2026 Newsletter 10

Dear Parents and Families,

It has been another wonderful and busy period at St Francis of Assisi, with many opportunities for our students and families to celebrate, connect and share in the life of our school community.

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our First Eucharist candidates who recently received the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This is a very special milestone in their faith journey, and we are incredibly proud of the reverence, preparation and commitment they demonstrated. Thank you also to our families, teachers and Parish community for supporting and preparing our students for this important celebration.

A special congratulations also goes to our school choir, who represented St Francis of Assisi beautifully by singing at the MACS Staff Seminar Mass. Their beautiful voices and confident participation were a wonderful reflection of our school and a proud moment for our community. We thank our choir students and staff for their commitment and preparation.

We are also looking forward with great excitement to our upcoming Father’s Day celebrations. We look forward to welcoming our dads, grandfathers, and significant adults to school for what promises to be a wonderful day of connection and celebration.

Another very exciting event on our calendar is the inaugural SFA Art Show, celebrating the creativity and artistic talents of our students. This year’s theme, “Under the Sea,” promises to transport us into an amazing underwater world created through the imagination and creativity of our students. Tickets are currently on sale, and I encourage families to secure their tickets and join us for what will be a very special celebration of student achievement and creativity.

It is wonderful to see so many opportunities for our students to learn, create, celebrate and participate in the rich life of our school. Thank you to our dedicated staff, families and volunteers whose support makes these experiences possible.

As always, I am grateful for the strong sense of community that continues to be evident throughout St Francis of Assisi. May we continue to celebrate the gifts of our students and support one another as we grow together in faith, learning and community.

Warm Regards,
Michelle

We Are Now on Social Media! 📲✨

Great news, families! St Francis of Assisi is officially on social media. We’re excited to share more of our school life, student achievements, and upcoming events with our community.

Follow us to stay connected and see what’s happening around the school:

📸 Instagram: @stfrancistarneit
📘 Facebook: sfatarneit

Be sure to like, follow, and tag us so we can celebrate our wonderful community together! 🙏 Tag a fellow parent in the comments once you follow us!

📅 Term 3 Important Dates

September:

September 4, 11, 18 (Fri): TK Tuckshop – Order via Spriggy before 8:00 AM.
September 4 (Fri): Father’s Day Event
September 9 (Wed): SFA ART SHOW 🎨
September 18 (Fri): 🛑 End of Term 3: Students finish early at 12:00 PM - Footy Colours Day

Looking Ahead

October 6 (Tue): Students return to school
October 9 (Fri): St Francis Feast Day - Feast Day Mass and ColourRun
October 29 (Thu): Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation

**🎨 Dive Under the Sea: SFA Art Show 2026! 🐠🐙**

**🎟️ TICKETS ON SALE NOW via QKR app! 🎟️**
Get ready to plunge into an ocean of creativity! Join us for a magical evening celebrating our talented students' masterpieces as our school transforms into an underwater wonderland.
**Event Details**
🗓️ Date: Wednesday, 9th September 2026
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
🎟️ Tickets: $5 per person *(SFA Students get FREE entry!)*
**Take Home a Masterpiece & Sweet Treats! 🎨🪙**
Child's Artwork: Please bring a gold coin donation if you wish to purchase your child's artwork!
Lolly Bags: $1 each *(Cash only!)*
**Catch a Meal! 🌭🥤**
Don't let hunger sink your night—enjoy a bite while you explore the deep blue gallery of art!
Early Bird Special: Pre-order a Sausage + Drink bundle on Qkr app for just $5!
On the Night: Sausages $3.50 each | Drinks $3.00 each
**Make a Splash & Book Early!**
Swim over to the Qkr app right now to buy your entry tickets and lock in your Early Bird food deal before it's gone.
We can't wait to see you there! 🌊✨

📢 Important Reminder: School Fee Payment Due 💳✨

🗓️ Payment Due Date: All school fees are kindly required to be paid in full by 30th September. If you have not yet made any payment toward your school fees, please arrange to do so as soon as possible, or contact our office to discuss. A heartfelt thank you to all our families who have already finalised their payments—we truly appreciate your support! 💙

📞 Phone: 9749 9900
✉️ Email: officemanager@sfatarneit.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for your prompt attention and ongoing cooperation! 🤝👏

📢 **LATE PICK UP CHARGES NOW APPLY**

Following our previous communications, please be advised that late collection fees are now being strictly enforced.
Any child who is not collected by **3:30 PM** will incur a late fee of **$10 per minute**, which is payable immediately upon collection.
**💡 How to protect yourself from unexpected fees:**
We strongly advise all families to register their children with **Extend**, our Out of Hours School Care (OSHC) program. Registration is free and ensures your child has a safe, supervised place to go in the event of traffic delays, emergencies, or unforeseen circumstances.

**Celebrating Academic Excellence: Our 2026 NAPLAN Results Are In!** 🎉📊

We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our students' exceptional performance in the 2026 NAPLAN assessments! 🌟 Across every single category, our Year 3 and Year 5 cohorts achieved percentages of "Strong" or "Exceeding" proficiency that significantly outpaced the national average. 🚀
**2026 Highlights** ✨
📝 **Year 5 Spelling:** An astounding **18 points** above the national average!
✍️ **Year 5 Writing:** A remarkable **15 points** clear of national benchmarks!
📚 **Year 3 Spelling:** An impressive **13 points** above national standards!
These stellar results are a powerful reflection of the dedication, ambition, and hard work pulsing through our classrooms every day. 🧠💪
A heartfelt congratulations goes to our hard-working students for giving their absolute best 🏆, to our talented teachers for their expert guidance and relentless support 👩‍🏫, and to our wonderful families for providing constant encouragement at home 👏. Milestones like this are a true team effort—thank you for making the St Francis of Assisi school community so incredibly proud! ❤️🏫

📚 Storybook Magic: Celebrating Book Week & Our Grand Parade! 🌈✨

What an extraordinary celebration of literature, imagination, and creativity we had for Book Week! The energy across the school was absolutely electric as our students and staff brought their favorite stories and beloved characters off the pages and straight into our school grounds. 📖💥

Our annual Book Week Costume Parade was a spectacular highlight! We were blown away by the incredible display of colorful, clever, and imaginative costumes. From classic fairytale heroes and magical creatures to modern storybook icons, our students showed off their costumes with immense pride and huge smiles. 🦄🧙‍♂️ Superhero capes fluttered, wizard hats towered, and beloved literary characters filled every corner of the yard!

Not to be outdone, our amazing teachers got right into the Book Week spirit! 🎭👩‍🏫 Diving headfirst into the fun, staff members went all out with fantastic group themes and wonderfully elaborate costumes. Watching the teachers join in the parade added so much extra joy, laughter, and magic to the day for our students!

A massive thank you to our wonderfully supportive families for your incredible efforts in helping craft, assemble, and put together such marvelous costumes. Events like this foster a true, lifelong love for reading and storytelling in our children.

Keep on reading, exploring, and letting your imaginations run wild! 🪶✨

**Sacrament of First Eucharist: Celebrating Faith & Community 🕊️✨**

Congratulations to all of our Year 4 students who received Jesus for the very first time during the Sacrament of First Eucharist last weekend! 🕯️ It was a beautiful occasion, and wonderful to see so many from our community gather at St James to celebrate and receive a special blessing alongside Fr Jude. 🙏✝️
Please continue to keep these children and their families in your prayers as they take this meaningful next step on their journey of faith. 🤍🙌

🙏 **Sacrament of First Reconciliation**

Our Year 3 Baptised Catholic students are warmly invited to celebrate their Sacrament of First Reconciliation on **Thursday, 29th October at 5:30 PM** at **St James Church, Hoppers Crossing**! ⛪✨
👨‍👩‍👧 **Parent Attendance:** Each child must be accompanied by at least one parent during the sacrament.
🤍 **Family Welcome:** Whole families are warmly encouraged to join and support our students on this special step in their faith journey.
We look forward to sharing this momentous occasion with our school community!

Faith in Action Across SFA 🕊️

Earlier this term, our school community had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a filming project for Catholic Mission. Many of our students proudly shared their personal connection to their faith alongside Father Jude.

We are delighted to share the final video with you! Please click the link below to watch our students shine and see their faith in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc_UptcL2CA 🎥 ✨

**Navigating Digital Spaces Together**

Recent headlines about Roblox remind us that while safety settings and parental controls help, the most effective protection comes from families working together. Technology changes rapidly, but staying connected and setting shared boundaries remains our strongest strategy for keeping children safe online.
To help map out these rules collaboratively, tools like Screen Sanity's Video Game Decision Tree offer a great framework for setting clear boundaries before problems arise.
Building a safer environment at home starts with a few practical habits:
**Establish shared expectations:** Set clear ground rules around screen time, appropriate behaviour, and acceptable content together.
**Keep screens in open spaces:** Move gaming devices into shared family areas rather than isolated bedrooms so supervision happens naturally.
**Maintain an open dialogue:** Talk regularly about who your children are engaging with online and what games they enjoy, making it easy for them to come to you if something ever feels off.
For more details on current online safety concerns, you can read the full article on The Conversation.

**Student Spotlight: Rising Footy Star Sophia!** 🏉⭐

We have some exciting sports news to celebrate in our school community!
Congratulations to Sophia (Year 6), who currently plays football for Hoppers Crossing in the Under 12 Mixed team. This season, Sophia also had the opportunity to step up and fill in for the Under 14 Girls team—playing just five games at that higher level.
Despite playing only a handful of matches compared to players who completed the entire season, Sophia made an incredible impact. We are thrilled to share that she has been nominated in the **Top 5 Best and Fairest players** for the Under 14 Girls competition across the entire Western Football Netball League (WFNL)! 🏆
Her nomination is a incredible testament to her dedication, hard work, and raw talent on the field.
The WFNL presentation night takes place on **2 September**, where the final results will be announced. Please join us in wishing Sophia the very best of luck—our school community is already so proud of your outstanding achievement! 🙌🎉

**Track, Field, and Team Spirit: District Athletics Carnival!** 🏃‍♂️👟🏆

On Thursday, August 14, our talented team of Year 4, 5, and 6 athletes proudly represented St Francis at the District Athletics Carnival! From explosive track sprints to impressive field events, our students gave it their absolute all, showcasing incredible grit, determination, and outstanding sportsmanship every step of the way. 🎽✨
While we didn't take home the overall school trophy this time, our athletes made us exceptionally proud—and five of our brilliant competitors have qualified for the next stage of competition! Division Athletics Carnival will be held on 9th September! 🎉🥇
Huge congratulations to these five superstar athletes, and a big round of applause to the entire team for supporting each other so brilliantly. We can't wait to cheer our qualifiers on as they take on the next round! 📣 St Francis is right behind you!

Important Update: Term 3 & 4 Student Learning Goals 📋

We are currently reviewing our Term 3 learning goals and preparing new targets for Term 4! These goals will be communicated home before the end of the term.

Action Required: Please review the document, sign to acknowledge, and return the completed form to the office as soon as possible. Thank you for your partnership! 🤝

Year 6 Crochet Club: Hooked on Creativity! 🧶✨

Our Year 6 Crochet Club has turned into a buzzing hub of imagination, laughter, and incredible teamwork! It has been inspiring to watch so many boys and girls dive in, pick up a hook, and embrace a brand-new skill with so much enthusiasm. 🥳

Mastering crochet takes serious patience, and our students have blown us away with their determination. Whenever a stitch got tricky, they kept trying, swapped tips, and cheered each other on—all while working hard on their very own handmade scarves! 🧣💪

Between the giggles, social catch-ups, and colorful yarn, the positive energy in the room has been contagious. We are so proud of our Year 6s for stepping out of their comfort zones, staying persistent, and celebrating every single loop of progress. We can't wait to see the final, cozy creations! 😊👏