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The 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Gospel Reading
Jesus Calms the Storm - Mark 4: 35-41
This Gospel is a metaphor for our lives. We are in the boat, the storms of life are raging around us, and like the disciples, we may believe that Jesus is unconcerned. At that time, Jesus is disappointed by their lack of faith and perspective. Though the storms of fear and doubt may have played more significant roles in our lives during this past year, God’s love continues to speak to us with words of calm. We may yet be experiencing storms blowing around and within us; let’s listen for that strong yet calm voice, bringing peace and security with it. When we bring our worries to God in prayer, we should have faith and hope that all will be well as our problems are in God’s hand.
As we reflect on Term Two, there have been many achievements and celebrations as a St Francis of Assisi community. Students have had opportunities to participate in ANZAC Day, National Sorry Day and Reconciliation liturgies, NAPLAN, Years 1, 2, 3 and Year 4 excursions, Year 2 Celebration of Learning assembly, class and grade Masses, Mary Poppins musical and of course many learning opportunities in the classrooms. In addition, our students have benefited from getting back on the sporting field, attending our school cross country carnival and South Coast netball gala day. Last Friday, we held our school Athletics Carnival, which was a great day. Thank you to Mr Murphy, Mrs Briscoe, and Mrs Mansbridge for organising the carnival. Thank you to the staff for ensuring the day ran smoothly and the parents who volunteered and came to support the students. It takes staff, parents and students working together for these days to be successful.
I hope the holiday period is a special time with your family.
Thank you for all your support this term.
Wishing you all a safe and restful school holiday break.
Please remember the families of our school community who need special prayers.
Mrs Vicky Davidson
Principal
“Parents and families are recognised as integral members of the school community and partners in their child’s education.”
Australian Council for Educational Research National School Improvement Tool, 2016
Parent-teacher-student conferences.
Thank you for attending our recent parent-teacher-student conferences. We appreciate you taking the time to meet with the teachers and hope that the conferences provided you with some valuable insights into your child’s progress. Please remember that you may contact your child's teacher at any time.
The holiday period is also a good time to check that all personal belongings have names on them. In particular, jackets, drink bottles and school hats.
As we approach Semester 2, it is important that the students continue to wear the full school uniform. Please check your child's uniform, including a school hat, school shoes and white joggers. Many thanks to those parents who ensure their children have haircuts that meet the expectations for students at St Francis of Assisi. Students are required to wear their hair in a neat and tidy manner. Thank you for continuing to support our uniform policy.
- Boys haircuts should be of an even cut
- Hair should be brushed and combed
- Hair should not be in a condition as to invite comment
- Long hair is to be tied back or plaited off the face and should not extend to cover the eyes
- Only navy, blue or yellow headbands, ribbons or scrunchies are to be worn in the hair
- Extreme styles, colouring or dyeing of hair is not permitted.
Updated Covid-19 restrictions
Thank you again to our parents and carers for making the changes to drop off and pick up. Please see the letter attached that was sent via the Compass app.
Unfortunately, we had to POSTPONE our Year 1 Celebration of Learning assembly this afternoon and the presentation of Athletics Medallions and Principal and Values awards.
We will plan to hold this in Week 1 of Term 3, pending further updates.
We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your support and understanding as we continue to keep our staff, students and families safe.
Supporting my child's behaviour at home and school.
It is typical for children’s behaviour to change as they grow and mature. This can result in some challenging behaviours either at home, at school or in both places. At school, we follow our PB4L procedures, and the consistency of these often supports your child in managing their behaviour. At home, it can be difficult to implement consequences if they haven’t been needed before. The Raising Children's Network website provides some great advice on things you can do to support your child's behaviour at home. Maggie Dent has a great website that offers great tips on managing behaviour, especially for boys. When a child’s behaviour does appear to be difficult to manage, a conversation between school and home is the best way forward to ensure consistency in both settings and results in a faster turnaround for your child in getting back on track. Teachers are always willing to talk to parents and carers about their children’s behaviours at a mutually convenient time. A change in a child’s behaviour can indicate that they are trying to tell you something, and it is worth investigating what might be going on. Please take some time to look at the websites. They can both be accessed via these links;
Raising Children's Network https://raisingchildren.net.au/
Maggie Dent https://www.maggiedent.com/
ICAS / UNSW Assessments for Years 3-6 LAST CALL
St Francis of Assisi will again be participating 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. Participation is voluntary.
Assessments can be ordered online at https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps, after entering the code LWH995. Sitting dates between 9 August – 3 September.
Mr Green
Assistant Principal
Staff Spirituality Day
This Friday, the staff will be spending their day in prayer and contemplation. Every year, as a staff, in all Catholic schools, we participate in a Spirituality Day whereby we have the opportunity to come together to deepen our faith and connection with God. We welcome this opportunity and look forward to some meaningful time together.
ACTIVATE
As part of the Year 6 Religion Curriculum, our Year 6 students will be involved in an Immersive Spiritual Experience called 'Activate' at St John’s Catholic Parish Primary School Dapto. Students from St Francis of Assisi will celebrate with other Catholic Schools in our Diocese. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the last Activate was postponed.
The new date for ACTIVATE is Friday 30 July. In Week 3 of Term 3. The students will travel to St John’s Dapto and participate in a spiritual day with the Diocesan Youth Ministry team. A Compass notification will be sent to parents in Week 1 of Term 3.
Confirmation
The final lesson for Confirmation was this week. Thank you to our parents for attending these lessons. Please keep all these students, their parents and sponsors in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament on Tuesday 20 July at 7.30 pm.
Reconciliation and First Communion
The information letter for Reconciliation and Communion will be sent early in Term 3. The Reconciliation meeting for Parents will be on Tuesday 27 July (Week 2, Term 3) at 7 pm in the Church. Please put this date in your diary.
Installation of Fr Damien as Parish Priest of Warrawong and Berkeley.
On Sunday 11 July, Fr Damien will be installed as Parish Priest of St Francis of Assisi Warrawong. Bishop Brian will concelebrate the Mass at 10 am. Our school community is invited to attend. A luncheon will follow the Mass in the school playground.
With the current change in Health Guidelines, parents and carers will be notified if there are any changes to this celebration. A Compass notification and email will be sent to parents and carers on Friday 9 July.
We congratulate Father Damien on this very special occasion.
Mrs Madaschi
Religious Education Coordinator
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
The wind did not detract from a wonderful day at our Athletics Carnival last Friday. It was great to be able to share a whole school carnival again. Congratulations to all of our students who participated with pride and gave everything a go! A big thanks to our staff - who worked tirelessly to support our students.
Thank you also to our amazing parent helpers for giving up your time. The day would not have been a success without your support.
Ribbons for each event in each age group (boys and girls) were presented to the first 3 places. Male and female age medallions will be presented in each age group (8-12yrs) early next term. Infants ribbons were presented for 5, 6 and 7 years 70m sprint event.
Soccer Gala Day - Friday 23 July
We will be entering teams in the Diocesan Soccer Gala Days in Week 2, Term 3. These will be made up of Senior (Year 5 and 6) and Junior (Year 3 and 4) students.
The Compass event was published today, with all relevant information attached to the event. We were fortunate to open this to all students who were interested in these grades.
Please note, that it is expected that parents will organise transport to these days (either for themselves, other family members or with other known families from school). Year 5 and 6 boys will be at Albion Park, Year 5 and 6 girls at Warrawong, and Year 3 and 4 will be at Nowra.
As always, you are welcome to see Mr Murphy at any time with any questions.
Term 3 Sport Dates
23 July - Soccer Gala Days - Year 3-6 @ Nowra, Albion Park and Warrawong
03 August - South Coast Athletics Carnival @ Beaton Park
10 August - Diocesan Athletics Trials @ Beaton Park
09 September - Junior Basketball Gala Day - Year 3-4 @ Berkeley
10 September - Senior Basketball Gala Day - Year 5-6 @ Berkeley
Best wishes for your sporting endeavours and have a safe and enjoyable break!
Mr Murphy
PUPIL FREE DAY
Friday 25 June
Students do not attend school on this day.
The last day of term for students is Thursday 24 June.
Happy School Holidays
MARY POPPINS Jnr - HOLY SPIRIT COLLEGE BELLAMBI
On Thursday 10 June, Year 3 and Year 4 travelled to Holy Spirit College Bellambi to watch the dress rehearsal of Mary Poppins Jr. It was a great opportunity for our students to experience a live show. The students loved the production and were captivated throughout. The College ran a very professional production performing their roles exceptionally, whether it was one of the acting roles, lighting design or part of the backstage crew. The students of Year 3 and Year 4 were wonderful representatives of St Francis of Assisi and should be proud of their responsibility shown throughout the day.
Jaxen 4G - I liked the second half of the production because there was more singing and my favourite character was Bert, the chimney sweeper. Mrs Briscoe explained the characters to me. I would watch another musical.
Makedde 4G - I liked it because it was active and entertaining. My favourite song was “A Spoonful of Sugar.”
Jasmin, Mia.D, Claudia, Zaynab – Year 4B
On 10June, Year 3 and Year 4 were invited to Holy Spirit College to experience the musical – Mary Poppins Jr. It was fabulous and perfect in every way! The students acted their parts really well, and their singing invited us all to sing along with them, especially the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “A Spoon Full of Sugar.” One of the characters who played the bird lady was Lilly-Rose C (an ex-student of our school). Ms Maitland’s daughter was also part of the chorus. Many of us had never seen a musical before, so it has left a delightful impression to see more musicals in the future.
Lucinda 3G - It was fun to watch live actors on stage. I loved the singing and dancing and found it very entertaining.
Aidan 3G - It was great! I liked the costumes, music and dancing. My favourite character was the chimney sweeper.
Mrs Adams - It was great seeing one of our ex-students dance in the chorus of the Mary Poppins Production. The singing was amazing! I especially enjoyed the scenes and props. It was wonderful to see a stage performance again.
Year 2 have been busy painting, cutting and moulding their way through many sea creatures as part of their unit “Under The Sea”. They loved creating their artworks and have learnt many skills along the way. Have a look at some of their wonderful creations!
Students in Year 3 have been learning new skills on their iPads through the use of an app called “Sketches School.” The students had the opportunity to experiment with the digital app and design illustrations, pictures and artworks using digital technologies. They used colour, tone, blending techniques, lines and textures to design a self-portrait of themselves.
Parents are invited and very welcome to attend the P&F meetings, which are held during the term. Details of the meetings will be advertised via Compass or the school newsletter.
The next P&F meeting will be held on Thursday 5 August 2021 at 3.30 pm.
All welcome!
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities but by Australians from all walks of life.
We recognised and celebrated NAIDOC Week today. The students participated in a variety of activities to honour this year’s theme “Heal Country, Heal our Nation.” It calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.
We began our day with a Liturgy led by Year 2, to acknowledge and reflect on the millions of Indigenous footprints that have travelled the Dreaming pathways and we gave thanks for their wisdom and knowledge. Each class were given a NAIDOC "Heal Country, Heal our Nation” coloring-in competition to complete and prizes will be awarded to each class. The winning students will receive an Indigenous stationery kit. The students also participated in the rotations that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.
Please see our next newsletter for photos of our NAIDOC Week celebrations.
Mrs Mansbridge
Refugee Week in Australia is always held from Sunday to Saturday of the week which includes 20 June (World Refugee Day). The event provides a platform where positive images of refugees can be promoted in order to create a culture of welcome throughout the country. The ultimate aim of the celebration is to create a better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia. This year's theme is “Unity”, our Harmony Day celebrations in Term 1 highlighted how powerful unity is in untapping potential and creating positive relationships.
You can read more about Refugee Week on the official website – Refugee Week.
A Litany for refugees
- Jesus, you and your family knew what it was like to live in a country where people were not safe. May those who flee their own country find a new home that is safe.
- Jesus, you and your family knew the terror and sorrow of leaving your home and country. May the refugees today find safety and ways to heal in a new place.
- Jesus you and your family returned home when it was safe. May countries become more safe so refugees can go home if they wish to.
- Jesus you stood up for those who were being badly treated. Help us to find ways to speak up for the sake of those seeking asylum in our country.
- Jesus, you welcomed the stranger. Help us to welcome all those refugees who seek a safe home in Australia.
- Jesus, you gave us the example of caring for everyone. May we follow you and have love and compassion for refugees
