Week 6 - Term 1

Dear families,

We are experiencing a late season hot burst! I hope all families remain cool and safe over the upcoming Long Weekend. Life continues to be very busy at St Francis, with the regular rhythms of school life interspersed with major undertakings such as the building program!

In classrooms, we have been working purposefully with data collected recently, to provide quality targeted instruction in all areas but particularly in Literacy and Numeracy. This targeted approach to student learning allows us to create the enabling conditions for children to flourish! I want to sincerely thank all of our dedicated teaching and support staff for their work in this space, and I particularly acknowledge the leadership of Sarah Battistella, Corinne McKenzie and Cheryl Milde, who are leading us forward in developing our teaching and learning in Maths and English.

Year three and five students will undertake NAPLAN testing beginning this Wednesday. These assessments provide a snapshot of learning at key moments in time, and the data contributes to our overall evidence and engagement schedule. It is hoped that results will be available mid term 2.

Last Friday, we welcomed our mid year reception students for the first time in our ‘Little Francis’ transition program. 37 enthusiastic children and their families will be joining our school community in term 3 and the coming weeks will be dedicated to helping them make a successful transition to our school community. My thanks to Leonie Fitzgerald for her coordination of the program, alongside Emily Sendy and our brand new reception term 3 teacher, Ms Tina Constantinides! Tina is a very experienced early years educator and we warmly welcome her to our community.

As I have advised, we are readying ourselves for the big move into our brand new building, on March 22nd. There is growing excitement amongst teachers and students as we get ready to move in to our new rooms. The move itself will be a hectic and stressful affair, and I am eternally grateful for the patience and goodwill of our staff, who have been working in less than optimal conditions for a long time now. I ask your prayers for them as we undertake the move, and ask your patience and forbearance as we get used to our new spaces in the coming weeks. I would like to publicly acknowledge the support of Stallard Meek Flightpath Architects, Horizon Constructions and CESA for their ongoing support and partnership in this whole process! My sincere thanks also, to the school community for your patience and goodwill. I sincerely hope the new surroundings will be to your liking!

Next Wednesday 13th March will be the Annual General Meeting of the school board. All families are warmly invited to attend the meeting, from 6.30pm in the multi purpose room. I also strongly encourage families to participate in the voting process for three board positions, as per notices on szapp this week.

Last Wednesday, I attended the SAPSASA swim trials at Immanuel pool. We had a team of 10 swimmers who competed in all domains across all categories. Our swimmers did us proud with their efforts as well as their demeanour on pool deck. Special thanks to Penny Fisher for being our timekeeper for the event!

While on sporting achievements, my congratulations to Ari Palatianos and Luca Scali who have been invited to participate in Academia de Futebol in Cataluna, Spain. This is an exciting opportunity for the boys to showcase their soccer talents on an international stage and we wish them and their families safe travels and our best wishes.

Another reminder to families to drive safely in and around the school. West Torrens council were present today observing traffic flow and parking and as previously advise they will issue fines for non-compliance. Of particular concern to us at the moment is the performing of U-turns on Arcoona Ave. This is strictly prohibited as it creates a very dangerous environment for all concerned.

This weekend, Mr James Goldy and Miss Emma Gill will be married! This is such a special and exciting time for James, Emma and their families and we wish them both rich blessings as they begin their married life together. They will both take some leave next week to celebrate and will return to work on the 26th March.

Have a great long weekend everyone and I will look forward to seeing you all next Tuesday.

Dear Families

National Assessment Program
Literacy and Numeracy  
NAPLAN 
13th-25th March

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assess literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Schools have transitioned from paper-based to computer-based assessments. All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, presenting students with questions that may be difficult – resulting in better assessment and more precise results. 

The NAPLAN test window is from Wednesday 13 - Monday 25 March.

Apart from the school readiness test, all schools, students and teachers can familiarise themselves with NAPLAN Online and the types of questions to be included, by using the public demonstration site available at NAPLAN Demonstration-site

Teachers will be sharing this site with the students at school also.

For further information about NAPLAN Online (including frequently asked questions and answers), please visit:

NAPLAN FAQ's

It is important to remember that NAPLAN provides only a snap shot of your child’s skills and knowledge in Numeracy and Literacy. At St Francis, we use a broad range of tools to assess how well your child is currently achieving, and just as importantly directing their next steps in learning.

Important information about NAPLAN and a Privacy Collection Notice has already been sent home to families in Yr 3 & 5. I encourage you to have a read and speak to your child’s class teacher, Phil or myself if you have any further queries or concerns regarding your child’s participation in the test.

Further information can be found at:
NAPLAN

NAPLAN Information Brochure

Testing Dates

(subject to change)

Wednesday 13/3

Yr 3 & 5 Writing (from 9am)

Thursday 14/3

Year 3 & 5 Reading (from 9am)

Tuesday 19/3

Yr 3 & 5 Conventions of Language (from 9am)

Thursday 21/3

Yr 3 & 5 Numeracy (from 9am)

A limited number of afternoons will be used for catchups if your child is absent for the test.

The Fasting prayer can help us view Lent with a different lens. We don’t give something up to make ourselves suffer. We give things up for Lent to make room for something better.

Fasting from self-centeredness

Kindness is a virtue that demands we put aside our own concerns and our own plans in order to assist someone else. Nearly everyone can be kind on a single occasion, but kindness becomes a real virtue when it becomes our ordinary way of being. Kindness is expressed in the concrete – in words, tone of voice, facial expression, and gesture. Remember that St. Paul begins his beautiful letter to Corinth with the words, "Love is patient, love is kind."

Who is in particular need of your kindness this Lent?

Third Week of Lent (Week beginning Monday 4 March)

Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result. Leaia lives with her five children, husband, brother and sister-in-law on the island of Upolu in Samoa. Not having access to a reliable source of clean water caused Leaia a lot of worry. Their home is not connected to a piped water system, so they had to rely solely on rainwater collected in old fridges. When their water ran out, Leaia had to walk with her young children to collect water in buckets and containers from a neighbour down the street. With the support of Caritas Australia's local partner, Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed at Leaia's home. She and her family now have a steady supply of clean drinking water at home. Next year, they will also have a toilet built, with the support of Caritas Samoa, which will further improve their health and living conditions. “We are very thankful and grateful for the water tank. It has helped us so much and made our daily life easier,” Leaia said. Watch Leaia’s Story Please donate to Project Compassion. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow for all future generations. You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes, online by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413. Photo: Laura Womersley/Caritas Australia

Feast of St Patrick March 17^th

March 17^th is the feast day of St Patrick. St Patrick was born in Roman Britain around the end of the fourth century and he died in Ireland about the middle of the fifth century.  St Patrick faced hardship as a missionary bishop in Ireland, and opposition even from his friends and fellow Christians.  He worked to conciliate, to evangelise, and to educate local leaders and their families.  He is remembered for his simplicity and pastoral care, for his humble trust in God, and for his fearless preaching of the gospel to those who had enslaved him in his youth.

Specially honoured in Australia because of the many Irish people who came to settle here and brought with them the faith and zeal of St Patrick.  The Catholic Church in Australia was largely founded by the Irish missionaries and Irish migrants.

Feast of St Joseph

On March 19^th, we celebrate the feast of St Joseph, husband of Mary.  A carpenter, though born of the royal house of David, Joseph was an upright man who, as husband of the Virgin Mary, cared for Mary and the child Jesus. Venerated in the East after the fourth century, and his followers flowered in the West during the fifteenth century, following the development of nativity plays, the Christmas crib, and increased devotion to Mary.

Class Masses and Liturgy of the Word Term 1

• March 6^th Year 1 Mass Christ the King Church at 9:15am
• March 20^th Reception Liturgy of the Word Christ the King Church at
• March 25^th Year 2 Palm Sunday Liturgy time tbc
• April 3^rd Year 3 Christ the King Church at 9:15am
• April 10^th Year 6 Christ the King Church at 9:15am

NB please check with class teachers for confirmation of Mass times

Marian Procession Date Claimer - Sunday, 19th May 2024 at 2.00pm