Dear Families

What a fantastic community night we had for our annual School Fete. This year we trialled a night time fete and by all feedback received it was a raging success. St Francis was obviously looking out for us and turned on a spectacular evening. The weather was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a great time. Obviously an enormous amount of work goes into this day. A big thank you to Sandy Scensor, our Fete Convenor for doing an outstanding job. Thanks to Tiffany Reedy, who coordinated from school. A big thanks to the group of fantastic parents and teachers who made up the Fete committee and did so much to ensure Friday was such a financial and community success. And finally, thanks to all staff and parents for attending and supporting, and more importantly, for assisting on stalls and help set-up and pack-up. We can’t do this without parent support.

Obviously the purpose for our fete is financial. We raised approximately $20,000 that the Community Council will prioritise next year. The other reason for the fete is for community building. What a great day to spend time with family and friends and supporting our school. I was overwhelmed by the support of parents and for the positive messages highlighting the great community spirit. I am very proud of this school and the community.

RECONCILIATION

This week our children from Year 3 and older students celebrated their First Reconciliation. This Sacrament was instituted by Jesus Christ in his love and mercy to offer us forgiveness for the times we have sinned and turned away from God. At the same time, we are reconciled with the Church because it is also wounded by our sins.

Every time we sin, we hurt ourselves, other people and God. In Reconciliation, we acknowledge our sins before God and the Church. We express our sorrow in a meaningful way, receive the forgiveness of Christ and his Church, make reparation for what we have done, and resolve to do better in the future. 

The children and their families experienced the 2nd Rite of Reconciliation.  During this rite a communal gathering was held, we listened to the Word of God, reflected on the message of the readings and then met with a priest for individual confession. The emphasis in this celebration is repairing relationships through forgiveness.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Our 2019 Christmas Carols night will be held on Monday 9^th December, commencing at 6pm. We would like to invite all parents and families to come along to a night filled with music and song. It is also an opportunity for the teachers and staff at St Francis to thank you for your tremendous support throughout the year. It is expected that all students and their families attend this event as each grade level will perform. All students have been practising in music lessons. There might even be a special visit from Santa

The concert will take place in front of the Sacred Heart Church commencing at 6pm sharp. Please arrive 15 minutes early so students and visitors can be seated for a prompt 6pm start.

Following the concert, we will have a ‘Thanksgiving BBQ’. The evening is a relaxed social gathering and we invite you to bring along a picnic dinner to have with your children afterwards on the lawns outside the church. Alternatively, there will be a BBQ where you are welcome to purchase a sausage sandwich. We will also have left over items from our fete for sale such as drinks, ice-creams and lollies. There may even be a few show bags left over.  Please bring blankets, chairs, Santa hats and good cheer!

KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION

Our final Kindergarten Orientation was held on Tuesday. This was a very successful morning. All our current Pre-Schoolers are happy, settled and ready for ‘big school’.

SCHOOL FEES 2020

The Community Council will meet on Monday night for the last time for 2019 to discuss school fees and the budget for 2020.  We will publish the breakdown of School Fees for 2020 in next week’s memo.

Peace and best wishes

Kate Markcrow

Principal