Newsletter-Term 1-Week 8-Friday 28 March 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 approach the end of Term 1, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful work and commitment of our students and staff throughout these first months of the school year. Their enthusiasm for learning, kindness towards one another, and dedication to their school community have been truly inspiring.

This term has been filled with many moments of celebration, where we have come together as a community to mark significant events and achievements. At the same time, we have also faced challenges, such as the impact of Cyclone Alfred, which tested our resilience and reminded us of the strength found in supporting one another.

As we look forward to the final days of Term, I encourage everyone to take time to reflect on the progress made and the friendships strengthened. A well-deserved break awaits before we return refreshed and ready to embrace the opportunities of Term 2.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for your ongoing commitment and support.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: On Tuesday evening 17 students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament of healing is about forgiveness and reconciliation. God is a merciful God and showing mercy is a strength of character not a weakness. Our world could do with forgiveness and mercy at the present time. Tuesday evening was a special evening. Fr Peter welcomed the children and families to the sacramental celebration and was supported by Fr Anslem and Fr Philip. Very reverently and very thoughtfully each child made their First Reconciliation with one of our priests. I have no doubt that God’s grace was present on Tuesday evening.

A big thank you goes to Miss Kasey Miles for her incredible organisation and preparation. Her dedication ensured that the night was a beautiful and reverent experience for the students of our Parish as they continue on their Sacramental journey. Fr Peter and Father Anslem, we appreciate and value your pastoral leadership in our parish community.

I am so grateful for the way we come together as a school and faith community. Thank you again to all families for your time and support.

NAPLAN: Last week, students in Year 3 and 5 completed their NAPLAN assessments, delayed due to the storm. We were very proud of our students for the way they approached their NAPLAN assessments. They showed great focus, resilience, and a positive attitude throughout the process. These assessments are just one snapshot of their learning journey, but it’s encouraging to see how well they engaged with the challenge.

A big thank you to our teachers for preparing the students so thoroughly and to parents for your support at home. Most importantly, we’re proud of the way our students gave their best and approached the experience with confidence and care.

Deadly Cultural Learning Plans: Last week, our Indigenous Education Worker, Ryah Whitby partnered with classroom teachers and parents to complete our Deadly Cultural Learning Plans (DCLP). This valuable initiative provides our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with the opportunity to set both cultural and learning goals, and ensures they are supported in achieving them throughout the year. It’s a meaningful way to celebrate identity, strengthen connection, and promote success in both culture and learning.

Kindergarten 2026 Information Sessions: Do you have a child ready to start Kindergarten in 2026? We warmly invite you to attend one of our upcoming Kindergarten Information Sessions to learn more about the wonderful learning environment at St Francis Xavier Primary School. These will take place on Tuesday, 9th April in the Kindergarten Room at 11am, followed by a school tour. This session will be repeated at 5:30pm in the School Library.

Join us for a morning tea and an informative session, where we will share insights about our Kindergarten program, school values, and the enrolment process. This is a great opportunity to meet our School Leadership Team, ask questions, and explore our vibrant learning spaces.

We look forward to seeing as many families as possible at either of these sessions. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can’t wait to welcome our 2026 Kindergarten families! 😊

ANZAC Day March: ANZAC Day falls on the last Friday of the upcoming school holidays, and the Ballina RSL Sub-Branch has warmly invited all St Francis Xavier students to participate in this significant national commemoration. This is a meaningful opportunity to honour and remember those who have served and sacrificed in times of war.

Please see the details later in the newsletter for meeting times and location of this year’s ANZAC Day March.

Unfortunately, I will be away and unable to join our school community for the ANZAC March, but I truly appreciate the students and staff who are able to represent St Francis Xavier on this important occasion.

Wishing you all an excellent week.

Tony

School Calendar...

Term 2 Calendar

Assistant Principal Mission News...

The Fourth Sunday of Lent - Year C

This coming weekend's reading is from Luke 15:1-3,11-32 - Jesus teaches about forgiveness in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

How many times have you heard the words ‘That’s not fair!’ Constantly, we are challenged by our generosity and resources, perhaps giving more to one person than another. Jesus wants us to understand that this is not how it is with God’s mercy and forgiveness. God offers his love to us all in abundance and in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, God’s love is generous beyond measure.

As you gather as a family this weekend, identify what it’s like to feel jealous of another person. Identify words in the parable that the family might say to one another to begin to heal their broken relationships. Conclude by praying the Lord’s Prayer together. 

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com 

Sacrament of Reconciliation 

Congratulations to the students who completed their Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday evening - Madison, Ambria, Mila, Nate, Savannah, Billy, Benjamin, Winnie, Joshua, Jack, Aria, Marlee, Ryan, Emerson, Koah and Mabel.

These students will now begin their preparation to complete the Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church as we begin to share and celebrate in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. 

The Sacrament of Holy Communion will take place on Saturday 21 June at 5:30pm in the St Francis Xavier Church. 

The BIG Water Walk

Preparations are well underway for the BIG Water Walk on Thursday 10 April. Our Year 6 students are busily preparing a course for us to walk to raise awareness for those in our neighbouring Asian countries who have to walk kilometres everyday to secure fresh, clean drinking water.

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. 

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. 

• Connor Mullagh - Year 1 
• Isabella Peters-Serrato - Year 1
• Oscar Booy - Year 3
• Kai Oke - Year 3
• Oliver Siviour - Year 3

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. 

• Alicia Lang - Kindergarten
• Ollie Mulder - Kindergarten
• Olly Pattison - Kindergarten
• Mason Curry - Year 1
• Eden Oke - Year 1
• Lewis Parker - Year 2 x 50 tickets (yellow band)
• Archie Hanrahan - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Samara Lovegrove - Year 3
• Jaxon Smith - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)
• Owen Williams - Year 3 x 25 tickets (green band)

Parish News...

Learning & Teaching News...

Teaching and Learning - Leader of Pedagogy

A Kindergarten Writing Lesson

This week in Kindergarten, the students have been learning that a simple sentence makes sense by itself and is a complete idea represented by a subject and a verb. The classes have been reading ’Edward the Emu’ and identifying the noun (subject), as well as the verb (action) in each sentence. Students then use teacher feedback about their writing goals from a previous lesson to know what they can do to improve their writing today. Students are able to explain what they are focussing on to ‘Bump Up’ their work.

In each lesson, the teachers use the ‘Gradual Release of Responsibility’ teaching model, which simply means ‘I do, we do, you do’.  Throughout the lesson, this model includes teacher talk, partner talk and student talk about a model sentence, and about student writing samples. This empowers our kindergarten students to be able to talk about what they are learning and why, and what each student is focussing on to improve.

The teacher begins by modelling the writing of the sentence and the students practise the sentence on their white boards on the mat. Next, the students write the sentence in their workbooks at their desks, while applying their individual writing goals. They continue to receive feedback about their goals throughout the writing time.

Today’s sentence was, ‘Edwina served the man in the hat.’ After the lesson, I checked in with a few students about their learning. This is what they said:

Mrs Loadsman: ‘What did you learn about today in writing?’

River: ‘What a sentence needs to be a sentence.’

Mrs Loadsman: ‘What does a sentence need in it to be a sentence?

Jas: ‘A subject.’

Mrs Loadsman: ‘What else?’

Hendrix: ‘A verb.’

Mrs Loadsman: ‘Who is the subject in this sentence?’

Jas: ‘Edwina the emu.’

Mrs Loadsman: ‘What word in the sentence is the verb?’

Enzo: ‘Served.’

Mrs Loadsman: ‘What are you focusing on to improve your writing?’

Lakey: ‘Staying in the dark lines.’

Archie:  ‘Finger spaces.’

The pictures below show the Kindergarten students progressing through this writing lesson. During reading at home, parents are invited to talk about the subject and the verb in each sentence with their child. As well as sentence punctuation such as capital letters, full stops, question marks for questions, and exclamation marks for big feelings. Helping to build this meta language with your child will assist with their ability to apply this knowledge to their writing when they begin to compose their own sentences next term.

Hayley Loadsman

TEACHING & LEARNING

Dear Parents, Grandparents, and Carers,

On Monday, 28th April, we will be hosting a parent information session for Kindergarten about home reading. Our approach to teaching reading in the Early Years has changed. We want to keep you informed of these changes and also share some strategies and ideas to further support you and your child at home. Please join Mrs Loadsman and me from 9-9.30 am in the Library to observe some ‘home reading’ in action, and gain some new practical tips for practising reading skills and strategies at home. As partners in your child’s learning journey, we look forward to you joining us. 

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

NAPLAN Assessments Successfully Completed

Last week, our Year 3 and Year 5 students undertook their NAPLAN assessments, demonstrating great focus and resilience throughout the process. These important assessments provide valuable insights into student learning and help schools tailor their teaching strategies to support each child's educational journey.

For students who were absent during the scheduled NAPLAN sessions, catch-up assessments were arranged over three days to ensure everyone had the opportunity to complete their tests.

A huge thank you goes to our dedicated teachers and staff for coordinating these assessments with such professionalism and care. Their efforts in creating a calm and supportive environment ensured that students could perform to the best of their ability.

We appreciate the support of parents and carers in preparing students for these assessments and encouraging them to approach the experience with confidence.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education.

Thank you for your partnership in Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all parents and caregivers who attended our recent Parent-Teacher Conferences last week and earlier this week. These meetings are a crucial part of our school community, providing an invaluable opportunity for teachers and families to come together in partnership to support student learning and development.

It was wonderful to see so many families engaged in discussions about their child's progress, strengths, and areas for growth. Our teachers were delighted to share student data, discuss next steps in learning, and set goals that will guide each child’s journey throughout the year. These conversations not only help students settle into their new classrooms but also reinforce the importance of collaboration between home and school in fostering academic and personal success.

We truly appreciate the time and effort you took to attend these meetings, ask questions, and share insights about your child’s learning experiences. Your involvement plays a vital role in creating a supportive learning environment, and we value the trust you place in us as we work together to nurture each child's potential.

A special thank you also goes to our dedicated teachers, whose commitment to their students shines through in every interaction. Their preparation for these conferences, thoughtful analysis of student progress, and genuine care for each child’s learning journey are deeply appreciated. Their hard work ensures that every student feels supported, encouraged, and challenged to achieve their best.

As we move forward, we encourage families to continue these important conversations at home, reinforcing learning goals and celebrating achievements along the way. Our doors are always open, and we welcome ongoing communication to ensure that every child receives the best possible support.

Once again, thank you for your partnership and dedication to your child's education. We look forward to a fantastic year of growth, learning, and shared successes.

Warm regards,

Lisa Conte

Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching

Japanese News

Our Kindergarten students have done a great job this term in understanding and  demonstrating the  appropriate etiquette when using the Japanese room. This etiquette includes learning how to take their shoes off before stepping onto the tatami, bowing correctly and learning how  to sit  on the Zabuton (cushions). Students had fun making crowns to celebrate the zodiac year of the snake (hebi) and have recently begun learning the numbers 1-10.

Our K-2 students have been granted access for the fifth consecutive year to the Japanese learning app via the ELLA program. (Early Language Learning Australia). This program brings engaging child-focused language activities into our lessons. Click this link for more information.

Gubby Sensei

Japanese Photos

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 21

Next

Sports News...

SFX Cross Country Carnival

Congratulations to the following students who finished in the top five of their respective age groups and will progress to the Richmond Zone Cross Country Carnival.

The Richmond Zone Cross Country carnival will now take place on the 29th April, 2025.

A very big thank you to the parents who volunteered their time to help at the Cross Country carnival. Your time was greatly appreciated!

Please Note: Year 1 and Kinder DO NOT PROGRESS to the Richmond Zone Cross Country Carnival

Lismore Diocese Swimming Championships Murwillumbah

On Tuesday, 4th March St Francis Xavier had 3 students travel to Murwillumbah for the annual Lismore Diocese Swimming Championships. Competition at this representative level is always fierce as students from 34 Catholic Primary Schools across the Lismore Diocese compete for a spot in the Lismore Diocese Swim Team.

• Albie Seymour - 7th in the 8yrs boys 50m freestyle.
• Koah Matheson - 5th in the Junior 200m Individual Medley
• Archie Tozer - 10th in the 11yrs 50m backstroke.

Reaching this level on the representative pathway is a great achievement. Well done boys!

Diocesan Winter Sports Trials

The Diocesan Hockey Trials were on Monday, 3rd March in Grafton and SFX were represented by two students, Grace Hosie and Oscar Donald.

Congratulations to Oscar Donald who was selected in the Diocesan team to compete at the Polding Hockey Trials later this year.

The trials for Rugby League, Netball and Football (Soccer) were postponed due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The Rugby League and Football trials were again postponed due to the current rain event. A new date has been set for  April 4th, 2025 for the Football (soccer) trials. A new date for Rugby League is still to be set.

The netball trials went ahead on the all weather courts in Grafton. Isla Parker, Molly Gerada and Evie Whitty represented SFX at the trials.

Congratulations to Isla Parker who was selected in the Diocesan team to attend Polding trials in Bathurst.

Thank you to Grace, Oscar, Isla, Molly and Evie for being wonderful ambassadors for our school.

Richmond Zone Winter Sports Trials

The Richmond Zone Winter Sports Trials for Rugby Union were held on Wednesday 26th March at Wollongbar. Congratulations to Vincent Benfield, Millar McElroy and Maverick Thomas who were selected to attend the Diocesan Winter sports Trials.

Well done to all boys who trialled!

Rugby League Gala Day

The Rugby League Gala Day - Brian Kelly Cup, has been another casualty of the wet weather of late. The day was postponed and will now be held in Week 5, Term 2.

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 1

Week 9

Monday 31st March to Friday, 4th April

Canteen Roster-Term 1

Week 10

Monday, 7th April to Friday, 11th April

Sushi Special Day

$3.90

Week 9- Thursday, 3rd April

CHICKEN, AVOCADO, TUNA & VEGETARIAN

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!

Emelia Mattinson	Ashton McDonald	Mila Wilson
Olly Pattison	Zac Frawley	Rosie Goodlet
Andrew Mullagh	Moon Nguyen	Daisey Tozer
Isla Muldoon	Ollie Gregory	Archie Hanrahan
Ethan Kealy	Aria Llewellyn	Coen Loughrey
Mia Simpson	Brianna Bailey	London McGregor
Vincent Benfield	Violet Bogetti	Logan Faulkner
Oscar Washington	Ayla Eggleton	Arlo Aubusson
Isla Maylor	River Markham-Lee	Willow Stacey

We would like to welcome our new students and their families to our school community.

Tyger Smith	Sophie Peyrat
Jagger Smith	Enzo Gamba

Happy Birthday...

Wishing all of our students a wonderful birthday!!

Friday, 28th March 2025  to Thursday, 10th April 2025

Samantha Turnball	Jackson Deacon	Maddie Sommerfeld
Lily Osborne	Ella Piercy	Koah Williams-Mannix
Shubham Singh	Ruby Waterer	Teo Amit
Roxie Kubelka	Alya Eggleton	Tyler Faulkner
Marcel Messager	Lennox Farrell	Connor Webb
Lewis Parker	Maliah Cotes	Phoebe Black
Tahlo Makin	Sienna Bompane	Yoko Smith
Halo Salter-O'Dell	Axel Stewart

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

Harmony Day...

21st March 2025

Harmony Day was a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity, inclusion, and respect, and we were thrilled to see so many of you participate in our special competitions! We received a fantastic array of entries showcasing the spirit of Harmony Day, and it was a tough decision to choose the winners.

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute. Your creativity and thoughtful expressions truly captured the essence of what Harmony Day is all about. We have loved seeing all the entries around the school to promote Harmony Day.

And now, without further ado, we are delighted to announce the winners:

Informative Harmony Day Poster - winners include:

The winning entries will stay in the Learning Support Room window until week 10.

The colouring competition winners include:

• Kindergarten - Harper King
• Year 1 - Rosie Goodlet
• Year 2 - Maliah Cotes
• Year 3 & 4 - no entries
• Year 5 - Ayla Eggleton
• Year 6 - Lilla Morley

The winners will be announced at the Week 8 Assembly.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you again to everyone who participated!

Lastly, the following students have been selected by class teachers to receive a Harmony Day award. This award recognises these students' ability to embrace difference by consistently showing kindness, compassion and inclusivity. Students will receive their award at the Week 8 Assembly. Well done to the following students:

Let's continue to celebrate diversity and build a more inclusive community every day.

Warmly,

The Harmony Day Team

World Down Syndrome Day

March 21st marks World Down Syndrome Day, a global day of awareness and celebration of the unique abilities and contributions of people with Down syndrome. This day provides an opportunity to advocate for their rights, inclusion, and well-being.

We believe in creating a community where everyone feels welcomed and supported. On World Down Syndrome Day, we have a great reason to celebrate.

This is Willow.  If you haven’t met her yet your child will be able to tell you she is very special to all of us. Willow is a member of our Year 4 class. Like all children, Willow has unique talents and interests. She loves to come to school each day and always makes people around her smile. 

Willow has Down syndrome, which means she may learn and develop at her own pace. At St Francis Xavier, we are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment where every child can thrive. Our teachers and staff are dedicated to meeting the individual needs of all our students, and we work closely with Willow's family to ensure she has a positive and enriching experience here at school.

We believe that diversity enriches our community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow together. 

We are so blessed to have Willow share our school with us.

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.

Safe Parking in School Zones in Ballina Shire Flyer

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. 

• Q-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. 

Community News...