Newsletter-Term 1-Week 10-Thursday 10 April 2025

Principal's News...

Our School Newsletter

We want to keep everyone in the loop! Our fortnightly newsletter is here to update you on school activities and important information. By reading it each fortnight, you can better support your child and help them stay prepared for events like excursions or special dress days. The newsletter is sent out every fortnight on a Friday during term time and can be referred to anytime, as past newsletters are archived on our website and available through your Compass notifications.

From Our Principal

As we reach the end of Term 1, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our families for your continued support and partnership throughout what has been a vibrant and eventful start to the year.

Our students have done a fantastic job representing St Francis Xavier in so many ways — through their learning, their participation in events, and the positive spirit they bring to school each day. From NAPLAN, Harmony Day, and the Cross Country Carnival, to Zone and Diocesan swimming carnivals, inspiring guest speakers, the meaningful Water Walk, our Year 6 Leaders Presentation, Parent/Teacher Interviews, and the special K - 2 Family Faith Night — it has certainly been a full and enriching term.

We’ve also celebrated First Reconciliation with our Year 3 students and their families, and held a very positive School Community Group meeting. And of course, learning and teaching have remained at the heart of all we do every day.

Even with the disruption caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, our students and staff showed great resilience and determination to keep moving forward — a real credit to the strength and spirit of our school community.

A special thank you goes to Miss Low and Mrs Budnick, who have done a wonderful job supporting 3B/G in Mrs Fitz-Bugden’s absence. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Fitz back in Term 2.

A friendly reminder that Friday 11th April is a Pupil Free Day and we will return to school after the holidays on Monday 28th April. I would love to see our students involved in the ANZAC Day March and ceremony, the details of the march are further below in the newsletter.

Kindergarten 2026 Information Sessions: Our recent Information Sessions for Kindergarten 2026 was a tremendous success, showcasing the welcoming and vibrant community that makes St. Francis Xavier such a special place. It was wonderful to see so many new families eager to learn about how our school can support them in the growth and development of their young ones.

The large number of families in attendance is a testament to the dedication of our exceptional staff, the enthusiasm of our wonderful students, and the strong support of our parents, whose promotion of our school is truly invaluable. St. Francis Xavier continues to have a strong reputation in the community, and we are grateful for the trust families place in us to nurture their children's education and faith.

Enrolment applications close, Friday, May 2nd. If you know of any families considering St. Francis Xavier for their child, please encourage them to contact the school office. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of learners into our school family!

Keeping School Funding Fair – What Parents Need To Know: Every child deserves a great education – and school funding makes that possible. Did you know 6 in 10 parents don’t know how schools are funded? Here’s what you need to know:

• Public schools receive full government funding for every student.
• Catholic & independent schools receive reduced funding, based on parent income - ensuring more support goes to lower-income families.
• 6 in 10 parents believe the government should continue to provide funding for all enrolled students to help families choose the best school for their child.

A fair funding system means supporting all students while ensuring families can access quality education that aligns with their values.
Learn more about @CatholicSchoolsNSW Keep School Funding Fair campaign: https://www.keepfundingfair.org.au/

Term 2 Calendar: All families were sent home a copy of our Term 2 Calendar today. Please check your child’s bag and place the calendar on the fridge so as you are able to refer and add to it during the course of next term.

School Community Group: As can be seen from the Term Calendar, our School Community Group will meet twice a term on the Tuesday of Weeks 3 and 5 at 5:30 pm in our School Library.

Safe On Social Presentations: Great news!! The Safe on Social Presentations that were set down for last term and cancelled due to the weather conditions will now be held on Wednesday 14^th May. There will be sessions for students in Years 2 to 6 during school time followed by a Parent Information Session at 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Please ensure that you jot this date down as a must attend event. There will be further information sent out next term.

Tell Them From Me Surveys: Early next term our school will be taking part in the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) student survey.  The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them.  

The survey is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.

In addition to the student survey (for students from Year 4 to Year 12), parents and carers and teaching staff will have the opportunity to participate in the TTFM survey.

The TTFM student survey is confidential, and staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. All information will be handled according to relevant privacy legislation.

Students’ personal information will not be disclosed by the school to any other person or body other than as required by law.  Individual students will not be identified in any publications.  The survey is conducted online, takes 15 to 30 minutes, and will take place at school during school hours.

We will receive a report on our school’s survey results shortly after our students complete the survey. The school will share with parents and carers key aspects of the survey results in a timely manner.

Participating in the survey is voluntary. If any survey questions make your child uncomfortable, your child can skip the question or can choose to stop the survey at any time. If you do not want your child/children to take part in the survey, please email the school by Tuesday, April 29th.

To Conclude: During the holiday break we will enter Holy Week; may this be a time of prayer and profound gratitude for the gift of Christ as we prepare to celebrate Easter, the pinnacle of our Catholic faith.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our entire St Francis Xavier community for a wonderful Term 1. It has been an excellent term all around, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together—through learning, faith, and the strong spirit of community that makes our school so special.  Your support, dedication, and involvement make St Francis Xavier a truly remarkable place.

I wish you all a safe and Holy Easter—may you enjoy the break and cherish the time with your family and friends. School returns on Monday, April 28th and we will come together for our Easter Hat Parade at 9 am—all are warmly welcome to join us.

Have a wonderful term break and a Happy Easter!

Tony

School Calendar...

Term 2 Calendar

Assistant Principal Mission News...

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion - Year C

This coming weekend's reading is from Luke 22:14—23:56 (shorter form: Luke 23:1-49)

From the cross, Jesus speaks words of forgiveness and promises that the good thief will be with him in paradise.

Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is during this week we prepare for the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. 

As the Passion narrative is lengthy and complex, it is encouraged that families read sections of Sunday’s Gospel over the week. That way, the entire week can be a ‘way of the cross’. 

The key events of Holy Week are:

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com 

The BIG Water Walk

A very big thank you to the Year 6 students and staff for their preparation and organisation of The BIG Water Walk. What a wonderful way to support Project Compassion and to spread the good news of the work of Caritas Australia around the Ballina Town Centre. Thank you to the families who were able to join us on our walk and to the students and staff for embracing this challenge and participating in the BIG Water Walk. 

ANZAC Display at Wallace and Co Ballina

This year, Rotary is supporting local schools and businesses in recognising ANZAC Day. Our Year 6 students have created a display for the ANZACs in the front window of local business Wallace and Co. It is wonderful to partner with this locally owned family business who for many years have had a connection with our school. 

We thank Sam from Wallace and Co for their support and our Year 6 students and staff for the time they have put into creating this display for the ANZACs. 

ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day this year will be in the second week of the school holidays - Friday 25 April. As a school, we will march on ANZAC Day. We will meet outside the Court House in Ballina by 10:15am. Students will need their full school uniform and school hats for the march. 

Our School Captains will lay a wreath at the ANZAC service directly after the march. 

Our School ANZAC Day service will take place on Monday 28 April at 10:45am in the school hall. All families are welcome to join us for our school service on this day. 

Easter Hat Parade

The Easter Hat Parade for Kindergarten to Year 2 students will be Monday 28 April at 9am. This is the first day of Term 2. The Parade will take place in the Undercover area (weather permitting) with the wet weather alternative being the School Hall. 

There will be prizes for 1 boy and 1 girl in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 and I have no doubt the Judges will have their work cut out for them this year!! 

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. 

• Mason Curry - Year 1
• Maliah Cotes - Year 2
• Tao Stewart - Year 2
• Samara Lovegrove - Year 3
• Maddie Sommerfeld - Year 6

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

• Louis Messager - Kindergarten
• Axel Stewart - Kindergarten
• Maddison Downs - Year 1
• Austin Reddan - Year 1 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Freya Writer - Year 1
• Darci Murray - Year 2
• Charlie Downs - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Lennox Farrell - Year 3
• Marcel Messager - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Kai Oke - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Oliver Siviour - Year 3
• Billy Flick - Year 5
• London McGregor - Year 6 x 50 tickets (yellow band)

Kasey Miles

Assistant Principal Mission

Parish News...

Learning & Teaching News...

YEAR ONE SCIENCE

On Wednesday afternoon Mr Hunter and I filmed our Year One students sharing their learning in Science and Technology. The students needed to design something that protected our water dragons, who live under the K-2 deck, from extreme weather eg flood, drought or wind. The students were extremely articulate in justifying their decisions about how and why they would protect the water dragons. Transferring their knowledge in Science and Technology and applying it to a real life situation demonstrates deep understanding. 

KINDERGARTEN READING INFORMATION SESSION - TERM 2

Dear Parents, Grandparents, and Carers,

We warmly invite you to a Kindergarten Parent Information Session on Reading on Monday, 28th April, from 9:30–10:00 am in the Library.

Last year, we introduced the new English syllabus, which has brought changes to how we teach reading in the Early Years. We would love to share these updates with you and provide practical strategies to support your child’s reading journey at home.

Join Mrs. Loadsman and me as we demonstrate ‘home reading’ in action and offer helpful tips to strengthen reading skills through engaging, everyday activities.

As valued partners in your child’s learning, we look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP to lisa.conte@lism.catholic.edu.au if you can attend.

YEAR SIX MATHEMATICS

On Tuesday, 8th April 2025, our Year 6 students and their teachers stepped out of the classroom and into the real world to put their data skills to the test! As part of our current mathematics unit, students walked down to the local shopping precinct between 10:30 am and 10:35 am to collect real-time data on how many people visited local businesses.

🧠 Learning Intention: We are learning about data so that we can use appropriate methods to collect data and construct, interpret and evaluate data displays.

With clipboards in hand and eyes sharp, students worked in pairs to track the number of customers entering selected local businesses, including cafés, bookstores, and retail shops. This short window of observation was the perfect opportunity to practise gathering data that’s meaningful and manageable within a short time frame.

🎯 Success Criteria:

• Surface: I can identify data that may be bias and misleading
• Deep: I can interpret data presented in two-way tables
• Deep: I can interpret and compare different displays of the same data set to determine the most appropriate display for the data set
• Transfer: I can collect data and construct, interpret and evaluate real-world data displays

On return to school, the students displayed their data sets and presented them to the class and justified their decisions. Students then compared the different displays. Check out some of the different ways they displayed them:

Lisa Conte

Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching

Leader Of Pedagogy 

Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO)

Good luck to our teams in their upcoming first competition!

Our Year 5 and 6 Math Olympiad teams have been learning and refining their problem solving skills in preparation for the first of four upcoming Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) competitions. This first 30 minute competition will take place at school on Wednesday of Week 2, May 7th.

The Maths Olympiad program (Year 6) is an inter-school competition, therefore the Year 6 team will compete with students from around Australia and New Zealand.

The Junior Maths Games program (Year 5) provides an opportunity for our Year 5 students to practise and develop their problem solving skills by participating in the Maths Games, but they do not compete against teams from other schools.

We wish our Math Olympiad teams all the best for their first competition!

Annual Musical Showcase

Coming up in Term 2, Week 9

Our school musical showcase is an opportunity for students who learn an instrument (including voice) to perform a piece or two in front of our school family. Last year we were blessed to have 9 students from Kindergarten to Year 6 showcase their musical talents with a range of instruments. The school choir also dazzled us with 3 contemporary pieces.

Now is the time for students to start thinking about whether they would like to be a part of our 2025 showcase.

Who:

Any student learning an instrument will benefit from performance experience, no matter where they are on their musical journey.

Next steps:

1. Interested students talk to their music tutor about selecting and preparing a musical performance piece.
2. Email or talk to Mrs Loadsman about their interest in performing.

We are looking forward to this school community event to celebrate the musical talents of our students.

Hayley Loadsman

CAPA News...

Dear Parents and Carers, 

I would like to share some artwork each stage has done during the semester. These will be sent home at the start of Term 2, and we’re looking forward to creating some new masterpieces next term. 

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 - on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or 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 1

Monday 28th April to Friday, 2nd May

Canteen Roster-Term 2

Week 2

Monday, 5th May to Friday, 9th May

Canteen Online Ordering App

Please click on the link below to view the QKR app instructions.

Student Awards...

Congratulations to all of our students who received a Learning or Class Award!

Sunny Bungate	Enzo Gamba	Skye Jacobs
Tahlo Matheson	Sienna Bompane	Djalu Edwards
Maya Hordern	Lewis Chapman	Maxon Andrews
Ambria Aubusson	Olivia O'Brien	Emerson White
Tyler Smith	Sophie McConnell	Josie Davy
Bodhi Haughton	Milla Harris	Amy Sharpe
Einin Shannon	Isla Parker	Ruby Waterer
Soli Edwards	Oscar Booy	Nixon Stewart
Sienna Gannon	Joshua Rose	Darci Murray
Marisa Williams	Summer Macpherson

Happy Birthday..

Wishing all of our students a wonderful birthday!!

Friday, 11th April 2025  to Thursday, 8th May 2025

Einin Shannon	Jessica Aslin	Fletcher Bernardes Skelton
Jaden Gibbs	Leo Marboeuf	Poppy Sellen
Edie Taylor	Nate Bomba	Archie Hanrahan
Gurfateh Singh	Summer Macpherson	Maya Hordern
Lea Leturgie	Tao Stewart	Maddison Downs
Charlotte Loughrey	Koa Dunlavie	Sonnie Thotsakhui
Tahlo Matheson

Student Medical Plans...

Please note that Student Medical Health Plans, such as an Asthma Plan, Allergy Plan, Epilepsy Plan or an Anaphylaxis Plan, are now due to be reviewed by your GP and updated at the school office. If you have any questions, please come and see our staff in the school office for more information. 

Medication Administered Forms 2025- We have a new electronic form for any student who requires to have medication administered during school hours. Please click on the link below or follow the directions below to complete the form. Please note this form MUST be completed for all Medical Plans for 2025. 

Instructions on where to find the form on Compass:

1. Open your Compass App
2. Click on the more button on the bottom right hand corner of the screen
3. Click on School Documents
4. Click on Parent Resources
5. Click on School Forms
6. Click on Medication Form and complete
7. This form will then be sent directly to our school email account

Kinder 2026 Enrolment Information...

Student Travel...

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.

NSW Transport Information

Parent Reminders...

• Q-When should a parent/visitor sign into the school?
• A-All parents/visitors when entering the school grounds, for what ever the reason, MUST sign into the school via the iPad in the front office or via the QR codes at our gates.  There are no exceptions.  This is to ensure we are keeping our students safe whilst at school.

• Q-Where do I find my School Fee Account details?
• A-Parents are emailed a statement from Catholic Schools Office at the end of each month with all account details.  Or alternatively you can access your Compass account to check your fees. 

• -When does the School Newsletter come out?
• A-We publish our School Newsletter on a fortnightly basis.  The newsletter is 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 regularly with exciting events that have happened at school.

• Q-What are the 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.

• Q-What do I need to do if my child is late to school?
• A-Parents MUST come into the school office to drop their child off. This gives the parent the opportunity to provide the reason for the late arrival at that time.  Your child needs to collect a late slip from the office. Parents are reminded not to enter a late note in Compass for their child.  To be compliant with the attendance SOP, we need to ensure that child safety is maintained as far as possible. 

XCC- Year 7 2026 Enrolment Information....

Community News...