2023 Term 3 Week 3 Newsletter
From the Principal
Attendance
Attendance has a significant impact on student performance; therefore, it is crucial that children attend school unless they are unwell. Research confirms that poor attendance, even as early as Kindergarten, can lead to long-lasting effects on progress, achievement, wellbeing, and future success in work and life. Improving school attendance requires prioritisation from both students and parents. Currently, our average attendance at St. Francis Xavier is 85-95%. To enhance educational outcomes for every student, we must focus on increasing our attendance rates.
Census
This Friday, 4 August the school will be involved in Non-Government School Census Collection Day. This data is used to calculate recurrent funding and forms part of the school's profile published by ACARA and on the My School Website. It is confidential as per the Census Privacy Collection Notice below.
Planning for 2024
The Leadership Team is currently planning for 2024. If your child/children will no longer be attending St Francis Xavier in 2024 can you please contact the office at your earliest convenience.
Caroline Lewis
Principal
Faith & Mission
First Holy Communion
This term, students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation earlier in the year will begin their preparation for First Eucharist (First Holy Communion). Please keep these students in your prayers as they prepare to complete the Sacraments of Initiation and receive Jesus in this very special sacrament for the first time.
St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal
Mini Vinnies needs your help this Winter. Your generosity will bring warmth and happiness to people in need in the Woolgoolga community.
How can you help?
If each family could donate one good quality item of clothing from home. We prefer quality over quantity. High quality winter garments can be sold in our Vinnies Op Shops around the region and the money generated from these sales will be channeled back into the local community.
Please send clothing items to St Francis Xavier School by Friday, 18 August. Students are to place their items of clothing in the Winter Appeal Tub in their classroom. The Mini Vinnies group will be collecting and sorting the clothes, ready to deliver to the local Vinnies Op Shops.
The following items are requested:
- Men's and women's jackets/coats
- Men's and women's jumpers
- Men’s and women's winter shoes/boots
- Women's winter knitwear
Pyjama Day
There will be a Pyjama Day on Wednesday, 9 August.
Students can wear their pyjamas to school and bring a gold coin to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.
Underwear must be worn under the pyjamas. Closed in shoes and school hat must also be worn.
Assumption Mass
All students will be attending the Parish Mass on Wednesday, 15 August to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.
Mass will be held at St Francis Xavier Church, cnr Scarborough and Hastings St, Woolgoolga
Mass begins at 9.45am. Families are welcome to attend.
Consent is required through the Compass Event.
Playgroup
We are excited to welcome everyone back to Playgroup again! Playgroup is open to all families with babies to school-age children and especially children starting Kindergarten at St Francis Xavier in 2024.
Playgroup will run each Thursday 9:00am-10:00am in the school library (Casey Learning Centre - CLC). We will have storytime followed by craft and music. Weather permitting we will have fruit outside and play on the Stage 1 playground equipment.
Important information:
Sign-in: Please sign in on arrival using the sign-in book and the school QR code.
Name tags: To help us all get to know each other we will have nametags to start. Please write your full name and in brackets below your child’s name. eg Helen Hunt (Joshua). Please also write a name tag for your child/children.
Toilets: Toilets are located outside the School Hall. Please accompany your child and only use these toilets. Student toilets are not to be used.
Morning tea: Please bring a drink and fruit for your child.
Barista-made coffee and tea are available for purchase.
Coffee-$3.50 Tea-$2.50 Slice-$3.00 Coffee/Tea+ slice-$5.50
Contact details:
email: helen.hunt@lism.catholic.edu.au
Phone school number: 6654 1981
Playgroup is for the enjoyment of you and your child/children, please feel free to offer any suggestions.
Congratulations to Jack who competed in the 2023 Judo NSW Country Championships last weekend, coming away with a gold and a silver!
Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission
All Things Learning & Teaching
100 Days Of Kindergarten
Congratulations Kindergarten! What a wonderful achievement. One hundred days worth celebrating!
PDHPE Term 3
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) is a key learning area in the school’s curriculum. St Francis Xavier follows the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) K-10 PDHPE syllabus.
Learning in PDHPE reflects the dynamic nature of health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. Learning in this area seeks to develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes in the context of a diverse and rapidly changing society. As a result the learning experiences in PDHPE provide students with a foundation to actively contribute to, and advocate for, the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others in the community and beyond school.
The content in this key learning area can be sensitive and the school recognises this by teaching about such issues within the context of Catholic values and a developmentally appropriate K-6 PDHPH program.
The PDHPE units which focus on knowing the body will be taught in Term 3.
Our school values the role that parents have in the education of their children, especially in matters relating to sexual health. A note detailing the specific content to be covered in each stage will be sent out. Please take the time to read this note and discuss with your child the learning that will take place.
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2023 NAPLAN
Last week the 2023 Naplan results were released and all parents of students in Year 3 and Year 5, who took part, should have received a copy. Please contact the school if you have not received your childs results. For Year 5 the results from 2023 cannot be directly compared to results from 2008 to 2022, as the structure of proficiency standards have changed
Scales
NAPLAN results are reported using measurement scales for each of the assessment areas of numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation (these last 2 together are called conventions of language). There are 5 scales in all.
Proficiency standards
The proficiency standards are reported on reset NAPLAN measurement scales that make better use of the online adaptive tests.
The NAPLAN proficiency standards include 4 proficiency levels for each assessment area at each year level:
- Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
- Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
- Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
- Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.
The diagram below illustrates the progression of proficiency levels from Year 3 to Year 9. It shows an average of the five assessment areas.
How do the changes more clearly report student achievement?
The proficiency levels allow teachers and parents to see a measure of each student’s achievement and show more clearly whether a student is meeting expectations for their current stage of schooling.
The names of the 4 proficiency levels are descriptive and provide a summary of students’ performances. For example, the Exceeding level indicates a student has exceeded the expectations for their current stage of schooling.
Is Needs additional support the new national minimum standard?
The previous national minimum standard provided an approximate measure of which students needed additional support but identified too few of these students. It could also give the impression that a student had met learning expectations if they were above the national minimum standard. The new Needs additional support level is a better representation of students who need additional support.
Please take the time to go through your childs results and discuss with them their ‘point in time’ achievement. The coming weeks are also the perfect opportunity to connect with your childs teacher during parent/teacher interviews being offered. Don’t forget to make a booking via the COMPASS app.
Look What’s Coming Up in Week 6
Book Week is 21 to 25 August with our Book Week Parade on Friday, 25 August.
Start thinking about your ideal costume…
Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Communicating Diversity
Kindergarten kicked off Term 3 with some very engaging reading and illustrations. A favourite is ‘Feathers for Pheobe’ written by Rod Clement. We had fun hunting for birds on our playground to help inspire to create and describe our own birds. Look at these colourful rainbow lorikeets we spotted!
Laura Cooke
Leader of EAL / D
Gold Token winners
Well done to all toke recipients this week and congratulations to our Gold Token winners. Keep up the great work everyone!
Counsellor's Corner
Stage 2 Group for Term 3
In Term 3, Tree of Life will be run for Stage 2 students. Please see below for the information about Tree of Life. If you would like your child to participate please contact the office to receive a permission slip and consent form.
Tree of Life: For Stage 2 ONLY
Number of sessions: 10
Facilitated by: Alessandra Isgro
The Tree of Life is a support tool based on narrative practices facilitated in a group setting. The intervention uses different parts of a tree as metaphors to represent the different aspects of our lives. It involves students drawing their own “tree of life” and unpacking their roots (where they come from), their skills and strengths, hopes and dreams and the special people in their life. The students then join all their trees to create the “forest of life”, and in groups discuss some “storms” or challenges they have faced or are currently facing and use their tree’s to explore different strategies to help them through these storms. The intervention helps students strengthen their relationships with their own history, culture and significant people in their lives in a positive way to build confidence, self esteem and emotional resilience.
Alessandra Isgro
School Counsellor
National Bullying Prevention Week is from 14 August to 20 August. It is important that every student at St Francis Xavier feels safe, valued and respected. We recognise National Bullying Prevention Week to continue our work towards our school being a bullying free zone. We look forward to seeing everyone wear something ORANGE (hair accessories, socks, hat) on Wednesday 16 August!
Canteen News
Sushi
Sushi is now available from the Canteen on Wednesdays for $4.50.
Sushi must be ordered by 8am and is to be ordered through Flexischools ONLY.
Sushi varieties are as follows:
- Salmon and Cucumber
- Tuna and Cucumber
- Chicken and Avocado
- Vegetarian
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!
Coffee & Conversation
The topic of conversation this week is "Tell Them From Me" survey responses. Coffee & Conversation will take place on Friday, 4 August (8.45am-9.15am).
Parent Forum
The next Parent Forum Meeting is on Monday, 28 August, 6.30pm in the school library. Zoom link below is for those who can't attend in person. On the agenda for this meeting is the school fete.
The St Francis Xavier School Fete is being held on Saturday, 21 October. If you or your business is interested in sponsoring the Fete please contact the school for further information.
Open Day for Prospective Parents
