Dear families,
We are approaching the end of week 6 of term 2. Teachers and students have been working purposefully this term, in preparation for Semester 1 student reports. These reports are a summary of learning for the first two terms of the school year and should be viewed as progress towards achievement of the relevant standard. This year, our student reports will be produced using the SEQTA learning and teaching platform. The change in reporting format will be minimal, and the template will still be very similar to that which parents have been used to. In line with this new way of reporting, from this semester onwards, students reports will be circulated via email to families. This method of delivering reports is very common across schools in SA, and is exclusively the way reports are provided in Secondary schools. You will receive this email on Thursday 6th July, which is the last day for students in term 2.
This Friday is a Pupil Free day and our teachers will be engaged in professional learning with a company called “The Wellbeing Distillery.” We will be examining the science behind wellbeing and its positive impact on children and staff. This day is a part of our overall ‘ Partners in practice’ project focussing on well-being. This project has already delivered a number of key benefits, and some families will already be aware of the work being done by Ms Gaby Barendregt who is an Inclusion and wellbeing consultant working across a number of schools in the project. As part of this wellbeing initiative, our parents & Friends are sponsoring a parent workshop on Monday June 26th, being delivered by Ms Madhavi Nawana Parker, a leading expert on Mental health and wellbeing in Australia and internationally. I strongly encourage all families to consider attending, in support of your child’s overall wellbeing.
There have been a number of staff changes in recent times. I am delighted to announce that the term three reception class will be taught by Mrs Emily Sendy, in partnership with Miss Kate O’Dea. Emily will be familiar to families as she has been leading the transition group, and this will provide stability to the class as they begin their school journey. Kate joins our staff for the first time, although her connections to the school community are strong-her mum, Cathy has recently retired from a long working association with St Francis! We welcome Emily and Kate to our teaching team. Mrs Andrea Brown has been successful in winning a position at St Columba Catholic College in Andrews Farm. This position allows Andrea to be much closer to home and her family. On behalf of everyone at St Francis I sincerely thank Andrea for her wonderful contribution to our school for over 10 years and I wish her every future happiness. The process for finding a replacement for Andrea has begun and I hope to be able to make an announcement very soon.
In recent times, a number of our staff have been grieving the loss of loved ones. Mrs Gina Mittiga and Mrs Andrea Edwards have both lost their mums in recent weeks, while Mrs Beck Smith lost her Grandpa. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as they work through this most difficult time in their lives.
Fingers crossed, we are about to pour concrete on the building site! Weather permitting, the first of multiple pours will take place on Tuesday or Wednesday after the long weekend. This will understandably be both exciting and also a little disruptive at drop off in the mornings. I ask all families to be patient and considerate during this period.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen a spike in student absences due to sickness. A considerable number of these illnesses have been covid-19 related, and we have a number of small outbreaks in different classes currently. If your child presents with cold/flu like symptoms, please ensure you keep them at home and-ideally-do a RAT or PCR test to check for covid. We do need to continue to be vigilant in minimising the spread of covid 19 in the interest of the health and safety of the school and wider community.
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