St Francis of Assisi College - Term 3 Week 6 - 2024

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Appreciating our Education Support Officers

This week we celebrated 'Support Staff Week of Action'. This was an opportunity for us to recognise the significant contribution that our wonderful Education Support Officers make to our school community. Their work is wide and varied across our school. It ranges from supporting children in classes with their learning and wellbeing to ensuring that our wide range of administration services run day to day. Without them our College would not function. With grateful hearts, may we all give thanks for our fantastic support staff.

A highlight of the week was the collection of personalised messages our ESO staff received from students and staff in the College.  This specific feedback to each individual ESO highlights the significant impact on our students.

Season of Creation

This weekend we will enter the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to listen and care for our common home. The Season “Celebration” begins Sunday 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends Friday 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations. This week you might like to ponder these questions as a family:

1. How can we live more sustainably? ‘Less is more.’ What does this statement mean to you?

2. How well do we listen to the cries of the earth? You might like to explore further information here:

Season of Creation - Laudato Si' Movement  https://seasonofcreation.org/

Staff Retreat Day – Friday 6 September

Friday 6 September (Week 7, Term 3) our staff will attend our annual Staff Retreat Day.

Mrs Sheridan Bonney, our Assistant Principal of Religious Identity and Mission has planned a day of engagement and self-reflection.

The thread of the day will link to our College Motto; Laudato Si’, with a particular focus on ‘Care for Self’, and a connection to Creation also.

Wellbeing Initiative - Classroom Pulse ‘Check-In’

As in past years, each term this year during Week 5 and 6 every student in a Catholic School in South Australia will participate in a simple online Classroom Pulse Check-In. This Check-In has been developed to ascertain how students are currently feeling about their experience in school. It is tailored to allow your child’s teacher(s) to Check-In and provide immediate feedback and support to them. The Check-In will be carried out during the school day. There are a range of simple questions about your child’s life at school, their identity as a person and a learner, their sense of belonging, safety, and friendships.

A sample of the Check-In can be found here: www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/classroompulse

‘Every conversation matters.’ - National Child Protection Week:  September 1 to September 7

In 2024, the National Child Protection Week message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ will be complemented with the theme ‘Every conversation matters’.

Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well.

Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people.

Conversations between
…children and their caregivers matter (from the very earliest days)
…children and their peers matter
…families with teachers, doctors, and other professionals matter
…friends or neighbours matter

…decision-makers and the communities they serve matter.

And, of course, conversations in the public realm and media matter…

So this National Child Protection Week we invite you to speak up – and speak together – about what needs to change for every child in every community to have a fair go.

This theme provides a platform to:

• engage in important conversations,
• promote the value of conversations, and
• equip us to have conversations that keep kids safe.

Mr Nathan Hayes, Principal

Book Week 2024: "Reading is Magic"

Week 5 marked the much-anticipated Book Week, and this year's theme was "Reading is Magic". All year levels engaged in book week activities within Pastoral Care, either here at the College, or through primary school partnerships. Here’s how each group celebrated:

The Year 7 students embraced their inner authors by crafting their own magical stories. With a prize on the line, they brought enchanting worlds and characters to life.

Our Year 8 cohort took a trip to St Joseph’s Barmera, where they engaged in Book Week activities with the Reception to Year 2 students. It was a wonderful opportunity for the older students to inspire and share the magic of reading with the younger ones.

Similarly, the Year 9 cohort travelled to St Joseph’s Renmark to join the Year 3 students in their Book Week celebrations. Students had various opportunities to read aloud to the class, take turns in paired reading, and create magical bookmarks. The Year 3 students loved showing off their fantastic costumes and had a great time listening to the Year 9’s read.

The Year 10s took a nostalgic turn. Firstly, staff members shared their favourite childhood/teen books, and how they inspired their love for reading. It was then the students turn to share their childhood favourite books. This activity not only rekindled fond memories but also encouraged discussions about how these stories have shaped their imaginations over the years.

Book Week 2024 was a magical experience for all involved, reinforcing the idea that "Reading is Magic" at any age.

Thank you to Mrs Isabella Trudgian for organising this year 's engaging Book Week activities.  

Term 3 Student Progress Update Reports

Student progress update reports will be released through SEQTA on Thursday 5 September. To access these reports, click on assessments and the relevant subject.

The aim of this report is to provide parents/carers feedback about their child’s progress before a formal grade is given in the end of semester report. Feedback enables a student to monitor their learning and focus on areas for improvement. It also provides a starting point, for parent/carers to discuss their child’s attitude to learning, to ask about your child’s strengths and how they can be enhanced, to ask which subjects are most challenging for your child and why, and to focus on your child’s learning growth and progression rather than the grade. We hope you find these progress reports valuable.

Learner Conversations

Learner conversations will occur Tuesday 17 September and Wednesday 18 September from 4pm-6pm at the College. These meetings will involve subject teacher, parent and child. Your child is an important part of this conversation as they reflect on their strengths and needs as they become a capable learner. 

Further details will be provided on how to make a booking with your child’s subject teacher.

Mrs Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

Community Wellbeing Week

We invite all the families of our students to attend from 1:15pm on Thursday in Week 8 to enjoy the completion of Community Wellbeing Week.

The student leaders have been diligent in their preparation for the activities across the week. We look forward to our family activities on Thursday afternoon organised by the Ventus student leaders that includes a bake sale fundraiser and a range of competitive games during our extended lunch.

Supporting Your Child's Wellbeing During and After Parental Separation

The College has an educational partnership with Open Parachute to support the pastoral development of our students and the broader community! Their next parent webinar is now open for registrations. Please see details below.

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.

Mr Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing

On Wednesday of Week 6, Mr. Sampson and Mr. Goodman took our Year 7/8 Boys Football team to Clare to play in Round 2 of the Statewide School Competition.

In the first game vs. Balaklava HS, our boys played with great speed and confidence, linking up well with handball receives and moving the ball forward quickly. This resulted in a strong performance with lots of scoring shots.

St. Francis of Assisi College       7.12     54

Balaklava HS                      2.2      14

Best Players: Jack O, Noah W, Jack F, Louis B, Harry L, Seb C.

Goalkickers: Noah W 3, Seb C 2, Yanni K 1, Louis B 1.

We then played straight away against Clare HS, who certainly had some very talented individuals in their team. Our boys worked tirelessly to slow them down and apply lots of pressure. Unfortunately, Clare HS were too good for us and deserved to come away with the win.

St. Francis of Assisi College               3.4          22

Clare HS                            5.7          37

Best Players: Harry L, Samuel W, Jack O, Campbell D, Tejdeep S, Jenson S.

Goalkickers: Noah W 1, Seb C 1, Samuel W 1.

A big thankyou to Mr. Goodman and Mr. Sampson for their organisation and coaching on the day, as well as Henry D (Year 10) and Ivan A (Year 7), for their help as field and goal umpire on the day. 

Mr Fraser Sampson, HPE Teacher

In Week 6, the 7-9 Boys Knockout Netball team made their way to Netball SA Stadium in Adelaide to participate in the State-wide School Sport Knockout Netball Finals. The first two games against Blackwood HS and Modbury HS were tough games, with the team putting up a good fight in the second half of each game. The team got their first win on the board in a close game against Seaview HS  (26-25) in the third match of the day. They came up against Seaview HS again in the 3 v 4 final, where they fought back in the last 10 minutes from 9 points down, to take out the win 28 -26! The whole day was a great showcase of individual skill, teamwork, and good sportsmanship! Reece C was also approached and invited to take part in the National trials for the South Australian Men's team in September! 

After a disrupted start to our training this term due to illness, we had our Senior and Junior squad returning to the water healthier. The focus is building our endurance and incorporating our learnt technical skills into longer, steady state sessions. We mixed it up and travelled downstream through the Paringa Bridge. Our squad is preparing for upcoming Regattas at the end of Week 7 and 9, both held at West Lakes, Adelaide.

Mrs Stephanie Turnbull, Rowing Program Coordinator, Rowing Coach & Learning Support

Breakfast Club is held on Friday mornings at the canteen before homegroup, with students welcome to pop in between 8.15-8.40am to enjoy a bite to eat before starting their day. Breakfast provisions including toast, cereal, juice and fresh fruit are available for all students. Over these cooler months, hot milo has been a popular choice for students to enjoy to keep them warm!

We appreciate the support provided to our College by Foodbank Riverland who contribute towards our breakfast program. Fresh fruit is also made available to students on regular occasions.

Tri State Graphis are looking for a junior staff member to work after school hours.

3.30pm to 5.30pm, 3 nights a week plus two – three Saturday mornings per month, plus extra hours.

Looking for someone who is available during school holidays.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

- Regular cleaning & dusting of the showroom and office area.

- Assisting sales staff with shop displays

- Pricing stock

- Refilling clothing racks

- Answering phones occasionally.

Required Skills and Experience:

- Ability to work independently and within a team

- Reliable and committed

- Willingness to learn

- General knowledge of computers

- Polite phone manner

- Good Communication skills

- Position to start Mid-August.

If this sounds like the position for you, please present your resumé and cover letter to our business manager in person or email a copy to: accounts@tristategraphics.com.au

Manager

Tri State Graphics

216 Renmark Avenue

Renmark S.A.

85865815

Catholic School Parents SA are delighted to share the Parenting Conference with you. There is an outstanding line up of guest speakers, who will touch on three different topics:

• Maggie Dent: Help Me Help My Teen.

• Paul Dillon: Teens, Parties, Alcohol and Vapes. What do parents need to know?

• Madhavi Nawana Parker: Being calm in the eye of a parenting storm.

Event details :

• Tickets $25 including light lunch along with the fantastic line up of speakers
• Held at The Sanctuary Adelaide Zoo  
• Term 3, Sat 31^st Aug 2024
• 9:30am – 3:00pm

For more information on RYT visit their webiste 

Home • Riverland Youth Theatre (ryt.org.au)

Renmark Paringa Council in partnership with Mental Health First Aid Partners have secured grant funding from the State Emergency Relief Fund to bring Resilience First Aid Training to the Riverland at the end of October 2024. More information as to what Resilience First Aid Training is, when the courses are taking place etc, details can be found on Council’s Engage RPC Platform https://engagement.renmarkparinga.sa.gov.au/resilience-first-aid

The 2-day courses available are wonderful professional development opportunity and best of all they are FREE. Following the River Murray Floods 2022/2023, the aim for this program is to equip front facing professionals in our community with tools that enable and build resilience.

South Australia Police are hosting a Business Security Conference in Berri in order to engage with Riverland business owners about security, cybercrime, and reporting. SAPOL senior management from the Murray Mallee will also be in attendance for questions.

The details of the conference are as follows:-

WHERE:              Berri Hotel, Riverview Drive, Berri

WHEN:                 Wednesday, 2 October 2024

TIME:                    6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

COST:                   $13.50 (plus booking fee)

Includes finger food, with tea and coffee.

To book visit eventbrite.com.au and search “SA Police”

Many children will have a positive experience starting school or moving from primary to high school and despite some initial nervousness, most will settle in very quickly. However, we know some parents/carers may be very concerned about the upcoming changes e.g. buying uniforms, books or devices and that's where we can help.

What is Saver Plus: Saver Plus is a free online money skills program for people on lower incomes and matched savings program. It’s about strengthening financial skills, to build and develop (and keep) good savings habits.

Saver Plus encourages parents to save $50 a month (for 10 months). Savings are then matched - a free $500 for education costs.

Now accessible to any eligible Australian – no matter where they live.

To be eligible for Saver Plus, you must have all of the following:

• Centrelink payment*
• Hold a Health Care Card/Pensioner Concession Card
• Be in school yourself OR have a child in school (can be starting school next year)
• Have regular income from work (either yourself or your partner)* /Carers Payment / Child Support or Cash in hand.
• Be 18+ years old
• Not have completed the program previously.

* Many types of income and Centrelink payments are eligible, see the Saver Plus terms and conditions for more information saverplus.org.au 

If families would like to check their eligibility and receive a call back please include our enquiry link  https://www.bsl.org.au/services/saving-and-managing-money/saver-plus/ or they’re welcome to call our national number 1300 610 355 and a local coordinator will contact them directly.

Don't hestiate to contact the College office on 8595 4500 if you have any difficulty with the various mediums used by the College to commuicate with families. Or alternatively complete the form below.