Term 2 Week 6

Weekly 5 With Leadership

Gullarn ngheeree - Welcome to this beautiful place,

The Athletics Carnival is a highlight in the school calendar.  A time for our students to share in house spirit, and to experience the positives that flow out of belonging to such communities. I thank our Indigenous student leaders for leading our school in acknowledging the lands on which we gather today, where learning and growing have taken place for more than 65 000 years.

Today is indeed full of fun, friendship, cheering, and encouraging! Always for our students, their time at St Francis Catholic Primary is a day of learning.  Today we learned outside.  Students learned how to move their bodies - quickly, steadily, with coordination, pushing the limits of what they can do. Students learned how to be in a space that is different to our regular school day – we choose independently how/where to move, who to have conversations with, always remembering that our choices are bounded by respect, safety, learning and gratitude. Our students learned to celebrate the successes of students for whom these sports are a personal strength – due to talent, due to a commitment to fitness and training. Today our students were stronger at having a go at things that maybe they aren’t the best at, for there is always great learning in trying to do things and joining in the opportunities we have each and every day.

So much preparation goes into the Athletics Carnival on our beautiful school grounds. We give gratitude to:
-          Our groundsman, Mr Keane and Gavin from Chanel College's team of groundsmen for line-                               marking the oval

-           The Parents and Friends group - for the delicious lunch provided!
-          Our Early Years Teachers – for organising the rotations for our younger students
-          Our Middle and Senior Years teachers – the preparation in recent weeks in our Friday afternoon                      sporting program
-       Mrs Linforth and Miss Clarke – the tremendous commitment and passion you both give to the Sporting programmes offered at St Francis Catholic Primary.  The many hours of scheduling, liasing with others, communicating to our families, we are so very grateful. 

I take this opportunity to inform you that I will be taking leave, travelling abroad with my husband, commencing Monday June 3 and returning to school on Monday July 22.  In term time, this equates to Term 2 Week 8-10 and Term 3 Week 1-2. Kylie Linforth has been appointed Acting Principal for this time.  Mrs Kassie Boyle has been appointed as Acting Assistant Principal, Curriculum, working in the office on Thursday and Friday.  On our community’s behalf, I express sincere gratitude to Kylie and Kassie and offer our community’s support during this time.

God’s blessings on your weekend,

PAX et bonum - Peace and all goodness,

Meredith Grove
(Principal 2024)

From the APC - Kylie Linforth

Continuing our discussion with reading, please take the time to read the wonderful guide below, courtesy of our Catholic Education Office in Rockhampton. The document explains that reading can be TO, WITH, and BY children.  Home  Reading in our early years should be a BEST FIT book, that is, children should able to read it independently. All Prep children brought home a flier this week in their diary about how to help Prep's reading develop at the right pace. If you have any queries about how to help your child with their reading, please reach out to me.

Magic 1,2,3 - Parent Workshop Opportunity

Please note the change in times for our Magic 1,2,3 workshops offered at St Francis for our parents.

School Fee Advice # 2

Please find attached Advice #2, developed to inform our Catholic Education families of the new Federal 
Government Funding model (Gonski model) and the impact on funding for Catholic Schools. Advice #2 
outlines State and Federal Government responsibility with Non-Government school funding and how 
parent community Capacity to Contribute (CTC) shapes School Fees. Advice #2 illustrates the 
relationship between the three funding sources in funding 100% of the School Resource Standard (SRS), 
and importantly explains how the total funding to Catholic Schools operates

Australian Early Development Census

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability NCCD

Award Affirmations

A  BIG congratulations to all our award winners this week.  Keep up the great work St Francis students.

New School Uniform jacket

Parents & Friend group news

Please see the latest meeting minutes from the P&F meeting on Monday 20 May.

Bookclub - Important note to parents