For the remainder of this term I have the privilege of fulfilling the role of Acting Principal, whilst James is away on Leave. We have recently heard from James who is currently in Italy, undertaking a pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome. He mentioned that he found Assisi to be a very special place, with the story of St Francis of St Clare living so strongly there. He mentioned also how fortunate he felt to be undertaking this experience, enriching his own spirituality and connection to our Franciscan charism. We keep James in our prayers and ask for God’s blessing on him as he begins his pilgrimage.
This week we have welcomed Justin Cavuoto to our Staff, as class teacher for 7V for the remainder of this term. Peter Vorrasi is also on Leave and we wish him every blessing during this time. Welcome Justin to our St Francis community!
During this last week of this term, on Tuesday 25th September, our school will be hosting our inaugural STEM Inquisitor’s Exhibition. This promises to be a very exciting evening for our school, during which we will showcase exemplary learning samples of our students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Through this Exhibition, we hope that our families will see how our students are advancing their own learning by using technology and digital media to work mathematically, scientifically as innovators, artists and engineers.
For our families who might be new to the concept of STEM education, I offer just a few brief insights to help you appreciate what this entails. Ideally, STEM education consists of more than just academic outcomes, but rather, it strives for an integration of the above disciplines, together with personal, social and economic development. An impetus behind STEM education is the drive from our workforce and economy to have employees who are equipped with ‘employability skills’ and competencies such as problem-solving, collaboration, creativity and innovation. As educators, we know that we are aiming to develop 21st century skills, soft skills and general capabilities. At St Francis of Assisi, we often do this through using a process of Inquiry Learning.
It is now a well accepted notion that STEM is necessary to solve real-world challenges and that our students need to enter the workforce with strong STEM literacy in order to help respond to the complex problems facing the world. For those who think that the concept of STEM is a fad or phase, the Australian STEM School Education Strategy corrects that thought, as it is dated for 2016-20126.
I was fascinated recently to hear these Australian statistics (from McCrindle Research) that “in the life of a school-leaver today, and assuming they start their working life aged 18 (part-time work) and are retired from all work by 75, they will have 17 different employers in their lifetime. Based on 3 jobs before upskilling or career changing, this means that they will also have 5 separate careers in their lifetime.” So, this means that ‘gone are the days’ where a person trains through University, TAFE or apprenticeship for ONE job and stays at that job for a lifetime. Yes, it might still happen, but statistically, the odds are against it. In the light of this, the responsibility is on us, as educators, to ensure that we are providing our students with opportunities, skills and knowledge to be: versatile, problem-solvers, creative, collaborative and innovative. Their learning experiences do need to be integrative, enabling them to build upon their learning, through self-direction and inquiry, and to become accustomed to transfer their knowledge easily from one discipline to another.
The very essence of our school motto is reflected in our commitment to STEM education: inspired by hope, empowered by curiosity. We are very proud of our initatives in teaching and learning in STEM and we can’t wait to share all of this with you on the 25th September! Please look out for further advertisements about the evening, detailing the program of events, with information particular to your child’s class and year level. At this event, we request that Parents and Caregivers accompany their children at all times, actively sharing in your child’s learning. Our Staff will be responsible for classroom displays and activities on the evening and so we do ask that supervision of all children is provided by Parents and Caregivers.
At the Inquisitor’s Exhibition there will be food and drink available for purchase. We have organised a BBQ sausage sizzle by the Scouts, which will be available by PRE-ORDER ONLY. Order slips will be sent out in Week 8, with returns early Week 9. We will also have a food truck called ‘The Satay Hut’ with a delicious array of food available for purchase. Our Canteen will be open with the usual supplies available and, as always, fantastic coffee! In addition, our OSHC service will be selling cans of soft drink.
We do hope that you can come along to our Inquisitor’s Exhibition and celebrate your child’s learning journey with them and our whole school community.
Belinda Burford
Acting Principal
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