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Dear Parents and Carers,
Last week we held our observed Feast Day celebrations for our Patron and namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, whose feast day fell in the school holidays. Our students and teachers participated in a beautiful thanksgiving mass followed by trivia, a variety concert and teacher swap activities to learn more about St Francis. For lunch, we enjoyed a whole school pasta lunch which was very popular with students, some of whom returned for 3rd and 4th helpings. My thanks go to Sharee Thomas for her organisation of this day which was a huge success. Please see Facebook for some photos from the day.
Catholic Leader’s Day
I will be away on Thursday 27th this week, attending the Annual Catholic Leaders Day for Principals and CE staff. I will also be away Friday at a Catholic Education Mass followed by an ACT Principals meeting.
Renovation 2023
Our planning for the 2023 renovation of ‘E’ block (Attached to the Library) is well underway. We are getting close to finalising the drawings and the project will shortly go out to tender. We have begun to discuss how we will relocate the 6 classes during this period. Currently, the timeframe will be 32 weeks which will see us moving back into the brand-new spaces at the end of Term 3.
Worm Farm
To support our stainability efforts, we met with Cid from Global Worming yesterday to discuss establishing a large-scale worm farm to help with the 150 kg of organic waste we have each week at school. The worms will easily consume this and provide us with rich worm tea and castings to be used in our gardens.
I am pleased to announce this will be installed in week 5 of this term and will be up and running before the end of the term. A part of the project is lessons and demonstrations for our students to learn more about the process of worm farming and how it helps to look after our environment and decrease our footprint. Surprisingly, the worm farms are odourless and do not attract pests or insects due to the work of the worms. A truly incredible process!
Kinder Orientation
Our Kinder 2023 parents received communications this week via email regarding our Kinder orientation days. We have opted to run two sessions for our new Kinder students to support their transition and familiarisation with the school. Details of these sessions are included below:
- Kinder Familiarisation Morning 10th November 2022- During this session, 2022 Kinder teachers and Classroom Support Assistants will complete some activities with the children to gather data on their fine motor, counting, social and emotional needs, as well as introduce them to the kinder space.
- Kinder Orientation Morning 29th November 2022- Upon arrival, students will find out what class they will be in and move to their 2023 classroom with their teacher to spend the orientation morning together.
Staffing
We have appointed Kristy Everding to the role of Learning Support Coordinator from the beginning of the 2023 school year. Kristy brings a wealth of experience in classroom and leadership roles in several schools and is well-known in the parish. She is a Highly Accomplished Lead teacher and joins us from St. Clare of Assisi. Staff and students will have an opportunity to meet her later this term.
New Counsellor
Yesterday we farewelled Sharman with a staff morning tea. At the same time we welcomed Mari to our school. Mari had an extensive handover with Sharman and myself and will be ready to hit the ground running today. Mari has a lot of experience in schools, as indicated in her bio below. We wish Mari all the best as she gets settled in her new role.
Classes for 2023
Shortly we will begin the process of examining class lists for 2023. As you can imagine, this is quite a complex process and I have included some of the considerations teachers as professionals consider when looking at placements. When forming the class lists, the following factors are taken into consideration:
- Additional Needs
- Work Habits
- Cognitive ability
- Friendships
- Behaviour
- Gender
- Health considerations
- Religion (to assist in achieving a balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years)
- Common names
Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Where practical, parental requests based on genuine educational concerns will be considered.
Parents who wish to discuss particular concerns regarding the placement of their children in particular classes should put their concerns in writing and address them to the Principal by Friday, 4th November, Week 4 (Term 4). All parent concerns will be seriously considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that there is no guarantee that these can be honoured.
Blessings and best wishes
Sean Rutledge
Principal
Gospel Reflection Luke 19:1-10
This week’s Gospel reading tells the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who climbed the tree to see Jesus as he walked through the town. As a wealthy tax collector, Zacchaeus had a terrible reputation, and had most likely cheated people to obtain his wealth. As Jesus walked through the town, he singled Zacchaeus out and asked him to come down from the tree, before going to share a meal with him. The crowd did not understand why Jesus would choose to spend time with such a man? Yet we see in this story, Zacchaeus experienced a true encounter with Jesus and became a changed man because of it. This story reminds us that each of us is capable of bringing about change by offering people a chance for redemption. Although this is not always easy, this is what Jesus would do, and as Christians, we need to strive to live a life that follows His example, the best we possibly can.
RECONCILIATION COMMITMENT MASSES
A reminder that this weekend is the last opportunity families have to attend a commitment mass as part of the requirements for your child to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Only one mass must be attended over the weekend. Mass times are Saturday 6pm and Sunday 8am, 10am and 6pm. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Anne Gowan, our Parish Sacrament Coordinator TuggeranongSouth.Sacraments@cg.org.au.
BANDANNA DAY
Today we are proud to take part in National Bandanna Day. Held on the last Friday in October, Bandanna Day is the flagship fund raising and awareness campaign for Canteen.
This year our school community lost a past student, Puoc, who had been supported by Canteen throughout his journey with cancer. Canteen provides free and tailored support to young people aged 12-25 who are impacted by cancer. Whether they are dealing with their own diagnosis, a close family member’s cancer or the death of a loved one, Canteen provides support such as counselling, peer support events and youth friendly resources.
Young people impacted by cancer are up to six times more likely to face mental health issues like anxiety or depression than their peers. After just six months of support from Canteen, almost two-thirds of young people report improvements in their mental health and overall well-being. Canteen also provides services for parents dealing with cancer in their family, because our research shows that when parents are supported through cancer, their children cope much better as well.
To date, our school has raised over $3000 which will help Canteen enormously to fund support for the young people involved. A HUGE thanks to Miss Rachel Southwell for organising the ordering, selling and distribution of our bandannas and thank you to everyone who purchased one.
Australian Girls Choir Open Day
Look no further than the Australian Girls Choir (AGC) because we encourage, challenge and inspire girls as they learn to sing, dance and perform. School aged girls are invited to come along to our Open Day on Sunday November 13 to try our fun and inclusive classes and learn more about being part of the AGC! Please visit our website to register to attend our free Open Day: https://ausgirlschoir.com.au/joinagc