2021 Term 4 Week 5 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Principal
COVID-19 School Safety Plan
This week the school has been notified by Catholic Schools NSW and Catholic Schools, Lismore that COVID-19 Level 3 Restrictions will remain in place for the remainder of the school year. Unfortunately, there appears to be much confusion within the school community about what can happen under this mandate. This confusion has been further compounded with the increased easing of some restrictions within the wider community. To clarify what can happen, as well as in the best interest of our staff and students, I have included a copy of our COVID-19 School Safety Plan. Please take the time to be familiar with our COVID-19 School Safety Plan. Keeping our staff and students safe is everyone’s responsibility.
Farewell Mrs Stretton
This week we bid Mrs Ellie Stretton a fond farewell. On behalf of the entire school community I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation for all the work she has done to engage our students in learning. Thanks to Mrs Stretton, many students now have a love of science and the world around them. Wishing Mrs Stretton and her husband all the very best and endless blessings as they embark on parenthood.
Yours in Faith
Warren Niethe
Principal
All Things Learning & Teaching
Learning Continues
As we hit the midway point of our last Term for 2021, we need to recognise the amazing learning that is taking place every day. Our students have shown persistence and resilience throughout the course of the year, while continuing to develop their natural curiosity.
Challenge, engagement and growth are key to continued learning. This is evident every single day here at St Francis Xavier.
How exciting is it that we still have lots of time left this year to continue our learning journey. Keep up the wonderful effort everyone.
Looking Forward to Welcoming Kindergarten 2022
Next week we have our first Kindergarten 2022 orientation group coming to join us at school. It is such an exciting time. We are looking forward to welcoming these little people to the St Francis Xavier School community.
Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching
Faith & Mission
Recycling Poppers
This week the Environment Team introduced Pink Popper Bins in an effort to reduce waste AND support our local community. Students are asked to place poppers in these bins to be recycled at the Return and Earn kiosk at Woolworths. Proceeds from recycled poppers will be donated to local charities.
God is Love
Stage 3 celebrated Mass with Fr Joy this week. The readings were all about LOVE: love for God and love for others. The Gospel reading said that we should love God more than anyone, even more than our parents! Fr Joy explained that by loving God the most, we are then able to love others more. Fr Joy has a wonderful way of sharing the sometimes complicated messages from the Bible with our students in an easy to understand way. At the completion of his Homily today he said, ‘If you know nothing else from reading the Bible, just know this: God IS love. When people ask you, ‘Who is God?’, all you need to tell them is, God is love.’
Diwali: Festival of Lights
This week our Indian community has celebrated Diwali: Festival of Lights. We wish families celebrating Diwali many blessings during this special time. Diwali’s message, celebrating light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil, mirrors our own Christian message of Jesus, the light of the world and bringer of peace. Pope Francis encourages those of faith to share and celebrate common ground. “As believers grounded in our own respective religious traditions and as persons with shared vision for and shared responsibility towards humanity… may we join hands with people of other religious traditions and of good will, reach out to people who are in despair, to bring light into their lives.”
Katrina Ryan
Leader of Evangelisation
High Potential Learning (HPL)
Year 4 participated in the last Lock Box activity created by the Stage 2 HPL students. These activities were designed to stimulate critical thinking and creative problem solving in the key area of Geography with some Maths and English thrown in for fun!
Stage 3 HPL students will begin to roll out their Lock Box activities to Year 6 students in Week 6.
Suzie Coster
Leader of Literacy
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
Shave for a Cure
At St Francis Xavier School our students inspire us every day. Last week one Year 2 student was particularly inspirational. Sage Walsh, took on a special challenge and ‘shaved for a cure’ raising over $2,000 for cancer research. Here’s what she had to say when she was interviewed by her classmates:
Why did you do it? I did it because my Aunty and my Grandma’s sister died from cancer and I really miss them. They were always there for me.
Were you scared? Yes I was very very scared because I didn't know if it was going to look good on me or bad on me or if it was going to feel good.
Did it hurt? No.
Were you surprised that you raised so much money? So my goal was $200 and it was very surprising when I reached over $1000 because I only thought I would get in the hundreds. I was speechless!
Do you think you were brave? Yes because everyone’s telling me that I’m brave so I think that I’m brave. I take it as a compliment. I think if they’re telling me I’m brave, I must be brave.
Is there anyone you want to thank? I want to say thank you to my family and to my friends because they were always supporting me and encouraging me to do it.
We are so proud of your discipleship in action Sage! You are an inspiration to us all!
Laura Cooke
Leader of Positive Behaviour Support
Sporting Roundup
Elective Sports
Elective Sports for Stages 2 and 3 will begin on Friday, 12 November and run for four weeks.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions Stage 2 and 3 will participate at different times of the day.
Stage 3: 11.40am-1.10pm, Stage 2: 2.00pm-3.00pm
All sports, except surfing, will be run at school. There will be no costs to families this year.
Permission notes for the surfing groups will come home today. Permission notes are required to be returned by Tuesday, 9 November.
Cancelled Rugby Gala Day Term 3 2021
Refunds from the cancelled Rugby Gala Day in Term 3 2021 will be coming home next week to those families who had paid.
New Sports Equipment
Requested by the students for the students. We love our new sports equipment! Thank you for all your support with the Rebel Active memberships!
Tiffany Wishart
Leader of Sport
Additional Needs
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year.
IDPwD is a United Nations observed day, held on 3 December each year, aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
Click on the link below to learn more about IDPwD.
We are encouraging students to enter a competition. Individual students are encouraged to submit a creative drawing, artwork or poster for International Day of People with Disability that incorporates the theme ‘Grow Inclusion’.
A high-resolution photograph, scan or electronic copy of the original artwork must be submitted and attached to the online entry form (hard copies of original artworks will not be accepted).
The student competition will be judged across three categories – junior (year K-3), middle (years 4-6) and senior (years 7-12). The winner of each category will receive a $250 gift voucher.
Please refer to the competition Terms and Conditions – Student category for further details.
Submit your entry to the Grow Inclusion Schools Competition by clicking on the link below.
Please note that entrants under the age of 18 must get their parent or guardian to complete the Consent section at the bottom of the form.
If your child completes an entry, we would love it if you would share it with the school by emailing it to woolp@lism.catholic.edu.au so that we can share it on our Facebook page.
Fiona Jupp
Leader of Learning Additional Needs
Gold Token winners
Well done to all token recipients this week. And congratulations to the Gold Token winners! Keep up the great work everyone!
