Dear Families,

In the three days of Easter, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the Church gives us a dramatic, intense and richly symbolic expression of the very heart of Christian belief. By participating in the liturgy of these three days, we can deepen our understanding of what it means for us to be a Christian. Today we have remembered the events of this week with prayer celebrations led by our students. These have been very meaningful and prayerful.

I wish all families a happy and restful Easter. 

Pupil Free Day - 19th April

You may have noticed, when checking the school calendar, that there are two pupil free days scheduled this year – this means that staff attend but students do not. Both days have been added to the school holidays following Term 1 and Term 2. The first falls on Monday 19 April and the second falls on Monday 12 July. These days have been allocated by the Catholic Education Directorate to allow staff to engage in professional learning corresponding to a new system wide initiative called Catalyst that will be rolled out over the next 3 years. Catalyst empowers teachers with evidence-based professional learning in High Impact Teaching Practice, K-2 Literacy, quality curriculum resources and in-classroom coaching. It is a framework for united understanding of and practice in teaching ‘what matters most’ and ‘what works best’ based on soundly researched evidence.  

Uniform Reminders

Thank you for your support with school uniform this year. A reminder that full winter uniform is required for Terms 2 and 3. A copy of our ‘School Uniform and Student Appearance Policy’ is available on our website and I encourage all families to familiarise yourselves with correct uniform and appearance requirements. Please ensure your children are ready to go for the start of Term 2.

Enrolment Period

The Catholic schools 2021 enrolment period is between Monday 3^rd May and Friday 28^th May. We will be holding Open days as a way to promote our school.  Please let friends know of this enrolment period and share your positive experiences of the school with others. Your feedback is still the defining advertisement for St Francis of Assisi Primary School and the main reason new families tell me they want their child to attend. Our school is truly about ‘people’, ‘community’ and ‘quality education’.

Information packs will be available from the school from the start of next term which will explain the online enrolment process for all Catholic schools. Spaces cannot be guaranteed, even for siblings, if the applications are not returned by the end of the enrolment period. Please pass this information on to anyone you know who may be considering enrolling their child in an ACT Catholic school.   

Thank you

To our very dedicated and wonderful staff, on behalf of all, thank you for your work, care and interest in our children. How fortunate we are in having a group of dedicated professionals who contribute so much to St Francis of Assisi Primary School. Thank you also to Father James and Father Josh for your work in supporting our families, staff and students.

A big Thank you to Ms Jill Buik. Jill has been a dedicated Learning Support Assistant over the last 9 months and has accepted a position at Karabar High for the remainder of the year. We have been very fortunate to have Jill working with our students and thank her outstanding work with the children at St Francis. We wish Jill all the very best.

Peace and best wishes

Kate Markcrow

Principal