2023 Term 3 Week 9 Newsletter

Prayer Focus

From the Principal

Staffing Update

We are currently in the process of recruiting teachers for the 2024 year. Many of our dedicated staff members are returning from maternity leave, while others, including Lexie Jensen, Elyse Stuart and Alee Isgro, are about to begin their maternity leave. Additionally, Colette Harris will be taking extended long service leave in 2024 to explore Australia.

With mixed emotions, we bid farewell to Amy Livingstone, our exceptional Learning Assistant, as she embarks on a new chapter at the end of this term. We want to express our heartfelt appreciation for Amy's unwavering support for both students and staff at St Francis Xavier.

Term 4 Events

As we approach the final term of this academic year, we are thrilled to share with you the exciting events and initiatives lined up for Term 4. It has been a good year with staff trying to achieve our strategic goal to build partnership with parents, after the pandemic. 

 Here's a rundown of what you can look forward to in Term 4:

Reflecting on Progress: Evaluating Our 2023 School Improvement Plan (SIP)
Throughout Term 4, we will evaluate our 2023 SIP, celebrating the milestones we've achieved together. We will also share these successes with you, our valued partners, and engage in discussions about our goals for 2024.

Empowering Educators: Staff Professional Development - Focus on the new Years 3-6 Curriculum
On the last day of this term and the first day of Term 4, our dedicated teachers will engage in professional development sessions to enhance their expertise in delivering a dynamic curriculum to students in Years  3-6. This ensures that your child's education continues to evolve with the latest teaching strategies.

A Day of Fun: Our School Fete - Saturday, 21 October
Our School Fete promises a day filled with family fun, games and mouthwatering treats. Join us as we come together as a community to celebrate and support our school. All proceeds are going towards updating the playground for the students. 

Honoring Family Bonds: Grandparents Day - Friday 27 October
Grandparents play a vital role in our students' lives. We invite grandparents to join us for a special day of recognition, strengthening the connections that make our school community exceptional.

Celebrating Milestones:
Year 6 Camp, 31 October - 3 November and Year 6 Graduation, Monday 11 December
Witness the growth and achievements of our Year 6 students as they embark on an unforgettable camp experience and celebrate their graduation. It's a momentous occasion for both students and parents.

Kindergarten Orientations - 31 October, 2 November and 9 November
To ensure a smooth transition to primary school, we will be welcoming our Kindergarten 2024 cohort over three dates during Term 4.

 Young Leaders in Action: Year 5 Leadership Speeches - Week 4
Our Year 5 students will take the stage to showcase their leadership skills through inspiring speeches. Your support and encouragement are invaluable as they step into these roles.

Embracing our Charism:  St Francis Xavier Feast Day - Friday, 1 December
Promoting our school charism, which is a combination of the Mercy, Ignatian and Jesuit charisms. St Francis Xavier Day is a thrilling event that underscores the importance of our school.

Festive Harmony:  Christmas Concert - Thursday, 7 December
We will wrap up the term with our enchanting Christmas Concert. Our talented students will fill the air with holiday spirit through music, dance, and drama.

As we look forward to these events, we also extend our heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support and partnership. Your involvement is the cornerstone of our success, and together, we are shaping a bright future for our students.

Please mark your calendars, engage with us and embrace the upcoming term with moments for you and your children.

Happy Holidays

I wish to take the opportunity to thank everyone, the students, staff and parents for making Term 3 a successful one. I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday and are fortunate enough to have some quality time with your children and other loved ones over the next two weeks. Rest and relaxation are important for us to rejuvenate our hearts, minds and bodies, ready for Term 4.  Take care, and as always, be careful on the roads. 

Caroline Lewis
Principal

Parent Forum - Fete News

With the School Fete now just 6 weeks away, it's time to start getting excited! The major raffle has been launched on socials this week and the student raffle (for a Pizza Party and Ride Wristband) has been very popular!! Communication regarding the sale of unlimited ride wristbands, showbags and raffle tickets will be shared via Compass on Monday.

If you haven’t marked the date on your calendar yet - do it now!!! Saturday, 21 October 1pm- 5pm.  

We are looking to start collecting donations for the White Elephant Stall and with the school holidays coming up, what better way to get inspired to do some spring cleaning and get the kids involved too! 

Tickets for the student Pizza Party and Wristband raffle have been popular this week, with tickets still on sale Monday and Tuesday next week - $1 per ticket. 

Yarrow Wade
Parent Forum

Faith & Mission

RUOK? and Wellbeing Day 

Today students were excited to celebrate our Term 3 Wellbeing Day by wearing yellow to recognise RUOK? Day. Stages also participated in fun activities aimed at promoting wellbeing and a sense of belonging. The whole school joined with community members and families to spell out the letters RUOK? for a special photo. RUOK? Day has become a popular event in Woolgoolga, with many schools, businesses and community groups participating in the promotion of the important RUOK? message. 

Congraulations to Noah and Chloe who each won gold in the Jui Jitsu Australian Open in Byron Bay over the weekend. What an impressive pair!

Georgia placed third in the Open women's division at Bowl-A-Nana, the regions largest skateboarding competition. She was up against girls aged 14 - 16 years old and stomped two perfect runs in the final on Saturday night in front of a big crowd!

Noah also participated in the Bowl-A-Nana skateboarding competition. He performed exceptionally well, making it to the finals despite stiff competition and being the youngest of 19 other participants in the 12 & under division. Noah is only 7!

Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission

All Things Learning & Teaching

Regional Speech Finalists

Congratulations to our school representatives Emily Ashcroft, Georgia Winn, Ava Hunter and Maggie Winn, who participated in the Regional Public Speaking Competition at St John Paul College on Monday the 11th September. A special mention goes to Georgia Winn who was the runner up in the Year 4 section on the day. Well done to all!

Term 3 Wrap Up

Well it has been another bustling term of learning from Kinder to Year 6 and we are all very proud of the students and the growth we continue to witness.

Keep up the good work everyone!

eSafety Webinar for Parents and Carers: Getting Started on Social Media

Getting started with social media: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram

In Term 4 a 30-minute webinar will be available to view. This webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in primary school. It includes practical tech tips, conversation starters and digital parenting advice.

It will cover:

• creating a positive digital identity
• privacy and sharing online
• managing what you see online
• good practices in group chats
• help-seeking

Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching

Spotlight on High Potential Learning

Stage 3 High Potential Learning (HPL) students spent the day at St John Paul College working alongside other Stage 3 HPL students from St Augustines and Mary Help of Christians. The students worked on refining their comprehension strategies by reading various reports on optimising learning in young students. They worked on summarising key points of a university article using the specific strategies of questioning unknown vocabulary and visualising. The students then synthesised this information with their own research to write a report.

This was the last session for the year as Mr Aaron Dewhurst will be relocating to Grafton. The program will resume in 2024.

Suzie Coster
Leader of Learning HPL

Communicating Diversity

Last year’s Diwali celebration at St Francis Xavier was a special day thanks to our parent community. We received so much positive feedback from students, families and staff members. This year we hope to recognise this special Sikh holiday again and we are asking for volunteers from our parents, grandparents, and members of our Sikh community who would be able to support us to plan the day. 

We are also hoping to have an Indian food stall at our school fete in October. If you are able to help with this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Please call the school or email me directly at laura.cooke@lism.catholic.edu.au  

We look forward to hearing from you!

Laura Cooke
Leader of EAL / D

Sporting Roundup

On Wednesday, 6 September, 16 soccer players and 10 netball players attended the Clarence Zone Knockout Gala Day. Both teams showed great sportsmanship and teamwork throughout their games. 

The soccer team won one game and drew three games. They made it to the final where they lost 1 - 0 to St Augustines. This team has shown exceptional commitment by  training three times a week throughout the term and should be very proud of their efforts.

 The netball team won one game and lost three. This was an amazing effort considering that only 5 members of the team play netball.

Sarah Jennings
Leader of Sport

School Counsellor's Corner

Stage 1 Group for Term 4

In Term 4, Seasons for Growth will be run for Stage 1 students. Please see below for the information about Seasons for Growth. If you would like your child to participate please contact the office to receive a permission slip and consent form. 

Seasons for Growth: For Stage 1 ONLY
Number of Sessions: 8 (not inclusive of celebratory session)
Facilitated by: “Companions” Alessandra Isgro and Helen Hunt
Seasons for Growth offers children and young people an opportunity to come together and share their experiences of grief and loss. This could include a death in the family, changes in family arrangements including parental separation/ divorce, moving house, the arrival of new siblings or adjusting to other changes that may have impacted their lives.  The Seasons for Growth Program uses the seasons of the year as a metaphor that change and loss is a part of life and individuals experience the “seasons” in different ways. 

Note:  Under the framework of Seasons for Growth through Good Grief, if a referral to the program is in relation to a major change, that a minimum of 6 months has passed before your child is able to participate in the program. 

Alessandra Isgro
School Counsellor

Canteen News

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!

Gold Token winners

Well done to all token recipients this week and congratulations to our Gold Token winner. Keep up the great work everyone!