“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.”
John 4:14

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading was the story of the Samaritan Woman and Jesus at the well. This beautiful story symbolises the extraordinary relationship that each one of us has with our Heavenly Father. Her physical thirst for water represents, not only for her but also for us, our search, our thirst for meaning and purpose in our lives. This story of ‘the woman at the well’ asks us to remember today all the ways we have experienced the presence of Jesus, and all the ways we have experienced his love for us. It asks us to consider how humble, kind, sensitive, understanding and forgiving he has been with us. In return, we are asked to extend the firm hand of friendship and the over-flowing waters of mercy, compassion, acceptance, kindness and forgiveness, to all the people who come into our lives day after day.

Lent is a time for each of us to seek out a face to face encounter with Jesus. Through prayer, contemplation on scripture or reflection on encountering Jesus in the face of others, we build a one to one relationship with Jesus. When we acknowledge this relationship, like the Samaritan woman, we are compelled to act on it.

Thank you
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We gave you a great deal of information about the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at the beginning of the week. Please feel free to ask for any clarification if required.
We have appreciated your messages, phones calls and questions during this time. As I have mentioned before, effective partnerships are based on openness, trust, mutual respect and in the interests of all students. We recognise that parents, carers and families are integral members of our school community and partners in student learning.
We look forward to continuing to create a safe and positive climate for all members of the community where healthy relationships can be nurtured and sustained. It is important to remember at all times that proper care for oneself and for others reflects the love of God and love for our neighbour. Please continue to keep those directly impacted in your prayers.

“In everything we do, we strive to follow the way of St. Francis of Assisi. Each day we rise and remember our calling to praise God for his presence among us, in all of creation.”

CEDoW COVID-19 Information
The Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong has launched a central COVID-19 (coronavirus) Information page on their website.
The Catholic Education Office is monitoring this situation closely, and this page will be updated regularly. Staff, parents and carers, and others in our school communities are encouraged to visit the page for the latest information about our systemic response.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/covid19

Catholic Schools Week
Thank you to all our parents and families who joined us for Mass and came to celebrate the students learning in their classrooms. It was great to see the rain had held off long enough for our family and friends to join us for morning tea.

Thank you to Father Martin, Mrs Madaschi and the RE team for preparing such a beautiful Catholic Schools Week Mass and to all those parishioners and families who joined us for this celebration.

UNSW - ICAS Assessments
Each year we provide the opportunity for students in Years 3-6 to participate in the University of New South Wales Competitions. This is an independent assessment program for Australian schools, which has been conducted for over 35 years. These assessments are not compulsory. They are online competitions for students who wish to experience extension and further challenge. The cost is $15.95 for each competition and is open to all students in Years 3-6. This year parents will be asked to order and pay for the assessments online. When I have received the details they will be forwarded to parents.

The assessments will be held:
* Week of 17 August - Science and Writing
- Week of 24 August  - Digital Technologies and English
- Week of 31 August  - Mathematics and Spelling

If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.

The weblink is: https://shop.unswglobal.com.au/pages/pps
Our school’s unique access code is: GRN460 

Mr Green
Assistant Principal

Parish Mass with Andrew Chinn
A big thank you to Andrew Chinn and of course Mr Rich Gilmore for providing uplifting music for our Sunday Mass on the 8th of March. Also thank you to our students and families who joined us and made the occasion special. We are hoping that Andrew may return later in the year.

Shelby (Year 5): It was a great experience to sing with Andrew Chinn. My family were there to hear me sing and that made me feel very special.

Grace (Year 5): I was nervous in beginning, but the church was full and my confidence improved. It felt special because it was led by students.

Harmony Day
This year Harmony Day is celebrated on Saturday 21 March. Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. The theme for Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’. The students will partake in a liturgy in their classroom on Monday. A Harmony Day award will be presented to one member of each class.

Pilgrimage of the Relics of St Therese and her Parents - Suspended
In light of the current situation concerning the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the pilgrimage of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents, Ss Louis and Zélie Martin, has been temporarily suspended. Discussions are underway to host the relics in a central venue(s) in the Diocese of Wollongong—with limited crowd numbers.

Sacrament Notes 
Could we ask that all enrolment forms for the Sacraments be returned to Mrs Madaschi as soon as possible? These notes went home last week.

Prayer Books
We are focusing on using our prayer books for morning and class prayers. It would be great if all our students had this resource to follow. If you wish to buy a prayer book please see Mrs Madaschi. The cost is $3.00 per book.

Mrs Madaschi
Religious Education Coordinator

South Coast Swimming
Congratulations to all our St Francis of Assisi swimmers who competed recently in the South Coast Swimming Carnival at Corrimal Pool. It was a small team, however, every student tried their best and supported each other in all races. We are very proud of your efforts. Special mention to the following students:
Samuel A (Year 3) - 5th overall in the 8 years 50m Freestyle.
Eva G (Year 4) - 4th place - 50m Backstroke; 3rd place - 50m Breastroke and 2nd place - 50m Butterfly. Eva was awarded a silver medal in the Champion Junior Girl category for her outstanding achievements.
Diocesan Swimming
Students who placed in the top four for each event at the South Coast Swimming Trials were selected to compete at the Diocesan Swimming Trials on Monday 9 March at Corrimal Pool. Congratulations Eva for being selected to compete at these trials against the best swimmers in the Diocese. We can’t wait to see what Eva will achieve in 2021. Well done everyone.

Diocesan Football Trials
Congratulations to Paige, Tianna and Cohen (Year 6) and Emma (Year 5), for competing in the Diocesan Football Trials which were held at the Unanderra Hockey Stadium on the 6th of March. Well done to these students who were able to adapt to playing on a different surface due to the unpredictable weather.
Congratulations to Tianna for being selected to represent the Wollongong Diocese at the MacKillop Trials at a date to be confirmed. 

Mrs Briscoe
Sports Coordinator

On Wednesday 12th February, 4 Gold participated in an online webinar run by the
e-Safety Commissioner. 87 schools from all over Australia were involved in the webinar that looked at being safe online.

Here are some thoughts and feedback from some of our students:

Ali - On Wednesday the 12th of February we participated in a webinar on Internet safety. We learnt about not answering personal questions from a stranger. We learnt to take a screenshot of someone who is cyberbullying. There were 87 Catholic schools participating in the webinar. We learnt not to stay up late playing games at night and learnt to be careful about who we talk to on the Internet.

Jessica - I participated in a webinar on Internet Safety. I learnt about bullying, cheating and what apps we use and what you can do about it, and how you can stay away from hackers, scammers, and people that can harm you. We should never ever share private things like passwords, real names, real ages and real addresses.

Chanel - On the 12th of February we participated in a webinar on Internet Safety. We learnt about how to use our iPad properly, we also learnt about things that are safe on the iPad and things that aren’t. When you're playing online you need to be very careful with who you're playing with and what you're playing. You have to protect your iPad and care for it.

Sekne - Our class participated in a webinar on internet safety. We learned about how to protect yourself on the internet. We were told if we were messaged by someone we don’t know that we should show a trustworthy adult and take a photo for proof. You should also only use your technology on the weekend so you don’t fall asleep during school. Also, you shouldn’t tell anyone your ID or your password.  

Mr Gilmore and the 4 Gold Students

PB4L
Explicit teaching of expected behaviours is a key component of PB4L. The school has developed a range of expected behaviours in non-classroom settings e.g: playground, and on the expected behaviours within the classrooms.

This takes the form of a matrix that indicates simple and clear context specific behaviour expectations that are aligned to the school rules. The teaching of these behaviour expectations in a positive way allows for consistency across the school environment.

As parent/carer, you create the conditions for appropriate behaviour. Do not underestimate the importance of:

• Asking your child questions that will bring out a positive response regarding their day at school (see below)
• Being familiar with the expectations of the school and classroom
• Teaching your child your expectations at home, e.g., appropriate manners, greetings etc

Examples of Questions to ask your child about their school day:

• What was your favourite part of school today?
• Tell me one new thing you learned at school today, and I'll tell you one thing I learned at work/home.
• Who or what made you laugh today
• What's your favourite thing about your teacher?
• What project are you working on in Art/English/Mathematics?
• What skills are you working on in PE/Sport?
• What book(s) did you read today? Tell me a little bit about the characters.
• What does your teacher have planned this week/next week/tomorrow?
• What are you looking forward to at school tomorrow?
• What has been your most favourite activity this year (ask this at various points throughout the year)?
  
  
  

As part of a creative writing project, various classes used the crash site of a meteorite on our playground to create an imaginative piece of writing about how the meteorite got there and where it came from. We were lucky enough to have SFA News Daily on the scene to report details of the event.

The Reading Challenge has begun. Don't forget to go onto Compass and validate your child's permission to enter. If you are not sure about your password and username please send an email or note to Mrs Burrows.

The Premier's Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is available for all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 9. 

How to add a book to a Student Reading Record on the PRC website.

This year at St Francis of Assisi we are encouraging ALL our students to be a part of this wonderful challenge. 

• Key dates:
  Challenge opens for student entries:  Monday 2 March and closes for student entries:  Friday 28 August.
  
  
  

School photo day which was to be held on Thursday 26 March has been postponed. An alternate day will be communicated to parents when available.  Thank you for your continued support.

Mufti Day
The children enjoyed wearing Mufti yesterday and we thank you for the Easter egg donations.  These will go towards the Easter Egg hamper raffles.

Easter Raffle
Raffle tickets have been sent home with the students for the upcoming Easter raffle. Many prizes to win.  More tickets are available from the school office.  Please return sold tickets to the class teacher by Monday 6 April.  The raffle will be drawn on Thursday 9 April. 

Special Lunch
The children (and staff) enjoyed the P&F Special Lunch day last Tuesday. The students were very excited. Thank you to our families for supporting this lunch, and to the large number of parents who helped with the distribution of the lunches. 

A special thanks to Mrs Crocco for your generous donation. 

Good Manners = Safety
It is important for the safety of everyone that parent drivers visiting the school should always be respectful to other drivers and follow courtesy rules and road rules.  When waiting to pick up your child from school, please be patient and wait at the end of the line until it is your turn.   

Back Lane
Just a reminder the back lane is closed during wet weather due to the narrow walkway and lack of shelter from the wind and rain. 

School Zone Rules & Safety
The front of the school is a no parking zone.  This only allows parents to drop off and pick up during the times shown on the sign.

Please note: -

• Parents can only stop in this zone for no longer than 2 minutes
• Parents must remain within the vehicle 
• The vehicle must not be left unattended

Fines and loss of demerit points do apply and may be incurred by Police patrolling the school zone.

IT Tips for Parents

Tik Tok

A current trending app, particularly popular amongst children, is Tik Tok. Parents and carers are advised to be aware of the dangers of using this app. Please read the following article with information on Tik Tok, tips for mangaging your child's social media usage, and other information and resources to support you.

https://www.internetmatters.org/blog/2019/12/03/tik-tok-app-safety-what-parents-need-to-know/

Please see Mr Murphy if you have any questions or would like to chat about supporting your child with Tik Tok or any other apps they may be using.

Welcome Miss Sharna
Fresh Start canteen would like to welcome Miss Sharna. 
Miss Sharna is looking forward to providing a friendly service to the wonderful St Francis school community.  Please pop over and say a big "Hi" as she would love to see your smiling faces.

Reward Cards
The canteen encourages and supports healthy eating and therefore offers "reward cards" as an incentive to the children.  These special cards are given to children with a purchase of either fruit and or a healthy salad, sandwich or wrap.  The children will receive a card stamped for each purchase and once 5 are stamped by the Canteen Manager these can be presented for a FREE 6th item of the same value.  The blue reward cards are for salads and the green reward card is for fruit.

Certified Products
Products purchased for the canteen are certified and Halal including all chicken products, beef meatballs, burgers and bolognese sauce, as well as Mamee products including noodle cups, lasagne, and hot dogs.

Breakfast Special
Hash Brown & Orange Juice
ONLY $1.50

Available until the end of term

The canteen is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (only closed on Tuesday).  Please find attached the menu and online ordering App.

Please do not hesitate to visit Sharna in the Canteen before school or she can be contacted by phone through the School Office.

Please visit the school calendar for upcoming events via the online school newsletter and clicking on the "School Calendar" in the blue header.  The calendar includes Masses, Liturgies and School Assemblies. Due to our postponement of some events over the last week, some events have been taken off the calendar.