END OF TERM AND REPORTS

As Term Two comes to a close, I would like to thank our entire College community for your ongoing support and the collective efforts of the past ten weeks.

With Semester One Reports now released, K-10, I encourage families to take some time to discuss these with their children using a Growth Mindset approach. There will no doubt be many aspects to celebrate, and perhaps a few areas that could benefit from further focus in the second half of the year. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher — those conversations can continue into Term Three.

To all of our students, I wish you a safe and restful break. I hope you return refreshed, re-energised, and ready for all the learning and opportunities that lie ahead in the back half of 2025. For our senior students — particularly Year 11 and Year 12 — I remind you of the importance of finding a good balance over the break: time for revision, study and preparation, yes, but also time for sleep, exercise, connection and rest.

A special thank you to our staff. Term Two is often one of the most demanding terms, yet your professionalism, dedication, and unwavering care for our students never go unnoticed. Thank you for the many ways you contribute — both in the classroom and beyond.

CYCLIC INQUIRY

Over the past few weeks, we’ve welcomed colleagues from the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Wollongong, as part of our latest School Review — a refreshed and more reflective process now known as Cyclic Inquiry.

A mixture of Diocesan and external reviewers external to CEDoW spent time at the College, engaging with our leadership team, exploring data and results, and speaking with parents, Fr Bosco, staff, and students. Their focus was not just on outcomes, but also on the culture, direction, and day-to-day reality of learning and teaching at St Francis.

The initial feedback was incredibly affirming — there is a strong sense that we are doing many things very well. When the full report is released in mid-Term 3, I look forward to sharing its findings and recommendations with the broader community.

STAFFING

At the end of this term, we bid farewell to Mrs Alex Mediati, who concludes her tenure with us after three and a half years as Assistant Principal – Religious Education, Identity, and Mission.

Alex has been a valued and much-loved member of our community, bringing warmth, deep faith, and a strong commitment to social justice. Whether leading liturgies, supporting students and staff, or simply sharing a kind word, Alex has always led with heart.

We thank her for the care, energy, and integrity she has brought to St Francis, and we wish her every blessing for what comes next. She leaves with our deep gratitude and best wishes.

I look forward in the new term to making an announcement regarding our new Assistant Principal: Religious Education, Identity and Mission.

We also farewell Mrs Maria Dao, Science Teacher. Ms Dao leaves us after a number of years of dedicated service in the Science Faculty. Recruitment for a replacement teacher will be finalised in the coming weeks.

As per my recent Compass notification, I also reiterate my congratulations to Mrs Melissa Vella, who has been successful in her substantive application to be the Principal at Thomas More Ruse. We wish her every success in her new community.

We wish Mrs Jasmina Rooke and Mrs Sarah Mirabito every success as they commence maternity leave. A combination of Mrs Joanne Griffin and Mrs Keely Duncan (Aschenwald) (returning next term) will be covering Mrs Rooke’s classes. Most of Mrs Mirabito’s classes will be covered by Miss Sarah McGinnes.

Mr Craig Davidson will be covering Mr Thanh Nguyen’s classes over the course of his extended paternity leave.

Miss Erica Ventura-Motta will be covering Mr Suneil Buck’s classes during his extended paternity leave.

We also congratulate Mr Phil Stonefield on his permanent appointment as our 5-12 Leader of Learning: Science. Mr Stonefield has been in the acting role during Mrs Michell Linkenbagh’s recent maternity leave and has a real commitment to quality deep learning in the Faculty. As Mrs Linkenbagh steps down from this role, we thank her for her wonderful work over the years in setting up and establishing our Science Faculty at the College.

Next term we also welcome our new 7-12 Diverse Learning Coordinator, Mrs Liz Bates, who comes to us from a variety of past leadership positions and/or roles working with diverse needs students.

PRAYER

As we come to the end of the term, we pause in gratitude and hope:

Loving God,
Thank you for the learning, growth, and care shared throughout this term. Inspired by Blessed Edmund Rice and St Francis of Assisi, may we continue to walk with compassion, humility, and joy.

Bless our students, staff, and families with rest and renewal over the break. Strengthen our bonds, refresh our spirits, and guide us safely back, ready to embrace new opportunities with open minds and open hearts.

–Amen.

Mr Matthew McMahon