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