St Francis of Assisi College - Term 4 - Week 5 - 2022

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Remembrance Day – Friday 11 November

Remembrance Day is an opportunity for us to pay tribute to those men and women who have given their lives in the service of our country. As part of the College tribute our Year 7 students attended the Renmark RSL’s Remembrance Day Ceremony. 

Such commemoration helps us reflect on events that have shaped our history and on the lives that have been impacted by the will of others. As we reflect on those who have offered themselves for the cause of freedom, let us not forget the part our faith can play in bringing peace to our world.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.

‘Ever Patient Teacher, show us the ways of tolerance, teach us the ways of justice.

Draw us all in heart and mind nearer Jesus Christ your son, Prince of peace.

Amen’

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 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

Lumination XR Challenge

This year, our Year 7 students were fortunate to participate in The XR Challenge. This is a joint initiative between Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) and Lumination. The Challenge aims to foster an environment in which students can utilise immersive technology to engage with real-world issues, such as water sustainability, waste, or natural disasters, by creating their own engaging and purposeful VirtualReality and AugmentedReality experiences.

St Francis of Assisi students created a virtual environment in Co-spaces during their Virtual Worlds subject with Mr Luke Cotter. Student submitted these entries for the 2022 Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) Extended Reality Challenge. This week the winners were announced by Rebecca Bendikov on behalf of the team, and we are pleased to announce that one of our students was announced as a winner!

Congratulations to Sophie. R for winning ‘The Moonshot Award’ for going above and beyond with her ‘Water World’ entry.

This year, a wide range of schools around South Australia were involved in the Challenge,
Congratulations to all St Francis of Assisi students who participated in the Challenge and thank to Mr Luke Cotter for providing an engaging learning experience.

Mrs Natalie Meuret, Leader of Learning

MFS Visit

The College Pastoral Care program aims to holistically educate all young people in our community. We seek to provide experiences that extend beyond the classroom and ensure all students have opportunities to connect with the broader community and to engage with future career pathways.

Today was no exception!

Earlier this week in home group, students completed a quiz testing their knowledge on fire safety around the home and the new fire danger rating system.

This morning, members of the Renmark MFS, led by Ash and Kiwi, ran a safe and interactive session on Fire Safety for our Year 7 and 8 students. The students were led through a range of scenarios they may come across in their homes to ensure they know some appropriate first responses and prevention techniques to ensure their safety.

The main event however was the chance to inspect and learn about the many mechanisms and tools on board their main pumper, “611”. The students were lucky to have a go at running the pump, watch how the jaws of life work and get hands on by spraying a hose and wearing some of the gear.

Hopefully, in the years to come we have some of our own graduates working alongside our very own Mr. Prokopec at the Renmark station!

Student Leadership Applications

All year 7 and 8 students and their families have been emailed an application form to apply for a position on the Student Leadership Council in 2023. These applications are due by Wednesday Week 6, with the announcement of our Year 8 and 9 leaders to be made 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 how to chat with your teenager about distressing events in the news, media, and on social networks. With the broad variety of commentary in the media and on social forums being made regarding the current high flow event we are experiencing and the real prospect of flooding, I hope that this a help you navigate the next few months.

“Young people need to feel safe to keep maturing and developing well in the teenage years. It might be hard to control the amount and type of distressing news your child is exposed to. But your family can still be a secure emotional base where your child feels loved and safe, no matter what’s going on in the rest of the world.”

Read more here: Media coverage of disasters: teenagers | Raising Children Network

headspace Berri are running two workshops for our families and young people around strategies to support themselves in a natural disaster. 

One session will be for young people with strategies to support themselves in a natural disaster.  This can be a stressful time for young people, and we want to provide everyone with some useful tools to get through this period.

What is headspace?
What is a natural disaster?
Preparing emotionally for a natural disaster
How to Help Your Young Person?
When to Seek Support?
Looking after yourself?
Opportunity for questions

Headspace Berri have two sessions available next week. The Eventbrite link for registrations is here. 

Tuesday 22nd Nov: Parents - Supporting Young People Through a Natural Disaster

Thursday 24th Nov:  Young People- Supporting Yourself & Friends Through a Natural Disaster

Time 5pm-6:30pm and Location TBC 

Please contact Jordan Enright, Headspace Community Awareness Officer with any further questions via email: JEnright@focusonehealth.com.au

Stephen Hawking had, arguably, the brightest mind of the 20th Century and to date of the 21st Century. He was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who, at the time of his death, was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. In 1963, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS, for short) that gradually, over the decades, paralysed him.

Hawking’s featured quote encourages a person to be informed with facts and to be critical of information shared. In our digital world, it is easy to believe all shared information of being from a genuine and trustworthy source. However, that is not always the case.

At St Francis of Assisi College, we encourage and equip all young people to be curious, critical and careful in their dissemination and consumption of news and information.

Mr Luke Cotter, Leader of Wellbeing

As part of the Year 8 Outdoor Education curriculum, our two classes or Year 8’s, along with Mr. Sampson, Miss Linnett and assisting supervisor Layne Fenwick participated in a three-day camp with Canoe the Riverland at Murtho.

Jim and Ruth Roberts shared their expertise with our students around the areas of kayaking, orienteering, water bug surveying, local flora and fauna, impacts of humans on the environment and the impacts of the current high-water flows.

Our students developed their resilience, communication, initiative and teamwork skills, through a range of games, activities and duties. We had challenging weather to overcome, from lightening, to hail, to hot sun!

The Year 8’s were also fortunate to be the fist group to use our news College tents, sleeping mats and cooking equipment, where they developed their understanding of the preparation and pack-up processes involved in camping.

Thank you to Jim and Ruth Roberts, from Canoe the Riverland, for their hospitality and sharing of knowledge over the three days, to the staff, for planning and running the camp through tough conditions, and the students for pushing through and stretching their comfort zones.

Camp Video 

Mr Fraser Sampson, HPE Teacher

This week Year 7 students made Noodle Ninja Mince! A take on the popular dish Chow Mein. Precision cutting was the focus, allowing students to really practice and perfect their knife skills. This group of students are incredibly confident within the kitchen and have demonstrated outstanding team work with their peers. Next week they will be preparing individual recipes for an assessment, keep an eye out for some pictures of their creations.

 Ingredients

1/2 brown onion- peel and dice (squares)
1 cloves garlic- peel and dice
2 tsp olive oil
200g lean mince
¼ cabbage- chop
1 carrot- chop- circles, sticks OR dice
1 celery sticks -chop- circles, sticks OR dice
30g green beans
1 instant noodles squares
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt reduced soy sauce
1 1/2 Tb sweet chilli sauce

Method

Peel then dice the onion and garlic. Turn stove top on to medium heat, place oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic to frypan. Cook until softened

Add mince to frypan and cook until browned.

Chop cabbage, carrot, celery, and beans. Add vegetables to the frypan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften.

Break up instant noodles into the frypan. Stir into mince mixture. Add 1/2 cup of water to frypan. Bring to the boil and cook until noodles become soft

Add sweet chilli and soy sauces. Stir to combine.

Mrs Amber Burgess, Food Technology Teacher

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!

The Southern Cross and Catholic Education SA is calling for students in the Adelaide and Port Pirie dioceses to use their artistic skills to design Archbishop Patrick O’Regan’s 2022 Christmas card.

Entries are open in the following categories: Reception to Year 2, Years 3-5, Years 6-9 and Years 10-12. The images should be no larger than A4 size and can be created by hand or computer-generated.

The winning entry for each category will be published in the December issue of The Southern Cross and on the Archdiocesan website. Category winners will also receive a Wallis Cinemas pass.
All entrants will receive a certificate of participation.

Entries must be submitted by close of business Friday, November 25 to The Southern Cross, 39 Wakefield St, Adelaide 5000, or by email to jbrinkworth@adelaide.catholic.org.au with name, address, school and age included. Teachers or students requiring more information should contact Jenny Brinkworth on 8210 8147 or at the email above.

Yates have received more stock and sizes of the College uniform including boy's and girl's blazers, boy’s formal short sleeve shirts and girl’s sports shorts. 

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

https://fruitfly.sa.gov.au/outbreak-mapFruit fly outbreaks are still in place throughout the Riverland, however recent changes were made to ease restrictions on the movement of store-bought fruit and vegetables.

Fruit and vegetables purchased at a Riverland shop can now move freely across the Riverland, with a receipt. This means you can once again safely add store-bought fruit and vegetables into your school lunchbox. You do not need to supply a receipt with lunchboxes, but please retain your receipt at home as proof of purchase for fruit and vegetables bought at recognised retail outlets.

You still cannot bring any restricted home-grown fruit to school if you live in a red outbreak area. It is a high risk for fruit fly and has not had agreed treatments applied like shop-bought produce.

Please visit fruitfly.sa.gov.au to see what home-grown fruit and vegetables are at risk from fruit fly and are therefore restricted. 

Our school is currently in a red area. See map for full details: Check the fruit fly outbreak map - PIRSA

This means if you live in a yellow or green area, home-grown fruit and vegetables can be brought to school but must not return home. All fruit waste, including fruit not grown at home, must be disposed of at school.