A Busy Start to Term 4
We are now approximately halfway through what is always a very busy Term 4. As always, student learning opportunities this term come in many different forms and each of these experiences offer opportunities for our students to develop their skills and reinforce positive attitudes and capabilities.
A Busy Start to Term 4
We are now approximately halfway through what is always a very busy Term 4. As always, student learning opportunities this term come in many different forms and each of these experiences offer opportunities for our students to develop their skills and reinforce positive attitudes and capabilities.
Junior and Middle School Camp Experiences
In Week 1 of term, our Year 6 students participated in a fun filled camp at Wallaroo, where they further developed their team building skills and had plenty of opportunity to test their resilience and perseverance as they engaged in various outdoor challenges. This was followed by our Year 5 Camp at Nunyara Conference Centre (at Belair) in Week 3, consisting of outdoor activities with a focus on teamwork, personal responsibility and positive communication. As I write this article our Year 9’s and Year 7’s are preparing for their camps in the coming weeks. The Year 9’s will be heading to Hindmarsh Island where they will participate in surfing, kayaking, raft building and other challenging outdoor activities, whilst the Year 7’s will head to Canberra and focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and civics and citizenship. These camp opportunities, as well as the many sports carnivals and excursions that are continuing throughout Term 4, offer our students the chance to learn more about themselves and build deeper relationships with each other and their teachers.
There is some very important learning that takes place when students step out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves to complete tasks they may, at first, find difficult. Persisting and persevering in this manner helps young people discover that they can overcome the challenges that life presents, and that they do have the physical and mental tools and capabilities needed to face times of uncertainty. These camp experiences require students to stay away from home for a few days, eat different types of food from what they are used to, co-operate and collaborate with people they may not usually associate with and negotiate different daily schedules and events. Successfully meeting and overcoming these types of challenges helps our students become the best versions of themselves, and prepares them for their future schooling and life beyond the boundaries of our College. Many thanks to all the staff, parents and community members involved in organising and running these valuable learning experiences for our students.
Farewell and Good Luck Year 12's
On Friday of Week 2, we farewelled our 2024 Graduating Class of Year 12's with a whole College liturgy. 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. We wish all of our Year 12’s well over the coming weeks, as they complete their final exams and assessments, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the upcoming Year 12 Graduation Dinner.
World Teachers’ Day
As I mentioned in my last Link Up article, World Teachers’ Day was held in Australia on Friday 25 October. This day was a great opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work our teachers and staff do in educating, inspiring and supporting our students. There is no doubting the energy, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication our teachers bring to this vocation, and I again publicly thank them for the manner in which they support and nurture the students in their care.
The Educators SA Awards night took place on Friday 25 October as part of the celebration of World Teachers’ Day. Jane Hosking, our College’s Laboratory Manager, received the Honour Award for her dedication to science education. Jane also recently received a Laboratory Managers Association of SA award for Exceptional Science Service. Both of these awards are very well deserved and represent the outstanding work Jane does here at St Francis de Sales, and in the broader community, to support science education. Congratulations Jane! We are very fortunate to have you as part of our school community and these awards are something you should be very proud of.
Celebrating our Children’s University Graduates
Congratulations to the 16 Junior School students who will soon be recognised for their learning, participation and volunteering through the Children’s University program at a Graduation Ceremony to be held at Bonython Hall, Adelaide University on Thursday 14 November. This program highlights the importance of life experiences, outside of normal schooling, in the learning journey of a young person. It also recognises the significant role parents and teachers have in fostering learning and helping young people reach their full potential. A big shout out to our 2024 Children’s University graduates and their families who supported them on this educational journey.
Impress Writing Competition and SAETA Spring Poetry Anthology
The Impress Writing Competition is run in conjunction with The Once Upon a Festival, an event hosted by Immanuel College. It is a two-day extravaganza of writing and illustrating workshops and author and artist talks. This year’s competition theme asked writers to craft a tale filled with clues, evidence, suspects, crime scenes, victims and red herrings. All entries are blind judged by a panel comprising members of the South Australian Teachers Association, guest authors and teacher volunteers. Success was experienced by our College with Annabelle Pham, Year 11 announced Runner Up of her category for the story The Scarlet Spirit. And our English Learning Area Specialist, Nicole Elding, announced Runner Up of the teacher category for the story A Snip of the String.
In other wonderful news from our English department, Charlotte Peacock’s poem Shattered Veridian, and Ella Taylor’s poem The Old Man’s Tale, were selected for publication in the SAETA Spring Poetry Anthology. Both students attended an official launch of the Spring Poetry Festival on Saturday 26 October at the University of SA Magill Campus, where they were presented with copies of the anthology, listened to readings of original works by other poets and were able to enjoy a delicious morning tea.
Congratulations to our successful English students and staff.
Reactivation of SEQTA Engage
As a result of our recent system upgrade and temporary loss of access to SEQTA Engage, all parents should have recently received an email requesting that they re-activate their SEQTA Engage log on.
If you currently do not have access to SEQTA Engage, it is important that you re-activate your account using the details in the email which you would have received from the following email address: noreply@seqta .
Please be mindful that the SEQTA Engage activation email may have gone to your spam or junk folder and that it needs to be acted upon within 7 days.
If you cannot find the email, have not re-activated your account within 7 days or are experiencing any issues with this re-activation, please contact the College on 8393 1000 or email Student Services at info@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au to re-provision access.
Final Assessment, Feedback and Student Learning for 2024
With the Adelaide Christmas Pageant taking place last weekend, we know that the end of the school year is not far away. At this time, it is important students maintain perseverance and focus on their learning, utilising the last few weeks of term to ensure they conclude the year in the best possible manner. At this time of year, students may feel some pressure to complete assessments and final tests or exams. This is a normal part of school life, and good preparation, organisation and communication will help students cope during this busy time. I 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.
Assessment is a key aspect of teaching and learning at St Francis de Sales, and it involves the ongoing process of providing descriptive feedback to support learning growth. Final assessment grades and comments capture how well a student achieved in an assessment task, but at St Francis de Sales we also highly value the impact that descriptive feedback has in assisting our students move forward in their learning. Our teachers use SEQTA to communicate formative feedback to students, which provides them with the opportunity to reflect on and monitor their progress and review how well they have attended to assessment learning intentions and success criteria; in turn enabling them to set learning goals and work towards these. 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.
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 and head towards the end of the 2024 Academic year.
Paul Wadsworth
Deputy Principal - Learning
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