Link Up Term 3 Week 5 2021

As we have moved through a hectic and somewhat unpredictable first few weeks of term, there are some details regarding new staff, new staff appointments and new Board appointments I’d like to share with you. We have this term welcomed a new Reception Teacher, Rebecca Stewart, to work with our newest young people in the College, our Reception mid-year intake. Kerry Gray has also begun work with us in Year 5 replacing Brian Horan who is on leave for the remainder of the year. We very much welcome Rebecca and Kerry to our community; as we do Annie Steven on placement with us from the Flinders University Masters of Social Work Program, and a number of practicum teachers working with staff across our College community.

Most of our R-6 families would be aware of some of the changes in Leadership positions brought about when Rowan Thomas left us on secondment to St Joseph’s Murray Bridge. Rowan’s appointment at Murray Bridge has now been extended by the Director of Catholic Education through to the end of this year. We have been grateful to have Alice Taylor working in the role of Acting Director of Learning R-6, and to have been able to welcome Liz Stewart into our College community, on leave from Sacred Heart College, to fill Alice’s Year 3-6 Leader role and teaching position. I am delighted that both Alice and Liz will be able to continue in their acting positions during Rowan’s absence through to the end of the year.

The College Board has also welcomed two new members at its most recent meeting, co-opted until next year’s AGM. We welcome Thanuja Hiripitiyage and Mark Rogers, both parents of students in Reception. We congratulate Thanuja and Mark on their appointment to Board and thank them for their service to the community.

The building project being undertaken to complete the extension of our Reception learning neighbourhood was complicated by the state-wide lockdown and some procurement issues, but we were delighted to be able to move our youngest students into their new, expanded Learning Neighborhood during Week 3. Some external and finishing works to this project will continue over the weeks ahead.

As the final weeks of last term held many key event for us as a College: Year 7 to 12 exams in Week 8, our Year 4s away on camp in Week 9, our Faith in Action led Vinnies Sleepout in Week 10, along with the wonderful celebration of our music students at the 1st of July “Nocturnal Grooves” concert, the immediate weeks ahead in Term 3 also hold some major events. Key amongst them, delayed due to the lockdown in the early weeks of term, will be our Semester 1 Awards ceremonies and presentation of Heart Badges to our new students. We are very much looking forward to these great gatherings of celebration this Wednesday 18 August, which will be filmed for parents to be able engage with, given the current restrictions under which we continue to operate.

Sunday week ago was the celebration of the feast day of our Australian saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, was a reminder to us all of her great call to respond to need wherever we see it around us, emulating the “roll up the sleeves and get on with it” approach she exemplified in the establishment of her schools and her Order of the Josephite Sisters. That celebration was also followed last weekend by the Feast of the Assumption, honoring Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary is a source of inspiration to the Sisters of Mercy, the founders of our College. Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley, told her sisters that they “should always have the warmest and most affectionate devotion to Mary”, and that they should “regard Mary in a special manner as their Mother and the great model they are called to imitate”.  As we celebrated the Feast Day yesterday (Sunday 15 August), we also ask the Blessed Mother to be with us in our community focus on our 2021 Heart Value of Compassion, as we are called to live a life of service to others, by what we choose to do every day.

Gavin McGlaughlin
Principal

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS – COMMUNITER

The Tokyo Olympic Games were marvelous to watch and a reminder of the incredible ability of athletes who commit to their chosen sport. We witnessed tears of elation and despair, a plethora of personal bests and amazing feats of athleticism in a complete range of endeavors. Our Australian athletes were magnificent in their performances but also in their humility and there is so much inspiration that can come from these champions. The showcase that was beamed from Tokyo made for compulsive viewing and it was hard to believe that the whole event was staged during the pandemic. In spite of the heavy burden of COVID, the Tokyo Games will be remembered as much for the determination of the Japanese government and IOC to stage the Games as it was for the achievements of the athletes.

Steven Bradbury, Australia’s first ever Winter Olympics Gold Medalist, has an extraordinary story. His gold medal at Salt Lake City in 2002, was achieved in the most unusual of circumstances and remains perhaps the most unique victory in sport. However, the backstory to his success highlights the personal commitment, dedication, persistence and good fortune needed to make it at the highest possible level. Encouraging high performance is what teachers hope to achieve for all of their students. The same qualities of commitment, dedication, persistence and some good luck are needed for young people to be the best that they can be. Our path through the pandemic is littered with hurdles that impede the steady progress towards the achievement of goals but at least in 2021 we can be inspired by the Tokyo athletes who have performed faster (citius), higher (altius) and stronger (fortius) together (communiter) over weeks of the Games.

Our wellbeing is being tested like never before and as we limp through the final weeks of winter, we seek solace in the impending warmth of the Spring sunshine in the hope that our avoidance of the ills of the pandemic is sustained. As a community we are showing incredible resistance and cooperation with the government leaders. Let this too be an inspiration to our young people to become positive, informed and gracious role models for one another and may our learning community at St Francis de Sales continue to prosper throughout 2021 in spite of the obstacles in our way.

It is wonderful to be writing this Link Up article while looking at our St Francis students from my office window. It reminds me of the gratitude that so many us feel about actually being back at school after the snap lockdown earlier this term! This sentiment was shared by students, staff and families alike as we recognised the value of the Online Learning Program, whilst also acknowledging that it could not replace the face-to-face connections at school. Thank you to everyone who pivoted swiftly and flexibly to the need to learn from home and to the families who responded afterwards to the survey about the online learning experience. We hope and pray that, unlike our eastern counterparts, we can remain out of lockdown, but can be reassured that structures are in place should the need arise.

We look forward to celebrating the Semester 1 achievements of our students with the Awards Assemblies finally happening this week. Although current restrictions do not allow families to join us in person, we will again be recording the events and making the videos available via links for a period of time for you to enjoy. A special part of the ceremony will include welcoming new students and staff (who have joined since the beginning of the year) with a St Francis de Sales Heart Badge. Welcome to our family!

As the term progresses, we also look forward to sharing your child’s 2021 progress during the upcoming Learning Reviews (7-12) and Tours of Learning (R-6). These are significant opportunities for teachers, students and parents to collaboratively discuss successes, challenges and areas for growth and we encourage all parents to book for these events as the information is sent out to the various communities.

I, like many of the students, have had enough of the winter weather and am looking skyward in hope of more blues skies and sunshine! I send my best wishes for the weeks ahead and for the safety and wellbeing of our St Francis de Sales community as well as those in other states and countries.

Go gently in these turbulent times and God bless.

Sonia Nelson
Deputy Principal Learning

Feast Day of Mary Mackillop

As a Catholic Church, we recently celebrated the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop on Sunday 8 August. Being our first Australian saint, we acknowledge the great example that Mary MacKillop is for us today, and thank her for the work she did to begin Catholic education in Australia. Her work, mission, and legacy continues with the Sisters of St Joseph and their associated schools and agencies.

Vinnies Winter Appeal

Thank you to all families, students, and staff for your generosity in the Term 2 Vinnies Winter Appeal. As a community we donated 28 large baskets full of donated food and toy items and seven wheelie bins full of clothing. A splendid effort, which Vinnies and the College greatly appreciates.

Vinnies Sleepout

Last Term, on Wednesday 30 June the Vinnies Sleepout was held, and it was a great success! The participants had an opportunity to learn more about homelessness in our communities, and to experience a glimpse of what it might be like to sleep outside in the cold. We are grateful to have had Umes Acharya join us to give a presentation and facilitate a giant board game, based on the challenges that many people struggle with in our community. Umes is an employee of St Vinnies, and his job is to work with schools and Vinnies youth groups.

I congratulate the following students who participated in the Sleepout. They are: Eva Hoelscher, Jasmine Henderson, Lainie Jackson, Asha Newham, Alya Wamayi, Rachel Morris, Holly Paech, Caitlin Batge, Lucy Carrol, Joseph Schembri, Nathan Sachse, Alyssa Virgara, Courtney Cram, Alaska Mules, Jacqueline Voltz, Max Maher, and Sophie McCallum. 

A very sincere thank you to the staff who were able to be at the activity sessions for the Sleepout. They are: Sr Shiji, Carol Jarell, Sam Sachse, Alisha Foyle, Tahlie Jones, and Gavin McGlaughlin. Special thanks to Tahlie and Sam who were able to sleepover and also assist with Breakfast Club the next morning. We were fortunate to have Kayla Riddle, Molly Wheatley, Madeleine Lipscombe, and Amara Rourke assist in cooking a pancake breakfast at 7:30am as the participants woke up. Thank you to the Maintenance Team who assisted in the set-up of the sleepout space. We appreciate it!

The participants of the Sleepout raised $403.50 as sponsorship for their efforts, which has gone to Vinnies.

‘Hungry No More’

Each year the Year 11 and 12 students and College staff are given the opportunity to volunteer service to the Mount Barker community through ‘Hungry No More’. The Hungry No More program is run by the Mount Barker Uniting Church, and our College has been involved in it for a number of years. It allows several different organisations and groups to provide a warm home cooked meal to the those doing it tough every Sunday night. As senior students we are privileged to have the opportunity to volunteer our time and offer service, food and smiles to these families and individuals.

During the July school holidays, three Year 12 students, along with our mums were able to help by assisting in preparing and serving meals with the local church volunteers, of whom have been doing meals every Sunday for the past 20 years. This is a great experience and I have had the opportunity to volunteer twice this year. It provides the chance to get to know the larger Mount Barker community as well increase our desire to serve and help those in need. Everyone shows such gratitude and we have met many friendly people through offering our service to this caring program. We were grateful for the warm appreciation that was shown by many who we served and are thankful that the college provides such great opportunities to serve and show compassion to those within our community.

Kayla Riddle
College Captain

Year 8 Reflection Day

This week, our Year 8 students experienced their Reflection Day. The focus was our College Heart Value theme for this year – Compassion. Students had the opportunity to be involved in physical activities which highlighted the value of compassion, and discussed their reflections in small groups as well as larger group settings. Through these activities and others, including a meditation, we assisted the students to journey through being compassionate to self, compassionate to others, and living compassion to fulfil what God desires for us. I thank the staff who attended the Reflection Day and assisted in the facilitation of it. They are Sr Shiji, Morven Henderson, Adam Schembri, Amy Ashley, and Sarah Hoffman.

College Day and International Mercy Day

This term, our College community has the opportunity to celebrate our achievements and celebrate who we are. College Day is a wonderful way to do this!

College Day is being held on Wednesday 22 September of Week 10, and will follow a similar format to previous years with an Opening Liturgy, House based outdoor activities and stalls, and concluding with the Talent Show. This is also our main fundraising opportunity this term, with all money rasied going to Catherine House, which is an organisation that provides accommodation and support services for women experiencing homelessness in south Australia. We have chosen this charity to fundraise for, as it too was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, as was our College. On the day, each student is asked to bring a gold coin to add to our fundraising drive and to also come dressed in the College Day theme, which will be announced shortly. Students will also have the opportunity to buy items or experiences through Stalls on the day, with all money collected from the stalls also going to Catherine House.

On the last day of this term (Friday 24 September of Week 10), we celebrate International Mercy Day. On the day all students will experience a drama performance in the Sports Centre by external group, Starr Productions. The play is about the life of Catherine McAuley and how she began the order of the Sisters of Mercy. As well as being entertaining for the students, this will provide a tangible insight into the life of Catherine McAuley and into the heritage of our College.

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

Welcome!

This term we warmly welcome two new staff to our R-6 community. Rebecca Stewart and Kerry Gray have joined our Reception and Year 5 communities, respectively. We would also like to extend a very warm welcome to the many new students who have started with us this term right across out R-6 community. It has been particularly lovely to see all of our very new Reception students begin their schooling journey with us. 

It has been a very exciting time for both students and parents in our Reception community to see our new learning space taking shape over the last few weeks. It was fantastic to see our new Receptions settling into their beautiful classroom space within the Reception Learning Community in the Meya Watta Building last week after a much-anticipated completion of the build. We know that these facilities will enrich many learning opportunities for our students, and we look forward to seeing lots of learning and play take place, utilising all the different modes of learning that these spaces allow us to provide for our students.

Year 4 Camp

In Week 9, Term 2, our Year 4 students attended the Mylor Baptist Camp in the Adelaide Hills. Despite the wet and chilly conditions, the students had an amazing time challenging themselves and building resilience and teamwork skills. Some of the activities students had the opportunity to participate in were the flying fox, giant swing, raft making, archery, bridge building and a very wet and muddy challenge obstacle course. In the evenings, we were lucky enough for the weather to hold out so that we could toast some marshmallows around the campfire and enjoy the many talents of our Year 4 students with the talent show. A great time was had by all! 

"I liked the Challenge Course because we had to work as a team to get to the end. One of the obstacles I enjoyed was the mud pit, but it was cold." - Georgia Vickers 

"I liked the Giant Swing because I could challenge myself and I could build up my confidence by going as high as I could. My favourite bit was when I pulled the blue bead, I felt an exhilarating adrenaline rush!" - Spencer Leonard 

"The Flying Fox was fun. It was very high and long. I spun around when I was going down." - Joel Smith 

"We had a Talent Show. I liked seeing everyone’s talent in the performance. My group did the Baby Shark song." - Zara Peterson 

Alice Taylor
Acting R-6 Director of Learning
E-6 Literacy Leader

On Thursday, 1 July our Year 5 classes had the exciting opportunity to join with the Year 4 and 5 classes from St Catherine’s School for our annual Celebration of Learning day. 

This was a great opportunity for our students to make new friends, try new subjects, and to explore the learning spaces of the College that they might not necessarily have the chance to visit. 

A number of teachers from Years 7-12 coordinated a series of workshops for their subject, to engage the curiosity and interest of our younger students. These including Japanese, Dance, Science, Art, Basketball, and Design and Technology. The engaging workshops also provided a great opportunity for our Year 7-12 students to show leadership and connect with their younger peers: 

“The morning as a whole was an enlightening experience as we were able to work with younger students and introduce them to the concept of lights in science. I enjoyed it a lot.” – Alana Adams

“It was a very enjoyable morning helping the younger students with their endeavours.” – Macy Fox

All of the students involved represented their school and our Heart Values with pride.

An enormous 'thank you' to all those involved who helped us to celebrate learning at St Francis de Sales.

Jacob Robson
7-12 Director of Learning
HASS Learning Area Specialist

Auskick

Week 3 of this term saw the beginning of our St Francis de Sales Auskick Program, which runs on Thursdays from 3:30pm – 4:30pm. Over 30 Junior School students participated in a range of AFL drills and activities, all expertly coached by a number of senior student coaches. These sessions will continue for the rest of the term and we hope the competitors will continue to have fun and learn new skills. If anyone else is interested in joining in for the rest of the program then please email Nadia Honner at nhonner@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au

Knockout and Interschool Sport

The beginning of Term 3 has seen a disrupted to start to Knockout and Interschool Sport with a number of competitions and events being postponed. We wish our teams all the best as the games commence later this term, and I want to especially thank all the coaches and managers for their assistance in the many events. Keep an eye on our next Link Up for results and photos.

Continuing throughout the year we will have more opportunities for students in Years 6 to 11 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 for all the latest sports information. If there are ever any questions about these activities please email Nadia Honner at nhonner@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au.

Nadia Honner 
E-12 Learning Area Specialist - Health and Physical Education and Specialist Sport Coordinator

Semester 1 Music Concert – Nocturnal Grooves

On Thursday 1 July, our Music Department held their annual Semester 1 Concert, this year named “Nocturnal Grooves”.

This group of talented students from Years 5-12 were amazing, many of them performing in multiple ensembles and a number on multiple instruments. Each year, they get better and better.

Almost entirely student-run, this event is an opportunity for our ensemble members and our Senior Music Class to celebrate their learning and achievements over two terms.

Huge congratulations to Bec Page for her work with all the vocal ensembles and for her guidance with the band ensembles, and to our Band Leader, Karen Redman, who works tirelessly arranging spectacular pieces, tailored to each student, for our students to play and experience great success with.

Congratulations to all on a fabulous evening; we’ve never sounded better! We’re exceptionally proud of this special group of students.

Our special thanks go to:

• Bec Page and Karen Redman – they’re amazing!
• Lucas Rutter – lighting, promo and much more
• Joseph Schembri – sound desk
• The R-12 Music Captains - Bella Jenke and Lucas Pantano
• The Ensemble Music Captains – Lucas Rutter, Nathan Sachse, Max Maher, Tilly Lovelock and Harry Lovelock
• Nadia Honner and Karen Boswell for front/back of house assistance
• Gavin McGlaughlin for making his day even longer to help out
• Property Maintenance and the ICT team
• Our parents, friends and families for their support.

As always, please direct any questions about Music, instrumental lessons, and ensembles to music@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au

A reminder that there are vacancies within our Instrumental Program. Please head to our Beyond the Classroom webpage for more information.

Yours in Music,

Emily Lovelock
Music Support

The Parent Community Group (PCG) continues to meet monthly, busily organising upcoming events and continuing to work on ongoing initiatives.

Our last meeting was again thrust back to online with the latest COVID restrictions. The weather had taken a turn for the worst during that week, so it was good we could all stay indoors and stay safe at home.

Frankie’s Café has been open fortnightly on a Friday throughout the term and has been successfully attended. Due to its success, we have had discussions around opening weekly. Frankie’s Café relies solely on volunteers, and it is a wonderful way to catch up, meet new families and enjoy a specially brewed coffee. However, we require extra volunteers to support extra open days and to help maintain the success of the café. If you are available and would like to volunteer at Frankie’s Café, please contact us via the email below for more information.

Due to the current restrictions and the recent lockdown, Frankie’s Café has been unable to open - we are still planning in readiness for when we can. We will advise of upcoming dates when restrictions allow.

We welcome new members at any time throughout the year and are always looking for new ideas. We value all contributions. Our next meeting will be held Tuesday 17 August at 6:30pm. If you would like to join us for this online meeting, please email Sue Werts at PCG@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au.

We would like to thank everyone for their continued support.

Sue Werts
Chair of the Parent Community Group