Dear Parents/Carers,

It is already that time of the year! We will be holding our College Open Day on:-

Saturday 6 March 2021
between 10.00am – 2.00pm.

Open Day is the beginning of our enrolment period for Kindergarten 2022, Year 7 2022 & 2023, as well as Year 11, 2022.  Our College is growing rapidly with our 2021 student population currently exceeding 1060 students and we have already received a large number of enquiries in regard to future enrolments.

This year’s Open Day will be a little different to previous years.  Unfortunately, unlike previous years, Open Day 2021 is not the opportunity for existing families to have a look around, unless they are intending to enrol a child who will be new to the College. 

There will be an opportunity for existing families to tour our new Hall and Middle Years Block in Term 3 when we gain occupancy of these new facilities.

As part of our COVID safe plan, we will be limiting the number of visitors taking part in the College tours.  All visitors who are wanting to have a tour of the College’s facilities can register on our online booking system – https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/st-francis-catholic-college-open-day-tickets-141750657031

These tours will be an opportunity for new parents/students to see our state-of-the-art facilities, meet staff and students, see examples of student work and demonstrations on student learning. Tours are expected to take 45 mins-1 hour. We would ask that only prospective students and their immediate family attend.

Of course, many families with existing siblings may not need to tour the College and would like to simply collect an enrolment application form. You can do this in a number of ways:-

• By visiting the College on Open Day, between 10.00am and 2.00pm. No appointment is necessary for parents who are simply collecting enrolment forms.
  
  
• By visiting College Reception between 9.00am and 3.00pm, Monday to Friday.
  
  
• By downloading Enrolment application/s from our College website from Monday 8 March at 9am onwards. Website is www.sfccdow.catholic.edu.au.

All enrolment forms must be returned to College Reception by 3.00pm on Thursday 1st April 2021. Please note, enrolment applications will not be accepted on Open Day due to time constraints.  There is no advantage to returning forms early, however late enrolment forms are unlikely to be considered due to demand. 

Senior leaders will be available during Open Day to answer questions, and a number of digital resources are currently being created to support common enquiries.

We are very excited about having students enrolled in all year groups K-12 for next year! Onwards and upwards!

Thanks for your support

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Prinicpal

At SFCC, the safety of our students and their families is a top priority. Therefore we have structures and procedures put in place to ensure student and family safety are being met.

Please read the following section to make sure you and/or the person/s who drop off or pick up your child/ren are assisting the College to ensure the safety for all.

• The only place you can drop your child/ren off is in the CAR LINE BAYS.
  
  
• It is not acceptable to drop your child/ren off in other parts of the car park, particularly near the crossing as soon as you drive in the gate.  Students have had instances when they are dropped off and then run across the crossing. This also holds up the traffic flow.
  
  
• It is not acceptable to drop your child/ren off when lining up for the drop off bay.  This has a huge impact on the traffic flow and is then causing cars to drive around to try and cut in. The traffic flows if everyone stays in the line and patiently waits their turn to drop off in the bay provided.
  
  
• In Carline NO students should be going behind the car to get their bags from the boot. Bags should be inside the car with the student/s. NO parents should be exiting the car to assist students.
  
  
• The car park is one-way. All cars MUST follow the clockwise direction of the car park.  No cars should be driving into the College through the exit lane to gain access to the bays in the first row. No cars are to drive against the flow of traffic.
  
  
• There are two crossings in the carpark.All students, parents and staff should be using these crossings. Do not cross anywhere else.
  
  
• There is NO RIGHT TURN out of the College from 2.45 - 3.00pm. It is not acceptable to ignore or be rude to the staff member on this duty.  This rule is in place to ensure effective traffic flow and safety during a congested time entering and exiting the College.
  
• Parent pickup is from the under COLA. Students on parent pickup should NOT be asked by their parents to wait under the Carline Marquee. 

We ask that you please continue to support the College in ensuring the safety of our students and families.

Mrs Melissa Vella
Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Just a reminder

That we are being safe and following road rules when parking your cars during drop off and pick up times.

Parking vehicles on the footpath and nature strip is dangerous to pedestrians, as well as being illegal. Motorists need to ensure that the footpath and nature strip are kept clear at all times.

The NSW Government parking rules define a footpath/nature strip as an area of a property between the letterbox and the roadway.Fines can be applied to cars who park on the nature strips outside houses. For example, parking on path/nature strip in residential area carries a possible $268.00 fine for people caught parking there.

We are very keen on maintaining a positive partnership with residents who live adjacent to our College, and would appreciate parents/carers cooperation in assisting us to keep this relationship healthy by abiding by the road rules and keeping the nature strips surrounding the College clear of cars.

This year, Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion theme is ‘Be More’. It challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion, and is taken from the invitation of St Oscar Romero, to “Aspire not to have more, but to BE more.” Throughout Project Compassion 2021, inspiring stories from Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Tanzania and Indonesia will be shared with students, highlighting the importance of working hand in hand with communities around the world.

Our challenge to ‘BE More’ takes us beyond ourselves. This Lent, we have already collected money through our Shrove Tuesday pancake breakfast and will be collecting money in pastoral classes between now and the end of term.

As an added incentive for students, the year group with the most money raised for Project Compassion by the end of the term will receive a mufti day in term 2.

A congratulations to Pritish A. (Year 6) who recently was awarded his Grade 8 Drum Kit Level 3 Certificate in Music Performance from Trinity College London. It is very unusual for someone as young as Pritish to have achieved such a high grade but on top of that Pritish received this with merit. Well done Pritish!

Dear Parents/Carers

If your child is absent for a whole day you are able to enter an absence note in Compass. However if your child is going to be late or picked up early please do not put this into compass, as it will be done on arrival or departure of your child. If your child is going late to be collected early, you are welcome to send an email to the college on info@sfccdow.catholic.edu.au

For any further questions please do not hesitate to contact college reception.

Sincerely
SFCC Administration  

Entry is NOW OPEN for the 2021 Schools Poetry & Short Story Writing Competition! Students all over Australia are invited to enter their poems OR short stories, and battle it out for the great cash & prizes on offer.

There is no theme!! Entrants are encouraged to let their imagination run wild and write on ANY TOPIC and in ANY STYLE. Students from ALL GRADES are welcome to enter - Kindergarten/Preparatory to year 12.

Entry is FREE and all entries must be in by the 31st March 2021.

For more information visit https://www.write4fun.net/competitions/68 or contact Miss Issa on issas01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Miss Issa
Extension & Enrichment Teacher

Dear Parents/Carers of Students in Years 1 To 6,