Newsletter-Term 3-Week 4-Friday 11th August 2023

Principal's Newsletter...

Dear Parents,

Last Wednesday night we hosted Japanese professional soprano singer, Mrs Atsuko Arai and her choir at our Japanese Cultural Evening. A full house of 100 students, parents and other family members was treated to a very engaging and entertaining musical performance before we all enjoyed our Japanese dinner. A big thank you to Mrs Gubby for organising the evening and preparing the food and to Chikako-san, Futaba-san, Miss Miles and Mrs Coster for assisting with the cooking and serving. It was great to see so many of our school families have such an enjoyable night. As communicated earlier, if you were interested in attending but missed out due to our limited capacity, please notify the office by completing this google form so we can determine the feasibility of holding another Japanese Cultural Evening in Term 4. Keeping with the Japanese cultural theme, we were privileged this week to host 5 visiting students from Osaka on Wednesday and Thursday. The children joined a number of our classes to experience Australian schooling and to share their culture with our children.

Some of you may have noticed or heard from your children that we have installed some security cameras around the school. These cameras are strategically not connected to the internet at all, nor are they connected to our school’s intranet. They run completely on an independent circuit that records directly to a hard drive at school – a true Closed Circuit. The purpose of the installation was to monitor general activity in three main areas: behind the Kinder rooms, including the bike racks and up to the Japanese room; the corridor outside the toilet block up to the canteen; and the main oval area. In addition to providing after-hours security, these cameras can assist with observance of any questionable behaviours if necessary. They are not constantly monitored, but any recordings can be reviewed if necessary. 

It was much quieter this week with our Year 6 children away in Canberra. The traditional Canberra excursion provides an unforgettable experience of our Nation’s Capital as the students explore a number of key Federal Government facilities, including Parliament House, Government House and the Australian War Memorial. I look forward to hearing about their adventures next week, but from all accounts throughout the week, they had a great time. A big thank you goes to Miss Miles, Mrs Miles, Mr Hosie and Mrs Bertram who worked after hours all week to ensure our school leaders had a safe and memorable experience. 

Our First Holy Communion candidates engaged in their second family information session this week. I ask that you continue to keep these children in your prayers as they finalise their preparation for the reception of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, 27^th August.

Peace in Christ,

Dan Gubby.

School Calendar...

Term 3

Pupil Free Day

(Staff Development)

Friday, 22nd September 2023

Assistant Principal Mission News...

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This coming weekend's reading is from Matthew 14:22-33 - Jesus walks on water, and the disciples acknowledge him as the Son of God.

This weekend's Gospel follows on from last week’s account of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish. After this, Jesus finds some time for reflection and prayer and he withdraws to the mountain to pray. 

The mission of the Church is to continue Jesus’ work. As a family, how do you continue the mission of Jesus? Pray together that Jesus will continue to work through your family to prepare the kingdom of heaven.

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com 

St Vincent DePaul

A very big thank you to our school community for your generous donations for the Winter Appeal. As a school we raised $479.45. We are still taking donations of blankets and warm clothing. Please drop these into the Office or classrooms. 

Whole School Mass

Our Whole School Mass for this term will be Thursday, 14th September. This Mass will begin at 2:15pm in the Church. We welcome our families to join us for this Whole School Mass. 

Light of Jesus Awards

Congratulations to the students who were awarded a Light of Jesus ticket at our last Assembly.

• Jessica Dogan - Kinder 
• Owen Williams - Year 1
• Madison Aslin - Year 2
• Joshuah Jacobsen - Year 2
• Mason Glasby - Year 5

Congratulations to the following students on receiving 10 or 25 Light of Jesus Tickets. They now receive a certificate and a blue or green arm band. 

• Cooper Base - Kinder
• Franky Mather - Kinder
• Eli Pattison - Kinder
• Madison Aslin - Year 2
• Jack Geddes - Year 2  - 25 Light of Jesus Tickets
• Emerson White - Year 2

Lost Property

At present, there is a lot of lost property!! Jumpers, hats, glasses cases, lunchboxes…the list goes on. Unfortunately, not a lot of the items have names on them. Could you please ensure names are on all items, especially hats and jumpers and encourage your children to check out lost property to collect any items they may own. 

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

Parent Assembly News...

Learning & Teaching News...

SPELLING BEE FINALISTS

A big round of applause to all students who participated in the spelling bee competition within their classrooms this past fortnight. There were some nail-biting results! Congratulations to the finalists who are competing in St Francis Xavier’s 9th Annual Spelling Bee Competition. Parents are warmly welcome to join us in the Hall for the finals. K-2 will be held from 9.15-10am and Years 3-6 will be from 10am - 11am.

Book Week 2023

St Francis Xavier Book Week will be held in Week 6 from Monday, 21st August to Friday, 25th August. The theme for this year’s Book Week is read, grow and inspire. There are many exciting events planned for this week including Spelling Bee Finals, Book Character Parade, Open Classrooms and the Writers’ Festival.

2023 Book Week Timetable

KINDERGARTEN 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL

Last week Kindergarten celebrated 100 days of school. A big thanks to the Kindergarten teachers for creating so many fun ‘100’ learning opportunities. Congratulations to the students for the wonderful effort they made to dress up. Parents, thank you for sending in food and/or coming along to celebrate the event at afternoon tea. The students had a wonderful day!

100 Days of Kindergarten Gallery

YEAR 2 BUMP IT UP WALL

The children in Year 2 had the task of comparing writing samples in English this week. Four varying writing samples on the same topic " Mr Gubby, we should have chickens at our school!" were studied by small groups. Each group then discussed what each author did well. This work helped establish our "Bump It Up Wall" for children to use to assist them in determining what good authors do in their persuasive writing and gain feedback on where to next in their own writing.

By Mr Cook

INTER- SCHOOL PUBLIC SPEAKING FINALISTS

Congratulations to all of our students who progressed to the next level of the Public Speaking Competition at Tweed Heads and represented our school family at Tweed Heads: The students represented our school admirably. They were confident and clear speakers who used expression and intonation to entertain the audience.

Lisa Conte-Leader of Pedagogy

Inter-School Public Speaking

Sports News...

Netball-NSW Schools Cup 

The Netball NSW Schools Cup was held in Ballina on Thursday, 27th August (Stage 3) and Friday, 28th August (Stage 2). The Schools Cup Competition was introduced to help give students the opportunity to participate in local gala days either in a competitive or non-competitive stream.

This day was a great chance for students with lots of netball experience, as well as those with limited experience but who wanted to give it a go, to have some fun with their peers and students from other local schools. A big thank you to Katrina Miles for organising the teams entered and to the supervising teachers on the day. Here is a recap of the 2 days of netball....

Last Thursday and Friday, the Ballina Netball Courts were bustling with excitement as some of our young athletes showcased their talent, sportsmanship, and unwavering encouragement for one another.

Thursday and Friday commenced with an air of anticipation, as the St. Francis Xavier teams took to the courts with passion and determination. From the very start, it was evident that our students were not just playing for victory but also for the joy of the sport and the camaraderie it fosters. Each player demonstrated incredible sportsmanship, treating opponents and teammates with respect and kindness throughout the entire event.

On Thursday, the excitement reached its peak as our Year 5 and 6 competitive teams went head-to-head! It was a thrilling contest, with both teams displaying exemplary sportsmanship, respect, and competitive spirit, leaving the spectators in awe.

On Friday, our Year 4 teams were made up of mostly inexperienced players led by netball veterans. These students demonstrated excellent perseverance and sharing of knowledge and skills as they improved round after round! While points weren't officially recorded, the aim of the day was to have fun.

All students involved over both days are to be congratulated for how they represented our school.

Richmond Zone Athletics Carnival 

The annual Richmond Zone Athletics Carnival at St John’s College, Woodlawn was held on Thursday, 27th July. The Athletics Carnival is on the Catholic school sport representative pathway. SFX took a contingent of 47 students who competed in track & field events over the course of the day.

Although cooler conditions greeted our 1500m runners in the morning at 8:30am, the rest of the day was warm and sunny. Perfect conditions for the competitors who travelled from nine Richmond Zone Catholic Primary Schools. The students produced some amazing results over the duration of the day with a number of students in the top three placegetters.

Those students who place in the top 3 in track and field events, as well as the top 2 relay teams on the day, earnt the right to compete at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival at Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour on Tuesday, 15th August. Well done to Isla Parker and Alexandra Dogan who were Runner Up Richmond Zone Age Champions for the Junior Girls and Senior Girls respectively.

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 3 and qualified for the Diocesan Athletics Carnival:

100m Finals

• 3rd-9 Years Girls- Olivia O’Brien
• 1st 10-Years Girls-Isla Parker
• 7th 10-Years Girls-Indi Williams
• 8th 11-Years Girls-Sofia Fahey

200m Finals

• 2nd-Junior Girls-Isla Parker
• 7th-Junior Girls-Indi Williams
• 5th-11 Years Girls-Isabel Hudson

800m

• 5th-Junior Girls-London McGregor
• 7th-Junior Girls-Isla Parker
• 4th-11 Years Girls-Isabel Hudson
• 6th-11 Years Girls-Willow Gordon
• 1st-Senior Girls-Alexandra Dogan

1500m

• 3rd-Junior Girls-Jessica Aslin
• 4th-Junior Girls-London McGregor
• 3rd-11 Years Girls-Isabel Hudson
• 1st-Senior Girls-Alexandra Dogan

Shot Put

• 2nd-Junior Girls-Isla Parker
• 4th-Junior Girls-Indi Williams
• 2nd-11 Years Girls-India Bianchi
• 1st-Senior Girls Emma Patterson

Long Jump

• 2nd-Senior Girls-Alexandra Dogan
• 2nd-11 Years Girls-India Bianchi
• 1st-Junior Girls-Isla Parker

100m Finals

• 7th-11 Years Boys-Thomas Briggs

200m Finals

• 5th-Junior Boys-Luke Dogan
• 7th-Junior Boys-Nash Whitton
• 4th-Senior Boys-Jack Keough

800m

• 1st-Junior Boys-Luke Dogan
• 4th-Junior Boys-Braxton Whitton
• 4th-11 Years Boys-Gali Amit
• 5th-11 Years Boys-Conrad Short
• 9th-Senior Boys-Lachlan Colegate

1500m

• 1st-Junior Boys-Luke Dogan
• 7th-Junior Boys-Oscar Donald
• 5th-11 Years Boys-Luke Bell
• 7th-11 Years Boys-Thomas Briggs
• 7th-Senior Boys-Jack Keough
• 8th-Senior Boys-Lachlan Colegate

Long Jump

• 6th-Junior Boys-Reef Molyneux
• 8th-Junior Boys-Teo Amit
• 9th-11 Years Boys-Gali Amit
• 10th-11 Years Boys-Brock Flatley
• 2nd-Senior Boys-Jack Keough
• 8th-Senior Boys-Rab Downie

Shot Put

• 4th-Junior Boys-Vance Gisen
• 10th-Junior Boys-Xavier Andrews
• 4th-11 Years-Jacob Richardson
• 9th-Senior Boys-Noah Clarson & Harley Ainsworth-Puglisi

Junior Boys Relay-2nd

• Luke Dogan
• Lincoln Lockwood
• Chase Thompson
• Nash Whitton

Diocesan Gala Day

The Richmond Zone Gala Day is an annual event on the Richmond Zone sports calendar. Unfortunately, Year 6 were unable to attend as they arrived back from Canberra the morning of the event. The Gala Day was held today, Friday, 11th August and Year Five attended in the absence of our Year Six students. The Paul Wilson Memorial Football Challenge, Netball Challenge and Multi-Sports are played with the other eight Richmond Zone Catholic Primary Schools. The day is a fantastic opportunity to bring our school communities together and allow students to mix with other schools in the area and hopefully forge new friendships.

The winning school at Football and Netball will represent Richmond Zone at the Diocesan Gala Day in Grafton at the end of Term 3 (Wednesday, 21st September) and compete against the other three Lismore Diocese Sports Zones - Tweed, Clarence and Hastings.  The winning schools at this event will be crowned Diocesan Champions. A full report on both the Netball and Football Gala Days will be in the Week 6 newsletter.

Free Cricket Clinics in Ballina!!!!

Cricket NSW is offering students from St Francis Xavier Ballina a  four week clinic absolutely free.

The program will start on Tuesday, 29th August and run every Tuesday until the 19th of September. The venue is  Fripp Oval and all activities will be run by Cricket NSW Development Officers. Sessions start at 4pm and conclude at 5pm. What a great way to prepare for the upcoming cricket season.

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.  

__________________________________________________________

Canteen Roster-Term 3

Week 5

Monday, 14th August - Friday, 18th August

Canteen Roster-Term 3

Week 6

Monday, 21st August -Friday, 25th August

Please click on the link to view the QKR App instructions

Wednesday Specials-Term 3

Sushi Specials Term 3

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

Fathers’ Day Stall

Wednesday, 30th August 2023

&

Thursday, 31st August 2023

(only if not sold on Wednesday)

There will be a Fathers’ Day Stall in front of the Canteen starting at 8:30am until 8:55am, for the children to purchase gifts.

A variety of gifts will be available for sale, price range from $2.00 to $6.00.

Fathers Day Breakfast

St Francis Xavier Primary School will be holding a Fathers’ Day Breakfast on Friday, 1st September 2023 from 7:30am – 8.30am.  All dads, father figures and grandfathers are welcome to come along with your family and enjoy a bacon and egg roll and a cuppa.

All dads, father figures and grandfathers will receive 1 free bacon and egg roll.  All other family members are requested to pre pay $4.00 per bacon and egg roll.

If you wish to attend, please order via the QKR App no later than Tuesday, 29^th August at 8:45 am for catering purposes.

We look forward to sharing breakfast with you.          

St Francis Xavier Staff

Happy Birthday...

Wishing all our students a wonderful birthday!!

Friday, 11th August  to Thursday, 24th August

Parent Information...

School Fees

Please note that Term 3 Fees for 2023 have been applied to your accounts and are overdue and payable now. Statements are sent each month via email from our Head Office.

If you have a current payment arrangement with the school office for the 2023 school year, please continue with your payments as per that arrangement. 

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. 

Kinder 2024 Information...

Kinder 2024 Transition Program

It is not long now before we commence our Kinder 2024 Enrolment Program.  We look forward to seeing you again and working with our new kinders as they prepare for their first year of primary school.

The enrolment program will start with our first session on Wednesday, 6^th September 2023.  On all the transition days, parents will drop their children off via our Crane Street entry (at the back of the hall).

Throughout the enrolment program, the children will be introduced to a number of school routines and expectations.  They will also meet their big buddies who will help them with their transition into their new school environment.  All children will need to bring a hat, water bottle, closed-in shoes and a small fruit or vegie snack for “fruit break”.

The schedule for the enrolment program is as follows:

This is a very exciting time for both students and parents but can be a time of some uncertainty.  Through participation in the enrolment program we hope to cater for all the needs of both students and parents so that the beginning of your child’s formal education will be as smooth as possible.

Community News...