Friends of Francis Meeting Monday - Week 8, 17th June

I remind everyone that the next meeting of the ‘Friends of Francis’ (FoF) will be on Monday night (week 8), June 17th, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Middle Years building.

Draft Agenda

• Prayer 
• Principal and Facilitator update
• ‘Parents and Friends Association’ update across Catholic Education Office Wollongong
• Friends of Francis Draft Constitution
• New buildings - update / upcoming changes and future event ‘Opening of new buildings’
• Parents/Carers social
• Tell Them From Me Data - parent/carer, students, staff
• Request/s for financial support
• Upcoming events
• General Business

Please note that it is not too late to nominate to be one of the FoF facilitators within the new structure (FoF Facilitator, FoF Fundraising Facilitator and/or FoF Community Facilitator). 

Please email Bernadette Manchester manchesterb01@dow.catholic.edu.au (by 11 June) if you are interested in nominating or wish further information.

New buildings and Extraordinary Student Free Days

I’m delighted that the next two stages of our building program (Stages Five and Six) are on track for completion. A new Administration Block and Junior Years building will be completed in the coming weeks.

The opening of these buildings will be a significant change. From the second day of next term, students in K to 4 will move into the new classrooms, staff will have a new staff room, and our College Reception will be in a new location (off Guillemont Rd)  with a new College address will be 40 Guillemont Road. 

The move out of our existing staff rooms and administration dwellings and two 'extraordinary' student-free days have been approved by the Catholic Education Office to help cater for the move from demountables to new buildings.

On July 5, it will be a student-free day for students in K-11, and on July 22, it will be a student-free day for all students in K-12. 

The latest building designs and more details about viewing opportunities for parents/carers and members of the Saint Francis Catholic College community will be discussed at the next Friends of Francis meeting on Monday, June 17.

Details about new kiss-and-drop access and videos to help support the change will be provided soon.

Not surprisingly, we are very excited about the new buildings, but we understand the new changes will take some time for everyone to understand.

Please pay attention to newsletters and Compass alerts, for future updates.

Primary Athletics Carnival

I thank all staff, students, parent/carer volunteers and parent/carer/family spectators for your involvement in last week’s K-6 Athletics Carnival. Despite gathering clouds and looming rain, we got through the full program at Campbelltown Athletics Stadium. I’d like to thank Miss Lauren Meli for her efforts in organising and running the carnival and Mrs Lowe for her guidance. Additionally, I recognise the efforts of all staff for their ongoing commitment.

It was wonderful to see so much joy, enthusiasm, and spirit on display throughout the day. An external company hired by the College for the day (one that has existed for over 30 years) commented on the carnival being one of the best they had attended. This is testimony to everyone in our community. Well done!

Prayer 

The following prayer is focused on ecological sustainability in line with last Wednesday’s ‘World Environment Day’ (June 5).

World Environment Day sees us acknowledge our profound connection to the Earth and allows us to reflect on the intricate web of life that sustains us and the urgent need to protect this delicate balance for our future.

As Pope Francis reminds us, caring for the land is a spiritual duty, and this year’s focus on land restoration calls us to action. Accordingly, let's reflect on our response to God's love shown through creation. As we mark World Environment Day, may we not merely reflect on our relationship with nature but also commit to tangible action. 

While humans have faltered, we can shape the future by nurturing the land. Let's grow trees, green our cities, and change our habits. Let’s commit to tangible action, embracing sustainable practices and advocating for change. No matter how small, every step leads towards a healthier planet for future generations.

Creator God,
You have made a world full of beauty,
an infinite expression of your wisdom and loving affection for all.
Fill us with awe and wonder for your unending creativity.
Give us the courage and strength to truly see the world as sacred so that we may work to protect it from devastation and exploitation.
May we not forget that what we have been given is not only for us but also for future generations. Let us cultivate a world teeming with life, where a safe, enriching environment is abundant enough for all so that God's love and glory may shine through for generations to come.
– Amen

(Prayer courtesy of Catholic Education Office Wollongong)

Our Formal College Photos will be taking place Term 2 Week 9.

Please note the following dates for the college student photos and order your photos online via the Advanced Life Photographer parent portal

• Mon 24/06/24 (Years 7-11 portrait photos, Year 12 Group and Portrait photos)
• Tues 25/06/24 (Kindy to Year 6)
  • Fri 28/06/24 (Absentee / Catch Up student photos & sibling portrait photos)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sibling Photo orders will CLOSE at midnight on Tuesday 25th June 2024.
NO further sibling photos will be possible after this date.

Please be aware that Liverpool Council will be parolling the local areas surrounding our College. This will be conducted as of tomorrow for the next couple weeks.

We ask families that they follow road saftey rules and drive in a safe manner.

This year marked the inaugural Year 8 MISA Public Speaking Competition, featuring 29 students from 15 schools across the Macarthur region. Representing our College, Harini and Ethan made us exceptionally proud. The adjudicators were thoroughly impressed by the caliber of their speeches, with one judge even making a point to personally commend both students for their outstanding performances. With so many high-quality speeches, the judges faced a challenging deliberation. However, it is with great excitement that we announce Harini was highly commended on her speech, and Ethan achieved 1st place in the competition.

On Tuesday, May 28th, and Wednesday, May 29th, I had the honour of representing St Francis Catholic College and the Wollongong Diocese at the NSWCCC Opens Football Championships. My journey to the championship team began with a trial in Wollongong on Friday, May 17th, alongside a few fellow St Francis students.

The excitement kicked off as we arrived at Valentine Sports Park on the first day. We were well-prepared and ready for our two opening matches. Winning both games set a positive tone for the rest of the tournament, and it was a great opportunity to bond with my teammates, who were fantastic both on and off the pitch. The camaraderie continued to build over dinner that evening, and we returned to our rooms with anticipation for the following day.

Our momentum carried us through the next morning, where we won two more games, securing our spot in the finals. The final match was a challenging 40 minutes, but our determination paid off as we triumphed with a 4-1 victory, remaining undefeated champions.

This unforgettable experience was a privilege, and I am incredibly proud to have represented St Francis Catholic College while playing for the Wollongong team. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Mrs Pavlovich and our coaches for making this incredible opportunity possible!

Arnav M Year 11

On Friday 24th May, Year 1 traveled by bus to the NSW Schoolhouse museum in Ryde. The museum was the first building of North Ryde Public School and built in 1877. Year 1 have been learning about the past so this was a fantastic opportunity to travel back in time and see what life was like for school students over 100 years ago. We visited the old classrooms and took part in different activities including writing with ink pens and stamps. We even made toast by toasting bread on the fire in the classroom. We then had a turn at some outdoor activities such as tossing coits, skipping, marching to the drum and dancing around the maypole. We thoroughly enjoyed our day in the past but were very glad to return back to 2024 at the end of the day. Life in the past was hard work! 

Here are some thoughts from our Year 1 students:

It was really fun marching to the beat of the drum and dancing around the maypole. - Leo 1 Green

I found using the jelly print really interesting. We pushed down our paper, pressed lightly and then an Australian map appeared like a big stamp. Andriana 1 Green

I liked using the stamps and finding all the old artifacts in the classroom on the treasure map. Tia - 1 Green

I liked when we toasted the bread over the fire and then we got to eat it with yummy jam! - Sabrina 1 Blue 

I loved using the ink pens to write fancy letters. - Sebastian 1 Blue 

When we went outside we did drills and that was fun. I also liked Maypole dancing and watching the ribbon create a pattern. - Jayden 1 Blue 

I preferred our school desks today than desks in the past because now there is room to push our chairs in and move. -  Sargon 1 Red 

I enjoyed fancy writing with the ink pens even though it was tricky! - Heeva 1 Red

We got to investigate objects from the past by finding them around the room! I liked finding the globe. It looked different to now because it was wooden. - Samuel 1 Red

I liked using the jelly pad in the 1950s classroom because it was just like a photocopier! That’s what they used in the past for all worksheets! - Genevieve 1 Red

On the 24th May, our Year 5 students participated in the Ignite Program which was aligned with our commitment to the Pedagogies for Deep Learning framework. The day aimed to facilitate the development of skills such as collaboration, communication, team work, problem solving, values and resilience. Everyone involved in this day had a fantastic time and there were smiles all around! 

On Wednesday the 8th of May, the two Year 9 PASS classes had a wheelchair basketball incursion, which was hosted by Richard who was part of the Basketball roadshow company. Richard has played many different wheelchair sports, some even at national level, such as basketball, table tennis, rugby, etc. His many experiences really demonstrate how even though he is in a wheelchair, he can still do amazing things. This incursion really made us realise how hard it is for those who are disabled to play other sports. Wheelchair basketball was such an interesting sport to play, and although it has many similarities to abled basketball, there are also a lot of differences. For example, the players are allowed to have two pushes of the wheels before they can take a bounce, so there’s much easier movement. It’s just such a different sport,and is much harder to get the ball off a rebound or if it bounces out of bounds, it’s much harder to try and save it or catch it. Having this opportunity, this experience has made us realise how fortunate abled people are, and how those who have a disability and have a much harder time in everyday life and struggle with things that come easy to us. Thank you to Richard for giving us this opportunity, and to Mr Fricot and Miss Flegg who organised it. 

Another karate tournament success at one of the largest karate tournaments in Australia!