Newsletter-Term 4-Week 2-Friday 20th October 2023
Principal's News...
Dear Parents
At the commencement of Term 4, we prepare our Year 5 children for the process of electing our School Captains for the following year. Our Year 5s have engaged in a Leadership Retreat Day last Thursday, and earlier this week, I outlined the sequence of events that will lead to the election of our captains. The process requires prospective nominees to reflect on their commitment to our school values and behaviour expectations and present a letter of nomination to me accompanied by a personal reference. We hope, in this process, to instil confidence in our children to put themselves forward by reflecting on their leadership qualities. The personal reference provides a nice affirmation for them that they are a worthy nominee. Nomination letters are due to me by November 10th. Students will present their speeches to the Years 3 to 5 students on Monday November 27th and a peer and staff vote will be conducted. We will announce the successful Captains and Vice Captains at our Carols on the Green on December 5th. Children who then wish to present speeches as nominees for the Sports House Captain positions will do so on Tuesday 12th December. I wish all our Year 5 nominees the best as they engage in this process.
On Friday, 3rd November we will celebrate Grandparents Day. This day holds a special place on our school calendar as we share our learning environment with those very special people in our lives, our Grandparents. As has become a tradition in our school, I would like to invite distant grandparents who are unable to physically attend, to submit a short video message that we can add to a video collage as a lovely surprise for our children. Given that we had so many messages last year that we ended up with around 15 minutes of video, I ask that you please keep your messages to no more than about 20 seconds. I appreciate that this is very brief, but we do want to be able to include everyone and still keep the video at a reasonable length. If you can submit your video to our school email address balp@lism.catholic.edu.au by Friday 27th October, we will add your message to the video for presentation at our Liturgy the following Friday, 3rd November. In responding to some feedback from last year’s event, I understand that some of our grandparents will be travelling a reasonable distance for the day. Whilst the official day will commence with Open Classrooms at 12:45pm and conclude with our afternoon Liturgy, our long distant travellers are very welcome to join us in class from the start of the day at 9am. Please notify the school office if your family will be requiring this additional time as you have grandparents travelling a long distance on the day.
We will be holding our annual 100 seconds times tables challenge on Thursday afternoon 16th November. I would love to have a few parent volunteers to join our parents and teachers’ team. Last year we were just beaten by the students’ team with Fletcher taking out first place. Clearly the objective is to encourage our students to push themselves and they love a little competition, so if you feel you have the goods, please email me (daniel.gubby@lism.catholic.edu.au) - I would welcome your support.
Last week four of our children competed in the Polding Athletics Carnival in Sydney. Congratulations to Alex, Jack, Olivia and Luke for making it to Polding and competing so well. We now wish Alex and Luke the very best as they compete in the State Championships next week. Please see Mr Wilde's sport report for more details.
Peace in Christ
Dan Gubby
School Calendar-Term 4
Term 4
| Week 3 | Wednesday, 25th October | K2024 Transition Day 4 |
| Thursday, 26th October | Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials-Tennis (Lismore)-12:30 pm to 3 pm | |
| Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials-Basketball (St John's Woodlawn)-4 pm to 5:30 pm | ||
| Friday, 27th October | Accendere-Year 4 | |
| Scholastic Book Club due at 9 am | ||
| Week 4 | Monday, 30th October | Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials-Cricket (St John's Woodlawn)-4 pm to 5:30 pm |
| Tuesday, 31st October | Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials-Touch Football (St John's Woodlawn)-4 pm to 5:30 pm | |
| Parent Forum Meeting-5:30 pm to 6:30 pm | ||
| Wednesday, 1st November | K2024 Transition Day 5 | |
| Friday, 3rd November | Grandparent's Day | |
| Intensive Swimming Payment & Consent Due | ||
| Week 5 | Monday, 6th November | Intensive Swimming K-6
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| Tuesday, 7th November | Intensive Swimming K-6 | |
| Wednesday, 8th November | Intensive Swimming K-6 | |
| K2024 Transition Day 6 (last day) | ||
| Parent Forum Meeting (TTFM Data)-5:30 pm to 6:30 pm | ||
| Thursday, 9th November | Intensive Swimming K-6 | |
| Friday, 10th November | Intensive Swimming K-6 | |
| Week 6 | Monday, 13th November | Intensive Swimming K-6 |
| Tuesday, 14th November | Intensive Swimming K-2 only
| |
| Wednesday, 15th November | Intensive Swimming K-2 only
| |
XCC Year 7 2024 Transition Day | ||
| Thursday, 16th November | 100 Second Times Table Challenge | |
| Friday, 17th November | Whole School Assembly-Year 6 Prayer-2:30 pm | |
| Week 7 | Tuesday, 21st Novemvber | Nano Nagle Feast Day |
| Thursday, 23rd November | Whole School Mass-2:30 pm | |
| Friday, 24th November | Diocesan Summer Sports Trials | |
| Week 8 | Wednesday, 29th November | Parish Schools Day |
| Thursday, 30th November | School Swimming Carnival for 2024 (Ballina Memorial Pool) | |
| Friday, 1st December | PUPIL FREE DAY | |
| Week 9 | Tuesday, 5th December | Carols on the Green-5:30 pm to 7:30 pm |
| Thursday, 7th December | Step Up Day | |
| Week 10 | Wednesday, 13th December | Year 6 Graduation Day-9:30 am start |
| Thursday, 14th December | Whole School Assembly-2:30 pm | |
| Last Day of Term 4 for students | ||
| Friday, 15th December | PUPIL FREE DAY |
2024 Term 1 Dates
| Tuesday, 30th January | Administration Day (STAFF ONLY) |
Wednesday, 31st January |
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| Thursday, 1st February |
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| Friday, 2nd February |
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| Monday, 5th February | First Full Day of School for Years 1-6 |
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| Tuesday, 6th February |
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| Wednesday, 7th February | First Full Day of School for Kindergarten |
Assistant Principal Mission News...
The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This coming weekend's reading is from Matthew 22:15-21 - The Pharisees send their disciples to test Jesus with a question about taxes.
Paying taxes is unlikely to be a topic of conversation around the dinner table. Yet, families can still learn something from this weekend's reading. Jesus’ answer to the Herodians and Pharisees redirects their question to focus on the issue of greatest importance: loving and honoring God.
As a family, list all the activities you spend time doing together such as household jobs, holidays, recreational activities. Discuss the importance of each of these tasks. Do we spend more time on some tasks than others?
Pray together as a family, that you will keep things in perspective, remembering to keep God first in your lives.
Source: https://www.loyolapress.com
Silent Retreat
This week, I have been fortunate enough to attend a 5 day Silent Retreat. I have received input on Ignatian Spirituality as a method of finding God in all aspects of daily living and participated in a variety of prayers, silence, spiritual conversation and reflection using Scripture and drawing on personal experience.
I thank the Catholic Schools Office Lismore for allowing me to take part in this wonderful experience.
Exuro Retreat
The Exuro retreat was held on Tuesday, 17th October at Tullera Hall. 8 students from Year 5 along with Miss Beecher attended this retreat. The retreat was a one-day experience allowing those who attended to build relationships with other Year 5 students from our local Catholic schools.
Congratulations to the following students for nominating and participating in this day.
Sophia, Grace, Willow, Amity, Toby, Emma, Evie and Makayla.
Whole school Mass for Term 4
Our whole school Mass for Term 4 will be held on Thursday, 23rd November at 2:30pm in the Church. All are welcome to attend this Mass.
Our Year 6 Graduation from St Francis Xavier School will take place on Wednesday, 13th December. Our Liturgy will begin at 9:30am in the Church, followed by the Awards presentation.
Socktober
Each year, we support Catholic Missions with their continued involvement with families overseas who are less fortunate.
This year’s theme is Kicking Goals for Good in 2023. By raising funds we are supporting children and their families in Timor-Leste to have a brighter future by providing vital medicines and health care support.
This year, we will be kicking goals - literally, to raise much needed funds to support Timor-Leste.
More information on how we will be ‘kicking goals’ to support Catholic Missions will be provided soon.
Light of Jesus Awards
Congratulations to the students who were awarded a Light of Jesus ticket at our last Assembly.
- Macey Buchan - Year 1
- Mason Hordern - Year 2
- Jessica Aslin - Year 4
- Frankie George - Year 4
- Amy Sharpe - Year 4
Congratulations to the following students on receiving 10 or 25 Light of Jesus Tickets. They now receive a certificate and a blue or green armband plus a free drink voucher from Zarraffa's Coffee Ballina.
- Rani McKirdy - Kindergarten
- Olivia Rosewarn-Reed - Kindergarten
- Colbie-Rae Chason - Year 1
- Soli Edwards - Year 1
- Samuel Goodlet - Year 1
- Eleanor Hosie - Year 1
- Oscar McElroy - Year 1
- Scarlett Sullivan - Year 1
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
| St Francis Xavier Church Ballina |
Saturday Vigil Mass-5:30pm |
Sunday Mass-9am & 11am |
Weekday Masses-12 Noon (Tuesday to Friday) |
| Holy Family Church Lennox Head |
| Sunday Mass-7:30am |
Learning & Teaching News...
Year One Writing
In Year One the students have been learning about pollution in the ocean and they researched the Great Pacific garbage patch. Their goal was to write a compound sentence about this. That is where two simple sentences are joined together, with a co-ordinating conjunction. The sentence must include a cause-and-effect relationship, meaning an action or event (which is the cause) produces an outcome or result (which is the effect). The students were encouraged to self-assess by re-reading their writing and bumping it up, using the success criteria. One of the criteria was to use a range of vocabulary using Tier 1, 2 & 3 words. This means:
Tier 1 words are common, everyday words that most children enter school knowing already.
Tier 2 words are more sophisticated words that appear more frequently in texts rather than in oral language. Eg minuscule is a more precise word for the Tier 1 word, tiny.
Tier 3 words are used minimally in everyday conversation. They are often limited to specific topics and are most likely to be new for all students eg aquatic creatures
Some examples of the sentences from our Year One authors’ included:
We should not put pollution in the ocean because aquatic creatures can mistake it for delicious prey. By Polly.
Plastic pollution is devastating to the world because it is murdering seals so the ocean is depopulating. By Charlie.
The plastic bags are getting blown into the ocean and the turtles think that the plastic bags are jellyfish so they eat it and die. By Macey.
Pollution is bad because it can kill sea animals so we need to make sure we keep pollution out of the ocean. By Tyler.
Year 6 Religion
The students in Year 6 are studying Laudato Si' in Religion. To demonstrate their knowledge and understanding the students were given the option of doing an oral presentation or writing for an audience to deliver this content. This week we were blessed to have Sienna and Indy present to our entire staff family at the Monday morning briefing before school. All of our Year 6 students have been very busy presenting across K-6.
Year Two Music
In Year Two the students have been learning about tempo, beat, pitch, dynamics, rhythm and structure of music. These superstars knew all of these concepts!
World Teachers' Day
Australia will celebrate the teaching profession on World Teachers’ Day on Friday 27 October 2023. Let’s celebrate St Francis Xavier’s teachers for their skilled work in educating, inspiring and supporting our students. Hats off to our SFX teachers this World Teachers’ Day!
Lisa Conte-Leader of Pedagogy
Sports News...
SFX Intensive Swimming Program
Our Intensive Swimming Program for all classes will be commencing this Term. The program is compulsory for all students. Students will be taught by qualified swimming instructors and supervised by class teachers. They will be walking with school staff to and from the pool each day.
A Compass Event was sent out before the end of Term 3. Payment and Consent will need to be completed by the end of Week 4 (Friday, 3rd November). Thank you to those parents who have already completed consent and payment.
A reminder that Ballina Shire Council Pool Passes will be accepted. Please note that Fitness Passports cannot be accepted by the Pool. A copy of the Pool Pass needs to be supplied to the School Office. IMPORTANT: If you have a Pool Pass please contact the school office before you give consent and pay on Compass.
K to 2 (8 sessions)
Monday, 6th November - Friday, 10th November (5 days)
and
Monday, 13th November - Wednesday, 15th November (3 days)
Kinder-12:00 Noon-1:00pm
Years 1 & 2-1:00pm - 2:00pm
___________________________________________________________
Years 3-6 (6 sessions)
Monday, 6th November - Friday, 10th November
and
Monday, 13th November
Years 5 & 6-9:30am -10:30am
Years 3 & 4-10:30am -11:30am
MiniRoos Kick Off For Girls
Northern NSW Football are running a MiniRoos Kick-Off for Girls program in Ballina next week. We would love to get more young girls playing football and each registered participant will go into the draw to win a signed Matildas shirt! Here is the link to the website: https://www.northernnswfootball.com.au/get-involved/miniroos-kick-off-for-girls
When you go onto the website, scroll down and find the Ballina Pop-Out box. When you click on that it will open up and the details and registration links will be there.
Program Details:
- 8 Week Program
- Girls Only Program, recommended age is 4-9 Years.
- Running Wednesdays from October 25th.
- Time: 4:00pm
- Venue: Saunders Oval
- Cost: $100
- Can use an Active Kids voucher if you would like to.
You will also get a pack in the mail containing:
- MiniRoos Shirt (your choice of size in online registration)
- MiniRoos Ball
- MiniRoos Program Certificate
Successful Sporting School Grant - Hockey
Last Term St Francis Xavier successfully applied for a Term 4 Sporting School Grant. Stage 2 and 3 will be participating in hockey for 4 weeks (weeks 2-6) which will be run by a Hockey NSW Development Officer. We are looking forward to the Hockey NSW Development Officer/s visiting the school every Wednesday and Thursday to teach the Stage 2 and 3 students the game of hockey and the skills involved.
Polding Athletics Carnival
St Francis Xavier had four students (Luke & Alexandra Dogan, Olivia O’Brien and Jack Keough) competing at Homebush (SOPAC) in Sydney last Friday, 13th October, for the Polding Athletics Carnival. To reach this level of competition is an outstanding achievement. Polding encompasses all of the Diocese north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and South of the QLD Border (Armidale, Bathurst, Wilcannia/Forbes, Broken Bay. Maitland/Newcastle and, of course, Lismore.
Congratulations to Luke and Alexandra Dogan who will progress to the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships on Wednesday, 25th October – Thursday, 26th October 2023 at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.
Luke Dogan
- 1st-Junior Boys 1500m
- 3rd-Junior Boys 800m
Alexandra Dogan
- 1st-Senior Girls 1500m
- 6th-Senior Girls 800m
Olivia O’Brien
- 12th-8 Years Girls 100m
Jack Keough
- 12th-Senior Boys Long Jump
Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials
The Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials is a selection trial for talented students of a representative standard in the following sports: basketball, softball, touch football, tennis and cricket. The trials are open to only Year 4 and 5 students.
There has been a major change to the Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials format this year. Students may trial for multiple sports if they show a high level of skill. This is not a pathway for participation but for students that are of representative standard.
Cricket - Play in the Far North Coast Cricket Academy
Touch Football - Play for the Ballina Bull Sharks
Tennis - Have a current UTR (Universal Tennis Ranking)
Basketball - Currently play in a local competition or of a representative standard.
Softball - Currently play for any local Softball Team or Association (nominations only)
Students may trial for Basketball or Tennis. These sports are run on the same day at Polding, Dio and Zone level. All other sports are run on seperate days to allow students to trial in more than one sport..
The following dates have been allocated for the Richmond Zone Summer Sports Trials.
Tennis
- Date-Thursday 26th October - Term 4 Week 3
- Time-12:30-3:00pm
- Venue-On Tour Tennis Courts Lismore
Basketball
- Date-Thursday, 26th October - Term 4 Week 3
- Time-4:00-5:30pm.
- Venue-St John's College Woodlawn
Cricket
- Date-Monday 30th, October - Term 4 Week 4
- 4:00-5:30pm
- Venue-St John's College Woodlawn
Touch Football
- Date-Tuesday, 31st October.- Term 4 Week 4
- Time-4:00-5:30pm.
- Venue-St John's College Woodlawn
Softball
- Nominations only
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 - Monday to Thursday, 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 4
Week 3
Monday, 23rd October - Friday, 27th October
| Monday, 23rd October | HELP NEEDED |
| Tuesday, 24th October | Hayley Piercy, HELP NEEDED |
| Wednesday, 25th October | Ashleigh Oke, HELP NEEDED |
| Thursday, 26th October | Barbara Jones, HELP NEEDED |
| Friday, 27th October | Sue Keough, Kirra Gordon |
Canteen Roster-Term 4
Week 4
Monday, 30th October -Friday, 3rd November
| Monday, 30th October | HELP NEEDED |
| Tuesday, 31th October | HELP NEEDED |
| Wednesday, 1st November | HELP NEEDED |
| Thursday, 2nd November | Barbara Jones, HELP NEEDED |
| Friday, 3rd November | Kristie Pettit, Sharyn & Glenn Black |
Wednesday Specials-Term 4
PLEASE NOTE THAT ON OUR WEDNESDAY SPECIAL DAYS STUDENTS CANNOT ORDER ANY OTHER FOOD ITEM FROM THE LUNCH MENU
Week 3 | Wednesday, 25th October | Pie and Sausage Roll Day (Martins Bakery) Pies - $4.90, Party Pies - $1.70, Sausage Rolls - $4.90, Party Sausage Rolls - $1.70 – Sauce 40c |
Week 4 | Wednesday, 1st November | Hotdog Day - $4.00 |
Week 5 | Wednesday, 8th November | Chicken Kebab Sticks (Honey Soy or BBQ) with Rice - $5.50 |
Week 6 | Wednesday, 15th November | Pasta Day (Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese) - $5.50 |
Week 7 | Wednesday, 22nd November | Nachos Day (Seasoned Beef Mince, Sour Cream & Salsa) - $5.50 |
Week 8 | Wednesday, 29th November | PARISH SCHOOLS DAY- Canteen Closed |
Week 9 | Wednesday, 6th December | Butter Chicken & Rice - $6.00 |
Week 10 | Wednesday, 13th December | Sausage Sizzle Day (Sausage on Long Roll) - $4.00 |
Sushi Specials Term 4
$3.90 each Chicken, Tuna, Avocado or Vegetarian-Sauce 20c each.
| Week 3 | Tuesday, 24th October |
| Week 5 | Tuesday, 7th November |
| Week 7 | Tuesday, 21st November |
| Week 9 | Tuesday, 5th December |
Student Awards...
Congratulations to all of our students who received an award.
| Myla North | Franky Mather | Arabella Batson |
| Brandon Butcher | Macey Buchan | Sienna Pearson |
| Owen Williams | Jaylene Chenhamo | Emily Nguyen |
| Stella McOmish | Tate Creighton | Elliot Rohn |
| Ruby Siviour | Nathan Hoang | Mabel George |
| Braxton Whitton | Pavraj Grewal | Ivy Taylor |
| George Boyle | Lily Osborne | Noah Green |
| Liahn Chan-Gale | Jaylen Lovegrove | Archie Conomos |
| Savannah Mathers | Bella-Jaye Soelkner | Marlee Balcombe |
| Ivy-Rose Becker | Matilda McDermott |
Welcome Awards
We welcome the following student and family to our
school community
| Eli Bogetti | Rosie Bogetti | Aerlie Seale | Nate Seale |
Happy Birthday...
Wishing all our students a wonderful birthday!!
Friday, 20th October to Thursday, 2nd November
| Nate Seale | Coen Loughrey | Oliver Rose |
| Emily Nguyen | Mabel George | Patrick Richardson |
| Sophia Davy | Mason Glasby | Hudson Sloan |
| Myla North | Moon Nguyen |
Kinder 2024 Information...
Kinder 2024 Information...
The schedule for the remainder of our transition program is as follows:
Date | Arrive | Depart | Activity |
Wednesday, 18th October Week 2 (Term 4) | 8.50am – Children go straight to the school hall via our Crane Street entry. | 10.50am Pick up from Hall | Play Based Learning Activities |
Wednesday, 25th October Week 3 (Term 4) | 8.50am – Children go straight to the school hall via our Crane Street entry. | 10.50am Pick up from Hall | Play Based Learning Activities |
Wednesday, 1st November Week 4 (Term 4) | 8.50am – Children go straight to the school hall via our Crane Street entry. | 10.50am Pick up from Hall | Play Based Learning Activities |
Wednesday, 8th November Week 5 (Term 4) | 8.50am – Children go straight to the school hall via our Crane Street entry. | 10.50am Pick up from Hall | Play Based Learning Activities |
Parent Reminders...
Students NOT Returning in 2024
As we have a number of perspective students on our wait list, parents of current students NOT intending to return to St Francis Xavier Primary School in 2024 are asked to notify the school in writing as soon as possible.
We are currently in the process of planning our 2024 classes and this information is essential.
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 are not to 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.
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 (preferred method), or
- Email the school office on balp@lism.catholic.edu.au
All absences must be received in writing. If your child/ren are absent for 3 days or more due to a medical illness, you are asked to supply a medical certificate. This can be uploaded onto Compass or emailed to our school office.
Student Partial Absences
Parents are reminded not to enter a partial attendance note in Compass 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.
NSW Transport News...
Community News...
