NATIONAL SORRY DAY

Our Home (2019) – Patrice Muthaymiles-Mahoney OAM (1975 – )

This week at St Francis, we reflected on National Sorry Day (May 26th) and its significance. 

In various classes, and in various ways, we spoke about how, as Australians, it is critical to acknowledge and understand the importance of National Sorry Day; a day which holds deep meaning for reconciliation and healing. 

Indeed, National Sorry Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the past and recognise the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout history. In particular, it serves as a poignant reminder of the Stolen Generations, the countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families and culture. By acknowledging this dark chapter in our nation’s history, we affirm our commitment to healing and fostering a more inclusive and harmonious country.

As we move towards important decisions for Australia later this year, we hope that National Sorry Day encourages dialogue, understanding, and the promotion of equal rights for all Australians. May we listen, learn, and appreciate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of our First Nations people.

COLLEGE INSTAGRAM PAGE

I do have to be honest with you, I am not a natural when it comes to using Social Media. So please bear with me, as I build my capacity. However, I’m pleased to announce that the College has now started its own Instagram Account. This will not take away from our Facebook Page, but rather become another means by which the community accesses our communications/information and/or celebrates our successes. Look up St Francis Catholic College on Instagram.

I have posted the first video on the Instagram Account, and while it’s worth a look, I look forward to more talented staff in the area of Social Media who will make future entries far more entertaining than mine. Regardless, follow us on Instagram.

SUCCESS IN THE DA VINCI COMPETITION

I am thrilled to share the exciting news of the wonderful success achieved by our talented students in the prestigious Da Vinci Decathlon Illawarra Regional Event held in the Illawarra region. 

The competition, known for its challenging tasks that test creativity and problem-solving skills, witnessed our students in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 (in teams of 8) compete across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code-breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative production, cartography and general knowledge.

Not surprisingly, our students performed admirably against a large number of schools, many of which were selective in nature. And, by Competition’s end, all year groups placed in different categories (Year 5 placed 2nd in Cartography, Year 6 placed 2nd in Engineering and Year 8 Placed 3rd in Engineering).

Our Year 7s in particular shone brightly as they emerged triumphant and WON the Competition placing in 5 disciplines! These students displayed exceptional talent, dedication, and teamwork. Feedback about the team indicated that their ability to solve complex problems and effectively communicate their ideas on the day was impressive as they tackled thought-provoking challenges that pushed the boundaries of both their creativity and critical thinking. I commend Ms Tania Kolar for her hard work in preparing the team and it is a testament to her and the team’s diligence and skill that they had such success in bringing back the Trophy to our College.

We wish our Year 7 students all the very best as they now prepare to compete at the State level at Knox Grammar in Sydney in the coming weeks.

A brief video can be found on our Facebook page linked below:

TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEYS

I would like to thank parents/carers, staff and students for completing the recent surveys about St Francis Catholic College and how we are going across key domains of Spirituality, Wellbeing, Learning and other key aspects of schooling.

Over the past week the College Leadership Team and I have been reading well over 1000 responses and we are currently discerning common themes and areas for commendation and/or for future focus.

Over the next fortnight details about upcoming parent/carer forums will be provided to the community.

While all feedback is useful, we are particularly thankful to those contributors who took their time to write thoughtful, forward-thinking responses that were constructive in nature and looked to build our community and/or the offerings that our College provides.

PRAYER

In keeping with National Sorry Day this fortnight’s prayer is focused on bringing greater reconciliation for our country:

Almighty and loving God, You who created ALL people in your image. 

Lead us to seek Your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past.  
You gave Your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven. 

We place before You the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture, and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.  

We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness.  

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children from their families. 

We are sorry and ask for God’s forgiveness. 

Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless, and inflicted and heal their spirits.  

In Your mercy and compassion walk with us 
as we continue our journey of healing  
to create a future that is just and equitable. 

Lord, You are our hope.

         - Amen. 

[Prayer courtesy of the Aboriginal and Islander Commission, Australian National Council of Churches, 2003].

On Tuesday 23rd of May, the following 22 students represented St Francis at the Cross Country Championships in Nowra. Each student cheered on their peers as they completed the greulling 2km course. An outstanding effort by all students! You have made the St Francis community very proud!

Casey B (6R)       Alyssa B (5B)        Daniel D (5R)        Taline E (6B)            Alexis F (3G)
Victoria G (6G)    Ethan G (4R)         Nate K (4G)           Hanna L (4B)           Rishi M (4R)
Siddi M (6G)        Lexi N (4R)           Rufaro N (4G)        Ryan O (6G)             Liam P (4G)
Kia Q (4R)           Sanvi R (4B)         Rylan S (3R)          Phoebe S (5G)          Luke S (5B)
Madeline S (3B)  Sian V (5B)

Bronze Awards

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

Year 1
Xander R

Silver Awards

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

Year 2
Justin T
Rachael F
Mischa O

Year 3
Ashton N

Year 4
Arianna M

Gold Awards

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

Stefan R, Emma C, Nathalia P, Alysha M, Rufina A

Let’s put St Francis on the map!

This weekend (June 3 - 4) students at St Francis Catholic College will have the opportunity to make history.  Students from Years 1- 12 are invited to participate in the Online Simulated Maths Olympiad (OSMO). This world renowned event provides engaging mathematical online challenges for students of all ages.  More specifically, the aim is to merge logic with excitement and fun, therefore building confidence and improving attitudes towards maths and problem-solving.

Students are encouraged to participate in this exciting challenge and put St Francis Catholic College on the map. To support St Francis on this quest, please follow the instructions below.

Since we are a selected school for this challenge, our students can take the Olympiad at a reduced fee. You must first create a login and enrol here using the code ‘SFC@IMO’ in the fees section. This code reduces the fees of any of the 4 selected school courses by $27 making the overall cost minimal.

You can find all details regarding the Olympiad at www.international-maths-olympiad.com/selected-schools. For any queries, you can directly write to support@international-maths-olympiad.com.

I look forward to seeing what our amazing students can achieve.

Mrs Pauline Panagiotakis
Leader of Mathematics Years 5-12

As part of an ethnographic study in Buddhism, Year 12 Society and Culture students attended an excursion to Nan Tien Buddhist Temple in Wollongong, the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere. The purpose of the excursion was to give students an insight into Buddhist culture, beliefs and practices, as part of their study of Belief Systems and Ideologies. 

Upon arriving students listened to a talk about a day in the life of a monk or nun at Nan Tien Temple. Following this, students participated in sitting meditation, a common practice in Buddhism.  Meditation is used as a tool and a practice to cultivate a state of liberation through mindfulness. At its core, meditation in Buddhism is a way to see clearly, end suffering and assists with the journey towards enlightment.

Students were treated to a vegetarian dinner freshly prepared by volunteers and nuns at the temple. The final activity was a Q and A Session with a Buddhist Nun who spoke about the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) and openly shared her own personal experiences with regards to living a monastic life.

Students were encouraged to have an early night as they were required to wake up at 5.30 am to participate in the morning drum and bell ceremony.  This ritual occurs every day at 6 am and in the afternoon at 4.30 pm to open and close each day.  Both the gong and the drum are among the most important Dharma instruments in the temple. In Buddha's time, the gong and drum were used to gather everyone and announce such things as meal times, Dharma talks, and time to wake up and go to bed. 

Students participated in the morning chant which took place in the main shrine. Despite being recited in Mandarin, students did their best to follow along the prayer booklet.  During this ceremony, students were given a special HSC blessing asking Buddha to bestow upon them good health, wisdom, calmness, persistence and success throughout their examination period.  Following the blessing, students braved the freezing temperatures and participated in Tai Chi in the main square. Tai Chi is another form of meditation commonly practiced by Buddhists which involves a series of slow, smooth, and graceful movements which calm the mind, improve balance, flexibility, and strength.

To conclude the excursion, students were given a guided tour of the beautiful grounds which included a visit to the seven-story Pagoda, a building for storing cremated remains.  They trekked to the Gratitude Bell, where each student rung the bell while giving thanks to something they appreciate in their life.

This excursion was a wonderful opportunity for students to consolidate their knowledge and improve their social and cultural literacy in the process.  Year 12 are to be commended on their exemplary behaviour and for stepping outside of their comfort zone by immersing themselves in the activities.

I am sure the students feel extremely ‘enlightened’ after this wonderful experience.

Mrs Agostino
Year 12 Society and Culture

In Year 2, we have been learning about different types of energy. We explored sound energy through making our own instruments using recycled materials. This means we had to bring items in from home to build our instruments. We used materials like tissue boxes, shoe boxes, paper towel rolls and elastic bands. 

Please see attached, CatholicCare Vacation Care program for the July school holiday break.

Please follow instructions on the flier and contact CatholicCare OSHC for more information and for bookings.

Kind regards
SFCC Administration