Dear Families

END OF SEMESTER REPORTS

This Friday 28 June each student will bring home their Semester 1 report. This is a real celebration of the achievements your child has made over the past two terms. Please spend some time with your child discussing the report. I offer some insights from an article written by parenting educator Michael Grose.

Kids of all ages take their cues from their parents, so your reaction to their school report can affect the way they see themselves as learners and as people. Before you rip open the sealed envelope containing the report do a little self-check to see if you are in the right frame of mind.

Are your expectations for your son or daughter realistic and in line with their ability? Expectations are tricky. If they are too high, then kids can be turned off learning. Too low and there is nothing to strive for. Pitch your expectations in line with your child’s abilities.

Do you believe that children learn at different rates? There are slow bloomers, late developers and steady- as you-go kids in every classroom, so avoid comparing your child to siblings, your friends’ children and even yourself when you were a child. Instead look for individual progress.

Are you willing to safeguard your child’s self-esteem rather than deflate it? Self-confidence is a pre-requisite for learning, so be prepared to be as positive and encouraging as possible.

Here are some ideas to consider when you open your child’s report:

Focus on strengths.

Do you look for strengths or weaknesses first? The challenge is to focus on strengths even if they are not in the traditional 3Rs or core subjects.

Take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning.

If your child is not trying hard enough or is easily distracted, then you have something to work on. If your child is putting in the required effort, then you cannot ask any more than that, regardless of the grading.

Broaden your focus away from academic performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social setting.

How your child gets along with his or her peers will influence their happiness and well-being, as well as give an indicator to their future. The skills of independence and co-operation are highly valued by employers so don’t dismiss these as unimportant.

The reports distributed this week have been prepared in line with the school’s Assessment and Reporting policy and the Australian Government funding requirements and associated legislative regulations. The teachers have worked extremely hard throughout the semester to ensure assessment strategies are implemented to develop clear and fair assessment tasks; to make consistent and reliable judgements about a student’s work; to ensure effective, explicit teaching has occurred and that assessments are placed within those parameters; to ensure that the assessment process is known by the students prior to being conducted; and that assessment data is utilised to inform teaching and learning programs. A reminder that you can meet with your child’s teacher following the report. If you would like to have a meeting with the teacher, please contact the teacher directly to organise a time next week.

STUDENTS LEAVING ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

It is the time of the year that places of offer are being sent to parents of children enrolling for Kindergarten in 2020. Other schools are also offering placements at this time. It is important that our school is informed about students leaving the school in 2019. This may be due to enrolling in another Catholic school or moving interstate or within Canberra. For staffing and budgeting purposes we need to estimate enrolment numbers for 2020 in all year levels, so we would appreciate notification of your intentions when you are certain of your plans. Please email office.stfranciscalwell@cg.catholic.edu.au or send a letter to the front office. Thank you for your assistance in this process.

SPLIT CLASSES

Recently we have had to split some classes when teachers have been absent from school. This is due to the difficulty in finding available relief teachers at this time of the year, despite many, many calls being made from members of our school Leadership Team. If we can’t get relief teachers we have no other option. Every attempt is made to keep classes settled and we hope that these situations are not too common. Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.

If your child is sick, we do ask that you keep them home. Working in an environment where children are sent to school whist unwell can, potentially, make other members of the class group sick as well. This includes the class teacher.  Please remind your child about hygiene when it comes to coughs and colds.

PARENTAL CONCERNS

In a school community there can be times when you, as a parent, find situations frustrating. Communicating these frustrations with other parents does not always solve the problem, in fact, it often makes things worse. A reminder to all families that if you have any concerns about your child’s education or well-being at school, or about something happening here that is causing you a worry, please speak to your child’s teacher, the staff at BASCA (if it is a BASCA issue) or to me rather than others in the carpark or the local sports fields. That way we can address problems or concerns quickly and appropriately. Thank you for your understanding.

CRAZY HAIR DAY

A reminder that next Friday 5 July (last day of term 2) is ‘Crazy Hair Day’. We ask all students to come to school with some crazy hair styles and to bring a gold coin which will assist us with fete preparation. 

PYJAMA DAY

The children are also encouraged to wear their Pyjamas to school tomorrow (Friday 28 June 2019) as an incentive prize for last term’s Ninja Warrior Colour Run.

END OF TERM

As we come to the end of Term 2, I thank our parents for all you do for the children at school. To date this year, we have enjoyed wonderful support from parents who assist in the classrooms, the canteen, at carnivals and sporting events, book club, school discos and other community events. Your assistance provides many services for the students and your involvement adds to the community dimension of the school. Your work for the school is greatly appreciated and we look forward to your continued involvement next semester.

To our very dedicated and wonderful staff, on behalf of all, thank you for your work, care and interest in our children, particularly at the busy time of the year with assessments and reports. I am grateful for having a group of dedicated professionals who contribute so much to St Francis of Assisi Primary School.

SECURITY IN THE HOLIDAYS

With the holidays approaching, I urge everyone to keep an eye on the school during the holidays and report any suspicious behaviour directly to the ACT Police on 131 444. As you walk or drive past the school, cast an eye across the grounds!

SCHOOL UNIFORM REMINDERS

With the holidays approaching, it is a good time to get all uniform requirements ready for the start of Term 3. School uniform seems to be a constant battle recently! We are persistently reminding students at school that they must wear correct uniform to school. We need parental support in ensuring we follow Catholic Education Uniform guidelines and School Uniform Policy.

Some reminders please:

• Navy jackets only;
• Navy or black scarves, gloves and beanies only;
• A St Francis School bag;
• Winter uniform only- no shorts or polo shirts (short or long sleeved)!

Could you please ensure that your child comes to school with either a jumper or tracksuit jacket depending on what uniform is required on that day. We have many children turning up to school in minus temperatures with only a thin shirt on. It is far too cold and children are getting sick as a result.

AWARDS ASSEMBLY

Our awards assembly will be held tomorrow afternoon (Friday 28 June) at 1:45pm.   Children will be selected from each grade who have displayed a willingness to be a shining example to others in our 4 school rules; Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be a Learner and another 2 for living in the footsteps of St Francis by being a ‘Peacemaker’ and being Sustainable.

Year 6 will host this award assembly and present our current school rules to the rest of the school. We will also be presenting the children who made their Confirmation with their certificates, Mini-Vinnies with their badges and two of our former Community Council members, gifts of thanks for service to the school. We will also have an opportunity to hear from Caitlin Chifley, our rostrum finalist. Caitlin will be competing at the regional quarter-final tonight at Holy Family Primary School. Good luck Caitlin! 

Congratulations to the following children who are our award recipients this term:

SCHOOL FEES

Thank you to the many families who have finalised their fees for this term. School fees were due a few weeks ago and reminders have been sent home to families who have not finalised fees. Could you please attend to this as a matter of urgency? Should you be experiencing difficulty with the fees please come and see me.

Peace and Best Wishes

Kate Markcrow

Principal