2022 Term 4 Week 7 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Acting Principal
What an amazing school community we have at St Francis Xavier, where students, parents and teachers just step up and assist one another without even being asked. So much happens in the last few weeks of the school year it can be an overwhelming time, however, with such a collaboration happening, we are certainly ensuring Every Learner is being Served.
Year 6 students helping each other at the St John Paul College orientation day, Year 5 students assisting one another in preparing their Leadership Speeches for next Wednesday, Stage 1 students supporting Kindergarten out on the field are just a few highlights of the week.
As we enter into the season of Advent this weekend there is a sense of joy and hope for all the next few weeks brings. What a place to belong!
Sharon de Dassel
Acting Principal
All Things Learning & Teaching
Semester 2 Student Progress Reports
Student Progress Reports will be available through Compass on Tuesday, 13th December. All families will be emailed when the reports become available.
Maths Assessment Interviews 2023
Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAIs) are conducted with all students from Kindergarten through to Year 6 at the start of every year. Online booking information will be emailed to families next week.
Mathematics Assessment Interviews (MAIs) Dates
Kindergarten: Monday 30 January - Thursday 2 February
Stage 1: Monday 30 January - Wednesday 1 February
Stage 2: Monday 30 January - Wednesday 1 February
Stage 3: Monday 30 January - Wednesday 1 February
Here is an article of interest that may change the way we talk about Maths at home. It is important to build positive Mathematical experiences together as a school community.
Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching
Faith & Mission
Season of Advent
Kindergarten and Stage 1 celebrated a Liturgy with Fr Joy on Wednesday this week. They listened to scripture around the theme of 'being ready' as we begin the Season of Advent this Sunday.
Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Class prayer tables have been dressed with purple fabric, the liturgical colour for the season of Advent. Advent wreaths have been added to prayer tables, with 4 candles representing the four weeks of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
St Francis Xavier Day
Next Friday. December 2, we will be celebrating our patron saint’s feast day with a Colour Run in the middle session, followed by a Liturgy and Assembly after recess. All families are encouraged to come along and join in the celebrations. Please refer to previous correspondence sent through Compass regarding details about the day.
Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission
Spotlight on High Potential Learning
Library Borrowing
A big thank you to all the students and families who have borrowed books from the library this year. It would be appreciated if all library books and home readers could be returned by the end of Week 8. Overdue notices have been sent home with your child. If your child has any overdue books, please look for these and return them to the library as soon as possible. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Suzie Coster
Leader of Learning HPL
Communicating Diversity
Indigenous Art Workshop - First Nations People
Last week, well-known local artist, Tulli Stevens shared her passion and expertise with students at St Francis Xavier, teaching us about her artwork and traditions of Indigenous art. Students created their own canvases and collaborated to refresh our ‘shops’ on the playground.
For more information about artist Tulli Stevens, please visit her website by clicking on the link below.
Laura Cooke
Leader of EAL / D
A Focus on Inclusion
Transition to new school year
For some students, particularly students with a disability, moving into a new school year can be a time of worry and uncertainty. At St Francis Xavier School, we understand that it is important to support students to make the transition to the new school year as calm and stress free as possible.
There are many parts to our transition process:
- Staff gather information about children to share with the next year’s teachers.
- This year’s homeroom teacher meets with next year’s Stage teachers to share information that will help the teachers to support the child in the new school year.
- Classes are structured to ensure students academic, emotional, social and spiritual needs can be supported.
- Students move to next year’s classroom spaces for one session in the last week of school. During this time they will see their learning spaces, some of the staff who will be working in the space and some of the students that they will be working with.
- Students who need a little extra support with change are given multiple opportunities to have informal visits to their classroom space for the next school year.
- Each family will receive digital copies of transition stories. These stories will show that some things will stay the same for them next year and some things will be different. This will include photos of next year’s homeroom teachers.
- Your child will come to school at the beginning of the year for a one-on-one maths assessment interview. This will give your child an opportunity to spend some time in the classroom space that they will be working in.
If you have any information that would be helpful for your child’s teacher to share with next year’s teacher, please email or call your child’s teacher for a chat.
Some of our students who are moving from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in 2023 have had a visit to their new classroom space this week.
Fiona Jupp
Leader of Inclusion
Sporting Roundup
Competitive Swimming Carnival Update
The Swimming Carnival will be held at Woolgoolga Pool on Friday, 9 December 2022. If your child has nominated to compete, you have received an Event via Compass. Please consent to this Event and bring your $3.00 pool entry to school by Friday, 2 December.
Rebel Sport Community Givebacks Program
Recent purchases from the credits redeemed from the Rebel Sport Community Givebacks Program are shown in the photos below including handballs, rugby balls and basketballs. Please keep attributing your expenditure to our school so we can keep purchasing these great items for the playground.
Tiffany Wishart
Leader of Sport
Vinnies Christmas Appeal
The St Vincent de Paul Conference in Woolgoolga has again requested our support for their Christmas Appeal.
Like last year they would like to give festive hampers to needy families in the Woolgoolga community. The hampers will be filled with non-perishable Christmas treats to brighten peoples’ Christmas. In addition to this, the St Vincent de Paul Conference will provide Woolworths gift cards.
We would greatly appreciate your donations for the Christmas treats.
Some suggestions to donate to the appeal are listed below:
- Biscuits
- Christmas puddings/cakes
- Pavlova shell
- Christmas chocolates and sweets
- Bon bons/christmas decorations
- Chocolate coated sultanas/peanuts
- Long life custard/cream
- Tins of stone fruit e.g cherries, apricots, peaches
- Mince tarts
- Mixed fruit and nuts
All food items donated must be sealed.
All donations can be left in the school office or classrooms.
Thank you for your support.
Yours in Christ,
The Mini Vinnies Team
Gold Token winners
Well done to all token recipients this week and congratulations to the Gold Token winners!
Certificate of Recognition recipients
Congratulations to the Certificate of Recognition recipients at last week's Assembly. Keep up the great work!
FREE Webinar - Parent Assembly
Catholic School Parent Assembly are presenting a FREE webinar "Getting Real About Consent & Respectful Relationships" on Wednesday 30 November at 7pm. Important viewing for all parents of teens and tweens. Please click on the link or scan the QR code to register.
