Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, we observed the significant Feast Day of the Assumption, commemorating the moment when Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven to be with God at the end of her earthly life. This Feast is also recognised as a Holy Day of Obligation, reminding us of the importance of gathering to honour Mary's unique role in our faith. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Fr. Namora for celebrating Mass with us and helping to make this occasion even more special and meaningful.

We have enjoyed an excellent Book Week this week, culminating in our annual Book Week parade this morning. Many weird and wonderful characters came through the school gates this morning, and the students had an excellent day filled with arts, crafts, and book fun. Stay tuned for a photo delight on our FB page soon. I thank Mrs Bond for all her work organising and promoting the day and the parent community for your generous support of our Book Fair.

NAPLAN Yr 5

In Week 1, parents of Year 5 students received their NAPLAN reports. Student achievement in NAPLAN is reported using proficiency standards for each assessment area: Numeracy, Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Grammar & Punctuation. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. There are 4 proficiency levels:

Exceeding: The student's result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.

Strong: The student's result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.

Developing: The student's result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.

Needs Additional Support: The student's result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes that are expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

As a school, we have begun our analysis of this cohort data, and I am happy to report the following initial observations of data trends in our 2024 Year 5 cohort:

Grammar & Punctuation: Our results show that the majority of students (53%) are performing strongly, with an additional 7% exceeding the expected standard. However, 39% of students are in the "Developing" category, indicating a need for further support and targeted teaching.

Numeracy: Numeracy results have shown that 71% of students were strong or exceeding, with our highest percentage of students needing additional support being 9%.

Reading: 59% of students have demonstrated strong proficiency in Reading, with an additional 14% exceeding expectations. However, 24% are still in the "Developing" stage, suggesting there is room for growth in this area to ensure all students reach their full potential.

Spelling: Spelling results show that 63% of students are performing at a strong level, and 9% exceed standards. While these results are promising, we will continue to monitor and support the 21% of students who are still developing their skills in this area.

Writing: Writing continues to be an area of strength for our Year 5 students, with 71% demonstrating strong or exceeding proficiency. However, 27% of students are still developing their skills, which highlights the need for ongoing support to ensure they can improve their writing capabilities.

These results are an aggregate of our school's Year 5 cohort data, and we will await further analysis of how they compare to the ACT and national mean. We have a range of intervention and extension programs and projects in place to support our students to excel in all proficiencies, from an Extension Writing Group, Hub Project learning, Maths Olympiad, MiniLit, Maths Mastery, Corrective Reading, Spelling Mastery and supported by high-quality science of learning-based pedagogies. Next year, we will have growth data from 2023-2025 (Not available currently due to change in NAPLAN reporting in 2023), which will give us another data point to measure the effectiveness of these programs. This data will feed into our Strategic Plan for 2026-2028, which we will begin writing next year.

A note that NAPLAN is a snapshot of one day in your child's life and is not the be-all and end-all of educational performance. At SFA, we utilise various assessment processes and procedures to measure academic achievement and growth. These are triangulated and cross-referenced to give a more accurate picture of a student's progress. Please celebrate this report with your child and be proud of their achievements.

Lockdown

This is just a follow-up to our lockdown a couple of weeks ago. We discussed our plans and actioned some improvement items for the future. If God forbid, we need to use our lockdown procedures again. As the Parent community, it is essential to note the following:

• No Access to Classrooms: During a lockdown, no one, including parents and caregivers, can enter or exit the school. This is a critical safety measure to ensure the security of all students and staff.
• Communication via Compass: We will inform you of the situation through the Compass portal. Updates will let you know what is occurring and when the lockdown has ended.
• Do Not Come to the School: In such situations, your instinct is to be close to your child. However, it is essential that you do not come to the school during a lockdown. No students will be brought to the gate, and any attempt to enter the school grounds will not be permitted until the lockdown is officially lifted.

We ask for your cooperation in following these procedures to ensure the safety and security of everyone in our school community. Your understanding and support are greatly appreciated.

Bathroom Updates

The progress has been great, with concrete cutting, new plumbing, and floor levelling occurring this week. The frames have started to go up, and cubicles will not be too far away. They are on track for completion this term.

Mobile Phone Reminders

We have seen an increase in student phone usage recently and would like to remind you that the following helps us to create a safe and focused learning environment for all students.

Mobile Phone Check-In Procedure:

• Upon Arrival: All students who bring a mobile phone to school must check it into the front office when they arrive on school grounds. This ensures that phones are securely stored during the school day.
• End of Day: At the end of the school day, teachers will return the phones to the students. This process helps maintain a distraction-free environment throughout the day.

Use of Mobile Phones on School Grounds:

• During School Hours: We recognise that students may need a phone for travel to and from school. However, once at school, mobile phones are not needed and should remain checked in. Students are not permitted to use their phones on school grounds at any time during the school day, including before the first bell, during recess and lunch breaks, and after school concludes.
• Gala, Excursions, and Sporting Events—Students are not to bring mobile devices to the Gala, excursions, and Sporting Days. As they are in the care of a teacher at these events, if a parent needs to be contacted, the staff member will contact you. If you need to contact your child during these events, please contact the school office, who will pass on a message to the staff member on your behalf.
• After School: Mobile phones are not to be used on school grounds even after the school day has officially ended.

We kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child follows these guidelines. This helps us to minimise distractions, reduce screen time, promote responsible phone use, and maintain a positive and focused school environment.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Gospel Reflection: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

For the last few weeks we have heard a number of readings from chapter 6 of the Gospel of John focusing on the teaching of Jesus that he is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven. This reading is the last in the sequence and shows the reaction to Jesus’ teaching. What Jesus has been saying in this discourse is incredibly confronting to his Jewish audience. Jesus asserts that he has come down from heaven – from the Father – and that through knowing him one can know the Father. Jews were the first people to have a concept of one God. This belief did not allow for any spouse or child of God, nor any personal manifestation. They struggled with what Jesus was saying because his claim to have come down from heaven could be seen as blasphemous. No wonder many of them walked away from Jesus and wanted nothing more to do with him!

Jesus gives an interesting response to them. He tells them that it is the spirit that is important, not his human flesh, and that the spirit is what he has been sharing with them through his words and actions. He is trying to say to these faithful Jews, don’t be hung up about the fact that I’m here in person, listen to my message as you’ve never heard it before. It is an interesting thought for our modern audience as well. How often do we fail to hear the message of Jesus because we are dismissive of the way in which it comes to us; the messenger; or the circumstances in which we hear it? The message is all the more confronting when it comes from an unlikely (or even un-likeable) source. The message of Jesus is to be found in our everyday encounters with everyday people.

Adapted from Greg Sunter

EUCHARIST RETREAT DAY

On Tuesday our Year 5 students will be travelling to Holy Family Church to spend the day together in prayer and reflection around the Sacrament of Eucharist. ALL children in year 5 will be attending the day. We will head to the Church at approximately 9:15am and return at around 2:30pm. Children will be provided with Pizza for lunch, but will need to bring their own recess and water bottle. ALL children will also need a pencil case and a hat. Children may wear casual clothes on the day but need closed in shoes, no mid-drift tops and shoulders covered. Any questions about the day please do not hesitate to reach out to Sharee at school or via email. sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas

REC

Dear Families,

Please see the attached flyer for our upcoming Father's Day Afternoon BBQ.  

Please use this link to indicate attendance and pre-order your BBQ items! It is important for catering so PLEASE ensure you complete the survey!

We are also seeking some help for cooking the BBQ, serving, setting and packing up. Remember many hands make light work! Please consider signing up to help via this link. Come on mums this is how you can get involved - then we put the pressure on the dads for Mother's Day next year!

Looking forward to seeing many of our FATHER FIGURES here to celebrate with us, sorry MUMS this one isn't for you (unless you are volunteering!)

As a parent or carer of a student at a Catholic school, you will hear your child talk about things like ‘Pancake Tuesday’ and ‘the sign of the Cross’ and ‘Mass’ and ‘Lent’ and ‘Advent’, and you may be invited to attend liturgies such as Mass and other events at the school. If you’re not Catholic (because many of our families whose students attend Catholic schools are not) or you’re Catholic but are not practising or don’t really know much about it, you may be nervous about attending events at the school because you’re not sure about what to do during Mass or how to pray.

This booklet is an easy-to-read guide that explains some Catholic beliefs and traditions parents and families might hear their child talk about when they’re discussing their religious education and Catholic events parents and carers may be invited to attend during the school year, so that they can be a part of their child’s faith formation.

The traditions of a Catholic school are like traditions in your family. They are sacred and special and are usually celebrated annually. Our schools celebrate tradition through the sacraments, prayer, music, art and with special days like a school’s saint day. This guide explains some of the ‘Catholic’ part of Catholic schools so that parents and families know about these traditions and are comfortable to get involved.

Catholic schools recognise and support parents in their primary role as educators of their children particularly with regards to the religious development and pastoral care of their children, which is why all parents and families are always welcome and are encouraged to enjoy belonging to their school’s faith community.

This handbook includes a foreword by His Grace, Archbishop Anthony Fisher, and contains easy-to-read information about:

• Catholicism and Catholic Schools: What Catholics Believe, What Catholics Do, Faith Formation in Schools for Students and Families
• Liturgy including the Mass: Entering and Leaving the Church, The Word of God: The Holy Bible, What Happens at Mass, Who’s Who at Mass, The Key Moments of Mass, The Seven Sacraments of the Church
• The Catholic Calendar: Liturgical Seasons, Timeline of Key Dates for 2024, Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas
• Praying and Prayers: Prayers Said at Mass, Traditional Prayers, Prayers for Meetings, Prayers for Families to Say at Home, Aboriginal Prayers
• Catholic A–Z: A quick and easy reference to lots of Catholic words and phrases

Catholic Faith Handbook

We know you'll love having this informative guide on hand.

Taylor has been away this week representing the ACT at the National School Sports Cross Country Carnival. Taylor came 31^st in Australia for his age group. We are very proud of his efforts and achievements and look forward to welcoming him back next week.