Newsletter-Term 2-Week 6-Friday 2nd June 2023

Principal's News...

Dear Parents, 

Recently you were invited to complete the Tell Them From Me survey to inform us of your thoughts around many different facets of our school culture. From your feedback and that of our staff andstudents (Years 4 to 6), we are able to investigate areas of our school that require specific attention and areas that are working well, that we need to maintain. With 267 families representing our 350 students, the completion of 39 parent surveys equates to just under 15% of all families. Thank you to those who completed the survey. Obviously, everyone has their own experience of our school which is reflected in the range of feedback. Generally, isolated comments indicate responses to specific incidents and consistent comments provide a clear picture of general cultural practices. Over the coming weeks, we will analyse this feedback data in greater detail to determine focus points as we work towards whole school culture improvement. If you would like to further discuss any current school matters, I encourage you to come along to our Parent Forum meeting from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Tuesday June 13th. As this is our first scheduled Parent Forum meeting in a while, I look forward to welcoming everyone, especially any parents who have not attended a Parent Forum meeting before.

This week our staff meeting topic was on supporting students who speak English as an Addition Language or Dialect. The methods to support our EAL/D students are also highly effective in supporting native English speakers who struggle with their language learning. In order to ascertain the support required for each individual child, we conduct and collect Language Background Surveys. Whilst we have obtained these for recent new enrolments, it is possible that we have missed some families who may not have disclosed that their child speaks a different language at home. In the coming weeks, we will work through our class lists to try to identify all children who may benefit from support in this area. If you feel you should complete a Language Background Survey for your child, please contact the school office.

Our school as part of the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL), like all child-safe organisations, is implementing the Child Safe Standards. As a part of this work, we share our Child Safeguarding Commitment Statement which reinforces our dedication to the safety and wellbeing of all children. Please take the time to read the commitment statement and if you have any questions please discuss with the school leadership team. We will continue to engage with you on this important matter.

Peace in Christ
Dan Gubby

School Calendar-Term 2

Pupil Free Day Term 2

Friday, 30th June 2023

____________________________________________

Pupil Free Day Term 3

Monday, 17th July 2023

Assistant Principal Mission News...

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

This coming weekend's reading is from John 3:16-18 - God sent his Son into the world to save the world.

So what does this mean? Because of God’s great love for us, he sent his Son, Jesus to save the world. Jesus then sent the Holy Spirit so that our faith in God would be strengthened.

The Holy Trinity refers to the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.

Through the death and resurrection of the Son, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are called to respond in faith by professing our belief in God and all that he has done for us.

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com

Attendance - Every Moment Matters

Did you know… when your child misses school they miss important opportunities to learn, make friends and build skills through fun.

A couple of minutes doesn’t seem like much, but… when your child misses 5 minutes per day, they miss 3 days per year or when your child misses 30 minutes per day, they miss 18 days per year.

Patterns of lateness can have a serious impact on your child’s education.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance, please contact us to further discuss these concerns. Regular school attendance forms good life habits and punctuality for work and further study. It also strengthens your child’s sense of belonging within the school community.

Source: Catholic Schools Office, Lismore and NSW Department of Education.

Whole School Mass

Our next whole school Mass will be Thursday, 22nd June at 2:30pm in the Church. We welcome our school community to join us for this Mass. The theme for this Mass is ‘Light’ and letting our light shine. We look forward to this celebration as a school community.

Year 6 Canberra and Sydney Excursion

Planning for the Year 6 Canberra and Sydney excursion is well underway. The excursion will take place in Week 4 next term. From Sunday, 6th August through to Friday, 11th August the Year 6 students will be immersed in a range of activities including visiting Parliament House, Government House, The Australian War Memorial, CSIRO and Questacon. The excursion will finish in Sydney with a visit to Taronga Zoo.

We cannot wait to share our adventures with you in the Week 6 newsletter next term.

Light of Jesus Awards

Congratulations to the students who were awarded a Light of Jesus ticket last fortnight.

• Egodi Ezeanata - Kinder
• Andrew Mullagh - Kinder
• Jude Peate - Kinder
• Ryan Piercy - Year 2
• Ruby Siviour - Year 3

Congratulations to the following students on receiving 10 light of Jesus Tickets. They now receive a certificate and blue arm band.

• Jessica Dogan - Kinder
• Egodi Ezeanata - Kinder
• Pham (Moon) Nguyen - Kinder
• Lewis Parker - Kinder
• Jude Peate - Kinder
• Albie Seymour - Kinder
• Joshuah Jacobsen - Year 2
• Olivia O’Brien - Year 2

Kasey Miles

Assistant Principal Mission

Parish News...

St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish of Ballina

• St Francis Xavier Church-47 Cherry Street, Ballina
• Holy Family Church-94 Ballina Street, Lennox Head 

Parish Mass Times

Learning & Teaching News...

TERM 2 PUBLIC SPEAKING 2023

Public speaking will take place in the classrooms this Term. The finals will be held in classrooms during weeks 7-8. The whole school finals will be conducted in the Hall in week 9 on Friday, 23rd June, 2023. K - 2 from 9.15 am - 9.45 am; Years 3 - 6 from 9.45 - 11 am. Parents are welcome to attend. Two people from each Stage will go onto the Diocesan finals to be held at Tweed Heads early in Term 3.

Time-line for Public Speaking Term 2 2023:

• Weeks 3 - 7: students prepare and rehearse speeches at home
• Week 5 - 6: students can rehearse their speeches in the Hall at lunchtime on Thursdays and Fridays and receive feedback and support. 
• Weeks 7 - 8: students present their speeches at a class level. 3 students from each year level (Eg 3 students from Year 3 overall, not per class) will progress to the whole school finals.
• Week 9: Whole School Finals in the Hall.  K - 2 from 9.15 am - 9.45 am; Years 3 - 6 from 9.45 - 11 am. Winners will be announced for each Stage Level, not year level:
• Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) = 2 winners
• Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) = 2 winners per Stage (not Year Level)
• Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4) = 2 winners per Stage (not Year Level)
• Stage 3 (Years 5 & 6) = 2 winners  per Stage (not Year Level)
• These 2 Stage winners will be selected to go to the next level at St Joseph's Primary School in Tweed Heads. 
• August Term 3 2023  (Date TBC)  -  2023 Catholic Coastal Schools Combined Public Speaking Awards finals. Parents will need to transport their students to this event and one staff member from our school will meet them there. More details will be provided to those students and their families once the finalists have been determined.

All participants in the finals at St Francis Xavier will receive a commendation certificate. The 2 winners from each Stage will receive a winners certificate and progress to the next level of the Diocesan Public Speaking Competition.

The following criteria will be used for judging:

Lisa Conte

Leader of Pedagogy

Creative Arts News...

This term in Visual Art extension lessons, students have been busy developing artworks to enter into the New England Regional Art Museum’s annual ‘Let’s Hang It!’ art competition.

A big congratulations to our talented artists who entered artworks. 

We are thrilled to announce that Year 6 student, Emmie Nesbitt is one of 60 finalists in the 2023 University of New England School Acquisitive Art Prize. There were more than 500 art entries this year, from 50 schools, and these works demonstrated the wonderful array of creativity and imagination, as well as skill of the students. The selection committee from NERAM and UNE commented that there was a wonderful diversity of art media and subject matter represented which made the selection process very difficult, given the high standard. 

Emmie’s artwork will feature in the Let’s Hang It! Art exhibition in Armidale at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM). The exhibition will be open from Friday, 28th July 2023 until Sunday, 13th August 2023.  A People’s Choice Award will also be voted for over the duration of the exhibition via the online exhibition page and the winner announced at the conclusion. We will share the link once it goes live.

Sports News...

Diocesan Cross Country

On Tuesday, 23rd May St Francis Xavier had twelve students travel down to Grafton to compete at the annual Diocesan Cross Country Carnival at McAuley Catholic College. Fine weather greeted our students - perfect conditions for running. The course always proves to be challenging however our students pushed through and achieved some fantastic results. Runners who finished in the top 8 were selected to compete at the Polding Cross Country in Sydney at Sydney Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park Tuesday, 13th June. Congratulations to the students who placed in the top 8:

9 Years Boys

• 4th Braxton Whitton

9 Years Girls

• 20th Isabella Briggs

10 Years Boys

• 1st Luke Dogan 
• 26th Mason McMahon
• 27th Oscar Donald

10 Years Girls

• 23rd London McGregor
• 24th Jessica Aslin
• 29th Indi Williams

11 Years Boys

• 17th Thomas Briggs
• 20th Gali Amit

12 Years Boys

• 25th Lachlan Colegate

12 Years Girls

• 1st Alexandra Dogan

We wish Braxton, Luke and Alexandra the best of luck down in Sydney.

Congratulations to Luke and Alexandra Dogan who were Age Champions for their respective age divisions. Luke and Alex were also our Age Champions at the school Cross Country and the Richmond Zone Cross Country. A fantastic achievement! 

SFX Athletics Carnival

St Francis Xaviers Athletics Carnival is fast approaching and will be held at Chickiba Park in East Ballina on Friday, 16th June which is the end of Week 8.

The students will be competing in 800m, 100m and 200m competitive races and also rotating around various stations with fun activities.

A Compass Event will be sent home early next week. The school will be covering the cost of transport to and from the venue. Although there is no payment required, please ensure you give your child/ren consent to attend.

Richmond Zone Event Qualification Numbers:

The Richmond Zone Athletics Carnival will be held at Riverview Park in Lismore on Thursday, 27th July.

• 100m - Top 3 students x 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13yrs
• 200m - Top 3 students x Jnr (8-10yrs), 11yrs, Snr (12-13yrs)
• Long Jump & Shot Put, 800m & 1500m  - Top 2 students x Jnr (8-10), 11yrs, Snr (12-13)
• 1 Snr (11-13) and Jnr (8-10) Relay Boys and Girls

1500m Races

The 1500m races for our Athletics Carnival are held prior to the Carnival day. This year the 1500m Races will be held at Chickiba Park in Week 9 on Wednesday, 21st June starting at 4pm. All competitors will need to arrive 10 minutes prior - at 3:50pm. 

Junior Boys and Girls (8, 9 10 yrs) will run first, followed by the 11 Years Boys & Girls and then concluding with the Senior Boys & Girls (12/13 yrs).

A reminder only the top two finishers will progress through to the Richmond Zone Athletics Carnival at Riverview Park, Lismore on Thursday, 27th July.

Paddy Wilde

Sports Coordinator

Canteen News...

We Need Volunteers for our School Canteen

Tammy & Kaylene are looking for volunteers for the canteen. If you are able to spare a couple of hours, between 9am and 11:30am, once a month please contact the school office on 66863370 or contact Tammy or Kaylene in the canteen and let them know what day suits you.  

Sushi Specials Term 2

$3.90 each Chicken, Tuna, Avocado or Vegetarian-Sauce 20c each.

Week 7	Tuesday, 6th June
Week 9	Tuesday, 20th June

Student Awards...

Congratulations to all of our students who received an award this week.

Happy Birthday...

Wishing all our students a wonderful birthday!!

Friday, 2nd June  to Thursday, 15th June

Parent Information...

School Fees

Please note that Term 2 School Fees are overdue and payable now. 

Newsletter 

We publish our School Newsletter on a fortnightly basis. The newsletter will be published in Week Two, Four, Six, Eight and Ten of each Term. All important notices and events will be communicated via Compass on a regular basis. Our school Facebook page will be updated regulary with exciting events that have happened at school.

School Assembly

School Assemblies are on a fortnightly basis, in line with our Newsletter. 

Student Absences

Parents are reminded that if your child/ren are absent from school you must follow the following steps:

• Reply to the text message that is sent via Compass before 3pm, or
• Email the school office on balp@lism.catholic.edu.au

All absences must be received in writing. 

Student Partial Absences

Parents are reminded not to enter a partial attendance note for their child/ren. To be compliant with the attendance SOP, we need to ensure that child safety is maintained as far as possible. Parents are to come to the school office to drop/collect the student. This gives the parent the opportunity to provide the reason for the early departure/late arrival at that time. 

Notification of Extended Leave

All notification of extended leave MUST be submitted prior to the leave commencing. 

Travel outside of the school holiday period is counted as an absence for statistical purposes.  If your child/ren are absent for 10 to 100 days, please ensure that you complete a Form A4 Notification Extended Leave Travel (available at the School Office or click on the link Extended Leave Form).  An absence in this case will be recorded using the Code ‘A’ (Unjustified Leave).

In exceptional circumstances parents may complete a Form A1 Application for Extended Leave-Travel for consideration, explaining why an absence for extended leave is in the best educational interest of the student.  The Principal may accept or decline this application. 

Please note relevant travel documentation such as an e ticket or itinerary (in the case of non-flight bound travel within Australia only) must be attached to these applications.

Please note, a return text message notification will NOT be accepted for Extended Leave. 

Compass Events-School Excursions/Events

The Compass Event Module is where you receive all the information about an excursion or an event. It will also be where you are required to give consent and make payment. 

The Event Module has replaced the hard copy note that would normally be sent home.  If you receive an event notification or email, this means your child/ren are required to participate in the event. Please do not disregard the notification or email. If you have any questions about an event, please contact the class teacher or the school office.

Parents are required to action the Excursion Event in Compass prior to the due date that is stated in the event, unfortunately if you miss the due date your child/ren may miss out on attending. Event notifications will come via email and Compass notification on your Compass App. 

Student Messages…

If you need to contact the school to give your child/children a message regarding a change to arrangements for after school transport, please ensure you phone the school office prior to 1:45pm to ensure the message can be delivered in time. Unless it is an absolute emergency, we are unable to ensure messages can be delivered at such short notice and PLEASE NO EMAILS to notify your child/children of any changes, as we cannot guarantee that the message will be delivered in time to your child.

All after school care arrangements should be relayed to your child/children prior to arriving at school and in the case of infant’s children, the teacher should also be notified of any change to arrangements, particularly in relation to bus travel, by a written note/email.

As you can appreciate the school is a very busy place at home time, so your assistance and consideration in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

Parent Sign In

All parents are reminded that if they are entering the school grounds, for what ever the reason, you MUST sign into the school via the Ipad in the front office or via the QR codes at our gates. There are no exceptions. 

Student Travel to and from School

Students are supervised at school from 8:30am. If your child/ren are walking, riding or being dropped off, they should not arrive before 8:30am. When they do arrive at school they are to sit under the Shelter Shed until instructed by the teacher on duty. 

When leaving school, students depart in one of four ways:

Bus - Children are to sit in bus lines and wait for teachers’ instructions to board their bus.  Bus pass forms are available online.

Bike - Students are to move quickly to their bikes or scooters and walk these to the gate at the front of the school.  They must not ride these on school premises and they should take the shortest and safest route home.

Walking - These children should leave through the front school gate without delay.  Any child needing to cross Swift Street should wait at the crossing and be directed by the Crossing Supervisor.

Pick up - Children being picked up should wait in the School Hall with the supervising teacher until collected and then leave with their parent or guardian. Students should be collected no later than 3:20pm. 

Parents are reminded not to ask their child/ren to wait outside the school fence or in an unsupervised area. This is for the safety of the child/ren. All students MUST be collected from the School Hall or Martin Street Gate.  

Road Safety Around the School

In order to keep our students safe, please adhere to the road safety rules around St. Francis Xavier when dropping off or collecting your child.

All roads surrounding and adjoining our school are signed and subject to School Zone Road Restrictions from 8am to 9:30am in the morning and 2:30pm to 4pm in the afternoon on all school days. Ballina Shire Council enforces these road rules and does issue penalties, particularly for double-parking.

There are two private residences, one on the corner of Swift St and Martin St, and one on the corner of Martin St and Crane St. Please ensure you are not parking in these driveways. These driveways need to be kept clear at all times for resident access. 

Lost Property Information...

If your child has misplaced their hats, jumpers, lunchboxes, storage containers please ask them to check the lost property at the school hall as there are several items without names on them currently in the box. 

Please label all your children’s belongings. It is important that all student’s belongings are clearly named, and we recommend checking that the name is still clearly visible throughout the year. Please note all named items are returned to students. 

Community News...