At this time of the year, a number of students who have sat the ‘Selective Schools Entrance Exam’ receive their results and potentially an offer to a state selective or semi-selective school. These schools are seen by some as providing education targeting those who are gifted students. In previous newsletters, I have provided an outline of my concerns about Selective schools. Put simply, I do not think they cater well to the majority of the students that attend them and I do not think they are good for our education system generally. They are elitist and may create a ‘brain drain’ out of comprehensive schools. Students who are high achievers in comprehensive school settings suddenly may have a crisis of confidence as they are mixed with other high achievers from other schools and not all can be at the top of the class. Many schools that are promoted as ‘selective’ are in fact semi-selective, segregating a single top performing academic class from a school of underachievers who consider the one academic class as outcasts. A significant amount of research suggests that parents should reconsider the once popular view that selective schools are something to aspire to. They may start with top performing students but they do not necessarily end up this way. Sure they feature in league tables, but ask yourself, when you take the top 5% out of schools, why don’t all these students finish in the top 5%?

I am aware that this year, many of the parents who received offers for their children to attend selective schools have chosen not to and I firmly believe their faith in St Francis will be rewarded. We have many good news stories that we will share about our first ever Year 12 graduating class, many of whom have already been offered opportunities to study at various universities, prior to even sitting their HSC.  

A number of our teaching staff have completed a mini-certificate of Gifted Education (mini-COGE) with the University of NSW. We have an ongoing commitment to work with the UNSW to build the capacity of our staff.  

St Francis is now offering a significant range of co-curricular activities to build the skills and experience of our talented students. We have demonstrated strong results in debating and public speaking competitions. Students have achieved excellent results in the University of Sydney’s ICAS competitions. We have participated in the Year 9 Youth of the Year Competition and excelled this year finishing second in the Tournament of the Minds which was, entered for the first time. Our team comprised of Year 7 students who competed against high school teams that were made up of much older students.

We have had a history of recognising talented writers and creative artists in the SPLICED program which publishes student works. Creative artists are also offered an opportunity to shine in the ‘Christmas Art’ competition and our students have a strong record of being finalists and winning awards in this competition. SFCC students have also excelled in this year’s Ethics Olympiad. Year 5 students next year will be working with University of Western Sydney on the Bradfield City Development project with the NSW Government.

2023 will also see a partnership between SFCC and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to offer STEM based courses to a select group of Year 11 students. The students will travel weekly to UTS and be lectured by UTS staff and use their facilities. Students will return to SFCC and use timetabled lessons to complete units of work. If students receive a Band 4 or higher result for the HSC, they will be given automatic entry to UTS to study STEM based degree courses.

Please rest assured that no matter where your child is academically, we are doing everything we can to accurately access their current learning needs, tracking their growth and progress, are working to continually challenge them to improve and be lifelong learners.

May God continue to bless you.

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Principal

Bronze Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received their Bronze Award recently:

Year 1
Mason N                    
Lionel I                   
Austin K1 Blue             
Everly M
Jasmine M
Noah M
Jayden S
Leora T
Charlise M
Eloise P
Isabella H

Year 4
Austin M
Natasha K

Silver Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received their Silver Award recently:

Year 2
Sebastian V
Aerin T
Noah N
Nicholas M
Chelina K
Jayden K
Levi C

Year 3
Max P
Hazelle Z
Anthony M
Irene S
Hailey P
Liam P
Marcus F
Joshua L

Gold Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received their Gold Award recently:

Sienna Z, Helena O, Arabella F, Lilia B, Sofia Paredes

On Friday 2nd September, 48 students in Years 9-12 travelled to the Wollongong Entertainment Centre to participate in LIVE Festival, an annual Diocesan Youth Festival that celebrates the life and faith of the youth and young adults of the Diocese of Wollongong.

LIVE Festival provided students with an opportunity to gain further insight into the Catholic faith and allowed students to build and explore this faith through a multitude of contemporary and exciting ways, including plenaries, workshops and festival experiences, all based around this year's theme "Through the Valley".

Below are testimonies from some of our students about the day:

The LIVE Festival this year was an exciting, creative way to emphasise the message of Christianity and focus on our individual relationship with God. LIVE Festival offered us a variety of ways to engage in our faith and opportunities such as prayer and confession. There were activities such as workshops, music, and personal reflections which assisted us to appreciate and value the mercy and gifts we have been given by God. At LIVE Festival, we learned how each individual had their own connection with God, and by learning about Catholicism we learned that each and every one of us is welcomed to believe in the power of God, and each and every one of us is loved greatly by both God and Jesus. Furthermore, the experience at this festival was unique and cultivated our understanding and acceptance of who we are, and our role in conveying the message of Christianity to those around us. The different forms of prayer, such as music, opened our minds further, and let us view the message of Jesus from a different perspective. This allowed us to understand the concept in our own way. Overall, the LIVE Festival opened our hearts to Christianity and allowed us to develop a strong relationship with our faith and other individuals around us - Alina (Year 9)

At the live event this year we had the opportunity to meet some new people due to the presence of students from other schools. We had the opportunity to engage with God more fully and amicably during the LIVE event. The hosts wanted us to have a good day and enjoy ourselves. LIVE is all about joyfully conversing with God through knowledge of him. They also considered worship and reconciliation for those seeking pardon for their transgressions. We had food trucks and inflatable obstacles, and everyone could have lunch and dinner. We talked about how practising the Catholic faith could enhance our daily lives and how to pray more frequently. To get everyone pumped up and ready for the day, a few songs were played. Throughout the day, we interacted with a wide range of "celebrities," including The Nuns from the Amazing Race, a contestant on the voice, and various public speakers who offered their perspectives on Catholicism. Amazing speakers shared their own adventures, thoughts on leadership, Catholicism, and feelings with us. At the conclusion of the day, Bishop Brian brought the Eucharist, and we prayed. LIVE is a beautiful opportunity to discover God and have fun at the same time - Adele (Year 9)

The LIVE Festival was super fun and allowed me to connect with God more closely. I think more people should come to the next LIVE Festival. The music that they performed was inspiring and fun to dance to. There were other events on this day, including workshops, prayers, lunch, dinner, talks and fun surprises such as guest speakers from our favourite TV shows including 'The Amazing Race' and 'The Voice'. I do not regret my decision to sign up and will definitely do it again. This is highly recommended for anyone who wants to have fun with friends and learn new things. Overall, I adored this event and the activities it offered because it truly embodied its intended purpose - Giselle (Year 9)

LIVE Festival. It was the best time in my entire life. I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with God. In this festival I was able to understand that God was with me in everything I had experienced. There were a lot of activities on this day from prayers to workshops that helped me see a part of me that I have never seen before. The songs that they performed were amazing and I would recommend more people to join us in the next LIVE Festival. Even the breaks that they gave us were amazing as we got to socialise with other students and the inflatables were fun with a race to get as many balls in your bag as possible and an obstacle course that most people failed. I would highly recommend that people sign up for this event as it is completely worth it and you will never regret your decision of coming to God and having a wonderful day. I just gave it a go and it turned out amazing and you should do the same. Overall, I absolutely loved this event with the activities they provided and it is the true meaning of fun and connection with God in our busy lives. Just do it. You will love it - Hari (Year 10)

The LIVE Festival I attended last Friday was a great experience which I wouldn't be able to compare to any others I have had. It was exceedingly entertaining with the music, live band and activities and was also very engaging with their topics, such as the interview with the 2 nuns from the amazing race, and being able to hear and listen to their experiences with religion and being on a reality tv show. As I got to learn about people's different relationships and journeys with God and how they all found their way back to their religion in some way or the other. Not only were the lectures inspirational, but breaks were also very enjoyable as they had a variety of snacks and foods available to purchase and had very entertaining bouncy castle games to participate in too. As I gained a new perspective on God and enjoyed many of the activities they had to offer there. Overall I had a great time at the LIVE Festival and would 100% go again next year, and highly encourage more people to sign up, as my friends are most likely quite glad that I recommended it to them. So if you are interested in a whole day of fun and inspiration I would unquestionably advise you and others to sign up too! - Neha (Year 9)