Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you were able to enjoy some rest and relaxation over the Canberra Day long weekend. Last week, I attended the Principals’ Retreat in Bowral. Over the three days, we looked at the Catholic education system's directions and initiatives, including an evaluation of the Catalyst project, which has a had significant system and school-wide impact on student achievement. We spent some time examining the change to governance coming to Catholic Education in 2025 as we move towards incorporation.  We then spent 2 days in retreat with Fr Timothy Radcliffe, who spoke about encounter, beauty, discipleship, mission, leadership and even gave some insights into who the next Pope might be. I thank Annie McArthur for running the school so capably in my absence.

NAPLAN

This week, our students in Years 3 and 5 have been sitting the NAPLAN tests. As of today, they will have completed Writing, Reading and Language Conventions (Grammar/Punctuation). Then, on Monday next week, they will complete their numeracy test, followed by catch-up sessions for absent students.

The tests are an important snapshot of the student’s learning as a whole cohort and can be useful for identifying learning trends and areas that may need attention in the future. It is also useful for identifying learning trends over a period of time, and progress that has been made.

It is important for any individual student to remember that it is one test on one day and many factors can influence their performance. As such, it may not necessarily be indicative of a particular student’s learning or progress. I thank the teachers and Mrs McArthur for supporting and preparing the students and instruments in the lead-up to NAPLAN.

2025 Enrolments

Although still relatively early in the year, we will shortly enter the enrolment period, which will begin early next term. Soon, signs in our feeder suburbs advertising Open Day tour dates will appear. We know the best enrolment tool for the school is word of mouth from our parent community. Please consider speaking with friends, neighbours and/or family about the opportunities we can provide for their children at St. Francis. In the next Newsletter, we will advertise key dates related to our enrolment period for ELC-Yr 6.

ELC Update

You will notice some significant milestones have been reached in the last two weeks with power being connected to the site. The building is 98% complete, and we will begin building sign-offs next week. Landscaping is also drawing to a close, and we expect the majority of the work to be completed by the end of next week. The ELC now has its own Facebook page, so please like and share.

Carpark

I thank you for your patience with a busier than usual car park to begin the school year. With the building of the ELC drawing to a close, we expect to have fewer car parks occupied by builder's cars and trucks. We also expect to have parking space returned to us once the temporary fencing comes down. Once this happens, we will ask parents to please refrain from parking on the ring road grassed areas. This is a gentle reminder to please be mindful of where you park in the car park so as not to block off the entry or exit for other vehicles.

Fee Help

You would have received a letter from me on Compass today outlining some more information related to the centralisation of school fees by Catholic Education and also changes to sibling and systemic discounts.

We recognise that the current cost of living crisis and high-interest rates are having an impact on many people in our community. If you are experiencing difficulty or need support, please get in touch with myself or Julie Rummukainen-julie.rummukainen@cg.catholic.edu.au for a confidential chat about how we can support you during this period.

We have various options available to support our community, from fee Concessions based on an Income test to supporting families with extras such as Camp. We all experience periods of financial uncertainty, which are often short but can be very stressful for families. Please reach out if we can support you.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal