Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 2 and the beginning of a new term. I trust the Easter break enabled you to spend time with family and friends. As we move into Term 2 St Francis of Assisi will continue to respond to the emerging challenges that has been presented by the current health situation. The staff of the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Wollongong continues to support the work of all Catholic schools, providing information, resources and professional advice to school leaders as well as information to families via the CEDoW COVID-19 Information Centre.

Please be assured as we work together to respond to COVID-19 the health and safety of our school community is the priority.

As you know, planning for the gradual return of students to the classroom during Term 2 has been communicated to all parents and carers. I know that you still have many questions at this time so we will keep you updated as careful planning continues. Be assured our teachers are highly skilled, generous with their time and committed to providing great learning for their students while doing everything possible to keep them safe and happy. Parents and carers will continue to be informed at a school and system level as to when the students should return to face-to-face learning in a fulltime capacity.

I am very proud of how our entire community has supported each other during this time of uncertainty. Throughout these difficult times, the staff of St Francis of Assisi have demonstrated they are collaborative, adaptable and able to respond to emerging challenges with creativity and always with the best interest of the students.

Pope Francis Prayer to Our Lady

Pope Francis Prayer to Our Lady 916.47 KB

Mrs Vicky Davidson
Principal

Kindergarten Enrolments 2021
This week we commenced our Kindergarten interviews for 2021. We are still accepting enrolment applications; please contact the office if you have missed our previous notifications. The enrolment period is an exciting time for these children, their families and our school community, we ask that you continue to keep them in your prayers. 

Remote Learning Update
Last Friday, letters were emailed to parents regarding the transition back to school, from Week 3 Monday 11 May. Every student has been scheduled to attend school one day per week. Family members have been scheduled to attend on the same day. The scheduled days are Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Please find below a copy of the note sent to families.

Winter Uniform
The official date for the children to change over to the winter uniform is Monday 11 May (Week 3). As the students transition back to school, full winter uniform is to be worn on Tuesday 12 May not sports uniform. Thank you. Please refer to the Uniform Policy if you require clarification about the school uniform.

No Canteen
Our canteen will remain closed until all students return. As the students transition back to school, they will need to bring their lunch each day as well as a drink bottle. Our bubblers are also closed during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Mother's Day
On Sunday 10 May we celebrate Mother's Day. Whilst Mother's Day is celebrated on different days and for different reasons in many countries around the world, this year for all of us Mother's Day will look a lot different. On Mother's Day, we remember mothers who inspire, love, sacrifice, devote and never stop looking after us no matter our age or ability. This year we are unable to have all of the wonderful mums on-site to celebrate their special day. We appreciate the many things you do for our school and your children. We will be thinking of you all on Sunday.
Please look out for our special Mother's Day Liturgy Video on Compass and our Facebook page.    

On behalf of the staff, we wish the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in our community a Happy Mother's Day.

Enjoy this special day! You deserve it!

Greetings From Mr Green
Our school playground has been very different and a lot quieter. We have missed your smiling faces. While you have been learning remotely, I hope you have had an opportunity to connect with others. Don't forget to send a friend, your grandparents, cousins etc. a message or video call to say hello. Knowing people are out there thinking of them can make all the difference. Please continue to connect with your teachers and let them know how you are. We miss you! Take care, everybody!

UNSW / ICAS Assessments
St Francis will continue to participate in the ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is designed to target students' higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies. The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment.

ICAS Assessments are now online, allowing greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results. 

Parents may order and pay for the assessments online this year.

Mr Green
Assistant Principal

Masses
As you are all aware the restrictions still apply for attendance at Masses or celebrations. For those who are still interested in attending Masses, Bishop Brian and Priests at the Cathedral are live streaming Mass each day and on Sunday. Fr Joe who is now at All Saint’s Parish Shellharbour is live streaming Mass each day through their Facebook page.

       

Sacraments
We are uncertain at the moment to what is happening in regards to our sacramental programs. If restrictions are lifted in the near future Reconciliation, and First Communion may still go ahead. In regards to Confirmation, we will wait to hear from Bishop’s office. The current restrictions apply to all our churches.

Prayer
During this time of isolation and uncertainty, it is really important that we set aside some time for prayer and reflection. Each week the children have a slide on their remote learning pages that includes a prayerful meditation. This can be viewed as a family in the peace and comfort of your homes.  There are many prayerful experiences that you can use each day. Please click on the link for some examples.

Mrs Madaschi
Religious Education Coordinator

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

We are so proud of your continued efforts with your online learning. 

We are excited to present our first Online Assembly of Term 2, please see the link below. There are merit awards, birthday certificates, and some creative videos! 

Thanks to Mr deVet, Mr Green and our student leaders for their contributions to creating our assembly. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwlo-IpkJ4&feature=youtu.be

KINDERGARTEN
Kindergarten has been hard at work during home learning. We have seen so many wonderful examples of their learning, from artworks to writing samples, reading, to maths games, STEM activities, and much more! 

YEAR 2
Our Religious Education unit is called "The Easter Season". The Easter season commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.  The colour of the Easter season is white, representing joy and triumph. 
 
During the Easter Season, the class prayer table is covered in a white cloth.  Some of the Year 2 students have set up their own prayer tables at home. 

YEAR 3
This year will be an Anzac Day that we will never forget. I am sure everyone will remember this day. Whether it was joining the neighbours in the early morning and lighting candles, or merely thinking of those who have dedicated their lives to keep Australia safe and at peace.

Year 3 wrote some prayers as part of their work - Thank you, Manuel, Zelia, Lucas and Braedyn. 

YEAR 6
Last week Year 6 focused on Anzac Day. Their writing and art learning experiences focused on this important commemoration. The students completed an Anzac Day sketch (pictures below), wrote a recount of the events, and some even wrote a procedure for and made Anzac Day biscuits. Here are Mohammad's biscuits.

Thank you for your engagement in our Remote Learning. If the students are not able to get all their tasks done in a day that is okay. 

An attendance sign-in is required, this form can be found on each class page. Please ask your child/ren to sign in when they commence their learning for the day, only once per day is required. Please see the image to the right. This is the way we are tracking student attendance.

Students are to visit the school-home learning site each morning.  This website will be updated at 8.45 am daily with the students learning tasks for that day. It is important that each child reads the slides on their class page before they commence the task on Seesaw (K-3) or Google Classroom (4-6). Students need to read the instructions on the slide/s before they complete the task. 

Remote Learning Attendance
We advise the attendance in the Compass Parent Portal has been disabled due to the remote learning.  We are required to show attendance for remote learning and this is tracked by the students logging in to the SFAW Home Learning Site.  If your child is sick and not be participating in remote learning for that day, please email the class teacher or notify the school so that the attendance can be explained as "sick". For the moment this will be recorded manually from the office. Thank you.