St Francis of Assisi College - Term 2 Week 10 - 2023

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Semester Reports

Semester 1 reports for your child will be available today on SEQTA Engage. This report will provide an overall achievement grade based on the Australian Curriculum and an indication of your child’s work habits.

A graded semester report is only one part of the College’s assessment and reporting practices. Throughout the semester, parents also receive feedback about their child’s learning progress through;

• student progress update reports
• parent/student/teacher conferences
• continuous reporting on SEQTA which focuses on timely and targeted feedback for specific subject assessment tasks. 

More detailed information about your child’s learning and assessment is always accessible on SEQTA Engage. We also encourage parents to discuss with their child the feedback they receive for assessment tasks. If there are any concerns, please contact your child’s teachers, so that we can work in partnership to improve your child’s learning outcomes.

Learning Around the College

Students and teachers have had an amazing first semester. St Francis of Assisi educators have worked towards building a collaborative and supportive culture to ensure we create a learning environment where, all students, can learn and be successful. Throughout all areas of the curriculum, students have 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 wandered into classrooms, it has been incredible to see all the work that our students have produced in this first semester. As a College, we are very proud of our students’ achievements and acknowledge the effort students have gone to in producing these remarkable pieces of work which highlights their widespread learning.

Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

In our Week 4 newsletter this term we listed some outstanding achievements of our students in the Education Perfect Maths Competition.  Today at our Whole School assembly the students received their Award Certificates.  

To recap on the Education Perfect Maths Competition

From May 23 to May 25, all students at the College were able to participate in the ANZ Education Perfect Maths Competition where they were able to revise and deepen their understanding of a variety of mathematical concepts.

Our overall results were outstanding!

The following are some of our notable achievements:

1st overall in SA out of 53 schools

16th overall globally out of 1,563 schools

2nd overall in the 101-250 students category out of 241 schools

10th overall in Australia out of 1,103 schools

2nd in Australia for the 101-250 students category out of 168 schools

1st in SA for the 101-250 students category out of 8 schools

The student who achieved the highest score at was Armann K with 5,370 points. This was an outstanding effort, placing him 90th in Australia.

Other notable achievements:

Elite Awards (4,000 points)

• Armann K
• Aaron K

Emerald Awards (2,500 points)

• Samuel D
• Campbell D
• Jack O

Gold Awards (1500 points)

• Henry D
• Riley B
• Tejdeep S
• Sebastian C
• Avreet K
• Tate S

Silver Awards (1000 points)

• Gurtaj N
• Henry M
• Yvette K
• Denver K
• Heath K
• Riley L
• Hugh R

There was also 14 students who gained a Bronze Award (500 points)  and 62 students who gained a Credit Award (200 points).

Congratulations to all students who achieved an award and to all the students who participated. Also, many thanks to the Maths Teachers for their support and encouragement of the students. The end result is a whole school effort. 

On Wednesday June 14, Year 9 girls participated in the Young Women in STEM workshop at University of Adelaide. Students listened to why STEM is important and an exciting career opportunity. Students also participated in a range of exciting activities.  They explored the Engima machine and the world of coding, created a water filter using a variety of materials and the importance of chemical engineering and discussed the positives of AI and machine learning for the future. Students enjoyed exploring the University and discovering the range of career paths in STEM.

Yvette.K – ‘ I really enjoyed learning exactly how to use the enigma device as I have learned about it in previous years, but I also think everyone enjoyed the pringles they got to enjoy afterward. Going into the science building was awesome, as it was nice to see how everything is set up inside the building, and that we got to feel what it would be like if we were learning there. Most of all, I enjoyed learning more about the AI system and how it actually learns to develop. It was a great experience for me because I want to go to university when I finish high school!’

Riley.B – ‘I particularly enjoyed learning about AI and the future of Chat GPT. I also enjoyed being given the opportunity to learn about the future of stem.’

Marissa. F – ‘What I enjoyed the most about Women in STEM was that we got to have a walk around the university, see the campus and have a look inside some of the buildings. I also really liked how we had mini university classes throughout the day, although I wish we could have had a little bit of choice on which classes we could do to have more of an insight in what we may be studying one day. Overall I loved the experience and it opened my mind up to other opportunities I might take up in the future. ‘ 

Natalie Meuret, STEM Teacher

Student Transitions

We look forward to our final Immersion Days in Term 3!

Next term, the Wellbeing Hub will be running again. Look out for the programs and sessions in Term 3 on the student notice board and in the newsletter!

Student Leadership Council

St Vinnie’s Winter Appeal: Walk-a-thon

Thank you to all students and families who donated large amounts of food and items that provide warmth! As well, congratulations to our students and their sponsors for raising over $2000 as a College! Each houses donations are listed below:

Today, John and Peter from St. Vincent de Paul were presented with the donated goods at our assembly. They were both very grateful for our efforts. John shared that every year, monetary donations, and goods go a long way to ensuring families have food on the table all year and can keep warm during the winter months.

Laudato Si’ Action Group

The Laudato Si Action Group will be forming a Chess Club in Term 3. If you would like to help form the Chess Club at the College, please attend the meeting at Recess on Thursday in Week 1.

Empowerment & Reassurance

Welcome to Part Three of Open Parachute’s series on Anxiety & Depression in teenagers. This week focuses on how adults can guide young people to work through sadness on their own rather than rushing in to “fix” the problem.

You can access a video and reflections via the below link.

Open Parachute (openparachuteschools.com)

Just enter in your email address to log in for free and select ‘Parent Resources’. Navigate to the ‘Teenager’ tab and view the fifth lesson.

Summary:

It is normal to want to “fix” problems for our children, and it is challenging to simply be with them when they are hurting. The more we can let them know it is ok to struggle, the less their minds will panic when they face challenges.

Think of the ways you often react when you see your children in pain:

● Do you feel distressed?

● Do you want to fix the issue?

● Do you feel sad?

● Do you worry about what this will mean for them?

The next time your child is struggling, practice noticing your own reactions, and then see if you can let them be sad without needing to do anything to make it better.

If this has raised any concerns for you or your child, you can contact LifeLine on 13 11 14.

At St Francis of Assisi College, we have a well-rounded Wellbeing team with broader access to professional support. Please get in touch with Mr. Luke Cotter (Leader of Wellbeing) if you wish to seek support for your child.

Wellbeing Webinars

In exciting news, we have partnered with Wellio this year to support student wellbeing through the delivery of lessons in Pastoral Care.

Wellio helps students proactively improve their mental wellbeing using research-backed habits and techniques. Their programme supports students in improving their sleep, managing social media use, building healthy relationships, improving physical well-being, and reducing anxiety. 

Alongside their work with students, Wellio will be delivering a webinar each term to parents. The upcoming webinar next term is titled “Phone Addiction & Social Media”. Drawing on the latest psychological science, this webinar helps you guide your child to better habits and beat back phone addiction.

If you would like to attend, you can register here: https://www.wellioeducation.com/en_au/webinars. 

Wellio will record the event, so please register if you can't attend but want access to the recording.

“The behaviours you walk past, are the behaviours you accept.”
– Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison

Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing

This term the Year 8B class have been determined to produce a Softie character for the Reception students at St Joseph’s in Renmark. Our students were set the challenge by collecting a drawing from a reception student and plan to turn this into a 3D plush toy (softie).

The design process was a challenge as some students had multiple drawings to work with and they also had to ensure that their designs matched the child’s drawings. The images seen here include the child’s original drawing and the finished 3D product.

On Monday 27th of June we ventured back to St Joseph’s and gifted the Softie creations to the Reception students. They were thrilled and loved their special new Softies. We spent some time playing and then finished our session with a story, read by Samuel.

Amber Burgess, Food Technology, HASS and Visual Art 

We welcomed the Missionaries of God’s love to our school last Friday. We were very lucky to have them play live music at our school mass. After mass the MGL’s did an hour session with our students talking about God’s love and how it can fix our broken hearts. We pray for the MGL team as they continue to share their faith formation for our youth across our diocese.

Year 7 students have been studying food chains and food webs in Science. As part of this study, they went for a short walk on the levee bank along Bookmark Creek to observe interactions between plant and animal life. Students completed a task to investigate what would happen if a native species population size changes and its effects on the food web. They also looked at the impact of humans and introduced species on ecosystems.

Jean Booysen, Science Teacher

The following Year 8 & 9 students have been accepted into the SFoAC Rowing Program for the 2023/2024 Season, congratulations to all! 

Our focus for the Rowing Program this coming season is to provide our Year 8 & 9 rowers with more racing experience, committing to attend four regattas during Terms 3 & 4. This season will also see the introduction of Day Camps, with the first being held Wednesday 2nd Aug, Week 2 Term 3. This day will see a large focus on team building, technical understanding, skill development and further education on rowing specific terminology.  

During Term 3 we are offering an Indoor Rowing Course for Year 7’s to participate in. There is no additional cost associated. This will provide students with the opportunity to spend more time learning about the sport, the skills required to row and provide a snapshot into the important role indoor rowing plays in our College Rowing Program. Enrolled students will be sent further information during Term 3, including any further opportunities in rowing.

Year 8 Outdoor Education Camp 2023 - Video 

https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/working-with-us/positions-vacant/job-detail/91458

Our partners, LinkSA are currently recruiting bus drivers for permanent positions!  LinkSA would like to employ someone from our College community and are also open to applications from the broader community.  Driving hours are between 7am-9am and 3pm-5pm and the role would suit a semi-retired person.  Support will be provided to the right applicant to obtain accreditation and extensive training will be provided.

Requirements –

• As a minimum a MR licence is required
• Applicants need to be willing to get bus accreditation
• Working with Children Check is required

Please contact Paul on 08 85322633 or 0437 860 539

For information and the latest news from Landscape South Australia Murraylands and Riverland visit 

https://www.landscape.sa.gov.au/mr/news

RYPEN is a three-day residential program of enrichment for young people aged 14 to 17.

The program aims to provide opportunities for young people to develop important life-skills, and to assist them to progress their communication and leadership skills through a range of formal and informal activities.

Details:

• RYPEN will be held at Woodhouse Activity Centre from Friday 1 - Sunday 3 September 2023.
• The cost of the program is approximately $425, but most students will attend at no cost, fully sponsored by Rotary.​​​​​​​
• Based on each student’s registration details, their local Rotary Club will contact the student directly. The club may interview the student and ask for the interviews to occur at the student’s school. ​​​​​​​
• RYPEN facilitators are aged between 19 and 24, have attended Rotary leadership training, have their Working With Children Check (WWCC) and have been vetted for suitability by Rotary.

RYPEN 9510 – Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment

For our artist friends, please don't forget we're open for SALA Exhibition submissions.

This year RYT is hosting an online exhibition, so anyone from SA can join!

Submissions close Friday, July 28!