Term 4 Week 9
- Weekly 5 With Leadership - 2025 Class Groupings and Bump-Up Transition.
- From Libby's Desk - APRE
- From Kylie's Desk - APC & PC Sports
- 2025 Booklists
- Beach Day - 2nd December
- Carols Evening - 3rd December
- Friday 6th December - Last Day!
- 2025 Instrumental Music - Miss Erin
- 2025 Guitar Lessons Information Session
- 2025 Piano Lessons
- Tuckshop News
- Parent and Friends News
- Parish News
- Community News
- Parent Engagement Opportunity
Weekly 5 With Leadership - 2025 Class Groupings and Bump-Up Transition.
Gullarn ngheeree - Welcome to this beautiful place,
Our biggest resources at our school are not the buildings, nor the grounds, not even the amazing food that Anne serves at the tuckshop. The biggest resources are our staff. We are blessed to have a staff that is highly invested in the children they work with. As preparations are made for the 2025 school year, the allocation of human resources is a significant consideration.
The class structures and teaching team for 2025 are outlined below. Our teaching staff bring a depth of experience and commitment to our children’s learning journey in all aspects. St Francis Catholic Primary is delighted to welcome Mrs Melissa McBride to our teaching team in 2025. Melissa has taught at Star of the Sea Catholic Primary for many years with particular expertise in Year 5 teaching and learning. Melissa is the daughter of Mrs Cheryl Hope, our office manager in the foundation years and beyond here at St Francis.
It is with great pleasure that I officially welcome Ms Erin Moynihan to the Instrumental Music program at St Francis Catholic Primary. With such gratitude for her mentoring of our IM students this term, this program will grow from strength to strength with a recruitment of new students in 2025. We welcome Mr Wayne Dunnett, who will share his passion and expertise in guitar tuition in 2025. Please see this week’s newsletter for information on the music opportunities for our students.
| Principal | Mrs Samantha Suthers |
| Assistant Principal Religious Education | Mrs Meredith Grove |
| Assistant Principal Curriculum | Mrs Kylie Linforth |
| Prep A | Mrs Deborah Whitfield |
| Prep B | Mrs Rebecca Prichard |
| Year 1A | Mrs Kassie Boyle & Mrs Sarah Clark |
| Year 1/2 B | Mrs Leann Hansen |
| Year 2A | Mrs Sharon Romagnolo & Mrs Sharyn Dicker |
| Year 3A | Mrs Kylie Linforth & Ms Rachel Clarke |
| Year 3B | Mrs Vanessa Fogarty |
| Year 4A | Mr Scott Pitt & Mrs Kylie Hennessy |
| Year 4/5 B | Mrs Kate Hewitt |
| Year 5A | Mrs Melissa McBride |
| Year 6A | Mrs Elizabeth Wilson |
| Inclusive Curriculum | Mrs Amanda Ricciardi |
| Inclusive Curriculum | Mrs Kylie Hennessy |
| Inclusive Curriculum | Mrs Rebecca Ross |
| Inclusive Curriculum | Mrs Meredith Grove |
| Physical Education | Mrs Kylie Linforth |
| Performing Arts | Mrs Sharyn Dicker |
| Visual Arts | Mrs Melissa Hartsorn |
| Digital Technologies | Mrs Meredith Grove |
| Instrumental Music Tutor | Ms Erin Moynihan |
| Piano Tutor | Ms Liping He |
| Guitar Tutor | Mr Wayne Dunnett |
A letter will be emailed next Wednesday informing you of next year's class and teacher. These listings are confirmed with no alternations, I am grateful for your understanding. Report cards will be available through Parent Lounge by 3.00 pm Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, students will have the opportunity to spend the last session with their new teacher (if they are currently on staff) and new classmates.
As we head into our final week together, please refer to the email and paper copy of the 'nuts-and-bolts' of Week 10 that was emailed to parents on Monday of this week.
Our Prep students led us off from our morning prayer in the undercover area with a sense of confidence, calmness and readiness for another day of learning, with other classes following. The message from our student leaders as we journey into our final week together was very evident in these actions:
“A generous heart and kind words are the things we strive for today.”
God’s blessings upon your weekend,
PAX et bonum - Peace and all goodness,
Meredith Grove
(Principal 2024)
From Libby's Desk - APRE
From Kylie's Desk - APC & PC Sports
As the year closes, parents are invited to download their children's Seesaw journal before they are archived in December. Please follow the steps below and reach out if you have any questions:
A few requirements before you start:
- Log in to Seesaw from a desktop computer or laptop with the Chrome or Firefox browser. Downloading Journal Archives is not available on a mobile or tablet device.
- Family members require an email address that has previously been connected to their child's account by their teacher.
- If accessing a Journal archive from a student account, a student email is required.
How to download Journal Archives
- Sign into your Family or Student account from a desktop computer at https://app.seesaw.me.
- Tap your Profile Icon in the top left corner, and select the gear icon.
- Tap Account Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Download Journal Archives.💡Not seeing this option? Reach out to your child's teacher to make sure they have settings enabled for Family Access.
- Tap the Download Journal button for the journal you want to download. This might take a while depending on your Internet speed and how many posts your child has in Seesaw.
This is what you get! Files are organized by month and then ordered by the date the post was added. You'll see an .html file with a thumbnail, text notes or captions, folder names, and links (if the post used the Link Creative Tool). You'll also see the original image, video, or audio files.
How to download a Message thread
Families can also download messages from conversations they are a part of. Downloads are emailed as a read-only PDF that includes all messages in a single thread (including ones that have been edited and deleted). Students are unable to download message threads.
- Tap on a conversation.
- Tap on the [...] in the upper right corner.
- Tap Download Message History.
- Check your email to view the message history PDF.
- The message history includes date and time stamps, sender name, and message content. Thumbnail images and attachment links will also be included where present. Below is an example of the message history:
Port Curtis Trials 2025
Please follow the Port Curtis Sport Facebook page for 2025 events. Our school calendar in Parent Orbit has all of the dates for 10-12-year-old trials. Please complete and return the paper copy of this form: two weeks before the trial dates. Boys and Girls' netball trials are in week 2, therefore interested students should nominate to Mrs Linforth by Wednesday 4th December. Only 4 students in each age group many attend.
2025 Booklists
Each year, Office National in Auckland Street, Gladstone, fills our booklist and delivers for free. Being a local company, many families prefer to support them and the competitive pricing. Attached is the 2025 booklist should you wish to purchase some products elsewhere. The link to Office National is here and you may choose which items you want: https://booklist.officebrands.com.au/aucklandst
The Prep to Year 6 booklist is linked below and is available on Parent Orbit. Please note the items marked * have year-specific lines. The items with ** may carry over from the previous year if your child brought them home at the end of the year.
Beach Day - 2nd December
Carols Evening - 3rd December
Friday 6th December - Last Day!
2025 Instrumental Music - Miss Erin
2025 Guitar Lessons Information Session
2025 Piano Lessons
2025 Piano Lessons
2025 Private piano tutoring available with Ms LiPing
Please see the school office for more information
Tuckshop News
Parent and Friends News
Christmas Carols - PARENT/FAMILY SONG
A wonderful event in the school calendar, this year the Parents/Families will be joining in the festivities by singing "Jingle Bell Rock". Our kids get an absolute kick out of seeing their adults up there singing along and participating too, so please join in. The more parents up there, the better it'll be!
Lyrics will be available on the night to help us out.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Thank you to those who attended the P&F AGM last Friday. Minutes complete with President's, Principal's and Financial Reports from the meeting are available via the link below.
We are looking for volunteers to fill many roles in 2025, ranging from on the Core Committee to running one-off events. Please have a read of the role descriptions below and reach out if you're interested. Without more volunteers, the events that our kids love won't happen in 2025.
We're hoping to run a fun event for the kids in Term 1 next year, such as a disco or fun run. If you'd like to help make this happen, please reach out to one of the committee members or via email SFTS_PandFSecretary@rok.catholic.edu.au. A Sign Up Genius email will come out early in Term 1 to ask for helpers also, so keep an eye out for that as well.
SAVE THE DATE - Welcome Banquet 2025
Put Friday 7th February 2025 into your calendars now for next year's Welcome Banquet.
A chance to get everyone together after the summer holidays to welcome the new school year, new faces, and our new Principal.
A slightly different twist on this year's Welcome BBQ, next year's Welcome Banquet will be casual outdoor meal with everyone bringing a plate to share.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
2nd Hand Uniforms
2nd Hand Uniforms are available to purchase for $3 per item - please use the honest box.
They are currently set up in the hall if anyone would like to purchase.
Parish News
Community News
Mayor's Christmas Carols
Get ready to jingle all the way! Join us for a fun evening of Christmas Carols, market stalls and the lighting of the CBD Christmas Tree. 4pm - 8.30pm Friday, 6 December 2024.
Watch the amazing talent of our local schools and community groups come to life on stage, with special guest performances featured throughout the evening. There may even be a surprise visit from Santa himself!
Explore a range of festive treats and unique gifts from our local vendors and stallholders at the Santos GLNG Mayor’s Carols. From delicious food to handcrafted items, there’s something for everyone to enjoy while supporting our local community.
Spread the holiday cheer and sing your heart out with us. See you there!
WHERE: Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Marina Parklands (Bryan Jordan Drive, Gladstone)
COST: Free entry
Merry Markets: 4pm - 8.30pm
Santos GLNG Free face/arm painting and glitter tattoos: 4pm - 8.30pm
Carol's: 5.30pm - 8.30pm
Parent Engagement Opportunity
The Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) is a collaborative initiative drawing on clinical and academic expertise from areas such as education, psychology and allied health. Our team is committed to partnering with those with lived expertise to improve outcomes and experiences of people on the autism spectrum across their lifespan. We will do this through:
· Conducting high-quality research on topics prioritised by the autistic and autism communities
· Teaching and translating research to those outside of academia
· Creating meaningful community partnerships.
The Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) in conjunction with Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton will be offering workshops in Bundaberg from 20-23 July at Shalom College. This workshop will be open to all sectors. with parent workshops available.
To ensure these workshops meet the needs to the local community, interested parents are asked to complete a survey. This survey will gauge the interest, help develop the content and the days on which the workshop/s will be offered. The survey will close on Friday 6 December. https://forms.office.com/r/uKQtjWSXX8