St Francis of Assisi News

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

This Sunday we celebrate Mother's Day, which is a day to honour and celebrate mothers, motherhood, and the maternal bonds that caregivers have with their children. This day is an opportunity to show appreciation for all that our mothers do and the love and care they provide for us. It is a time to thank the mother figures for their unconditional support, sacrifices, and guidance throughout our lives. This may include grandmothers, step-mum's, aunty's or even Dad's who play the role of both mother and father.

In addition to celebrating individual mother figures, Mother's Day also serves as a reminder of the importance of motherhood and the vital role that being a mother plays in society. It is a time to recognise and honour the many contributions that mothers make to their families, communities, and the world at large. Mother's Day is a meaningful and significant holiday that allows us to express our love and appreciation for the incredible women who have shaped and influenced our lives in countless ways.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Last Friday, the staff undertook some professional learning around RULER and began our staff charter. Just as the children developed their own Student Code of Conduct to ensure all children feel Safe, Cared For, Included, Welcomed and Happy; the staff worked through a process to identify how we wanted to feel at work. It was a very positive day that affirmed a lot of the work already being done in our school for our staff. A number of staff will be attending a professional learning opportunity on Monday at Sacred Heart College with Professor Marc Brackett. There will also be a parent workshop available for parents on Monday evening. If you are interested in attending either in person or virtually, please see the details attached.

NUMERACY WEEK

Last week we held our Numeracy Week across the school with a focus on engaging and fun maths activities. There were a couple of great incursions, including problem solving from the World of Maths and a financial literacy workshop for our Year 5's. We also had lunchtime activities that were well attended and a before school problem solving challenge that stumped a few parents as well! A big thanks go to Miss Cruse, Mrs Rossi, Mrs Hunt, Mrs Bond and Mr Clarke for coordinating the week and providing lots of opportunities for our kids to learn that Maths is fun!

MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST - FRIDAY 10th MAY

Tomorrow, we will celebrate all the mother figures in our school community with our annual Mother's Day Breakfast. Due to the breakfast, there will be NO RUNNING CLUB. However, the Kelly Jane Coffee Van will still be in attendance for those who wish to purchase a hot drink. Instant coffee and tea will be provided free of charge but for the more refined palate, you can purchase a coffee from the coffee van. After breakfast, there will be a P&F Mother's Day Raffle, then parents are welcomed to visit classrooms to see their child's work. The assembly will then start with our Year 5's presenting a Mother's Day theme!

NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY - 17th MAY

Mayor Linda Aitken will be officially opening the new Bike Shelters at our school and speaking to our children on Friday 17th May, which is National Walk to School Day. There will be some free fruit and breakfast on offer for children as they arrive to school so it would be great to see as many as possible walking should the weather permit.

UNIFORMS

Thank you to all the parents and children for making the effort to ensure their uniforms look neat and tidy with appropriate items. The children looked fantastic in the recent school photos and it is wonderful to see them keeping up the high standard in their winter uniform. The uniform shop continues to be open on Tuesdays from 8-9am for parents wishing to get additional items.

P&F SUPPORT

Speaking of uniforms, the P&F recently approved the purchase of new athletics singlets for our interschool cross country, athletics and Year 6 Summer/Winter Carnivals. The new designs were approved at the last P&F meeting and are being ordered as we speak. The design has incorporated part of our indigenous mural of the Six Noongar Seasons. We are very excited at the prospect of our children representing our school. Thank you to the P&F and all parents for their fundraising efforts, as without you, this wouldn't be possible! See the picture below for an example of the design.

AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED)

Our school has now mounted an AED device outside of Administration for use for our school community should the need ever arise (hopefully not!). Access to an AED is in line with best practice and policy aimed at keeping our community safe. Thanks to Nurse Kym for coordinating!

Wishing all the mother's and those who fill the motherly role in our community a wonderful day on not just Sunday, but every day. Given the recent spate of violence against women, let's use this occasion to celebrate not just Mother's, but all women and the need to respect, value and appreciate their contribution to all our lives.

Best wishes

Jason Baker

Principal

This coming week (Week 5) marks the end of the Easter season. Sunday 12th May marks the Ascension of the Lord. This event happened 40 days after Easter Sunday. It is a significant event in the Christian faith as it marks the end of Jesus' physical presence on earth and the beginning of His spiritual presence in Heaven.

The following Sunday, 19th May, is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost celebrates the time the Holy Spirit descended to the 12 disciples of Jesus. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit blessed them with the ability to speak different languages. This meant they could spread the word of the Lord and managed to baptise 3000 people in one day.

SACRAMENT OF FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

The Sacrament of First Holy Communion is fast approaching! Thank you to all of our candidates and families who were able to attend one of the commitment Masses over the weekend. In Week 6 (Tuesday 21st May) we have the First Holy Communion (Eucharist) workshop at 6pm in the Hall. As one of only two commitments, ALL candidates and parents are expected to attend. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there!

MAYFLOWER MASS

On Sunday 26th May at 9am, we come together as a school and parish community for Mass at St Andrew's Church, Clarkson. St Andrew's is our local parish and supports us with spiritual guidance and the Sacramental Program. We invite all our families to come along, sharing in this special day. SFoACPS will provide a sausage sizzle for all (young and old) who can come along. Please note children are asked to wear free dress.

McCORMACK FEAST DAY

McCormack Feast Day will be held on Friday 24th May. There will be a short liturgy to start the day at 8:45am. All McCormack children will come together to share a pizza lunch, followed by team building games and activities in the afternoon. Check SEESAW for more information closer to the day.

PYJAMA DAY

PYJAMA DAY to raise money for LifeLink will also be on Friday 24th May. Children are encouraged to come to school dressed in their favourite WINTER PJs, oodies, ugg boots etc for a GOLD COIN donation. LifeLink is the Archbishop of Perth's fundraiser to help a variety of charities here in Western Australia.

ALTAR SERVER TRAINING

Altar Server Training is steaming along under the guidance of Mr Tony Summers & Mr Errol Raftos. So far we have had 3 sessions (including today), with one more session this term (Thursday 23rd May). These children will be commissioned at the Mayflower Mass on Sunday 26th May in a brief ceremony.

“I believe in the kindness of others, and that I must love them without fear" Pope Francis

Have a blessed week.

Dee Campbell

Assistant Principal

This week, we are giving the hard hitting questions to our new physical education teacher, Miss Meagan Kruenert. We know Miss K loves the active lifestyle and being outdoors with the kids but it's the small details we want to know in the Staff Spotlight!

1. What was the last movie or TV show that made you cry? Me before You (even thinking about it makes me cry!)
2. At what store would you like to max out your credit card? Why? Dissh - pretty much my whole wardrobe!!
3. You can invite three people to dinner, dead or alive, name them? Robert Downey Jr, Hugh Jackman and Alicia Keys
4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta
5. Toilet Paper - Under or Over? Over!

Thanks for the insight Miss K!

Congratulations to Elijah (KB), Lincoln (1W) and Samarra Dock (3B) who have had a new addition to the family arrive. Baby Matthew is a healthy and happy baby boy who can't wait to be spoilt by his older brothers and sister. Wishing mum and Matthew a speedy return home. Welcome to the St Francis community, Matthew.

St Andrew’s Care is the Pastoral Care Program of St Andrew’s Catholic Parish, Clarkson. The program is operated by Parishioners who volunteer their time to help others in short term need. If you would like to access this program or volunteer your help or services, please read the attached below.

Running Club is starting back again this term from 7:40am. We are lucky enough to have The Kelley Jane Coffee Van coming to running clubs each week. Parents can buy a hot drink and stay warm and also cheer their child on!! Our cross country carnival is on Wednesday 22nd May (Week 6) for students in Years 3-6. Students are greatly encouraged to attend running club to improve their training in preparation for the cross country carnival. If any parents from years 3-6 are happy to volunteer, please email Miss K for more information.

Miss Meagan Kruenert

Sports Teacher

Yesterday the P&F ran another very successful Mother's Day Stall. It's always a joy watching the students picking out gifts for the special ladies in their lives and seeing the excitement on their faces. We would like to make special mention to the parent volunteers who dedicated their time to helping at the stall.

On Friday morning our annual Mother's Day raffle will be drawn. This year we have had gifts kindly donated by the following businesses.....

Artikle Clothing

Hair Force Mum

Eye Candy Optical Perth

Tina Perez Optometrist

Calming Collective Co - Permanent Jewellery

At'Nmila Beauty

T & Co Candles

We would like to thank these local businesses for their generosity and for supporting our school community.

Don't forget our Quiz Night tickets are now on sale and we would love to see as many faces from our school community as possible. We thank TAS Industries PTY LTD for their sponsorship for this event.

We will be looking for donations for raffles and silent auctions on the night so if yourself or someone you know has a business that would be interested in donating, please contact us either via email pandf@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au or send us a message. We will promote your business through our social media platforms, newsletter and on the night of the event

We would like to wish all of our mum's, grandmothers, mother figures a very Happy Mother's Day for Sunday. We hope you enjoy the day !

Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating their birthday over the next two weeks:

Kara Dale-Ward, Naira Anikpi, Zaara Mehta, Gursamar Singh, Elsie Andrew, Bodhi Flick, Lois McSheffrey, Khaleesi-Leigh Ellis, Indianna Robertson, Kaden Keen, Emma Ryan, Paige Lynton, Brady Edwards, Elsie de Laine, Eleanor Hansen, Harrison Clark, Aria Blake-Hains, Balen Rudduck, Conor Durer-Jones.

.

We wish you all a wonderful day!!

Dear Parents,

All families on Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC) need to provide the school with their current card to continue receiving the discount for 2024. If your card has expired, please bring in your new card to the school office ASAP. If we do not receive your HCC you will be charged the full fees.

Kind regards,

Geneve Bastian

Friday 10 May - Mothers' Day Breakfast / Mothers' Day Performance Assembly

Sunday 12 May - Mothers' Day

Tuesday 14 May - Year 5 Talk Money incursion / School Advisory Council meeting (6:00pm)

Friday 17 May - National Walk to School Day / Merit Assembly/'Friends of Francis' raffle draw (8:45am)

Tuesday 21 May - Communion Parent Workshop (6:00pm)

Wednesday 22 May - SFOA Cross Country (Years 3 - 6)

Friday 23 May - McCormack Feast Day/Pyjama Day Fundraiser

Sunday 26 May - National Sorry Day

Please see the flyer below to read about Camp Australia's LEGO Big Art Compeition.

IMCC are offering a Bursary for a current Year 6 SFOA student for Year 7 2025. Please see the Bursary Application below. All applications close by Friday 7 June. Please visit IMCC's website for more information.

The Uniform shop is open every Tuesday morning from 8:00am-9:00am during school terms.

Where: Operating out of the demountable at the rear of the school!

Ph: (08) 9204 1701

Email: mailto:sales@jfe.net.au

Address: 1/85 Guthrie St, Osborne Park 6017

Mon-Thur: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Friday: 8:00am - 3:30pm

Email: admin@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au
Website: www.stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au
Location: 1051 Connolly Drive, Butler WA, Australia
Phone: (08) 9562 9500
Facebook: facebook.com/stfrancisbutler

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stfrancisbutler

Email: standrewsclarkson@gmail.com

Website: http://www.standrewsclarkson.com/
Location: 53 Belleville Gardens, Clarkson WA, Australia
Phone: (08) 9407 7512
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standrewsclarkson/