HSC RESULTS

The Year 12 Cohort of 2023 has absolutely shone!

The College is absolutely delighted to share our HSC results with you. This is only a snapshot; more details will be released in the new year. However, there are many fabulous details worth sharing:

• St Francis Catholic College ranked in the Top 150 Schools in NSW - 146th on The Sydney Morning Herald’s Honour List. This is an incredible achievement for a school (especially within its first 5 years of having HSC cohorts)
• This ranking places us above certain neighbouring ‘selective schools’, and the College was the highest-ranked systemic school in the Diocese of Wollongong.
• The 2023 cohort achieved 34 Band 6/E4 results. This is fantastic, given that there were only 57 students in the cohort - some of whom had non-ATAR pathways.
• 19 of the 24 subjects taught at the College were above the State Average. 
• The College had one ‘All Round Achiever’ (Courtney J) who achieved Band 6s / E4s in all her subjects. 
• Five more students went quite close to achieving this honour. One student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 8 units. Two more students achieved Band 6s/E4s in 7 units. One student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 6 units, and another student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 5 units.
• As of publication, six students have received ATAR scores above 90, with another five students receiving ATARS above 85 (with another student on 84.9). 
• One student ranked 5th in the state for Society and Culture (Courtney J)

These are all outstanding achievements, but the human element and the phenomenal paths that these young people are aspiring and/or moving towards make it so worthwhile. Of course, not all students will receive high ATARs or have a disposition for tertiary study, but we celebrate these young people for who they have been and will become. We commend them for having an attitude that pushes them towards trying their hardest at each opportunity.

Furthermore, I note that such results are the culmination of a great deal of hard work by students and teachers alike, and I take this opportunity to commend our staff for their passion and commitment. 

I look forward to sharing more details about the 2023 HSC with you in due course.

END OF YEAR AWARDS

Congratulations to all students who received an award at our K-4 and/or 5-12 Award Ceremonies this year. As I stated at the Presentations, it is really wonderful that we can celebrate the achievements of so many students; however, at this point in time, these are the students being recognised. Therefore those not receiving awards I challenged students to consider how they might be recognised in future years.

STAFFING

Each year, one can expect that the staffing in a school will be flexible and changeable. It saddens us to see staff leave us, but we can also feel confident that they have enjoyed their time with us and had a chance to share their expertise and best selves with our students.

As such, I would like to thank the following staff:

FAREWELLS

• Thank you, Mr Stojanovski, for his efforts in PDHPE over the past term
• We thank Miss Yokhanna, who has been working in EALD, and we wish her all the best at Austral next year.
• Thank you to Mrs Stephanie Nasso for her efforts in the Junior Year space, especially Year 3 - we wish her well at an exciting time and hope to see her again soon.
• To Mrs Standley, who has been working with students in PPT release and especially PDHPE/CAPA activities, we also wish her well at this exciting time and hope to see her again soon.
• To Miss Kingsley, who has been working in Stage 3 - we value her efforts across the year and wish her well at Camden next year.
• We thank Mrs Katrina Borg for her work in Diverse Learning. A foundation staff member, she has always been a strong advocate for our students, and we wish her all the best at Campbelltown next year.
• We thank Mr. O’Brien, who has been a fantastic Japanese teacher and really excellent in the administrative role. We know he’ll be taking 2024 off - but we hope to see him again in the future
• We thank Mrs Kylie Jarrett for her work as Leader of the Diverse Learning K-6. She has been a passionate champion for our students over a number of years, and we thank her for her work at St. Francis. We wish her every success as she lessens her teaching days at Fairfield next year.
• I thank Mr Zakris, current Year 12 2023 Coordinator, for his time at St Francis. Not only has he worked with our first two Year 12 cohorts, but he has shared his experience and has done so with a good mixture of joy and genuineness. We wish him well at Kingswood next year.
• I thank Mrs Helen Lyons for her work at the college - especially in TAPS. Her personalised support of students in helping them with future directions has been impressive. We wish her well in Wollongong next year.
• I thank Ms Silvia Dzierzak for her efforts in supporting the Finance Team. We wish her well as, moving forward, she consolidates her employment at Bonnyrigg.
• I also note that, while she hasn’t been teaching at the College for a while, Ms Lauren Cusack has formally tendered her resignation. We thank her for her contribution to St Francis over the years.

• Some other staff have only recently informed us that they are leaving the College - but they will not officially leave till next year - so we wish them well … but I can confirm that, sadly, Mrs Kells has accepted a position at another school. We will see her briefly again at the start of next year to thank her and recognise her many contributions to PE and Curriculum over the years.

NEW STAFF

As the College continues to grow, we welcome the following staff to St Francis in 2024:

Mr Rocco Badolato - PDHPE/RE & Yrs 5-12 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Mr Dominic Fricot - PDHPE/RE & Year 9 Coordinator

Mrs Jessica Goodsell - Science

Mr Bailey Spencer - Science

Mr Esmond Alphonso - Mathematics

Mr Sean Dubois - Japanese/English

Mrs Kate McIntosh - Leader of Diverse Learning K-6

Mrs Monique Brites - Diverse Learning

Mrs Melissa Ghignone - RE 

The following staff, who commenced in 2023, will also be continuing with us:

Mr Garth Kainz

Mr Thanh Nguyen

Mrs Cheryl Pietrantonio

Ms Sarah Bragias

Mrs Morgan Mahoney

Miss Christine Acitelli

Ms Amanda Craig

I also acknowledge Mr Opalnuik, now a permanent member of our staff.

HOLIDAYS AND CHRISTMAS

I wish you and your families a blessed and safe Christmas and vacation. I have loved joining the St. Francis Catholic College community this year, and I am so excited about the years ahead.

Merry Christmas and here’s to a great 2024!

PRAYER TO CONCLUDE THE SCHOOL YEAR:

At the end of this school year, we give thanks to the Lord.

For all the teaching and learning that has occurred in the College, we thank you, Lord.

We thank you for the talents and gifts that have been shared, Lord.

We give You thanks for the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed.

We thank the friendships that have just begun and those that have grown.

For the faith that has been lived out in our daily struggles, we thank you, Lord.

We thank you for the hope that has lifted our hearts on dark days and the challenges we have faced and overcome.

We give thanks for the community that we are. 

As the holidays approach, we ask you to bless our students, parents/carers and families. 

May our time together across 2023 leave us with fond memories to cherish. 

– Amen.

JYL St Francis Of Assisi Award 
Alexis F

JYL Blessed Edmund Rice Award
Ivy K

JYL Sports Award
Liam P

Year 11 Preliminary HSC Awards

College Medallions

Congratulations to Sebastian M who competed in the ISKA Australian National Championships, who is now a 5 time Australian National Champion in his age division.

His results were of follows:

• First Place - Extreme Musical Forms (Australian National Champion)
• First Place - Extreme Musical Weapons (Australian National Champion)
• First Place - Traditional Weapons (Australian National Champion)
• First Place - Traditional Forms (Australian National Champion)
• First Place - Team Showmanship (Australian National Champion)
• Second Place - Point Sparring
• Second Place - Team Synchronised Kata (8-9 yrs)
• Third Place - Team Synchronised Kata (10-11 yrs)
• Third Place - Clash Sparring
• Third Place - Sword Combat
• Fourth Place - Highest Kick Challenge

On Friday of Week 7, students of Year 9 Japanese attended the Nihongo Tanken Centre in Kirrawee. The Nihongo Tanken Centre is a fully functioning Japanese-style house that provides a stimulating and authentic Japanese environment where students can use and further develop their Japanese language skills.

The name Nihongo Tanken means “exploring Japanese”, in the sense of an adventurous expedition into Japanese language and culture, and the seeking of a deeper understanding of the Japanese language in context. The Centre includes a Japanese-style building and garden with the 'look and feel' of Japan. Students and teachers are immersed in the Japanese language and culture through innovative learning programs based on different themes.

The Year 9 Japanese students were engaged in many activities throughout the day, including ‘Explore the Japanese House’, ‘Theme Photo

 Shoot’, ‘Mystery Star’, and ‘Japanese Toys’. Students competed in teams and gained points by completing each of the various activities. The middle of the day included a short break which allowed students to eat a delicious Japanese Bento Box and practice their chopstick skills. The day finished with the presentation of personalised certificates for each student. Both Mr. O’Brien and Ms. Tooby, who accompanied students on the day, were impressed by both the student engagement and their use of the Japanese language they have studied in class. The organisers from the centre also commented on how well-behaved and involved students were in all of the activities. 

Overall, this was a fantastic opportunity for students to celebrate the end of their first year of elective Japanese, and apply their knowledge of the Japanese language in an authentic context. Ms. Tooby looks forward to welcoming students back in 2024 for Year 10 Japanese. 

みなさん、がんばったね！Well done, everyone!

Kind regards,
Ms. Tooby

Introduction:

Throughout our lives many of us stroll the streets for fun, to get places or to explore but many are ignorant of the faces submerged in the issue of homelessness. Many may get coffee and walk by tens of hundreds in a day who are in need of a home, yet we still claim there are fewer homeless people every year and continue to ignore the issue,  whiich is becoming a huge threat to many individuals and families in situations such as migration, refugee status, financial crises and more, leading to many individuals and families becoming homeless. This month, we must make a change. As you go about your day try to pay attention to the homeless. Even though it is an unsettling truth for many, it is time for all of us to all take action and move on to helping those instead of just feeling sorry. Similar to bullying, you can become a bystander or up-stander- it is up to you to decide if you will take this issue seriously and try to spread awareness or help.The homeless epidemic that is affecting many in Australia can not be controlled, even if you have money some events could lead to the downfall of many. Take Danii's story for instance and read the transcript below or watch the video linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AF7-aATDFY.

Danii's Story:

When I was younger, I dreamt about driving an ambulance, becoming a circus performer, living on an island, all those beautiful dreams you have about the future when you're young. But I never dreamt that one day I'd experience homelessness.Years of homelessness. It happened in stages, like a spiral going down and down. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I just couldn't stop it. I had to leave a really challenging family and domestic violence situation, which really impacted my confidence and mental health. Less than a year later, my landlord sold the property I was renting. When I thought things couldn't get worse, I started house hunting. I applied, and applied, and applied for the few places I could afford, and so did many others. So many others. I was always close but never close enough. The only choice I had was squeezing in on the couches at friends' places, feeling like the unwanted guest. Eventually, I found myself living in a car, always feeling afraid through the night, unable to cook a proper meal, and washing under taps in parks.I don't think I have words to describe how it really felt, and I hope you never have to find out. But that's the thing, we all think it can't happen to us, but then it can and it does. And so, my only dream became a place to call home. I'm not sure I would've ever achieved that dream if it wasn't for the Salvos' help. Here I am today finally seeing that dream come alive. The day I got the keys to my new place, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It's the smallest things that make me smile the most a warm shower, a place to make a cup of tea, a comfy pillow. It doesn't mean life is always easy, but having my own place has taken away a huge level of stress and anxiety. It is so important, because a home is so much more than just a roof, it's a safe place where kids can slowly begin to build confidence and security at school, a place to invite a friend or a neighbour in, and a way to feel like part of a community again. To me, a home is hope. And having a home has finally allowed me to dream of a positive future once again.

Did you know that on any given night 1 in 200 people in Australia are homeless due to current events such as inflation? Based on this information provided by the census it is estimated that over 120,000 people Australia are struggling with the financial issues that led them to homelessness. As unsettling as it may be, it is time the community regained its knowledge on this topic. The story aboveoutlined Danii's Story and what she experienced during her life in the unexpected time of urgency when she experienced homelessness. One of the best non-profit organisations that are in place with Mission Australia is the Southwest Sydney Youth Hub which is a non-profit organisation that focuses on helping family and individuals in need of help and housing. By visiting their page (MissionAustralia.com) you can see what the organisation does to support  families and individuals in need of assistance. As St Francis says, be the light of a single candle- don’t be a  a bystander be an upstander today and forever moving forward.

10 Science R had an in-class task where they were to design a presentation, including activities, to teach a group of 10-year-olds about the environmental spheres (biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere). Once they got started, they were actually very keen to have a real audience so I organised for two Year 5 classes to join us in the Science labs. Year 10 worked in groups and as a class to ensure they didn't have the same information and activities to present.

On Thursday 30th November and Tuesday 5^th December Year 10 successfully taught 5 Red and 5 Green. Year 10 did such a fantastic job that this will be an initiative that Science would bring about for older grades to collaborate with younger grades in 2024. Both Year 5 classes were on their best behaviour, participated and enjoyed the lesson. Attached are some photos from the lessons.