Hello Families,

This coming Sunday's Gospel reading from Matthew is all about forgiveness. Jesus tells us to 'forgive your brother from your heart.” What a wonderful message but in reality, such a hard thing to do. I suggest that we think about what forgiveness does for us as well as the effect it can have on others. It teaches that we are to forgive as God has forgiven us. So, I ask you, how do you show forgiveness to those around you and are you able to perhaps do this a little better?  Our little people take their lead from us ❤️.

Some important messages for the week:

Staff sharing Expertise

We have had many of our staff present their expertise with other staff in the Archdiocese over the past couple of weeks. Nat Radanovich, Nikki Arcidiacono and Emma Harris led Webinars across the diocese last week. On Saturday, Lauren Macdonald presented at the Best Practice Sharing Conference held at Merici College. We have so many wonderfully talented staff members and I thank them for sharing their wisdom so graciously with others.

First Eucharist

Congratulations to our Yr 5 students who made their First Holy Communion on over the past fortnight and this coming weekend. It was a beautiful celebration of this blessed sacrament which was beautifully celebrated in the presence of students and their families. I thank the parish, parents and Yr. 5 teachers for preparing the students for this occasion.

Learning Journeys

Parents and family members may visit the classrooms anytime between 2:15 - 4:30pm next Tuesday 19th September to experience the amazing learning that has been happening throughout the term. We look forward to seeing you!

Year 6 Market Day

Please support our Year 6 students who are holding the Market Day to raise money for Missions next Thursday 21st September between 11:40am and 1pm. Please see correspondence in Compass around this.

Absences

Please ensure that as we come to the end of the term that you have given reasons for all of your child's absences from school. You can do this via the Compass app or the online website.

Netballers

A huge congratulations to our Netballers from Yrs. 2-6 on the successful completion of their season over the weekend.  These players were recognised in front of the whole school community at our Awards Ceremony held today.

A huge thanks go out to the Netball committee for their work behind the scenes this year to run the club. A big thanks to Mr Hosie for being our staff representative and our parent committee members Sarah Lewis, Krista Mackintosh, Simone McCloskey and Michelle Fisher. Their commitment to the students and love of Netball is an incredible gift to our school community.

School Disco

Thank you to all our parent helpers and the Community Council for helping to run our Disco last Friday. Thank you also to Kathy in the canteen for providing the food. The kids said they had a great time. We also appreciated the feedback given and we will ensure that this is actioned at our next CC meeting.

Year 6 Debating

Last Wednesday was our final debate for our Year 6 students. They debated a total of four times and came away with 3 out of 4 wins, great job! Thanks to our wonderful Year 6 teaching team for all your organisation and preparation. Well done to our students, we are super proud of you all.

Dos and Don’ts on School Grounds

1. I draw your attention to the following ACT Legislation regarding dogs on school grounds (Domestic Animals Act 2000) - Prohibited places (1) A person must not take a dog into the grounds of a child-care centre, preschool or primary school unless— (a) a keeper of the dog resides in the grounds; or (b) the dog is taken into the grounds with the permission of the principal or person in charge of the child-care centre, preschool or primary school. So, as cute as our little creatures are and as much as we would love to welcome them onto school grounds, we are asking you to please refrain from bringing your 4-legged friends onto the school grounds. This is for their protection as much as for the safety of our students.
2. Please also bear in mind that, in line with Catholic Education policy (CE Policy “Smoking Free Environment"), smoking is prohibited in all areas of the school grounds, including the car park.
   All CECG schools are designated smoking free environments. Smoking is prohibited in all CECG school environments, including but not limited to: school facilities, buildings, grounds, sports fields, vehicles on school grounds and car parks. All students, staff, other authorised persons and visitors are informed that schools are smoking free environments.
3. Drive Safely - ACT Police advise (https://www.police.act.gov.au/road-safety/safe-driving/speeding) that in shared zones (such as our school carpark) where pedestrians and vehicles have access; motorists must not exceed 10km/h and must give way to pedestrians.  With this last point in mind can we remind all parents that drop-off is along the coloured kerb near the front office gates, NOT, the BASCA gates. Please remember to drop-off in the correct, supervised area.
4. We kindly ask that you DO NOT let your child play on the equipment after school, even if supervised by you. BASCA will once again be using this space and logistically it is a nightmare for teachers to tell who is with a parent for our legal duty of care. We have had a couple of incidences where parents have arrived in Pickers to pick up their child and they have been on the equipment unsupervised. We ask that the community supports our decisions and legal duty of care responsibilities around NO playing on equipment after school.

Uniform Checks

Summer Uniform commences in Term 4, so please check the wardrobe, and visit the Clothing Pool, Lowes (Savvy) or Workin' Gear if any items are needed. We will have the usual transition period early in Term 4 to cater for the unpredictable weather.  That said, with the upcoming warmer weather scheduled to arrive a little earlier this year please know that if your child is wearing the full correct uniform, we will allow the summer uniform to be worn a little earlier if you warrant this for your child. 

The teachers will also be conducting spot-checks randomly for correct uniform. If a child is wearing the incorrect uniform an A5 reminder note will be sent home and we are asking you to read, address the concern and return the slip, signed, to school. We also ask that a note accompany and reason for students to be out of the correct uniform. We appreciate your help and support with this matter. A reminder too, that black leather school shoes are an essential item of uniform. Several parents comment that their Year 6 child only has one term left at school. However, students also need black school shoes in high school.

2024 Intentions

If any student from Kinder - Year 5 are not intending to return to St Francis for the 2024 school year, can you please send an email to the front office to let them know, this does not include our Year 6 leavers. Office Email

Have an amazing weekend and week ahead.

Take care,

Annie McArthur

Acting Principal