St Francis of Assisi College - Term 1 Week 2 - 2023

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Ash Wednesday - The Season of Lent

On February 22nd we will mark the start of the 40 days of the Liturgical season of Lent. This year all classes will attend a liturgy where each person will be marked with ashes on his/her forehead as a sign of repentance. The ashes are an outward symbol of the inward change we will make during Lent. Ash Wednesday is a time when we stop and assess how we’re doing in our walk with God. Lent helps us identify spiritual areas in which we can grow and sinful areas that we need to avoid. To repent, put simply, means to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from Palm Sunday which is the Sunday before Easter. It symbolizes Christ’s return to Jerusalem after spending 40 days in the desert. In the Catholic tradition, we receive palm leaves, which have been blessed, to hold onto during Mass and bring home. The leftover palms from Palm Sunday are then burned and saved for the next Lenten season. So, this year’s ashes are from the palms of Palm Sunday of 2022.

An outstanding start to the school year!

At the conclusion of the 2022 school year, our staff had two professional development and planning days where we signed off on all loose ends for 2022 and began our focus on setting up for a strong start to the 2023 school year.

Across our planning days in Week 0 this year, we continued this focus on a strong start to the new school and as a group, we asked ourselves the following question:

‘To have an outstanding start to this school year….’

Here are some of the focuses we identified as a staff team:

• What would be happening?

            - Educators are aware of our new students and how they might be feeling

           - Educators are student centred and intentional in our practice

           - Educators are aware of our new students and how they might be feeling

• What is important?

           - A safe environment for students

           - Establishing clear routines to support a settled start

           - Clear expectations of each other

           - A sense of belonging for our students and families

• How would we need to act?

           - Educators are well planned and focused

           - Educators encourage curiosity in our students
 
            - Educators are consistent with follow up and communication with respect to student
              support.

As a team we have been really pleased with our start to the year, and we hope this has been felt by families also.  We encourage parents and carers to contact your child’s teachers if with any questions.  We value early and ongoing communication to ensure a strong partnership to support our students in the best possible way.

Board Family Night

The School Board, led by our Community and Industry Engagement sub-committee, have organised a social gathering for all families.  This year we plan to build on our opportunities for families to engage with their child's schooling, and provide opportunities for families to connect socially with other families.

An information letter has been emailed to all families with an RSVP included, here are the key details:

• Hosted by the School Board 
• Saturday February 18th  
• From 5pm at SFOAC for 6.30pm BBQ Dinner
• BBQ and Salads supplied by School Board, there will be some soft drinks and water supplied
• BYO drinks / nibbles and chairs / blankets to sit on (some tables and chairs will be available) 
• Games, sports equipment, and the school grounds will be open for children to enjoy

Please contact the school administration team if you have not seen the initial information email and would like to RSVP.

Building Progress – Exciting Progress!

Through the course of Term 1, progress on Stage 2 of the College Build Program will be commencing.  We expect to see our builders, Mossop Construction, on site through March.

The major works for Stage 2 is the Year 10 – 12 learning building, which will be opposite the current Year 7 – 9 learning building, and, the addition of two senior science labs that will extend from the Multi-purpose building.

CESA COVID-19 Approach

COVID-19 continues to affect the community and we all have a part to play in keeping our school community safe and minimising the disruption to learning that can occur when illness circulates at school. As such I ask you to follow the approach below:

 • Students/staff who are unwell should stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms and get tested for COVID-19.

• If students/staff have COVID-19, please advise the school as soon as possible, and stay at home until all acute symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever) have cleared.

• Staff “Test to Stay” remains part of the CESA COVID-19 Management Plan for staff who become close contacts at school.

School Mass

This year we will continue to celebrate Mass at the College, on the first Wednesday of every month during term at 9.30am.

Each Religious Education class will take a turn in preparing and leading the Mass with Fr Hau.

This Mass is open to all families and members of the Parish, it would be great to see parents celebrate Mass with us.

Sacramental Program

This year, the OLOR Parish will be leading the Sacramental Program at each of our Riverland Mass Centres, in partnership with our Catholic Primary Schools.

If you have a child at St Francis of Assisi College that would like to participate in the Sacramental Program, please contact the College, and I can provide further information.

Wakakirri Dance Festival

This week we have been seeking expressions of interest from student interested in being involved in the secondary school’s category for the Wakakirri Dance Festival.  We have now exceeded the minimum number of students required to enter the competition.  The secondary category is not limited to dancers only, students interested in being involved backstage can also nominate.

If your child would like to be involved, the need to give their name to Miss Newman at the school office by Friday 17th February.

More information can be found here:

WAKAKIRRI | A National Story-Dance Festival For Schools

Nathan Hayes, Principal

PAT Testing

In week 4, all Year 7 students will complete the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). There are two tests: PAT-R (reading) and PAT-M (Numeracy). These are diagnostic assessments conducted to measure student’s growth throughout the year. They provide valuable information to teachers about your child’s learning strengths and needs.  The tests will indicate what skills students have mastered, what skills they are consolidating and even more importantly what skills they need to be educationally stretched. It will also provide teachers with objective information for setting realistic learning goals and enables them to better plan learning programs as students’ progress through the college.

If you have any questions about PAT Testing, please contact the college.

Learning Around the College

Students and teachers have had amazing start to the school year. Teachers have worked collaboratively to provide learning that is relevant and engaging for all students. Throughout all areas of the curriculum, students have already had an opportunity to develop their communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. These are important skills as they develop into capable learners. As I have wander into classrooms, I have been very impressed with the level of engagement and enthusiasm displayed by all students.

Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

Welcome back!

It seemed we all hit the ground running to start 2023! It has been excellent to see all our new students become so comfortable and for our returning stduents being great mentors and role models. By the end of the first week, students were seamlessly moving between classes, mastering their locks, and building on newfound friendships.

House Formation

Our aim is to ensure Home Group and each House is always a safe, welcoming, micro-community within the College where they are valued, have agency and form leadership skills. All teachers have begun to make strong relationships with their Home Group. Notably, the students have been open to forming friendships across year levels in our morning meetings and are already continuing to show pride and care of their house common areas where their lockers and rooms are located. We look forward to sharing each House’s Credo and Agreed Responsibilities in the next newsletter!

A reminder that if you have any concerns or questions or information to share regarding your child’s wellbeing or academics, please contact their home group teacher in the first instance via email or through the College phone number, (08) 8595 4500.

Student Leadership

Last year, we announced our Year 8 and 9 student leaders for the 2023 school year. In week 4, we look forward to announcing the year 7 student leaders and inducting the Student Leadership Council with a liturgy.

The College has the following leadership positions to be filled by elected members from the student body each year:

The Resilience Project: Recognising your childhood and the power of modelling

As parents, it’s so normal that we want the very best for our kids. From the opportunities they can access, to their values and the way they interact with others – we want to raise well-rounded, resilient people who are equipped with everything they could need to succeed in life.

An important part of helping kids be the best version of themselves is helping them achieve balance. In our last blog about a child in balance, we talked about

(1) the typical signs which show whether a child is in or out of balance, and

(2) how connected parenting is vital in helping them develop and express their feelings.

And yet, despite our good intentions to practise connected parenting – like welcome our kids’ emotions and holding a safe space for them to express the full spectrum of their feelings – especially big feelings like anger, fear and frustration – it can often trigger our own unwanted responses too.

Read more…

More resources

• Book: Listen by Patty Wipfler
• Podcast: The Aware Parenting Podcast
• Book: The Whole Brain Child by Dan Siegel
• Video: TEDx talk – How to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Children

“What’s more likely to get your kids to talk to you: questioning them or allowing them some space?”

                                                                    Extract from Do Pause by Robert Poynton, 2019

Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing

Congratulations to Via, and to her mother, Glenalene, for becoming Australian Citizens. Via and Glenalene made their declarations and received their citizenship from Mayor, Peter Hunter at the Australia Day Breakfast Ceremony.  

Thanks to John Sutton, Flight Lieutenant (AAFC) Commanding Officer of 603 Squadron, and his Team. Today they gave a very interesting presentation covering the amazing opportunities available through the Air Force Cadets.

See below for details on the Cadets Come, Try and Apply Night, 6 pm Tuesday 14 February 2023.

2023 Youth Environment Council - Applications Open

South Australian students in Years 7 to 11 who are passionate about sustainability are invited to apply to be in the Youth Environment Council.

Eligible students, in both regional and metropolitan South Australia, are invited to apply.

Why join the Youth Environment Council?

• To share your passion for the environment and sustainability with other like-minded students across the state.
• To develop leadership, team building and public speaking skills at camps, workshops and forums.
• To take action for the environment and make a difference,
• To share your views and actions with government.

Applications are now open. Places strictly limited. Applications close week 5, Thursday March 2.

For more information, email info@yecsa.net.au or visit the YEC website.

5, 6, 7, 8… Ready, Set, Go…. 

Local Riverland creatives in Loxton have been awarded $29k to fund a dance theatre project in the community. 

This initiative is supported by Federal Government’s Regional Arts Fund and Country Arts SA and kindly Auspiced by Loxton Rotary. 

Step by Step Together is a dance theatre project that will be led by Sue-Ellen Shepherdson and Claire Dalzell, who are local creative artists and educators. Sue-Ellen and Claire have a shared passion; to provide quality arts programs and performances while focussing on creating positive wellbeing and opportunities for the youth within their community.  

The project will explore what dance means to our community members, questioning where, why and how people dance, including how technology impacts people and their relationships. With an in depth look at how dance, in today’s technological age, can be used to create connections and deepen relationships, Sue-Ellen and Claire are eager to reach and include all interested community members, irrespective of age or skill and is free to all participants 

This exciting opportunity involves 8 FREE community workshops starting on Mon 6th Feb 2023, that will explore what dance means to the everyday person. The workshops will include getting to know one another, discussion topics and opportunities to participate in dance activities if you wish. You can attend as many or little, of the workshops, as you like.

Please visit our social media sites for more info @

Step By Step Together | Facebook 

Step By Step Together (@step.by.step.together.2023) • Instagram photos and videos

Or contact Sue-Ellen Shepherdson 0404389098 and Claire Dalzell 0407716105

or attend our info session 2.30pm on Sunday the 5th of Feb at Eternal Yoga Studio, 6B Drabsch St, Loxton.