2021 Term 4 Week 9 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Principal
2022 School Leaders
There are many joys that come with leading and serving an amazing school community such as St Francis Xavier. However, every now and then a special event comes along that puts an even bigger smile on my face. Our Year 5 students’ school leadership speeches were such an event this week.
If you are needing a reason to smile in awe, visit our school Facebook page where student photos and quotes can be found.
On behalf of the entire school community I would like to congratulate these four outstanding students who will hold important student leadership positions in 2022: Matthew Pope (School Leader), Annelise Donnelly (School Leader), Rune Fowler (Assistant Leader) and Evie Gibson (Assistant Leader).
2022 Staffing Model
This week our staffing model was finalised. Please refer to the table below. The majority of the students will meet their homeroom teachers at the commencement of the 2022 school year when they arrive at school for their scheduled Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) and/or Best Start Interview.
Yours in Faith,
Warren Niethe
Principal
All Things Learning & Teaching
Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAI) 2022
Bookings are now open for the Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAI) for Years 1-6 2022. MAI's will take place from Tuesday, 1 February until Thursday, 3 February 2022. Please refer to the booking instructions below (also emailed out to families today) and click on the School Interviews link in the pdf to make the booking. Please remember to select the grade your child/ren will be in next year (2022). Please endeavour to make a booking by Friday, 10 December.
Best Start & Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAI) 2022
Bookings are now open for the Best Start & Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAI) for Kindergarten 2022. Best Start & MAI's will take place from Tuesday, 1 February until Friday, 4 February 2022. Please refer to the booking instructions below (also emailed out to families today) and click on the School Interviews link in the pdf to make the booking. Please endeavour to make a booking by Friday, 10 December.
Faith & Mission
This Sunday, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. We light the second candle from the Advent Wreath to represent John the Baptist, who proclaims Jesus as the Messiah. This candle is the candle of peace, a sign that God's promises will be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ - Prince of Peace. Peace is a gift that we must be prepared for. God gives us the gift of peace, when we turn to him in faith.
St Francis Xavier Day
Today we celebrated the Feast of our Patron Saint, St Francis Xavier. What a fun day! We gathered together in prayer then headed out to the field for a fun-filled morning of colour and games. You can see from the photos that everyone had a fantastic time! Head over to Facebook for more photos. Students also watched ‘The Story of St Francis Xavier’, as told by the students of St Francis Xavier. You can watch this short video via the link below. You may recognise some of the faces!
Thank you to all families for your support in preparing your child for participation in the festivities today.
Katrina Ryan
Leader of Evangelisation
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
Talking about feelings is an important part of learning about our own beliefs and behaviours. Teaching your child how to talk about feelings is a great start to learning self regulation and management of our emotions. In Stage 1 we use prompts to support dialogue including these mood monsters who introduce feelings and teach strategies that support our behaviours when we’re feeling a particular emotion. Discussing things that make us feel anxious, sad or scared and developing strategies to alleviate the negativity can make a big difference. Of course we should also be sure to focus on our positive feelings and make sure we take time in our day to reflect on all that we are grateful for. Happy chatting!
Laura Cooke
Leader of Positive Behaviour Support
Sporting Roundup
Elective Sport
Elective Sport for Stages 2 & 3 was postponed last week due to poor weather conditions and has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 7 December. Please ensure students wear sport uniform to school on this day.
For the students who selected Surfing as their Elective Sport, the following reminders apply.
Please bring:
Swimmers
Towel
Thongs or slides (to wear to and from the beach)
Rash Shirt (wetsuits will be provided if needed)
School Hat
Underwear to change into (if they come to school in swimmers)
Sunscreen (if your child is allergic to regular sunscreen)
Please ensure ALL ITEMS ARE LABELLED with your child's name.
Stage 1 PDHPE
Student voice: Stage 1 have loved playing basketball for PDHPE. Some students who don’t like PE have even loved participating. All students have shown good sportsmanship and have been encouraging each other.
Tiffany Wishart
Leader of Sport
Additional Needs
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)
Today we celebrate International Day of People with Disability. International Day of People with Disability is a United Nations observed day celebrated on 3 December each year to increase public awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with disability. It is an opportunity for our community to make positive changes to the lives of 4.4 million Australians with disability. We want to join the conversation about the issues experienced by people with disability to help grow inclusion in our community. Together, we can actively remove barriers for people with disability and help make our community more inclusive. If you would like more information about this important day please click on the link below.
During the month of November, some of our students participated in a IPDWD competition where they were encouraged to submit a creative drawing, artwork or poster for International Day of People with Disability. The theme was 'Grow Inclusion’. Braxton Evans, a Year 1 student at St Francis Xavier School, won the category Kindergarten to Year 3! Well done Braxton! Have a look at his fantastic picture.
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!
Certificates of Recognition
Congratulations to the Certificate of Recognition recipients for Week 9! Well done to all recipients throughout 2021. Keep up the great work in 2022!
Mini Vinnies
Festive Hampers
This year Mini Vinnies will again be putting together festive hampers for the local St Vincent de Paul conference. These hampers are given to people in need in our local community for Christmas.
We would appreciate it if you could donate the following items for the festive hampers:
bon bons, chocolates, small puddings, UHD custards, jelly, chocolate coated nuts and sultanas,
christmas lollies, chips, crackers, biscuits, nuts, soft drinks
The office and each classroom will have a tub to collect any items you send in.
Thank you for your generosity.
St Francis Xavier Mini Vinnies
Parish Schools Office reminder
Each year the Parish Schools Office have a prize draw for all families who have their school fee payment plan up to date. The next prize draw will take place in January 2022.
If there are any families who will not be returning to St Francis Xavier Primary School in 2022 please advise the school office on 6654 1981 as soon as possible.
