Link Up Term 3 Week 8 2021

As we approach the final weeks of Term 3, we look back over an eventful month that has included some weeks focused on key elements of learning within the College, Science Week in Week 5 and Book Week in Week 7. As always, these celebrations of learning provide great opportunities for our staff to focus student attention on the importance of these two key areas to our curriculum, their learning and post school life.

The Book Week Parade for our R-6 students was of course a highlight of Book Week and a source of great joy for all involved.

Other celebrations of learning that were unavoidably delayed until mid-term were our R-6 and 7-12 Semester 1 Award Presentations. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to recognise students outstanding academic performance and academic endeavor during Semester 1 and additionally recognise those students who have most passionately lived out our 2022 focus Heart Value of Compassion. A full list of award recipients can be found in Latest News.

That Heart Value of Compassion was also the focus for our Staff Reflection Day held last Friday at Saint Paul’s Monastery, Glen Osmond. Our staff were led by Passionist Priest, Fr Denis Travers, in a journey that considered the Life and Passion of Jesus and how it relates today to our call to live lives of Compassion.

Over the last few months the College has been preparing for its five yearly Review of Registration by the Education Standards Board. Submission of documentation to evidence each of the Standards was supported recently by a site visit to the College by members of the Board. We look forward to having a official response regarding our review process in the not too distant future.

In this National Child Protection Week, our College staff have undertaken update training in “Responding to Risk of Harm Abuse and Neglect – Education Settings”. This training for all staff and volunteers is one way that we fulfill our role as mandatory notifiers and ensure that we are all acting to maintain the safety and security of the young people in our care. Over the last twelve months the College has participated in a program introduced by Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) to support young people in care, and I was delighted yesterday to be invited, as a representative of our CESA schools, to attend the Department for Child Protection’s Award Ceremony, where Catholic Education was recognised for its delivery of this program. CESA was recognised over other finalists in the category “Provision of Improved Educational Learning Outcomes for Children in Care”. This award recognised over two hundred young people who are now placed in more than sixty of our Catholic schools across South Australia, and St Francis de Sales is proud to have fifteen of these young people in our community, more than any other Catholic school in the state. We are proud to be contributing to the wellbeing and learning of these young people and are thankful for the great gift that it has been to have each one of them adding to who we are as a community. The same can certainly be said of the wonderful people who are providing care and a family setting filled with unending and unconditional love to these young people, and who we are now proud to have as part of our parent community.

Gavin McGlaughlin
Principal

Are you OK?

It is a question we ask almost daily when we see the need. A short three word question that can be abbreviated to four letters - R U OK? It is not just the question that is important but also the follow up to the response to the question. This year’s R U OK? Day campaign explores this even more deeply with theme:

Are they really OK? Ask them today.

Rather than gloss over a standard reply, asking someone if they are ok has some responsibility. It is inviting them into a conversation. In that case, you need to be prepared for what the reply might be to this loaded question. The 2021 R U OK? campaign suggests the following:

• Ask
• Listen
• Encourage action
• Check in

The following clips are being used in classes this week to promote R U OK? Day.

R-6:
http://youtu.be/09qk0lXTfi4
http://youtu.be/KEKhTSagJ3I

7-12:
http://youtu.be/Q4Db28pEGzQ

Pulse Check In

Each term, under the direction of Catholic Education SA, our students complete the Pulse Check In. This a wellbeing and engagement survey that Homeroom teachers administer with their class via a website. Our students respond using the sliding scale NOT VERY OFTEN/SOMETIMES/MOST OF THE TIME (for R-3 it is an emoji) to the following statements:

R-3
My teacher cares for me.
I enjoy school.
I have friends at school.
My teachers help when I have problems.
I can have a say in my learning.
I feel safe at school.
I feel I belong in this school.

Year 4-12
I currently feel I matter to my teacher.
I currently feel that I am thriving at this school.
Currently I feel that I have positive relationships at this school.
When asked, my teacher supports me in managing friendship issues.
I feel that my learning needs are being met.
I am actively involved in co-constructing my learning.
I am feeling safe at this school.
I feel that I belong in this community.

The data is collated electronically and used by teachers and leaders to identify students who may be requiring encouragement or additional support. Having commenced these Check Ins in 2020, students and staff are familiar with the process and the data is having increasing meaning and relevance.

Given these trying and unpredictable times, the focus on wellbeing and engagement at school is extremely important. At St Francis de Sales, we are committed to doing all that we can for our students so that they can continue to feel supported and emboldened to take on their daily challenges.

Paul Fairlie
Depty Principal - Community and Wellbeing

It has been wonderful to feel the warmth of a bit more sunshine over the last few weeks! Spring is here and students are actively moving around the College with more energy and enthusiasm. As I visit classrooms across R-12, students are engaged in a wide variety of learning activities as they work to complete tasks in readiness for end of term. Thank you to students and families in Years 7-12 who took the opportunity to engage in conversations with teachers during the recent Learning Reviews. The upcoming Tours of Learning in R-6 will provide a chance for our younger students to share work samples, insights and reflections on the year so far. Parents often comment on how special it is to have their child proudly display and discuss aspects of their personal learning journeys.

Trial exams are also pending for some of our Year 12 students, whilst others in the College are busy with sport, excursions, practicals, investigations and assignments. Years 7-12 parents are encouraged to continue to access SEQTA Engage as a way of staying in touch with your child’s learning; with timetables, lesson details, resources, feedback and grades readily available. Reports for these year levels will again be distributed via SEQTA this term. If you should ever require support with SEQTA access or use, please contact the College and we will we happy to help!

As I write this from my office I can see staff putting up more banners for R U OK? day. With activities planned for the day, it is a timely reminder for us all to be more aware of our own personal and mental health requirements, but also to reach out to others that may need our kind words, deeds, or perhaps just a simple ‘check in’. My continued prayers and best wishes for every member of our St Francis de Sales community. Go well, go gently and God bless.

Sonia Nelson
Deputy Prinicapl - Learning

"Let me shoulder your burden" Staff Reflection Day

Last Friday, 3 September, we attended our annual Staff Reflection Day, which was held at The Monastery at Urrbrae. The theme was "Let me shoulder your burden", which unpacked in great detail, the last few days of Jesus’ life on Earth through the lens of our 2021 Heart Value theme of Compassion. The day was facilitated by Passionist priest, Fr Denis Travers, who did a tremendous job at taking us deep into the world and life of Jesus, to then bring out the threads of Compassion within. We were fortunate to have the weather on our side in the afternoon, which allowed us to walk the Stations of the Cross in small groups, within the Sacred Garden on the site of The Monastery. The stations are beautifully created and detailed marble statues placed speartely within the garden, which really set the tone and atmosphere needed to experience them genuinely.

College Day

On Wednesday 22 September, Week 10, we celebrate and acknowledge our patron St Francis de Sales and also Catherine McAuley, through College Day. The day will begin with a liturgy focused on our patron, then move into House-based activities on the oval including jumpy castles, and then end with the famous Talent Show. It’s a funfilled and community building day! The dress-up theme for the day is R-6: Fluro Colours and Year 7-12: 1970s/1980s. We look forward to see the creative costumes! All students are required to give a gold coin donation on the day, which will go towards our fundraising for Catherine House. Students may also need to bring money to buy things from the Stalls if they wish.

Ecological Conversion

The Vinnies Faith-In-Action (FIA) group have for quite some time been focused on looking after our natural environment, and truly living out our call to be custodians of the earth based on the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato-Si, “Yet we are called to be instruments of God, so that our planet might be what God desired when God created it”. Each week members from the group assist Sr Shiji and Sam Sachse to collect the 10-cent deposit drink containers and soft plastics from our external rubbish bins and bag it ready for recycling. Working alongside the Vinnies FIA Group, the College also has a Staff Ecology Group which consists of staff who are passionate about the natural environment and taking care of it. The staff group have implemented the purchase of more external wheelie bins at the College, so that there is more opportunity for students to use the correct bin from the set of four colour-coded bins per station. Other items that are being discussed as possibilities by the group at the moment, is a College-wide energy audit and the creation of a butterfly garden to attract butterflies and be habitat for other wildlife too. Watch this space!

Our Year 7s continued this theme of caring for our Earth, in their recent Reflection Day. The Year 7 cohort spent the morning at Laratinga Wetlands to be immersed in the beauty of the natural environment. One of the activities we did there was taking part in a guided tour of the wetlands, by Emma Montgomery from the Mount Barker Council. This was very informative. We then walked to the Adelaide Hills Recreation Centre for the remainder of the Reflection Day, where we explored the key aspects of Laudato-Si in more detail and looked at practical ways in which the Year 7 cohort could be intentional about looking after the environment in a visible way at the College. One idea which we may explore further is a ‘nude-food’ day in Term 4. We were also fortunate to have Jo Hendrikx from KESAB join us as a guest speaker in the afternoon, to discuss with us the finer details of recycling.

Australian Catholics

For 25 years, Australian Catholics has been helping bring faith to life in Catholic schools and parish communities. Their print publication and online resources explore Catholicism in today’s world, helping schools deepen and extend their faith formation activities.

Our College has purchased a subscription of Australian Catholics, which provides access to their Education Hub for our whole school community, including families. The subscription gives us a licence to use their extensive archive of articles and resources in religious education and faith formation.

To access this wonderful resource for your family, please use the login details below:

www.australiancatholics.com.au/educationhub

USERNAME:  parents@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au
PASSWORD:  acparents

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

R-6 Semester 1 Awards and Heart Badge Presentation

Our R-6 community celebrated the Semester 1 Awards and Heart Badge Presentation on Wednesday, 18 August 2021. The Heart Badges are a wonderful tradition at our College and are presented as a symbol of welcome to every student and staff member who join our community. The Heart Badge symbolises the foundational values of our College: Faith, Perseverance, Compassion, Integrity, Respect, Wisdom and Justice. It was lovely to see so many new students and staff be officially welcomed into our R-6 community and receive their Heart Badge at the presentation.

Our R-6 Semester 1 Awards Presentation was also a fantastic opportunity to officially acknowledge the special  efforts and achievements of some of our students who have demonstrated excellence in one or more of the award categories. Selected students in each class received awards for Learning Endeavour and Learning Excellence. One student from each year level was awarded the Heart Value Award: Compassion. We congratulate all our award winners for Semester 1.

Book Week

This year's Book Week theme was Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. Students were able to spend time participating in various activities in classes and with their buddy classes celebrating all things books. One of the highlights of the week was the annual Book Week Parade. The students looked amazing with their interesting and creative dress-ups, and it was terrific to see the children parading in their costumes and having fun together. It was also lovely to have the Alive Early Learning Centre community join us for the parade and share in the festivities. A very special thank you goes to all the families for organising and and sometimes even making the amazing Book Week costumes. Well done to all!

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

7-12 Semester 1 Awards Assembly

On Wednesday, 18 August, (after a COVID-related setback) our 7-12 College community gathered to celebrate the achievements of its students throughout Semester 1. Together we recognised over 70 students across Years 7-12 who had achieved a high grade-point average for academic excellence and excellence in endeavor. To meet the grade-point average for these awards, students must work to a high standard consistently throughout Semester 1 across all of their subjects.

At this gathering we also acknowledged one student from each year level who was seen to have embodied the 2021 College Heart Value; Compassion, in their conduct throughout Semester 1. The following students received the Compassion Heart Award:

Alya Wamayi - Year 7
Lily Ladhams - Year 8
Hannah Whitlock - Year 9
Takunda Mashinge - Year 10
India Freke - Year 11
Oscar Tydeman - Year 12

The Semester 1 Awards Assembly is a wonderful showcase of the students at our College, recognising student skills and abilities, but also attitude and endeavour. This combination highlights our foundational calling to ‘Be who you are, and be that well’. Congratulations to all involved on a fantastic occasion.

Jacob Robson
Director of Learning 7-12

Knockout and Interchool Sport

This term has seen a number of our Year 6 – Open teams participate across various sports. We have had boys’ and girls’ Netball, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Football teams. It has been pleasing to see students represent our College with pride. Below are some teams who have made it right through to the finals, which is an exceptional effort.

Our Open Girls Basketball team competed in the Pool A finals day in Week 7 and played admirably throughout the day. They ended up finishing third in the state.

On Thursday, 19 August the 6/7 Knockout Boys Footy team played in their round two fixtures against Woodend Primary and Colonel Light Gardens Primary. The first game was against Woodend Primary. After some wayward kicking in the first half the boys dominated the play to be convincing winners 9-18-72 to 1-2-8. The second game against Colonel Light Gardens was a much tighter contest. The boys fought hard to open up a four goal lead at 3/4 time and then held off a fast finishing opposition to win 5-8-38 to 4-4-28. This means we are now through to the Grand Final due to be played in Week 9.

Earlier this term we also had boys and girls from Years 6 and 7 compete in a SAPSASA Basketball tournament, hosted at our Community Sports Centre. All players fought hard and there were a number of tight matches. Our Year 6/7 boys made it through to the finals day, which will be held in Week 9, and our Year 6 girls were also successful, scheduled to play at their finals day in Term 4. We also had a number of senior students coach and umpire across the day and we thank them for volunteering their time and for umpiring with professionalism and confidence.

Our Year 6 girls have also won through to the finals day for Netball. They competed in two round robin days against other schools in the state and we wish them the best for their finals day in Week 10. These girls have been coached by Steph and Keeley from Year 10, who have volunteered their lunchtimes to help them get to this stage.

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. If there are ever any questions about these activities please email Nadia Honner.

St Francis de Sales College Mini-Tennis Program (R-3)

Following on from the successful Auskick program running this term we are planning to run a 5-week Mini-Tennis program in Term 4. This will be expertly coordinated by Elyse Edwards. This program will be aimed at children aged 4 – 8. An email with registration details and further information will be made available before the end of the term so keep an eye on your inbox.

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

In Weeks 5 and 6 of Term 3, we celebrated National Science Week. This year the theme was Food: Different by Design and our students had an opportunity to explore the importance of emerging and alternative ways to produce food to feed an ever-growing world population.

Our Year 9 Science classes planned and hosted a weeklong Expo showcasing their experiments to look at factors effecting the germination of seeds, as well as displaying their findings about alternative food sources. The Expo was attended by students from Years 3 to 6 and a highlight for many students was learning about and tasting editable insects! Students were able to see a hydroponics set up and learn about the benefits of growing food using this method as well looking at the other displays of student work.

During this special week, our Year 7 Science students visited Monarto Safari Park to deepen their knowledge of ecosystems and the impact that humans are having on animals. Students were able to observe animals, looking at their behaviours and learning more through the tours that they completed. They have learnt that human activities to grow more food are having an impact on some animal and plant species and this further reinforces the need to be strategic with growing food in ways that minimise impact to the environment.

Please enjoy the photos of students undertaking activities during Science Week.

Danielle McKinnon
Learning Area Specialist - Science

Term 3 Music Concert – The Instrumental Student Showcase

On Thursday, 23 September, the College will hold its annual Instrumental Student Showcase in the Community Sports Centre, which is an opportunity for selected and keen students to demonstrate their work over the year during their instrumental lessons. This year, we are delighted to welcome the Award-Winning Tabor Tones, an a‘Capella vocal ensemble from Tabor Music, along with other Tabor artists, as our Special Guests performers.

Involved students will be invited to attend via Consent2Go. Please see C2G for more information or contact music@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au for ticketing.

The Instrumental Student Showcase should be yet another night to remember!

Senior Music visits Elder Hall

Our Stage 1 and 2 Music Students, along with additional members of de Groove, our Jazz Combo Band, attended the Irving Berlin! concert which was held as a part of the Adelaide University Elder Hall Lunchtime Concert Series.

Featuring songs such as “How Deep is the Ocean?” and “Cheek to Cheek” played by the Adelaide University Honours Jazz Ensemble, the students were delighted to experience a different interpretation of familiar songs.

Upcoming Music Department Events

(Please keep an eye out for Consent2Go emails regarding your child’s involvement):

• Senior Music Ensembles and soloists reprise their annual Foyer Act performance at the Catholic Schools Music Festival.
• Musica Viva at the College as a part of Music Class for R-6.
• Music@Twilight, the musical version of our annual event, to showcase the work of our ensembles and soloists over Semester 2.
• The Angelicus Carols Choir (R-6) at the Balhannah/Oakbank Community Carols (a recorded event).
• Music is Fun Band at the College as a part of Music Class for R-6.

VoCo, JazZone and Musaic Senior Vocal Ensembles, plus College student soloists and instrumentalists at the Mount Barker Carols in the Park.

Instrumental Program Vacancies

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

Stage 1 and 2 Drama Excursion

Our Stage 1 and 2 Drama students attended the State Theatre Company’s performance of Hibernation presented at the Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide on Thursday, 19 August. This was not only a privilege, but also an important part of the learning required to meet the standards for the SACE Drama. The students were fortunate to be a part of the audience for an amazing performance during which time we got some wonderful insight into the world of a professional actor. 

It is always a pleasure to take our students out of the College for special events such as this as they are a credit to the College, conducting themselves in an exemplary manner at all times.

Waxing Lyrical Productions – Incursion

On Wednesday of Week 7, Waxing Lyrical Productions visited our College to present their unique version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This is the fifth time the company has performed for our students, having thoroughly entertained previous Year 9-12 English, Dance and Drama students with a wonderful performances of Romeo and Juliet.

This year Waxing Lyrical brought a unique performance to our Year 9 and Pre-Literary English and Stage 1 and 2 Drama students; a humorous and memorable adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. With over ten years’ experience working and performing for students this company have tailor-made their own version of both plays, leaving all the boring analysis at the door and focusing on the very reason why Shakespeare wrote these plays in the first place; to entertain. This is a show that students seldom see coming; a parody of what they expect. Waxing Lyrical target the most cynical of students and through the power of humour they take Shakespeare down a notch, proving that he is not a difficult and inaccessible playwright.

Stage 1 Drama Performance – Scattered Lives

Our Semester 2, Stage 1 Drama students are pleased to be able to announce that they will be presenting their production of ‘Scattered Lives’ by Sally Mckenzie in Week 6, Term 4. Due to the current COVID restrictions this does mean that the performance will only be able to accommodate a limited audience with social distance seating regulations in place.

Scattered Lives, is a play dedicated to all the refugees who seek refuge in Australia every year, a performance of true stories shared by refugees, who give an insight into the profound experience of what it is to seek refuge. Information regarding performance times and dates will be advised next term, so keep an eye out for further information about this powerful dramatic piece.

Peta Bojanic
Drama Teacher

As we approach the end of Term 3 and with only two meetings left for the year, the Board starts to reflect on the achievements of the year along with building a plan for the coming year. This year so far the Board has supported and provided direction to the College through several critical areas. You would have seen the recent advice regarding fees for 2022 and we are very pleased to see the costs to families reduce for next year. This is of course on the back of the freezes in place for the last two years. The Board was also heavily involved with the changes to the bus services which resulted in significant savings to families and the College.

More recently, we have been working with the Principal to refresh and update the College Policies. These policies provide guidance to staff, students and parents/caregivers around how the College will manage issues that affect our children on a daily basis. It is critical they remain contemporary and easy to follow.

A large piece of work has just been completed by Board member Mel England in relation to uniforms. The Board has made a series of recommendations to the College based on feedback received by Mel and the Uniform Committee. You would have also seen some information come to you regarding the process now being undertaken by the College relating to the R-6 uniform. I thank Mel and the committee for the work undertaken to provide Board with the information needed to make decisions for the College. I would also like to thank the parents/caregivers and students for the feedback that has helped shape our decisions.

Board have been planning a ‘Come and meet the Board’ event for this year but unfortunately the ever changing COVID-19 situation has resulted in this event being held in 2022. The idea of this event was to provide opportunity for parents/caregivers and students to meet the members of the Board and to better understand the role and function of the Board. There may be an opportunity to undertake a question and answer style online event this year so please keep an eye on your email inbox for further information regarding this.

David Kyriacou
Chair of the College Board

We continue to meet monthly, busy organising upcoming events and continuing to work on ongoing initiatives. Even though we are unable to hold any events, planning is still under way for next year.

The Father’s Day stall was held last Thursday, 2 September and it was very successful. Thank you to all the families who participated and a big thank you to the College staff and student leaders who helped set up and ran the stall on behalf of the PCG. We hope everyone had a good Father’s Day with their significant special person in their lives.

Frankie’s Café is still unable to open. However, when restrictions ease, we are hopeful Frankie’s can be open 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. We do 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 for more information.

When Frankie’s Café is operating it is open from 8:15am - 9:00am for a gold coin donation. We will advise of upcoming dates when restrictions permit.

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, 19 October at 6:30pm. If you would like to join us for this 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

Describe your family and what a typical weekend looks like.
We love getting outside, we have two dogs that love a walk, and the Laratinga Wetlands is one of our favourite spots to take them. At home we have a big garden to maintain and that’s where you will find us most weekends. Scott (husband) is always in the shed building something for new plants to climb and you will find me looking after all sorts of different vegetables. Robbie loves getting stuck into any building with Dad however I’m still working on getting his help with the weeding!

What attracted you into the Parent Community Group and why did you volunteer to be a member?
I first found out about the PCG while Robbie was attending his transition days in Reception. I was eager to help with Frankie’s Café as have experience from my younger days as a Barista. Nothing beats a great coffee in the morning and hopefully I can teach the skill to others who want to learn.

What are your hopes for the future of the St Francis de Sales College community?
I hope that St Francis de Sales College can continue to offer some wonderful community events where families can come together and spend quality time with each other. With ongoing restrictions, I think it’s crucial to see people face-to-face so we can feel connected.

How do you see the College Heart Values lived in our College community?
Since becoming part of the College community, I have instantly felt respected and welcomed with sincerity. I have seen our Faith value coming through from Robbie’s learnings at school, sharing some wonderful stories about how God has faith that he can achieve anything he puts his mind to.

At Alive Mount Barker Book Week was a wonderful foundation for our imaginations and creativity to flourish as we explored the theme, Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. Engaging in reading and storytelling promotes brain development in babies and children and has many more benefits including stimulating imagination, and supporting the development of vocabulary, communication, listening skills and memory. Reading and storytelling introduces babies and children to more complex concepts and helps them to learn more about the world around them.

We were very excited to have a number of visitors to the Centre during Book Week to share books with us. Our week started with a visit to the Reception learning space and a shared book experience with Fran Nicholls the College E-2 Leader. On Tuesday Barbra Browne who is a Barkindji and Wemba Wemba woman and the grandmother of one of the children at the ELC shared a wonderful story with us about a Kangaroo who played a didgeridoo. Kayla Riddle the Year 12 College Captain took time out of her studies to share a story about a tiger who came to tea. Our week culminated with a dress up day and Linda Hall the College librarian reading to the children.

There are many ways that families can support their children as prereaders. Set aside a time to read to your child each day, this can be a part of your nightly routine. Ensure that your child has ready access to books that they can engage with. Find books that tap into your child’s interests and expose them to many different types of books. At home engage in lots of language rich discussions and when you are out and about help children to connect to the environmental print around them. We are already anticipating next year’s Book Week theme, Dreaming with eyes open.

Liz Schembri
Head of Early Learning