Dear Families,

Last Wednesday we celebrated the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Mass. A big thank you to Fr James for celebrating this liturgy with us. We have now begun the Lenten journey and again we are invited to accept the challenge of reconciliation and given the opportunity to speak to and educate our children about forgiveness and repentance. In the busyness of our day it is a perfect opportunity to stop and pray more deeply. It is a time of renewal and preparation for celebrating the resurrection.  

Father James, in his sermon, gave the message that is highly relevant to us this lent. To pray, to fast and to give. Quite often we are challenged over Lent and tell ourselves that we are too busy. This Lent, take time out with your family to pray together and talk about the relevance of Jesus in our lives today. 

Thoughts for Lent

Mend a quarrel

Search out a forgotten friend

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust

Write a love letter

Share some treasure

Give a soft answer

Encourage youth

Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed

Keep a promise

Find the time

Forego a grudge

Forgive an enemy

Listen

Apologise if you were wrong

Try to understand

Flout envy

Examine your demands on others

Take pleasure on the beauty and wonder of the earth

Speak your love

Speak it again

PRINCIPAL’S RETREAT

This week I am away, attending the Archdiocesan Principal’s Retreat in Bowral. Each year, all Principals within our Archdiocese and key Catholic Education staff gather on retreat to reflect on our roles as leaders in Catholic schools. This year, Professor Br David Hall, Director of the La Salle Academy at the ACU will lead us in prayer. The theme of the retreat this year will be ‘The Virtue of Hope – Leading Learning and Mission’.

I thank you all for allowing me the time to attend this valuable time away from school.

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Last week we held our annual St Francis of Assisi Primary School Swimming Carnival. A big thank you to Debbie Cossettini and Michelle Marshall and our ‘Swimming Carnival Staff Committee’ for coordinating and planning this carnival. It was such a successful day. We were certainly blessed with spectacular weather. A big thank you to all those parents who volunteered on the day. Your help is always invaluable and to those parents who could not attend but helped out with delicious morning tea. Thank you so very much.

CANTEEN

Don’t forget that our canteen offers parents the opportunity to purchase birthday treats for your child’s class. We have many children in our school who have food allergies and birthday treats have proven to be a problem in years past. We are a nut free school and all birthday treats provided must adhere to this. Any product that is brought to school that contains nuts will not be served to children and will be sent home.  To avoid any confusion the canteen is offering nut free products, along with healthy options. Please see the canteen menu for further information. This can be located on our school website

LOCAL SCHOOLS COMMUNITY FUND

It is with great excitement that I announce our successful application for the Local Schools Community Fund. We submitted an application that would see the school develop the gravel area in front of the playground equipment into a new sensory garden.

This garden is designed to assist our students with additional needs. The area will have equipment that could include spinners, swings, sound tubes and wind chimes etc. As an inclusive school we see that this area of the playground would be accessible to all children during our lunchtime breaks. 

As part of the grant we have committed to undertaking this project ourselves. We are very fortunate to have Jeff Alcock who will be doing the majority of the work himself, and throughout the year, I will be inviting parents within our school community to assist through working bees. I am sure we have a multitude of parents who have the necessary skills to help complete this project.

The grant has given us access to $20 000 and the school will use our fundraising efforts from last year and our Colour-Run this year to assist with the costs involved.

A would like to publically thank Mr David Smith MP, Federal Member for Bean, for facilitating this strong community project and for his continual support of our school. We look forward to inviting Mr Smith to see how our project is developing throughout the year.

SCHOOL SAFETY

For the safety of all children in our school, the BASCA school gates will be locked at 8:30am every morning. From 8:30am please make your way to the main entrance of the school and use the gate closest to the front office.

Peace and Best Wishes

Kate Markcrow

Ash Wednesday Mass began this season of Lent

It was great to see so many here for our Ash Wednesday Mass last week as we began the church season of Lent. These 40 days are a time to reflect on your faith in God - as shown in your actions as a Christian who is building the community of Christ.

It is a time to ‘create a new heart’. The cross of ashes was a sign of repentance and starting again. Father James reminded us to focus on three aspects in our lives: praying, fasting and giving.

Shrove Tuesday

Thank you to all those who donated and sold pancakes last week.

Mini Vinnies sold over 500 pancakes on Pancake Tuesday, raising over $230!

Please continue to support Caritas’ Project Compassion during Lent by sending donations of money with your children to place in the Project Compassion boxes on the prayer table in the classrooms.

Mini Vinnies will collect and collate these each Tuesday.

You can view the project focus videos here: https://lent.caritas.org.au/#blank

4 Ngadyung Mass Reflections

At Mass today the gospel taught me about Jonah disobeying God and trying to run away from God. Jonah didn’t know that you can’t run away from God. Jonah was sent to teach the people in Nineveh about God.  Carly Rundle

Today’s gospel was from the Old Testament. In this story Jonah was meant to tell the people of Nineveh about God, but he ran away on a boat thinking he was outrunning God. God made a storm and all the people on the boat blamed Jonah and threw him off. A big fish came along and ate him up. He was in the belly of the fish for three days before the fish coughed him up. Jonah told the people of Nineveh about God and they did repent. God forgave them and showed his mercy.  Beth Hyde

The gospel story of Jonah and Nineveh showed us God forgives and loves everyone.  Jacob Cina

Sacraments 2020

Enrolment for the celebration of the sacraments of Confirmation, First Eucharist & First Reconciliation is being handled differently in 2020. Enrolments will only be taken prior to each sacrament.

Enrolment for Confirmation (Year 6) will be 16 March - 3 April (celebrations 9, 10, 11 June).

A note about Confirmation will be sent home soon.

Enrolment for First Eucharist (from Year 4) will be June - July (celebration in August).

Enrolment for First Reconciliation (from Year 3) will be September - October (celebration in November).

Enrolments will be completed online via the Corpus Christi Parish Qkr! App. Further information will be available on the parish website, in the parish bulletin and through the school. If you have any questions please contact our Sacrament Coordinator, Gail Walker at tuggeranongsouth.sacraments@cg.org.au

1. Download the Qkr! App from Google or Apple.
2. Search for South Tuggeranong Parish or Corpus Christi Parish (our parish logo will show)
3. Create a profile. When enrolments are open, you will access the payment information and enrolment form through ‘Parish, Sacraments’.

With God’s blessings

Lisa Conroy

Religious Education Coordinator

My name is Susan Harris, my role is Student Welfare Officer. 

This year I will continue to run positive emotion / social skills groups or with individual students.  These groups/sessions will assist students to learn about their emotions and build positivity in their peer relationships. All programs ran are linked to the Australian Curriculum, whereby students develop personal and social capacity as they learn to understand themselves and others.

This year I am available on Mondays and Tuesdays and can be contacted by email, susan.harris@cg.catholic.edu.au.  Please contact the front office if you do not wish for your child be be involved in these sessions. 

I look forward to working with students and families.

NAPLAN Online will occur in our school between 12 and 22 May 2020.

NAPLAN Online is a more engaging assessment that adjusts questions to each student’s achievement level. It also delivers more precise results to schools and parents more quickly.

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.

Students can become familiar with NAPLAN Online by completing mini-tests available in the public demonstration site,

http://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site.

The purpose of the site is to familiarise students with the type of items they will see on NAPLAN Online and related functionalities. This level of familiarisation is worthwhile to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the test. Additional information about NAPLAN and students can be found at the ACARA website - www.nap.edu.au.

Teachers will ensure that students have a chance to become familiar with NAPLAN Online prior to the testing period and all students will also participate in an ACT wide co ordinated practice test later in March.

If you have any questions or concerns about NAPLAN please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

We would like to thank Megan Steele, Jessica and Michael Lever for their help with the special pie day, your help was most appreciated.

We have taken plain milk and the mini spring roll meal deal off the menu.

Sue and Jo. Canteen Managers. PH: 62927477.

Helpers roster Week 6

Monday 9 March 

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Wednesday 11 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Thursday 12 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Friday 13 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Week 7

Monday 16 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Wednesday 18 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Thursday 19 March

AM Help please

PM Help please

Friday 20 March

AM Help please

PM Help please 

Term 1 fee statements were emailed to all famiilies in Week 2.  If you have not received your fee statement by email, please let me know so I can send you a copy.

A reminder that Term 1 fees are due for payment by Friday 20 March 2020 (end Week 7) unless paying by regular instalments.

For any fee related questions, please contact me in the office from Tuesday to Friday on 6292 4500 or email me susan.rowell@cg.catholic.edu.au. 

Kind regards

Susan Rowell

Our 2020 Ninja Warrior Colour Run will be held later this term - this is always a fun day and helps raise funds for our school.  This year money raised will go towards our new sensory garden playground.

Important dates are as follows:

Friday 13 March - Coulour Run launch assembly to be held in the hall commencing at 2.00 pm.

Thurday 26 March - Colour Day fundraiser: students make a gold coin donation and come to school dressed as colourfully as they can, all donations will contribute to the overall fundraising total.

Friday 3 April - Ninja Colour Run Day!

On Tuesday 3 March, a group of Year 5 and 6 students represented St Francis of Assisi Primary School at the Tuggeranong Region AFL Gala Day.

The students involved played in a round robin competition, with all schools playing in finals at the end of the day.  Results will be finalised in the coming week.

A big thank you must be extended to David Roberts, who coached and assisted our girls at the carnival.

Well done to all students who participated in the gala day and for the way you represented St Francis! 

-Mr Smith

Sports Coordinator 

A reminder that netball registrations for the 2020 season are open, and will be closing on 20 March 2020.

Please email sfanetball@yahoo.com.au if you have any enquiries.

Catalogues for issue 2 of Scholastic Book Club have been sent home this week.

All orders must be placed by next Friday 13 March 2020.  Sorry but no late orders will be accepted.

Please like and follow St Francis of Assisi Primary School on Facebook and Instagram to receive updates, reminders and much more.