St Francis of Assisi School Newsletter Term 4, 23.10.2024

From the Principal

Dear Families,

It feels like a while since I’ve written to our community in depth so I thought I’d take some time to share some updates on various things that are going on.

Teaching and Learning

It’s been a big year regarding the development of teaching and learning on site.

To put it bluntly it’s the most important thing that I oversee. The year has been about establishing processes, ensuring consistent practice and the ensuring that each child across the school is making a year’s growth. This has involved bringing in the Initialit Program into our Reception cohort, Re-Training staff on the PLD program that guides our Year 1-6 Spelling program, Professional Development around explicit teaching as well as the development of Maths Reviews in class to help aid the retention of concepts learnt.

We now have clear and consistent programs and practices that ensure this now which I believe, I know puts us in in the strongest educational position in schools in the East.

It’s a credit to the strong leadership on site we have been able to offer but more accurately the credit belongs to the hardworking teachers who have embraced changes and new initiatives this year.

New Initiatives for 2025

Speaking of new initiatives as we consolidate our teaching and learning in classroom, we look at enrichment and enhancement opportunities across the site.

In Week 7 I will be announcing a range of new initiatives for SFOA into 2025. These will centre around sport, arts and learning academies and programs that will provide further educational and wellbeing nourishment to our students.

Keep an eye out on Audiri and our social media channels in Week 7 for what I’m labelling as ‘Announcement Week’.

Staffing

We are at the final stages of finalising our staff for 2025. I will be able to share this information in full at the beginning of Week 5.

In week 8 students will have the opportunity to meet their new class and teacher which helps to ease any anxiety present at this time of year.

Early Learning Centre

A topic of conversation that comes up regularly from prospective parents and current parents is around an Early Learning Centre. I know this is a repetitive line from my end but we are in ongoing conversations with CESA about the possibility of an ELC on site and these talks are progressing in an extremely positive way. I hope to have more news I can share before the end of the year or early next year.

Sports Day

Never an easy decision to postpone an event such as Sports Day, and I was slightly nervous waking up to not much rain on Friday morning. However, by 11am when the rain was teaming down it became clear that it would have been a difficult day to hold the event, and we wouldn’t have got through the whole program. Here’s hoping that our revised date sits in the Goldilocks zone of weather – not too hot, not too cold – Just right.

A reminder that the revised date for Sports day is the Wednesday of Week 4 (6^th of November) from 9am. We will resend the program and the logistics of the day early next week.

Master Plan

We have an initial design for the School Master plan which is still undergoing revisions.

Included in this

Updates and refurbishments to all classrooms
An improved and landscaped piazza
Development of a Maker Space where students will have the ability to access a Food Tech and Digital Tech program

We are hoping to finalise the Master Plan and be able to explore it in detail at our 2025 Launch night early next year. This time next year we are hoping to have shovels in the ground.

Current and ongoing works

Now that we have some certainty around elements of our Master Plan it allows us to complete some more pressing developments to our site.

This includes

Improved Drinking Taps for students
New Shade for our Oval Playground and Shining Stars area
ReSpray of Junior Primary Playground over the Holidays

Colour Run

Looking forward to a fun afternoon this Friday for the Colour Run. Thank you so much for your generosity, but outside of that I’m looking forward to a great afternoon.

I’m very appreciate of Miss Lisa Cavuoto’s organisation of this event. As I discussed with the staff last Wednesday – it is fair easier not to run events like this. But we know that sometimes fun events like these are the memorable ones for both students and staff alike.

New Enrolments

I’d like to welcome the 3 new families to our school who began at the start of this term. They have been a welcome addition to our family and culture.

Term 4 is massive. We’ve got this.

Scott March