Welcome to St Francis 2020

Dear Parents/Carers,

What an exciting start to the new year we have had! The Innovation Centre has opened and students are enjoying learning in the well-appointed new classrooms. The surrounding roads have opened around the College making entry and dismissal a little easier.

We have welcomed over 200 new students from Kindergarten - Year 10, making our total student population around 870. We have also welcomed 21 new members of staff.

Students have had a busy start to the year. The whole school had to learn new procedures and arrangements with the new building coming online. Years 3-10 also had a very successful swimming carnival last week.

Despite the busyness, it has been a very settled start and I congratulate the students and staff for their commitment to learning.

I would also like to thank parents and carers for their patience in orienting new families and their presence at our Parent Information Evenings last week.  These sessions provided valuable information on our approach to learning and pastoral care at St Francis and also provided an opportunity for families to tour our new facilities.

Class Groupings Blue, Green, Red

I have been asked by several parents over recent weeks, “which class is the academically higher class?” Let me reassure parents that all K-6 classes are ‘mixed ability’ classes. This means that they are not grouped according to academic ability. Each class will have a mixture of academically stronger children who learn the basic curriculum quickly and need enrichment activities to deepen their understanding. Each class will have some students who struggle to learn some aspects of the curriculum and require additional support. Research suggests that all young students benefit from having a mix of learners within a classroom. It allows for modelling of best learning and peer to peer learning which can deepen understanding. So, to answer the question: there is no top or bottom class. 

The College engages in regular and routine academic assessments to provide feedback to students and parents and monitor your child’s academic performance. We also keep a database on meritorious behaviour and behaviour that requires intervention. This data is used along with teacher professional dialogue each year to rearrange the class groupings for the following year and ensure a diverse mix of student abilities and personalities for each class.

Our adolescent cohorts for Year 7 - 12 remain mostly mixed ability classes. There is one high-performance class in each year group for Year 7 & 8, 2020 based on students' English and Mathematics results.  Stage 5 (Years 9 & 10) looks different again as we begin to focus on various pathways of study.

Students can move in and out of the high-performance class depending on their ongoing academic performance. Again, all student results are closely monitored by the College and it is expected that all students be challenged in their learning regardless of whether they are in a mixed ability or high-performance classes. Students who make up the high-performance class however, typically learn faster and as such there is an expectation that they will develop a deeper understanding of course content. The majority of students remain in mixed ability classes which promote inclusive, engaged learning.

Extra Curricular Opportunities

Last year we commenced our association with a number of local businesses to provide extended learning opportunities for students. Demand for our popular Out of School Hours (OOSH) Care run by CatholicCare has continued and in 2020 we have expanded the service to cater for 140 students each day.

Homework Club run by volunteer teachers, assists students with homework and assignment help on Tuesday afternoons.

Star Soccer Academy and the Music Bus were popular last year and will continue in 2020 as afternoon options.

The owners of Kip McGrath tutoring Liverpool are keen to establish a tutoring service at St Francis and we will offer this service early Term 1.

Two exciting new options are the Australian Air League cadets (ages 8 and up) and Duke of Edinburgh Award program (Years 9&10).

Australian Air League

Since 1934, the Australian Air League has been teaching young boys and girls nationwide all about aviation, while helping them develop important life skills like leadership, discipline, self-confidence and teamwork. Hundreds of cadets have gone to develop careers in aviation.

Each week cadets attend their local squadron where you will learn valuable skills and take part in fun and interesting activities and classes. Some of our classes include Meteorology, Navigation, Photography and Community Service. Squadrons also attend training camps, sport and recreational days, flying experiences and ceremonial drill.

A new Edmondson Park Squadron will operate at St Francis. Air League welcomes boys and girls from the age of 8 years old from all different cultures and backgrounds. Parents and families are welcome to support or even join their local squadron as a volunteer. All adult members and volunteers are Working with Children Checked.

A public meeting will be held at the College Hall at St Francis on Friday 21^st February at 7:00pm to provide more information. Weekly Squadron meetings will be on Friday nights 7:00-9:00pm.

For further information call Group Field Commissioner Brendan Fox 0405 365 213 or email: oc.edmondsonpark@airleague.com.au

Duke of Edinburgh

Senior students in Years 9 & 10 (14 years and over) will be offered an opportunity to receive the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this year. Students have to set goals around learning new skills, actively engaging in physical recreation and voluntary service as well as completing a planned hike. Mrs Lyons & Mrs Davidson met with students and their families last Wednesday to invite their participation in the program.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award program is a global youth initiative and has been adopted by more than 130 countries. Over 8 million young people are involved worldwide. It focuses on building the capacity of the participants to make independent decisions and to negotiate priorities through active participation.

Open Day & Enrolments 2021/2022

The staff in College Reception have been inundated with calls and enquiries about enrolments. Enrolments for Kinder – Year 11 2021 & Year 7 2022, officially start when we distribute enrolment packages at our Open Day.

Open Day will start at 11am & conclude at 1pm, Saturday 7^th March. This is an opportunity for existing and prospective parents & students to visit the College, tour classrooms, see displays of student work, demonstrations & talk to staff & students.

It should prove to be a very busy day, with hundreds of people attending in past years.

Traditionally, we have small army of students who volunteer to welcome new families, help with classroom displays and act as tour guides. Students will be given details next week should they wish to volunteer. We would also appreciate any parents that may available from 10:30am to assist with our food stalls. If you can help until 1pm fantastic! If you can assist for just an hour, that would be great. Please email Ms Bernadette Manchester (bernadette.manchester@dow.catholic.edu.au) by Thursday 5 March, if you are able to assist on the day.

I hope to see you at our Open Day on Saturday 7th March - it should be a great community event.

May God continue to bless you

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Principal