Link Up Term 1 Week 4 2024

It is with immense pleasure and a sense of gratitude that I write my first Link Up article as the proud Principal of St Francis de Sales College. Thank you for the very kind welcome that you have extended to me and all the new staff members of the College. I have felt very blessed to be back in this community, and I am very much looking forward to the possibilities that lay ahead for us all.

I extend my welcome to the staff, students and families that have started with us this year. I am certain that quickly you will recognise the very special place that this College is.

Whilst much has changed in the nearly 10 years since I left St Francis de Sales, most notably the significant investment in capital development; in many ways things are just as I remember them. St Francis de Sales College is an inclusive and authentic Early Learning to Year 12 College, where relationships are valued, staff are committed, families are invested, and the students are an absolute delight to be with!

I take this initial opportunity to thank Gavin McGlaughlin for his tireless efforts in building this faith and learning community over the past 7 years, and we keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers for the future. I also want to acknowledge the College Leadership Team, and in particular Paul Wadsworth as Acting Principal for the majority of last year for the wonderful work they have done to have this College functioning so well as I have arrived. I am feeling very blessed.

These first few weeks have seen a flurry of activity from the Year 12 Retreat, R-12 College Mass, Ash Wednesday liturgy, R-6 Hearts and Leadership assembly, Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival and the Years 7-12 Sports Day today. All the while classes have been establishing new routines, developing relationships and of course learning more every day. I am so impressed with the way that the staff and students have started this year in such a settled and determined manner. It really does augur well for a fantastic 2024 ahead for our 950 students, along with the 27 new Reception students who will join our community in Term 3. There is something remarkable happening at our College, it is tangible and good, and it really is a pleasure to be leading this flourishing community.

As a result of the wonderful work of the staff, and the support and commitment of the families here at St Francis de Sales College we are currently experiencing unprecedented enrolment demand. As such I strongly encourage all families who are wishing to enrol their children at our College to do so as soon as possible, particularly for a 2025 enrolment, as places are very limited.

Finally, our Lenten journey has begun, and this is the ‘Holy Springtime’; a time to look at those aspects of our lives that we perhaps would like to change and make better. Lent leads us to the most sacred of times in the Catholic calendar, the remarkable story of Jesus’ death and glorious resurrection. I trust that Lent can provide an opportunity for all in our community to renew and perhaps in some ways start afresh.

Andrew Baker
Principal

Within a blink of an eye, we are nearing the halfway point of Term 1. It is our hope, that for the significant number of new students and families who joined our College community 4 weeks ago, that you are feeling immersed in our R-12 community and have experienced a spirit of welcome and belonging.

Parent Welcome Evening

This same spirit of welcome and belonging was certainly on display at the Parent Welcome Evening which was held on Tuesday 6 February. It was wonderful to be able to welcome family members on site and into classrooms to meet teachers, connect with other parents, and establish partnerships in learning and wellbeing. This partnership is critically important and begins with ensuring that lines of communication between the classroom and home are established and sustained. It was wonderful for our new Principal, Andrew Baker, to be able to address parents with his hopes for our community in 2024 and beyond.

2024 if an exciting year for Wellbeing and Pastoral Care at St Francis de Sales College. We will be launching a new Wellbeing Framework, as well as updating our Pastoral Care Programs and Personal Responsibility Procedures.

Wellbeing Team 2024

We also welcome some new staff to our Wellbeing Team, who are already making a significant contribution to our community with their expertise and experience.

Dale Hoffman has joined our community as Director of Students. Dale’s primary role is to guide the work of our Year Level Leaders in supporting the wellbeing and pastoral care of all students on a daily basis. Dale will also play an active role in mentoring our student leaders across the College.

Melissa Symonds is the College’s new Director of Equity and Inclusion. This important role is focused on empowering staff, students and families to ensure all students have access to learning opportunities and success. Melissa will also lead our fantastic team of inclusive education support staff.

Katelyn Sayers joins our Student Counselling Team in 2024 after working in catholic settings in Adelaide. With a Master of Social Work background, Katelyn’s experiences and expertise will add value to our Wellbeing Team.

Dale, Melissa and Katelyn join Tahlie Jones and Alisha Fleming (College Counsellors), Oreste Farrugia (Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission), Sr Shiji (College Chaplain) and myself in making up the College Wellbeing Team in 2024. Along with Year Level Leaders and Home Class teachers, we look forward to being the ‘team around your child’ this year.

Upcoming Information Sessions for Parents/Caregivers

Through our collaboration with Life Buoyancy Institute and Catholic School Parents South Australia, we can offer community members free registration to the following events:

Responding to Child and Youth Anxiety and Depression
Tuesday 27 February, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Online

This workshop provides best-practice strategies to prevent and proactively respond to anxiety and depression in children and young people.

This webinar, will bring focus to the following evidence-based content.

• Adopting a personalised, growth-focused and intentional approach to understanding and responding to children and young people's mental health needs.

• What is wellbeing, anxiety, depression and 'mental illness'.

• How does anxiety and depression manifest and express itself in children and young people (from 5 years to 18 years).

• What are the key teacher, parent/caregiver and supporting adult strategies aligned to the five principles of 'wellbeing responsive practice', and to growth optimal mental health and wellbeing.

Further Information and Registration at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/responding-to-childyouth-anxiety-and-depression-3-hour-online-workshop-tickets-802081335867

Middle to High School Cool presented by Madhavi Nawana Parker
Tuesday 12 March, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Nazareth Catholic Community and Online

No matter what we say to young people about not caring about what others think, this is the age where they care the most. During this period of psychological change and growth, pre-teens and teenagers want to fit in. This practical workshop will give attendees an insight into the minds of this age group and how best to respond to their social and emotional needs to prepare them for the next stage of their education. The session will have an online option and is free to all parents, caregivers, and staff.

Register via the CESA Registration Page.

All the best for the Lenten period as we prepare to the way of the Lord.

James Gill
Deputy Principal - Community and Wellbeing

A Warm Welcome

It has been a great start to the new academic year, with staff, students and families working together to ensure a smooth transition from holiday mode, back into an effective teaching and learning environment.

I would like to welcome all students and families back to the 2024 academic year. In doing so, I especially welcome all new community members and trust that you have experienced a strong sense of hospitality and inclusion during your first few weeks at our College. I also hope that your association with our College will be successful and productive.

The start of every year brings a sense of excitement, renewal and anticipation. I have enjoyed wondering the College, visiting classes and talking with students, families and colleagues in these first few weeks and listening to their hopes for this coming year.

It has been a blessing to walk through the College over these past few weeks and see the students back engaged in day-to-day school life. In speaking with them, many indicated their enjoyment of the holidays, but also their desire to come back to school to see friends and to continue their learning. It is really pleasing to hear students speak so positively of their school, friends and the learning that we all do together, and to experience the sense of welcome and hospitality that our College community embraces. It has, undoubtedly, been an enjoyable and successful start to the term.

7-12 Academic Assembly

It was with a great sense of pride that we celebrated the successes of our Graduating Class from 2023 and the 2023 Year Level Duces from Years 7-11 at our recent 7-12 Academic Assembly.

The highlight of the assembly was awarding our St Scholastica College Dux Award for 2023 to Keeley Smith. Keeley studied Biology, Creative Arts, General Mathematics, English, Integrated Learning - Religion and Activating Identities and Futures (AIF), combined with the Stage 2 Spiritualities, Religion and Meaning in Year 11. Keeley’s focus and diligence in her studies were acknowledged with the achievement of two A+ grades in General Mathematics and English, and an outstanding overall ATAR score of 96.55. We wish Keeley well, as she enters the world of university study, with an offer to study a Bachelor of Medical Radiology and Science with a focus of Medical Imaging.

We also congratulated the following students on their outstanding academic success from 2023.

Students achieving an ATAR of 90 or above:

• Ethan Eckert
• Hayley Stephen
• Ebony McHugh
• Trinity Taylor
• Aagie Kurian
• Kiara McInnes

Students achieving a SACE Subject A+ Merit:

• Aagie Kurian (English) – Teacher: Syamala Govender
• Caitlyn Dickeson (Food and Hospitality) – Teacher: Mikaela Thomas

Students achieving a Year Level Dux:

• Year 7: Anthony Pham
• Year 8: Tayla Byrne
• Year 9: Rayna Adams
• Year 10: Caitlin Batge and Annabelle Pham
• Year 11: Joel Lamprill

On behalf of our College community, I would like to acknowledge the inspiring and heartfelt speeches from 2023 College Dux, Keeley Smith and 2013 College Old Scholar, Owen Davies. Both spoke highly of their time at St Francis de Sales. They recalled life lessons learnt, the importance of friendships and strong relationships with their teachers. They reflected upon everything they had learnt at St Francis de Sales that helped set them up for success during and after school. The College’s Heart Values continue to be central to their lives, with Keeley hoping to take them out into adult life, and Owen reflecting on these being a strong influence to come back to serve the school community in a teaching capacity.

To the Class of 2023, the entire St Francis de Sales community applauds you on your efforts over 13 years of schooling. We trust that this next stage of your life journey will be exciting and fulfilling, and we look forward to seeing you make your special mark on the world.

NAPLAN Online 2024

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) takes place each year for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. This year the NAPLAN tests will be scheduled between Wednesday 13 March and Thursday 22 March. Please note that this timeframe allows for catch-up days for students who may miss a test. All tests will be conducted online, with the exception of the Year 3 Writing test. Students will participate in four tests in total in the following domains:

• Writing
• Reading
• Conventions of Language
• Numeracy

In preparation for NAPLAN tests, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit a National Practice Test on Tuesday 27 February.

Students in all year levels will need to provide wired headphones for use in the practice test in February and the NAPLAN testing window in March.

The National Practice Test is for practice only and will provide students with an opportunity to become familiar with the types of questions they will experience in NAPLAN Online 2024.  Students, teachers and parents can also use the public demonstration site at any time to become familiar with NAPLAN Online:

NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact the appropriate Director of Learning – Alice Taylor (Year 3 and 5) or Kerin Tinnion (Year 7 and 9).

Vision for Learning

Our shared Community Commitment highlights the importance of a productive learning environment, based on respectful relationships and a feeling of safety and support. As a leader of Learning within the College I know the importance of students having a sense of belonging and welcome at school, as this contributes greatly to a positive mindset and the understanding that they can be successful learners.

So, at the start of every year, it is important that we establish this productive learning environment through a focus on wellbeing and a focus on the core pillars of our Vision for Learning (Together, Discover, Grow). These pillars promote significant understandings about how staff, students and families can work together to achieve high learning outcomes for all students, and they provide us with important lessons about how, where and when learning takes place.

This is what these pillars mean to me:

Together, we embrace the learning that comes through being connected to a strong community. We value opportunities to collaborate and co-operate with others, we engage in rich, respectful conversations with others and together establish an effective and productive school-wide learning environment.

It is through our natural curiosity, wonder and awe that we Discover new knowledge, skills and approaches to our learning. We engage in activities that encourage critical and creative thinking, problem solving and inquiry, encouraging each other to step out of our comfort zones and into new challenges.

We Grow through the learnings of each and every day. We know the importance of maintaining a positive mindset; understanding that mistakes are opportunities and perseverance will bring improvement. We challenge ourselves and each other to take calculated risks within our learning, understanding that our courage builds resilience and enables growth.

As our year of learning begins, I encourage all community members (staff, students and parents/caregivers) to think about what it is you would like our students to achieve this year, and how our active participation in and shared commitment to the College’s Vision for Learning throughout 2024 can help our young people bring these goals to fruition.

Paul Wadsworth
Deputy Principal - Learning

We’ve had a very positive start to the school year, and were fortunate to be able to gather together as a whole College community in Week 2 for our Beginning of Year Mass. The theme of the Beginning of Year Mass was our 2024 Heart Value focus of Wisdom. At this gathering we also had the opportunity to welcome our new staff and present them with their Heart Badge, which is such a core part of who we are as a College. Our Student Leaders were also presented and acknowledged in front of the whole College community.

This year, we welcomed many new staff, including a new member to the Catholic Mission Team this year – our new Youth Minister Jade Pace. She’s already done so well in connecting to our community, and we look forward to the great journey that will unfold with her on her team.

Year 12 Retreat

During the first three days of the school year, our Year 12 cohort embarked on their final retreat. It was held at Adare Campsite at Victor Harbor. On the retreat, students were given the opportunity to get to know each other, do some water activities at the beach, and spend some time together before starting the big year ahead. Students were given the chance to reflect on the 2024 Heart Value of Wisdom, and how it may be lived out in their life this year. The purpose of the retreat was for the students to reflect on their spiritual journeys, share significant experiences and stories with each other, and to reflect on the year to come. A wonderful start to the year for our Year 12s and their Homeroom teachers

Lent and Project Compassion

It was wonderful to celebrate Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in Week 3. Our College community were able to feast upon perfectly cooked pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, just before the school day started. We then celebrated together as a whole College community, on Ash Wednesday, with a liturgy to begin our Lenten Season. This is the six-week period leading up to Easter and it is a very important part of our Catholic Tradition. It is a time to reflect deeply on the areas of our life that we need to work on, to help us to build better relationships with ourselves, others, and God. It is a time of intentional prayer, fasting, and assisting others in need.

Our service focus for Term 1 is the Caritas Project Compassion Appeal. The theme for this years Appeal is For all Future Generations. The Appeal officially began at the College on Ash Wednesday, and each year level will be participating in fundraising activities for the Appeal. The money we raise is much needed by people in poverty in Australia and Internationally. Your generosity is appreciated! As usual, the College raises money through the four House Teams and the total amounts per House is converted into points for the Community Shield.

I wish you well as we enter our Lenten Season, and I encourage you to reflect and pray during Lent and also to focus on what you can do for others in a very intentional manner.

In Peace

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

It is with a great sense of excitement that I welcome all families to the 2024 school year as Director of Students and particularly those families who have joined us for the first time. Being a new member of staff, what has impressed me the most is the strong sense of community that exists at St Francis de Sales. Community matters because it creates a sense of purpose, builds social connections, and offers a support and safety network for all its members. We should never take for granted or underestimate how privileged we are to be part of a community that is thriving and flourishing.

In the first 4 weeks I have had the opportunity to connect with many families, experience a number of College events and immerse myself in the community. The thing that I have loved the most has been the informal conversations I have had with students both in the classroom and in the yard. Our young people are curious, they ask questions, they like to share information about themselves and more than anything they want to connect with people.

The journey for each young person through their schooling is unique and individual and it is important that as parents and caregivers you understand that you are not alone on your child’s educational journey and as staff and as a community, we are here to support you and your child in achieving their full potential.

My message to all of our students is to set the bar high, believe in yourself, confront the challenges that you are presented with, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Throughout your journey many challenges and obstacles will come your way and we know that each of you have the skills and abilities to navigate and conquer those challenges. I encourage all our students to fully immerse themselves in our College community and take advantage of the range of opportunities that our College provides whether it be in through faith, academic, pastoral, leadership or co-curricular.

I am truly excited to be a member of the St Francis de Sales community and I look forward to developing and fostering the 3-way partnership between staff, students, and families to ensure that each of our students can follow their paths and achieve the success that they are truly capable of.

Dale Hoffman
R-12 Director of Students

R-6 Heart Badge and Student Representative Council Assembly

The R-6 Heart Badge and Student Representative Council (SRC) Assembly took place this week on Tuesday 20 February. It was an absolute pleasure to gather as an R-6 community to celebrate this significant event and long-held tradition at our College. The assembly served a dual purpose: to extend a warm welcome to all new students and to recognise the individuals who will lead us through the SRC in 2024.

The Heart Badge is presented to every new member of our community and symbolises our College's Heart values: Faith, Perseverance, Compassion, Integrity, Respect, Wisdom, and Justice. These values connect us to our patron, St Francis de Sales and guide us in all we do here at the College. We hope that these badges serve as a constant reminder to each individual of their valued place within our College community.

The members of the R-6 SRC were also honoured during the assembly, receiving their badges in acknowledgment of the leadership and dedication they will bring to our College throughout the year. Supporting our SRC students this year are our Year Level Leaders Fran Nicholls, Lara Kelly, and Ciara Pappin.

The assembly was a joyous occasion, with both our new students and our newly inducted SRC students displaying excitement and pride as they received their badges. We extend our gratitude to all family members who could join us for this memorable occasion.

Alice Taylor
R-6 Director of Learning and R-6 Literacy Leader

Welcome to 2024 and another busy year of learning.

It was wonderful to see the excitement of our first day back at school with over 50 new students across Years 7-12. Whilst there were some looks of fear and trepidation there was also delight at catching up with friends not seen during the holidays, with lots of stories to be told. The Year 12s nervously gathered together ready to embark on their retreat, wondering how their final year of schooling will go, with great plans to make this their best year ever. They received their 2024 Senior Jackets on retreat and have been wearing them with pride.

Excitingly we have over 30 Year 11 and 12s on VET pathways or apprenticeships this year exploring different pathways in order to achieve their final SACE.

Our Year 10s are looking forward to their Coorong Camp in Week 6, and the Year 7s and 8s are settling into learning, enjoying the opportunity to try different electives including cooking, dance, STEAM and the different technologies.

Building works have continued throughout these first few weeks and the students have adapted well to negotiating stairs, walkways, cement mixers and trucks.

Next week we will be undertaking the practice Naplan test for our Year 7 and 9 students. All Year 7 and 9s have been asked to download the Naplan Lockdown browser in readiness for this test and are asked to bring in wired headphones for Tuesday 27 February.

Kerin Tinnion
7-12 Director of Learning

The SACE Board’s Merit Ceremony, celebrated over 1,000 Year 12 students of 2023 at Government House in Adelaide on the 7 and 8 February, where students were honoured for achieving merits in their respective subjects. Two of our 2023 Year 12 students, Aagie Kurian and Caitlyn Dickeson, were amongst those recognised for their outstanding academic achievements in English and Food and Hospitality.

Merits are presented to students for meritorious achievement in a Stage 2 SACE Board accredited subject. Merit recipients must gain an overall grade of A+ for the subject and demonstrate exceptional achievement in the subject.

It was a memorable occasion to watch both Aagie and Caitlyn receive their Merit Certificates and being publicly recognised as top achievers in the State.

Congratulations to our students!

Syamala Govender
English Teacher

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

On Friday of Week 3 our Years 3-6 students walked over to the Mountain Pool to take part in the annual Swimming Carnival. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and the students started the day by participating in a number of novelty events which included tunnel ball, hose/cork collecting and noodle relay. All the students had a blast with sounds of laughter and singing being heard all around. We then started our formal races, with students across all year levels competing in Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke. There were a number of outstanding swimmers who produced excellent results. These students will have the opportunity to represent St Francis de Sales College at the Barker District Swimming Carnival in Week 5 with more information to follow. Savoy were awarded the House Sports Cup, in a closely contested race, and Geneva were awarded the House Spirit Cup for continuously demonstrating sportsmanship and pride. A huge thank you to all staff and the many parent attendees for helping make the event a success.

Open Boys Cricket

On Monday, Week 4 our Open Boys Cricket team played against Birdwood High School at Hanson Oval in Mt Barker. We won the toss and elected to bat first in great conditions. Scoring was slow to begin with and we lost a few early wickets, but the boys managed to steady the ship and get through their 30 overs with 8/143, setting Birdwood a target of 144 to chase. Some notable batting innings from our boys included 43 off 45 from Griffin James, 40 off 23 from Thomas Vickers, 20 off 17 from Elliott Duffield and 17 off 36 from Harry Lovelock.

The boys started bowling well and while we only took one wicket in the first 15 overs, we managed to reduce Birdwood’s scoring, keep them at 1/52 at the break. As the game went on, it became much closer with one of Birdwood’s players making 73 off 81 before being dismissed by an excellent caught-and-bowled from Elliott Duffield. In the end our boys bowled Birdwood out in the 27.4 over for 126 runs. Some notable bowling performances from our boys included 3/4 off 6 overs from Griffin James, 3/21 off 5.4 overs from Elliott Duffield and 3/23 off 4 overs from Cooper Clayfield.

The boys move onto Round 3 now where they will play the winner of Blackwood High School and Tatachilla Lutheran College.

David Booth Workshop

2024 has started with great excitement, enthusiasm, and a really good ‘vibe’ in all of the Dance and Drama classes. The Year 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Dance and Drama students have started working through some of the dramatic methodologies in Drama, and the Dance students are developing their Commercial Jazz technique; the genre of dance taught at the College. We are all loving the privilege of working in a purpose-built performing arts environment at Rockit Dance Studio as we await our own incredible Arts Precinct build at the College. So many exciting new ventures to look forward to that are all developing as we watch and wait with great anticipation!

All of the Dance students have certainly ‘got their groove on’ as we start to develop a funky dance feel toward the choreographed routines for our 2024 Semester 1 theme for Dance. We will again be presenting the Dance production at the end of the semester - keep an eye out for further information regarding times and dates! It will be a little different this year, which is super exciting and our Dance students promise to deliver fun and exhilarating performance in Term 2!

Peta Bojanic
R-12 Dance and Senior Drama Teacher

Taylor Swift’s concert scheduling has nothing on our Music Department in 2024.

The amount of musical energy already coming out of the classes in the first few weeks, together with our bands, choirs, jazz combo, guitar band, string ensemble and new vocal groups who are all ‘shaking things up’ with lunchtime rehearsals, 2024 promises to be another exciting year in music where once again our focus is giving every one of our students at St Francis de Sales College the opportunity to enjoy the richness and rewards that music brings.

Live performance opportunities for our instrumental and voice students with the staging of our regular The Music Lunchbox lunchtime concerts will continue this year, together with giving our many talented musicians and singers the opportunity to perform at College community Assemblies and Masses and of course our many music concerts throughout the year.

Another inclusion to this year’s music calendar, will be our very special Year 9 Class Music concert to be held later in Term 2, to close out Semester 1. This will see an array of band and group performances and possibly a few solo acts thrown into the program.

We have certainly hit the ground running with our special event musicians and singers who are already working hard in preparation for the annual Catholic Schools Music Festival later this year where our Festival Choir will perform, under the direction of Nicole Moxham, and we are looking forward to the internationally acclaimed music festival, Generations in Jazz (GiJ) in Mt Gambier on the weekend of 3-5 May, where our jazz combo, DeGroove are certainly looking forward to the experience that GiJ brings.

Our Instrumental Music Program has once again brought increased numbers to our department and with that we have been very fortunate to be able to again secure our very talented instrumental teachers. We currently have limited vacancies in piano but can offer many other fantastic opportunities, including: guitar, voice, violin, cello, double bass, drums, percussion, flute, clarinet, saxophone and bass guitar… if there is something that we have missed, we can more than likely cover that too.

If you are interested in registering for instrumental lessons, please visit the following link where you will find further details.

St Francis de Sales College > Music

We look forward to entertaining you all in 2024 and adding to the St Francis de Sales College ERAS… sorry about another Taylor Swift reference.

Your Music Team
Sarah Dodd, Nicole Moxham, Leanne Mibus and Aleks Bojanic