Newsletter-Term 2-Week 2-Friday 10th May 2024

Principal's News...

Dear Parents,

After a long-awaited Term 1 break, we started back last week with great enthusiasm and energy. It seems everyone had a great holiday and has come back eager to focus on their new goals and to engage in the various activities on offer this term.

I was really impressed to see the usual support for our ANZACs with a wonderful SFX attendance at the Ballina RSL sub-Branch’s ANZAC Day March. Having been denied the opportunity to march as a school group over the previous two years, it was encouraging to see such a solid effort from our school families, and especially since it was in the holidays. To all those who participated, thank you and well done. Special thanks to our school captains, Damien and Ella who represented us so proudly in their laying of the ANZAC wreath and our vice captains, Jacob and Issy for supporting them in carrying our school banner.

Our First Holy Communion candidates engaged in their first family session last night. In addition to working through the program in class, the children will be supported through the parent sessions and regular Mass attendance. I look forward to walking with you as you work towards making this Blessed Sacrament.

Last week Mrs Conte and I presented a Kinder 2025 Information session at Seeds Preschool and this week we held our own Information Session here at school. I thank Seeds for this opportunity and all those parents who came along to hear more about our wonderful school. Next week we will commence our 2025 Kindergarten enrolment interviews. We will have limited spaces for our 2025 intake so it is crucial that any sibling enrolments are completed as soon as possible.

Well done to our Cross Country competitors at this week’s Zone carnival and congratulations to those who have made it through to the Diocesan championships. Thank you all for representing our school so proudly as usual.

This morning we celebrated our Mothers and Grandmothers in our traditional Mothers’ Day breakfast and Liturgy. It was a pleasure to celebrate this with our wonderful mums. I hope you are all appropriately spoilt on Sunday. Happy Mothers’ Day!!

Next Tuesday night we will be holding our School Community Group Meeting. This is our formal parent association meeting and all parents are welcome to come along. The meeting will commence at 5:30pm in the school library and conclude at 6:30pm. I hope to see you there.

Mila (Year 4) recently recorded a song that she shared with us on assembly today. Please listen here. 

Peace in Christ,

Dan Gubby

School Calendar...

Term 2

Assistant Principal Mission News...

The Ascension of the Lord 

This coming weekend's reading is from Mark 16:15-20 - Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus commanded.

Where we sit and who we sit next to can be very important. Whether it be in the car, at dinner, on the bus… to sit next to someone, especially if that person is important, is to have a place of honor. Jesus has this honor, seated at the right hand of the Father. To be in a place of honor is to be in a place of power. 

Children remind us of this everytime we referee an argument! As you gather as a family, think about a time where you had a conversation or even an argument about where someone was going to sit. Discuss why it might be important to sit in a particular seat or position. As a family, to conclude, pray together the Apostle’s Creed. 

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com 

Caritas - Project Compassion

Thank you to those who contributed to the Project Compassion appeal this year. As a school we raised $86 to support those in need. 

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Preparations are underway for our students completing their Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Sacrament will take place on Saturday 1 June at the 5:30pm Vigil Mass. 

We invite our Sacramental students and all our families to attend the following Saturday night Vigils in preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Communion

• Saturday 11th May at 5:30pm - Pray for Me cards followed by tea and biscuits
• Saturday 18th May at 5:30pm - Mass with presentation of Art works from the Candidates
• Saturday 25th May at 5:30pm - Mass with Blessing for the Candidates followed by dinner at Cherry Street Bowling Club
• Saturday 1st June at 5:30pm - Sacrament of Holy Communion

On Thursday 30th May, the Holy Communion candidates will travel to Holy Family Primary School, Skennars Head for their Reflection Day. On this day, students will join with the Holy Family candidates and participate in a variety of activities as well as practice for the Sacrament.  

A Compass Event has been shared with the Sacramental candidates. Consent is due for this Event by Friday 24th May. 

Sports House Patron’s Day

This year, we will be celebrating the special people - the Patron’s of our Sports Houses with a Sports House Patron’s Day. To begin, this day will be for the students in each house only. We will look to provide a combined day later in the year. 

On the day the students will:

• gain a greater understanding and appreciation of our school’s heritage
• build and strengthen our school’s Sports Houses ‘Spirit’  through the forming of bonds and connections between students across year levels
• wear sun smart casual dress in their house colours

The day for each house will be a half day in the afternoon beginning at 1:00pm, where students will:

• Share / discuss the story of the Patron of the House
• Watch an Inspirational sporting video
• Share afternoon tea
• Participate in a Sports activity - team building games

The Sports Captains will lead the sessions and then feedback to the whole school at the following Assembly about their Patron and activities on the day.

The Sports House Patron’s Days will occur on the following dates: 

• Cole - Friday 14 June (Week 7 / Term 2)
• Doyle - Monday 24 June (Week 9 / Term 2)
• Power - Thursday 4 July (Week 10 / Term 2)
• Murphy - Monday 2 September (Week 7 / Term 3)

Tell Them From Me Survey

The Tell Them From Me Survey is open again for all parents, staff and students in Year 4 -6 to complete. This survey provides feedback on their experience of our school and is an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

The survey window is open from Tuesday 7th May through to Thursday 23rd May. 

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:

Parent Workshop - Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills

We invite you to attend a workshop on Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills on Tuesday 18 June. The evening will begin with dinner at 5:30pm and the workshop at 6:00pm.

The evening will be led by Janita Thomson and Karen Evans from the Catholic Schools Office Lismore and will cover the following:

• help our kids develop emotional literacy
• promote positive social skills
• connect with other parents

Please register your attendance via the link https://bit.ly/SFX2024 or the QR code on the attached flyer. We look forward to seeing you there!

Attendance - Good attendance in primary school will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school. 

Good attendance in primary school is a fundamental building block for academic success and overall wellbeing, and it sets the stage for success in high school and beyond. Primary school is the foundational stage of a child's education. Regular attendance ensures that children build a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and skills that serve as the basis for more advanced learning in high school.

By recognising the long-term benefits and reinforcing the importance of regular school attendance in primary years, students are better equipped to succeed in high school and beyond. Attending school regularly instils a sense of responsibility and work ethic in students and participating actively in class are essential components of success.

Light of Jesus Awards

Congratulations to the students who were awarded a Light of Jesus ticket at our last Assembly. They now receive a canteen voucher. 

• Ellie Booy - Kindergarten
• Hudson McGregor - Kindergarten
• Florence Pickford - Year 1
• Evie Whitty - Year 5
• Sophia Davy - Year 6

Congratulations to the following students on receiving 10 or 25 Light of Jesus Tickets. They now receive a certificate and a blue or yellow armband plus a free drink voucher from Zarraffa's Coffee Ballina. 

• Egodi Ezeanata - Year 1 x 50 tickets (yellow band)
• Sophie Dorey - Year 2
• Poppi Kirk - Year 2
• Summer Macpherson - Year 2
• Mary Richardson - Year 2
• George Boyle - Year 5
• Taylah Wooldridge - Year 5
• Sophia Davy - Year 6
• Willow Gordon - Year 6

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...

Kindergarten Parent Reading Session 

Thank you to our Kindergarten parents and grandparents who were able to attend the reading information session last week. If you were unable to attend a copy of the presentation and handouts have been emailed to all Kindergarten parents via Compass. If you would like support with home reading please reach out to organise a one-on-one reading session with you and your child. I can be contacted by email at lisa.conte@lism.catholic.edu.au 

Year 5 Persuasive Writing

In Year Five the students had been learning about Macquarie Island through the hybrid text called One Small Island by Alison Lester. They have written persuasive texts about various impacts that the island has endured. Have a read of these impacts and the reasons why the students believe this.

It is imperative that tourists can't visit Macquarie Island - by Luke

No tourists must enter Macquarie Island, this is imperative. The essential reasons for this are that Macquarie Island is already under threat with rabbits invading so making places for people to live in will be too hard, getting tourists transported to the area will be dangerous and expensive and lastly because it is a natural environment that mustn't be made into a place that some would call man-made. Macquarie Island can’t be visited by random people.

To begin with, this diverse place can’t afford to let tourists in as it is a very tough ask to make accommodations. Making these visitors a home requires boats for the builders to be taken to MI and shipping containers to store the materials. If they do make the cabin-like places, it is proved that all the oil and gases from the construction, ovens or even fireplaces would be enough to kill these endemic animals. The importance that the Government doesn’t let tourists visit this unique place is out the roof. 

In addition, Macquarie Island must not be opened up for tourists because getting the visitors transported will be dangerous and expensive. Can you visualise a group of people sitting in a boat that’s riding over massive and strong waves? Scientists who have visited the Island quoted, “The waves at Macquarie Island can reach heights of up to ten to 15 feet tall.” Furthermore, this precious place mustn't be laid foot on by anyone.

Finally, Macquarie Island can’t be allowed to get visited because it is a natural environment that has to stay that way. If this Island gets covered by buildings and houses and someone that had never seen this place before saw it, they’d think it was man-made. The Bureau of Science and Technology explained, “MI is 100% natural, 0% man-made.” Therefore, this wonder of the world can’t let anyone lay foot on it under any circumstances.

I am affirmative that I have convinced you that Macquarie Island is a place in the World that must not be allowed visitors. The important reasons for this are because it’s too hard to build tourist accommodation, transportation is expensive and dangerous, and lastly, because it is a natural environment that needs to stay that way. Furthermore,  Macquarie Island can’t be visited!

Should the Government Use the Taxpayers' Money on Macquarie Island? - By Mila

Did you know that Macquarie Island’s project is going to cost 25 million dollars? Certainly, people must not be paying taxes on this island. Some of the many reasons why the government must not use the taxpayer's money are: the project most likely won't work so it is completely useless paying taxes to it and a large percentage of people in Australia are homeless. 

To begin with, the project set for Macquarie Island has a large chance that it won’t work. The reason for this is that even if one pair of rabbits is left alive, the whole plan will be classified as a failure as they can reproduce. The government has placed poisonous pellets all over the island to kill the rabbits but it is also killing native birds. Therefore, it is ridiculous to continue to protect Macquarie Island.

Secondly, an outstanding amount of Australians have no homes. The taxes that are going to MI must be going to homelessness because the island has no permanent population, and no homes and taxes are only going to the island so scientists can study it. Did you know that 51 people per 10,000 of Australia’s population have no homes? That is a big chunk of people. Furthermore, as this country has a large percentage of homeless people, the Government mustn't be using taxes on Macquarie Island.

Therefore, Macquarie Island should be left alone as nature should do its thing. The Government should not be wasting crucial money on an island rather than potentially saving lives with that money. The reason that it is certain 25 million dollars is useless, is the plan for Macquarie Island has over a 50% chance that it will not work and the population of Australia is full of people in need. The taxpayer’s money MUST NOT go to Macquarie Island.

Tourists Should Not Be Allowed To Visit Macquarie Island - By Lilla

How would you feel if your home was invaded and completely changed over by big scary creatures on two legs? It is a MUST that tourists shouldn’t be allowed to vacate at Macquarie Island. This is a small island located about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica and is an important world heritage site. Visitors to the island will cause the extinction of animals, it will cost extra money to add accommodation, and facilities if people are to stay there and it might interrupt the important studies of scientists. Nobody must visit Macquarie Island but researchers.

Firstly, Macquarie Island is home to a couple of creatures such as native seabirds, Elephant Seals and various species of penguins. People visiting the island, like seal hunters, have resulted in some animals being on the verge of extinction, for example, the Macquarie Parakeet and the Fur Seal. In the 1950’s, seal hunters came to Macquarie Island killing around 200 000 Fur Seals and more people coming will just make it worse for the biodiversity of the vulnerable island. We need to stay clear of Macquarie Island to keep it safe!

Furthermore, it will be very expensive for random people to visit Macquarie Island. The government will have to pay extra money for cabins and facilities that don’t need to be built if nobody goes there! Stacey Canborry, a talented scientist focusing on Macquarie Island, states, “We need to use the money on the invasion of the rabbits that are already making the island worse. It makes sense to fix the rodent issue and deny access to humans there at the same time if we get a chance!” We can't let people on this endangered world heritage site! 

Lastly, scientists and other researchers study Macquarie Island as it offers great ecology, oceanology and climate change opportunities. It has been proven that studies result more accurately if the human brain is focused on one task and is not disrupted by anything else. Therefore, the projects would be more successful performed if tourists did not visit Macquarie Island.

In conclusion, Macquarie Island is so important and must be kept safe. Unique species are disappearing, it wastes money if tourists stay there that amazing world heritage site is a superb place for studies so it needs to be protected. This is why it is incredibly CRUCIAL that tourists must not visit Macquarie Island!   

Lisa Conte

Leader of Pedagogy

Compass-Online Enrolments...

Our school has moved from paper-based enrolment applications to online enrolments using Compass.  As an existing user of Compass, you will find a new tile in the Compass app called Family and Enrolments, found under the “More” icon in the Compass app or under the Cog icon in your preferred browser.  As a parent, you can update your contact details at any time.  We strongly encourage you to log in to confirm your details.  If you update your details, they will update across all schools where you have a child enrolled.

See our website for more details on how to enrol and where to get assistance if you need it.

Sports News...

Richmond Zone Cross Country Carnival

St Francis Xavier Ballina had 50 students compete at the Richmond Zone Cross Country Carnival on Tuesday 7th May at Hepburn Park, Goonellabah. We were blessed with the weather and the rain managed to stay away for the duration of the Carnival. Although it was wet and muddy underfoot all of the students ran well on the day and achieved some excellent results. Congratulations to Holy Family who won the day overall. SFX gave them a run for their money finishing second with the last runners, the 12 years age groups,  deciding the champion school. 

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 8 and will progress to the Diocesan Cross Country in Grafton on Tuesday 21st May.

9 Years Girls

• 5th Winnie Gordon
• 8th Maddison Aslin

10 Years Boys

• 2nd Braxton Whitton
• 4th Teo Amit

11 Years Boys

• 1st Luke Dogan
• 2nd Oscar Donald
• 6th Mason McMahon
• 8th Vincent Benfield

11 Years Girls

• 2nd Jessica Aslin
• 3rd London McGregor

12 Years Boys

• 6th Thomas Briggs
• 7th Gali Amit

12 Years Girls

• 8th Sophia Davy

Congratulations to the following students who finished 9th and 10th. These students will be reserve runners for the Diocesan Cross Country:

10 Years Girls

• 9th Mila Bernardes-Skelton
• 10th Ruby Hernage

12 Years Girls

• 10th Edee Muldoon

Also, congratulations to Monty Zhou-Roberts who finished 4th in the 8 Years Boys. Monty’s age group does not progress to the next level.

Brian Kelly Cup

Due to wet fields at Kingsford Smith Park last Term, two of our Stage 3 boys teams were not able to participate in the eagerly awaited Brian Kelly Cup Rugby League Gala Day. The day was postponed and rescheduled to Tuesday of this week however the weather over the last week has impacted heavily on local playing fields and Ballina Council had to, once again, not allow the Gala Day to go ahead. Hopefully the new rescheduled date is released in the next few days.

Polding Winter Sports Trials

The Polding Winter Sports Trials were held last Friday 3rd May at various venues around Tamworth. St Francis Xavier had five students trialing in Football, Hockey and League 11’s. Competition is always extremely tough at this level as students fight for selection into a Polding Team to compete at the NSW PSSA State Championships.

• Hockey- Oscar Donald
• Boys Football (Soccer)- Gali Amit & Luke Dogan
• Girls Football (Soccer)- Jessica Aslin
• Rugby League 11's-Reef Molyneux

Congratulations to Reef Molyneux who was selected in the Polding Rugby League 11’s Team and will now compete at the NSWPSSA State Championships. Well done Reef and best of luck!!

St Francis Xavier Athletics Carnival

Due to unforeseen circumstances SFX has had to change the date of our school Athletics Carnival. The new, revised date is Thursday 6th June at Chickiba Park East Ballina. A Compass Event will be sent out early next week for parents to give consent.

Paddy Wilde

Sports Coordinator

Canteen News...

We Need Volunteers for our School Canteen

We are looking for volunteers for the canteen. If you are able to spare a couple of hours, between 9am and 11:30am -Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, once a month please contact the school office or Kristie on 66863370  and let us know what day suits you.  Volunteers MUST sign into the school via the school office.

Canteen Roster-Term 2

Week 3

Monday, 13th May - Friday, 17th May

Canteen Roster-Term 2

Week 4

Monday, 20th May- Friday, 24th May

Canteen Special Day-Thursday

Thursdays will now have normal menu available as well as special. 

Sushi Day-Thursday

All special orders need to be placed by Tuesday at 8:45 am. 

     REMINDER

Canteen is  CLOSED on Wednesday's

Student Awards...

Congratulations to all of our students who received a

Learning or Class Award!

Happy Birthday...

Parent Reminders...

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.  tOur 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. 

School Bell Times

Please note- Supervision of students begins at 8:30am and finishes at 3:30pm.  Please do not drop your child earlier than this and remember that after school care arrangements need to be made if your child cannot be picked up before 3:30pm.

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. 

• Reply to the text message that is sent via Compass before 3pm (preferred method)
• Add an attendance note via Compass; 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. 

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.

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. 

Parent Assembly News...

Community News...