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Dear Parents and Carers
Last Sunday was the start of the new liturgical year. Advent is a time of hopeful expectation. During this season, we reflect on Jesus’ birth and his second coming. Advent is a four-week liturgical period where we allow our hearts and minds to become focused on encountering Jesus, who is God’s gift to the entire world. If there was ever a perfect time to reflect on hope, expectations, and our readiness to receive our Saviour once more in our lives, this is the time. We must be ready to walk in this hope which will light our way to peace. May the four candles of our advent wreath serve as a reminder of our journey with God.
Christ, our Light, shine in our lives with hope and promise.
Give us right vision so that we remain attentive to this holy season.
Remind us to look for you in small acts of kindness and love.
We await your coming with wonder.
Amen
Mrs Vicky Davidson
PRINCIPAL
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9 December |
End of Year Liturgy in the Church - 9 am |
K - 6 |
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9 December |
P&F Disco in Hall - 6 pm |
K - 6 |
|
12 December |
Semester Two Reports Home on Compass |
K - 6 |
|
12 December |
Whole School Talent Quest - 11.30 am |
K- 6 |
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13 December |
Year 6 Graduation - Mass 6 pm |
K- 6 |
|
15 December |
Christmas Concert with Andrew Chinn - 6.30 pm |
K- 6 |
Student Leaders 2023
In recent weeks our Year 5 students have been considering their call to leadership for 2023. While each of the students at St Francis of Assisi is called to leadership and the service of others, each year, our Year 6 students have a particular responsibility to be positive role models for the younger students by demonstrating our school values - Respect, Honesty, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Faith, Care and Stewardship. As a Catholic community, we have a wonderful role model for leadership in Jesus. His life provides an example of how to live and interact within our school community, our families and the wider world. Student leadership, therefore, needs to be seen as an opportunity for our young people to use their gifts and talents for the service of the community. I ask that you keep all the students in your prayers as they reflect on their own and others' leadership capacities and capabilities.
Next Monday, our Year 5 candidates will present their speeches to their peers. Staff and students will then have the opportunity to complete a survey with focus questions to nominate students for leadership roles. All the best, Year 5!
2023 Compulsory School Uniform requirements
When returning to school for the 2023 school year, it is required all students are in the correct school uniform, including sport polo, navy shorts, girl's summer tunic and wearing the correct black leather school shoes and predominately white school joggers for sport. Parents are requested to purchase predominately white joggers when your child requires new shoes or at the start of the 2023 school year, thereby adhering to the School Uniform Policy.
Examples of appropriate joggers.
2023 - Sports shoes do not need to be expensive; they can have some colour on them but must be predominately white. Thank you for your continued support.
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As we come to the end of the school year, it is a time to celebrate each student's achievements and learning during the second half of the year.
Student learning progress will be formally reported to parents and carers on Monday 12 December.
The Kindergarten to Year 6 Semester two reports are standards-referenced, which in NSW means reporting based on the Common Grade Scale. Standards-referenced reporting requires teachers to consider the performance of each student according to the standard detailed at each level (A-E) of the Common Grade Scale for each Key Learning Area (KLA).
Students are then awarded a grade based on the evidence teachers have of their learning in that particular KLA and the standard it reflects. According to the Common Grade Scale, a ‘C’ grade is considered sound. That is, if awarded a C in a particular KLA the student has demonstrated that they have gained the knowledge, skills and understanding expected of them at that point in time.
The Common Grade Scale
The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of the five grade levels.
| A | The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations. |
| B | The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations. |
| C | The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills. |
| D | The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills. |
| E | The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills. |
OTHER REPORT FEATURES INCLUDE:
Overall grades
Each KLA has an overall grade that is determined by the teacher by considering the evidence of each student’s learning and the standard on the Common Grade Scale it reflects. Overall grades are not determined by averaging performance on strands within a KLA. In many cases more time has been dedicated to learning in one strand over others and this contributes significantly to the balanced judgement a teacher is required to make in order to award an overall grade. It is not unusual for a student’s overall grade to change from one reporting period to the next as the knowledge, skills and understanding they encounter in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next. The Common Grade Scale is included on the front of the report.
Commitment to Learning
Commitment to Learning captures the student’s attitude to the particular KLA and their skills in managing their work, persisting when challenged and working to their potential. A scale explaining the three standards used in Commitment to Learning is included on the front of the report.
It is not unusual for a student’s overall grade to change from one reporting period to the next as the knowledge, skills and understandings they learn in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next.
Important Dates
On Monday 12 December, semester two reports will be sent to parents, via the Compass Parent Portal. Parent/Teacher meetings are available upon request.
Please take the time to view the video below on helpful tips on reports.
Christmas Concert with Andrew Chinn
Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to lead an Advent/Christmas Concert with our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. Parents and parishioners are warmly invited to be a part of the celebration of faith and fun. There is no charge for adults. We look forward to seeing you there!
Congratulations!
As part of our PB4L rewards systems, students are awarded Happy Cards for following our rules of Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe while in our playground areas. When a student has received:
* 10 Happy Cards - they receive a Playground Award and a small treat
* 20 Happy Cards - they receive a Citizenship Award and a Bronze Medallion
* 40 Happy Cards - they receive a Citizenship Award and a Silver Medallion.
Congratulations to the following students who received their awards at the Week 6 Assembly.
| Playground Award | Thayir.S and Sophia.T |
| Citizenship Award - Bronze | Karem.Y and Braedyn.S |
| Citizenship Award - Silver | Celina.Y |
PB4L
Please remind your children, that school our school rules BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFUL, BE SAFE are especially important as we approach the end of the term.
2022 Talent Show
Our Annual St Francis of Assisi Talent Show is being held on Monday 12 December at 11.15am. Auditions are in the final process. Please see your class teacher if you have any questions.
Numeracy Information
Listed below are a variety of Maths questions that children can solve to help them develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills. Please change the numbers to support your child's needs.
Highlight the keywords and numbers in the problem. What strategies did you use to solve each problem?
Charlie owns 8 birds. Each bird eats 3 worms a day. How many worms will Charlie need each day to feed all of his birds?
Farmer Bill has 9 cows. It is cold in winter and Bill has decided to buy slippers for all of his cows to keep them warm. How many slippers would the farmer need to purchase?
If a pair of slippers cost $18.00, how much will Bill spend if he purchases slippers for all of his cows?
On a farm, there were some hens and sheep. Altogether there were 8 heads and 22 feet. How many hens were there?
Ten cards are put into five envelopes so that there are two cards in each envelope. The sum of the numbers inside it is written on each envelope. What numbers could be inside the envelope?
Mr Rod Green
Assistant Principal
Advent - Happy New Year! 
It may seem early to be considering New Year’s resolutions, however, in our Church, the new liturgical year began last weekend with the First Sunday of Advent. With that in mind, now is as good a time as any to be thinking about making some new year’s resolutions around our spiritual life and wellbeing. These ideas from CatholicLink might be a good place to start.
If you have visited any major shopping centers lately, you have probably noticed that it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Perhaps you have started getting into the festive spirit yourself by putting up your Christmas tree, nativity scene, and other Christmas decorations. Maybe you have purchased an Advent calendar with some description to help you count down to the celebration of Christmas.
Arguably, one of the most widely recognised symbols of Advent is the Advent wreath. The Advent wreath symbolises our spiritual preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. During Advent, we prepare our hearts to receive the Good News that God has blessed our world with the birth of Jesus by allowing our loving God - who is with us always - to enter our hearts. It is a time of watching, waiting, hoping, and praying. Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions could be to invest in your family’s prayer life. You may like to set up an Advent wreath in your home and use it when you pray together as a family.
- The Advent Wreath’s evergreen, the circular shape reminds us of God’s endless love for us.
- The three violets (purple) candles remind us of our waiting, longing, and preparation for Jesus’ coming at Christmas.
- The rose (pink) candle reminds us of the joy and hope that will replace our longing, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
- The white candle, if included, is the sign of Jesus’ birth and the new life that comes to us through his death and resurrection.
This CatholicLink infographic provides the focus of each week of Advent.
Lighting the candles of the Advent wreath:
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- First Sunday & week of Advent
light only 1 violet candle. - Second Sunday & week of Advent
light 2 violet candles. - Third Sunday & week of Advent
light 2 violet candles and the rose candle. - Fourth Sunday & week of Advent
light 3 violet candles and the rose candle. - Christmas Day – light all candles.
- First Sunday & week of Advent
Christmas Hampers for St Vincent de Paul
Thank you to all of the families that have sent in items for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers over the last few weeks, your generosity is much appreciated! Our food items will be collected by representatives from the St Vincent de Paul society tomorrow and they will soon be on the way to families in need in preparation for Christmas. Thanks again!
Christmas Hearts
This week, we are sending home a cardboard heart for children and/or families to turn into an ornament for our parish Christmas tree. The idea is to decorate and write “Happy birthday, Jesus!” on one side of the heart and to write a prayer for your family and/or the needs of the world on the other side. In this way, we can keep our hearts and minds focused on the real meaning of Christmas. If your family chooses to create a Christmas prayer ornament, you can return it either to the church this weekend or bring it to school early next week. If you would like extra hearts to create multiple ornaments, there will be some blank ones available in the church.
End of Year Celebrations
| End of Year Liturgy | Friday 9 December | 9.00am |
| Year 6 Graduation Mass | Tuesday 13 December | 6.00pm |
| Christmas Concert | Thursday 15 December | 6.30pm |
| Friday 2 December | Year 5 Gold |
Parish News
Children’s Nativity Play 
There will be a children’s nativity play before the 6:30pm Christmas Eve Mass at St Francis of Assisi church. As noted in our last newsletter, the parish is looking for children to be involved in the retelling of the Christmas story. If your child would like to be involved, please let Ms Maloney, Mrs Briscoe or Sr Anna know. There will be an initial rehearsal on Wednesday 14 December at 3pm in the church and another one closer to Christmas.
Continuation of First Holy Communion Celebrations
Last weekend, our two parish communities of St Mary of the Rosary, Berkeley and St Francis of Assisi, Warrawong were able to celebrate with some of the children who recently celebrated their First Communion. Special thanks to Tom from the Legion of Mary - a lay Catholic organisation in our church - who provided mini Rosaries for all of the children and to Deacon Mick who arranged for each child to receive a pamphlet on how to pray the Rosary. Thanks also to Deacon Mick for making sure we had cake and drinks at our two gatherings! If your child was involved in the First Communion Mass that was celebrated at Warrawong on November 20, and you were not at the celebrations over the weekend, your child’s certificate will be available for collection at either of the weekend Masses this weekend.
The Ministry of Altar Serving
On Sunday, the topic of altar serving was raised during a conversation with a child who recently made their First Communion. This brief discussion revealed there is a misconception that altar serving is a ministry only for boys. Not true! The ministry of altar serving is open to both boys and girls so if you have a child who is interested in serving at either of our parish churches, speak to Deacon Mick or Ms Maloney.
Religious Education Coordinator
Thank you to everyone who joined our parish community over the past two weekends to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This year, students in Years 3 and 4 received their First Holy Communion. Thank you to Father Mark, Father Colin, and Deacon Mick for concelebrating at our Masses. To Ms Maloney, teachers, catechists, parents, and carers, thank you for preparing the children for this special occasion. May you feel the presence of Jesus with you today and always. Congratulations on your special day.
| Date | Event | Attending | Venue |
| Friday 10 February | Swimming Carnival |
Years 2-6 | Berkeley Pool |
| Thursday 09 March | School Cross Country Carnival | K-6 | Integral Energy Park, Kembla Grange |
| Thursday 08 June | School Athletics Carnival | K-6 | Myimbarr Oval, Shellharbour |
Please join us for a Cuppa and Chat after the Talent Show on Monday 12 December at 12.30pm -1.30pm.
P&F AGM 2023
All Parents & Friends positions will be made vacant and an election will be held for new committee members for the 2023 P&F. The AGM has been scheduled to be held on Thursday 16 March from 3.30-4.30. Please see attached for further information.
Yesterday the students enjoyed a performance the school organised by Educational Incursion. The Wellbeing Show was an interactive performance that aims to promote the attitudes and behaviours that each student needs to acquire, in order to be successful academically, in social interactions with others and to generally experience happiness and wellbeing within themselves. The show highlighted positive behaviours and capabilities deemed essential for emotional, physical, social and academic success. This included being healthy, developing positive relationships, working together, being confident, being a good listener, being well organised and laughter. This was achieved within the context of fun, music and interactions. The show also modelled Values, including Caring, Doing Your Best, Honesty, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility. We thank Educational Incursion for a wonderful performance that all our students thoroughly enjoyed.
Congratulations to our Year 4 students who presented the final Celebration of Learning Assembly of 2022 with the school community. Year 4 led prayer, which included a song about Creation. They read some creative narratives and shared some interesting facts on Biomes and a video of their recent excursion. The students also selected their favourite artwork, which they shared with the audience. Thank you, Mrs Briscoe and our Year 4 students, for leading the assembly and presenting the awards.
It is always a special occasion when we acknowledge those students who received Principal and Value Awards. Congratulations to our Week 5 award recipients. We are proud of you all.
Our school takes part in the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment. This will take place from 31 January to Wednesday 6 February 2023, and your child will be rostered to attend a 1-hour session during this time. Due to the Best Start Assessment schedule, all Kindergarten students will commence their first day of school on Tuesday 7 February 2023. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.
KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION DAY
Monday 5 December at 9.30 am
Staff and Student Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthdays in December:
Karem.Y, Mohamad.J, Samuel.D, Joy.R, Lauren.C, Braedyn.S, Batoul.S, Amara.A, Hudson.S, Aya.H, Fatima.K, Sara.E, Mrs George and
Mr Murphy.
New digital form for student image consent
The safety and wellbeing of students are always our first priority. This includes protecting their privacy and respecting the wishes of parents and carers regarding the use of student photos, images, and work at all times.
At the start of each school year, you are asked to complete a paper form to provide your consent for images of your child to appear in various places (e.g., in school newsletters, social media, and promotional material). From 2023, this form will become digital and will be shared with you as an event in Compass. In the same way that you provide consent for your child to attend an excursion, you will now be able to simply reply to a Compass event to provide (or decline) consent related to the use of your child’s image or works.
What do you need to do?
During the Christmas vacation period, you will receive a new image consent event in Compass. Please read the details of the event carefully, discuss it with your child, and once you have made your decision, either provide your consent or decline to provide consent. To ensure that no child misses out on having their photo taken as part of school life, we will occasionally send reminders to parents and carers who have yet to complete the event.
If you have any questions about this change or the image consent form in general, please contact the school and we will be happy to discuss this further with you.
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is a United Nations day celebrated on 3 December each year to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. By acknowledging this important day, we can take action to remove barriers for the 4.4 million Australians with disability and contribute to positive change in our classrooms and our community.
This year St Francis of Assisi will mark the International Day of People with Disability by engaging with a learning experience in our classrooms. Together, we can all take action to challenge perceptions about disability, remove barriers and promote inclusive and respectful attitudes and behaviours in our community.
For more information about IDPwD, including resources, stories, videos and social tiles, visit www.idpwd.com.au or follow @idpwd on Facebook and Twitter, or @idpwd_au on Instagram. You can also help spread the word and join the conversation online using #IDPwD.
A friendly reminder 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.
ASPIRE OSHC
Before & After school care
AVAILABLE at St Francis School
$500 Government Vouchers available to use
Visit Website: www.aspire-oshc.com.au/st-francis-of-assisi-warrawong
Book Now online here
* 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.
| Term 1 | Friday 27 January - Thursday 6 April | |
| Friday 27 & Monday 30 January | PUPIL FREE DAYS | |
| Tuesday 31 January | 1st Day of School Years 1 - 6 | |
| Tuesday 7 February | 1st Day for Kindergarten | |
| Wednesday 15 March | NAPLAN begins for Years 3 and 5 | |
| Term 2 | Monday 24 April - Friday 30 June | |
| TBA | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Term 3 | Monday 17 July - Friday 22 September | |
| TBA | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Term 4 | Monday 9 October - Tuesday 19 December | |
| Monday 18 & Tuesday 19 December | PUPIL FREE DAYS |
What this means for students and school staff
- If a student or staff member is unwell and has any COVID-19 symptoms, even the mildest of symptoms, they should stay home and test.
- Students and staff who are unwell with any cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms (whether they have tested positive or not) should not attend school until their symptoms are gone.
- To limit the possible spread of illness amongst the school community, students and staff displaying COVID-19 symptoms at school will continue to be sent home until their symptoms are gone (students and staff with persistent symptoms, e.g. hayfever, will continue to be able to attend with a letter from their medical practitioner).
Steps we can take to keep our school community safe
- The most important step we can all take is to stay home when we have cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, and not return to school until the symptoms are gone.
- Please continue to notify the school if your child tests positive for COVID-19.
- We strongly encourage all students, staff and visitors to follow NSW Health guidance. We will continue with the COVID-smart measures that have been in place over the last few terms. This includes a combination of encouraging vaccination, supporting mask-wearing (with masks still required in some settings), rapid antigen testing, ventilation, hygiene and enhanced cleaning
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.
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