St Francis Xavier Primary School - Lake Cargelligo eNewsletter

During 2022 our educational focus will be to improve Literacy and Numeracy skills — staff, students and families working together so all our students achieve at least 12 months growth. Other goals for the year are:

Build a community that continues to learn - Implement system Literacy and Numeracy initiatives which will increase student assessment data.

Enhance and maintain the wellbeing of all - Continued increase of attendance rates and implementation of school-wide Well Being Policy.

Build a community that is connected - Increased promotion of the school Vision and Mission statements throughout the community and to continue to increase family attendance at school events.

Catholic Education is celebrating 200 years in Australia, marking the bicentenary of the first Catholic school established in Parramatta in October 1820. St Francis Xavier has provided Catholic Education for the past 92 years, not quite 200. The official launch of the celebrations will be held next week, with our School Mass next Friday 26th February acknowledging and celebrating together.

Today our Year 4/5/6 class remembered one of our treasured past teachers, Mrs Maureen Keeley (whose anniversary was yesterday) in our parish Friday Mass. Mrs Keeley was an exceptional educator and one of the many Catholic teachers who have made a significant and positive mark on all the students she taught and the teachers she worked with (including myself).

Our first few weeks have been busy but extremely productive; with safe and successful swimming lessons last week, classes settling into class and school routines to achieve new learnings and many Professional Learning opportunities for staff.

Everyday we are grateful for every member of our school communities that have a dedicated commitment to build on the great work of those who have come before us to provide a Catholic education for past, present and future generations of students.

Thank you to the families and friends who joined us for our Opening Mass last Friday. Congratulations to our new school leaders. We look forward to the leadership that Belle, Jayde, Tiahla, Benji, Jimeal, Max and Gus will bring to our school this year.

This year homework will be given out on Mondays and needs to be brought back on Fridays. Students will be using a diary to remind them that it is their responsibility to get their homework back. Homework will be given out on Monday 22 February. It is expected students will read for 20 mins and complete homework for 15 mins. Homework will be spelling for the first few weeks.

Marilyn

Year 2/3 have been getting back into learning starting each day with fitness and balls skills, we find this gets them ready for a busy day of learning. On Tuesday we celebrated Shrove Tuesday by making and eating pancakes.

Each morning in Kinder, Year1 we do Rotations, in this we work on our Numeracy, Literacy and Fine Motors skills.

On Monday 6 students; Rose McFadyen, Jay Hayward, Belle and Beau Golding, Ivy Wallace and Gus Wallace travelled to West Wyalong for the Western Region swimming carnival with parents and Miss Cororan. All students who attended the carnival participated with enthusiasm and proudly represented our school.

A huge thank you to the families who attended and supported their children and assisted Miss Corcoran on the day.

SFX COMMUNITY COUNCIL— Annual General Meeting

Staffroom on Tuesday 9th March at 6.00pm

The first School Community Council Meeting will also be the Annual General Meeting. All parents, carers and interested persons are most welcome to come along. Please show your support for your children and your school.

The meeting will be held in the staffroom at 6.00pm Tuesday 9th March. Items on the agenda include Canteen, Uniforms, Fundraising and 2021 school goals. If you would like to add any items to the agenda or become a committee member please let Jacinta or Andrew McFadyen (Chair Person) know.

Thank you and looking forward to working with you all.

Each term we share with each class an assembly. Today we had the pleasure of attending Year 4/5/6 Assembly.

An entertaining and imformative assembly Thank you 4/5/6.

Kinder/Year 1 Assembly will be on Friday 26th March at 12.30pm

Year 2/3 Assembly will be on Friday 12th March at 12.30pm

We held our first fundraiser of the year last weekend and successfully raised over $ 1200

A huge THANK YOU to Sharna and Tony Hayward for organising most of the event and for the amazing amount of work put into making the fundraising so successful. Thank you to all the families and staff that assisted with cooking or purchasing of morning tea items and many thanks to the staff (Mr K, Miss Wheeler, Mrs Morris and Miss Emily) and parents that assisted in any and many ways on Saturday! Well done to you all!!!!

Book Club Issue 4 have been given out - any orders will need to be returned by this Friday, 17th June please.

For online orders https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/

Research has shown that the more children read, the better they are at all areas of school and in turn better able to achieve success when they leave school.

To encourage students to read more, a Home Reading Log will be sent home with all students to complete at home to record any book they read (or others read with them). Children will be rewarded for each total of 10 books they read and additional rewards for each 25 books they read.
Please help us to assist our students become better readers.
Please note if you wish to borrow books for your children to read at home our school is extremely well resourced and we will lend books to any family or student wishing for more books (or different choices of books) at home.

Remember to Read with your children every day—10 minutes a day makes the world of difference for their learning.

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This week the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice.

We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Saint Oscar Romero is our inspiration for Project Compassion 2021, so in his words let’s “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”

Jamila, 22, is a Rohingya woman living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh. She was forced to flee the armed conflict in Myanmar to save herself, her elderly mother and her eight-month-old baby. With the support of Caritas Australia, through Caritas Bangladesh, Jamila was able to access emergency food and shelter. She also received counselling, emotional support, and learnt sewing skills to help her earn an income.

Jamila now feels less alone, with a sense of community around her. She is able to ‘Be More’ to her little family. “Thank you, and thanks Caritas Australia,” Jamila says.

Please help your children support Project Compassion 2021 to help mothers like Jamila be more for her family and her community. We will again raise money through the recycling of drink containers - fruit boxes, cans, water etc. If you would like to help us with this fundraising for Project Compassion bring in your recyclable drink containers.

A letter was sent home last week from the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment advising parents that they have requested your child’s school to provide a ‘statement of addresses’ in accordance with the Australian Education Regulation. Please read this letter carefully. If you did not receive this letter please let us know.

Thank you for your support with the changes in the time we have our lunch break. The timetable for the day (please note the changes highlighted) will be as follows: -

8.55am - Morning bell
11.00am – First Lunch bell
11.30am – End of First Lunch
1.30pm – Second Lunch bell
2.10pm – End of Second Lunch
3.10pm – End of the school day

There is another fruit break introduced at approximately 12.30pm. Some students are looking for extra food during the day, a second sandwich or piece of fruit or vegetables packed might be worthwhile - have a conversation with your child or your child's teacher if you are unsure.

Sport Days this year are as follow:

K,1,2,3 are Friday

Yr 4,5,6 are Thursday

Today we held our first assembly and the following studetns recieved awards,

K, 1 Awards Jayden Brooks & Caden Smith Making Jesus real awards Indigo Brroks & Elwina Wu

2/3 Awards Belle Bardawil & Wayne Kennedy, Making Jesus Real Awards Flynn Bartholomew & Leela Jones

4/5/6 Awards Tallarah Harris, Scarlet Keeley, Gus Wallace & Tyson Kirby, Making Jesus Real Awards Belle Golding & Jayde Mitchell

Merit Certificates Beau Golding, Belle Golding, Gus Wallace, Ivy Wallace, Rose McFadyen, Jay Hayward

Principal's Awards Belle Golding & Sasha Hayward

Sasha Hayward & Belle Golding

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