Term 3: Week 5
Dear Families,
While our school is always lively and busy, it feels like we have even more news than usual to celebrate this week. We’ve had success on the sporting field, enjoyed a number of exciting incursions and excursions, and our senior students are almost ready to let their talents shine in our upcoming school production.
In the last fortnight we received our NAPLAN results, and I have been absolutely thrilled with them. We will share more details in an upcoming newsletter, but I can already say these results are the strongest in our school’s history, building even further on last year’s excellent achievements. I am incredibly proud of our Year 3 and Year 5 students, as well as all the staff who have worked so hard to ensure that every child at SFA strives for excellence.
I am also very pleased with the overwhelming response to our Open Morning. The large number of families who indicated they would like to attend shows the strong support and commitment you have for your children’s learning. We look forward to sharing our Mathematics programs with you on the day.
The spiritual life of our school is flourishing as well. Last Friday, our Year 2–6 students joined the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption at Thomas Carr College, and this weekend our Year 4 students will celebrate the Sacrament of First Eucharist. Please keep them in your prayers.
In the coming weeks, we will introduce some small changes to the way we organise students in the Pick-Up Zone. These adjustments are designed to ensure a safe and efficient end to each day. Please keep an eye on Operoo for further details, and thank you in advance for your support.
It is with a touch of sadness that we prepare to farewell Marthese as she heads into retirement next week. As a foundational member of staff, Marthese has seen our school grow and flourish into the vibrant community it is today. She has been the welcoming face of SFA for so many families, always warm and approachable as she solved the many questions and queries that came her way. We wish her great joy in her retirement. Along with farewelling Marthese, we also said goodbye to Angie this week and warmly welcome Orla Moloney into our specialist team.
Wishing you all a safe weekend, I’m looking forward to seeing your Book Parade costumes on Monday morning!
Michelle Gillett
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23 AUG 2025 - 10:30 - 11:30am: Sacrament of Eucharist Celebration
25 AUG 2025 - 9 - 10am: Book Parade
28 AUG 2025 - 9 - 10:15am: School Open Morning: Mathematics
29 AUG 2025 - Father's Day Stall
29 AUG 2025 - 4:00pm Father's Day Breakfast Orders Close in QKR
5 SEPT 2025 - 7:30 - 8:30am Father's Day Breakfast
5 SEPT 2025 - 2:40 - 3:10pm Assembly in the Billabong
11 SEPT 2025 - 7 - 8:30pm Aladdin Production: Evening Show
12 SEPT 2025 - 12 - 1:30pm Aladdin Production: Matinee
12 SEPT 2025 - 7 - 8:30pm Aladdin Production: Evening Show
19 SEPT 2025 - Footy Colours Day
19 SEPT 2025 - 12pm Term 3 Ends
6 OCT 2025 - No Students - School Closure Day
7 OCT 2025 - Term 4 Begins
10 OCT 2025 - St Francis Feast Day Celebrations - 2 - 5:30pm School Disco
18 OCT 2025 - St James Fete
Book Parade: Monday 9:00am
Celebrating Learning in Year 6
The Year Six group recently held an expo to show off their WW1 dioramas, and they invited the Year Threes to the De Piro space to share their work. Maria wrote this news article to recap the event:
100 Days of Prep!
On Tuesday the 5th of August, the Prep students celebrated their 100th day of school! Students and staff were invited to dress up as grandma’s and grandpa’s! It was a special milestone that highlighted just how far they’ve come since the beginning of the year. We are very proud of each and every one of them for their hard work each day.
The Preps enjoyed a fantastic day filled with fun activities, a special hot chip lunch, and time with their buddies. To mark the occasion, each student received a certificate, a cookie, and a personalised keyring—beautifully made by Sandy. A big thank you to our amazing Prep families for your ongoing support.
Year 2 News
Year 2 Chemistry Fun with Professor Bunsen!
Year 2 launched their Chemistry unit with an exciting visit from Professor Bunsen! The show was packed with colourful reactions, slimes, clouds, and even controlled explosions. Students explored loads of materials and investigated solids, liquids, and gases through hands-on experiments, learning all about physical and chemical changes in the most fun and engaging way. They especially couldn’t stop talking about the elephant toothpaste experiment!
Year 2 Excursion to the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre & St Patrick’s Cathedral
This week, the Year 2s visited the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre and St Patrick’s Cathedral as part of their Religious Education learning. Students explored the life and legacy of Australia’s first saint through stories, artefacts, and interactive displays. It was especially exciting for them to meet Sister Rita! They also admired the beauty and history
Year 4 Science Experiments
The Year 4 students have been learning all about chemistry this term. Last week their teachers became scientists to support students' understanding of the scientific process when conducting an experiment.
Eggs were placed in cups of vinegar. Some eggs were given a protective coating of toothpaste, while others were not.
Eggs have a hard shell made mostly of calcium carbonate (like chalk). Vinegar is an acid. When it touches the shell, the acid reacts with the calcium carbonate and makes carbon dioxide gas. Slowly, the shell dissolves, and the eggs become bouncy and soft. The students were very excited to watch eggs bounce!
Sacrament of First Eucharist
Our Year 4 students have been preparing to receive the Eucharist and will celebrate the Sacrament this weekend. We wish them all the best and are grateful for their supportive families as well as the Year 4 teachers, and Andrea and the RE team who have helped them to prepare for their Sacrament.
Our Year 4 students have been preparing to receive the Eucharist and will celebrate the Sacrament this weekend. We wish them all the best and are grateful for their supportive families as well as the Year 4 teachers, and Andrea and the RE team who have helped them to prepare for their Sacrament.
Aladdin Tickets
Opening Soon!
Set an alarm for Sunday 24th August at 6:00pm. This is when tickets for our school production of Aladdin will open for purchase.
The Year 5 & 6 students who have chosen to be involved in the production have been working hard to rehearse their lines as the time draws nearer to Show Time!
Celebrating Marthese’s Retirement
Staff gathered together this week to celebrate all the things that Marthese has brought to SFA over the past 12 years and to wish her all the best as she commences her retirement. As a member of staff who has been here since the year the school opened, Marthese has been the welcoming face that has been the first contact that so many families have had with our school. She has been integral to the school as our enrolment officer and her knowledge will be sorely missed… but we wish her every happiness as she moves into retirement, and hope that she will have plenty of time to enjoy her family and maybe even welcome some more grandchildren in the coming years!
Next week will be Marthese’s last week at SFA, she will finish work on Thursday.
Fathers’ Day
Please join us from 7:30am on Friday for a delicious Breakfast at SFA in celebration of all the wonderful Dad's and special Men in our children's lives who are like a Dad. Breakfast orders are now open in Qkr and there are lots of delicious options available, all at a cost of $8.00 per item. Please note, for organisational purposes, Breakfast orders will strictly close in Qkr at 4pm on Friday 29th August.
Thank you to our wonderful PIP Team at SFA for their dedicated work in preparing lots of terrific gifts for our annual Father's Day Stall at SFA. On Friday 29th August all of the children at SFA will have the opportunity to go shopping and purchase a gift for their Dad. Prices range from $1.00 to $5.00. Please remember to send no more than $5.00 and a shopping bag to school with your child on the day.
SFA Takes a Stand Against Bullying
On Monday, August 11th, all students at SFA paused their regular activities to take part in Kids Helpline’s largest-ever online anti-bullying lesson. This important initiative was part of our school’s commitment to Bullying. No Way! 2025, a national campaign dedicated to creating safer and more inclusive school environments.
This year’s theme, “Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.”, encourages students to show courage, compassion, and responsibility when facing bullying—whether they witness it, experience it, or need support to change their own behaviour.
Throughout the week, all Wellbeing lessons have been focused on raising awareness around bullying. Students are learning what bullying is, how to respond if they witness it, what to do if they are being bullied, and how to seek help if they realise their actions may be hurting others.
At SFA, we are proud to be fostering a culture where every student feels safe, respected, and empowered to speak up.
The link below is available for you to watch and maybe have another chat with your child about Bullying.
https://schools.kidshelpline.com.au/sessions/bullying-parent-teacher-video
We recently sent some students to compete in the Zone Athletics Carnival and it was an amazing day for our school! The day showed the power of teamwork, determination, and school spirit that St Francis is famous for.
We want to congratulate every single student – whether you came first, last, or anywhere in between, you gave it your all, and that is what true success looks like. The day wasn’t just about winning events; it was about cheering each other on, pushing ourselves to our limits, and showing respect for our competitors.
To our ribbon-getters, well done! A special mention goes to Garang who received 5 ribbons, winning first place in the 800m, triple jump and long jump as well as coming 2nd in 100m and 200m race. All in all, we had 14 different students who managed to get ribbons and their achievements helped our school to achieve St Francis’ highest score ever, placing 2nd overall.
A huge thank you to our staff, volunteers, and parents who helped make the day possible – from setting up equipment to recording results, to simply being there to encourage our students. Well done, everyone – you’ve made our school proud!
St James Fete
The St James Parish is preparing for their Annual Parish Fete on Saturday 18 October, and they would love your help! If you can pot some cuttings for the plant stall or create handmade items for the craft stall, it would be greatly appreciated!
The fete committee are seeking prize donations for our Annual Parish Raffle drawn at the Fete. If you own or know of a local business that could contribute a prize (product, service or voucher), they would love to hear from you. All donations will be acknowledged and will help support our parish community. Please contact Kevin Lloyd on 0439 314 572.
Personal Learning Plan (PLP)
If your child has a Personal Learning Plan (PLP), you should have already received a copy of their learning goals for this term. These goals are carefully designed to support your child’s individual strengths and areas for growth, providing clear, achievable targets that guide their learning and development. They help ensure that teaching is tailored to your child’s needs and that progress can be tracked meaningfully over time.
Program Support Group (PSGs)
Bookings are now open for the upcoming Program Support Group (PSG) meetings, scheduled for Weeks 6 and 7. These meetings are specifically for families with students on PLPs and offer a valuable chance for you to discuss your child’s goals in detail, celebrate their achievements, and collaborate with teachers on strategies to best support their learning journey.
To book your meeting, please follow the instructions on the Operoo form sent to you. We look forward to partnering with you to help your child thrive this term.
