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.

Welcome back to Term 4!

We have had a great start to the term with staff joining with colleagues from St Mary's West Wyalong and St Joseph's Grenfell on our Spirituality Day. We have been aiming to network for a few years now to learn further together.

As a school we have partnershiped with the 'Good to Great Schools Australia'(G2GSA). G2GSA provides curriculum, coaching, data collection and analysis and support for all of the schools the are working with. G2GSA have a federally funded program that includes 20 schools across Australia. This funding agreement for St Francis Xavier School will run until the end of 2024..

During Term 3 in our Years 3-6 classes we implemented Spelling Mastery. This program uses Direct Instruction/ Explicit Instruction methodology. Direct Instruction is evidence based instruction. It is a scripted form of instruction that has explicit learning design built in and creates a foundational sequence of learning.

Staff are completing Professional Learning Modules through G2GSA to prepare for the implementation of Connecting Maths Concepts (CMC) and Oz-e-Science in Term 1 2023.

We are very excited to be working with G2GSA and appreciate all the support and coaching they have provided for our leadership team already this year. More information will be shared through our newsletters and Facebook page as well as at our School Community Council Meeting next week.

Spirituality Day

We kicked off Term 4 with a day of reflection and inspiration. We were lucky to gather with staff from West Wyalong and Grenfell to participate in a Spirituality Day around the theme of Flourishing, led by the Canberra RE Leaders. The day provided time and space to reflect on our vocation as teachers and purpose of community. Many thanks to all the staff involved in the planning and preparation of the day. It was a great way to start the term.

Throughout October we focus on the importance of 'The Rosary', a special prayer form for Catholics. The rosary is a devotion in honour of the Mary, Jesus' mother. Through the Rosary, we learn more about the life and love of Mary and Jesus. It consists of a set number of specific prayers: Apostles’ Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. Each decade is devoted to a mystery regarding the life of Jesus or his mother. The 20 mysteries are divided into four groups of five: The Joyful Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, THe Luminous Mysteries and The Glorious Mysteries. Staff and students will be spending time this month, learning and praying this sacred prayer.

Please join us on Friday for our first prayer liturgy for the term. Years 3/4 will lead us in prayers for Catholic Missions as part of open day.

Term 4

Friday 21st October - Prayer Liturgy and Open Day - Mission Week celebrations

JOIN US between 11am and 2.00pm anytime

Tuesday 25th October - K/1/2 Excursion to Griffith Regional Theatre

- Kindergarten Transition

- School Community Council Meeting @ 6pm

Friday 28th October - Morning Tea to celebrate World Teachers’ Day

Monday 31st October - Dental Visit

Tuesday 1st November - All Saints Day

- Kindergarten Transition

Friday 4th November - School Mass Year 3/4

On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' disciples after his Ascension into heaven. The gifts of the Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles to spread the Gospel message throughout the World. As our 3/4 students prepare to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist this term, and our 5/6 students the Sacrament of Confirmation next term, we encourage them to recognise the gifts within themselves and others.

We warmly invite our school community to join us on Saturday 18^th June as students receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist for the first time.

In this sacrament, we remember what Jesus did for us in his life, death and resurrection. We remember particularly the Last Supper, that final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. At that meal, Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that we could remember him in a special way.

When we receive Communion, we believe that we receive the person of Jesus into our very beings. We become one with him, and we become one with each other. As a community, we become 'the body of Christ'.

Please keep our students in your prayers as they prepare for this special event.

National Reconciliation Week theme for 2022 “Be Brave, Make Change” is a challenge to all Australians to take the unfinished business of reconciliation and make changes for the benefit of all! This year we are being asked to begin with brave actions in our daily lives, where we live, work, learn and play.

This is also the week for everyone to learn about our shared histories. Students have been participating in activities to highlight the theme and increase their knowledge and understanding of the significance of Reconciliation Week.

We also had a visit from Kerry O’Callaghan, Aboriginal Education Consultant, from CGCE, who led the students through Artifacts lessons. All students enjoyed and shared their learnings!

On Friday 20th May we welcomed parents and school community members to Cancer Councils Biggest Morning Tea to support their funding raising efforts.

It was a wonderful morning following by Mass and Assembly.

We thank those that supported the Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea 2022, we raised an amazing $188!

The money raised enables the Cancer Council to fund life-saving research, cancer prevention programs, and provide vital support to those impacted by cancer. Every cuppa and every dollar really does make an incredible difference, so thank you.

Kinder News

Year 1/2 News

Year 3/4 News

Year 5/6 News

Last Friday, 23rd October saw the Year 5/6 students participate in a celebration of NAIDOC by marching down Foster Street and finished the march at the new Murrin Bridge Aboriginal Lands Council Office to participate in the celebration of the official opening.

Last week, Kinder and 5/6 presented their assembly. Students demonstrated their writing, vocabulary and publishing skills with Kinder launching their very first published book!

5/6 students showcased push and pull science, and Kinder showcased their knowledge of local places.

We also demonstrated our knowledge of the importance of friendship.

Thank you to our families for joining us.

Eli, Flynn and Zheng dug out the compost heap. The top layer was still slimy and half-rotted down so this layer was transferred to a new pile. We were amazed to find the composted fruit and lunch scraps at the bottom of the compost bin had been turned into beautiful soft, rich, new soil. We shovelled this onto the garden beds to feed our new plants. LOTS of worms and helpful bugs were discovered.

Years 1/2 made some garden plant markers out of clay, to assist children to learn which vegie and herb plants are which.

They had a peaceful afternoon rolling and cutting out the clay pieces.

The year 5/6 students headed off to Griffith to participate in the Mortimer Sheild last Thursday. The boys played at 10.15am and combined with the Central School. The girls hit the feild and unfortunatley the wet weather came in and Gala Day was postponed. When the students returned and the weather cleared a home game of league tag took place.

Thank you Lake Central School for joining us. The Gala Day will go ahead again on Monday and we hope the day will be a successful day at Mortimer Shield.

Leigha Brooks, Belle Bardawil and Stephen Clarke attended the CWA Oxley Group Public speaking at Forbes. Thank you to the families who assisted with transport and congratulations to all three students who represented our school at this event. The trio competed with 84 students from 20 schools across the region.

A big Congratulations to Belle Bardawil, who came 2nd with her speech, on the topic 'Funny Things Adults Say'. Belle will now continue to the next stage in Trundle to compete in the CWA Western Region Inter Group Competition. Belle will compete against students from other groups on June 22. We wish Belle all the best in the Western Region Inter Group Competition.

Presented in partnership with the eSafety Commissioner

Term 2 webinar offers tips about how to support young people to socialise, learn and have fun online safely. It explains how to access information, use technology safely and navigate new online platforms.

The presentation is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 5 to 12 years old. It will cover:

how to talk to young people about online risks on different social media platforms and games
how to help young people develop skills to protect themselves when they are online
where to go for help if things go wrong and how to access mental health support and information through eSafety.

Wednesday 8 June 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Register here

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/715182158220149006

Prep time 35m, cooking time = 20m Makes 12

These Osaka-style pancakes are often made with cabbage or spring onion, topped with a strong, sweet okonomi sauce (similar to barbecue sauce) and striped with Kewpie mayonnaise.

· 2 large zucchini, coarsely grated

· 1 tbsp onion, grated

· 2/3 cup (100g) plain flour

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 2 eggs, lightly beaten

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 2 tbsp barbecue sauce

· Kewpie mayonnaise

· 2 tbsp Japanese pickled ginger

Step 1

Place the zucchini and onion in a bowl with 1 tsp salt, then toss to combine and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out liquid. Squeeze out the excess liquid and discard.

Step 2

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the eggs and 2 tbs cold water then season and lightly whisk until thick and smooth. Add the zucchini mixture, then stir to combine.

Step 3

Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Working in batches, drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan and cook for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through.

Step 4

To serve, top each pancake with 1/2 tsp barbecue sauce, stripes of mayonnaise, pickled ginger and togarashi, if using.