St Francis of Assisi School Newsletter Week 6 Term 1 5.03.2024

From the Principal

Hi all,

We have just tipped over the halfway point of the term, and with 4 out of the next 6 weeks being short weeks the term is speeding along. Thank you for a wonderful community event at our Launch Night. I loved the pace of the event where I was able to introduce myself to many families and have some brief conversations and chats. It was warm no doubt (will it ever rain again?) but to have that turnout was a strong sign of the strength of this community.

I have appreciated the positive feedback around the Principal’s Address aspect of the night. I’m hopeful that as a collection of parents you can understand the vision for the school and how we will work together in that space to achieve this.

School Theme

Our theme for the school year is 'Connecting in, Reaching out'. This theme will extend over until the end of 2025 and will guide our work as a community.

Reaching out

A theme allows us to work together as a community on a shared goal. As I reflected at the Launch Night, we are moving closer to our 60^th anniversary as a school. That gives us a significant history which stretches across 3 to 4 generations of people. We have always existed on the same site as a huge part of the Newton community. It's time as a school to embrace the significance of that. We need to 'reach out' to the community and find ways for our students to contribute to the fabric of Newton and the wider Campbelltown Council area.

We have some exciting connections underway currently, including with local hospitality businesses and community organisations that I think we can work with in benefiting our children. As these connections and partnerships are established, I’ll be announcing them to our community. There is a letter at the front office which I have drafted which you can take on behalf of myself to community organisations. Please ask for this and let me know where you are taking it to so I don’t look surprised if I receive a phone call or an email.

Connecting in

The Connecting in part of our theme encompasses reviewing many of the current practices that we have undertaken as a school and looking for points of growth in them. How can we be an efficient place of high-quality teaching and learning? How can we ensure all families are supported? As I mentioned in the launch night, as a leadership team and as a staff we are paddling away under the surface in a huge number of areas from internal processes, teaching and learning, communication with families to ensure we have points of connection across the site that are established and meaningful.

AGM

On Tuesday the 19^th of March the school will be holding their AGM in the library from 7pm. As we have several Board members who have ended their tenures, we are looking for new members. There has never been a better time to join the school board as the school is in a position of growth and the development of a school master plan.

What is the commitment?

The School Board meets twice a term to discuss the strategic endeavours of the school, discuss the current financial position of the school and hear various reports from key stakeholders involved in managing the running of a school. Please send me an email if you are interested in joining the school board and we can put your name forward for nomination. Each Board member completes a two-year tenure, with the maximum of six years on the board as total.

Scott March

Principal

APRIM News

As we journey through Lent, classes are exploring Lenten Promises and how they can make changes to become closer to Jesus.

Lent is about opening ourselves to someone else, about stretching ourselves, so that we can become closer to God. I love Pope Francis’ reframing of Lent which calls us from darkness into light. Pope Francis says “I invite every Christian community this Lent to set aside moments to rethink their lifestyles, times to examine their presence in society, and the contribution they make to its betterment.”

Pope Francis calls us to….

Fast from hurting words and say kind words.

Fast from sadness and be filed with gratitude.

Fast from anger and be filled with patience.

Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope,

Fast from worries and trust in God.

Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures and be prayerful.

Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.

Fast from grudge and be reconciled.

Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

2024 marks 60 years of Caritas Australia making a difference “For All Future Generations” (our 2024 theme). Each family has a Project Compassion box this Lent and I thank you for your generous support in raising funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Project Compassion boxes can be returned at the end of the term. Next week our Social Justice Leaders will be selling some items to raise money to go towards this cause.

Wellbeing News

This term, every student in a Catholic School, including our students, will participate in a simple online Classroom Pulse Check in. The Check In has been developed to ascertain how students are currently feeling about their experience in schools. It is tailored to allow teachers to check in and provide immediate feedback and support to students. This Check In is completed in Week 5 & 6 every term and we track the data to ensure we keep our pulse on student wellbeing.

One way of ensuring students wellbeing is at the forefront of our practice is implementing the Berry Street Education Model at St Francis of Assisi. This model is based on proven positive education, trauma-informed and wellbeing practices that encourage students to achieve personal and academic growth. Over the past 2 years as we implemented this practice, we have seen a change in our classroom environments as children learn strategies to engage in their learning and build positive relationships.

Have you heard your child mention “focus plan”?

Has your child taught you a “brain break”?

Have you heard of a “circle greeting”?

Focus Plan

A focus plan is a plan that each student at St Francis has. The students create the plan themselves by recognising triggers that cause them to feel escalated, how that makes them feel and choosing de-escalation strategies that help them feel calm and ready to learn.

Brain Break

Brain breaks are small activities that students participate in throughout the day, whether it is at the beginning of the lesson to get ready to learn or during a lesson to re-energise the brain. Brain breaks are proven to improve students engagement in learning.

Circle Greeting

Every morning every class does a circle greeting as a way of connecting with each other and improving relationships within the class. The greeting starts with one person and they greet the person next to them, then the greeting works it’s way around the circle so that every person is greeted by someone. The children love this activity!

Melissa Canil

APRIM