Issue #1 - Term 2, 2022

Dear Families,

Welcome to Term 2!

Last week I was pleased to announce that families can come back into the school, and we are all excited that we have a new "normal". Once again, thank you for your support over the last 2 years whilst restrictions have been in place.

We look forward to the term ahead, and please enjoy this edition of our eNews.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK - 9th - 15th May
Catholic Education Week is about celebrating the excellent teaching and learning across Catholic Education SA. It is a great opportunity for families to explore the benefits of a Catholic education. 

Dr Neil McGoran often mentions the three words of Belonging, Being, Becoming. The three B’s are a key part of the education offered in our Catholic Schools.  

At SFX we: 

• Offer a place of belonging to all young people, regardless of their faith or ethnicity.  
• Offer a place of being, where individuals can be exactly who they are.  
• Offer a place of be becoming, where all children will have their talents and capabilities recognised and be given the language and framework to help develop them.  

During Catholic Education Week 2022, we say ‘thank you’ to the dedicated, caring, hard-working staff and students who make Catholic schools in SA so special! 

This week at SFX, the students said ‘thank you’ by decorating our school fence with thank you hearts for all staff, students and parents who make our school so special.  

1.  Monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms
It is important that you continue to actively monitor your child for any COVID-19 symptoms. If any symptoms develop (even mild symptoms), students must not attend school and should follow SA Health advice in relation to testing and quarantine. If a positive result is advised, you will need to let the school know as soon as possible. 

We continue to work closely with SA Health, and in instances where there are five or more COVID-19 cases in a class, we will activate the Catholic Education South Australia Outbreak Management Plan for COVID-19 and communicate with families at that time. 

2.  Masks in schools
For the first four weeks of this term, face masks are required to be worn indoors by staff and adults attending school sites. Masks are also strongly encouraged for students in Years 3 - 6.  

3.  Family attendance at school
Families are welcome to come into the school grounds, however, we ask that you refrain from entering classrooms except for pre-arranged meetings. 

Families are welcome to attend school meetings, events and activities (including as spectators for indoor sport), inclusive of year level/class Masses. 

When indoors, please ensure you are wearing a face mask and maintain social distancing as best as possible. 

4.  Activity settings in schools 
We anticipate that whole school gatherings will resume later this term - to be advised. 

5.  Close contacts 
Please ensure you that you are familiar with the changes to close contact rules that took effect from 30th April, 2022. See SA Health website for further information. 

Please note that staff and students who are asymptomatic close contacts may continue to attend school, so long as they are testing in accordance with requirements and wearing a mask if they are over the age of 12. While there is no requirement for schools to keep a record of close contacts, we would very much appreciate your notifying the school. 

NAPLAN is currently taking place, and will continue next week for our Year 3 and Year 5 students.

NAPLAN is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, conventions of language, and numeracy. 

Good luck to all of our students who are participating!

A BIG thank you to the PCC for running the Mother's Day Stall last Friday. The children thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to purchase presents for their Mum.

The PCC is always looking for new members, so if you would like to join this group and assist when you are able with various events, stalls etc, please let Sonya know: scarroll@sfx.catholic.edu.au

On 21st May, our school will be a polling both for the Federal election. The staff will be cooking Democracy sausages, and we would love you to come over, say hello and buy a snag or two!

I have no doubt that your children have told you about the new additions to our school -  bearded dragons, fish, hopping mice, lizards and yabbies (more to come), all housed in our current Environmental Room.

The children are currently voting for the new name of this room, and the SRC will finalise the name at their meeting tomorrow. Exciting times!!! 

We are excited to advise that the new playground for Years R - 3 is operational! The children are thoroughly enjoying this new area, so much so that we have had to create an access roster (at least for this term)!

We have begun the process of collaborative moderation. This involves classroom and specialist teachers working together to determine how students are progressing and achieving against the Australian standards.

We have spent time focusing and refining our understanding of each year level's Australian English standard and have examined and analysed writing examples to improve our practice of moderation. We are strengthening our capacity in this area to ensure our reporting to you is accurate and consistent.
 
Some of our teachers have completed professional development to further their skills in the Science of Reading. They are sharing their learning with colleagues to continually strengthen our understanding and practice and identify supportive resources.

At the recent Pupil Free Day, we deepened our understanding of the Progressive Achievement Test - Reading (PAT-R) results from Term 1. Our attention was focused on how we can support each other to help all students move along the progressive reading continuum. Year level teachers collaborated on Reading SMART goals, aimed at precision teaching and developing an effective, measurable plan to improve reading outcomes.

School Fees
A reminder that Term 2 fees are due by the end of Week 5, unless you have an alternate payment plan in place.

Withdrawal of a Student
Families of children attending St Francis Xavier’s Catholic School must give one term's notice in writing to the Principal of their intention to withdraw their child/ren from the school. Where this is not adhered to, the school reserves the right to charge a full term's school fees.

Holy Week Celebrations  
Our Palm Sunday celebration proved to be extra special this year, with our two special guests - two donkeys! The Year 3 students prepared a beautiful prayer ritual. The students dressed up as the crowd and Jesus, who led the procession with two donkeys through an arch and down a winding path. The entire school gathered along the path, waving palms made by the students and singing, Hosanna! Bless our King. 

The students then read the scripture, retelling the gospel story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. 

To add to the Easter event, every classroom door in the school was decorated to symbolise Palm Sunday. 

Our special celebration was even published in the Southern Cross newspaper.

The Resilience Project  
Throughout 2022 we will be working closely with The Resilience Project to support the wellbeing of our school community.  

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.  

Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and a Parent & Carer Hub (inc digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.  

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness. You will hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our kids' learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.  

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community. 

View the first presentation of the series here: Part 1: Meet Martin and learn about The Resilience Project.

We will be in touch to share the remainder of the program, including research and wellbeing activities to integrate into day-to-day life.  

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support page.

We continue to hold the people of Ukraine in our prayers. As the fighting continues, more and more people are being forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Let us prayer together this prayer for the people of Ukraine.