STAFFING UPDATE

Please be advised that I am on a combination of Long Service Leave and Professional Learning Leave till Wednesday, May 1 (Week One, Term Two). During this time, Mrs Melissa Vella will be the Acting Principal. I will return on Thursday, May 2nd.

Please note that Mrs Alexandra Mediati, our Assistant Principal - Religious Education, Identity & Mission, will be on leave in Term Two. During this time, Mr Steven Robinson, the current Religious Education Coordinator at John Therry Catholic College, will be joining us at St Francis. Mr Robinson has a wealth of school leadership and industry experience and has worked in various roles as part of the leadership team at John Therry since 2012. I look forward to welcoming him next term.

Ms Allira Figueiras will be on leave for the first three weeks of Term 2. During that time, Ms Angela Papadam will be the Acting Junior Years Leader of Learning.

Mr Mitchell Baker will be on paternal leave for the first two weeks of Term 2. During that time, Ms Maria Dao will be the Acting Year 8 Coordinator.

I am saddened to announce that Mrs Kristina Sulentic, our current Leader of TAS, will leave St Francis at the end of this term. Mrs Sulentic is a foundation staff member who helped establish the TAS faculty at the College.  She will be missed as both a teacher and a staff member. I wish her every success in her future.

I’m pleased to announce that Mrs Daniella Valleri will join the College from Term Two as our new Leader of TAS. Mrs Valleri has had several leadership roles in previous schools, and I look forward to her joining St Francis.

I also welcome Mr Milan Cosic to the TAS Faculty. He will join us at the start of next term and has a background in industry before commencing his teaching career. He is skilled in construction, VET, and other TAS-related disciplines.

I’m also saddened to announce that Ms Mary Shoard, English teacher and foundation staff member, will leave St Francis at the end of this term. She will be missed as both a teacher and a staff member. I wish her every success in her future.

Please note that Mrs Harsha Dadlani has decided to step down from her teaching position within our Science faculty. I am saddened by her news but believe that she will be available to teach casually in the future. 

I wish Mrs Kate Crawford all the best as she leaves us soon to commence her maternity leave. 

I welcome Mr Paulo Ibanez to our College. Mr Ibanez will commence with us from Week 3, Term Two, and be teaching in the PDHPE and Science faculties.

This week, I welcomed Mr Nick Sacca to the College. He has joined our HSIE faculty and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in this KLA.

THE CEDOW MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES REVIEW - PARENT/CARER SURVEY

I sent out details about this important survey by Compass on Wednesday, 3rd April.

I have included here the Compass entry in the hope that you get the chance to (if you haven’t already) complete the survey:

The mental well-being of our young people is critical.  Given the increasing number of challenges and pressures they face, it is timely that the Catholic Education Office Diocese of  Wollongong (CEDoW) is reviewing the support services provided across our Diocesan Schools.

As such, The CEDoW Mental Health Support Services Review is an important initiative aimed at enhancing the wellbeing services Catholic Education provides across the Wollongong Diocese. 

With the collaboration of Altum Counselling and Consulting Pty Ltd, CEDoW is conducting a thorough evaluation of its current services and support systems. School leaders, teachers, students, and parents/carers will complete surveys.

This short survey, which takes only 8-15 minutes to complete, will be conducted with the utmost respect for participants’ time and privacy. Your anonymous contributions will play a crucial role in improving the support systems within and across Diocesan schools; systems which will have lasting benefits for students and staff.

We thank you for your active participation. Together, we will strengthen the foundations of support and wellbeing within the CEDoW community.

Please complete the survey here

Also, do note that our students from Years 4 to 12 will be undertaking a similar (but more student-friendly worded) survey in the coming week.

Surveys must be completed by 16 April.

Thank you again for helping us support our young people in the years ahead.

PARENT/CARER ORGANISATIONS

On Monday, 25th March, the ‘Friends of Francis’ first meeting was held. I thank all of the parents and/or carers who were able to attend on the night.

During the evening, the new proposed parent/carer College organisation structures were shared with a captive group. This new structure will provide opportunities for parents/carers to have a voice in the College and be involved in fundraising and social opportunities in the future. The chance to raise matters for consideration will also be provided in the design of agendas and general business. Some of these matters may then serve as topics for future Parent/Carer Advisory Groups. 

As explained on the night, the association’s draft constitution will be shared and explored in future meetings.

The call for facilitators for the Friends of Francis group and the sub-groups Fundraising and Community will be made in the weeks leading up to the next meeting in Term Two.

I look forward to what the new structures can achieve in the future.

CHRISM MASS

Last Tuesday night, the 2024 College Captains, Vice Captains, and I attended the Diocesan Chrism Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral Wollongong. At this celebration of the Eucharist, the sacred oils used for various Catholic sacraments across a given year were blessed and then distributed for use for the liturgical year. This year's notable feature of the oils is that Bishop Brian Mascord combined them with special oils he had received during his visit to the Holy Land last year.

Over forty priests around the Diocese of Wollongong recommitted to their priestly vows during the mass. Bishop Mascord was very gracious in his thanks to those attending and for their role in adding to the diverse yet dynamic nature of our Diocese. I thank Nicholas C, Abigail A., Saurav B, and Khloe F. for their attendance on the night, and I thank Nicholas for being one of the readers.

THANK YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I appreciate that we still have a week left until the student vacation, but I would like to thank you all for your efforts throughout Term One. It has been a jam-packed few months, but much has been achieved throughout the term—including a great deal of quality learning. It’s wonderful to continue seeing St Francis grow and develop.

PRAYER

In honour of our soon-to-be celebrated Harmony Week next week, the following prayer has been adapted from the Sisters of Mercy:

Good and gracious God,

who loves and delights in all people,

we stand in awe before You,

knowing that the spark of life within each person

is the spark of Your divine life.

Differences among cultures and races are

multicoloured manifestations of Your light.

May our hearts and minds be open to celebrating

similarities and differences among our sisters and brothers.

Please send Your healing and reconciling Spirit to bind

the wounds created by racism and racial hatred,

and to promote understanding, justice, and love.

We place our hopes for racial harmony in our committed action

and in Your living presence in our neighbour.

May all people live in peace!

– Amen.

On March 22nd students from Years 5 to 12 challenged each other in a friendly competition to see who could form the longest line using coins and also who's line can add up to the most value. Students made their coin lines in their homeroom classes on Friday morning. This event was a huge success and raised a lot of money for Project Compassion and at the time of this newsletter the SFCC YEL Student are still counting all the coins raised from this coin line event. A big thank you to the Year Co-ordinators, Homeroom Teachers and SFCC YEL Students who helped organise this event and a big thank you to all the students who participated in this event.

The SFCC 2024 MISA Year 7-9 Boys Volleyball team consisted of 9 players who have competed against other schools within MISA through the entirety of Term 1. Thanks to their coach Mr Fricot, and their brilliant teamwork, they were able to win the Division 2 Volleyball Championships without losing a single game! This is the first time that SFCC has won the Division 2 Championship for volleyball. 

The hard work and training of the boys paid off, with many of the players improving their skills throughout the term. Mr Fricot taught and trained the boys essential volleyball skills, while also coaching them through their games and providing constructive feedback and support. 

Furthermore, on the 3 April, there was an Exhibition Volleyball Match at Break 2 where the Year 7-9 Volleyball Team played against the Year 10-12 Volleyball Team in the Hall. There were several spectators who were watching and cheering the players from the sidelines. This match was to promote donations for Project Compassion and the Year 7-9 Team won against the Year 10-12 Team. 

In summary, the Year 7-9 Boys Volleyball Team played exceptionally well throughout the entirety of the MISA competition and showed excellent sportsmanship and teamwork.

Congratulations to Sebastian in Year 5, who participated in 9 events at the NSW Karate Open and came home with 2 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals.