HIGH ACHIEVERS 2022

It was wonderful to welcome back six of our seven high achievers from last year’s 2022 HSC cohort this week for our College High Achiever’s Ceremony.

Incredibly in 2022, our College had two duxes (Cooper N and Aaliyah S) with both students receiving exactly the same high ATAR; a very unusual feat. What’s more, it turns out both students will be completing the exact same university course at the same university! 

Both Cooper and Aaliyah spoke to Year 11 and 12 students about what worked for them and key strategies they used to study right across their HSC.

Following presentations of certificates and plaques, all high achievers then stayed back to answer questions from our current HSC students. A range of tips from being balanced, organised, valuing and preparing for the Trials, managing time despite work (and or sports/hobbies) were all provided and there was a wealth of valuable information shared.

I thank Cooper and Aaliyah as well as Rayaan G, Sarah A, Maya C and Adithya A for their attendance and sharing their wisdom. I congratulate them all and wish them the very best in their future endeavours - all commencing various university courses this week and next.

CAMP WEEK

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Year 7 and 9 camps, and it was wonderful to see the students involving themselves in a broad range of outdoor education activities.

Despite (particularly on the Year 7 camp) incessant, and at times, quite heavy rain, our students were able to push through and show great resilience and determination as they completed various activities such as high ropes, high tower, mud runs and ‘survivor’ activities. For students to be able to push through fears or reservations was great to witness and helps build overall confidence. Indeed, it was a great opportunity to see the students cooperate, collaborate and build upon their friendship networks across the days.

While I was unable to personally visit the Year 10 Camp I’ve also heard how our students were in ‘fine form’ as they too overcame adversity and showed persistence and tenacity in their camp activities.

I thank all of our St Francis staff for their dedication and for giving up so much time away from their own lives. It is greatly appreciated.

Photos and more details of these camps will be provided in our newsletter in a fortnight’s time. 

NAPLAN

In the coming weeks our students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in NAPLAN Online. In the coming fortnight, students will commence preparatory activities, ensuring that they are ‘ready to go’ for the various parts of the NAPLAN Tests.

Historically, St Francis students perform particularly well in these forms of tests and we suspect that there will be no difference this year. 

I encourage students to embrace these testing opportunities, which then enable staff to diagnostically assess where students are at and where any gaps (if any) may exist. Further details will be provided in the coming weeks.

DIOCESAN PROJECT COMPASSION LAUNCH

On Tuesday, three of our students (Joaquin C., Lexi N. and Carmen G.), Mrs Mediati, Mrs Crescini and myself attended the Diocesan Caritas Project Compassion Launch with Bishop Mascord. This is an annual event for the diocese and, in the spirit of Lent, supports the almsgiving work of CARITAS Australia.

CARITAS Australia provides educational resources which help our students recognise numerous challenges which people both overseas and domestically face in terms of disadvantage and, in some cases, extreme poverty. They also direct important funds to those in need right across the world.

Our students symbolically collected our Project Compassion box and everyone present was informed of CARITAS focus areas for 2023 with stories of particular families in Vietnam, Nepal, Zimbabwe and Australia being shared. 

Across the month at St Francis there will be various activities in the lead up to Easter to fundraise for those in particular need. Classes as well will watch various videos to inform them of the plight, and also some of the opportunities and success stories from previous CARITAS fundraising efforts. 

With almsgiving being one of the three Central tenants of Lent, it is only appropriate that we do look to those in great need in these challenging times.

UPDATE ON BUS OVERCROWDING

Thank you for so much positive communication and support in regards to this matter. As soon as more information is provided I will communicate this to the whole community. In the meanwhile, if your daughter or son travels by bus - please ensure they have an Opal Card and that they are using it on every trip. This data is what will be used to see if we qualify for additional buses or services.

PRAYER

The following poem/prayer is most fitting to celebrate and recognise the commencement of Lent.

ASH WEDNESDAY

(By Cameron Bellm)

We forget sometimes that ashes come from fire,
That this soft black powder was once a firm green frond,
Bright and vibrant before it became dry and brittle,
Stiff and fibrous before a flame transformed it into dust.
Every living thing submits to change.
Let’s not fear it.
From seed to plant, palm to ash,
This bit of the earth smudged on our foreheads today
Was carried lovingly in the hands of the creator.
What fires will we step into this Lent?
What new forms will our souls take
When we encounter the holy blaze of the Living God?
We are – it is true – ash to ash and dust to dust,
But whether in youth or in old age, in life or in death,
Let us be assured,
We are held, and we are God’s.

Amen

A strong reminder to our parent/carer community that the College continues to have high volumes of traffic both in the morning and afternoon and it is vital that all drivers adhere to road rules.

40km/h school zones help protect children on their way to and from schools at the times and places where they are often in high numbers. This lower speed limit reduces the risk and potential severity of a crash. 40 km/h speed limit – motorists should drive no faster than 40 km/h through school zones, which operate from 8:00am to 9:30am, and from 2.30pm to 4:00pm, on school days.

Your guide to driving and parking safely near schools (NSW Government Road Safety fact sheet):

The beginning and end of the school day are busy times for pedestrians and vehicles outside the school. That’s why you need to take extra care in 40km/h school zones. 

• Park safely and legally, even if it means walking further to the school gate. Parking signs are planned with children’s safety in mind. 
• Slow down to 40km/h in the school zone and stay aware of crossings. 
• Always park and turn legally around the school. 
• Never double park as it puts children at risk. 
• Manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns are dangerous. 
• Never park in a bus zone or in the school bus bay. 
• Make sure your children use the Safety Door (rear footpath side door) to get in and out of the car. 
• Model safe and considerate behaviour for your child – they will learn from you.
• Remember to always give way to pedestrians particularly when entering and leaving driveways.
• Don’t park across the school driveway or the entrance to the school car park. Use drop off and pick up area designated by the College. This will help keep all children as safe as possible during the busiest times of the school day.

Please watch this 2 minute video to assist you: https://youtu.be/ih0rXAqxSZg

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 is unsafe and 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 of Jardine Drive 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.
  
  
• The exit out of the College onto Poziers road is LEFT TURN ONLY at all times. 

On Tuesday 21st February, staff and students had the opportunity to participate in a pancake breakfast for Shrove Tuesday. A total of $300 was collected and will go to Caritas Australia as part of their Project Compassion fundraiser.

Have you ever heard of the practice of 絵馬 (Ema)?

絵馬 (Ema) is the practice of writing a personal wish or prayer on a wooden plaque. This usually takes place at Shinto shrines throughout Japan. 絵馬 (Ema) usually has an image painted on the front, often accompanied by the word gan-i (meaning “wish”), and a string through a hole at the top for hanging. On the back of the 絵馬 (Ema) is where you write your wish.

The traditional roof-shaped top edge is meant to represent the pitched roof of a horse stable. Originally, horses were considered as a sacred vehicle of the gods for a long time, and the aristocrats were contributing horses as a gift whenever they made a wish at a shrine. However, most people cannot afford to contribute a horse like the aristocrats. Therefore, the custom of contributing a wooden board with a picture of a horse on it spread among the people in Japan. Nowadays, we write our wishes on a wooden plaque and contribute it to the shrine. This is also where the name 絵馬 (Ema) originates from - 絵 (e) meaning ‘picture’ and 馬 (ma) meaning ‘horse’.

Today, a wide variety of ema designs are available. There are animals, like the face of a fox, or characters from pop culture such as Hello Kitty. Students of the Japanese Club designed their own 絵馬 (Ema) for their first session of 2023. Many students chose to write their wishes in Japanese Kanji and draw Japanese designs- can you recognise some of the characters from these images?

今年もどうぞよろしくお願いします。The Japanese Club looks forward to entertaining you all again this year!

Kind regards,
Ms. Tooby and Mrs. Kelleher
Japanese Club Teachers