2026 Newsletter 9

Dear Parents and Families,

It has been another wonderful and busy period across our school community, filled with many opportunities for learning, faith, celebration and connection.

Our Prep students recently celebrated an important milestone — 100 Days of School! This special occasion was a wonderful opportunity for our youngest learners to celebrate their growth, friendships and achievements throughout their first year of primary school. It was fantastic to see their enthusiasm, creativity and pride as they marked this memorable day together.

We were also delighted to welcome visitors from the Parramatta Catholic Education Office, including the Head of Primary Learning and a team of lead educators who visited St Francis of Assisi to learn more about our approaches to teaching and learning. As part of their visit, they explored our evidence-informed practices, curriculum approaches and instructional models that are contributing to strong student achievement outcomes. St Francis was one of only two schools selected for this visit in Victoria, which is a wonderful acknowledgement of the commitment and expertise of our staff.

Our faith life continues to be a source of great joy and connection. Our Eucharist Family Workshops were very well attended, providing families with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the sacrament and prepare together for this important faith milestone. We also recently celebrated the blessings of our Eucharist candidates as they continue their preparation to receive this special sacrament. We keep these students and their families in our prayers as they prepare for this significant moment in their faith journey.

Our school choir was also honoured to be invited to sing at the MACS Senior Staff Mass at the Catholic Leadership Centre. Their beautiful voices and confident performance will be a wonderful representation of our school community and a reminder of the many gifts and talents our students share.

I also wish to acknowledge the recent communication from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) regarding the financial challenges currently impacting Catholic education across the system. Like many organisations, Catholic schools are experiencing increasing financial pressures, including rising operational costs, reduced funding growth and significant workforce commitments. MACS is undertaking a process of financial restructuring to ensure the long-term sustainability of Catholic education and the continued ability of schools to provide high-quality learning experiences for students.

At St Francis of Assisi, we continue to carefully plan for the future while remaining focused on our mission — providing an excellent Catholic education for every student and supporting the growth and wellbeing of our entire community. I thank our staff for their professionalism, dedication and commitment as we navigate these broader changes together.

As always, thank you to our students, staff and families for the wonderful spirit you bring to our school. Your partnership, encouragement and support continue to make St Francis of Assisi such a special place for learning and faith.

Warm Regards,
Michelle

📌 Important Newsletter Article for Parents 📌

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

Michelle Gillett

Principal

📅 Term 3 Important Dates

August:

August 10 (Mon): Learning Conversations - Student Free Day
August 10 (Mon): Year 5 - Fitting and Sizing for Graduation Jerseys
August 13 (Thu): District Athletics 🏃
August 13 (Thu): Yr 2-6 Feast of the Assumption
August 14, 21, 28 (Fri): TK Tuckshop – Order via Spriggy before 8:00 AM.
August 17 (Mon): Book Week Parade 📖
August 22 (Sat): Sacrament of First Eucharist (10:30 AM - 11:30 AM)

Looking Ahead

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
October 9 (Fri): St Francis Feast Day - Feast Day Mass and Colour Run

**📚🎶 Get Ready for Book Week 2026! 🎶📚**

We are excited to celebrate Book Week with this year’s wonderful theme: **'Symphony of Stories'**!
Mark your calendars for our annual **Book Week Parade**:
📅 **Date:** Monday, 17th August
⏰ **Time:** 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Students are invited to come dressed as their **favourite storybook character**! 🧙‍♂️🦸‍♀️🏴‍☠️ Whether you're a classic fairytale character, a superhero, or a magical creature, we can't wait to see your creative costumes.
✨ **Prizes will be awarded for the Best Dressed!** ✨
Start brainstorming your costumes now, and let's make some noise for the magic of reading! 🎻📖🎨

**🎨 Under the Sea: SFA Art Show! 🧜‍♀️🐠**

Get ready to dive into creativity at the upcoming **SFA Art Show**! Come along and celebrate the incredible artistic talents of our students.
🗓️ **When:** Wednesday, 9th September
⏰ **Time:** 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
🎟️ **Entry:** $5 per person
👗 **Theme:** Dress up as your best **Under the Sea** character! 🐙
Your child’s artwork will be available to purchase for a **gold coin donation**—don't miss your chance to take home their wonderful masterpiece! 🖼️
We can't wait to see you there for an evening of art, color, and fun! 🌊🎨

**🎨 Get ready to get colourful! St Francis of Assisi Colour Fun Run!**

In celebration of **St Francis Feast Day on Friday, 9th October**, we’re bringing the excitement with our **Monty the Monstar Colour Fun Run!** Best of all, every dollar raised goes directly towards **upgrading our school playground**.
**How to get started:**
Check your child’s bag today for their **Fundraising Booklet**.
Head to **myprofilepage.com.au** to create your profile.
Share your profile link with family and friends to start collecting online donations!
**Awesome Rewards & Giving Back:**
**Unlock prizes early:** Raising just **$10** unlocks your child’s first prize!
**Mix, match & choose:** The more raised, the more rewards they can choose from—plus collect **Monty Coins** along the way!
**Make a difference:** Students can also choose to donate their fundraising rewards to one of six fantastic charitable causes.
Thank you for supporting our school—let’s make this event bright, fun, and memorable!
Happy fundraising!

**📢 Important Notice: School Fee Statements**

Please check your email inbox for your latest **School Fee Statement**.
**Payment Due Date:** All school fees are required to be paid in full by **30th September.**
❓ **Didn't receive your statement?**
If you haven't received your statement or have any questions regarding your account, please reach out to our office:
**Phone:** 📞 9749 9900
**Email:** ✉️ officemanager@sfatarneit.catholic.edu.au
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter!

🦁 Prep Excursion: Werribee Open Range Zoo 🦒

On Friday 31st July, our Prep students embarked on an exciting excursion to Werribee Open Range Zoo! We were blessed with beautiful sunshine as we spent the day exploring the park and observing amazing animals up close in their naturalistic habitats.

The day brought our classroom learning to life as students connected real-world experiences to our unit on living things and animal needs. Exploring the grounds, they discovered how diverse habitats provide creatures with the essential food, water, shelter, and space required to thrive.

A standout highlight was the safari bus ride, where students watched animals roaming freely across the open plains—just as they would in the wild! It was a truly memorable day filled with curiosity, learning, and fun.

🚀 Stargazers and Scientists: Year 2 Visits Scienceworks! 💫 🔭 🪐

Our Year 2 students took their classroom learning to new heights with an action-packed day at Scienceworks!

A major highlight was visiting the Planetarium, where students leaned back in the comfy seats and journeyed through a spectacular show exploring night and day. Eyes lit up as the Melbourne night sky was projected above us, teaching us how to spot planets like Venus and recognize famous constellations in our own backyard, like the Southern Cross.

From hands-on exhibits to big space questions, our young scientists spent the day investigating, exploring, and discovering how science connects us to the universe. It was a day full of wonder, curiosity, and huge smiles—we had an absolute blast!

🚂 🎟️ All Aboard for a Puffing Billy Adventure 🌿🚂💨

On the 29th of July, the Year 6s went on an excursion to Puffing Billy. After we arrived, we boarded the train for a fun ride through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. Everyone really enjoyed the journey, especially seeing the trees and plants glisten after the rain as the sun came and went. We all had a great time chatting with our friends, waving to people along the track, and making wonderful memories together.

After the train ride, we took part in an exciting workshop with our amazing instructor, Pete. We visited a mini-museum where we saw old inventions from the Industrial Revolution, including vintage telephones, old ticket machines, railway equipment, and information about the first steam trains built in Australia. We learnt how these inventions changed the way people travelled, communicated, and worked, and how they helped shape many of the technologies we still use today.

We also worked together to solve real-life railway challenges by opening mystery suitcases and uncovering clues about the history of the train. It was a fun and interesting day where we learnt so much about the past while enjoying a fantastic adventure with our classmates.

- Written by Chloe and Mary

🎉 100 Days of Prep!

Today, our Prep students reached a huge milestone—100 Days of Prep!

The day was filled with laughter as our youngest learners arrived dressed as 100-year-old grandmas and grandpas. From grey hair and spectacles to cardigans and walking sticks, the creativity was outstanding! Our grandmas and grandpas proudly strutted their stuff in a whole-school 100 Days Parade to celebrate the big moment with everyone.

Throughout the day, students jumped into hands-on activities all centered around the number 100—counting, building, creating, and reflecting on how much they’ve learned. To top off the festivities, everyone enjoyed a delicious hot chip lunch!

Reaching 100 days is a wonderful achievement, and we are so proud of the confidence, independence, and growth our Preps have shown since their very first day.

Congratulations to all our amazing Prep students!

🙏 Year 4 Sacrament of First Eucharist Immersion Day

Our Year 4 students had a wonderful time during their First Eucharist Immersion Day on Tuesday, 4th August!

A special highlight of the day was a visit from Fr Jude, who dropped in to share his wisdom and deep knowledge about this important Sacrament with the children. The students were thrilled to learn from him as they prepare for this meaningful milestone in their faith journey.

Thank you, Fr Jude, for guiding and inspiring our Year 4s! 🙏🌟

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🍞🙏 Sacrament of First Eucharist Family Workshop

It was wonderful to partner with so many of our families on Wednesday night as we came together to support our students in growing their faith!

We ask our school community to keep all our students in their prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist at 10:30 AM on Saturday, 22nd August.

We also keep in our prayers our students of other faiths who will be joining us on the day to receive a special blessing. Thank you to all our families for your continued support and guidance during this meaningful journey! ✨🕊️

📌 Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings

PSG meeting times have now been sent out to parents scheduled for a meeting this term.

Please check your email and Compass notifications to view your allocated date and time.

💻 Requesting an Online Meeting?
If you prefer a Google Meet instead of an in-person meeting, please notify the office as soon as possible by emailing:
✉️ info@sfatarneit.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation!

📌 REMINDER: Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs)

For families who recently received a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP), this is a quick reminder to please sign and return one copy to the school.

Copy 1: Yours to keep at home for your records.
Copy 2: Please sign and return to your child’s teacher or the school office as soon as possible.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support in your child’s learning!

– Jenna Cowlishaw & Emily Wrigley

The **Children and Parenting Support Service (CaPSS)** is pleased to share information about our **Individual Parenting Support (IPS)** program!
While we regularly deliver group parenting programs and workshops, our IPS program offers tailored, **one-to-one support over 6–8 sessions**. It is designed to help parents and carers work toward their personal parenting goals, strengthen relationships, and build everyday confidence.
**Program Details:**
**Who it’s for:** Families living in Melbourne’s western suburbs (Melton, Wyndham, and Laverton/parts of Hobsons Bay).
**Current Availability:** We currently have **no waiting list**!
If you know of any families who could benefit from additional support, please feel free to share the attached flyer or complete and return the referral form.
For questions or more information, please reach out to myself or Cassie (contact details are listed on the flyer).
Thank you for your ongoing support in sharing our programs across your school communities and centres—it is greatly appreciated!

Help Keep the St Francis Book Club Going! 📚✨

After many wonderful years, 2026 will be Rebecca’s last year running the Scholastic Book Club for St Francis, as her daughter heads off to high school next year!

We are looking for a parent helper to join Rebecca for the remainder of Term 3 and Term 4 this year. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn the ropes alongside Rebecca so you feel completely confident to take over the role for 2027.

If you love books, enjoy getting involved in the school community, and have a little spare time to lend a hand, we would love to hear from you! Please reach out to the office if you're interested or have any questions.

📚✨ Special Guest: Andy Griffiths Visits SFA!

We were thrilled to welcome bestselling Australian children's author Andy Griffiths to St Francis of Assisi!

During his entertaining and inspiring presentation, Andy introduced students to some of his exciting new characters and gave us a peek into the creative process behind bringing stories to life. Through humor, storytelling, and plenty of imagination, he showed everyone that every great story begins with a single idea—and that anyone can become an author with creativity, persistence, and a love of writing.

"When I read, I get a lot of ideas and grow my imagination. I think of something cool, and then I think of the worst thing possible that could happen!"
— Andy Griffiths

It was a fantastic experience for our school community, and we know many of our students left feeling inspired to pick up a book, grab a pencil, and start creating their own wild adventures!