Term 1, Issue 1

Dear Families

It has been a fast-paced start to the term and it is hard to believe we are at the end of Week 5, without it looking like slowing down. The children are settled and producing quality work. Two weeks ago, we had our P&F Wine and Cheese night, and it was a huge success with over 30 parents in attendance. It was great to see parents keen on volunteering at our school to provide the children with more opportunities in and around SFX.

Last Friday we had our Coffee Morning and the next one will be on Friday, 14^th March at 8:50am outside the Well-Being Centre. It is a good opportunity to come and have a chat with the Leadership Team and meet other parents.

SHROVE TUESDAY

Shrove Tuesday will be Tuesday, 4^th March, and the P&F will be cooking pancakes for all the children. Thank you to the P&F for this kind gesture, we appreciate your time and effort.

EVENTS FOR REMAINDER OF TERM 1

Below is a list of key events for Term 1 2025. 

5th March: Ash Wednesday

12th- 21st March: NAPLAN

4th April: Sports Day

11th April: Last day of term 3:05pm dismissal

NAPLAN Year 3 & 5

Each year, schools in Australia are required to participate in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing, which assesses students’ literacy and numeracy skills in years 3, 5, 7, and 9. NAPLAN testing aims to provide valuable information to students, parents, carers, and teachers about each student’s strengths and areas of improvement. It also allows parents, carers, and teachers to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time.

Our Year 3 and 5 students undertook the NAPLAN Practice Assessment earlier this week in preparation for the assessments taking place in Weeks 7 & 8. Further information has been sent to families of those students in Year 3 & 5 this week, and we encourage you to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any questions regarding NAPLAN.

AGM

The school AGM is approaching fast on Tuesday, 18^th March. Thank you to parents who have nominated for the available Board Member positions. We will have an election at the AGM to determine the 3 vacant positions.

SRC REPS

I am pleased to announce our SRC representatives for Semester 1:

Kind Regards

Jason Mittiga

Principal SFX

Week 0

To mark the beginning of the 2025 school year, we came together with Gleeson College, St David’s Parish School, and Our Lady of Hope School at Our Lady of Hope Parish for a Mass, offering a wonderful opportunity to unite as one vibrant community. After the Mass, we shared a morning tea and participated in enriching professional development sessions focused on the Religious Education curriculum. Led by Sue Coghlan and Marcia Burgess from CESA, we delved into the Crossways curriculum and Performance Standards. The day also provided dedicated time for staff to collaborate with colleagues from St David’s and Our Lady of Hope Schools, exploring the purpose of the RE classroom and designing purposeful, impactful learning plans. It was a day filled with connection, collaboration, and inspiration.

Community Prayer

Leadership kicked off the new school year with Community Prayer, uniting the entire school and community. This prayer centered on the theme announced by Pope Francis, the Jubilee Year of Hope (further information below). Mr. Mittiga blessed seeds, which were distributed to each class as a symbol of planting seeds of hope for the year ahead. Earlier in the week, Leadership invited families to share their hopes for 2025 by writing them on a whiteboard at the school gate. Mr. Mittiga addressed the community, reflecting on the powerful words of hope shared, such as growth, happiness, fun, kindness, patience, and the commitment to always try our best. These hopeful words will serve as our guiding inspiration throughout the year.

What is a Jubilee?

A Jubilee is a special year of grace and conversion, involving prayer, pilgrimage and sacramental repentance, held every 25 years, or during other years as called for by the Pope. Through a series of concrete rituals, acts and commitments, the goal of a Jubilee year is to inspire and encourage holiness of life among the faithful and therefore to strengthen the Church’s witness to God’s loving mercy in and for the world.

The word “jubilee” is derived from the Hebrew word jobel, which means “ram’s horn”; since it was precisely that horn which was used as a trumpet, whose sound indicated to everybody the beginning of the jubilee year.  The book of Leviticus, in the code of holiness, is the source which tells us of the significance of the jubilee year, a year of liberation “par excellence,” which is at the end of seven weeks of years, the fiftieth year.

Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025.

Pope Francis decreed that on Sunday, 29 December 2024, in every cathedral and co-cathedral, diocesan bishops are to celebrate Holy Mass as the solemn opening of the Jubilee Year, using the ritual indications that will be provided for that occasion. The Holy Year will conclude in the particular Churches on Sunday, 28 December 2025. 

In the course of the year, every effort should be made to enable the People of God to participate fully in its proclamation of hope in God’s grace and in the signs that attest to its efficacy.

Beginning of Year Mass

On Thursday, 20^th February, we were blessed to celebrate the Beginning of the School Year Mass, with Father Kym leading our prayer. It was a truly special occasion, particularly as we commissioned our Year 6 leaders, who received their badges and jumpers in a beautiful blessing ceremony. These symbols mark their important role as leaders within our school community.

A special moment of the celebration was when our Year 6 leaders processed into the sacred space alongside our new Reception students. This gesture beautifully symbolizes the journey of growth and development that our students experience—from their first steps in Reception to their final year in Year 6. It reflects the support, learning, and transformation that take place throughout their time in primary school.

We are grateful to all the families who joined us for this special celebration. We look forward to watching our Year 6 leaders grow in their roles and inspire all students through their compassion, responsibility, and leadership throughout 2025.

The theme for 2025- Compassionate Action for a sustainable and caring world

This year, our theme is Compassionate Action for a Sustainable and Caring World. We believe that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. By showing compassion to others and caring for our planet, we can create a better world for everyone. Together, let's work to make this year one of kindness, responsibility, and positive change!

Independence Day will commence from Week 6, Wednesday, 5th March and continue every Wednesday morning of the school term.

The purpose of this is to build children’s independence and resilience. Please support us by dropping your child(ren) at the gate and letting them come in independently.

Staff and senior students will be available at the entrance gates to assist your child to their classroom (if required). Please remember, Breakfast Club is available from 8:30am and is a great way to encourage your child to enter the school independently.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is a literacy engagement program that was introduced to encourage a love of reading and to improve literacy skills.  The Challenge has now commenced for 2025 and students should have or will soon receive a PRC reading record form from their class teacher. If they have not received one as yet or would like another copy, please come into the library and we’d be happy to give them another copy.

A couple of things to note...

1. To complete the Challenge, students are required to read 8 x PRC books of their level and 4 x other books of their own choice.  If the 4 free choice books also happen to be PRC books, then they can add these to the free choice section of their Student Reading Record.
2. PRC sticker colours the students should be looking for are ...  Reception to Year 2 Orange; Year 3 - 5 Green; Year 6 - Yellow 
3. If students wish to read books above their level, then they are most welcome to do so and can include those books on their Student Reading Record, however reading below is discouraged depending on the reading ability of the student.
4. If one book in a series is on the PRC book list, then all other books in that series are also considered PRC books.  While there are no restrictions to the number of books by an author or in a series, we encourage students to extend their reading and try to include a variety of books on their Student Reading Record.
5. While library staff do what we can to ensure we display relevant coloured stickers on each of the books in the library, this list changes regularly so some may fall through the cracks.  The PRC website provides a list of the books included in the challenge. This is a public site so anyone can access it, however students are welcome to ask library staff to check the list for them.

https://premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/

6. The onus is on the students (with the assistance and support of parents/caregivers) to fill in and return their completed forms to the library before the close date. Students will receive ample reminders and encouragement throughout this time, and we strongly encourage all students to complete the challenge.

We are hoping that you will join us in attempting to reach our goal of 100% completion, by encouraging your child to enter the details of the books as they read them and then return their completed form to the library once they have completed their reading.  Students have until Friday, 5^th September 2025 to complete their reading for the Challenge and to hand in their forms to their class teacher or to one of the library staff members before the close date. Certificates and medals will be awarded in November.

Overdue/Lost/Damaged books

Unfortunately last year we continued to have issues with overdue, lost, and damaged books.  Please note that student loans are for 14 days and books need to be returned to the library within that time. Students may extend the loan for an additional 14 days; however, they must bring the book(s) into the library and ask a staff member for a loan extension.  

Reminder notices are emailed to parents/caregivers and all Year 6 students each Monday afternoon advising of any books due to be returned in the coming week – this will include the due date.  Overdue notices are also emailed on Monday afternoon.  Should you receive an email from the library advising that your child has books due to be returned or already overdue, could you please ensure that they return them to the library as a matter of urgency.  Should books fail to be returned after reminders have been sent, an invoice may be sent home requesting payment to replace these books.  If the books are then found, please urgently return to the library, otherwise payment will be required.  Invoices may also be issued where a student returns a library book that is damaged beyond repair.

Please note, students who have any overdue books cannot borrow resources from the library until the overdue books have been returned or invoice for lost books has been settled. 

Thank you for your support

Library staff

We have welcomed some amazing new staff at SFX this year!

Welcome Emma, Melissah, Kylie, Mark, and Leah!

During Week 4, we celebrated Annie and Molly’s 2nd Birthday!

Throughout the week, students were encouraged to bring in photos of their pets to display on our whiteboard. We received a wonderful collection of pictures featuring a variety of pets from our students.

On Friday, we gathered gold coin donations for Lost Pets of South Australia. We also held an assembly to highlight the incredible work done by LPSA. Vickie, a volunteer from LPSA and our Front Office Administrator, gave an insightful presentation about their efforts to rescue lost pets. Additionally, we sang Happy Birthday to Molly and Annie, and students enjoyed zooper doopers during lunch.

Annie and Molly are a cherished part of SFX, and they are deeply appreciated by both students and staff.

The Learning Assistance Program - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The Learning Assistance Program focuses on the wellbeing, social and emotional need of students through the powerful and positive contribution of volunteers (mentors).

LAP mentors work with students on a one-to-one basis for one session per week, devising with the teacher, coordinator and student, a plan of activities tailored to that students' particular needs. Sessions are between 30-45 minutes, depending on the time a volunteer can spare, or the time the teacher has recommended for that session.

Mentors are carefully matched with students to build upon the student's strengths, interests and abilities.

Being part of LAP is very rewarding and a great way to be involved in the school community.

If you or a family member/ family friend are a registered volunteer and would like to assist with this program, please contact the Front Office, or email Marian Mullen: mmullen@sfx.catholic.edu.au

Please visit Vicki at the Front Office if you or your child have misplaced any school or personal items.

Items include, drink bottles, school uniform, watches and jewellery.