, we welcome back Sr Lucy who will be continuing her work with us. Sr Lucy is completing work experience hours towards the completion of her school support officer certificate. She is a wonderful asset to our school and the students, staff and families all appreciate her hard work to support our school.
NAPLAN 2024
Year 3 and Year 5 will sit the NAPLAN assessments in Term 1 this year. The test window runs from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March. Further details and dates will be provided to these cohorts in the coming weeks. Parents do not need to do anything additional to prepare for these assessments.
IMPORTANT NOTICES AND REMINDERS:
Please note: School supervision does not begin until 8:15 am.
Students should not be at school before this time.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE .....EVERY LEARNER, EVERY DAY!
- School attendance plays a critical role in enhancing the lives of students in school.
- Every day of attendance adds to a student's academic achievement and success.
- School attendance is compulsory for every school-age student.
Parents can help by promoting the importance of school by:
- ensuring your child attends school every day
- arriving at school punctually (school begins at 8:40 am)
- leading by example ... be organised and ready
We are keen to support parents in developing and consolidating good attendance habits in every student.
Appointments
Please make appointments outside of school hours where possible.
If your child has to leave school early for an appointment, please notify the teacher in writing on the morning of the appointment to avoid disrupting the class and their learning.
Absent Compass Notifications
Please respond to the absent notifications with an explanation for your child's absence.
Punctuality
It is important for children to learn punctuality and arrive at school by
8.30 am.
Mr Brett Murphy
Acting Assistant Principal
Our School Values
After a process of discernment, the staff nominated these six values as being core Christian values of our school - respect, honesty, faith, forgiveness, acceptance, and stewardship. We plan to explicitly teach these values during the year so they are known and lived in our school community as our values should influence our actions. This term, we have started exploring the value ‘respect’ and you are encouraged to continue discussions around the importance of respect and what it does and doesn’t look like with your child at home. At St Francis of Assisi, we value respect because we honour the presence of God in those we meet, believing that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God. At our first Principal and Values Award Assembly in week 5, the value award will be for respect. Hopefully, class teachers will find it very difficult to choose just one child!
Tuesday 13 February
Next Tuesday is shaping up to be quite a busy day. From a national point of view, it is the 16th anniversary of the national apology to the stolen generation which we will observe at school as part of our morning prayer.
From a liturgical point of view, it is also Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. At school, the canteen will be a hive of activity with parent helpers cooking and selling pancakes.
The launch of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion campaign, which runs during the Season of Lent, occurs on Shrove Tuesday. Ms Maloney will be travelling to John Therry Catholic College, Rosemeadow with our school captains, Levi and Linda for this launch. The theme of Project Compassion 2024 is ‘For All Future Generations’. It is an expression of hope and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. We look forward to hearing from Levi and Linda about the launch and how we can support the work of Caritas Australia this year.
Tuesday Night - Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) Program
A reminder for parents who have enrolled their child in the Sacrament of Reconciliation program, there is an important information night at St Francis of Assisi Church on Tuesday 13 February, commencing at 6:30 pm. The commitment Masses will then take place on the weekend of the 17 and 18 February.
Ash Wednesday Mass - 14 February
Next Wednesday, we will gather as a school community once again with the parish for Mass at 9 am to commemorate the beginning of Lent. All are most welcome to join us.
Ms Marita Maloney
REC Coordinator
Visit our website: www.sfawdow.catholic.edu.au and click on
ENROL NOW to apply online.
If you know another family who may be interested, we’d love for you to extend this invitation.
| Date | Event | Attending | Venue |
| Friday 16 February | Swimming Carnival | Years 2-6 | Berkeley Pool |
| Friday 22 March | School Cross Country | K-6 | Integral Energy Park |
| Friday 14 June | School Athletics Carnival | K-6 | Myimbarr Oval, Shellharbour |
Dear Parents
The following annual consents are required to be completed on the Compass Parent portal:
2024 Consent for the use of student's image and/or work
2024 Acceptable Use of Technology
These forms are compulsory and are to be completed by Friday 12 February.
Please submit these via your parent Compass portal by clicking on the top two green "Insight" boxes and follow the prompts to complete the forms online as per the image and instructions below. Please do not hesitate to contact the School Office if you have any questions.
During the holidays, we had a lot of work done at school, including painting and a new shade cover. In my opinion, this makes our school look much better and modernised. I also think the more subtle colours can help with our learning, as bright, random colours were very distracting and always caught my attention. Coming to school was definitely a pleasant surprise. I much prefer how new and clean our school looks now. The shade cover was very appreciated as the old one didn’t match the school and had tears and rips. The new one allows a more clean and modern look. I’ve noticed major changes to the library. We have expanded it into two rooms rather than one. This gives much more space. I remember how crowded it felt in each section. Hopefully, now these difficulties will be resolved. I believe these additions to the school have definitely caught my eye and I’m sure others feel the same way. Overall I am very happy with these changes and I thank our principal, Mrs Davidson for making these adjustments. Layla (6B)
All Parents & Friends positions will be made vacant and an election will be held for new committee members for the 2024 Parents & Friends Committee. The AGM has been scheduled to be held on Tuesday 27 February at 3.00 pm-3.45 pm. All parents are welcome and hope to see you there.
Shrove Tuesday - Tuesday 13 February
We will be selling pancakes during Recess. If any parents can volunteer their time to help cook and sell on the day it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the school office to advise if you are available or if you have any questions.
Staff and Student Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who celebrated their birthdays in January and are celebrating February:
January birthdays - Ceone L, Quinton CW, Ariam Y, Victoria B, Ayva N, Ashton L, Joseph T, Andre MN, Mrs Agius, Mrs Brabender, Mrs Grey and Mrs Kinnas.
February birthdays - Sienna F, Harrison N, Levi N, Joella R, Azalea O, Roman L, Emma C, Bohdyn L, Koa L, Mrs Adams and Mrs Davidson.
Scholastic Book Club Issue 1 Orders online due by 22 February 2024
Book Club is available for parents to order books for their children. This encourages their reading and supports the school. Orders are to be placed online by 22 February, please see the instructions below. Issue 1 Book Club catalogue is below.
How to order using LOOP?
- Sign in or register an account at: scholastic.com.au/loop
- Click on ORDER and select school and child’s class.
- Add your child’s first name and last initial (for book distribution).
- Enter product item number from the Book Club catalogue.
- Make payment via credit card
- All orders are attached to the school account until ready to be submitted to Scholastic by the school. A due date will be published in the Brigid Bulletin. No late orders can be processed.
Welcome back to school for 2024! Over the coming weeks, all students K-6 will be participating in digital citizenship learning experiences that underpin all that we do with technology. This is all about how to safely and effectively use the technology we have available to best enhance student learning. It also includes a comprehensive teaching and learning sequence around the technology and social media policies. This will be supported throughout the year in learning and teaching programs to ensure that our students are digitally aware and cyber-safe citizens.
iPads
In 2024, we continue to operate 1:1 in classes Years 3-6 on the School Managed Program.
Compass
Thank you for your continued support of the use of Compass as our main tool of communication and various other features. If anyone is having difficulty accessing Compass or use of its functions, please feel free to contact Mr Murphy to assist.
Safer Internet Day
Wednesday 7 February is Safer Internet Day. This year the eSafety Commissioner is calling on everyone to "connect, reflect and protect".
With so many young Australians engaging online it is important that we educate students on how to stay safe and what to do if they are being harassed or bullied. There is no place for online abuse. We can all help to make life online enjoyable by being kind and respectful to each other.
At St Francis of Assisi, classes will be exploring ways in which they can be safe online.
Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.
Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.
During the school year, staff will engage in staff development training days to increase their professional knowledge and skills so that they can improve the learning of students. The following are proposed Pupil Free Days for staff to attend Staff Development training in 2024. These dates are to be confirmed and are a guide to assist you in planning care for your children on these days.
| Term 1 | 2 April | PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Term 2 | 7 June | PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Term 2 | 5 July | PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Term 3 | 13 September | PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Term 4 | 28 October | PUPIL FREE DAY |
| Term 1 | Tuesday 30 January - Friday 12 April | |
| Tuesday 30 January | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Wednesday 31 January | 1st Day of School Years 1 - 6 | |
| Wednesday 7 February | 1st Day for Kindergarten | |
| Wednesday 13 March | NAPLAN begins for Years 3 and 5 | |
| Friday 29 March - Monday 1 April | Easter | |
| Tuesday 2 April | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Term 2 | Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July | |
| Friday 7 June | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Friday 5 July | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Term 3 | Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September | |
| Friday 13 September | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Term 4 | Monday 14 October - Friday 20 December | |
| Monday 28 October | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Wednesday 18 December | Last day for Students | |
| Thursday 19 & Friday 20 December | PUPIL FREE DAYS |
School Fee Payments
Attention Parents, 2024 Fee Statements have been emailed. This is an Annual amount for 2024, if you have nominated to pay by instalments this payment schedule will be on the second page of the statement.
Please log in to your Parent Compass Portal to view your school fee account by clicking the Payments Centre green box above "My News". Payments can be paid online by clicking "School Fees Action Required". Full payment is due by 28 February unless the below instalment form has been submitted and you have set up these payments on your Compass portal or Bpay using the details on the Fee Statement emailed. Fee instalments set up last year will roll over and continue automatically this year. See further details below.
School fees for 20243 have now been invoiced and statements have been emailed with annual or firstinstalment payment due on 28 February 2023. You may also view your school fee account in the Compass Parent Portal. Further information available below from the Catholic Education Office.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
▪ The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month, is now a function carried out by the Catholic Education Office.
▪ Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement.
▪ If an amendment is made to your school fee account eg your child changes subjects in a secondary school, etc. you will be emailed a statement which will provide a new schedule of payments and due dates. Please review this schedule to make any changes to your payments that are necessary.
Primary school families will note on their 2024 school fee statements a change in name in relation to the "SEDSO Levy". This levy has now been renamed and will be known as "Primary Building Levy". This is not an additional fee, merely a name change and funds are still used to provide capital grants to schools for new facilities and to meet loan payments for school buildings. We are currently in the process of amending all documentation and websites to reflect this variation.
REMINDERS FOR LATE PAYMENTS
SMS and email reminders are automatically generated by our accounting software based on the number of days a payment is overdue and are distributed by the Catholic Education Office. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these reminders may cause some distress. This is not our intention. Our intention is to support the collection of school fee accounts centrally and in so doing,
alleviate some of the administrative work of our schools.
SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES
Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, your school/s will always be your point of contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact your school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of schools.
IF YOU WISH TO PAY BY INSTALMENTS
Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on your school’s website or at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at your school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment unless you wish to amend your payment frequency.
DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the administration office of each school. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. If you wish to submit an application, please do so at your child’s school. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application. For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2022, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. You may also initiate an earlier review if you wish to do so by contacting your school office. For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management
Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on your school’s website.
Before & After school care
AVAILABLE at St Francis School
Visit Website: www.aspire-oshc.com.au/st-francis-of-assisi-warrawong
Book Now online here
Starting from 2024 we will be transitioning to a new online enrolment platform, called Funnel, removing the use of all paper forms. Please take note, particularly for sibling applications. The online application form will be accessible from the home page of our school website www.sfawdow.catholic.edu.au, visit link below.
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As an Allergy Aware School, we request no peanuts, peanut paste, peanut butter (including "dippers"), nuts, "Nutella" spread, or nutty muesli bars within the school. Education about food safety and the seriousness and potentially life-threatening nature of allergies takes place within the classroom environment. All students are reminded not to share or swap food. We believe an effective partnership between home and school will ensure the successful inclusion of students with life-threatening allergies.
We are committed to supporting our students with anaphylaxis within the school environment and request your support to ensure a safe environment for these students. Thank you.
