Dear Parents and Carers,

"Let us never forget that authentic power is service. The more we give, the more we receive."
— Pope Francis

Since our last newsletter, we have celebrated the beginning of the Advent season, which has led us towards the joyful celebration of Christmas. In the spirit of this season, Pope Francis' words remind us of the true essence of service, especially in the context of our families, communities, and the world. Advent calls us to prepare for the coming of Christ, not only within ourselves but through acts of love, compassion, and kindness that prepare the way for others. As we look to Christmas, let us remember that our efforts to serve, love, and act with decency point toward a greater purpose beyond ourselves. I encourage all members of the community to engage in the act of service for someone in the lead-up to Christmas.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the dedicated staff at St Francis for their tireless efforts and commitment to our students this year. Working in a school is not just a job but a vocation, requiring a deep dedication to shaping and nurturing young lives. I am especially grateful to those staff members who will be moving on next year, and I thank them for their unwavering support of our school community. We will miss you Miss Barr and Mrs Stevens. We wish you all the best in your new endeavours next year and hope your interstate moves are smooth and successful.

We will also be getting a new Counsellor in 2025. I thank Tessa Slater for supporting our school community for the last two years. Our new Counsellor’s Bio is included below.

Class for 2025

At this point, we are fully staffed for 2025. Yesterday, our students spent time in their new classroom with their new teacher and some of their peers. We are looking forward to a successful 2025. A full staff list is below. Please note that most classes in the school have two teachers for a range of reasons, including staff working arrangements, Early Career release, ICT, and leadership opportunities in the school, to name a few. Generally, I will name a teacher if they work one day a week or more in a class. Teachers working less than a day a week, say a day fortnight, often need to be changed at the last minute to support the school's operational needs and are not named.

Leadership Team

Principal: Sean Rutledge

Assistant Principal: Annie McArthur

Religious Education Coordinator: Sharee Thomas

Coordinator: Lauren Macdonald

Coordinator: Jeremy Stevens

Inclusive Education Coordinator: Kristy Everding

ELC Director: Gabrielle Adams

Classroom and Curriculum Teachers

Kindergarten: Jessica Lewis, Alice Nordin, Kayla Murray, Sara Meins.

Year 1: Karen Jones, Annette Maruskanic, Vanessa Dries, Jo Grogan.

Year 2: Olivia Mullens, Amy Spencer, Amanda Ducker.

Year 3:  Jesse Waltmann, Sarah Lehmensich, Lachlan Hayes,  Jo Grogan.

Year 4: Claire Walsh, Sarah Forester, Nathan Hosie.

Year 5: Antonietta Shean, Isabelle Johnson, Courtney Allais, Sharee Thomas.

Year 6: Nikki Arcidiacono, Natalie Radanovich, Kaylee Warren.

Performing Arts Teacher: Anne-Marie Dimmock.

Teacher Librarian: Alison Bond.

STEM Teacher: Emma Harris.

ICT Coordinator: Natalie Radanovich, Nikki Arcidiacono.

Sports Coordinator: Annie McArthur

Sustainability Coordinator: Jesse Waltmann

Support Staff

Office Manager: Courtney Djerke

Finance Manager: Julie Rummukainen

Learning Support Assistants: Karen Byrne, Elizabeth Ponyter, Chloe Ball, Mia Akehurst, Breanna Henkel, Sophie Vassallo, Cassie Ramsay, Jill Buik, Keiran Comerford, Aisha Khairi, Jess Dean.

Literacy Interventions Coordinator: Lauren Macdonald

Numeracy Intervention and ECT Mentoring Project: Kelly Delaney

Numeracy Specialist/Extensive Student Support: Jeremy Stevens

School Welfare Officer: Susan Harris

School Counsellor: Bianca Breen

Groundsman: Damien Lindsay

The students should have brought home a booklet with information about their teacher and a class list. I encourage you to be positive about your child’s teacher and the students within their class. Often, the best combinations for learning are not necessarily students' best friends, and classroom teachers, as professionals, have had input into which class students have been placed based on a range of factors outlined in previous newsletters. We are enthusiastic about the upcoming school year and look forward to partnering with you to ensure your child's successful and fulfilling educational journey. Thank you for your understanding and support. If you were absent yesterday and missed the booklet, your child will receive it today or Monday when they return to school. If your child will not be back this year, please email the office to organise a copy to be emailed to you.

Semester 2 reports

Our teachers have worked tirelessly to produce our Semester 2 reports, which went home via Compass on Wednesday. Many hours are spent planning, teaching, assessing, moderating, collating/entering data and writing comments for our end-of-semester reports. I hope you find these documents useful records related to your child’s learning. The grades and descriptors on the report are a measurement of a child's learning assessed against the achievement standards outlined in the Australian Curriculum. Mr Stevens has produced a podcast, going live today, which goes into more detail about how these reports are put together, it is worth a listen.  If you have trouble accessing these reports, please contact the school office.

Calander Links for 2025

In recent years, we have moved to a digital calendar for all our school dates and events. We will ask you to consult the digital school calendar and transfer dates to a paper calendar if this is how you operate. Below are some ways to access the School’s digital Calander:

The digital school calendar is the most up-to-date representation of what is happening in the school and is our one source of truth. There are a couple of ways to access this quickly:

• Through the Compass app or desktop webpage, by selecting the school calendar.
• The school Calendar tile on our School Webpage St Francis of Assisi Primary School - Calwell (stfa.act.edu.au) or the tab at the top of the website.
• Download a public .ical file to overlay the school calendar on your personal or work calendar. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/saintfrancis.calwell%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
• Directly visit the School Calendar browser public link https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=saintfrancis.calwell%40gmail.com&ctz=Australia%2FSydney

A reminder that the first day of school for all students in 2025 is Tuesday, 4^th February 2025.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am looking forward to continuing to work with you all in 2025.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Welcome to the end of 2024!

What a long but fast year we have had! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for all the support I have received, it feels like saying Merry Christmas to family as I believe that is what we have created within our community. 

Christmas Eve Prayer

Loving God,

Help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,

and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,

and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,

forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

Source: https:www.acatholic.org.adventchristmas-prayers/

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS

Thank you so much for your support in collecting items for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. On Monday we will present 24 full hampers to the Calwell Chapter of Vinnies to distribute to our community. I know how much our help is appreciated as they help those in our community who are in need. 

THANKSGIVING MASS AND CHRISTMAS FREE CLOTHES DAY

A reminder that ALL FAMILIES are invited to our Thanksgiving Mass which will be held in the hall at midday on Monday 16th December. Children may wear as little or as much Christmas cheer as they wish. Please don't go out and purchase special outfits, whatever you have at home will suffice. Headbands, santa hats, Christmas ribbons, etc. are a great and easy option. We will ask the students to remove head wear for the Mass but the remainder of the day the students can get into the festive spirit for the last day of school for 2024.

I wish everyone a holy, safe and restful Christmas break, however long that is for you and your families. 

Sharee Thomas

REC

PLEASE return ALL library books to the library by Monday afternoon at the latest. Multiple overdue notices have been sent out over the last few weeks but there are still 230 student borrowed books not returned to the library. Some of these are brand new books! Please have a good look around at home and return any books with a St Francis of Assisi barcode.

Thank you for your support.

Alison Bond

St Francis of Assisi Primary School 

Teacher Librarian