Week 9 - Term 3

AFL MAX

Active Embrace

On Monday the 18/9/23 we had the chance to meet and learn about the Australian of the year Taryn Brumfit. She received the honour of Australian of the Year award because of her dedication to her organisation Body Image Movement. The organisation has a focus on loving and appreciating your body, it’s a gender inclusive program and inspiring for young people like us. Taryn co-produced the documentaries called Embrace and Embrace Kids. The documentaries highlight how kids do not love their body as much as they should because of social media images and people telling them what they should and shouldn’t be. She co-founded the Embrace Hub with body image expert Dr Zali Yager.

It really had an impact on a lot of young people, in a way that changes our mind about our body from negative to positive thoughts. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to meet this inspiring person. This was a terrific day for us as we got to learn about kids worries, and quotes. We also learnt about how they dealt with what happened in their personal life showing their amazing resilience. We felt quite a bit of emotion because the cast in the documentary Embrace Kids had sad things happen to them, but they remained true to themselves and stayed STRONG.

The day ended with a little bit of free play at AFL Max. where we got to meet some of the cast in the documentary Embrace Kids. A couple of our classmates were lucky enough to be interviewed by channel Ten news. This day was incredible for us all and will stay in our year six memories for ever.

By Siena Pegoli and Sienna Rabica in year 6

Staff Reflection Day

Last Friday the staff spent the day exploring Laudato Si from am very practical perspective.

We attended the newly built recycling facility: CAWRA and learnt so much about respecting the earth and recycling.  St Francis was the first Catholic school to attend as a whole staff and the session by Cameron promoted rich conversation and raised many questions about our own recycling habits and their impact on the earth.

Also, as we continued the day through the lens of Laudato Si`, we attended the Tennyson Dunes and spent time learning about this fragile ecosystem from volunteers Bob and Nick. 

The staff are now in the process of planning school initiatives which promote student agency to action ecological awareness sustainable practices.

Mr Schultz

We wish Mr Schultz well as he takes renewal leave for the remainder of the term. He will be studying and visiting St Francis’ birthplace of Assisi in central Italy. We look forward to hearing about his learning journey upon his return.

As the term draws to a close, I would like to express my gratitude to the staff and community who have supported me in the role of Acting Deputy and Principal while Ms Kresevic and

Mr Schultz have been on leave. I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn and grow in this role.

Wishing peace and rejuvenation to students, staff and all during the Term 3 break.

Term 4 commences Monday 16th October.

Catholic Charities Month

Each September at St Francis we raise funds for Catholic Charities Month. This year the Archbishop of Adelaide’s charity is supporting special projects for Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in South Australia, Hutt Street Centre, St Patrick’s Special School, Our Lady of La Vang Special School & Centacare Family Services.

At St Francis every student gets involved by raising money in classes through student led fundraising events. The Social Justice Leaders, support classes to raise money and promote the events.

We have been raising money in lots of ways already but look out on Seesaw and Qkr! For the wonderful student led fundraising events coming soon!

Whole School Events:

Thursday 21/9 –

• Year 4 preloved book sale in the quad. (20c- $2 books)

Friday 22/9 –

• Year 3 Student concerts (20c entry at 2nd lunch) and lolly jar competition (20c a guess) in the quad at first and second lunch.
• Year 5 Sport’s Day Lego brick sales close (see Qkr!)

Thursday 28/9 –

• Whole school pyjama day ($1 donation pay on Qkr!)

Sacramental Program

The sacramental team have completed the parent workshops, in readiness for the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. These were held for the sacramental families on August 8th and 9th of this term.

The Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation are currently taking place, with the first two masses on the 16th and 17th of September and the final two on the 23rd and 24th of September. The masses have been a wonderful celebration and we congratulate all of the students, sponsors and families involved.

The Things That Matter

- Views of 8-12 year olds on life, school and community.

Our Year 2-6 students have completed their post cards and provided valuable feedback to the commissioner. We look forward to the report that will be published to highlight what our young people are thinking and what matters most to them.

Many South Australian primary school aged children are directly supporting the important work of South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly, as active participants of her annual Student Voice Postcard initiative, currently being rolled out to all schools across the State. The initiative is helping Commissioner Connolly gain a clearer understanding of what is important to primary school children. She is asking this under-represented group to respond to four simple questions that invite them to tell her what matters to them most, what aspirations they have, what worries them, and what they would change to make their lives better. All responses are anonymous. No personal information is collected. The Commissioner will use the postcard responses to inform her advocacy work to improve the lives of SA’s children and young people.

Learn more about the Commissioner’s Student Voice Postcard

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the staff, students, and school community for their support throughout the term as I have been working in the Religious Education Coordinator role. It has been a pleasure to be involved in class masses, Catholic Charities Month and to see the growth of students through the Sacramental program.

Sports Day Captains

We would like to congratulate the 2023 Sports Day Captains and Vice Captains who after presenting their speeches to the Year 5 and 6 students in their representative teams along with members of our leadership, classroom teachers and sporting staff were selected by a vote based on the criteria that was outlined. Well done to the following students who will lead their teams this year at Sports Day on Friday 27th October.

Red Team- Captains Scarlett Grosso and Vincent Busolin, Vice Captains Lucas King and Wil Costolloe

Green Team- Captains Leila Cosenza and Alessio Marrone, Vice Captains Emilio Visentin and Alice McEvoy

Blue Team- Captains Miley Sparrow and Siena Pegoli, Vice Captains Seamus Doran and Dante Lastella

Gold Team- Captains Mason Heatley and Ollie Atyeo, Vice Captains Sierra -Rose Mirolo and Charlize Sinclair

School Soccer 2023

As Term 3 comes to a close so does the school soccer season of 2023. We would like to congratulate all of our students who participated in the competition run by the NWJSA. This year over 3000 students from the North/West region took part in games on Saturday mornings. All of this is not possible without the support from our volunteering parents as team coaches, assistants, team managers, lines person and other helpers. We thank you all.

Can I please ask that all school soccer tops please be returned by the end of this term to the box in the front office of the school.

Please see below some brief recaps of the season that was from our team coaches.

U6 Red

The team had an outstanding season, winning 13 of the 14 games scheduled. They prided themselves on teamwork and swift ball movement. Everyone contributed to the teams success during the season. In summary, the team had a sensational season and their continual improvement was evident. Most importantly they had a lot of fun and thank you to St Francis School for nurturing this sporting opportunity.

Each of the parents provided significant support during the season and a special thank you to Kara Smitheram and Carlo Mathers for stepping up to coaching duties when I was unavailable.

U6 GOLD

The U6 Gold Team had a great season. Some special highlights were our Class Fugler joining in on our sessions as well as our end of matches Food Feast orchestrated by our devoted team parents.

U6 Blue

It has been an absolute pleasure coaching U6 Blue. I am so proud of how far they have come. To watch them grow their skills and gain confidence each week throughout the season has been incredible. From timid beginners to fearless performers, it has been a joy to witness their transformation.

U7 Blue

“A massive thank you to the U7 Blue team. We started out like ‘headless chooks’ but with some ‘herding of the sheep’ we have formed a great little successful team with Orlando’s powerful strikes, Leo’s brick wall in goal, Grace’s aggressive skill, Jasper’s enthusiastic energy, Abel’s attack on the ball, Josh’s cracking goals, Liam’s celebrations and Eli’s strong defence. A big thank you to all the parents for helping out & your support every Saturday.” Cheers Chris Hobbins

U7 Red

The U7 Reds had a great 2023 season, which saw all players grow and develop their skills with each passing game. I was proud to see the manner in which the team held themselves in both wins and losses, always celebrating the individual efforts with each other. We had some great moments of rivalry within the team, which pushed each of them to really put their best foot forward whenever they had the ball. I would say that the year was a success, with each of the team members (Arden, Delilah, Dom, Fletch, James, Levi & Lincoln) showing a step up in their soccer skillset and playing as a team. I am incredibly excited to see what they all achieve if they continue to play the game and I hope that they all had as much fun as I did. Special mention to our assistant coaches Chayton Greck & Huxley Russell!

Big thank you to all the parents for donating each Saturday to this great group.

U7 Gold

The Under 7 Gold Soccer team have had a great season. We've had our share of wins and losses and played some excellent team soccer at the end of season carnival to finish on a high. I am incredibly proud of their growth and the fun they've had on the field, and the passion and enthusiasm the kids brought to every game. They've improved their soccer skills while enjoying the game to the fullest. I want to extend my thanks to the players and their families for a memorable season filled with laughter and learning. These young athletes have created lasting memories, and I'm excited to see their love for soccer continue to blossom.

U8

It has been a fabulous season with the U8 (Year 2 boys) soccer team. As a team of mates, the energy and excitement to be playing with each other in a more competitive setting has been excellent to witness. Although a very competitive team that believes they are playing for the World Cup on some occasions they have continued to improve and gel together throughout the season which has been fantastic. The commitment and support from all members of the team and their families has been wonderful, and we would like to thank you for your support of the school soccer program. Thank you also to Martin for running the line each week. The soccer carnival on Saturday 16th Sept was a huge success and such a lovely way to end the season in the sunshine.

U9

The Under 9s had a great year remaining undefeated since June.   All our players improved during the season as they became comfortable sticking to their positions, moving away from everyone running after the ball.  It was great to see each of them carve out positions where they could be relied upon.  The carnival games told the story of our season with the first game a comfortable victory by a high score allowing some of the defenders to play further forward and score goals.  The second game was a hard-fought game against a more physically assertive side and the kids played their best game of the year to win by 3 goals.

A shoutout to Seth, Christian and Leo who found the net often, Ryley, Hugo, Archie who protected our defence, stole the ball, and moved it forward and into space.  Lucas was the heart of our defence ably supported by Austin, Nicholas, Luke and Eden.  I thoroughly enjoyed coaching the team and my highlights weren’t the goals or the wins but when I saw individuals improve, whether it be a pass into space, a great tackle or great positioning

U10

Under 10’s had an awesome 2023 season in the NWJSA, it was a pleasure to coach such an amazing team with a great support crew of Parents, Grandparents and Friends. The perseverance of all the team from a slow start, losing players to 2 x broken arms (Auskick and lunchtime injuries) to finishing the season with our full squad and 6 wins in a row. They are already talking about next year!

Thanks Nathan

Seniors

The Senior Team had an amazing Season this year. For a smaller school (compared to others in the north west area), 2023 saw amazing talent drawn to the team from a variety of our state’s local clubs and academies. As the coach, there are time I felt like a coach of the world cup which has drawn talent from various teams; WT Birkalla, FK Beograd, Fulham United, Western Strikers, Adelaide City and Vipers FC. Additionally, club footy players join our team and their strength and fitness is a fitting addition to the team.

SANFL Westies Cup

On Tuesday 19th September our year 5/6 Boys Footy team participated in the annual SANFL Westies Cup that was held at the West Adelaide Football Club. On a glorious day with the sun shining and the weather just perfect our team was set to play. With 8 games of footy to be played over the course of the day our team conducted themselves marvellously in every match. The teamwork that was shown and the spirit that our team played in was incredible to watch. We are beyond proud of the achievement from our team on the day, not only did they win all 7 minor round matches but they then went on to win the Grand final and finish the day undefeated, truly a tremendous effort by all who were involved. Congratulations and well done. Once the trophy has been engraved it will be on display in the front office area for all to see.