2023 Term 2 Week 3 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Principal
Happy Mother's Day
May the month of May be a special time to pray to our Blessed Mother Mary. In celebrating the annual cycle of Christ’s mysteries, the Church honours with special love, Mary the Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. This month we take time to learn more and reflect on the example of Mary, drawing on her guiding light and strength as we continue to open our hearts to God who loves us.
Mary is the role model for all mothers. Her selfless, unconditional love is the strength that we, all mothers and carers, try to emulate in our daily lives. On Sunday, 14 May we celebrate and give thanks to all mothers and mother figures in our lives and truly thank them for the love, care and strength they bestow on us. I hope that all our mother’s enjoy our liturgy and afternoon tea and are spoilt this Sunday.
God, our Father, we ask you to bless all the mothers together with those others who, in various ways, fulfil a mother’s role.
Give them your love that they may love those entrusted to them with the love which only they as mothers can give.
Give them your strength that they may never weary of the demanding role that is theirs, always ready to support, advise, encourage and sustain those who are so precious to them.
Give them your warmth that they may radiate to their children the human and divine qualities of compassion, understanding, patience, and kindness.
Above all, give them your joy and peace that they may always know the special place they have in your heart God, you love them as you gave your love to Mary, the mother of Jesus, your Son.
May these special women who give so much to others, so unselfishly and generously, know that you are with them always.
And may Almighty God bless them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Strategic Plan
Below is our Strategic Plan that we hope to undertake over the next three years. Any suggestions would be greatly valued.
Caroline Lewis
Principal
Faith & Mission
Tell Them From Me Parent Survey
TODAY (Friday) is your last chance to SHARE YOUR VOICE on all things St Francis Xavier via the annual 'Tell Them From Me Partners in Learning Parent Survey'. So far, 25% of families have completed the survey. ALL FAMILIES are strongly encouraged to complete the survey to help us find out what is working well and where we can improve in order to make our great school even better.
Mini Vinnies Members Commissioning
The Stage 2 Mini Vinnies members were commissioned by Fr Joy at Wednesday’s Mass.
We congratulate them on taking on this role.
The Stage 3 Mini Vinnies members will be commissioned at the Week 5 Mass.
Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission
All Things Learning & Teaching
Focus on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
When you ask your child/ren "What are you learning at school?" hopefully the terms Learning Intention and Success Criteria are starting to be part of their response. What do we mean by that? Well it is important to us that we share with our families the same language we are using at school, creating a strong community bond. So lets unpack these terms allowing for clarity for all.
Learning Intention (LI) is a statement, created by the teacher, that describes clearly what the teacher wants the students to know and understand, and be able to do as a result of learning and teaching.
Clear Learning Intentions should help students focus not just on the task or activity taking place but on what they are learning. Learning Intentions are always linked to one or more learning outcomes, they are deconstructed with the students to make them accessible for all and start with the stem "We are learning to…"
Success Criteria (SC) are linked to Learning Intentions. They are developed by the teacher and/or co-constructed with the students to describe what success looks like. They help the teacher and student to make judgements about the quality of student learning. "I can…."
It is important to have LI & SC displayed for students to check in with for the duration of the lesson/s. This allows the students to explain their learning and check in on how successful they have been. Research shows that students who regularly receive this information in the classroom are:
- more focused for longer periods of time
- more motivated and active in their learning
- better able to take responsibility for their own learning
Kinder- Year 2 New Syllabus Reading Night
Thank you to all the wonderful families who came to the Kinder-Year 2 night. It was wonderful to see so many families represented and keen to be part of their child's learning journey. We would also like to thank the Parent Assembly for supplying nibbles that were enjoyed by all and in particular our area representative Chrissy Morrison for her continued involvement and support of our community. All handouts and information have been emailed out to Kinder-Year 2 families.
Meet the Team
The Stage 3 Team work collaboratively in achieving the best possible learning outcome for the students in their care. High expectations, individual growth as well as achievement of student goals are core objectives. The three homerooms share a common timetable and students will often move spaces for English, Maths and RENEW projects in Religious Education. The flexible learning spaces and purposely designed environment contribute to the amazing learning taking place in Stage 3. Go Team!
What's the Learning this Term?
In continuing to build stong connections between home and what is happening at St Francis Xavier, we plan to send home a term overview of the learning that will take place each term. The Term 2 overviews are below for all Stages. Amazing learning is happening and this guide will hopefully provide a springboard for learning centered conversations at home.
Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching
Spotlight on High Potential Learning
Stage 3 HPL students had their first visit to St John Paul College for the year. The students participated in rich discussions and fun activities about the human brain with Mr Dewhurst using de Bono thinking hats.
The students also engaged in a science lesson where they investigated the concept of acceleration. They were divided into two opposing teams with the challenge of trying to hit the opposing team with foam rockets. This data was recorded using graphs and analysed through further discussions.
Suzie Coster
Leader of Learning HPL
Communicating Diversity
During the April school holiday, some of our staff and students were lucky to attend the annual Sikh parade celebrating Vaisakhi. This important day commemorates the date Sikh religion was initiated. It was a beautiful show of Sikh culture and tradition that St Francis Xavier is blessed to be part of.
Laura Cooke
Leader of EAL / D
Sporting Roundup
Clarence Zone Cross Country
On Wednesday last week we took a team of 40 students to compete at the Clarence Zone Cross Country Carnival at McAuley Catholic College in Grafton. The course was tough. The students ran through cow paddocks with many hills and gullies but that didn’t stop our team from achieving amazing results. All students raced with integrity and showed great sportsmanship. The team encouraged and supported each other which was great to see.
We have 13 students who will now represent the Clarence Zone at the Diocesan Cross Country Carnival. Special mentions to: Max Ross and Ellie White who won their age groups; Mia Brown, Ava Hunter and Tilda Vary who placed 2nd in their races; Elijah Franke and Samuel Ewart who placed 3rd in their age groups. Overall St Francis Xavier placed 2nd out of the nine schools in the Zone. A great effort by all.
We're taking it in our stride on Friday, 19 May
It’s that time of year again when our school seriously starts talking about walking!
Walk Safely to School Day asks that we all consider our transport habits and try to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around. And although walking all the way to school isn’t realistic for many of us, it’s quite easy to figure out how you can build a walk into your family’s daily routine.
You can teach your child the healthy habit of walking more by:
- Walking with them the whole way to school
- If they get the bus or walk past your usual stop and get on at the next stop
- If you have to drive, park the car a few blocks away from school and walk the rest of the way.
If you and your child wish to join us and walk to school, please meet school staff at either of the following locations at 8:20am on Friday, 19 May.
Location 1 - Corner of Ocean and Queen Streets
Location 2 - Corner of Scarborough and Gordon Streets
Please wait with your child until a staff member has arrived at the location as we don’t want children left unsupervised. Students and staff will walk from each location to school.
Sport Club
Sarah Jennings
Leader of Sport
Canteen News
Mac and Cheese
Due to overwhelming demand, Mac and Cheese will be available on Wednesdays for a limited time only. Pasta bolognese, lasagna and fried rice are also available. All of these meals are made here on the premises.
Canteen Roster
If you would like to volunteer in the Canteen on a Wednesday or a Friday from 9am-10.15am or 10.15am-11.30am please contact the school office on 66541981 or click on the link below.
All volunteers will receive a free morning tea and coffee!
Peer Mediator Training
Help Needed
The Stage 3 students are nearing the end of their Peer Mediator Training. We need four brightly coloured vests for our peer mediators to wear, to make them easily identifiable on the playground. If you would like to volunteer to make one (or more) of these vests please contact the school office on 66541981.
Free Webinar
Getting the most out of gaming
Presented by the eSafety Commissioner and Council of Catholic School Parents, this 45-minute webinar provides families with strategies for supporting children and young people to have safe and positive experiences when playing games online. It is designed for parents and carers of children aged 7 to 14.
It will cover:
- when gaming can be beneficial and strategies to promote better in-game experiences
- how to keep children safe online – using safety and privacy settings in games and platforms
- strategies to promote more balanced gaming and how to create smoother transitions from game-play to other activities
- the key online risks and where to find help for things like bullying and harassment in games.
Click on the link below to register for this event.
Tuesday, 23 May 7.30pm - 8.15pm
Parent Forum
Thank you to the parents who attended the Parent Forum Meeting this week. The school fete was one of the items discussed at the meeting.
Our school fete is set for the afternoon of Saturday, 21 October and preparations are well underway!
Ideas for class stalls will be sent to teachers this term and students will also have the chance to put forward their own suggestions too.
We've started to look for sponsorship to help cover event costs and work towards our fundraising for playground upgrades. Please spread the word and let us know if you or someone you know might be able to help out with sponsorship. We're looking for both financial support and donations for great raffle prizes!
The next Parent Forum Meeting will be held on Monday, 5 June 6.30pm-8pm at the Seaview Tavern. All are welcome to attend.
Yarrow Wade
President
Gold Token winners
Well done to all token recipents this week and congratulations to the Gold Token winners!
