Issue 1 Term 1 2023

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From the Principal

Dear Families,

It has been a great start to the new school year with all children settling in well to life at SFX. We warmly welcome the following staff who are new to our community in 2023.

Victoria Szilassy, Ashlee McCarthy and Malissa Jones - Reception Teachers

Jane Glasson and Anita Avolio - Year 5 Teachers

Rosemarie Villano - Music Teacher

Meaghan McCarthy - Year 4 Teacher

Donna Eeles - Personal Assistant

Leila Magnus - Marketing and Communications

School times

Last year I communicated that our school day is changing at the end of the day to fit in with the CESA Enterprise agreement. We now finish each day at 3:05 pm.

8:30 am – gates open

8:50 am - classrooms open

9:00 am - gates locked

3:00 pm - gates open

3:05 pm- classes dismissed

3:30 pm gates locked and leftover children sent to OSHC by yard duty teachers (please note this)

SRC

I am pleased to announce the SRC for Semester One 2023. We congratulate all of these students on being selected and representing their classes to ensure SFX is a great place for us to learn and grow together.

AGM

The 2023 school AGM will be held on Tuesday, March 14, at 6:00 pm. We are seeking one to two parent community members to join our Board. Meetings are on Tuesday 6:00-7:30 pm Weeks 4 and 8 of the School Term. If you are interested and commit to all these meetings, please contact Donna at PA@sfx.catholic.edu.au

Independence Day

Independence Day will continue to be on a Thursdays but only in the mornings. The carpark is busy at afternoon pick-up and we feel parents coming in will help ease congestion. Thank you to those parents who have pointed this out. We are always open to feedback

Carpark Parklane Drive

This carpark is a "Kiss and Drop" and there are two carpark areas for you to park your cars. This year the "Kiss and Drop" will look different as we are changing the way it works. Children will gather outside the gate and along the fence line under my supervision. This is for the purpose of Kiss and Drop.

If you are parking your car, the children will be under the shelter. A section will be allocated for parents who are hopping out of their cars. Please be patient, as this will take a few weeks to work successfully. More information will be sent in the coming weeks.

Sports Day

We are excited about Sports Day on Friday 17^th March being held at a new venue

Bridgestone Athletics Centre (BAC), Frost Rd, Salisbury.

An email regarding permission and transport matters has been sent to families on Friday 24th February, which can be easily accessed.

Please also be advised a hard copy will be sent home with all students on Monday 27th February.

Pupil Free Days 2023

10^th March

9^th June

24^th July

8^th September

The last day of the 2023 school year is Wednesday 13^th December.

School Calendar

As mentioned in my last letter to families, we now have a term-by-term calendar. Term 1 calendar was issued 2 weeks ago. We hope this helps you and your family with a snapshot of events for the term all located in one place. We also remind all families to keep checking the digital version on our website as events do get added, deleted or changed during the term. Access the current calendar via the 2023 Calendar and Parent Handbook tab.

In the meantime, some key events for the remainder of Term 1 are:

Friday 10^th March: Pupil-free day

Tuesday 14^th March - Friday 24^th March: NAPLAN Year 3 and Year 5

Tuesday 14^th March: School AGM 6 pm

Friday 17^th March: Sports day at Bridgestone Athletics Centre

Monday 3^rd April - Thursday 6^th April: Parent/ Teacher Conversations

Thursday 6^th April: Holy Thursday (school as usual)

Friday 7^th April: Good Friday

Monday 10^th April: Easter Monday

Friday 14^th April: Last day of term (3:05 finish)

SFX 40th Year Celebrations

In 2023, St Francis Xavier's School celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

We will have many events planned and the Parents and Friends & Staff committees are working hard to ensure it is a great year. Our first major parent function is on

Saturday, June 17. Please add this date to your calendars and book the babysitters as it will be a huge event at the Marche Club for parents and staff.

Kind Regards,

Jason Mittiga - SFX Principal

SFX Uniform

Uniform

With the beginning of the 2023 schooling year the SFX smart active uniform is now the ONLY uniform to be worn at SFX (no old SFX logo or uniform that is not embroidered). Everyone is now settling into the term and have had the opportunity to fix any uniform issues. Over the next few weeks Staff will start to ensure students are in the correct school uniform. Students wearing incorrect items will receive a notice to take home.

Just some reminders:

Headbands/Ties/Ribbons: Accessories are to be minimal, and navy or white ONLY (no Jo-Jo style bows). Please note children are currently wearing other colours such as pink, green, black etc, which are not permitted. 

Hair: Hairstyle is also a part of the school uniform. Shoulder length hair or longer is to be tied back and away from the face. Any change to hair colour should be in natural toning only. Highlights are permitted but should not be excessive. Hairstyles are to be moderate and not extreme – no lines or patterns cut into the hair.  

Sneakers: Are to be predominately white, with white laces only.

Jewellery: The only jewellery permitted to be worn - Wristwatch, Earrings: sleepers or studs and gold or silver in colour. One chain with religious symbol, to be worn under clothing.

Online Orders: All orders placed online are delivered to the school and distributed to the child.

No makeup or coloured nail polish. 

Please see our school website for full details.

From our Acting APRIM, Rosanna Samarzia

Catholic Identity and Mission 

Week 0-Staff Development

Staff had the privilege of working with Father Joshua Nash from the TTG Parish to discuss and break open the meaning of ‘Charism’. In doing so, staff developed a deeper understanding of the history of SFX and the vision and mission of the school. After a rich discussion, a staff committee was formed to develop our Catholic Identity.

Staff also had the opportunity to work with Ray Gardner, a volunteer and sustainability committee member. Working with Ray, the staff planned and created a sustainability goal for the year. If you are interested in joining the sustainability committee or are able to volunteer your time to work in our beautiful gardens, please contact Rosanna Samarzia (rsamarzia@sfx.catholic.edu.au). We would love to have more volunteers working in our gardens, even if it is just a once-off.

Bread tags  

 Our school will continue the collection of bread tags to support Bread Tags for Wheelchairs. They are recycled in Robe, SA to fund wheelchairs, mainly in South Africa. Save your tags and drop them off to your classroom teacher or place them in the collection point in the Mary Mackillop Centre.

Beginning of Year Mass-Celebrating 40 Years  

During Week 3 we celebrated the new school year with our Commissioning Mass. Father Josh encouraged us to create, build, and vision a life for our school community that is filled with amazing possibilities, exciting opportunities and great challenges that will enrich and guide us to reach our potential this year.  We gave thanks to God for 40 years of St Francis Xavier’s Catholic School and trust in our journey ahead.   

Our Year 6 students were blessed by Father Josh and the community commissioned them as school leaders for 2023.  Our staff were also commissioned as they asked God to grant them the wisdom, strength and compassion to do their very best for all students at SFX.

Shrove Tuesday 

We celebrated Shrove Tuesday by making and eating pancakes. Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. This important feast day in the Catholic faith was the last chance for the people to enjoy their meals before 40 days of fasting.

It was also an opportunity to use up food that could not be eaten during lent, like eggs, butter and milk, which were made in pancakes and eaten on that day. We are so grateful for our fresh chicken eggs at SFX to make yummy pancakes.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

This week marks the beginning of Lent. The RE committee hosted a Whole School Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent. The marking of the ashes on our foreheads on this day is a public expression of our faith. It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through prayer, we come closer to God so that we are better able to live justly, as Jesus teaches us. Thank you to the RE committee for leading a beautiful and reflective Liturgy. We also thank and acknowledge those families who were able to join our prayer service.

Sacramental News 

Para Hills/ Modbury Parish

Reconciliation: Saturday, 18^th March at 3:30 pm

Where: John XXIII Church

TTG Parish

Parent/Student meeting:  20^th March at 6:00 pm at St David’s Church

Carnevale

The magic of Carnevale!

Xavier hall was illuminated with flamboyant, scary and heroic masks as we celebrated Carnevale. Carnevale is one final celebration to eat, have fun and share jokes before the restrictions and solemnity of Lent which commences on Ash Wednesday.

Honouring our Year leaders for 2023, welcoming new students and families, listening to our talented Year 5 hosts and attempting to teach good choices to Mr Mittiga’s mischievous friend Jack were just some ways we came together for our first student lead assembly for this year.

Thanks for joining the FUN with us!

Prayer for the New Year

Good and gracious God,

as a new school year begins,

please fill the hearts of our students with an eagerness to learn about the world you have created,

about themselves and most of all about you.

Bless our teachers with the gifts of wisdom and patience that they may help students find the truth.

Give our parents generous hearts to encourage and support their daughters and sons.

Help us all work together to form a community of learning that teaches not only skills for success

but all that we need to live our faith fully in the world.

Amen

Restorative Practices at SFX

Restorative Practices at SFX – Scott Hughes (Physical Education & Student Wellbeing Support)

“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth”.

Relationships are at the forefront of all we do at St. Francis Xavier’s School (SFX), as such we believe in Restorative Practices (RP): a system of formal and informal processes that build and sustain a culture of kindness, respect, responsibility and justice. Rooted in Indigenous traditions and thinking, Restorative Practices help us recognise our inherent connections to one another and our community. We emphasise that healthy and respectful relationships are the key to developing and sustaining a sense of community, and taking the time to repair relationships when harm or conflict has occurred is fundamental to this belief.

RP is not just about responding to harm or conflict. At a preventative level, SFX staff and students build and maintain relationships through social-emotional learning programs such as The Resilience Project (TRP). TRP delivers developmentally appropriate and emotionally engaging lessons, providing practical and evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. Through curriculum and children's GEM (Wellbeing) Journals, the benefits of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness are shared, together with easy ways to practise these in everyday life. We also use affective statements and questions, active listening, and restorative dialogue to build trust and a genuine sense of belonging.

RP posits that people are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make and sustain positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them as opposed to to them or for them. In accepting this, when addressing incidents of harm or conflict, we seek to focus primarily on relationships and secondarily on rules. We give voice to the person harmed, give voice to the person who caused the harm, engage in collaborative problem-solving, encourage and nurture responsibility, empower change and personal growth, and plan for restoration. Our staff are prepared for this because we accept that conflict is a normal by-product of human relationships. By proactively building trusting and supportive classroom communities, and by working restoratively with your children when the need arises, we are fostering an environment where your children feel safe and secure, and are able to be the best versions of themselves.

For more on student wellbeing at SFX, you can visit our website: https://www.sfx.catholic.edu.au/why-our-school/student-wellbeing

For more on our use of RP at SFX, you can view our policy on our website: https://www.sfx.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/21105/Restorative_Practices_Procedure_Document.pdf

From our Leader of Learning, Lisa Karanicolou

As the new year begins our literacy momentum continues to build and flourish. Our Reception teachers are undergoing professional learning in the Sounds-Write Program. This program is recommended by SPELD to deliver explicit phonics teaching and learning. These teachers will then join the seven other trained staff at our school to lead, support and deliver evidence-based phonics program that is aimed at supporting all the students we teach. We will also have two primary teachers attend professional learning focussing on writing, to lead us in best practices with writing assessment.

We have begun using the Australian Curriculum, Version 9 to plan for and assess teaching and learning. We are following CESA guidelines with Performance Standards. Our students will be asked these 5 questions to check in on how the teaching and learning is going in every classroom.

The 5 Student Questions

* What are you learning and why?

* How are you going?

* How do you know?

* How can you improve?

* Where do you go for help?

To support these 5 questions teachers have begun co-constructing Bump It Up Walls and Learning Walls with their students in their classroom. These walls help students to know how they can improve, and they act as a Third Teacher in supporting students in seeing what is expected of them and how to achieve higher levels of learning.

We are also preparing for NAPLAN for our Year 3 and Year 5 students. The testing weeks are Weeks 7 and 8 this term. Teachers in those year levels will be sending home support material.

Our main focus for the next two years is Mathematics. We have teachers who will be attending professional learning with Assessment Mapping and Pedagogies for Effective Teaching of Mathematics in Junior Primary. In Middle Primary, some teachers will undergo professional learning in Rich Mathematical Approaches which is a collaboration with CESA and the University of South Australia’s Mathematics Faculty.

We are also developing STRETCH Mathematics programs and hope to share more information throughout the year.

Our Year 3 and Year 4 students will be invited to participate in the Children’s University Adelaide educational experience. This program develops resilience, optimism and confidence through self-directed learning beyond the classroom. It fosters student agency by encouraging students to try new activities, discover new passions, visit new places and have fun. When completed the program, students are recognised for their achievements through the award of formal certificates and graduation at Adelaide University.

School Fees

School fee statements have been mailed to your nominated address. If you would like to receive the early payment discount of 5%, please pay in full before 24^th February 2023.

If you have nominated to pay via termly instalments this is due by the end of Week 5 ( Friday 3^rd March) , unless you have a payment plan in place.

School card applications for 2023 are now open. You can apply with the below link.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/financial-help-scholarships-and-grants/school-card-scheme

Lunch Orders

Friendly reminder if you are ordering lunches via QKR to make sure you enter your child's correct room number and year level for 2023.

We have had orders come through using last year's details and lunches are going to the wrong rooms and delaying hungry little bellies.

SPORTS DAY LUNCH ORDERS CANCELLED - 17TH MARCH

Thank you.

Golden Child Challenge

On Friday of Week 2, Room 18 Year 5’s brought the classroom community together for some healthy competition in the school hall. Students versed Families for the class

"Golden Child Challenge" trophy, both aiming to be victorious.

The students scored 10 runs and were in good stead for the win, but the families’ final runner, the ‘Golden Child’, managed to bring the adult team home for the Term 1 win! Congratulations to our Room 18 families and may the best team win in the Term 2 competition.

Jane Glasson

Year 5 Teacher

The Learning Assistance Program

The Learning Assistance Program - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The Learning Assistance Program focuses on the wellbeing, social and emotional needs 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 student’s 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

The Coffee Van

On the last Friday of every month starting on Friday 31st March, our friends from The Coffee Run will be at SFX on the asphalt outside the front office from 8:15 am serving delicious, brewed coffee.

Enjoy and cheers!

SFX Social Media

Thank you to all who have joined or continued following our SFX Facebook and Instagram page!

We have had such wonderful feedback and it's appreciated.

If there is anything you would find handy on the social pages this year to make our communication clear and your life that bit easier, please email your suggestions to

lmagnus@sfx.catholic.edu.au

Feel free to share any posts we share so we can continue to spread the word of our tranquil community.

Kindest,

Leila - SFX Marketing and Communications Officer

Parent Webinars and Courses