Link Up Term 4 Week 4 2023

Farewell and Good Luck Year 12s!

Term 4 is always an extremely busy term, and the first few weeks this year have been no exception. We had the bitter-sweet experience of farewelling our 2023 graduating class of Year 12s at the whole of College liturgy on Friday of Week 2. It was a great celebration and a fitting conclusion to their formal schooling at St Francis de Sales College. It was wonderful to see them presented to the community with their Reception buddies, representing the entire 13-year journey through school. This was the first of the official College celebrations for our Year 12s, that will culminate with the Graduation evening on Thursday 23 November.

Between now and then, our Year 12s will face their final assessments and exams, which have started and are continuing to run through to Week 5 of term. Our Year 12 students continue to be in our thoughts and prayers during this time. We hope that they achieve their best in these final assessments and in doing so celebrate all the learning that has taken place throughout the final years of their school education.

2024 Student Leaders

One of the best aspects of Term 4 each year is the process which sees the appointment of the Senior Student Leadership Team for the following year. I am excited to be able to share with the community that the following exceptional group of young people will be working together next year to represent all students R-12 and to help our College community develop under their leadership:

• Lachlan Anderson
• Gabriel Cregan
• Cooper James
• Lily Jenke
• Luella Koral
• Harry Lovelock
• Holly Paech
• Cara Parker-Thomas
• Kathryn Peacock

Further to this, I am very happy to be able to share the news of the appointment of Kathryn Peacock and Gabriel Cregan as our 2024 College Captains. I have no doubt that both Kathryn and Gabriel will represent the College with distinction next year, and provide great leadership to this team.

Thank you to the staff and students involved in the 2024 Student Leader selection process for their time, effort and discernment regarding the right make up of this team and recommendations on the College Captains.

World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day was held in Australia on Friday 27 October. This year’s theme was Hats Off To Teachers in celebration of their great work in educating, inspiring and supporting our students. There is no doubting the energy, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication that St Francis de Sales teachers (and indeed all our staff) bring to their work and vocation, and I take this opportunity to publicly thank them for 'going the extra mile' to support and nurture the students in their care.

Educators SA held their World Teachers’ Day 2023 Awards Ceremony on Friday 27 October, and I am thrilled to announce that Ros Mattner was awarded the History Teachers Association of SA - History Teacher of the Year Award. This is a wonderful recognition of Ros’ teaching, dedication, and contribution to teaching History in South Australia and recognition of the outstanding work she does at our College. We are lucky to have her here as a staff member and this is an award she, and we, can extremely be proud of.

Children’s University Graduation Ceremony

I recently attended the Children’s University Graduation Ceremony at Bonython Hall at the University of Adelaide and was thrilled to present 46 of our Year 2-6 students to receive their Children’s University Graduation Certificates. We encourage our students to be lifelong learners and Children’s University promotes the understanding that learning can and does take place anywhere and everywhere, and particularly represents an opportunity to recognise the learning students are engaged in outside of school. Congratulations to all our graduates of this program, from those who entered Children’s University for the first time this year and qualified for their certificate with 30 hours of learning through to those who have been engaged with Children's University for quite a few years and have achieved over 100 hours. I would especially like to recognise, Sophie Barnes (National Gold Certificate for 200 hours), Angelina Liemareff (National Bronze Diploma for 230 hours) and Zara Peterson (National Bronze Degree for 330 hours) for their outstanding accumulated learning across many years of involvement in Children’s University. Special thanks to staff members Alice Taylor and Kate Thomas, and the families of students involved, for their support of our young people in documenting and engaging with this wonderful program.

Old Scholars Reunion

In contrast to saying farewell to our Year 12s, on Friday 3 November we welcomed back some old scholars to the College. Graduating students from 2008, 2013 and 2018 gathered to celebrate their 15, 10 and 5-year reunions respectively. It was a great opportunity to reminisce and share stories of their school years and to catch up with friends and teachers. Many had not been at the College for some time, and they were impressed with our new facilities, including the Community Sports Centre and Junior School Learning Neighbourhoods, as well as the plans for The Dell redevelopment. Our students and families ‘Belong for life’ and as such we reminded past everyone who attended that they will always remain part of our St Francis de Sales family and that there are many capacities through which they can continue their involvement with our College, including these reunions. The evening was catered for by the Stage 1 Food and Hospitality class, who did a magnificent job of catering and serving the food. Many thanks to Karen Boswell and her talented students for a job very well done!

SACPSSA Athletics

Congratulations to our Year 3 to 6 students who were involved in the recent Catholic Primary Schools Athletics Carnival at the Mile End Stadium. All of the students performed well, representing our College with great pride and enthusiasm, and ultimately, we placed 6th overall. Several our athletes placed in their events and Ellie Wray performed brilliantly winning the Year 3 Age Champion award. Thank you to all the staff involved in supporting our students in preparing and competing in this event.

The Weeks Ahead

We look forward in anticipation to the remaining weeks of Term 4 and the academic year. Our Year 7 students are currently in Canberra and will return following the Remembrance Day ceremony on Saturday 11 November. We look forward to hearing about their experiences in our capital city. Likewise, we trust the Year 5s are returning from their camp this week with wonderful experiences and stories to tell. I encourage you to show your support for our Stage 2 Art students by attending the Art Exhibition at the Mt Barker Library open from Monday 6 to Friday 17 November. We wish our Year 10 and 11 students well as they head into end of year exams in Week 7, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome and meet the large number of new students who are commencing to our College in 2024 through our upcoming transition events. This represents just a few of the educational and community building events taking place in the remainder of this term, so it is certainly going to be a busy end to the academic year.

Fire Danger Season

As we move closer to the end of the year, the warmer weather is setting in. Therefore, it is important for all community members to remember that St Francis de Sales College is located in a High Risk Bushfire Area. Included in this communication is some important information for families related to aspects of the College’s emergency and bushfire response. Please take some time to familiarise yourself with this information. You may wish to take a copy and place it in a prominent and easy to find place in your house so the information is readily available should it be required.

Paul Wadsworth
Acting Principal

“Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.” 

― Saint Francis de Sales 

In any educational setting, Term 4 always presents as a bit of a “mixed bag”. For our Year 12s, they have grappled with a spectrum of emotions in the last few weeks as they celebrated with nostalgia and excitement their final day of formal lessons alongside the feeling of angst and uncertainty that comes with exam preparation.  

For students in Years 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, they experience the joy of attending year level camps and retreats this term, while also preparing with cautious optimism for transition events as we near the conclusion of the academic year. 

The message from our patron, St Francis de Sales is that regardless of the triumphs and tribulations that are occurring around us, never lose sight of the fact that you are known and loved. In wellbeing terms, we might call this being “mindful and grounded”. I would encourage parents and caregivers to discuss this spectrum of emotions with your child in the coming weeks. Simple strategies such as deep breathing, spending time in nature, and short mindfulness meditations, can ensure that we are present and grounded in the moment, and assist us to navigate ‘big’ emotions. 

Open dialogue and communication is also critically important, and leaning on the team around each child in our community (Homeroom teacher, Year Level Leader, Wellbeing Team) is also an important mechanism of support. 

St Francis de Sales also tells us the importance of being patient. Whilst the journey for our Year 12 students is quickly coming to an end, for the rest of our community, the final weeks of Term 4 are a pivotal time to ensure our learners achieve to their academic potential, and conclude the year successfully. In my message to secondary students following the Year 12 Assembly in Week 2, I discussed the need to focus on the “1 percenters” or “the little things” at this time – such as uniform and grooming, punctuality and sticking to homework routines – because these little things, amount to something much more significant as they accumulate.  

These messages of patience and groundedness hold us in good stead for the upcoming season of Advent – a time of waiting and anticipation for what’s to come.  

Transition Events 

A reminder of upcoming transition events that are taking place within our community for the remainder of Term 4:

Uniform Reminders 

Hats 

A reminder that the College hat is a compulsory part of the school uniform in Terms 1 and 4 for all students. Hats must be worn at recess and lunch time, and while participating in learning activities outdoors. 

Shoes

There have been some questions raised recently in the community regarding what constitutes as an approved “school shoe”. As per the College Uniform Policy, the school shoe must be “black, leather, clean and polished. Canvas or sport shoes are not permitted when wearing the formal uniform. Students are also permitted to wear buckled, black, leather, school shoes.” The diagram below should provide clear guidance for students and parents/caregivers:

James Gill
Deputy Principal - Community and Wellbeing

Never stop learning because life never stops teaching

We’ve certainly hit the ground running this term, with several significant celebrations and students involved in many activities in and outside of the classroom. The start of term saw our Year 6 students participate in a fun filled Camp at Wallaroo, where they deepened team building skills and capabilities of resilience and perseverance through many outdoor challenges. They were blessed with amazing weather too! This was followed up with our Year 5s and 7s currently away on their own camps. The Year 7s are participating in our annual Canberra Tour focusing on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy, and our Year 5s are having a great time developing personal responsibility, social skills and resiliency skills at Nunyara Conference Centre in Belair. These, as well as the many sports carnivals and excursions on the go, offer students the opportunity to learn more about themselves, to build deeper relationships with each other and their teachers and to develop the key capabilities that they will need in their future schooling and beyond. As Charles Handy said the greatest learning happens in real life, with real problems and real people.

Good luck Year 12s

We again celebrated an end of an era as the whole College gathered with families to celebrate our Year 12s at their Final Day Liturgy. As is tradition, our Year 12 Captains passed our College Candle and Banner to our Reception students as part of the Renewal of Wisdom ceremony, and departed in a guard of honour to the whole College erupting in song to My Lighthouse. Traditions such as these hold a special place as they demonstrate the strong connection the students have with each other and with the St Francis de Sales community. We hold all our Year 12 students in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their final exams or take their first steps in the next stage of their journey. We look forward to celebrating with them at Year 12 Graduation in a couple of weeks.

Celebrating our Children’s University Graduates 

Earlier this week, 46 students were recognised for their learning and volunteering as part of the Children’s University program. This recognition highlights the importance of life experiences in the learning journey, as well as the significant role parents and teachers have in fostering learning that is led by the child to help them reach their full potential. This sense of achievement also helps create greater motivation and engagement, develops their leadership skills and fosters ambitions to consider participation in higher education. Congratulations to our students and families that supported them on this journey.

Assessment, Feedback and Student Learning

Assessment is a key aspect to the work we do at St Francis de Sales, and involves the ongoing process of providing descriptive feedback to support learning growth. We call this Assessment FOR Learning, and when done effectively its goal is to maximise student achievement. Although final assessment grades capture how well a student achieved in an assessment task, at St Francis de Sales we highly value the impact that descriptive feedback has in assisting our students move forward in their learning. Our teachers use SEQTA to communicate feedback to students, which provides them with the opportunity to reflect on and monitor their progress; enabling them to set learning goals. We encourage parents to check their child’s SEQTA page for updates and to assist them with reflecting on and evaluating their learning. Please let the College know if you are having difficulty accessing SEQTA Engage.

Perseverance ‘til the end

It’s amazing to think that the Adelaide Christmas Pageant was on last weekend, so now we begin to feel the holiday season creeping in. We encourage and expect that all students keep up their perseverance in their learning, and use these last few weeks to put in their best efforts to end the year positively. With this time of year, there may be a level of uncertainty about what next year may bring. We encourage families to speak with their child about how they are feeling, and to contact the College regarding matters of concern or ways we can further support.

I wish all members of our St Francis de Sales community a wonderful second half of the term, and I look forward to sharing in more celebrations as we approach the Season of Advent.

Carla Thomas
Acting Deputy Principal - Learning

Teaching through example

Nothing is more powerful as a learning, than one taught through a lived example. Last week we celebrated the important feasts of All Saints and All Souls Day. On these days we especially remember our loved ones who have died, and we hold their memory and life lessons in our hearts. We also in a special way acknowledge the saints who have lived a life striving to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The life lessons of St Francis de Sales we hold dear in our community and deeply value. Pope Francis states, “The feasts of All Saints and All Souls are days of hope. The virtue of hope is like a bit of leaven that enlarges your soul. There are difficult moments in life, but with hope you go forward and keep your eyes on what awaits us. Today is a day of hope; our brothers and sisters are in the presence of God, and we, too, will be there in the Lord's arms as we follow the path of Jesus.".

College Day

College Day 2023, which was celebrated during the last week of Term 3, was a great success. Thank you to all of you! The day included: A liturgy celebrating St Francis de Sales and Catherine McAuley, Inflatable Jumpy Castles and Stalls of various kinds, and concluding with the famous Talent Show. As a College we raised money for Catherine House, which is an organisation that supports women in great need. We focus on this particular charity, as it was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, so an awareness of the wonderful work that they do is impoenat for our community. As a College, we are so blessed to be able to take a break from the usual school day and celebrate who we are as a Catholic community in a fun and collaborative environment. Well done to all!

Regional Assembly

On Sunday, 29 October, our Parish along with the Adelaide Hills Catholic Parish, came together for our Regional Assembly. This included people from the Mass Centres, as well as our College and St Catherine's School at Stirling. We are grateful for the hospitality of St Catherine's School, who hosted the gathering.

Across the Archdiocese of Adelaide, each Region is being invited to have its own Regional Assembly, to provide the opportunity to bring people together to discuss successes and challenges within parish, and to also have dialogue about new ideas to regenerate the faith lives of all people within the Parish.

A key focus of our Regional Assembly was to bring to the forefront of the conversation, that Parish is defined as meaning and including all people connected to our Catholic community, within our geographic boundaries. Therefore, our College is an expression of our Parish, in the same way that the Mass Centres or Church buildings are. An important goal for our Parish is to discover new ways to welcome people within our community, so that we are able to invite them to know Jesus in a way that is meaningful and engaging for them.

The data gathered from the Regional Assembly is currently being collated, and it will be reviewed and discussed by the Leadership Teams of both schools and both Parish Pastoral Councils. More information will be shared with the community as the outcome of these discussions evolves.

Australian of the Year (South Australia)

The Australian of the Year Awards (South Australia) were held recently, and our very own Anna Nelligan (staff member) and her daughter, Charlotte Nelligan-Dim (student at the College) were fortunate enough to attend.

They were able to experience Sr Meredith Evans (Mercy Sister and friend of the College) be awarded the SA Senior Award. This is a wonderful accomplishment for Sr Meredith and a testament to her many years of selfless service to those in most need.

Anna explained to me, “Charlotte was super excited to see this - having an understanding of the Sisters of Mercy as a student of St Francis de Sales. She congratulated Sr and had a photo with her. She was super proud to say she was a student of our College. Sr acknowledged our College and was delighted to meet Charlotte.” 

Student Leaders

We thank the members of this year's Senior Student Leadership Team, and the Year 12 House Captains for their commitment to their role and the service they offered our community. I have worked very closely with these students all year, and experienced them live out their goals of continuing the deepening of connections between our junior and senior students and heightening engagement with our Charity Appeals. The College took the opportunity to acknowledge these students at the whole College liturgy which farewelled the Year 12s. The Senior Student Leadership included Aimee Brooks, Stephanie Formby, Charlotte Ernst, Ben Murphy, Kiara McInnes, Summer Henderson, Kathryn Peacock and Luella Koral. The Year 12 House Captains were Ebony McHugh, Mateja Noavakovic, Trinity Taylor and Alle Esperida.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the members of the 2024 Senior Student Leadership Team. We congratulate the team members: Our College Captains for 2024 are Kathryn Peacock and Gabriel Cregan. They will be joined by Luella Koral, Cooper James, Lachlan Anderson, Lily Jenke, Harry Lovelock, Holly Paech and Cara Parker-Thomas. We also congratulate the 2024 House Captains, who are, Ciahra Drechsler, Lillie Jerram, Noah Roberts and Summer Henderson.

We are delighted with the appointment of these students and look forward to working with them next year, to experience their new initiatives and ideas.

Advent

Now that the Adelaide Christmas Pageant has been and gone, we are reminded that Christmas is not too far away.

We are now in the final few weeks of the Church's Calendar. On Sunday, 3 December (end of Week 7), Advent begins! This marks the start of the new year in the Church's calendar. Advent is a time of expectation, waiting, hoping, and praying in the lead up to the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The Liturgical colour in Advent is purple, so in Week 8 and 9 each classroom Prayer Table will display this colour as a reminder of the liturgical season.  

Please see the YouTube clip below, which you may like to view with your family. 

youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA 

There are a number of activities that you can be done at the College in Home Class or with families at home, during Advent. More information about the two activities is attached and listed below: 

Jesse Tree 

During the Advent season, a Bible Story is read each day which relates to Jesus' family or God’s people. After the Bible story is read and discussed, an ornament is placed on a tree – the Jesse Tree. This is often done from the beginning of Advent to Christmas Day. Refer to below resources: 

What is a Jesse Tree? youtube.com/watch?v=5qKuDIBvKf4 

Advent Wreath 

Advent Wreaths are often used as a visual and symbolic way to mark the four Sundays before Christmas, and Christmas Day. You may wish to make a Wreath with your class or at home with your family. If doing this at the College, avoid using live flame candles due to the associated risks. Instead, perhaps use three purple paper flowers, a pink paper flower, and a white paper flower to represent the candles. See the two YouTube clips below:

What is an Advent Wreath? youtube.com/watch?v=hPHXooW6NfI 

How to make an Advent Wreath youtube.com/watch?v=_cunOkJlLe4

Thank you. Enjoy your Advent preparation!

In Peace

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

Term 4 continues to be a busy and productive term with lots of exciting learning and events happening across the R-6 community. The Year 6 students were off to Camp in Wallaroo in Week 1 and the Year 5s returned from their Camp at Belair today. We have had several year levels off on excursions, with many more events planned in the coming weeks.

In Week 2 of this term, we celebrated Grandfriend’s Day. With over 400 Grandfriends in attendance, it was a special celebration of the wonderful contribution Grandfriends have in the lives of our students and their families. The day began with a liturgy to celebrate all things Grandfriends. It was especially lovely to listen to our students’ reflections of the role their Grandfriends play in their lives and the reflection of Grandmother Crystell Halliday who was kind enough to share some of her thoughts about being a Grandparent. Grandfriends were then able to spend some time in classrooms, participating in activities and seeing some of the learning students have been doing. We finished the morning with a picnic in our Community Sports Centre. It was a wonderful and fun day for our community, and we enjoyed having so many special visitors join us. Thank you to families for supporting this event.

In Week 3, we held the annual Scholastic Book Fair, and it was a huge success again this year. We would like to thank all the families who supported the Book Fair by purchasing books, posters, and stationery items. This year we sold a total of $7,951, and as a result, we will receive approximately $2,385 worth of new reading resources for the R-6 students which will be a wonderful boost to our classroom libraries.

On Monday 6 November, 46 students in Years 2-6 who participated in Children’s University this year, celebrated their Graduation at Bonython Hall, Adelaide University. This ceremony was a wonderful acknowledgement of all the outside of school learning that students have participated in over the school year. Students wore their graduation gown and cape proudly as they received their certificates for hours accrued while their families looked on proudly. This year we had three students receive awards for 200 or more hours, a huge achievement.

National Gold Certificate for 200 hours: Sophie Barnes
National Bronze Diploma for 230 hours: Angelina Liemareff
National Bronze Degree for 330 hours: Zara Peterson

Congratulations to all students involved!

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

Year 4 Maritime Museum Excursion Student Reflection

On Friday, 15 September the Year 4s visited the Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide. We went there because we have been learning about Life in England, The First Fleet and arriving in a new country (Australia), in HASS.

During the day, in small groups, we participated in four different activities. One of them was a boat ride on the Archie Badenoch, and an old police and naval boat. We went down the Port River. Some people saw some jellyfish, dolphins and baby seagulls. It was a peaceful and calming cruise. It was cool how we got to climb up the steps and look out the top of the boat. We saw a very old store ship that was, in its time, one of the fastest ships to get from place to place.

Another activity was called ‘Life on Board’. One of the museum staff, Kylie, taught and showed us what life was like on boats from 1840, 1910 and 1950. In 1840, it was very crowded and families had to share a small space. The beds were very hard, and you only had a scratchy blanket. You had to take care of your food and water, especially to keep out the rats and maggots. If you got a lump on your head, the doctor used a tool to open up the head – the patient did not have anaesthetic! In 1910, the cabins were still uncomfortable with four narrow bunk beds. There was a fold up basin. In 1950, the cabins were pretty good. You had a telephone, sink and mirror. The beds were more comfortable.

In the third activity we spent time investigating the replica of a ketch, an old store ship. There was a steering wheel that controlled the rudder underneath. The cook had a tiny little kitchen with a stove. The captain had a bed, table, storage seats and lanterns.

In the last activity the group looked around the rest of the museum. There was a shark’s jaw, anchor and an earth that turned and could land on your birthday. People enjoyed putting ping pong balls into the moving clowns’ mouths to get as many points as possible.

Overall, the excursion was amazing and a really cool experience. We would love to go back!

After we returned to school, we started designing and building our own mini sail boats. The aim was that they would float, sail straight and be waterproof. We tested them in a blow-up pool, the wind being a fan. It was good to experience constructing the boats and making improvements to help the sail better.

Blake Koch, Chevi Magee and Matilda Schipper
Year 4 Students

Year 8 Camp 

On Wednesday 18 October, fifty eight Year 8 students and five teachers made their way to Mount Crawford for a two night outdoor education style camp. This involved students participating in a range of activities, including bush walking, Trangia cooking, tent camping, survival challenges and a high ropes course.

Students were placed into four groups where they each participated in the range of activities with various group leaders from Wilderness Escape, who delivered the camp and supported the students in learning new skills. The students represented the College well and demonstrated great perseverance, respect and teamwork over the three days. Below are some reflections from several students who attended the camp.

Student Reflections

“What I enjoyed most about camp is being able to experience new things with all my friends. I also enjoyed being able to cook on a Trangia for the first time and sleeping in a tent for two nights because I don’t often go on camping trips.” – Maddison H

“One of my personal favourite parts of Year 8 camp was the high ropes. The challenge really helped with our team building.” – Declan P

“I really enjoyed camp because it was a really great experience to get outdoors and experience more opportunities, it was good to have our own responsibilities of cooking and setting up our tents and spending time with our groups.” – Cherise E

“I enjoyed camp because I had a lot of fun with my mates while we were doing the activities such as the bush walking because we could go and talk to our friends about things, and I found that really fun. We also enjoyed the skills that we were learning such as how to cook on the Trangia’s and how to do the high ropes and it was just a really fun experience for everyone.” – Haydn M

Owen Davies
Year 8G Home Class Teacher

The sounds of ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ can already be heard coming out of the Music Department, but we have a few boxes left to tick off before the jolly sounds of Christmas Carols are to be performed to the public.

To close out Term 3, our very talented music students had the opportunity to experience the excitement of live performance, something that we will continue to look to build upon in the future.

Under the direction of Nicole Moxham, our superbly prepared, reliable and talented Festival Choir, made up of nineteen Year 5-7 students, joined other schools and colleges as part of the 350+ strong choir on the opening night of the Catholic Schools Music Festival which was held at the Adelaide Festival Theatre in Week 10 of Term 3, a project and commitment that commenced in Term 1 this year for our ever-reliable choir members and Nicole Moxham.

Together with our Festival Choir, Year 10 students, Lachlan Anderson and Ethan Honner, as mentioned in previous Link Up Newsletter articles, following auditions at the College, were selected to perform at the high-profile Catholic Schools Music Festival as solo performers. To perform on the main stage of the Festival Theatre as a soloist, is a fantastic opportunity and something that will remain with Lachlan and Ethan as a great memory for many years to come.

Lachlan performed a stirring rendition of ‘For Forever’ from the musical Dear Evan Hansen, where he was accompanied by the very talented Ian Polites on piano. Lachy received a great ovation from the sell-out opening night audience. It truly was a magical performance.

Ethan absolutely rocked the foundations of the Festival Theatre performing the intricate and soaring Eric Johnson rock guitar solo piece, ‘Cliffs of Dover’. Backed by guitar teacher Kyle Opie on bass guitar and Max Tulysewski on drums, Ethan commanded the big stage like a seasoned performer, gaining many plaudits from seasoned performers.

We congratulate Ethan and Lachlan and thank them for representing our College in such a fine way.

Week 10 of Term 3 saw our fantastic senior instrumental students, bands and vocal groups entertain a very satisfied crowd who attended our cabaret evening, Cabaret Into Spring, in the Community Sports Centre.

Jazz combo De Groove and vocal groups JazZone and Musaic brought the smooth, slick and stylish sounds of jazz whilst Heart n Soul and Mixed Bag belted out some absolute crowd favourites across the rock and pop music genres. Added variety and talent from our solo acts certainly rounded out what was a special night.

2023, even though there are only a few weeks left, still sees a very busy Music Department calendar with a number of performance events coming up.

Week 5, Tuesday 14 November, we present our Junior Instrumental Music Party, which due to a large number of music students, will once again be staged as two separate concerts, with the Receptions – Year 3s from 5:15pm – 6:15pm and the Year 4+ from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Both concerts will be held in the Performing Arts Centre.

Then, in the closing weeks, we will continue our series of The Music Lunchbox concerts with a Junior Vocal Concert (Week 8) and a Senior Band Concert (Week 6), a combined Reception – Year 6 Classroom Concert which will see all Year 2-6 classes perform their pieces to the other classes and then it will be time to break out the tinsel and flashing Christmas lights as we have our special Christmas Choir, Angelicus, perform at the Oakbank Balhannah Christmas Concert and then it is off to the BIG Mt Barker Carols evening for our vocal group JazZone which will also see guitarist extraordinaire, Ethan Honner, belt out another rock guitar anthem, all which will round out what has been a very busy year for the Music Department.

…and as the Rolling Stones sang, ‘I know, it’s only Rock n Roll but I like it’ we continue in our quest to make music fun for everyone at St Francis de Sales College.

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

The Day the Internet Died – Upcoming Drama Performance

On Wednesday 22 November at 6:15pm, the Stage 1 Drama students will present their SACE assessable production of the ‘tongue in cheek’ play, The Day the Internet Died. In the world of Jason Pizzarello and Ian McWethy’s The Day the Internet Died, a devastating occurrence happens. No, it’s not famine, or floods, or loss of your basic rights. The internet has gone down! And it will continue to be down! For a week! A whole week! Pandemonium! In a world that is so dependent on the internet for shopping, mailing, and posting pictures of cute babies, how will society function? Not well as it turns out. The Day the Internet Died hilariously explores how inept we are at dating, research, and basic human interactions when we don’t have a screen to look at. Please keep an eye out for further information regarding bookings (which will be sent via email) for a fun night of dramatic entertainment with the Stage 1 Drama students in the Performing Arts Centre.

The Best Disco in Town – Upcoming Dance Performance

Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 November, Week 7, Term 4 are the dates to mark in your calendar for the Semester 2 Dance production – The Best Disco in Town. This performance will showcase the talents of the Year 8, Year 9 and Stage 1 and 2, Semester 2 Dance classes, all presenting their choreographed routines in an exciting and fun disco styled production. School matinee performances will be held in Performing Arts Centre at 1:45pm, with two evening performances for parents and friends on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:15pm. This is also the time we can acknowledge, thank and say a heartfelt ‘goodbye and good luck’ to our wonderful Year 12 Dance students who return to the College for their final performance as the 2023 Senior Dance students. It is expected that there may be family and friends who miss out on a seat at the live performance (bookings will open closer to the date – keep an eye out for this information which will be sent via email), therefore, to accommodate for this we will again stream the recorded performance which will be available for a limited time via a private link.

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

Peta Bojanic
Senior Dance and Drama Teacher

The end of Term 3 and the beginning of this term has seen a large number of sporting events take place.

9/10 Basketball

As mentioned in the previous Link Up our 9/10 Basketballers won through the first rounds for both the boys and girls Division 1 competitions. The second round saw the girls tough it out against some incredible competition but were unfortunately knocked out by Tenison Woods College.

The boys won through the second round and made it to the Finals. On this day the boys were hampered by injury and had to compete with only six players. They fought hard and still made it 4th in the state. This is an incredible achievement and we are very proud of them.

7/8 Volleyball

On Friday, Week 3, we took both a boys and girls team to the Lights Community Centre for the first round the School Sport SA Interschool Volleyball Competitions. Both teams played incredibly well through the minor rounds, showing great improvement throughout the day. Both teams made it to the crossover stage where they played for 1st place. Unfortunately they lost their matches, meaning they finished 3rd for the round and did not progress. It was a fantastic experience for all students, and a huge thanks to Charlie for his assistance in coaching.

Cricket

This term also saw our 7-9 Girls and 9-10 Boys compete in their Interschool Cricket Competitions. The girls won their first T20 match against Cornerstone College but fell an agonising 6 runs short against Bordertown High School. This is an incredible effort given a number of the girls don’t play cricket at all. The boys played against Henley High School in their extended overs match and although they had their chances were unfortunately beaten by some excellent opposition players.

Sports Awards Night

During Week 3 we held our annual Sports Awards Night, which is coordinated by our Stage 2 Basketball Academy Students (Stephanie Formby, Al Leandro Esperida, Mateja Novakovic and Emilio Nunez). This is where we recognise the outstanding achievements of our sports individuals and teams. The 2023 Major Award winners were:

Junior Team of the Year: 5/6 Boys Soccer (finished in the 2nd Round)
Senior Team of the Year: 10-12 Boys Netball (finished 1st in the state)
Sportsperson of the Year: Ebony McHugh
Athlete of the Year: Leni Newham

SACPSSA Athletics

On Monday, Week 4, an enthusiastic bunch of Year 3-6 Athletes travelled to Mile End to compete in the Catholic Primary Schools Athletics Carnival. All athletes tried their best and represented our College with pride. We finished 6th overall but a number of students placed first in their events. We also much congratulate Ellie Wray on her Year 3 Age Champion award.

Well done all!

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

As our second USA Basketball Tour prepares for departure, we have been fortunate enough this year to obtain the services of Aboriginal artist David Booth to help with the creating our playing uniforms for the tour. In Term 3, the students attended a workshop with David to create a design on canvas that represented the story of all the students and their journey to be a part of this tour and where the tour is taking them. The students did a fantastic job engaging with this and creating the design you see below.

We have been able to finalise our uniforms and with the delivery of these, we have some excited students that are now really looking forward to getting on the plane and starting what will hopefully be a trip of a lifetime for them.

We thank David for helping our students create such an amazing design and we also thank our ATSI team for their support through the process.

Mark Billington
Basketball Academy Coordinator