Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- From the Principal's Desk
- Acting Assistant Principal
- Religious Education News
- Parish News
- Sports News
- Green & Gold Day - Friday 2 August
- 2025 iPad School Program - Year 2 Parents
- Book Week 2024
- Kindergarten Excursion
- Year 3 & 4 Excursion
- Birthdays to Celebrate
- Canteen | Lunchbox Express
- Kindergarten 2025
- 2024 Term Dates & Pupil Free Days
- Parent and Carer Evening with Dr Justin Coulson
- Parenting Insights
- CatholicCare Courses
- Community News
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 3! I trust everyone had a restful and enjoyable mid-year break. It has been great to see the students returning with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I'm excited for the productive and exciting term ahead of us.
Last Sunday, the Catholic Church celebrated the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The observance is celebrated each year on the fourth Sunday of July, coinciding with the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary's parents and Jesus' grandparents, Sts. Anne and Joachim. We honour those members of our families and parish who continue to be such an important part of our lives and the social fabric of our society. Their experience and wisdom are precious gifts to help us understand ourselves and our history. Attending to our grandparents and the elderly is a sign of gratitude for all they have done and continue to do for us.
On Friday, 26 July, our school community celebrated Grandparents Day on the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. It was wonderful to see so many great-grandparents, grandparents, and families join us, some travelling long distances to be here.
Thank you, Father Damien, for celebrating Mass with us, and to our staff and Lunchbox Express (Nicole and Danielle) for making this day so meaningful and memorable.
"Let us honour our grandparents and the elderly, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours." - Pope Francis.
Enjoy our Grandparents Day video.
Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL
This term, our school calendar is filled with many learning opportunities. Please keep an eye on Compass, the Parent Calendar and other communication platforms for information on these events.
Uniform expectations
Reminders about uniform expectations are a frequent inclusion in the newsletter. Thank you to the parents/carers who consistently strive to ensure their children are presented in the correct uniform daily. I acknowledge that it can be a challenge, and sometimes, the children themselves choose to wear the incorrect uniform. On rare occasions, when a student cannot wear the correct uniform, a written explanation should be provided to their classroom teacher.
The students will be allowed to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $30.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. Thank you to the teachers for all their organisation of this overnight excursion.
We look forward to hearing about their experiences.
Celebrating 100 School Days of Kindergarten!
Yesterday, we marked a fantastic milestone for our Kindergarten students: 100 days of learning, faith, fun, and friendship! Congratulations to our Kindergarten students on this milestone and to Ms Beckhaus and Mrs Logue for all you do for our students. We are incredibly proud of our Kindergarten Class of 2024. Thank you also to the parents for their support over these 100 days!
PB4L
Many thanks to our amazing PB4L team who have worked tirelessly to begin this year, reviewing all of our major policies and procedures, in consultation with staff and students. The team also used feedback from parents and families in recently completed surveys and other data points.
These changes have now come into effect and are going well so far. The full updated version of the Student Positive Behaviour Support Policy was shared via Compass. We will be holding a Parent Workshop focusing on PB4L on Monday 26 August at 2pm in the School Hall.
Please see me if you have any questions about anything PB4L related.
Bullying No Way Week
This year St Francis of Assisi is participating in the Bullying No Way: National week of action, 12 to 16 August 2024.
Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.
The new hero colour for the campaign is purple – symbolising peace, strength and empowerment to take a stand against bullying behaviour.
The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected.
“Positive school climates that value diversity and inclusion can foster a sense of belonging and provide a protective factor against negative peer relationships and reduce bullying.” (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023).
For more information about Bullying No Way Week and bullying prevention, visit the Bullying No Way website.
Assembly Dates Term 3
Thank you for your support as we have been flexible in our assembly times this term. We will continue to attempt to schedule our assemblies on Friday mornings at 8:45 am, however, this may not always be possible due to other calendar events. Please see below for the full details of Term 3 assembly dates and times.
| Week | Type | Date / Time |
| 2 | Award Assembly | Friday 2 August 2:20 pm |
| 3 | Award Assembly | Friday 9 August 8:45 am |
| 4 | Celebration of Learning - Kindy | Friday 16 August 2:10 pm |
| 5 | Award Assembly | Thursday 22 August 8:45 am |
| 6 | Father's Day Celebration & Assembly | Thursday 29 August 2.00 pm |
| 7 | Awards Assembly | Friday 6 September 8:45 am |
| 8 | Awards Assembly | Thursday 12 September 8:45 am |
| 9 | Awards Assembly | Thursday 19 September 8:45 am |
| 10 | Celebration of Learning - Year 6 | Friday 27 September 2:10 pm |
Reminder about special achievements for assemblies
A reminder that this form is available 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.
Mr Brett Murphy
Acting Assistant Principal
Our School Values
During Week 1, the teachers began explicitly teaching the value acceptance and this 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 Six Mass with the Bishop
Each year, Bishop Brian invites Year Six students from the various schools in our diocese to join him for a special celebration of the Eucharist. Next Tuesday, 6 August, our Year Six students will join with Year Six students from St John's (Dapto), St Paul's (Albion Park), 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
On Thursday 8 August, our Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Australia’s first recognised saint. Kinder to Year 4 will be joining our parish community for the 9am Mass on this day. Stage 3 will be in Canberra.
Upcoming 9 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.
Congratulations, Sr Anna
On Saturday 20 July, Sr Anna celebrated the 25th anniversary of her religious profession. Deacon Mick was present to celebrate with her. We are looking forward to Sr Anna’s return to our parish later this month.
Congratulations to Sr Elizabeth, Sr Lucy and Sr Mary who also celebrated their anniversaries of religious profession on the 20th. Sr Elizabeth celebrated 17 years and Sr Lucy and Sr Mary celebrated 14 years.
Ms Marita Maloney
| Date | Event | Attending | Venue |
| Tuesday 13 August | South Coast Athletics Carnival | Selected Year 2-6 students | Beaton Park |
| Tuesday 20 August | Diocesan Athletics Selection Trials | Selected Year 2-6 students | Beaton Park |
| Friday 23 August | Soccer Gala Days | Selected Year 3-6 students | Unanderra Oval |
| Thursday 19 September | Junior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 3-4 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium Berkeley |
| Friday 20 September | Senior Basketball Gala Day | Selected Year 5-6 students | Illawarra Sports Stadium Berkeley |
YEAR 2 PARENT MEETING
1:1 2025 iPad Program
Tuesday 3 September 2024
8.45am or 2.15pm in the Hall
Dear Year 2 Parents and Carers,
You are requested to attend a brief meeting on Tuesday 3 September in the hall at either 8.45 am or 2.15 pm regarding the 2025 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.
Book Week 19-23 August
Each year since 1945, the Children's Book Council of Australia has brought children and books together across Australia through CBCA Book Week. During this time, schools and public libraries spend one glorious week celebrating books and Australian children's authors and illustrators. Classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians create colourful displays, develop activities, run competitions and tell stories relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading. You will often see parades with students dressed as their favourite book character.
St Francis Book Parade - Wednesday 21 August
Kindergarten will be attending an excursion to Shoalhaven Zoo on Friday 30 August. Further information and parent permission will be available closer to the date on Compass.
The excursion includes an exclusive lesson with the Ranger and a guided tour of the Zoo. Students will explore many native and exotic species in their custom-designed enclosures to mimic their native environment. They will explore environments from wetlands, water lagoons, bushland to beaches, how each is special, and why we should care for them. In the farmyard, students will hand-feed animals investigate where food comes from, and discuss the ways we care for animals.
Travel will by coach leaving school at 8.30 am and returning at approximately 3.30 pm.
UOW Science Space Excursion - Friday 29 September
Students in Years 3 and 4 will attend an excursion later this term to the University of Wollongong Science Centre as part of their science unit and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) inquiry learning experiences. The Science Space gallery has over 90 hands-on exhibits demonstrating STEM in action. The majority of the exhibits are aligned with the NSW Curriculum and support students to engage in STEM activities through the use of the center's interactive exhibits. In addition, the students will view a live science show and explore the digital planetarium show. More information and permission on Compass will be provided closer to the date.
Student and Staff Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthdays in August:
Ariana B, Zuzanna K, Isaac H, Jaxon C, Lilyarna A-W, Helena N, Ali H, Mia C, Lachlan W, Gus S, Rocco M, Ruby O, Isabelle S, Liliana T, Mason W,
Lilith-Rose L-V, Olivia M & Mrs Jimenez
Monday, Wednesday & Friday
ONLINE Orders preferred.
- New Menu - lots of healthy yummy options
- Online Ordering
- Recess lunch orders available
- Birthday buckets
- New Canteen items for children to purchase at Recess and Lunch
- Contact Nicole at 0415 548 899
Applications for Kindergarten 2025 placement offers have been emailed. Please complete the acceptance of the offer via the link in the email. Enrolment applications are open ONLINE. Please submit your application online following the details below or visit our school website. Please do not hesitate to contact the School Office with any questions.
Parent and Carer Evening with Dr Justin Coulson at St John's Catholic Parish Primary School Dapto
The St John's Catholic Parish Primary School Dapto Parents and Friends Association is excited to announce they are hosting a parent and carer information session with Dr Justin Coulson on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 at 6:30 pm.
Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s “Parental Guidance” and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au and is considered one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts.
The parent session will focus on the topic of Resilience, in this session, parents will learn the psychological secrets that build their child’s sense of identity, strengths, and growth mindset in order to perform better, be happier, and build resilience.
Tickets can be purchased using this link: Event Tickets
The live session runs from 7:00pm-8:30pm and refreshments will be provided from 6:30pm on the night.
