During our Zoom meetings last week, I heard the Year 4 teachers asking the students one thing they were grateful for, a simple practice of sharing a sense of gratitude. As a principal, listening to the students articulate what they were grateful for made me think that even in these challenging times, these students were full of hope. As a Catholic School, it is easy to see the hand of God at work in the generosity and support of many people.

Gratitude is a simple word and a simple concept. Better still, it requires little time and even less money.

Mrs Davidson’s challenge for you, in the spirit of gratitude.

•  I invite you to reach out to at least one person this week with a phone call, a short note or a text message and tell them how grateful you are for who they are and the work they do.
• Each day wake up and think of three things for which you are grateful – this is a wonderful way to start the day!

Please feel free to share the ways you have reached in gratitude. I would love to share these in our next newsletter.

A PRAYER OF GRATITUDE

Feasts and Celebrations
Over the next two weeks, we celebrate some significant feast days. The two important feast days in our Catholic Church - St Mary of the Cross MacKillop (Australia’s First Saint) on the 8 August, and the Assumption on the 15 August.

Parish Church Sacraments
At this stage, Confirmation is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 14 September. We are preparing a proposal for the Reconciliation program and will communicate the plan as soon as possible.

International Day of World Indigenous People
On the 9 August each year, we celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This is a time to remember the Indigenous people from around the world. We give thanks for the sacredness of the traditions and cultures of our Indigenous sisters and brothers, who, through their example, have enlightened our way to walk gently upon this earth which our Creator has gifted us. 

Acknowledgment of Country 
We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's past, present, and emerging and pledge our individual and collective commitment to healing the wounds of the past and moving forward in a true spirit of recognition and reconciliation with all Australians. 

Call to Prayer
Nurturing God, You have loved each of us into being;
May your Spirit continue to be at work within each one of us.
As we celebrate World Indigenous Peoples Day, we thank you especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who give so much to our country Australia and our culture. 

We pray that we listen to their voice as they speak of their desires, hopes and dreams for their lives and the life of this nation.
In this time of growing consciousness of climate change, the world’s Indigenous peoples remind us of our need to increase our mindfulness of the fragility of our global environment. May we listen to their wisdom. 

May we all commit ourselves to seeking justice for all people and show a willingness to find positive solutions that include all. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen 

Reflecting on the meaning of this Day 
There are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 percent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own worldviews and priorities. 

Although numerous indigenous peoples worldwide are self-governing and some have been successful in establishing autonomy in varying forms, many indigenous peoples still come under the ultimate authority of central governments who exercise control over their lands, territories, and resources. Despite that reality, indigenous peoples have demonstrated extraordinary examples of good governance, ranging from the Haudenosaunee to the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting populations all over the world that were already suffering from poverty, illness, discrimination, institutional instability or financial insecurity. From the perspective of indigenous peoples, the contrast is even starker. In many of our societies, the social contract, at the very least, needs some revision. 

As we fight against the spread of the pandemic, it is more important than ever to safeguard indigenous peoples and their knowledge. Their territories are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity and they can teach us much about how to rebalance our relationship with nature and reduce the risk of future pandemics. 

Indigenous peoples are seeking their own solutions to this pandemic. They are taking action and using traditional knowledge and practices such as voluntary isolation, and sealing off their territories, as well as preventive measures. Once again they have shown their capability to adapt. 

Let us pray together as we walk as one:

The Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) 8 August 
Mary MacKillop was born in 1842 in (Fitzroy) Melbourne (Australia). On 8 August 1909.she died, having suffered a disabling stroke in 1902. Inspired by a meeting with Fr. Julian Tenison-Woods, Mary MacKillop at the age of 25 took her vows and the religious name, “Mary of the Cross”. In doing so, she founded the congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph. Soon after taking her religious vows, Mary MacKillop began schools. Within 5 years of taking her vows and founding the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Mary had established over 30 schools in South Australia, and over 100 women had joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph. 

Mary MacKillop was very conscious of the plight of the poor and needy. She worked with families that lived in isolated areas of Australia. As a result, Mary MacKillop pioneered a new form of religious life in Australia and commenced a “system” of “Josephite" schools that would provide education, especially for the children of the poor. In 1873, Pope Pius IX gave Papal approval for the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Even today, many Australians can say that they too have felt the impact of the enormous work started by St. Mary of the Cross (MacKillop), having been educated or cared for, by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. She was noted for her trust in the providence of God and miracles of healing have been attributed to her. She was declared a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI on the 17th October 2010. 

The Roman Missal has the following prayer for the Feast of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop: 

O God, source of all goodness,
who have shown us in Saint Mary
a woman of faith living by the power of the Cross, teach us, we pray,
by her example to live the gospel in changing times
and to respect and defend the human dignity of all in our land.
Through our Lord. All: Amen 

“Never see a need without doing something about it.” 

The opening prayer from the Roman Missal  (Mass of the Feast of St. Mary of the Cross) © 2012. Catholic Education
Office, Sydney. Free for use in schools. Licenced by NEALS. 

Mrs Madaschi
Religious Education Coordinator

It was wonderful to hear from Sienna and her family last week.
Sienna has been receiving treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for the past two years. She had her last test on the 20 July. Her results came back last week to say she is in remission having been negative since the end of 2020. This has been a long journey for Sienna and the family and it was wonderful to hear this special news.
Due to the COVID lockdown, Sienna was unable to ring the bell at Sydney Children’s Hospital. The ringing of the bell is used as a symbol to mark the end of treatment or the achievement of a major milestone faced by many children each year, as well as being a beacon of hope for those still in treatment.
Sienna’s father said they couldn’t miss the opportunity to share this moment with the family so the family set up a bell for Sienna to ring at home. Sienna is looking forward to ringing the bell at Sydney Children’s Hospital when lockdown restrictions are lifted.  

Term 3 Sport Dates

Thank you to Year 4 students and your families for the amazing efforts we are seeing in your remote learning. You have completed all class activities with enthusiasm and we have enjoyed the photos and videos you have sent in. It has been wonderful to be able to work together through our zoom meetings. We’ve also been able to have a bit of fun with our weekly challenges and zoom home scavenger hunt! Keep up the awesome effort everyone!

Mrs Matos & Mrs Briscoe
Year 4 Class Teachers

Year 2 was asked to make an Australian poster to cheer on the Australian Olympic Team. They were asked to make a sign for our Australian Olympic team or a favourite athlete they would like to cheer on. Have a look at some of their creations!

Mrs Zaffonato & Mrs Mansbridge
Year 2 Class Teachers

It has been great to see some of the students connect to some of the zoom meetings this week. With the remote learning in many areas, many teachers are using Zoom to connect with their students. Zoom is a web-based video conferencing tool similar to Skype which can also be used to connect with friends and relatives. 

Remember that school PB4L rules and expectations apply when using Zoom:
All zoom meetings are recorded.

• 
  Always listen and be respectful when others are speaking
• Have your microphone on mute until you are asked to speak
• Wait your turn – teachers will give you a signal to use, like raising your hand, if you have something to say
• Keep the camera on so that the teacher and other students can see you
• Be presentable, dressed in appropriate clothes
• Find a quiet spot without distraction (not within your bedroom)
• Don’t let your background become a distraction
• Be on time

Thank you for your engagement in our Remote Learning. We are very aware that most parents are working with children also learning at home. We understand that you may be limited in the support you can provide for your child and therefore some of their work may not get done. If the students are not able to get all their tasks done in a day that is okay.
At the bottom of the class pages, you will see all the slides for the last two weeks. Students may go in at any time and access these slides.

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 8.30 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-4) or Google Classroom (5-6). 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 during 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.

School photo day has been rescheduled to be held on Thursday 14 October, Term 4 Week 2. Students will wear summer school uniforms (no sports uniforms). Orders will be placed online.  This information will be provided closer to the date.

The PRC has been extended for those who are participating. The Challenge now closes for students on Friday 3 September 2021.

• All students on the Challenge will now be able to read 10 choice books
• All students can now add books that they read independently, collaboratively as a class, in person or online with their teachers or at home with their parents/ carers.

So, let’s get our ‘reading on’ and complete this challenge with a BANG!

• How can students add choice books to their reading records?
• How do I find books for students to read from home?

Student site: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/studentExperience.html#/

Role of parents and families highlighted during the bicentenary of
Catholic Education in Australia

Catholic schools across Australia will celebrate Family Week from 8 – 14 August 2021, to recognise the significant contribution parents, carers and families have made to the foundation, growth, and continuity of Catholic schools in Australia over 200 years.

Family Week coincides with the Feast Day of Australia’s First Saint, Mary MacKillop, who was a passionate educator and advocate for children and families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Keeping Calm and Connected: Mindfulness Sessions
CatholicCare has made available Keeping Calm and Connected: Mindfulness Sessions, offered as recordings and accessible through the website below. The website also includes an audio recording of the mindfulness reflection exercise 'A time to reflect with pride, love, and gratitude during COVID-19'.

The sessions focus on the following, with recordings ranging from 11 – 20 minutes:

• Mindfulness
• Mindfulness & Self Care
• Mindfulness & Sleep
• Mindfulness & Compassion
• Mindfulness & Worry
• Mindfulness & Gratitude

As we currently navigate this most recent COVID challenge, these resources help us to remember the importance of looking after and being kind to ourselves, whether it be watching these recordings, or something else that brings you calm and joy. 

School Counselling
During remote learning, students may experience high levels of stress due to the changes that are happening around them. They are separated from friends, others may be worried about getting sick.  

St Francis of Assisi works closely with CatholicCare to ensure the pastoral needs of all students and their families are supported. We aim to be proactive in meeting the social, emotional and spiritual needs of our students.

Our CatholicCare school counsellor Mrs Barbara Woods is available to work with children and their families to support their social and emotional wellbeing. To book an appointment with our school counsellor, please contact the school office.

Green Connect Care packages to
Illawarra Families in Need

registration_info.pdf

CHILDREN'S EARLY START DISCOVERY for PARENTS

The learner-friendly house Speaker Series, a Q&A with UOW Early Start researchers. Consisting of four presentations to discuss the learner-friendly household and how to maximise your child’s abilities.

Wednesday Aug 4 - 6.00pm Week One
The importance of food and movement for learning and cognition

You will learn:

• The dietary, physical activity and sleep factors that are associated with improved learning and cognition
• How to ensure that your child is getting a well-balanced dietary intake, and enough physical activity and sleep

Wednesday Aug 11 - 6.00pm Week Two
How to see math in the home and the environment

You will learn:

• The importance of mathematics learning in the early years for future success.
• How to see maths in the home and the environment, and bring it to life in our every day.
• How to use the vehicle of play and everyday materials in the home, to engage with mathematical concepts of patterning, symmetry, measurement and number learning.
• The language of maths and how to use simple questions and mathematical terminology to extend the learning.

Wednesday Aug 18 - 6.00pm Week Three
The importance of play for development: A focus on literacy

we will:

• Explore possibilities for literacy learning through play. 
• Consider the materials, time, and spaces for play, and the interactions children have with peers and adults. 
• Examine what play might offer for all children.

Wednesday Aug 25 - 6.00pm Week Four 
Responding to Challenging Behaviours –The Important Role of Children’s Self-Regulation

You will learn:
Together we will explore the way adults and our environments shape children’s self-regulation,

and examine specific play-based activities that can be used to support young children across a range of contexts.