Link Up Term 2 Week 5 2024

The students and staff have made a fantastic start to Term 2, and there has been a great atmosphere in the College. Whilst the cool mornings, and warm afternoons have been welcome, however we hope for some rain for our farmers and gardens soon. One benefit of the unseasonably dry weather has been the progress on the re-developed Dell building. We remain on track to complete this building in October of this year, and we are hopeful of taking up residence in what will be an amazing space in Term 4. You may have also seen on our social pages the incredible talent of one of our parents, Cat Dean, who has painted the most brilliant of murals in one of the stairwells to the Dunn building. It is just fantastic! When the Dell development is complete Cat will turn her attention to the other stairwell, and we can’t wait to see the outcome of her work in this next instalment.

I was privileged recently to visit our Year 11 students on their overnight retreat with the theme ‘My Journey’. The retreat was facilitated by an amazing man, Sam Clear. Sam walked 15,600km through South America, Central America, North America, across Siberia by train, and on foot again from Moscow to Spain. Sam did this in a walk for unity. His message of resilience and perseverance, as well as his faith journey is inspiring. This retreat was yet another example of the faith experiences that our students are so fortunate to have. At the end of last term for example, I was able to join the Reception to Year 2 students for a class mass led by our amazing Parish Priest Fr Philip Marshall. We are so fortunate to have Fr Philip in our community. This Mass was just a beautiful celebration of all that is good about our Catholic tradition. I thank the staff for their continued support of our student’s faith life in prayer, liturgy, RE lessons, retreats, and Masses.

Earlier this week we welcomed the Minister for Education Mr Blair Boyer to St Francis de Sales College. The purpose of the Minsters visit was to see our Year 3 and 6 students in action as part of an innovative STEM project. Our students will be learning new skills in automation and data science in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pilot program launched in six Catholic schools. The South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) has partnered with Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) to introduce the STEM Digital Technology Pilot to schools in collaboration with industry partners, BHP, Nyrstar, Hillgrove Resources, Fortescue and SIMEC Mining. Our staff and students are excited to be a part of this innovative project, and no doubt they will benefit greatly from learning skills in this key growth area.

Last Thursday we celebrated our Mother's Day breakfast. It was a lovely celebration and I thank the students and staff who made this possible, including our wonderful Stage 2 Food and Hospitality class who catered for the event. It was again another example of why St Francis de Sales is such a beautiful community to be a part of. In this month of May, which in the Catholic tradition is the month that we honour the Blessed Virgin Mary the mother of Jesus, we give thanks for, and reflect on the wonderful example of mothers and amazing women in our Catholic tradition. From the example of Mary to the inspirational Sisters of Mercy who established our school in 1902, we give thanks for all women who have nurtured the young people in our care.

Today our community received a letter outlining the incredibly exciting news of the plans to expand the provision of Catholic Education in the Adelaide Hills. A new Catholic school will open in Strathalbyn in 2029, and this school will be a campus of St Francis de Sales College. Located on 8 hectares in Hickinbotham’s Aurora development, the school will cater for students from Reception to Year 6, and depending on enrolment demand we expect to expand to cater for students to Year 9 in the future. Students at the Strathalbyn campus will have a guaranteed pathway to St Francis de Sales College, Mount Barker for their senior school years. The current Mount Barker campus will continue to be an Early Learning to Year 12 campus.

You may be aware of our unprecedented enrolment growth these past few years, and we are delighted to be able to prepare for continued growth with the addition of another Catholic schooling option in the region. We will continue to keep you informed as the planning for this exciting new school progresses, and we will engage all our community in the journey ahead. More information can be found on our College website, along with the ability for families to register their interest in this exciting venture. 

It was a pleasure to join the Year 11 and 12s in wek 3 for their Learning Community Mass along with Homeroom Teachers and members of the parish. Fr. Phillip in his homily reflected on how our world can be changed if we regularly acknowledge the infinite value and worth of every individual. While for many of us, we aspire to go about our daily lives with this ambition in mind, the unfortunate reality in our society is that there are many people who have been marginalised through war, displacement, domestic violence and other means. The only true antidote for this is to respect the infinite worth of every individual, and for our actions to reflect that sense of respect. At our College, respectful relationships is at the heart of our shared community commitment and informs all of our interactions on a daily basis.

In recent weeks, 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 the Link Up.

There is an underlying commonality in all 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!

Throughout Weeks 5 and 6, students will be in the termly Pulse Check In, which enables every student in our community to reflect on their sense of belonging, safety, and agency at school. Critically, this data is used to inform our wellbeing and learning programs and ultimately lead to improved outcomes for our students. I encouarge parents and caregivers to have a conversation with your child about the importance of having a voice in our community.

CYBERSAFE FAMILIES

There has been a significant amount of media attention in recent weeks regarding the impact of social media on childhood development. Without question, the cyberworld is a tricky landscape for a young person to navigate, let along parents and caregivers who are grappling with a desire to enable their child to connect with friends online while maintaining strong safety parameters.

The Catholic Schools Parents Association are running an event in June that I would encourage all of our families to participate in. Mr. Todd Murfitt is a former teacher and principal in Catholic schools in South Australia and has a unique perspective of ICT and cyber safety. I'm sure our community will gain a great deal from engaging with Todd's expertise on this topic.

For more information, please access the flyer.

All the best.

James Gill
Deputy Principal - Community and Wellbeing

Term 2 has started strongly and, despite the cooler temperatures, the weather has been fantastic for staff and students to engage in a range of teaching and learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. From the first day of term students have ‘hit the ground running’ in their learning and extra-curricula activities, with a variety of excursions, sports activities and guest speakers supplementing the learning experiences taking place within the classroom.

Our Stage 2 Legal Studies students have had visits from both Rebekha Sharkie and Joshua Teague, our musicians have travelled to Mt Gambier and performed brilliantly at the Generations in Jazz festival. Junior School students have been engaged in Connection to Country excursions (Year 2), an AFL football knockout competition (Year 5/6 boys) and this week some of our Year 4-6 students represented St Francis at the Barker Cross Country competition. Our Year 11 students also engaged in their Year 11 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 positive reflection about self, others, and God.

As a College, we are proud of the wide and varying array of learning opportunities available to our students, and the manner in which they actively engage in these experiences. I continue to encourage all students, with the support of their teachers and families, to set high achievement goals, to push themselves towards their next level of their learning and to continue striving for their best.

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week was celebrated in week 3 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 2024, the week continued with the theme of ‘#LoveMyCatholicSchool’, celebrating the excellent teaching and learning that takes place in Catholic schools every day. 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.

Congratulations to our Science Department

The Science Teachers Association (SASTA) recently selected St Francis de Sales College as a 2024 SASTA Science Active School. The Science Active School Program is an initiative by SASTA to recognise and promote schools that show a high level of engagement in science education within and beyond the classroom. Science Active Schools support and encourage the professional learning of their Science teachers/ESO’s through their involvement with, and support of, SASTA. We know that our teachers have a unique capacity to promote excitement about science and impact student outcomes in this important subject area, and this award is great recognition and acknowledgement of the tremendous dedication, innovation and engagement of our St Francis de Sales College teaching staff within Science Education. Congratulations to everyone involved.

SACOME Digital Technologies Career Learning Pilot 

We have recently started our engagement with the SACOME Digital Technologies Career Learning Pilot, run in partnership with Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) and SACOME. This is an exciting pilot program that provides the College with extensive cutting-edge Digital Technologies resources; support and training for teachers to teach the Digital Technologies curriculum; and robust and exciting learning programs for our students across the Primary Year Levels.

This week St Francis welcomed Mr. Blair Boyer, Minister for Education, Training and Skills, along with CESA, SACOME and Hillgrove Resources representatives to the College to observe some of our Year 2 and Year 6 students actively engaged in this exciting digital technology learning. The Year 2 students demonstrated their skills in basic coding principles using Beebots, and our Year 6 students, their skills with the program Blockly to program robotic cars. SACOME will launch their pilot program in SA using footage of St Francis staff and students taken during their visit.

Congratulations to all the students and staff involved in this exciting innovation within our College.

Academic Integrity Procedures

We are currently reviewing and updating several Policies and Procedures related to Teaching and Learning and have recently completed work on our 7-12 Academic Integrity Procedures. This is a living document that will be used by the St Francis de Sales College community to promote successful academic practice and a College culture that actively encourages academic integrity. This procedure embraces and reinforces the principles and attributes expressed as Heart Values, with a particular focus on Integrity, Justice and Respect. The procedures provide guidance to students, teachers and parents about appropriate assessment practices including, meeting deadlines, correct citation of sources, the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and acceptable/unacceptable assistance. This procedure can be accessed by parents on the College’s website.

All the best for the coming weeks and the completion of a successful Term 2.

Paul Wadsworth
Deputy Principal - Learning

College Day & Project Compassion

We concluded last Term on such a high, in great celebration of who we are as a College, with our annual College Day. This day was also the culmination of our generous fundraising for Caritas Project-Compassion during Term 1. Our liturgy to start the day, beautifully unpacked our heritage in the Mercy Sister narrative and the life of St Francis de Sales. Our students then had the opportunity to have some fun with their friends on the jumpy-castles, sporting activities, and the Walkathon.

College Day concluded with the famous ‘Talent Show’, which was extremely entertaining! I’d like to acknowledge all of the students who applied to be in the Talent Show. We had 42 Acts apply and we needed 10 Acts on the day. It takes an enormous amount of courage to perform on stage in front of the whole College, so I sincerely commend all students who applied. Thank you too, to the staff who braved it, and took part in the Talent Show – I’m sure the students appreciated it!

There were some prize winners on the day, and I congratulate them on their efforts. They are:

• Best Dressed (R-6):  Layla and Marlee Hill
• Best Dressed (7-12):  Wildcats Group (Yr 12)
• Best Dressed (Staff):  Charlie Wyatt and Harry Cates
• Talent-Show prize winners: Max Ireland, Massimo Mora, Alec McKinlay, James Bell, Lachlan Anderson, and Mrs Plumridge’s staff-group

This year’s College Day was the first time that we merged the Walkathon into it. As a College community we did an absolutely tremendous job at raising funds for Project Compassion through the Walkathon and other activities/donations. The amount we raised is certainly a record for our College. We raised a total of $21,764.15. Thank you so much for your generosity! This will assist so many people in great need. In terms of our House Competition for this fundraiser, the Houses are listed below in order of highest amount raised, to lowest: Savoy, Geneva, Lyon, and Padua

So many people were involved in the organisation and preparation of College Day. I won’t name people, as I’m sure I’ll leave people out. Thank you to all our staff, parent volunteers, and student leaders for your wonderful assistance in the lead up, and on the day.

Year-of-Prayer 2024

The Pope has announced that 2024 is the ‘Year-of-Prayer’, where we are invited to focus more intently on prayer and what it means for us. As part of this focus, the students in Year 1 have listened to a beautiful story called 'Can I Pray with my Eyes Open' by Susan Taylor Brown. It is a story about a little girl asking where and how she can pray to God. 

The Year 1 students reflected on the times and places the little girl prayed to God and also reflected on the times and places they can pray to God. Wonderful work!

Mother's Day

In the month of May we obviously celebrate all mothers and mother-figures, and acknowledge the amazing-ness of all they are and do. We also remember mothers who are no longer with us and keep them in our prayers. Of course, during the month of May, we remember in a very special way as Catholics, Mary mother of Jesus, and the significant role she played in the narrative of our faith.

The Parent-Community-Group hosted our annual Mother’s Day Stall earlier this term, and I thank Lia Hooper, Aisha Sirop, and Emma Stewart for volunteering their time to facilitate the stall for a full school day. The stall enabled many students to select a gift item that their mothers would love unwrapping and using on Mother’s Day. The stall made $2,330.90 which will be used by the Parent-Community-Group for activities to support and engage parents within our College community. If you would like to join the Parent Community Group, or want more information about it, please contact the Chair, Lia Hooper at lia.hooper@news.com.au

Vinnies Winter Appeal

As you are aware, this term our charity focus is the Vinnies Winter Appeal, which includes our Vinnies Sleep-Out. 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 basket to put their donations in. For our College, Friday Week 9 will be the close of the Vinnies Winter Appeal and the last day for people to donate items. Thanks in advance for your support of this Appeal and your generosity.

All donations are welcome, however Vinnies has informed us that the following items are most needed:

• Tinned and packaged soups
• Tinned meats
• Packaged pasta
• Biscuits (sweet and dry)
• Tinned vegetables,
• Vegemite
• Peanut butter
• Jams
• Coffee and teas
• Any kind of toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorants and soaps.

The Vinnies Sleep-Out will be held on Wednesday 26^th June, and include dinner, team activities during the evening, input from a guest speaker, and the sleep-out overnight on the Junior School Deck in cardboard boxes. The next morning, the participants will have breakfast at ‘Breakfast Club’ and then get ready for the school day. As part of the Sleep-Out, all participants are required to collect sponsors or donations from people, for their efforts. The Vinnies Sleep-Out is open to students in Years 6-12 and staff. If you are interested in participating in this, please email me for more information.

Year 11 Retreat

In Week 3 of this term, we held our Year 11 Retreat at Mylor Baptist Campsite. I congratulate the Year 11 students for their engagement in this Retreat, and thank the staff Branden Hill, Ros Mattner, Emma Toohey, Tim Dornan, and Jade Pace for their commitment to this experience.

“Led by the insightful guidance of Sam Clear, the Year 11 cohort listened to his incredible stories about how he walked across the world for unity. Through this retreat we were faced with challenges such as the giant swing, high ropes and archery. However, personally for me reflection was the hardest. I was taken outside of my comfort zone by being asked to step back and think, this helped me think more about the person I want to become in life. Sam Clear supported us to reflect on how we as students react in situations, what our conditions are in life and how to find our belonging. Sam clear walked 15,500km, went through 20 countries all in 568 days, driven by a mission to create Christian Unity. Risking his life, Sam faced life changing challenges on his journey. He mentioned he wanted to quit, but his relationship with God kept him going. Through the lens of growth, belonging and flourishing, he shared how he kept positive through tough times, and he helped us reflect on how life may be, by using challenging activities with us. He highlighted how our reactions in situations can create different outcomes. For many, the highlight of the retreat was the opportunity to conquer fears and push beyond comfort zones, whether this was through the thrill of archery or the soaring thrill of the giant swing. Personally, for me my highlight was connecting with my friends at the bonfire at night, where we spent time as a cohort socializing and toasting marshmallows under a starlit sky. I hope my fellow peers enjoyed this time of reflection and learning as much as I did.”

Ruby Vears, Year 11 Student

Laudato-Si Week

During Week 4, we celebrated Laudato-Si Week within our Catholic Church.

Laudato-Si is an encyclical written by Pope Francis about the deep need for all of humanity to ‘care for our common home’ – our planet and all people, creatures and natural wonders that live on it. 

Our College acknowledged this in a practical way. Each homeroom was given a potted native-Australian plant to look after during Laudato-Si Week. During this time, Homeroom Teachers had the opportunity to direct students to engage with the messages in Laudato-Si and discuss/reflect on its impact in their lives and within our community. The plant was used as a symbol on prayer-tables to focus this message, and in some cases, students researched information about their particular plant – and gave it a name!.

The ‘naming’ of the plant is interesting, as it reminds me of the quote from Jacques Cousteau, “You can’t save what you don’t love, and you can’t love what you don’t know.”

Wednesday 5 June is International Environment Day. On this day, a ceremony will be held at the College that involves the planting of these seedlings in the garden bed near the Year 3/4 building. A representative from each homeroom will be involved in this planting ceremony. This connection with and planting of these seedlings, is hopefully a small way that we can continue to build deeper relationships with our natural world.

Pentecost

We recently celebrated Pentecost within our Liturgical Calendar.  This acknowledges the time after Jesus' ascension into heaven, when his followers were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were given the ability to be able to communicate to people from all nations and spread the Good News message of Jesus Christ. It is viewed as the birthday of the Christian church.

On Thursday next week, there will be a whole-College Mass to celebrate this as a community. Students need to be in correct uniform for this Mass, with Year 7-12 wearing their blazer or Year 12 Jumper (not PE uniform).

Keep warm as we enter cooler weather ahead.

In Peace,

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

Welcome back to Term 2. It has been full steam ahead with our learning as the end of semester is fast approaching. There have been a number of exciting excursions and workshops our senior students have enjoyed since the last newsletter.

At the end of Term 1, a group of senior students and staff embarked on a 16-day Japan Study Tour. This tour provided a truly enriching cultural and historical experience. Our students and staff also formed lifelong connections with Sonobe High School during the five days they spent with their buddies and the school community.

The Stage 1 Biology students enjoyed a visit to Cleland to investigate and learn about biodiversity and conservation of endangered species.

The Stage 1 English students attended a Symphonie of the Bicycle theatre performance and several Year 10 and 11s also attended a poetry workshop run by old scholar and successful poet Natalie Prokopowicz.

Our Year 10 students were fortunate enough to attend the Careers and Employment Expo at Adelaide Showgrounds and came away with great ideas and enthusiasm for their futures.

As this term continues Years 9-11 students are conscious of exams being held in Week 8, so not only are they currently learning new content, but they are also learning how to revise what they have learnt this semester for their exams. The timetable for these exams will be emailed shortly. Students are reminded that the Workroom is available at lunchtimes if they are wishing to do some extra study or revision.

Kerin Tinnion
7-12 Director of Learning

#one – It’s a Sweet Disposition – Upcoming Dance Performance

Wednesday 12 June, Week 7, Term 2 is the date to mark in your calendar for the Semester 1 Dance production – #one – It’s a Sweet Disposition. This performance will showcase the talents of the 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 12 June in the Sports Centre (due to the redevelopment of the Performance Arts area) at 1:45pm, with an evening performance for parents and friends at 6:15pm. Although there should be adequate seating, bookings will still be required and will open at the beginning of Week 6…bring the whole gang and be thoroughly entertained! Please keep an eye out for the booking information, which will be sent via email.

On behalf of the Semester 1 Dance students, we thank you for your support of the performing arts and look forward to sharing the incredible talent that is amongst us at St Francis de Sales College at the Dance production of #one – It’s a Sweet Disposition.

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

Peta Bojanic
R-12 Dance and Senior Drama Teacher

The Music Department certainly hit the ground running in Term 2 with 7 of our very talented Music Students travelling to Mt Gambier with our jazz combo ‘De Groove’ where they took part in the annual Generations in Jazz music festival but more about that later. As a final warm up for the big event, ‘De Groove’ headlined a very groovy ‘The Music Lunchbox’ lunchtime concert where our College ‘Pop Music’ band, ‘Heart n Soul’ also rocked out a couple of tunes.

Through our Junior Class Music programme, 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.

Should you be interested in having your child learn an instrument, please visit the following link for more information and to register your interest…spots are very limited at the moment as we currently have in excess of 120 students enjoying the expertise that our very talented instrumental tutors deliver each week, so your early registration is recommended.

St Francis de Sales College | Music

Our Year 5 classes are fully immersed in the Woodwind programme with the sounds of saxophones, clarinets and flutes emanating from Nicole Moxham’s classroom most days, and at other times you can hear the soothing sounds of the Year 3’s with their recorders together with beating percussion, soulful ukeleles and music through movement activities being enjoyed by other Junior Music classes.

At St Francis de Sales we like to start the musical journey early and we are fortunate to have Leanne Mibus who is our Reception / Year 1 specialist…each lesson, our students are introduced to another musical activity to grow their appreciation of what music has to offer.

When it comes to our Senior Classroom Music programme, Sarah Dodd has got the Year 7’s, 8’s and 9’s rockin’. The importance of continuing with a focus of music immersion through being able to experience the playing of a number of instruments will this year culminate in our very first, Year 9 Classroom Music ‘Review’, where the Year 9 Music Students will join other SFdS Senior Music students in presenting our Semester 1 Senior Music Concert on Tuesday 18 June, in the Function Room from 6:15pm. This is something that our students can now look forward to when choosing Music as an elective subject in Year 9.

It is never dull in the home of Music at St Francis de Sales College and we look forward to continue entertaining you, our College Community, this term.

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

7-12 Music Teacher

Barker District Athletics

On Thursday of Week 10, Term 1, we took a team of athletes from Year 4 – 6 to Cornerstone College, to compete in the Barker District Athletics Carnival. The students were fortunate to have amazing weather, and a number of students performed exceptionally. At the end of the day we won the overall Barker District shield. The best athletes from this carnival will be selected to represent Barker in the state-wide athletics carnival in Term 4.

Barker District Cross Country

On Tuesday of Week 2 a team of runners travelled to Woodside Recreation Grounds to compete in the Barker District Cross Country Carnival. It was a cold and drizzly morning, however the recent dry weather meant the ground was not as muddy as previous years. The students ran exceptionally well and came away with the Barker District Shield. The best runners have also been asked to represent Barker in the state-wide carnival in Week 6, and we wish them all the best.

5/6 Cricket

Towards the end of last term we had a boys and a girls team compete in the Interschool Cricket competitions. Our boys played against Stirling East PS in the first round, The boys batted first, and everyone contributed to the final score of 82. In the bowling the boys were again consistent and were able to bowl SEPS out for 68. They then progressed to the second round against Mitcham PS. This was a much tougher game and unfortunately the boys lost. The 5/6 girls team trained hard for their match but unfortunately were unable to get past Aldgate PS in the first round.

AFL (various year levels)

Week 3 saw three of our AFL teams compete in their various first round competitions. These teams have been training hard, and it has been particularly pleasing to see some of our older students take on the job of coaching our younger teams. Unfortunately, sickness and injury had an impact on all our teams and none of them have progressed past the first round. All players represented the college well and so are to be congratulated on their efforts.

7/8 Mountain Bike Championships

During Week 2 we had two teams of mountain bike riders travel to Sturt Reserve to compete among 400 other students in the School Sport SA Mountain Bike Championships. It was a tough day with three bikes going down but the students all performed magnificently, and had a fantastic time. A huge thank you to the parents who came along to support the students.

7/8 Futsal

Last week we took a team of enthusiastic soccer players to ARC Recreation Centre for a statewide futsal competition. The boys fought incredibly hard but were unfortunately unable to make it through to the next round. They persevered through some tough games and should be proud of their efforts.

SAPSASA Representatives

Over the course of Term 1and into Term 2 we have had a number of students in Years 5 and 6 selected to represent the Barker District in various sports and activities. This is a fantastic achievement and we would like to congratulate them all.

Swimming – Paige McSherry, Luke England, Leo Haputhanthiri, Ben Parham, Levi Officer

Softball – Walker Bubner

AFL – Mayer Pennell, Blake Massie, Jett Beeching

State Representatives

Throughout Term 1 we also had a number of students selected to represent South Australia in National Competitions. This is an outstanding achievement and we congratulate them all.

Netball – Harry Lovelock

Swimming – Gabriel Cregan

Basketball – Penzy Hocking, Elliott Duffield, Ethan MacDermott, Daisy Hocking

Softball – Zara Peterson

Knockout and Interschool Sporting Opportunities

Throughout the year we will continue to have a number of opportunities for students in Years 7 to 12 to trial for school representative teams. As these teams are nominated the coaches will place notices in SEQTA Notices with the relevant information for students. Parents can also keep an eye on SEQTA notices through SEQTA Engage. If there are ever any questions about these activities then please do not hesitate to send an email to Mrs Nadia Honner – nhonner@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au.

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

The reality of parenting in our world is perhaps different to how we dreamed. It’s still fantastic!  But it’s not easy.  And really, should we expect it to be?

Difficulties give opportunity to build resilience and stamina, where tenacity is essential to survive and learn the lessons being played out.  But there’s nothing more natural that I want to do as a father, then to try to make my child’s life easier and avoid difficulties where possible; to avoid those pitfalls I experienced, that I wish I could coach my younger self about.

I realised in my early adulthood that my parents - as wonderful as they are - didn’t have all the answers.  And it’s OK not to. It’s also OK to admit that we don’t have all the answers.  In fact, it’s a greater strength to acknowledge our limitations and the extent of our ignorance, and encourage our kids to see things with a critical eye for themselves.  It’s an opportunity to learn together.

It’s also OK to seek support and guidance from peers and others who might have some different insights.  But as dads, that can sometimes be tricky.

An Opportunity to Connect

Here at St Francis de Sales College, we’re continuing to build a network of fathers and father-figures, to act as a support group. But it’s not all about navigating difficulties; it’s also about creating opportunities for having fun and connecting with our kids and other dads.  

Have you heard of The Fathering Project?  It’s an organisation that St Francis de Sales College is affiliated with, to bring dads together with their kids through events at the College, to provide useful and insightful catch-ups that help you as a father-figure to get to know other dads at the school, and to spend quality time with your child. 

Or perhaps there’s something you want to share or get started and don’t know where to begin. 

We’ll be launching a questionnaire for the St Franics de Sales College fathers and father-figures so that we can get to know the kind of things you want to share, learn, understand better - and for ideas of fun events.  This will go some way to planning meaningful and valuable social catch-ups that are useful to you.

We won’t promise to have the answers, but we will endeavour to find someone who does!  Plus, we want to have some fun days of activities taking place throughout the year.  So watch out for that questionnaire, and send us your feedback.  We want your insight!

Roy Filer
St Francis de Sales College “The Fathering Project’

Savoy Room
In Savoy, we have provided children with more obvious zones of play to support all children in their different levels of development. This has included table activities, a home corner, a reading nook and climbing. As we completed our Term 1 inquiry in April, we reflected on our topic ‘Belonging in my environment’ and how children within our room demonstrated knowledge of our routines by observing how they could predict what would happen next.

We observed children building relationships with peers and educators which helps all children feel confident in the learning space. This was all evident as children have a stronger understanding of their emotions and can regulate them by communicating or self-soothing. Through our reflections, observations and discussions, our Term 2 inquiry will be ‘Environmental Changes’ in which educators will support children’s understanding of their environment and develop connections and contributions to their world.

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

1.1 Children feel safe secure and supported

1.3 Children develop knowledgeable and confident self-identities

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

2.1 Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

Padua Room
This school holidays have been lots of fun in the Padua space! We enjoyed making multiple volcanos and watching them explode. The ambulance was really cool! We enjoyed seeing the flashing lights, hearing the siren from a distance and having a look around. Some of us were brave enough to go on the bed and experience going in and out. Wheelie was the best by far! It was ‘wheelie’ fun! (Sorry I couldn’t help myself 😊) Nothing beats being able to bring a bike or scooter to ride around on with all your friends. We had lots of smiles and even some great helpers if we got stuck. For Art Day we decided to get a little messy. Making a collaborative artwork across two canvas’. We also made some poppies ready for an ANZAC Display. For our ANZAC celebration we had the opportunity to make ANZAC slice. This worked on our fine motor skills through pouring ingredients into the bowl and used our larger muscle groups to help mix it all together. Eating what we made was even better!!

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.

5.3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media.

Geneva Room
Wow, April has been a busy month in the Geneva room. We have extended our outdoor walks to the Wetlands, which the children are loving. Children have noticed the colour changes with the leaves, so we collected a large bunch to create our own Autumn tree in the learning space. Children have been learning about the life cycle of the moth, ours have now gone into their cocoons. To extend this experience further children have been using loose parts and silhouettes of different insects. During the School Holidays, we had lots of different experiences, children especially enjoyed the Ambulance visit and as always Wheelie Day was a massive hit.

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

2.4 - Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

4.1 - Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm persistence, imagination, and reflexivity

Lyon Room
During the holidays the children in Lyon have been looking at the work of the artist Mawalan Marinka from Yirrkala in the NT. They were inspired to tell their own stories through the medium of paint on bark. They also worked together to retell Mawalan's story as a collaboration on a huge piece of cardboard. This term the children will be going to the gym every day as we focus on developing our coordination and gross motor skills. The space in the gym allows the children to fully explore their large body movements and builds their confidence in preparation for a move to the reception classes later in the year.

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

2.1 Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

2.2 Children respond to diversity with respect

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

3.1 Children become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing

3.2 Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing

Lucy Palma
Head of ELC Operations Mount Barker