Link Up Term 2 Week 4 2023

Welcome to the first Link Up for Term 2. It has been a busy and productive start to the term, with students engaged in a diverse array of learning opportunities both within and outside the classroom.

Generations in Jazz in Mount Gambier was back for the first time in a couple of years, and we were pleased to be able to provide the opportunity for our performers to take part from 5 to 7 May. We were represented by a highly talented group of musicians and they performed in a manner that reflected very positively on themselves and our College community. Thanks to Sarah Dodd, Emily Lovelock and Gavin McGlaughlin for supporting our students at this important music event.

Our Year 10 cohort were recently engaged in a Careers Expo and Buddha House Excursion. This excursion gave the students the opportunity to speak directly with representatives of over 130 Training Organisations and Employers, to gain free career advice and attend various career seminars. Following the Careers Expo, the group moved on to Buddha House to continue work on their current Stage 1 Assessment Task looking at symbolism, diversity and religions.

On Friday 12 May our Year 6 Student Leaders, Peter Nguyen, Evan Sanders, Trinity Werts, Aiden Storr, Chelsea England and Kai Doyle travelled to St Michaels School at Beverley for the SACPSSA and ACHPERSA Student Leadership Workshop. Throughout the day they participated in group activities with students from other CESA schools focussing on leadership skills, physical activities and small group games to improve their leadership skills and a future project ideas discussion. We look forward to these young leaders returning to the College and putting their developing skills into action by engaging other students in leadership activities and initiatives within the Junior School.

Our Year 11s recently engaged in their Retreat experience, entitled ‘My Journey’ at the Mylor Baptist Campsite. The Retreat was facilitated by Sam Clear, from Walk4One and was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with each other and their teachers, in a manner that invites reflection about self, others, and God.

It was terrific to host our Father and Son Breakfast in the Performing Arts Centre last Thursday. At this event we welcomed back to the College former student Mark ‘Thomo’ Thomas, who spoke to us about his life since leaving school and his work as a radio host initially on Fresh 92.7 and more recently as co-host of the Weekend Breakfast show on Triple M. Mark highlighted several keys to his success including the importance of demonstrating resilience and respect, and not being afraid to step out of his comfort zone. Ultimately, he encouraged the students present to follow their passions and that work satisfaction comes from doing something you love – great messages for all of the young people in our College community. It was a pleasure to have Mark return to his school and wonderful to have so many fathers and sons join us for breakfast. Thank you to all involved, especially to Mikaela Thomas, Jodie Marafioti, Sarah Sims, Michele McDonald, Kate Thomas and our Maintenance team for the preparation, implementation and clean-up of the event. Most importantly I would like to thank the incredibly talented and committed Stage 2 Food and Hospitality students who catered for the event so brilliantly.

We are fortunate to have an active Parent Community Group within the College, who again this year did an outstanding job with our Mother’s Day Stall, providing opportunity for our students across the College to access gifts for their mums that were no doubt well received on Mother’s Day. We thank all the parents involved for the organisation and preparation that went into enabling this to happen.

Thanks also to our parents who joined with us on Friday 19 May for Walk Safely to School Day. We had a couple of organised groups walking to school from the Kmart and Laratinga Wetlands Car Parks, involving student, parents and staff. This event was another opportunity for community members to come together, whist reinforcing for our students the importance of both being active and travelling safely to and from school.

College Board Annual General Meeting

The College Board AGM was held Tuesday evening to elect the Board for 2023/2024 and I am delighted to share with you details of the following members of our parent community elected to that Board:

• Geoff Kelly (Liliana – Year 1), Amanda Webb (Skye – Year 2 and Cora – Year 4), Madeleine Harris (George – Year 3 and Ted – Year 5) and Inga Petkovich (Zavier – Year 10, Amielle – Year 6 and Finlay – Rec 2024) have been elected as new members to the Board.
• Nick Crowe (Olivia – Year 6 and Emily – Year 8) successfully renominated for the Board following the end of his current tenure.
• Fr Philip Marshall, Mount Barker/Strathalbyn Parish Priest, will serve in the Ex-Officio position of Board President.
• Mark Rogers (Maverick – Rec and Hudson - Year 2), Thanuja Hiripitiyage (Ryan – Year 2), Olivier Sirop (Xavier – Year 2) and Kate Clarke (Ben – Year 4 and Lucas – Year 6) are existing members of the Board in the middle of a period of current tenure.
• Lisa Andrew will continue in the Nominated Membership role of Secretariat.

We warmly welcome Geoff, Amanda, Madeleine and Inga to their new roles and look forward to the skills and perspectives they have to share in the governance of our community. We also thank all our returning members for their continued commitment to the Board. The community is deeply grateful for your service.

Departing the Board at the AGM were Ray Jackson (Archer – Year 4), Olivia Carter (Joshua – Year 5 and Caitlin – Year 1), Mel England (Chelsea – Year 6 and Luke – Year 3) and Alana Martin (Lucy – Year 1 and Clara – Year 4). Also departing the Board after serving as the President for 10 years, was Father Richard. At the AGM, we took the opportunity to recognise and thank them for their service to the broader College community through their engagement with the Board.

To read the AGM Reports visit stfrancis.catholic.edu.au/about/college-board.

Catholic Education Week was celebrated last week in Catholic Schools across South Australia. Catholic Education Week is an annual opportunity to celebrate the excellent teaching and learning that happens in Catholic schools every day and reflect on what makes our schools so special. In 2023, the week had a particular focus on highlighting the individual things that each community loves about their school. Our staff and students were engaged in activities that allowed them to reflect on and celebrate the unique things they love about being part of the St Francis de Sales community.

Staff News

It is with great pleasure that we welcome some new staff to the College.

Anna Broadbent will be a wonderful addition to our Reception team working with many of the students in the Term 3 intake. Anna comes to us from Lockley’s Children Centre and she will be present at the College for the upcoming Term 3 Reception Family Visits before starting on a regular basis at the beginning of Term 3.

Lisa Scinto will be taking on the WHS Coordinator position. Lisa comes to the College with a wealth of Work, Health and Safety experience, spread across education, business and local government. Her expertise in risk management, compliance auditing and reporting, and policy development will be of great benefit for the College. Lisa will start with us on 31 July.

Ebony Jenkins joins the College as an Occupational Therapist working within the Hills-Murray Catholic School’s Partnership, meaning that she will share time at St Francis, St Catherine’s, Stirling and St Joseph’s, Murray Bridge. She will be working collaboratively with our staff to build teacher capacity in the implementation of evidence-based programs and strategies that support students within the classroom. Ebony will be starting her tenure in Week 7, 12 June.

We look forward to these new staff bringing a wealth of skills and knowledge to St Francis de Sales and I know you will join me in warmly welcoming them into our community.

Upcoming National and International Weeks

Laudato Si Week takes place between Sunday 21 and Sunday 28 May. This year marks the eighth anniversary of Pope Francis’ letter, Laudato Si, and there is little doubt that our collective responsibility to our school, local, national and global environment remains a significant concern for many of us. Throughout the week, staff will work with students to remind them of the key messages of Pope Francis’ encyclical and especially how we can all take responsibility to care for our College facilities and environment.

National Reconciliation Week takes place between Saturday 27 May and Saturday 3 June. This year’s theme is Be a Voice for Generations and encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialise. From a College perspective Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for staff, students and parents to learn more about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Our students will be engaged in a number of class activities throughout the week, and we hope to have some students represent the College at the upcoming Indigenous Learning Excursion ‘Thriving People’, where they will explore what it means to be thriving people, capable learners and leaders in our schools, in our communities and in our world.

COVID and Flu Outbreaks

As winter approaches we have seen an increase of flu and COVID cases across the state and within our school community. Staying at home when we are feeling ill (especially if you have flu or COVID symptoms), practicing good hygiene (including washing our hands and using sanitiser), leaving doors/windows open to promote good ventilation, maintaining appropriate physical distance and wearing masks, are appropriate measures we can all take to help safeguard ourselves and others from these viruses.

Paul Wadsworth
Acting Principal

The true blessing of our community is its diversity – that each and every person “belongs for life” and belongs unconditionally. The most rewarding aspect of my role is witnessing how our diverse community comes together as one to acknowledge worthy causes and participate in many and varied events that above all, celebrate who we are and what we value.

Already this term, we have acknowledged the significant role models in our life through our Mother’s Day Stall and Father and Son Breakfast. We have come together to celebrate our shared identity and mission through discerning what we “love” about our Catholic School during Catholic Education Week, and renewed our ecological call to care for our common home through Laudato Si Week. This weekend sees the commencement of National Reconciliation Week, where we engage in cultural truth telling and re-commit to reconciliation. No doubt, you will learn more about these wonderful initiatives as you scroll through Link Up.

There is an underlying commonality in all of these celebrations that speaks to the heart of who we are, which is a commitment to being in communion with each other and our natural world. This communion also provides us with a solid support network to call upon in moments of need which contributes to a greater sense of wellbeing. Wellbeing is a community enterprise!

On Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and throughout Jerusalem. It is pivotal, because it recognises the moment that the Church became a community, and provides us with a template for how we follow Christ in our daily lives.

I look forward to the engagement of our College community in many more events and celebrations throughout the year.

James Gill
Deputy Principal - Community and Wellbeing

Within our very positive start to Term 2, we are delighted to welcome Fr Philip Marshall to our College community as our new Parish Priest. I’ve known Fr Philip for many years and I know that he’ll be an inspirational and relational member of our community. We warmly welcome Fr Philip and look forward to working with him.

Vinnies Winter Appeal

The new school term also welcomes and draws our focus to our Vinnies Winter Appeal. The Appeal assists Vinnies to provide emergency relief to people at risk and experiencing homelessness. Your donation will help the Vinnies volunteers to rebuild lives of people in need within our local Mt Barker community.

Each Home Class has been given a plastic basket to put their donations in, and there are three Stations of Vinnies Wheelie Bins around the College site. They are located in: Primary Deck, Mercy Courtyard, and Callen Quad. Each bin is labelled with a House name, as the donations collected will be sorted via House teams. The items will be counted per House and the total number will be translated into points going towards the Community Shield.

All items that are donated will be welcomed by Vinnies, however they have asked the College to specifically focus on the following items:

• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned fruit
• Meal bases
• Rice Cream
• Peanut butter
• Vegemite
• Cake mixes
• Sweet biscuits
• Muesli bars
• Cereals
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Ladies sanitary products
• Toothpaste
• Tooth brushes
• Hand soaps
• Tea
• Coffee
• Clothing

Friday of Week 9 will be the close of our Vinnies Winter Appeal and the last day for people to donate items. Thanks in advance for your support of this Appeal and your generosity.

As part of their contribution to the Vinnies Winter Appeal, some members of the Faith-in-Action Group (FIA) have already spent some time in the Food and Hospitality Centre with Mikaela Thomas, cooking food for Vinnies Fred's Van. We are very grateful for the time and effort that was put into this act of service by the students and staff involved.

The Vinnies Winter Appeal wouldn’t be complete without the Vinnies Sleepout. Our Vinnies Sleepout will occur on Wednesday of Week 10 this term, 5 July. Students in Years 6-12 are invited to take part in this wonderful service activity. Students who take part are required to ask people to sponsor them to do the Sleepout, to raise money for Vinnies works. The money raised goes to support people in need within our local Mt Barker community. 

The general format of the event is:

• 6pm soup dinner provided for participants
• Guest speaker from Vinnies to speak about homelessness and works of Vinnies
• Games and activities to highlight some of the challenges that homeless people face on a day-to-day basis
• Build cardboard shelters to sleep in overnight in our Callen Quad
• In the morning have breakfast at Breakfast Club
• Get ready for the school day ahead.

Students and staff who are interested are asked to contact Mr Farrugia by email ofarrugia@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au, by Friday of Week 8.

Project Compassion last term

As we begin a new Appeal, I have an update about last term’s Caritas Project Compassion Appeal. A huge thank you to all in our community who supported the Caritas Project Compassion Appeal. Your generosity is very much appreciated and will make a difference in the lives of so many people in need. As a College we raised a total of $2,325.

Congratulations to Padua House, who raised the highest amount for Term 1. Well done! The amounts per House are as follows:

• Padua ($674)
• Geneva ($646)
• Lyon ($505)
• Savoy ($500)

Year 11 Retreat

In Week 3 of this term, we held our Year 11 Retreat at Mylor Baptist Campsite. Over the two day Retreat experience, Sam Clear facilitated the sessions and explained his walk across the world to raise awareness of the importance of ‘Unity’. He had many insights to share with the students about the very challenging and eye-opening situations he was faced with, demonstrating enormous strength and courage. The Retreat and Sam’s story are a core aspect of the Year 11 Stage 2 Religious Education course, which this term focusses on Growth, Belonging and Flourishing. Outdoor activities were incorporated into the Retreat to provide physical activity for the students and to also reinforce in a very practical way, the notion of growth, belonging, and flourishing within their own lives. The outdoor activities included the giant swing, high ropes course and archery tag. I congratulate the Year 11 students for their engagement in this Retreat, and thank the staff Branden Hill, Annette Suter, Nadia Honner, Nathan Sachse, and Sophie McCallum for their commitment to this experience.

Parent Community Group

We thank Lia Hooper (Chair of the PCG) and Aisha Sirop (Secretary of PCG) for their efforts in operating the recent Mother's Day Stall on behalf of the PCG. This provided an opportunity for students to select a gift for their mums for their special day, and also enabled Lia and Aisha to meet many members of our community.

A reminder that all parents/caregivers are welcome to join the Parent Community Group and take part in the activities that the group is involved in. One such activity is volunteering to operate the coffee machine at Frankie's Café (in the foyer adjacent to the Reception Learning Community). We have a roster for the operation of the coffee machine for after our Community Mass on Tuesday every fortnight (Week Bs). This is something that we want to grow and expand, as a way of continuing to build relationships with parents within our community, parishioners, and College staff.

The next PCG meeting will be held at 6:30pm on Tuesday 6 June in the Meya Watta Building (Alive ELC/Reception Learning Community), Frankie's Cafe. All are welcome to attend.

If you are interested in learning how to operate the coffee machine or become a member of the Parent Community Group please contact Lia Hooper at PCG@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au

In Peace,

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

Out and About Walks

Our R-2 classes, along with our Alive Preschool students, have been participating in Out and About Walks with each other this term. Some of our R-2 staff engaged in professional learning focusing on STEM in the early years of schooling earlier this year and have planned and implemented the Out and About Walks for our youngest students.

The focus of Out and About Walks are for the students to make connection with and develop an understanding of the concept of ‘place’, through the lens of Indigenous Education. Weekly walks occur with different foci aimed to explore these big ideas:

• Who are the First Nation people? How do they belong to this land?
• How do we connect to country here at St Francis de Sales College?
• How can we look after this land, and appreciate the natural world round us?

Out and About Walks are a great way for our students to engage in nature play and make learning connections with their environment. Students’ curiosity and inquiry are in full swing during these outdoor learning opportunities. It has been great to see students discussing and recording their wonderings and ideas after each session.

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

On Wednesday, 12 April, students across R-6 participated in a Japanese Festival, celebrating our Japanese learning and engaging further in Japanese culture. The day began with a bang, as students enjoyed guest musicians Anne Norman and Toshi Sakamoto presenting Taiko Drums & Flutes of Japan. It was an interactive experience with many staff and students invited to try real taiko drums and be a part of the performance. After the performance our Year 6 students were given the opportunity to work with Toshi in their own Taiko drumming workshop. Our sister school Sonobe Highschool created an opening video for our festival, which showed us what their school looks like and lots of the fun activities they do at their school in Japan. 

For the remainder of the day Year 7 students, with the support of some Year 8 students helped to organise and facilitate activities for students across R-6 to participate in. They did a wonderful job running their events and teaching the younger students how to play some Japanese traditional games and activities. Many students across the College ordered a special Japanese bento for lunch and the Pokémon character Pikachu also made a special appearance throughout the day. The Years 7/8 students should be very proud of themselves and how smoothly the day ran. A lot of fun and learning was had by all.

Rebecca Nottle
Learning Area Specialist - Languages

Rostrum Voice of Youth 2023 Public Speaking Competition

On Saturday, 13 May, Year 8 Livinia Waide and Year 10 Cara Parker-Thomas competed in the Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition. Each student delivered a prepared speech, with Cara exploring the topic of ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ and Livinia speaking about ‘A change worth Making’. In following on from their prepared speeches the next challenge was to deliver a short notice speech on a topic previously unseen, with only 15 minutes preparation time.

Whilst the girls did not proceed to the final heats, they represented our College with pride, participating in an event which involves schools from across the state. It provides an invaluable opportunity to develop skills of oration and to meet and listen to a diverse range of other speakers.

I strongly encourage all of you to step beyond your comfort zone and be a part of any future public speaking event. Keep your eye on student notices for further opportunities.

Nicole Elding
Learning Area Specialist - English

Almost, Maine

On Tuesday 30 May, our Stage 1 Drama students will present their SACE assessable production of the heartfelt play Almost, Maine.

In the world of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, where on one deeply cold and magical midwinter night, the citizens of Almost -- not organised enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness -- experience the life-altering power of the human heart. Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, and friends turn into strangers. Propelled by the mystical energy of the aurora borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and sincere, Almost, Maine is a series of loosely connected tales about love, each with a compelling couple at its centre.

Please join our Stage 1 Drama students in The Dell (Performing Arts Centre) as they share their workshopped version of the heartfelt story of Almost, Maine.

Welcome to my Nightmare

Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 June, Week 7, Term 2 are the dates to mark in your calendar for the Semester 1 Dance production – Welcome to my Nightmare. This performance will showcase the talents of the Dance Minis, Dance Crew, Dance Squad, Year 8, Year 9 and Stage 1 and 2, Semester 1 Dance classes, all presenting their choreographed routines.

A Junior School matinee performance will be held on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 in The Dell (Performing Arts Centre) at 1:45pm, with two evening performances for parents and friends on Wednesday and Thursday at 6:15pm. It is expected that there may be family and friends who miss out on a seat at the live performance (bookings will open closer to the date – keep an eye out for this information which will be sent via email), therefore, to accommodate for this we will again stream the recorded performance which will be available for a limited time via a private link.

As Sir Ken Robinson says, dance allows students ‘who need to move to think’, and in providing Dance and Drama as part of the curriculum, we allow them to do just that!

Peta Bojanic
Drama and Dance Teacher

Term 2 started with a real bang with 12 of our Music students travelling to Mt Gambier in Week 1 where they took part in the annual Generations in Jazz (GiJ) music festival but more about that later.

Through our Junior Class Music program, we are giving our students the opportunity to be able to appreciate the fun, enjoyment and challenges of learning a musical instrument and certainly hoping that some will continue with private tuition moving forward.

The Year 5 classes are fully immersed in the Woodwind program with the sounds of saxophones, clarinets and flutes emanating from Nicole Moxham’s classroom on a very regular basis… for those students looking to be further extended, our amazing Woodwind teacher, Karen Redman, has some spots available for new students. Please visit our website at stfrancis.catholic.edu.au/learning/beyond-the-classroom/music for further information.

During Class Music, students of different year levels are also experiencing the playing of Recorder, Guitar, Percussion and Ukulele.

In coming weeks we will be presenting our second instalment of ‘The Music Lunchbox’ where a group of students perform during the lunch break on the Music Deck and in Week 9, Thursday 29 June, we will be staging our Bands, Ensembles and Choirs Concert in the Performing Arts Centre for family and friends from 6:15pm. This concert will feature our GiJ groups, deGroove and JazZone together with our Pop Music bands Heart n Soul and Mixed Bag together with performances by our Guitar Band, String Group, vocal group Musaic and our Festival Choir. There may even be a couple of other special acts appearing.

We look forward to entertaining you this term.

Sarah Dodd, Nicole Moxham, Leanne Mibus and Aleks Bojanic
Music Department

Early Friday morning in Week 1 of this term, 12 of our Music students set off to Mt Gambier to compete in one of Australia’s most regarded Jazz festivals and competitions, Generations in Jazz (GiJ). The students competed against schools from around Australia in two categories; Small Jazz Combo (deGroove, directed by instrumental teacher Karen Redman) and Division 3 Vocal Ensemble (JazZone, directed by secondary music teacher Sarah Dodd). Despite the wintery, wet and muddy conditions, the weekend was packed full of concerts and performances by world class musicians, fantastic workshops led by instrumental/vocal specialists, and opportunities to create community.

Due to the impact of COVID in recent years, for the majority of students, this was their first performance in front of a live audience. Both ensembles performed so well, and have shown great development and growth in their musicianship and playing in the lead up to the event. GiJ provides the perfect platform for students to not only gain confidence and performance experience, but receive feedback from ensemble experts, develop skills across multiple genres of music, and be immersed in a wide variety of music and musicians.

One highlight was definitely the Saturday night concert which featured Swedish Jazz fusion band Dirty Loops. Mixing traditional Jazz styles with electronica and pop, they had the students (and even the teachers) up on their feet dancing all night!

On behalf of the students and myself, I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to Aleks Bojanic for his hard work organising behind the scenes, and to Gavin McGlaughlin and Emily Lovelock for their support in the lead up to and throughout the weekend. We look forward to attending Generations in Jazz 2024!

Sarah Dodd
Senior Music Teacher

The end of Term 1 and beginning of Term 2 has seen sporting opportunities for our students increase by a huge amount. We have had teams compete across various sports and we still have a number of events coming up. We wish all of our athletes every success as they strive to achieve their best results.

7-12 Athletics

In Week 9 of last term we sent a team of 7-12 Athletes to Bridgestone Stadium, Salisbury to compete in the Catholic Coeducational Secondary Schools Athletics Carnival. Unfortunately, it was an incredibly wet and wild day, however, our athletes strived hard to achieve their best and we achieved some outstanding results. Our U16 team won the age group shield and there were a number of participants who won ribbons for various events. A huge congratulations to all who attended on the day.

4-6 Barker District Athletics

In Week 9 of last term we also took a determined team of Years 4-6 athletes to Cornerstone to compete in the Barker District Athletics Carnival. Again we had some fantastic performances across various events and the students represented our school in an exemplary manner.

5/6 Cricket

At the end of Term 1 our Years 5/6 students competed in Interschool Cricket competitions. We had a bunch of very enthusiastic students who strived hard in all of their matches. We congratulate them on the sportsmanship and perseverance they displayed throughout their matches. A huge thanks to Michael Baker, Stephanie Hocking for managing these teams, as well as Harry Lovelock, Zavier Goodrich, Beau Riddle, Holly Paech and Caitlin Batge for coaching the students.

4-6 Barker District Cross Country

A number of runners from Years 4-6 travelled to Woodside this week to compete in the Barker District Cross Country Competition. It was fantastic to see our students run in cold and muddy conditions, and we had a number of students achieve outstanding results. In particular we had Mya and Angus win first place, and Zara N and Elle win third. Well done everyone.

10-12 Girls AFL

The Years 10-12 Girls played Football against Norwood International High School.

Unfortunately, they did not come away with the win, but played with pride and unity throughout a tough game. Their loss may have stung, but they left the field as a united front, heads held high, knowing they had given everything they had.

A special mention to our goal kickers Steph Formby, Bella Matthews and Aaliyah Fox. Other best on grounds go to Kiara McInnes, Penzy Hocking, Piper Linke, Lexi Daniel, Tayla Langcake and Sienna Fox.

Big thank you to Amy Ashley for managing, Tom McLean for umpiring and to Paul Jenke (dad to Hugo and Lily) for volunteering his time to coach.

9/10 Boys AFL

The Years 9/10 boys played both Cornerstone College and Eastern Fleurieu School at Cornerstone during Week 3. We managed to come away with two very convincing wins. A few special moments during the games included an incredible sneaky goal from Beau and Kale with five goals in one game. Best players were Kale, Lachlan Werts, Elliot Duffield (Captain), Will Ekberg and Riley Humphries. A big thank you to Thomas McLean for umpiring all three games and Mark Andrews and Branden Hill for also coaching the boys. The boys represented the College perfectly and we should be very proud of all of them. We wish them all the best in the next round.

Further Sporting Opportunities

Throughout the next two terms we will have an increased number of opportunities for students to trial and play for school representative teams. As these teams are nominated the coaches will communicate the relevant information to students through the classroom teacher, Seesaw and/or SEQTA Notices. Parents can also keep an eye on SEQTA Notices through SEQTA Engage. If there are ever any questions about these activities please email Nadia Honner at nhonner@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au.

SAPSASA Success

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent the Barker District in the State AFL Carnival in Week 3. Lindsay Butler, Evan Sanders, Gabe Sanders, Austyn Ladhams, Curtis Dawe, Mayer Penell, Blake Massie, Alaistair and Ted. What a fantastic achievement!

Out of School Student Success

At the end of last term and into the holidays we had a number of students and staff members competing in national competitions. I would like to recognise these outstanding achievements.

Penzy Hocking competed in the National Basketball Under 18 Championships, in a team coached by our own Basketball Academy coach Mark Billington. They were a young team that were hit by injuries but performed exceptionally well under the circumstances.

Amanda Fairley coached a national U14 Boys Softball team in Auckland and they did a fantastic job and took out the Easter Classic.

Leni Newham competed at the Australian Swimming Championships in April. She qualified for over 10 events, however chose to concentrate on six of them for the championships. She managed to make the finals (top 10) in five of these events.

As you can see from this, she is competing against the very top of swimmers in the country for her age group. From these championships Leni has also been selected to be a part of the Australian Flippers Squad, which puts her in contention for future Australian National Teams and provides her with some more amazing training opportunities with the best coaches.

Gabe Cregan has also been selected in the 2023-24 State Flippers Squad.

Harry Lovelock was selected to represent SA in Men’s Netball as a defender in 17U Southern Dragons side to play in Perth in April 2023 at the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Championships. This team finished second overall.

Congratulations to Matix Pollard who has been selected in the 12 years and under Boys Basketball State team. The team will travel to Perth in August.

Often students in our community achieve great results across various sporting endeavours. If you know of someone who has achieved excellence in an event then please let me know so we can celebrate their success.

Nadia Honner 
Learning Area Specialist - Health and Physical Education and Specialist Sport Coordinator