Week 3, Term 3 2023

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Let me begin by saying how pleased I am to be here at St Francis of Assisi School. I know it has been an uncertain time for the community and it must be a relief to you all to know that Scott March will begin next year as your new Principal.

Angela Morrison’s work here over the past year has been well received and she has certainly made her mark with the children. You will have received a letter on Thursday 27 July informing you that Angela has been appointed to a new position with the Catholic Education Office. In order to maintain some continuity for the community, Angela has kindly agreed to remain at St Francis on Mondays and Fridays this term. I have been asked to step in for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Angela and I work closely together so hopefully the transition is as seamless as possible.

For Term 4 I will be here with you on a full time basis until the end of the year. During that time Scott March will visit us in preparation for him beginning in 2024. Scott is very much looking forward to being a part of this community.

I have been in Catholic Education SA for many years. My substantive role is as Deputy Principal at St Augustine’s Parish School at Salisbury, however in the past year I have been at St Mary MacKillop School, Wallaroo as Acting Principal, as well as St Joseph’s School, Ottoway as Acting Principal. I am very experienced in leading schools and in working with families and their children in meeting their needs in the school setting as best we can.

I very much look forward to getting to know you and your children over the next two terms.

Peace and blessings

Kerri Dent
Co-Acting Principal

It is great to be back and I am feeling very refreshed and fulfilled after my renewal leave overseas. During my time away I spent time in Assisi with a Friar to learn more about the history of St Francis and how Franciscan Spirituality can be lived out today. Assisi is one of my favourite places. It is a very spiritual and humbling place to visit. Everyone you walk in Assisi there are friars or nuns passing by who greet you with ‘pace e bene’. I attended Mass at St Francis of Assisi Basilica and prayed for our community. I learnt about the simple life that St Francis lived and how he ‘rebuilt the church’ with community and kindness. One of my favourite events was when I attended the rosary and The Basilica of Santa Maria Degli Angeli. This Church is where the Porziuncola Chapel is which was given to St Francis by the Benedectines. The rosary was led by friars and then a procession around the square with candles was just an amazing sight. It was like the whole town came out on this Saturday night to pray, sing and process together. Below are a couple of photos from my visit to Assisi and I encourage you to visit this special place if you haven’t already.

     
Father Egidio Canil OFM Conv (family relative) who gave me personal tour of all the local sites.
The original San Damian Cross that spoke to St Francis asking him to ‘Rebuild the Church’

St Mary of the Cross Mackillop – Feast Day August 8^th

St Mary dedicated her life to giving and is a role model of compassion, love and faith. Her legacy lives on through our Catholic schools today. St Mary’s famous quote is ‘never see a need without doing something about it’ and I often see this in action in our community. I invite you to pray to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop this week.

Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop
to live her life faithful
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our request….(name your request).
We ask that our faith and hope
be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,
like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.

St Clare of Assisi – Feast Day August 11^th

St Clare is the female role model of Franciscan Spirituality and just like St Mary, dedicated her life to giving to those in need and living out the Gospel. St Clare of Assisi is an integral part of our Franciscan tradition as she begun the order of the ‘Poor Clares’ with St Francis of Assisi who inspired her through his words. ‘Poor Clares’ were nuns dedicated to serving those in need and living a life of poverty and humility.

St Clare of Assisi - Be Our Light

Blessed Saint Clare, whose very name means light,
illumine the darkness of our minds and hearts
so that we might see what God wishes us to do
and perform it with a willing and joyful heart.
Before your birth, a Heavenly voice foretold
that you would be a light illuminating the world.
Be a light to us in the sorrows and anxieties of this earthy life,
and lead us into the eternal light of our home in Heaven.
Amen.

Year 6’s Walk a Mile to End Homelessness

On Friday our Year 6 students will be ‘Walking a Mile’ for Hutt St Centre. Thankyou to all the generous donations from families for this event. The money we raise goes directly to supporting the great work Hutt St Centre do to support the homeless in our community. 

Blessings for the week ahead,

Melissa Canil
APRIM

For National Homelessness Week, this Friday August 11th our Year 6 students will be walking a mile to raise funds for the 6,000 people experiencing homelessness in South Australia. All funds go to Hutt St Centre who have been supporting people for more than 65 years by providing a hearty meal, a hot shower, all in a safe, welcoming space. We'd be so grateful for your support! Please give generously to our donation page here.
Together we can help end homelessness. 

Are you interested in enrolling your child for the Sacramental Program this year? Please read the Parent Information Letter and fill out the form here if you are interested in registering your child. There is an upcoming Parent Information Evening that will provide further information.

This LLL survey is an opportunity for you to tell how things are for you and your family and know that we value your feedback and will try to respond to the information that you provide.

The feedback does NOT include the data of individuals; rather, feedback involves graphs based on feedback from all parents and caregivers. To ensure anonymity, aggregated scores are not provided for groups of less than four parents or caregivers. It is your impressions that we are seeking. There are no right or wrong answers.

If you have more than one child at school, please respond based on the experience of your oldest child at the school. HERE is a link to the survey and some simple instructions.

Last year we had an overwhelming response and this year we are seeking a 100% response. If we have 100% of families respond, we will pick a random student name from each class, and they can choose to be any staff member for a day – not just Principal for the day.

Formal Uniform is required. If your child does not have the full new formal uniform then they can wear the old full formal uniform. Please do not mix and match old and new uniform items.

R-2 students wear the everyday uniform.

Years 3-6 wear formal (not sport).

A reminder that the only jewellery permitted is:

• Wrist watch (no smart watches)
• Earrings – sleepers or studs – gold or silver in colour

No makeup to be worn and no coloured nail polish.

Shoulder length hair or longer is to be tied up off the collar and away from the face. Accessories that are holding hair in place (ie scrunchies, ribbons and headbands) are to be minimal, and plain navy or white only in colour. A school scrunchie is also acceptable.

Tomorrow Wednesday August 9th, all students R-6 will be treated to a puppet show in Italian 'La lampada di Aladino' based on Aladdin. Thank you to Signora Rossi for organising this!