Dear Parents/Carers,

It is hard to believe that we are already moving into the middle of Term 4. Fortunately, it has been relatively smooth sailing with staff and students working hard to finalise assessment in preparation for Semester 2 reports. Year 10 students sat their formal exams this week and Year 9 are sitting their exams this week. 

Our building program is moving forward very well with the roof going on our College Hall and the concrete slabs being poured for the floor. The Middle Years Block is also progressing well with the concrete slab at ground level now down and the form work erected for the second storey. 

I have attached some photos below that illustrate the progress being made. The Hall in particular is huge and you may not the small orange blob which is a tradie working on the floor. It gives you an idea of the magnitude of this building which when complete will transform so much of our life at school.

We look forward to both buildings being completed in the middle of next year. 

College Hall 

Middle Years Block

Pope Francis visited the town of Assisi on October 3 to sign a new encyclical on human fraternity at the tomb of St Francis. The new encyclical entitled ‘Fratelli Tutti’ focuses on the important work of promoting peace, harmony and solidarity between individuals and nations. A papal encyclical is one of the highest forms of communication by the Pope and usually deals with some aspect of Catholic teaching — clarifying, amplifying, condemning or promoting one or a number of issues. 

St Francis has written …“We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved. Poverty, decadence and suffering in one part of the earth is a silent breeding ground for problems that will end up affecting the entire planet”. 

I believe this encyclical to be particularly relevant at a time when there is so much social, religious and political unrest. Recent terror attacks in Europe, political division in the US, protests about the handling of COVID-19 and so on are often about inequity, suffering and intolerance. We all have a responsibility to work together to build a better community and in doing so, we build a better world.

St Francis of Assisi was a wonderful role model. He challenged people to develop a greater appreciation and care for the environment and followed the lead of Jesus in living a humble lifestyle with a focus on giving to those less fortunate. 

Leading up to the season of Advent, which prepares us for Christmas, I encourage you to discuss with your children what you can do as a family to assist someone in need and the importance of doing so. 

May God continue to bless you,

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Principal

A reminder that if you have a specific request regarding classes for 2021 that is essential for your son or daughter’s learning, please contact me via email on melissa.vella@dow.catholic.edu.au to make an appointment to discuss your concerns.

This must be done by Monday 30th November 2020.

Mrs Melissa Vella
Assistant Principal - Teaching & Learning

If any families/students are not returning to the College in 2021,
we would ask that you email College Reception as soon as possible
to info@sfccdow.catholic.edu.au so that we can adjust our numbers for 2021
and offer places to students who are on waiting lists.

Parents of students not returning will be required to fill out a sign out form prior to their child/ren's last day at the College.  This form can be requested from College Reception when notification of leaving is made.  

Please make sure that you request this form well in advance of the student's leaving date, as the sign out procedure can take some time to complete.

Kind regards
SFCC Administration

Thank you to our families who have met their school fee commitment.

A reminder that the balance of fees is due by Friday 4 December 2020. Please note that fee credits will be processed this term.

If you would like to discuss your College Fees statement, please contact our College Finance Officer, Kerrie McDonald on 4645 3400 or via email to accounts_sfcc@dow.catholic.edu.au

A busy term for RE, Justice and Solidarity at St Francis….

Year 7 NET Encounter Day

In week 2, all students in Year 7 participated in a NET Encounter Retreat Day. Encounter Retreat Days are run by the Wollongong National Evangelisation Team (NET) and provide an opportunity for students to deepen their relationship with God through an encounter style ministry.

The theme of the day was “Steppin’ Up”. This talk was mainly about how students can become the leader of their own life, and through being a leader in themselves they then learn to lead others. This can impact their relationship with Jesus as it allows them to be a leader among peers. The Encounter Retreat Day program was designed to engage students through a combination of creative media relevant to contemporary youth culture including music, drama, sport, games, and the sharing of real-life stories, movie clips, and newsworthy events to present the Gospel as a message that is relevant to students’ daily lives. Students had a great day!

All Saints and All Souls Day

Last Monday, the whole school began the week with a prayer commemorating All Saints and Souls Day. A prayer was carried out by all Pastoral Classes and Junior classes for all the saints and those dearly departed.

Coming Up…..

Year 6 Activate Fire - on Wednesday 25th November, we are holding our own version of Activate Fire for all Year 6 students. This is a day that incorporates both fun and a deeper examination of the Pentecost unit in the Year 6 RE program. Students will be taking part in an immersive spiritual experience to help deepen their understanding of the Holy Spirit and Confirmation in an enjoyable and spiritual atmosphere. 

Catholic Care Christmas Hamper Appeal 2020 - this will be launched this week at St Francis in an effort to help those less fortunate than ourselves at Christmas this year. Each class will be responsible for collecting items to make a Christmas hamper for a family in need. A letter containing a list will be sent out via the students indicating what item(s) each student has volunteered to donate. 

Christmas Gift Appeal 2020 COVID19 version- the “Gift Tree” will be a little different this year. This will be a virtual activity where staff, parents, and students can purchase a gift for an individual who otherwise will not be receiving a Christmas gift this year. A google form will be emailed to all members of the community and those who wish to be involved can complete the form indicating their intention to be involved and the demographic they would like to provide for. A tag will then be emailed to you with the specific details of the recipient. 

The tagged gift can then be handed into the student counter by your child as they enter the school of a morning. More details to come. We have over 70 individuals to cater for this year. I am sure St Francis is up to the challenge. 

This term in Science Year 3 have been exploring the topic, The Circle of Life.

We have been learning about the characteristics, classification and life cycles of a range of living things.

In weeks 3 and 4, students have been able to experience the life cycle of chickens and ducks first hand.

We observed the changes in the life stages from an egg, to the chick with down and a chick with feathers.

Miss Hatter, Mrs Davidson and Miss Messina
Year 3 teachers

On Friday 23rd October, students in Year 5 and 6 participated in the inaugural St Francis Stage 3 Public Speaking Competition, held over ZOOM. 

The finalists from each class were chosen by their class teacher as a representative to showcase their speech to the entire Stage 3 cohort.

Congratulations to all our participating students and to our Year 5 and Year 6 winners.

Year 5 Winner - Cherise S
Year 6 Winner - Ellie M

Participating students

5 Blue - Michelle P
5 Blue - Hana K
5 Green - Nerayo S
5 Green - Cherise S
5 Red - Jonathan Z
5 Red - Christian A
6 Blue - Rachita G
6 Blue - Nikolas K
6 Blue - Ellie M 
6 Green - Yohaan D
6 Green - Alansa S
6 Green - Arielle Z 

From January onwards, there will be a number of School Opal cards expiring, as the physical card has reached its lifespan.

These are cards for students who will be in years 8 to 12 in 2021, and only those Opal cards which haven’t been replaced in the last five years.

Impacted students and/or their parent/guardian will be contacted directly by Transport for NSW via email or post. They will be asked to confirm their details online in order for a new School Opal card to be sent to the correct postal address in time for the new school year.

If contacted by Transport for NSW, details should be submitted online by December 1, 2020 at the latest. Affected students who do not confirm their details in time will have a new School Opal card posted to the address we currently have on file.

The University of Wollongong would like to invite our Years 7 - 10 students to LEARNING LABS, an academic enrichment holiday program.

For further information about workshops and the application process
please visit the Learning Labs website, or contact the Learning Labs team
via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au or phone on (02) 4221 5557.