Term 3: Week 4

Principal Message….

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are thrilled to celebrate a few significant milestones and upcoming events this term. First and foremost, congratulations to our Prep students for reaching the 100 Days of Prep! It's been a joy to watch their growth and enthusiasm for learning. A big thank you to our dedicated teachers and supportive parents for making this achievement possible. It was great to see all the 100-year-olds dressed up for the day.

Additionally, we honour the feast day of Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint. A remarkable woman whose legacy of education and compassion continues to inspire us all. Her dedication to helping others is a guiding light in our community.

We are excited for Book Week in Week 6! The theme this year is 'Reading is Magic'. Our costume parade is always a highlight, and we can't wait to see the creativity and fun costumes from students and staff alike. Let's make this Book Week the best one yet!

Prayerful well wishes to all those receiving Eucharist for the first time this Saturday. We are looking forward to being part of this faith milestone and celebrating with you.

Take care, Michelle

Warm regards,

Michelle

Father’s Day Celebrations

Dear Families,

In celebration of the wonderful men in our students' lives, on Friday 30th of September we are inviting all of our wonderful Dad’s or the special man in our life who is like a dad to come along to SFA for a shared lunch at 1pm.

Lunch Sausage Deal orders can be placed in QKR for Dad’s and or kids to enjoy a delicious sausage in bread, a cookie and a drink on the day at a cost of $5.00 per deal.

Children are required to wear their sports uniform on this day, and dad’s are advised to come dressed in comfortable clothes, as lunch will be followed by some fun filled sports games on the oval!

Please note that although all students at SFA are able to place a $5.00 order in Qkr for a delicious sausage lunch deal, children will not be able to participate in the games on the oval unless they are accompanied by their Dad or special person.

For organisational purposes, please advise if you will be attending by clicking the yes or no box below and be sure to place your $5.00 Sausage Deal orders in Qkr before 4pm on Wednesday 21st August!

Kind Regards,

Andrea Mansour.

Religious Education and Parent Community Partnerships Leader.

100 Days of Prep

We had a fantastic celebration marking 100 days of Prep! Our students enjoyed a day filled with exciting activities and creativity. To make it even more memorable, they dressed up as 100-year-olds!

It was a wonderful opportunity for them to have fun, engage in imaginative play, and commemorate this milestone together. The day was a grand celebration of learning and community spirit, and our little centenarians made it truly special. 👵🧓

Orton-Gillingham Literacy Approach

Orton–Gillingham is a teaching approach designed to help students learn to read and spell effectively. It explicitly teaches the connections between letters and sounds through a structured literacy approach. This method breaks reading and spelling into smaller skills involving letters and sounds, building on these skills over time.

Orton–Gillingham also pioneered the multisensory approach to teaching reading, a common part of effective literacy programs. Instructors use sight, hearing, touch, and movement to help students connect language with letters and words. In class, students verbally repeat sounds and write the sounds or words in the air before writing them in their workbooks.

At SFA, we have implemented the Orton–Gillingham Approach since the start of the year. Our teachers completed a four-day OG course last year, and another 15 teachers are completing the training this year. Since implementing OG, our junior students have begun writing and reading with increased confidence and skill. It’s great to see the approach in action, and we are looking forward to continued success and growth in our students' literacy skills.

Orton-GIllingham Approach in action across Year 1 and Year Prep

Happy St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast Day!

St Mary, who is Australia's first Saint, had a heart big enough to enclose the troubles of all those who sought her help and assistance. No-one was ever excluded, and she knew how to stand in the shoes of others and walk with them.

St Mary encourages us through her example to reach out to someone in our neighbourhood who is in need and extend the hand of friendship. She reminds us to be open to strangers who come into our lives and to take some time each day to sit in the presence of God's love. The students celebrated the Feast day by wearing casual clothes to school for a gold coin donation. We are excited to say that $380 was raised. This will go to supporting families in need in the St James’ Parish.

Today the children at St Francis participated in a St Mary MacKillop Prayer Service. We are very grateful to Sr. Rita Malavisi from the Sisters of St Joseph, for taking time to chat with Anton and share her expertise about St Mary with our school community. Please remember to keep Sr. Rita in your prayers, as she continues to do God's work through the charism of St Mary MacKillop.

This is the link to our School Captain, Anton's chat with Sr Rita.

On Sunday the 11th of August, we celebrate the Feast of St Clare of Assisi. St Clare was a strong woman of faith, who was so inspired after listening to St Francis of Assisi, that she gave up her family's wealth and also dedicated her life to poverty and helping others. St Clare, whose name means 'light' or 'bright' was a brilliant source of light for her friend, St Francis, as she helped him to spread God's message of love for others.

St Clare began an order which was known as the 'Poor Clares' and they continue to be a light for the Church today. Tomorrow, Michelle, Andrea, our Year 6 School Captains and our Faith and Community leaders will represent SFA at our Sister School, St Clare's Feast Day Mass. Please keep St Clare in your prayers.

On Thursday the 15th August at 9am, all of the students from Years 3 to 6 will be representing St Francis by joining with the students from Thomas Carr College to celebrate 'The Feast of the Assumption' in a combined schools Mass. The students will walk from St Francis to the Gymnasium at TCC through our connecting school gate and they will return to St Francis after Mass.

All students from Grades Prep, 1 and 2 will learn about 'The Feast of the Assumption' as part of their Religious Education Lessons and celebrate this special day at School.

Term 3: Week 6

Term 3: Week 2