St Francis of Assisi College - Term 4 - Week 7 - 2022

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The Season of Advent

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s new year and is a season of waiting and preparation.  The season of Advent focuses on Christ’s threefold coming; past, present, and future.

We await and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas.
We hope and give thanks for Christ’s presence within us and in the Word and sacraments.
We look to the future, waiting for Christ to come again.

The Season of Advent began on Sunday 27 November, and so did the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in the Church. The Advent Wreath is a sign to us of the coming of Christ Our Light into our lives and our world.

The word ‘Advent’ means ‘coming’.  Lighting the candles on the wreath symbolises the coming of light (Jesus) into the world.  The first candle (violet) represents hope, the second (violet) peace, the third (rose) joy, and the fourth (violet) love.  The central white candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Christ.  This Advent we will learn, act, and pray for a more just and fairer world, a world full of hope, peace, joy, and love.

I invite you to see Advent as a time to pause and reflect upon our lives and decide what’s important and where our energy and attention should be focused. The more we consciously pause and reflect and exercise our gift of freedom to do what’s right and good, the more human we become. As Christians, the more consciously we pause and reflect, the more open we become to the presence of God in our lives and the power of his grace and to shape our lives. Advent then is the time for conscious reflection upon our lives in the light of the presence of Christ amongst us. As we prepare for Christmas, there’s always a real challenge for us. Instinctively, we speed up and busy ourselves attempting to do so many things. The invitation to us today is the opposite. Pause, slow down, reflect, listen, and pray – make the experience intensely personal. Advent is a time for more prayer as individuals, families and as parish community.

In such a way Advent will be an opportunity for real change and renewal in our lives, unleashing the power to reflect upon our lives, humbly name our challenges, be freed and forgiven for past poor choices and experiencing the loving forgiveness of God as we move forward with hope and confidence.

Advent Prayer

Hopeful God,

As we wait this Advent, we wait in wonder at what the world might be: a place of fairness and welcome, where everyone has what they need to live fully.

As we wait this Advent, we also pray for all in our human family who hope for a better life, rich with possibility.

Hopeful God, help us share your hope.

Amen

St Vinnies Christmas Appeal

The Christmas season is near and is a joyful time for many. Yet as we know, it can be a challenging time for less fortunate people within our community. Many people within our Riverland community struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Inflation, housing stress, high energy prices, and the rising cost of daily essentials make it difficult for families to thrive. On top of these, families have had increased pressures such as COVID 19 and the current rising flood waters.

As a school we are taking part in the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. Vinnies Christmas Appeal aims to provide immediate relief from bills, and the basics such as food and clothing, so that families have a chance to survive and celebrate this Christmas.

Students will be conducting a variety of activities over the last few weeks of Term 4, such as:

Creating Cards of Hope (Christmas Cards)
Christmas themed gold coin donation casual clothes day (Monday 28th November 2022)
Lunchtime activities run by Student Leaders
Producing Christmas Hampers
Making Care packs (Hygiene products)
Christmas cookie baking in Year 7 Home Economics
Creating Christmas decorations (to be donated)

End of Year Student Award Ceremony

All parents, carers and families are invited to our award ceremony on the last day of Week 8.  This will be an opportunity to reflect and celebrate the individual and collective successes of what has been an amazing first year for St Francis of Assisi College:

Middle Years Student Award Ceremony

                             Friday December 9th 2022

                             9am – 10.30am

                             Multi-Purpose Room

                             Morning Tea after ceremony

Bishop Greg O'Kelly SJ Golden Jubilee celebration

Bishop Greg O’Kelly’s golden jubilee of ordination as a priest takes place on 9 December.  Bishop Karol has invited Bishop Greg to celebrate Mass in St Mark’s Cathedral, Port Pirie on Sunday 18th December.

The invitation to attend this Mass on December 18th in Port Pirie is extended to all members of the Port Pirie Diocese.

Key dates for the end of 2022 and commencement of 2023:

To assist with planning, below is a summary of the key dates for the completion of the 2022 school year, and the commencement of the 2023 school year:

End of School Year 2022 – Term 4

Wednesday December 14                                                                             Year 7 and 8 students last day.

Commencement of School Year 2023 – Term 1

Week 0

Monday 23 January                                                                 College Leadership Planning Day

Tuesday January 24                                                                All Teaching Staff commence

Wednesday January 25                                                           All Teaching Staff Planning Day

Thursday 26 January                                                               Australia Day Public Holiday       

Week 1

Monday 30 January                                                                 All students commence

Rising Water Event

The St Francis of Assisi College leadership team is closely monitoring the developing situation in Renmark with respect to high Murray River water flows and impending rain events. We are working closely with local authorities and Catholic Education South Australia to ensure our school is appropriately prepared for various contingencies. 

We are aware that the unfolding situation will affect families in different ways. Please continue to monitor State Emergency Services and Council information, and if roads are closed or become impassable, please do not put your family at risk by travelling to and from school. Instead, please advise the school as soon as possible of your child’s absence and we will make best efforts to support their engagement in remote learning.

Mr Nathan Hayes, Principal

Semester Two Reports

Student reports will be available to parents and caregivers through SEQTA Engage and Learn on Friday, December 16. The College will not print and issue reports at the end of a semester unless a request is made to the school. Instead, student reports are uploaded to SEQTA. By accessing the Reports page, you will see your child’s report. Clicking on a Report icon will display a pdf record that you can download, view, save and print. Your PC or mobile device will need to be equipped with a pdf reader for you to be able to access your child’s reports. New reports will be added to the archive at the conclusion of each reporting cycle.

Learning at the College

Throughout the year, St Francis of Assisi educators have worked towards building a collaborative, supportive culture which has high expectations while providing a range of learning opportunities for each student and for the last few weeks of this term, this has been noticeably maintained.

Year 8 students have engaged in a variety of learning experiences. These include orienteering in Outdoor Education, an excursion to SA Museum and Centre of Democracy for Science and HASS, creating a Softie toy in Textile, designing a bushfire resistant house in STEM and writing a mystery story in English.

Year 7 students have also been with their learning with Vinnies Christmas Appeal in RE, making a smart snack in Master of Meals, writing a spooky story in English, exploring coding using Micro:bit sensors and motors in Cyberology and creating a movie trailer in Media Arts.

Mrs Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

Thursday and Friday in Week 7 saw next year’s Year 7 cohort assemble at the College for their two transition days. The group were immersed in a range of team building activities supported by our 2022 student leaders designed to ensure they meet new people and have fun!

On Day 1, we were joined by Amanda and Phoebe from LifeChanger who did an excellent job introducing the LifeChanger program that will be delivered to year 7 students in Term 1 of 2023. The highlight of the day however was Operation Assisi! The students were challenged with completing an orienteering course over the entire College grounds to assist in breaking a code that revealed a clue. The clue led students to a special location in the College.

Day 2 started with students spending time in House groups to learn about the House system and develop their House Credo and House Responsibilities. Each house will spend the first two weeks of Term 1, 2023 finalising these two important facets of the House system. Over the rest of the day, the students got a taste of the subjects we offer with key teachers delivering experiences in Future Thinking, Global Perspectives and Physical Education.

A few of next year’s students shared what they enjoyed and are looking forward to in 2023!

I really enjoyed the LifeChanger session and Operation Assisi. They were so much fun! I’m looking forward to hopefully being a Student Leader in 2023! - Sebastian

My favourite part of the Transition days was the orienteering in Operation Assisi and I’m looking forward to PE lessons next year. - Maegan

I enjoyed making new friends and I am looking forward to camp next year! - Riley

I really enjoyed meeting students from other schools and making new friendships. I am looking forward to growing as a learner with support from my new teachers! - Sophie

Student Leadership Applications

Early next week, Mr. Cotter and Mr. Hayes will be conducting interviews with successful applicants. Please ensure your child has checked their emails for their meeting times. The announcement of our Year 8 and 9 leaders will take place at the Student Awards ceremony in Week 8.

The College will be accepting applications at the start of Term 1 in 2023 for the new Year 7 students. A formal Leadership Induction Ceremony will take place during the Ash Wednesday Mass (Term 1, Week 4).

This term, we will share an article each newsletter that may be of benefit to our parent and caregiver community in raising a teenager in a digital world and economy.

In this edition, you can access an article from the Raising Children Network Australia. It focuses on developing positive relationships with your pre-teen or adolescent children and how to navigate and support your child through social and emotional changes.

“Social and emotional changes are part of your child’s journey to adulthood. You have a big role to play in helping your child develop adult emotions and social skills. Strong relationships with family and friends are vital for your child’s healthy social and emotional development.”

Read more here: Social end emotional changes: 9:15 years | Raising Children Network 

Niki Lauda was an Austrian race-car driver who won three Formula One (F1) Grand Prix world championships (1975, 1977, and 1984), the last two of which came after his remarkable comeback from a horrific crash in 1976 that had left him severely burned and near death. Lauda worked hard through his recovery period to return to the track just two races later!

We strive for our students to be daring like Lauda and to feel safe to take risks in their learning and social development.

Mr Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing

In Week 9, our students will compete for their house in our inaugural SFoAC Swimming Carnival! All students will arrive and depart the College as normal, and will be transported to the Renmark Swimming Centre to compete in a range of individual, team and novelty events from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

Parents are highly encouraged to attend to support our Swimming Carnival. If any parents are keen to help out with timekeeping or a particular duty on the day, please contact Claire Smith at the front office directly to begin the volunteer check process.

Reminders

- Swim suits/shorts are permitted to be worn in individual events and team relays. Speedo style bottoms and bikini style tops are not permitted. Rashies/t-shirts are optional for individual and team relays.

- Rashies/t-shirts must be worn during all novelty events.

- Students are required to wear their Sports Uniform for the day, and their shirt must be on when not competing in events.

- Hats must be worn when not competing in events.

- Slides/thongs may be worn between events at the pool area. Sports shoes must be worn to and from school.

- Students may show their support for their house by wearing appropriate items in their house colour (ribbons, zinc, tutu etc.)

- Students must bring a packed recess/lunch, the canteen may be available for some snacks if you wish to bring some money.

It was great to have the interest and support from the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Blair Boyer, who visited our College during the recent State Cabinet visit to the Riverland.

Minister Boyer was seeing firsthand the high water in the adjacent Bookmark Creek flood plain. He was also interested to learn how high water levels are impacting our College families.

We have been working with Rowing SA over the last few months to provide our students with an opportunity to visit the rowing facilities at West Lakes in Adelaide. On Sunday 27th November, Rowing SA hosted our program students and provided a fun and supportive environment where they practised rowing in single sculls. They also undertook a capsize drill, where they jumped from the boat and had to attempt to get back in. This is a challenging exercise and students did exceptionally well.

During our lunch break we had a visit from the SASI Development Officer, Christine MacLaren. She spoke with students about the potential pathways for rowing within South Australia.

Students then had the chance to experience technology we can access for our rowing machines to enhance our training and replicate a racing environment. We utilised the Rowing SA Indoor Rowing Room, which certainly smelt of hard work!! They completed a 100m, 250m and 500m sprint. It was a great having the machines linked up and students were able to follow their position on their screens. We are all excited about giving this a go for our next round of erg testing in Term 1.

This was such a wonderful opportunity for our students, getting to experience the hub of the sport in our state and introduce them to a broader rowing community. It also exposed them to where regattas are predominately held during the racing season, even getting to witness some senior school crews out training.

The enthusiasm and confidence that came from this trip was OARSOME!!!

Excursion Video 

A barbeque will be held after 6:30pm Mass, St Therese’s Church, Renmark on Saturday 17 December. This will be a Christmas celebration and farewell for our Timorese friends. Meat and salads, tea and coffee will be provided. Please BYO drinks and either a plate of nibbles or a sweet to share. For catering purposes please put your name on the form at the back of the Church or contact the College office on 8595 4500.

Carols in the Garden, this Sunday 4 December at 6:30pm at the Renmark Jarrett Memorial Gardens.

Students from St Joseph's Renmark are singing 'Little Drummer Boy' and 'Do You Hear What I Hear'. Interested students from SFOAC are invited to join them in singing these carols on Sunday evening. Please arrive at the Gardens at 6:15pm, for a 6:30pm start. Bring along your family for a lovely night!

As mentioned in our Principal's update students in Year 7 and 8 have been engaging in various activities for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We held a Christmas themed casual day on Monday where students could dress up in their favourite Christmas shirt, pants or wear a Christmas hat. We also held a bake sale to raise more money for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We raised $187.50 on the day, which went to buying products for the hampers. Students have also been creating Cards of Hope to be placed within Christmas hampers and care packs.  

It is not too late to donate! We have a giving tree at school. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

Suggestions:

Long lasting foods (To be placed in Christmas hampers)
Christmas decorations (new)
Christmas gifts (in need of gifts aimed at 10–16 years)

Donations will be accepted up to 8 December 2022 :)

Call for Used Uniforms

From time to time, for a variety of reasons, our students have a need for spare uniforms.  If you have uniforms at home that have been outgrown, consider dropping them into the College to be used as spares.

St Francis of Assisi College is establishing a Family Business Directory and inviting families to be part of the Directory. 

The Family Business Directory is an opportunity for families who run businesses to promote their business through our College community, via our College webpage and Facebook page.

The Family Business Directory is also an opportunity for members of the College community to consider supporting businesses from the Directory when making their purchasing decisions.

The Family Business Directory is free of charge for current families of the College.

To be included, send the following information to info@assisi.catholic.edu.au

Family Surname (not for publishing):
Business Name: Sample Family Business
Business Phone Number: 1800 SAMPLE
Business Email Address: sample@familybusiness.com.au
Business Website: www.sample.com.au

And your business logo or photo (small file size is fine).

We look forward to seeing many College families' businesses get involved!

Check out our Family Business Directory:      listings so far!

Key messages

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a rare but serious disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). JEV is transmitted to humans through bites from mosquitoes carrying JEV.
We are expecting another wet summer this year, which means there may be more mosquitoes around, and potentially a higher-risk of mosquito-borne disease. Anyone can catch JEV, but those who spend time in areas where JEV has been detected such as people who live and work along the River Murray are most at risk.

While most people infected do not experience any illness, they can experience mild symptoms such as fever and headache.

A small number of people will have encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). This may begin with symptoms such as tiredness, fever and headache, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea. Confusion, unusual behaviour, sleepiness, seizures, weakness, and abnormal movements may develop. Encephalitis can cause permanent damage to the nervous system or death

If you have symptoms consistent with Japanese encephalitis, seek medical attention. If you have any severe signs such as severe headache, vomiting, confusion, paralysis or seizures you should seek urgent medical attention.

Some people who live or work in eligible postcodes along the River Murray are eligible to receive the free JEV vaccine. To check if you are eligible and find out where you can get vaccinated, visit sahealth.sa.gov.au/JEVvaccine

There are simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family against mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases. Protect yourself by wearing long, loose fitting clothing; using insect repellent and eliminating the water the mosquitoes can breed in. For more information visit sahealth.sa.gov.au/fightthebite

People eligible for the free JEV vaccine

Free JEV vaccination is available soon for the following eligible groups:

People aged 2 months and older who have a primary residence in an eligible postcode AND spend at least 4 hours per day outdoors most days.
People employed in a role located in an eligible postcode AND spend at least 4 hours per day outdoors as part of their occupation most days.

More information about the program and eligibility

sahealth.sa.gov.au/JEVvaccine