CHRISM MASS

On Tuesday night the College Leaders and I attended the Diocesan Chrism Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral Wollongong. At this celebration of the Eucharist, the sacred oils which are used for various Catholic sacraments were blessed and then distributed for use for the following year. Also, during this Eucharistic celebration Priests of the Diocese of Wollongong recommitted to their Priestly vows. The night was very well attended and our own Father Bosco was proudly in attendance, co-celebrating. Bishop Mascord was very gracious in his thanks to those attending and for their role in adding to the fabric of our large yet impressive Diocese. I thank Liam, Courtney, Shandesh and Oscar for their attendance on the night.

EASTER

Today our College held a beautiful Easter Liturgy for our students from K-12. This Liturgy involved readings, reflections and an impressive PowerPoint presentation by Mr Fitzpatrick’s Year 10 Photography Class on the Stations of the Cross.

I thank our students for the solemn way in which they entered into the occasion and it’s only fitting that they have an opportunity to reflect on Easter.

Jesuit Priest, Father Brian Strassburger reminds us that the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday) is: “the most solemn feast in the Catholic calendar. The rituals in this celebration make present the great mystery of Christ’s Resurrection, which is beyond what words can capture. The washing of the feet, the dramatized retelling of the passion, the pillar of fire, the processions, the silence, the incense, the music, all of it building to a staggering trumpet blast: He is risen!”

Indeed, Easter is the most important solemnity of the Catholic Church. It is not only liturgically vital but it also continues to provide a wellspring of hope. A hope that is living, contemporary and, given the many challenges we all face in our daily lives, incredibly optimistic - no matter what the current circumstances may be.

We encourage all families to attend one or more Easter services face-to-face or look to one of the many online options available these days. Services available in the Wollongong Diocese can be located here: https://www.dow.org.au/parish-mass-times/mass-times-other-services-finder/

I hope the ‘Easter Bunny’ is very kind to our younger ones and I wish all of our families a safe, happy and holy Easter and vacation period.

STAFFING CHANGES

There will be a variety of staffing changes for Term Two.

Firstly, I note that, with the movement of Mr Adam Moore next term to a promotional position in Sydney Catholic Schools, Mrs Kellie Kells will be Acting Leader of Curriculum 5-12 for the remainder of 2023. During this appointment, the Leader of PDHPE for Terms Two to Four will be Miss Jessica Flegg. We wish Mr Moore every success in his significant role and congratulate Mrs Kells and Miss Flegg on their appointments.

When Ms Michelle Linkenbagh commences her maternity leave in early Term Two please note that Mr Philip Stonefield will be Acting Leader of Science. I congratulate Mr Stonefield on his appointment and we wish Ms Linkenbagh every success as she awaits her first child.

From early in Term Two we welcome Mrs Harsha Dadlani to the College and, in particular, to the Science Faculty in a permanent role. Mrs Dadlani comes to us with a range of educational experiences and a background in scientific research. She will be taking on Ms Linkenbagh’s classes this year and some of Mr Stonefield’s (TBC).

With Ms Siobhan Moore returning to the College in Term Two as Leader of English and as a classroom teacher in a 0.8 capacity, I am pleased to announce that Mrs Courtney Spencer will be the Acting English Leader (0.2) each Tuesday for the remainder of 2023.

I note that with the above changes, Year 12 Advanced English will be taught by Mrs Spencer. Year 11 Advanced English and Year 8 English G will be taught by Ms Moore.

We welcome Mrs Amanda Khoury to the College next term. Mrs Khoury will be covering Mr George Bounos’ (Year 3R) paternity leave for the first two weeks of Term 2 and then job sharing with Mr Bounos for the rest of Terms 2 & 3. Mr Bounos will be working 3 days a week and Mrs Khoury 2 days a week. Mrs Khoury is an experienced educator who has been in a number of different educational roles in recent years and we welcome her to St Francis. We also wish Mr Bounos and his wife all the very best with the birth of their third child.

We also welcome back to the College Mrs Kate Crawford and Ms Lauren Cusack from maternity leave and we note that Miss Christina Acitelli will also be completing an extra day at the College from Term 2 onwards.

PARENT/CARER FEEDBACK

In early Term Two (in the week of May 15 - May 19) a survey will go out to our parents/carers to gain feedback on what is working well at our College and areas for additional focus. Variants of this “Tell Them From Me” Survey will also be available to our students in 7-12 and our staff. We are currently exploring a survey that will be age appropriate for our K-6 students.

Following these surveys, data will be shared with our community and there will be further opportunities for sharing and conversation. Details will be shared early next term.


Easter Prayer of St. Hippolytus of Rome

Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate

Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen

Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing

Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty

Christ is Risen indeed from the dead, the first of the sleepers,

Glory and power are His forever and ever.

Mr Matthew McMahon
College Principal

At St Francis, we strive to develop and maintain positive partnerships between home and school. The processes outlined below are to encourage and promote healthy relationships with parents/carers:

When staff need to contact a parent/carer in relation to any issue (positive or negative) they will make a phone call home. If they are unable to reach the parent/carer, a voice message will be left so the parent/carer knows who to contact when calling the College back. If the staff member is unable to leave a voice message, they will send an email to the parent/carer asking them to contact the staff member.

If the parent/carer does not respond to any communication, the staff member will send an email to the parent/carer outlining the nature of the call. 

If a parent/carer emails a staff member, the staff member will call the parent/carer to discuss the nature of their email.

It is a school expectation that staff respond to an email from a parent/carer within 24 - 48 hours of it being sent during the weekdays Monday-Friday. Emails received after 2.45pm on Friday will not be responded to until Monday the following week.

It is acknowledged that with the exception of extenuating circumstances or in an emergency, staff are not generally expected to respond to emails from parents/carers or students outside normal working hours.

We hope that this clarifies our College procedures and provides transparency into how the College operates in terms of communication between home and school.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on melissa.vella@dow.catholic.edu.au

Year 9 Historians have studied the topic 'Progressive Ideas and Movements' in Term 1. They have developed their understanding of the ideas and events which have shaped the modern world, specifically imperialism and the associated global impacts since the 17th Century. Students were introduced to the British Museum and the controversy surrounding the stolen artifacts rooted in the museum's acquisition of many items during the colonial era. Year 9 were given the challenge of creating a 3D model and place card including the name of the item, country of origin, when and how the item was stolen, description of the item, and the cultural and/or religious significance of the items to its original owners. Year 9 executed the task with attention to detail and enthusiasm in the last two weeks of Term 1. They are to be congratulated on their work ethic and willingness to collaborate on a project-based task.

On Friday 31st March, St Francis had four students attend the NSWCCC Swimming Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. These Championships are very competitive with students from all Catholic schools across New South Wales attending. Bella G, Stephanie G, Nicolas C and Accalia A competed in several events each and we are very proud of their efforts.

Nicolas and Stephanie were exceptional on the day and achieved some Personal Best results. Bella competed in 200m and 400m Freestyle in which she placed 1st and made new records for both events. Accalia also achieved wonderful results placing 2nd in Butterfly and 3rd in Breaststroke. 

Both Bella and Accalia will progress to the NSW All School Swimming Championships in June. This is a very prestigious event and we wish both girls all the best!

SFCC Secondary Athletics Carnival Reminder

The SFCC Secondary Athletics Carnival will be held on FRIDAY 28th APRIL at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. Students are reminded that it is a compulsory school event that aims to promote both House and College spirit. Students are expected to be at school before 8.30am and will be dismissed at 2:45pm in time for regular afternoon dismissal.

Students are to wear their full sports uniform to and from the carnival, and are encouraged to bring suitable house-coloured attire to be worn throughout the day. Students will also be required to wear the College hat and bring their own sunscreen on the day.

A reminder that students will need to make their own arrangements for recess and lunch. There is no specific recess break throughout the day so students will be expected to have recess as they rotate through the events. There is a break for lunch. Canteen facilities will be available for students to access at designated times. Students have the option of bringing lunch from home or money for the canteen.

Please see COMPASS event for further details.

Looking forward to a fun and enjoyable day with lots of College and House spirit displayed!

Volleyball was an amazing experience! Our Year 7-9 girls team came 3rd in the entire MISA competition and came 2nd in the our zone. We enjoyed our time with so many memories and we are closer as a team. We picked each other up every step of the way. With Miss Sultanas help, we created a community ready to win! We could not be prouder.

-Chanelle C (Year 9)