Dear Parents and Carers,

We had an excellent turnout at our Parent Information Night (PIN) on Monday night. My thanks to all the parents who dedicated time to visit the school, tour classrooms, and meet our staff. For many, it would have been the first time you have visited our newly renovated classrooms, and as always, it was a blessing to share a meal together as a community.

We have also had many parents book times this week to meet with teachers about Personalised Plans (PP) and goal setting. If you could not make these, please contact your child’s teacher to arrange a time.

We also celebrated a beautiful whole school (Including ELC) Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Peace Garden to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a Church season that focuses upon a sense of self-denial (traditionally comprising of some personal self-sacrifice, like giving up chocolate for Lent, for example). I thank Sharee Thomas, our REC, for organising our liturgy and Fr James for his great support of our school.

Camp

During Week 2, I had the pleasure of joining our Yr. 6 students on camp at the NSW Sport and Rec in Berry. The students had an excellent time and enjoyed getting away with their peers to partake in a range of activities that challenged them to try something new. We were blessed with the gift of beautiful weather. You only have to check our school's Facebook page to see how much fun the students had.

Camp is a beneficial event in the school calendar where we can strengthen bonds between the cohort, build resilience and independence, and try new things previously thought impossible. A huge thank you to the teachers who took time out of their busy lives and spent time away from their families to support this activity. Our Yr. 5 students will go on their camp to Sydney next term.

Communication Between School and Home – School Calendar

We have moved to a digital calendar as our primary source of event scheduling for 2024. 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 happenings 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

 Annual Improvement Plan (AIP)

This is the second year of our 3-year Strategic Plan. Our Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) for 2024 is the second slice of the strategic plan and has been formed in response to a review of our progress at the end of our 2023 AIP. This was shaped by qualitative and quantitative data, including input from standardised assessments, TRP surveys and the Tell Them From ME (TTFM) community survey. The annual improvement plan comprises 3 goals that are short, sharp, and easy to remember, ideally 8-12 words in length. These are then fleshed out with targets, success indicators and strategies for implementation. Our Three AIP Goals for 2024 are:

1. Improve student achievement in English & Mathematics through refining High Impact Teaching Practices (HITP).

2. To enhance community understanding of Religious Education and elevate the faith life of the school.

3. Strengthen community wellbeing and partnerships.

Near Miss

We had a near miss last week where a family was almost run over by a speeding car exiting from our school onto Casey Crescent. A reminder to slow down in the school zone and be prepared/vigilant for the event of pedestrians crossing. The AFP are regularly patrolling these school zones to help enforce this.

We also still have many cars blocking Casey Cres before our drive-through opens in the afternoon. A reminder: the cones are in place to ensure there is free-flowing traffic on Casey Cres. Please don’t queue up before these cones are removed from 3:15 pm.

Property Damage

Over the last 3 weeks, we have had a significant amount of property damage in the form of broken windows occurring in the 1/2 block that backs onto Casey Cres. This is occurring after 6 pm. If you notice any unusual activity in this area after school, please contact the school or report to police on 131 444. 

Blessings and best wishes.

Sean Rutledge

Principal

On Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent began. This day also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

Please give generously to Caritas Australia this Lenten season and help vulnerable people around the world, now and for all future generations.

With your support, Caritas Australia has been able to assist communities around the world through income generation, water and sanitation, food security, education and disaster risk reduction programs.

Project Compassion 2024 reminds us that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow.

Each class has a Project Compassion Box on their Prayer table for donations and we thank you in advance for supporting such a worthy cause. 

SACRAMENTS IN THE PARISH

A reminder that enrolment for ALL Sacraments (Confirmation, Eucharist & Reconciliation) will be completed at the beginning of the year this year. Attached to this section of the newsletter is the information sent out by the Parish earlier this year. ALL SACRAMENT ENROLMENTS must be completed on the Parish page of QkR!. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Anne Gowan, our Parish Sacramental Coordinator, via email on TuggeranongSouth.Sacraments@cg.org.au 

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B

Mark 1:12-15- He was tempted by Satan, and the angels looked after him.

Mark’s Gospel is bold and challenging. It doesn’t beat around the bush. Throughout this year, there will be many Sundays when we really need to tune in because Mark’s Gospel doesn’t wait for the reader to be ready. It is right in your face, to use a modern expression. Sometimes Mark reminds us of the wise old person who doesn’t use many words, but every one of those words counts. There can’t be many books of so few pages that have had such a mighty impact on the world. 

Today, a few lines tell us that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and ‘was tempted by Satan.’ He was ‘with the wild beasts’, meaning he was vulnerable as he was immersed in the natural world. This was surely an experience of struggle and growth. Then suddenly Jesus discovers that John the Baptist has been arrested. In a few lines, Mark creates the impression of a challenging time. 

How did Jesus respond? He seems to have been enlivened, to have decided to create change. He is full of energy and purpose. ‘The time has come,’ he says. In his vulnerability, he has discovered that ‘the kingdom of God is close at hand.’ 

This year, through Project Compassion, Caritas Australia will ask us to consider several stories of vulnerability and hope in action. Over the coming weeks, we will meet a number of extraordinary women: Ronita from the Philippines, Leaia from Samoa and Memory from Malawi. They remind us that in many situations around the world, women are the heart of the community and the drivers of change. In each case, a partnership involving Caritas Australia and local agencies has led to new opportunities not just for an individual but for families and communities. The kingdom of God is, indeed, closer than we think. Together with Ronita, Leaia and Memory, our decisions help to bring it to reality around the globe. 

Perhaps we might spend time with the words of Sunday’s Psalm: ‘God guides me in the right path; God teaches the Lord’s way to the poor.’ 

Adapted from Michael McGirr

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas

REC

Open Library Afternoons

Research has shown that reading for pleasure is one of the most important ways to advance literacy attainment in children.

So please come along to our open library afternoons!
When: Every Wednesday After School
From: 3-3:45 pm.
Where: St Francis of Assisi Library.
What: Browse the shelves with your child/ren, read some books together and borrow some extra books to take home. Get comfortable and enjoy the calm library space. 

Beginning next week. 

Scholastic Book Club.

Just a reminder to return all Book Club orders by this Sunday, 18th February.  Remember that this year, only online orders will be accepted. These need to be completed via credit card through LOOP (visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP) or you can download the LOOP app. Books will be delivered to your child once they are received. 

It has come to our attention that some Android users are having trouble with QKR. Please see below for some further information:

Android Phones

There is an issue, we have just completed a major upgrade which now allows the App to be updated in the Google Play Store.

We are just waiting on confirmation as to when that will happen.

The school will let you know as soon as the release is done.

In the meantime, parents please pay through our website portal.

Website for Parents on a computer or laptop

https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home

For any other parent issues

Please email the parent help, and send your account email address with the error message, the team will look into it for them

qkr_au@mastercard.com 

NAPLAN testing will occur in our school between 13 and 25 March 2024 for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

NAPLAN provides valuable information to schools and parents about literacy and numeracy achievement. It supports school improvement processes by enabling teachers to monitor student progress over time and to identify areas of strength and development.

All eligible students are encouraged and supported to participate in NAPLAN testing. Visit www.nap.edu.au to see interactive versions of the test and for more information.