Dear Parents and Carers,

In preparation for Easter 2023, Pope Francis released his annual message, encouraging Catholics to listen to what Jesus wants to tell them through the Scriptures and others. His message asked Catholics to listen to Jesus, and proclaimed, "Lent is a time of grace to the extent that we listen to him as he speaks to us."

In our busy lives, we often do not take the time to listen to Jesus. The Holy See has encouraged all faithful to engage in scripture this lent by coming to mass and hearing God's word. In his Lenten letter, he also states, "in addition to the Scriptures, the Lord speaks to us through our brothers and sisters, especially in the faces and the stories of those in need". So as we journey towards the end of Lent, please look out for those in need in our community and do what you can to support them this Easter.

The full text of the Pope's Lenten Message can be found here: Lent 2023: Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey | Francis (Vatican.va)

Pupil Free Day

Next Term, students in all Catholic Schools will not start back to school until Wednesday, the 26^th of April, due to a Pupil Free day on Monday, the 24^th, and ANZAC Day on Tuesday 25^th of April.

Our staff will participate in a Staff Development Day on the designated Pupil Free Day. BASCA has emailed all enrolled families and will offer a care program for the day if there is sufficient interest. Please respond to Louise's email if you require care on this day.  

Anna Corkery

On Monday, Anna Corkery welcomed Sunday Pearl Love to the world. Mum and Bub are doing well. Anna was shocked that Sunday decided to come a couple of weeks early and had planned to work until the end of the Term. We wish Anna, Cody and Sunday all the love, joy and happiness as they enjoy this special time together as a family.  

Graduations

This week two staff members, Jesse Waltmann and Georgie Wiley, graduated from the University of Canberra with bachelor's degrees. As a school community, we congratulate them on this huge achievement.

Staffing

This Term, we have had the luxury of some extra relief staff in the form of Jess and Anna, who will both be on maternity leave by the end of the Term. This has meant we have been in the enviable position of not having to split classes in the first 8 weeks of this term. With Anna and Jess both on leave, next Term will be harder, and we may be required to split classes to cover staff shortages.

Playground and Grounds Update

Our new senior playground equipment is in production and is scheduled for installation in May. We have recently completed works to remediate paving areas in front of the Canteen that was lifting due to tree roots. In this space, we have installed a raised platform and three outdoor ping pong tables that are getting a good workout from our senior students. Over the school holidays, work will occur to open up and expand the sensory courtyard outside the Principal and Assistant Principal offices.

We look forward to commissioning this space for our students next Term. Last week we completed painting works throughout the school, which has been an enormous undertaking to give the 35-year-old buildings a facelift.

Enrolment Period

We are fast approaching the enrolment period for 2024. Last week our Yr 6 students were visited by Mr Michael Lee and his team from MacKillop, including some ex-students. We have also been visited by St. Clares College Principal Dr Ann Cleary and some students who addressed our Yr 6 girls. The purpose of these visits is to give our Yr. 6 students information related to upcoming open days.

We are finalising our own school enrolment period for 2024 and have locked in dates for our open days- Monday, 1^st of May and Thursday, 18^th of May. We will be hosting school tours from 9-11 am and 4-6 pm on both days. You will soon see signs out advertising these days, and our Enrolling Now! fence wrap is going up over the holidays.

By far, the most significant contributor to enrolments in the school is our current parent body's word of mouth. Can I please ask you to like and share our material on Facebook during this period and encourage any parents interested in potential enrolment to come along on one of these days? We can also accommodate visits on other days, with notice, if these days and times are unsuitable.

The Catholic Schools' official enrolment period is from 1^st -26^th May. We have already received a significant number of enrolment enquiries and applications for Kinder 2024, which have been submitted through our school website Enrol Now! @ St Francis of Assisi Primary School - Calwell . Can I strongly encourage all current families with siblings looking to enrol into Kinder for 2024 to ensure we receive your applications ASAP to ensure you don't miss out.

Next week we will place more information on our website regarding ELC enrolment for 2024 at our new ELC. Monitor St Francis of Assisi Primary School ELC - Calwell  for more information. We will also post information related to this on our school Facebook page (20) St Francis of Assisi Primary School | Canberra ACT | Facebook.

AIP Goals

In the last few newsletters, I have been introducing our Strategic Plan and Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) Goals. This week I will focus on our second AIP goal:

Prioritise community well-being and partnerships. 

With this goal, we are looking to target and improve student attendance at school which has declined during Covid combined with a sharp increase of anxiety amongst our students. This has been observed in counselling referrals, teacher observations, well-being team triage, and Personalised Plans in all year levels and is consistent with data reported in other schools and society in general.

In this space, we have launched The Resilience Project (TRP) in all grade levels along with parent resources and modules to continue the conversation around Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness at home. This ensures consistent messages from home and school, which we know get the best outcomes for children.

We are also providing experiences, community-building offerings and education to our parent community around Numeracy, Inclusion and well-being support throughout the year.

Jeremy will shortly begin Parent Maths sessions to break open the numeracy curriculum and how parents can best support their children with maths. We have had very successful All-Stars sports clinics for our K-2 students and their parents this term. Next term, we will open this to our 3-6 students.

Finally, we are looking at ways to support our staff through workload reduction and prioritising and ensuring work-life balance. The statistics around the national teacher shortages are shocking, and teachers are leaving the profession at a staggering rate, with more than 30% leaving the profession in the first five years. Our strategies are looking to enhance culture, promote teacher attraction and retention through investing in well-being, Professional Learning opportunities and establishing a network to support teachers to become Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers. A highly sought-after certification that classroom teachers can work towards attaining.

Kinder Celebrations Day

On Wednesday, I was privileged to spend some time with our Kindergarten students as they packed their bags and passports to visit countries as a part of their celebrations unit. The students visited Lebanon, Mexico, China and India as a part of their journey experiencing aspects of culture, celebrations, dress, entertainment and food from these countries. I thank the Tabaja and Young families, who graciously donated their time, knowledge and expertise to provide our students with a rich cultural experience. I also thank the Kinder team for their organisation and preparation of the day. If you are interested in a sneak peek, look at the photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Morning Drop-off

You will notice a reduced presence at the morning carline from our Classroom Support Assistants. They are all currently engaged from 8:30 am in Literacy intervention programs with students who have been identified as potentially at-risk readers. We will have a duty teacher and any unassigned CSA's to assist with morning drop-off. A reminder that our school day begins at 8:55 am and teachers and support staff will move inside to begin the school day at this time. Any students dropped off after this time must be signed in by an adult through the Compass Kiosk in the front office.  

Prime Energy Drinks

We have become aware that some students are consuming 'Prime Energy Drinks'. Like all drinks containing stimulants such as Red bull or Mother, children's health can be seriously harmed if consumed. We are aware that some versions don't contain stimulants; however, our school does not allow energy drinks of any kind. If students bring them to school, we may ask parents to collect them from the front office. We also encourage students not to bring empty containers to school to use as water bottles. We appreciate your support and understanding.

Blessings and Best Wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Gospel Reflection: Matthew 26:14-27:66

This Weekend’s Gospel tells the story of the passion and devotion of Jesus Christ, from the betrayal of Judas Iscariot to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. The reflection on this Gospel passage invites us to contemplate on the depth of Jesus' love for us, as he willingly accepted his death to save us from our sins. As Catholics we are asked to evaluate our own lives and ask ourselves if we are truly following Jesus and living as he taught us. We also reflect on the importance of forgiveness, as Jesus forgave those who betrayed and crucified him, and we too are called to forgive others who have wronged us. This serves as a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and the need for us to live lives of gratitude and service in response to his love. We are challenged to take up our own crosses and follow Jesus, embracing the challenges and difficulties that come with discipleship while remaining faithful to him.

 Holy Week

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week. Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the re-enactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of admiration. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.

Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday and ends with Holy Saturday. Easter is not part of Holy Week, but rather the beginning of the Easter season of the Liturgical year. The events of Holy Week invite us to reflect on our own commitment to following Jesus’ example of love, humility, and selflessness. We are called to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter by considering our own response to Jesus’ sacrifice and our own willingness to follow his teachings.

At St. Francis of Assisi, we will be celebrating Holy Week starting with a Palm Sunday Prayer Celebration on Monday 3^rd April in the Hall between 10.30am-11.00am. We warmly invite families to attend our commemoration. Throughout the week students will learn about the importance of Holy Week, and on Thursday 6^th April, students will participate in and reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice as they participate in the Stations of the Cross.

Project Compassion

Thank you to all those who have generously donated with your children placing money in the Project Compassion boxes in classrooms. This coming week marks the final week of Lent and the final week of the Project Compassion Appeal. All classrooms still have Project Compassion boxes if you would like to donate.

Corpus Christi Parish 2^nd Rite and Easter Liturgy times.

Lenten 2nd Rite of Reconciliation
Thursday 30 March, 6pm Holy Family Church Gowrie

Holy Thursday

7pm,  Holy Family Church Gowrie

Mass of the Lords’ Supper & Washing of the Feet

Good Friday

11am,  St Clare of Assisi School Grounds Conder

Stations of the Cross

3pm,  Holy Family Church Gowrie

The Passion & Death of our Lord  

Easter (all Holy Family Church Gowrie)

7pm, Saturday Vigil

8am & 10am Sunday

The week our emphasis is Empathy. 

Empathy
Working on empathy helps us to identify, understand and feel what another person is feeling. When we show empathy or we do something kind for someone else our brain releases oxytocin. This leads to increasing our self-esteem/confidence, energy levels, positivity and overall happiness.

Whole Family Activity:
Neighbourhood Kindness Challenge
As a family, choose an act of kindness from the list below that you would like to do for a neighbour or family friend. Each family member can select one to commit to, or you can choose to do one together.
• Cook them something delicious like a cake, meal, or cookies. 
• Design them a Thank You card.
• Pick or buy some flowers to deliver to them.
• Choose a little plant from your garden to give them.
• Make them a gift from things around your house.
• Offer to do a job for them, like wash their car or water their garden.
• Offer to take their pets for a walk.
• Invite them over for afternoon tea.
• Invite them on a walk.
• Recommend one of your favourite books to borrow and read.
• Ask them if they need anything from the shops next time you buy groceries.
• Say hello next time you see them, and ask them how their day is going.
• Feel free to do more than one and spread the kindness even further!

Family Habit Builder:
Every night at dinner, have each person thank another family member for something
they’ve done or said today, or give another family member a compliment.

___________________________________________________________________

Next week I will send home an invitation for a Parent introduction session to The Resilience Project which will be held early next term. This session is designed to inform you about the GEM+EL principles and equip you with some practical strategies/activities to use at home as well as sharing information that you will be hearing about from your children in the coming weeks. 

HOMEWORK FOR MRS THOMAS: Report back to Mrs Thomas by email or on the playground, how your gratitude Family Habit is going. After a week of practicing Empthy, let her know how your acts of kindness were received, and how doing them made you feel. 

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas

sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Over the past 2 weeks, our students in Years 3 & 5 completed their NAPLAN tests, which are compulsory for all Years 3 & 5 students across Australia. The tests are earlier this year in comparison to other years. Normally, NAPLAN tests take place in the second week of Term 2. The earlier tests mean that schools and parents will receive the data earlier in the year, in comparison to other years. For schools, this will enable us to better plan and meet any general areas that need attention, with a significant amount of time left in the teaching year. We are so proud of all our Years 3 & 5 students for sitting the tests, and thank our Years 3 & 5 teachers, for their support of our students and calm manner in which they delivered the tests to the students. Photos below show the students getting into the thought process of "donut worry" about NAPLAN with a special treat at the end of the first tests.  

Every year, tens of thousands of students across the ACT participate in the Chief Minister’ Reading Challenge. The Challenge aspires to allow every young person in the ACT to discover the joy reading can bring. St Francis of Assisi Primary School is proud to have all children at the school registered in The Challenge.   

 During Library lessons over the last few weeks, all students have been given an Individual Student Reading Record and have been asked to record the name of all the books they have read or have had read to them since they received it. The CHALLENGE is to read at least 30 books by the end of the challenge (11^th August 2023). Once this sheet is complete, students return it to Mrs Bond in the library to receive a special certificate, as well as entry into a prize draw. Of course, students are encouraged to read more than 30 books and could receive multiple certificates and prize draw entries! Please encourage your child to fill in this form and praise them for their reading. Remember the library is open most Wednesday afternoons from 3-3:45pm if you would like to help them borrow some extra books to read and add to their sheet. 

 If your child has lost their sheet, please have them collect a new one from the library or print the form attached. 

Year 6 Camp Deposit

Just a reminder that deposits for Year 6 camp are now due. The total payable per child is $453.00, with the deposit being $250.  The preferred method of payment is by QKR!

Term 1 School Fees

Thank you to the families who have settled their Term 1 school fee accounts.  A reminder to all families that Term 1 fees are now overdue (unless paying by regular instalments) and payment as soon as possible would be much appreciated.  Please let me know if you need a copy of your school fee statement emailed through.