Dear Parents & Caregivers,
We hope you enjoyed the recent long weekend. On Monday, our staff participated in a faith retreat focused around Christian Meditation. It was facilitated by Lisa Harrison, who guided staff through the many forms of meditation available and practicable uses in the classroom. Some excellent learning was undertaken and it reinforced the importance of quieting the mind for learning.
NEW FAMILIES
Next Tuesday, we will welcome Noah Robertson (3W) to our school community. Noah and his family have heard wonderful things about our community and are excited to start their journey at SFOA.
STAFFING
In some staffing announcements, Mrs Emma Coad (1W) has resigned from her position as Year 1 teacher, effective at the conclusion of Term 3. She will be exploring other teaching opportunities. Mrs Gina Vescovi has also advised that she will be resigning from her position as Science teacher at the conclusion of Term 3. Mrs Vescovi is currently on leave so will not be returning to her role. Mrs Tara Coker will continue as Science teacher for the remainder of the year as planned. Mrs Evans (1B) will also begin her maternity leave at the conclusion of Term 3. Finally, Mrs Anderson has requested another year of leave to continue her role at Holy Rosary. We are currently finalising staff to replace Mrs Coad and Mrs Evans and will advise parents accordingly very soon.
NATIONAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SURVEY (NSI) & QUALITY CATHOLIC EDUCATION SCHOOL REVIEW (QCESR)
In Term 2, all major stakeholders, parents, teaching staff, non-teaching staff and children were involved in two processes to review our past three years school improvement journey. The NSI Survey and QCESR. Both processes allowed us to reflect and celebrate areas of strength, whilst also identifying areas for improvement. Overwhelmingly, the data reflects a very positive story for our school. I have listed some main points below:
Strengths
- Strong sense of community
- Clarity around vision, mission and the teaching and learning occurring in our school
- Strong student voice and a sense of pride for their school
- Parents feel communication is excellent
- Fantastic reputation in the community and almost 100% parents would recommend this school
Areas to Consider
- Affirming the cultural diversity across the school
- Feedback on assessments and student progress
For those parents who wish to read the QCESR report in full, I have placed it on our school website and it can be accessed here:
https://bit.ly/3QOtLCh
There is also a summary of the NSI Survey which was completed by 105 of our parents. This is accessed via the website or from this link:
https://bit.ly/3AKVvlD
BOOK WEEK PARADE
Yesterday marked our annual Book Week Parade for this year's theme - Dreaming with Eyes Wide Open. Thank you to all the parents who spent time getting their child into costumes and making sure they brought along the book. There were some fantastic outfits! A winner was nominated from each class to receive a book prize. Congratulations to the following students:
Charlie Hayman (KB), Isabella Banghi Lago (KW), Mack Lynton (PPB), Teddy Hagan (PPB), Jedd Hitchcock (PPW), Siara Westerhout (1B), Arie Boschman (1W), Rylan Hitchcock (2B), Bianca Banghi Lago (2W), Lily Bassanelli (3B), Oliver Whitehouse (3W), Sadie Garrigan (4B), Sean Viviers (4W), Olivia Brown (5B), Ella Kingsley (5B), Ronan O'Reilly (6B), Isaac Tiebout (6W).
BOOK FAIR - TUE 29/8 - Fri 2/9
Next week we will be holding the Scholastic Book Fair. Scholastic will provide a selection of books for purchase before and after school in our library. Parents are encouraged to visit the book fair and encourage their child to purchase a book of interest. The Fair will have extended hours on the Friday as we welcome those fathers who will be in the school celebrating Father's Day with their children. Please watch out for notifications around the school and on our internet platforms as confirmation of times the Fair will be opened will be displayed. We are very keen on promoting reading and the Scholastic Book Fair provides an opportunity for children to be excited about books! A percentage of the sales will come back to the school which we plan on using to purchase more home readers for a variety of year levels. Thank you to Mrs Howell and Mrs Bowden for coordinating.
FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST - FRI 2nd SEP
A reminder to all Dads and Father figures (or mum's/others that play that role) that we will be holding our annual Father's Day Breakfast next Friday 2nd Sep from 7:45am. Following this, children can take their guest through the classrooms. Then at 8:45am, the Year 3 classes will be presenting their Father's Day themed assembly. For catering purposes, if you are available to attend, please advise via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/st-francis-fathers-day-breakfast-tickets-404374774837
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
An early reminder to parents of our SFOA Athletics Carnival, which will take place on Friday 16th September. Should the weather be unsuitable, the backup day has been scheduled for Wed 21st September. This year, we will be holding the Jumps, Throws and 400m for our Year 3-6 children on Wed 14th September. Parents are encouraged to attend both the Wednesday (Year 3-6 Jumps, Throws, 400m) and the Friday (Athletics Carnival whole school). More information will be provided by Ms Hamilton closer to the date.
TERM 3 IMPORTANT DATES
Attached below is a list of Term 3 important events. Please familiarise yourself with the remaining dates. So please stay informed through the newsletter, attached events list and also your class news from the classroom teacher.
Good luck to our Choir who are at Performing Arts today, they will be performing two songs at the Vasto Club in Balcatta, as part of the Spirit of the Arts Festival. We also wish our Year 6's well tomorrow, who are competing in the Year 6 Spring Carnival in Badminton, Basketball and Rugby. Thanks to Mr Cunniffe for all his coordination of the Performing Arts and Ms Hamilton for the preparation for the Spring Carnival.
Have a great fortnight.
Best wishes
Jason Baker
Principal
