2024 Term 2 Week 9 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Principal
Thank you
As we near the end of the term, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful students for their hard work and dedication. Additionally, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the parents who have partnered with us to support their children's education. It's also important to acknowledge our exceptional staff at St Francis Xavier. We are incredibly fortunate to have a committed group of educators and support staff who consistently prioritise the learning and wellbeing of all our students. I hope that you have a wonderful break and we look forward to an exciting and action-packed Term 3.
Communication of dates and information
Parents are reminded that all dates and information regarding school activities are published in the fortnightly newsletter and are available on the school calendar (accessed via Compass). Where possible, all dates are entered on the school calendar for the whole year and parents are encouraged to access the calendar to take note of these dates in advance to assist with your planning.
Information regarding school activities is also sent to families via Compass. We recommend families use the Compass app and enable notifications to ensure messages are not missed. Reminders are also sent via Compass.
Facebook and Instagram are used to provide reminders and to share photos of learning, activities and events as they occur. WhatsApp (managed by stage parents) is used to provide reminders. SeeSaw (managed by class teachers) is used exclusively for students and teachers to share learning. Communication via Seesaw is not available. Families should not rely on social media for key information - it is an ‘add on’ for those families who would like to engage with it.
The School Calendar can be easily synced with your personal calendar and many families find this a good way to manage dates. Please click on the school calendar link below to sync.
We understand that family life is busy so we aim to ensure that all information is available in a timely and easily accessible way. If you are experiencing difficulty with accessing information or the calendar, please contact us so we can help.
Attendance Matters
Learning growth can occur when your child attends school every day.
By attending school every day, students maximise their exposure to educational opportunities, engage in meaningful learning experiences, and lay the foundation for continuous academic progress. Regular attendance provides students with the opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification and collaborate with others, enhancing their understanding of the material.
Parents and educators play important roles in fostering an environment that promotes and values regular attendance, contributing to the overall success and wellbeing of students.
Caroline Lewis
Principal
Faith & Mission
Accendere & Amare Retreats
On Wednesday this week, students in Stage 2 participated in a retreat day as part of our school discipleship program. The first of these retreats, offered in Year 3 is a short retreat called Amare which focuses on the theme of LOVE. The Year 4 students participated in a full day retreat called Accendere, which means to ‘spark the flame.’ During the day, Year 4 reflected on the theme of FRIENDSHIP. Both retreats provide an opportunity for students to spend time together, while exploring, learning, reflecting and praying together. There were also lots of fun activities, music and dancing - something for everyone!
Year 4 ACCENDERE Retreat:
I learned that you don’t have to always play with the same people. It's good to have lots of different friends and make new friends. - Nivaran
Friends should forgive each other. - Camilla
Good friends are honest and understanding. - Mila
Good friends are kind, honest and listen. - Abbey
Friendship is a two-way street. - Georgia
Communication is a really important part of friendship. - Oliver
Year 3 AMARE Retreat:
There are lots of different types of love, like the love between families is different to the love between friends. - Jack
We show others that we love them by including them. - Audrey
Your heart grows when you love others. - Isla
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week falls in the school holidays and as such we will be celebrating the important event in Week 10. During Week 10, students will have the opportunity to engage in a number of activities that recognise and celebrate Indigenous culture, including Indigenous stories shared at lunch times by the Books and Arts Ministry Team and the NAIDOC Celebration Day on Thursday July 4. On this day, our ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) students will lead a special assembly, which they have been preparing for the past few weeks. The assembly will begin with an official smoking ceremony. Certificates of Recognition will be presented at this assembly, with morning tea provided for visitors following assembly. Students (and families) can wear ATSI inspired mufti on the celebration day.
New Mass Times
As of this coming Saturday 29 June, there will be changes to the Mass and Reconciliation schedule. These changes have been made to respond to the needs of both the St Augustines and Mary Help of Christians Parish, and to ensure all parishioners have access to the sacraments.
Mass at St Francis Xavier Church:
- Wednesday 9.30am
- Saturday 8.30am
Reconciliation at St Francis Xavier Church will be available Saturday 8 - 8.20am (prior to Mass)
For other services and Reconciliation times, please refer to the schedule below.
Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal
It's not too late to send in your donations of towels, blankets and sheets (in good condition) for the Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal. Thank you to those who have already contributed to the appeal.
This winter, we are asking for families to generously donate blankets, sheets and towels. To uphold the dignity of those receiving goods, please ensure items are in good, clean condition. We would love quality over quantity. If families could donate ONE good quality item that would be greatly appreciated.
The Mini Vinnies group will be collecting and sorting the blankets, sheets and towels until the end of this term, ready to deliver to the local Vinnies Op Shop. If you can send your items into school any time between NOW and the END OF TERM, that would be much appreciated. We ask that students bring items in a bag and give it to their homeroom teacher.
The following items would be much appreciated.
Good quality, clean:
- flannelette or cotton sheets
- blankets
- towels
Save the Date - Grandparents Day Term 3
Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission
A Focus on Inclusion
National Collection of Census Data and Disability Discrimination Act links
For more information about the NCCD please click on the link below:
Fiona Jupp
Leader of Inclusion
Sporting Roundup
Athletics Carnival Wrap-up
Thank you to the parent volunteers and staff for another wonderful Athletics Carnival. We would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. This feedback enables us to reflect, evaluate and improve upon these events. Please click on the link below:
Congratulations to the 2024 Age Champions, Runners-up and ribbon winners. Best of luck to the students who have progressed to the Zone Athletics Carnival in Coffs Harbour in Term 3.
And the winning House is.... McAuley!!!!
These Stage 1 boys participated in the Coffs Harbour U7 soccer gala day on Sunday 16 June. They played four 30 minute games. A great day out in the winter sunshine for these great mates.
Hannah Howarth
Leader of Sport
Student Wellbeing
Thank You!
We would like to send out a very warm thank you to Mr David Ogg.
David has been an educator in many schools, both in our area and further afield, for over fifty years. He is an inspirational artist and teacher who shares God’s message through his art.
Since retiring from teaching David has continued to serve others in many ways including providing delicious meals and the best Anzac biscuits for our St Francis Xavier Tuckerbox. Many families have been grateful recipients of David’s meals over the past few years. He has also surprised the staff with homemade chocolates!
David, we are blessed to have your support for our school community and we ask God to continue to bless you with peace and joy.
Buddy Bench
The Peer Mediators have organised a Buddy Bench to help younger students find friends effortlessly. The Peer Mediators had started to notice Kindergarten and Stage 1 students walking around alone, so we believe the Buddy Bench will be a fantastic addition to our school.
The Woolgoolga Men's Shed built the Buddy Bench using reused Maccas (McDonalds) chairs and recycled timber.
The Peer Mediators and Mrs Hunt would like to thank Phil and Wal from the Men’s Shed for building the bench and Mr Misfud for supplying the resources to paint the bench. The Buddy Bench is located near the Rainbow Playground where Kindergarten and Stage 1 play, so it is easier to access.
We will be having a coin line next Wednesday, as part of our Wellbeing Day, to pay for the timber used. Please bring in a coin to add to our coin line to pay for our Buddy Bench.
Jen and Anahat
On behalf of the Peer Mediators
A message from Declan Moore in Year 6 , who first suggested a Buddy Bench.
"Hi everybody, you may have noticed there is a new addition to the school near the Kinder classrooms, it’s called the Buddy Bench. The Buddy Bench is for kids who have no-one to play with, or just want to have fun and socialise, they can go and sit on the bench so other kids know they need a friend or a play buddy. It’s supposed to help kids to find friends and people to talk to. It’s also very comfy so yes, it’s nice to sit on. We got some help from the men at the Men’s Shed in Woolgoolga to make the Bench for our school. We also painted it to make it look fun. I’m proud of our Buddy Bench and hope people use it to make connections. Thanks for listening to me about the new Buddy Bench.”
Helen Hunt
Wellbeing Team Member
Gold Token Winners
Well done to all token recipients this week and congratulations to the Gold Token winners!
Parent Forum
The next Parent Forum meeting will be held on Monday, 12 August at 6.30pm in the school library. There is a Zoom link below for those who are unable to attend in person.
At the Parent Forum Meeting on 20 May, a representative from the Catholic Schools Office presented two models for future options for parent engagement in our school. Click on the link above to read the Minutes of this meeting. Please refer to the flyer below to see the two options and to respond to a survey indicating your preference.
Lost Property
All of these items in Lost Property have no names on them.
We cannot return items when they are not labelled.
PLEASE LABEL ALL ITEMS THAT COME TO SCHOOL
especially uniforms, lunch boxes and drink bottles.