Term 2: Week 2
I’m feeling refreshed and deeply enlivened after recently returning from pilgrimage. It was a meaningful opportunity to pause, reflect and continue growing in my own faith journey. I’m grateful for the experience and return with a renewed sense of purpose and joy.
This term, I was also very proud to represent our school alongside colleagues from across the parish at a professional learning day led by Dr Nathaniel Swain. It was a powerful reminder of the great work happening in our community—and in particular, how our staff at SFA are leading the way in best practices to support student learning. We are proud to be making a strong impact and sharing our commitment to high-quality teaching with others.
We also have some exciting news to share! Two valued members of our leadership team will soon be heading off on maternity leave. We send our warmest wishes to Carmela Khariwala, our Learning Enhancement Leader, and Maddie Lane, our Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) Leader, as they prepare to welcome their new babies. They will both be missed during their leave, and we look forward to hearing their joyful news in the coming months.
Finally, I’m very much looking forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming Mother’s Day Morning Tea—a special opportunity to come together and celebrate the wonderful women in our community.
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2 MAY 2025 - Mother's Day Stall
9 MAY, 2025 - Mother's Day Afternoon Tea
14 MAY 2025 - School Photos - Winter Sports Uniform
23 MAY 2025 - 2:40 - 3:10pm School Assembly in the Billabong
6 JUN 2025 - 2:15 - 5:30pm School Disco
9 JUN 2025 - King's Birthday - No Students
13 JUN 2025 - 2:40 - 3:10pm School Assembly in the Billabong
18 JUN 2025 - 7 - 8:30pm Sacrament of Confirmation Celebration
20 JUN 2025 - 9am - 3pm No Students: Learning Conversations
30 JUN 2025 - Year 5 Camp
Last week, we were privileged to welcome Dr Nathaniel Swain, who led a day of professional learning with our teachers focused on building a knowledge-rich curriculum to support every student’s success in reading and writing.
Staff from across our parish—including St James, St Clare’s, and Thomas Carr—came together for this event, deepening our connections and shared commitment to high-quality teaching and learning.
Dr Swain’s session explored how building students’ background knowledge supports stronger reading comprehension. He also modelled active teaching strategies such as structured vocabulary instruction, regular checks for understanding, and effective feedback techniques. These practices help make learning stick and ensure students are on the right track every step of the way.
Teachers especially appreciated the practical strategies shared throughout the day—tools they could implement immediately in their classrooms. A key focus was the effective use of engagement strategies to ensure students are actively focused on the content and skills being taught.
Research tells us that collective teacher efficacy—the belief that we can make a difference by working together—has one of the biggest impacts on student learning. Days like this not only equip teachers with new skills but also strengthen our shared approach to teaching, benefitting every learner here at SFA.
We are grateful to Dr Swain for his inspiring leadership and to all the staff who came together in the spirit of collaboration and continual improvement.
Please keep Pope Francis in your prayers, and pray for the Conclave as they come together next week to begin the process for electing our New Pope. SFA families along with Michelle, Andrea and Sandra joined together at the Memorial Mass for Pope Francis at St James the Apostle Catholic Church on Tuesday night.
On Monday the 28th of April the Year 3 students visited the Botanical Gardens. This Government initiative provided students with opportunities to discover and learn more about building ‘sustainable’ gardens’. Students loved learning about different plant species including Australian natives, and rare & threatened plants. The highlight was walking throughout the gardens, interacting with the different plant environments (drylands, fern gully and tropical glasshouse) and soaking up the amazing nature through all senses.
This week the Year 6 students were inducted into their Bandana Groups. Each student receives a bandana with the colour of their group. Bandana Groups provide students with engaging activities that allow them to combine many skills. They use collaboration, communication, respect, problem-solving, patience, leadership, responsibility and flexibility to achieve team goals. These are skills which have an impact in their day to day lives, and which they will carry with them into the future.
On Anzac Day, our School Captains and our Faith and Community Partnerships Leaders represented SFA by attending and laying a wreath during the Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in Werribee with Michelle and Andrea. This week, they also attended the Malay Borneo Memorial Service at TCC where they met some Veterans from the Vietnam War, and they laid a wreath on behalf of our school. Throughout SFA the children have been learning about the importance of Anzac Day, so be sure to ask them to share what they know about the War. Lest We Forget.
National Walk Safely to School Day
Primary school-aged children across Australia will take important steps toward a healthier future by participating in National Walk Safely to School Day on Friday, May 16, 2025.
This year marks the 26th anniversary of the event, championed by the Pedestrian Council of Australia. The initiative raises awareness of the health, road safety, transport, and environmental benefits of regular walking and active transport, encouraging children to walk not just on May 16, but every day.
Walking regularly benefits children’s physical health, cognitive development, and academic performance. The event also promotes environmental responsibility, reduces traffic congestion around schools, and encourages parents and caregivers to walk more.
Please walk to school if possible. When walking, please remember to model how to be safe on the road at all times. Everyone deserves to be safe.
Colouring in Competition:
All students are encouraged to enter the Active Kids Colouring-in Competition. We have 3 age categories students in P-2, Year 3-4 and Year 5 -6.
The winners of each category will be announced in the next newsletter. Winners will have a pizza lunch. The colouring-in sheets will be available in front of the Wellbeing Room, and the completed sheets need to be given to Michelle A in the Wellbeing Room by Wednesday, 14th May.
Happy Colouring!!
To keep all our students safe, especially those with severe nut allergies, we kindly remind parents and caregivers to NOT pack any nuts or nut-based products in student lunchboxes. This can cause serious allergic reactions.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and inclusive environment for everyone!
