2023 Term 4 Week 3 Newsletter

Prayer Focus

From the Principal

Fete

I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who made our recent fete an absolute success. From the organisers to the volunteers, the vendors, the performers, and of course, all the wonderful attendees, your collective efforts and enthusiasm made this community day a great success.

The camaraderie, the laughter, the delicious food, the fantastic entertainment, and the overall vibrant atmosphere were all a testament to the incredible community spirit we share. Your support, dedication, and presence truly made the day a memorable one.

I also wish to thank Yarrow and her fete committee for all their hard work in making the day such a great success. We are intending to hold a fete every two years around this time so would be grateful for any feedback. 

Class Placements 2024

It's that time of year when we are in the process of finalising student placements for the upcoming year. Placing students into classes is a complex task, and our dedicated teachers invest a substantial amount of time in creating class lists to ensure the best possible fit for all students. If you have any information regarding your child's placement that you would like us to take into consideration, please don't hesitate to contact the school by Friday 27 October.  Any changes cannot be made after this date because students will meet their new teacher on Friday 8 December. Your cooperation and input are greatly appreciated.

If your family is not returning to St Francis Xavier Primary School in 2024 please advise the School Office on 66541981 as soon as possible.

New Sporting Houses for 2024

Next year, in 2024, we have exciting plans to add two sporting houses to our school community. Our current sports houses are Ignatius (blue) and MacKillop (red). Ignatius house is named in honour of our school patron St Francis Xavier, who was an Ignatian brother and instrumental in founding the Jesuits. MacKillop House is named after Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop, who played a pivotal role in the field of education in colonial Australia.

The new houses to be introduced next year are McAuley (green) and we will also be re-introducing Bannon (yellow). Bannon house was previously part of our school's tradition, named so after founding Principal, Sr Margaret Bannon. McAuley House is named so in honour of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Mercy Sisters. This exciting change will involve some of our students moving to their new houses in 2024. Students will be informed of their new house assignment on Friday, December 8th.

Caroline Lewis
Principal

Faith & Mission

Child Safeguarding Website

The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL) has launched a Child Safeguarding website as part of our commitment to implementing the Child Safe Standards. It contains information on Child Safe Standards, our Commitment Statement, a contact form for concerns or inquiries, and other useful links and resources.

The website can also be accessed through the "Parent Information" tab on our school website. We encourage you to visit the website to understand our commitment to building a school where every child feels valued, heard, and protected.

Mini Vinnies visit the St Vincent de Paul Shop

The Mini Vinnies Students have been meeting at lunchtime each Wednesday all year. They have been involved in fundraising for the St Vincent de Paul Society. On Wednesday, Mrs Hunt and Ms Henry accompanied the students on a visit to the St Vincent de Paul Shop,‘ Vinnies’, in Market Street to hear how the Society supports people in need in our area. They were reminded of the importance of recycling and reusing our resources and how our donations are helping Vinnies to give people in need a ‘hand up’. The students even did a little bit of shopping while they were there! Thank you Mini Vinnies for your commitment to helping others.

Year 6 Camp and Year 5 Leadership Preparation

Next week is an exciting week for our Stage 3 students. Year 6 will be heading off to the Gold Coast for their much anticipated Year 6 Camp. This is a special time for Year 6, where they can spend time together as a group, enjoying each others’ company and celebrating as they enter their final weeks of primary school.

During this time, Year 5 will spend time preparing to step up into the leadership shoes that will need to be filled in 2024. During the week they will reflect on what it means to be a leader and begin preparing their leadership speeches, which will be presented in Week 5. 

Please keep these students in your prayers.

Exuro Retreat

This group of Year 5 students attended EXURO on Tuesday. EXURO is a one-day faith retreat experience using various prayer methods, group processes and student-led discussions to equip students to be faith leaders in their parish school communities. The theme for the Exuro Retreat centred around the Scripture verse, "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith and purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Ava's art work is featured in an exhibition at the Woolgoolga Art Gallery this month. Ava's parents are very proud of her and Ava is chuffed to have her work featured in the showcase. The exhibition is running until the end of the month. Well done Ava!

Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission

All Things Learning & Teaching

Spotlight on Learning

Well it’s Term 4 already and our students are well into their journey for the year. 

It has been wonderful to witness the continued growth and progression throughout the year in every classroom. This week we are featuring some of the Maths Learning taking place in Stage 1.

Students are pictured making good choices for their learning, working with a partners who are challenging them in their mathematical warm ups. 

Keep up the wonderful work Stage 1.

Kindergarten Orientations

We are looking forward to welcoming the Kindergarten 2024 cohort to school over the next couple of weeks.  Session times are as follows:

Orientation Session 1 Group 1:
Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Children attend:  9.30am – 11.00am

Orientation Session 1 Group 2:
Thursday, 2 November 2023
Children attend:  9.30am - 11.00am

Orientation Session 2 Whole Group:
Thursday, 9 November 2023
Children attend:  9.30am – 11.00am

Questacon

We were lucky to have the Questacon Science Circus visit this week . What a high energy spectacle of all things science. The students were enthralled and amazed. Thank you to the presenters Len and Jaci whose passion certainly shone through.

Thank you Questacon!

For those students who are keen for a double dose of SPECTACULAR SCIENCE, there will be a FREE Pop-Up Science Centre at the Wiilgula Sports Complex on October 28! Places are limited so be sure to BOOK in.

Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching

Communicating Diversity

Diwali

Preparations to celebrate Diwali in 2023 have already begun at St Francis Xavier! 

Students are busy choreographing a dance as we look forward to a day of immersion into the culture of our local Sikh community through Diwali fun!

We invite any volunteers who can help with food, decoration, dance or activities to contact the school as soon as possible to assist us with preparations for the day, which will take place on Thursday, November 9th. 

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

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by a different wiring of the brain. There is no cure for dyslexia and individuals with this condition must learn coping strategies. Research indicates that dyslexia has no relationship to intelligence. Individuals with dyslexia are neither more nor less intelligent than the general population. But some say the way individuals with dyslexia think can actually be an asset in achieving success.

While dyslexia can make reading more difficult, with the right instruction, almost all individuals with dyslexia can learn to read. Many people with dyslexia have gone on to accomplish great things. Among the many dyslexia success stories are Thomas Edison, Stephen Spielberg, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Schwab. This information is provided by the International Dyslexia Association.

In Australia dyslexia is recognised as a specific learning disability, affecting 1 in 10 adults and children. Dyslexia affects one’s reading ability leading to difficulties in recognising words accurately and fluently, understanding orthography, speech perception, and decoding speech from print. Dyslexia can also impact other language-related areas, including spelling and reading comprehension, vocabulary growth, and background knowledge.

Dyslexia often co-occurs with other developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and other related conditions. This information is provided by the What is Dyslexia website.

You may have noticed that the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour has been lit up in red at times during the month of October. Light it Red for Dyslexia Awareness is a volunteer initiative by Code REaD Dyslexia Network, a national registered charity, to light significant monuments, buildings and landmarks across Australia in RED for Dyslexia Awareness. Go to the Code REaD Dyslexia Network for more information. 

Fiona Jupp
Leader of Inclusion

Sporting Roundup

K - 2 Intensive Swimming

This year students from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 will be participating in an Intensive Swimming Program at Woolgoolga Pool in Week 6. This program is based on the Term 4 Healthy, Safe and Active Lifestyle strand of the Personal Development and Physical Education Education Curriculum.

Students will need to have swimmers, towels, goggles, T-shirt and thongs packed in a separate bag with everything clearly labeled.

More information to families will follow in the coming weeks.

Term 4 Elective Sports for Stage 2 & 3

This Term students in Stages 2 and 3 will be doing Elective Sport in weeks 5, 6 and 7. The sports on offer are surfing, tennis, fishing, beach walking and multi sports. Each student has nominated their preferences and will be notified in the coming weeks with the sport they will be doing. A Compass Event will be shared with families which will also contain more information about the sport your child has elected to do.

Well done to Georgia, Lani, Gabriella and Mia who competed at the Polding Athletics Carnival in Sydney earlier this term.

Mia competed at the PSSA Athletics Championships held in Sydney this week and madethe finals. Congratulations Mia!

Sarah Jennings
Leader of Sport

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!

Neurodiversity Webinar

Register for the Nurturing Neurodiversity Webinar with clinical psychologist Mariane Power by clicking on the link below or scanning the QR code.

Seesaw App

Year 7 Orienation Days

Forest Coach Lines - Bus Network Change

Gold Token winners

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