Dear Parents and Carers,

What a wonderful morning we shared today! It was heartening to see such a fantastic turnout for our Father’s Day and Male Role Model Breakfast. Thank you to everyone who joined us — your presence made the morning truly special. I know our students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate with you. A big shout out to our fantastic band of helpers who organised, shopped, cooked, prepared, served and then cleaned up. What a great community we have here at StFA!

As we look ahead to Father’s Day this Sunday, I want to wish all fathers and father figures a fabulous day. May you feel appreciated, celebrated, and well looked after. I also want to take a moment to acknowledge those fathers who are no longer with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families remembering their loved ones — may you find comfort in cherished memories and moments shared.

First Communion

Next weekend, many of our Year 5 students will celebrate their First Eucharist. This Sacrament is one of the most sacred and significant events in a Catholic’s life, marking the first time they receive the Eucharist. As our Year 5 students take part in this important milestone, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

BYOD Phase-Out

We’ve begun planning to phase out BYOD devices over the next three years. Starting next year, students in Year 4 will be provided with a school device for use during class time. These devices will be school-managed, eliminating the need for families to purchase BYOD devices for school use. Devices will be budgeted for and rolled out gradually, with no additional cost to families. Our ICT coordinators will be in touch shortly with details about an upcoming parent information session.

Staffing Update

Mrs Dudley has shared the exciting news that she and her husband are expecting a baby next year. We wish them all the very best and look forward to welcoming Mrs Dudley back after her maternity leave.

We currently have teaching positions advertised, closing this Sunday. If you know someone who may be interested, please share the link: Classroom Teacher - CALWELL, ACT, Australia

Cross Country Representation

Congratulations to Felix B and Taylor K, who are representing our school and the ACT at the National Cross-Country Championships on the Gold Coast. We wish them all the best in their races and look forward to hearing about their achievements when they return.

Term 4 Dates

Please note that Term 4 will begin for all students on Tuesday, 14 October. The final day of Term 4 will be Thursday, 18 December 2025 (Week 10).

Enrolments for 2026

We currently have waitlists in several year levels for 2026. If your child will not be attending St Francis in 2026, please notify the office as soon as possible via email at office.stfranciscalwell@cg.catholic.edu.au . It is a legal requirement to provide the name of the school your child will be attending, even if interstate, so we can update the student movement register. Early notification helps us with staffing and resource planning for 2026.

Next term, I will call for parent considerations for 2026 classes.

Kind regards,

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Reflection for Father’s Day

“God took the strength of a mountain, the majesty of a tree, the warmth of a summer sun, the calm of a quiet sea, the generous soul of nature, the comforting arm of night, the wisdom of the ages, the power of the eagle’s flight, the joy of a morning in spring, the faith of a mustard seed, the patience of eternity, the depth of a family need, then God combined these qualities, when there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was complete, and so, He called it … Dad.”

Author Unknown

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL DADS AND SIGNIFICANT MEN IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Sacrament of Eucharist: 13th and 14th September

Next weekend weekend, we joyfully celebrate with 24 of our students as they receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time. This sacred milestone marks their deeper participation in the life of Christ and the Church, as they are nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus. We warmly invite all families to join us at Mass to support and pray for these children as they take this important step in their faith journey. Your presence is a powerful witness of our shared commitment to nurturing the spiritual growth of our young people.

 CONGRATULATIONS to the following children.

6pm Saturday: Mackenzie Wells, Frederick Irvine, Xavier Turkich, Jack Bradbury, Harrison Gladwish, Oliver Hyland, Quinn Connolly, Piper Whitelock

10am Sunday: Ella Poulter, Adelaide Waltmann-King, Madeleine Laverty, Paige White, Jack Thain, Nathan Curtis, Isla Harris

6pm Sunday: Georgia Ball, Liana Barron, Zoe Bateman, Kayla Skelly, Jack Lewis, Nathaniel Redmond, Eden Lowe, Anton Medina  

Weekend Gospel Reflection: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Cost of Being a Disciple  Luke 14:25-33

The language in today's Gospel from Luke certainly packs a punch. It looks like we are being asked by Jesus to hate our family, take up our cross and to give up everything we own if we want to be his disciples. Jesus was using strong language to make a fundamental point about Christian discipleship - that in our life we must put nothing before God - not even our family or the things we own. Everything and everybody we have in our life is a gift from God, to be stewarded well for the sake of the kingdom, not clung to for personal comfort. Most of us won't be asked to give up all our possessions (although some in religious life voluntarily make this vow of poverty), but rather we are asked to recognise them as God’s gifts and not place them on a pedestal above God, turning possessions or even family relationships into idols. When we prioritise God and follow Jesus we are ordering our lives rightly. But there is a cost to discipleship, and that is the cross. The cross, at its heart, is a radical self-giving in love and at various points in our life that cross can feel heavy, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus and conform our life to his, then the cross will not only guide and sustain us in this life, but lead us to life everlasting. 

From God’s Word, Daily Reflections, 2025

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas

REC

On Wednesday students from years 3 and 4 went to a soccer gala day with 9 different schools from around Canberra.

The students played exceptionally well with two of the 3 teams going undefeated throughout the day. All teams showed exemplary comradery, teamwork and resilience with last minute changes. We would not have been able to do the day without our amazing parent volunteers who assisted by being coaches and managers of the teams.

Overall, it was a great day and all students who participated should be very happy with themselves with how they represented the school throughout the day.

Kinder Dhaura and 5 Dhaura will be creating nature inspired pinch pots in the sensory garden on Friday from 2:15-3:00 in week 8. If you have a current WWVP card and some time to spare we would love to invite parents, grandparents and families to come along.

We will be in the garden, behind the junior play equipment from 2:15.

Market Day is happening on Wednesday 24^th of September. Please purchase tickets for your child to participate in fun activities prepared by Year 6. These can be purchased on QKR. The last day to purchase is Wednesday 17^th September. 

Due to popular demand, TRP are offering a repeat of the Connected Parenting Webinar with Lael Stone. THe Webinar will be held on Monday 8th September, 6:30-7:45pm (75 minutes) AEST. If you would like to attend the Webinar, please register using the following link: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://theresilienceproject.od2.vtiger.com/shorturl.php?id=68941fa489bef2.23486575__;!!Ax-PnKpllFIIgPxB!h-Dqplq1jgh2JF9qVK6OvDcdcmwB3QOsby4UZBNtPULyBn7fFL9xOFK__chO1-a21BJ2lfwVPbp05hLs_q_OxHQpbEmpw9UAMriuC_3WbQ$ 

Information about the webinar is below.