Dear Parents and Carers

This weekend is the last Sunday in the Church's liturgical year, with the readings focusing on Jesus as Lord and King. The feast of Christ the King brings to a close the year's focus on the Gospel of Luke and reminds us the season of Advent is just beyond the horizon. The feast of Christ the King has implications for every aspect of our church life. We are reminded of the power of love in every part of our life. In the way Jesus' Christ our King' cares for us, He gives us an example of how we are to care for others.

Students' behaviour can change as we head into the last few weeks of the school year and the 'silly season' (lead-up to the excitement of Christmas). Many adults find this time of year busy, and our children can also feel tired and a little anxious. During the last few weeks of the year, there are lots of social events and late nights; students often stay up later due to daylight saving, and they begin to wind down. It is not uncommon for children to 'test the boundaries' as they fatigue in the last few weeks. This can result in friendship difficulties on the playground, poor decisions, and being reactive and more emotional than usual. Supporting children during these times is extremely important. Teaching them resilience and giving them tools to bounce back when things go wrong will also assist them in dealing with challenges as they grow and change. I encourage you to reach out to our staff if your child is feeling tired or a little anxious or if regular routines change due to work commitments or the busyness of the end of the year. Please let us know where we can be of any assistance if you have any questions, concerns or information which may better help us support you and your child's growth and learning.

As always, I thank you for your ongoing support.

Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL

Uniform Expectations
At St Francis, we take pride in our appearance, as we are representatives of the school when we wear our uniform. As we move into the remaining weeks of the term, please continue to follow our uniform expectations. Please remember to remove all nail polish over the weekend if you have had some recent social engagements. Please see below some of our uniform expectations.

Hair

• Is to be kept neat at all times; 
• Is to be the child's natural colour – colouring or dyeing of hair is not permitted;
• Is to be plaited or tied back off the face if hair is shoulder length or longer, or covers students' eyes; and
• Is to be tied only with navy blue or light blue ribbons, scrunchie or clips.

Hair cuts should not be too short – e.g, no number one haircuts or unusual styles/cuts. All hair must be cut evenly with no line mark styles.

Jewellery

• No fingernail polish or makeup is to be worn. 
• A watch, a pair of plain earrings for girls only, one in each ear (studs or sleepers only), a religious cross, medal are the only items of jewellery permission to be worn at school. 
• Please keep bracelets and fashion bangles at home. Thank you.

Hats and Socks
Thank you to our students who have been wearing their school hats to and from school and during breaks. Thank you also for remembering to wear the correct socks!

Bring A Drink Bottle to School
Don't forget to bring a drink bottle to school every day. A filling station is available for the children to refill drink bottles during the day. Please also check to see if your name is on your drink bottle. Thank you!

Congratulations to those students who received the Principal and Value Awards at our assembly in Week 4. We are proud of our students. Well done!

CLASS	Principal's Award	Value - Acceptance
Kindy Blue	Mohamed	Arianna
Year 1 Gold	Isaac	Kendall
Year 2 Blue	Joseph	Neveah
Year 3 Gold	Fatima	Marcus
Year 4 Blue	Victoria	Claudia
Year 5 Gold	Ronan	Layla
Year 6 Blue	Manee	Makkede
Year 6 Gold	Eva	Thomas

On Remembrance Day on Friday 11 November, we remembered the courageous men and women who gave their lives in wartime and as a result of war.  As we remember the lives that have been lost, let us promise each other to work for the freedom of all who are oppressed in the world today.  We ask this prayer in the name of Jesus who taught us how to live. Amen.  

Lest we forget.

Term 4 Sporting Events

The children and their families have enjoyed getting to know the school, meeting staff, and making new friends while learning through play! We can't get enough of these smiling faces.  We look forward to seeing you all again at our next Playgroup session.

P&F Events
This term the P&F will be organising a Christmas Raffle and School Disco.  More information will be provided closer to the events.  If you are interested in helping with these events, please contact the School Office at info@sfawdow.catholic.edu.au.

* Reminder texts are automatically be issued *
* Weekly BPay Payments are Required *

PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY INSTALMENT 2023
If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments eg Weekly to Fortnightly.  Please check that you have setup your payments to continue for 2023.

FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL WITHOUT INSTALMENTS
Fee accounts are due by 28 February annually unless a Payment Instalment form is completed and weekly payments setup. If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2023 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form below.  On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit to the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2023 school fees. Your school fee statement will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date depending on the frequency you have chosen eg Fortnightly, Monthly, etc.

Dear Year 6 Parents
We advise the Compass account for Year 6 students will automatically close at the end of the school year.  Please remember to log in and download your child's school reports for your own records before Friday 16 December 2022.

Following a change to COVID-19 rules on Friday 14 October 2022, it is no longer mandatory for people who test positive to COVID-19 to self-isolate at home.

A reminder to keep students home if they are unwell and check with RAT or PCR test, and advise the school.  Students can return to school when they are well and symptom free. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school. Let's keep everyone safe.