Educating the Whole Child for Today and Tomorrow. A school community that recognises learning is natural, creative and ongoing. St Francis Primary School Newsletter Week 10, Term 2, 2016 Pope Francis – 5 Finger Prayer 1) The thumb is closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a "Sweet Obligation." 2.) The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers. 3.) The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God's guidance. 4.) The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need your prayers. 5.) And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way. Today’s Prayer with the Pope: Daily offering: Holy Spirit of love, you moved the waters and gave light and form and colour to our world. You fill all things with life and beauty and give to our hearts the joy of love; fill my mind with your light, so that I may rejoice in your creation and in my happiness raise my heart to you. Amen. Peace and Joy Justice Integrity Creation
Transcript
Educating the Whole Child for Today and Tomorrow. A school community that recognises learning is natural, creative and
ongoing.
St Francis Primary School Newsletter
Week 10, Term 2, 2016
Pope Francis – 5 Finger Prayer 1) The thumb is closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a "Sweet Obligation." 2.) The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers. 3.) The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God's guidance. 4.) The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need your prayers. 5.) And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way. Today’s Prayer with the Pope: Daily offering: Holy Spirit of love, you moved the waters and gave light and form and colour to our world. You fill all things with life and beauty and give to our hearts the joy of love; fill my mind with your light, so that I may rejoice in your creation and in my happiness raise my heart to you. Amen.
Peace and Joy Justice Integrity Creation
JUNE 2016 Mon, 20th Gr 3/4 and Gr 5/6 EXPO 2.15
pm Tues, 21st Gr 6 Transition Day SMOTA Thurs, 23rd Dairy Farmers Support &
Awareness Day – students to dress as farmers
Thurs, 23rd Reports to be sent home Fri, 24th End of Term 2: 2.20pm finish
TERM 3 2016 Mon, 11th July School Resumes Term 3 Wed, 13th Junior Public Speaking
School Heats Thurs, 14th Junior Public Speaking
School Heats Mon, 18th – Fri, 29th July
Insight SRC Survey Period
Tues, 19th July School Board Meeting Wed, 20th St Francis French Day –
guest performer Wed 20th Lions Club Junior Public
Speaking Fri, 22nd July Winter Sports Gr 5/6 Fri, 29th July Winter Sports/Lightning
Premiership Gr 5/6 Tues, 16th Aug St Francis Reconciliation
Night Mon, 22nd Aug School Closure Day –
Walker Learning staff PD Thurs, 25th Aug 3-way Parent/teacher
interviews Mon, 29th & Tues, 30th Aug
Grade 3/4 camp - Beechworth
Wed, 31st Aug Sandhurst Arts on Show Gr 5/6
Fri,2nd Sept Father’s Day Celebration Thurs, 15th Sept Athletics Sports Day Fri, 16th Sept End of Term 3 – 2.20 pm
finish.
TERM 2 DATES
NOTICE BOARD
NO ASSEMBLY THIS MONDAY DUE TO THE GRADE 3/4 & G/6 EXPO. ASSEMBLY INSTEAD WILL BE AT 9.00 A.M. ON FRIDAY, 24 JUNE (LAST DAY OF TERM 2). Thursday, 23 June: In a show of support to our local dairy farmers, we are asking our students to come to school dressed as a farmer or even as a dairy farm animal! Friday, 24th June is the last day of Term 2. Please note that school finishes at 2.20 p.m. that day.
Dear parents and friends of St Francis,
I’ve used this prayer and reflection in the past. It is a great reminder for all of us and speaks volumes of the values and beliefs we hold for our school St Francis.
"I want the Church to go out onto the streets, I want us to resist everything worldly, everything static, everything comfortable, everything that might make us closed in on ourselves." - Pope Francis, World Youth Day 2013
Pope Francis has been called the "pope of the people". He captures minds and hearts with his joyful faith, with his warm, direct and loving attention to those he meets, and with his attention to the poor and needy. If you have ever taken the time to read or listen to Pope Francis he truly is the peoples pope. His messages are quite simple. He often writes about the importance of humility, being true to yourself and to your beliefs, caring for the poor and needy and not to be driven by materialism. When you consider the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, we are extremely well off. We are among the wealthiest people in the world. On reflection, Pope Francis reminds us of how lucky we really are and how important it is to pray for and think of those ‘on the fourth finger’ (referring to Pope Francis’ five finger prayer) and when possible ‘take action’ and do something to help the poor and needy. What action will you take? Enjoy a wonderful weekend and final week of term 2 ahead everyone.
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Hard copies of our Annual Report 2015 are now available at the office or online on our school website: www.sfnathalia.catholic.edu.au/
As I have been reading through reports in recent days, it has been wonderful to see all students have actively embraced all aspects of their learning and in doing so have enriched our school community here at St Francis. It has been particularly pleasing to read many of the students learning goals for next semester, and I ask all families to support and encourage their children to achieve these goals and continue to be the best they can be. I am very proud of our students for the progress they have made and commend all of our staff on the hard work and commitment they have demonstrated to help our students be successful in all areas of school life.
School reports will go home next Thursday 23rd June.
This week our Positive Behaviour Blitz is Tolerance.
Tolerance is a skill, which can reduce conflict. It is an ongoing process. Tolerance encourages us to respect opinions and practices, which differ from our own, and to be free of bigotry. Tolerance encourages understanding and appreciation of individual differences, minimizes generalisations and helps combat prejudice and discrimination.
SOCIAL SKILLS BLITZ
SCHOOL REPORTS
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
• Karyn Miller and Jade Graham who have both been in hospital
recently. We pray that they make a speedy recovery; • Ella Wilson as she continues her chemotherapy treatment. • Josh Woods who is now recovering at home; • Fr Chris Reay as he continues his treatment and management for
cancer. • For all families in our community who have loved ones who are ill
at this time; and • For all dairy farmers in our community affected by the recent
drop in milk prices.
We have begun the process of developing a new Master Plan and Strategic Directions for our school that will include work to our buildings, grounds and facilities.
As the parent community we would like your ideas on what you consider to be of highest priority for our school so we can continue to provide the best learning opportunities for your students at St Francis.
We would really appreciate it if parents could complete this short survey. All answers will be kept confidential.
To complete the Parent Survey ~ Master Planning, please visit: https://docs.google.com/a/sfnathalia.catholic.edu.au/forms/d/10IQ8SgalvlHwOWG5ZLiqKQmvKFVPyQl9Eh7QcCkz7r0/edit
Congratulations to our students who competed in the Regional Cross Country Championships held in Broadford on Wednesday:
Jason Beckett, Ryan Dealy, Marshal Doolan-Fisher & Darcy Backway.
Special congratulations to Jason Beckett who came 10th in the 11 yr old boys event. Jason has made it through to the State level Cross Country which will be held later in the year. This is an amazing effort Jason.
WE ARE PRAYING FOR:
PARENT SURVEY – MASTER PLANNING
REGIONAL CROSS COUNTRY
As part of our staff PD on Tuesday of this week staff participated in a Kitchen session (outside in the cold!) where they learnt how a session operates and the incidental learning that occurs for children in a typical class. Thanks to Loula Oliver and Jo Osmond for volunteering their time. The staff thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and just like the students, all enjoyed tucking into the lovely dishes that they made.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program at St Francis has been a phenomenal success. Our students, teachers, volunteers and the wider community have all enjoyed the benefits of growing, harvesting and preparing healthy food and meals. These pleasurable food experiences have seen increased engagement across the school in terms of student participation, parent volunteers and building community. With the program being fully integrated across the curriculum, we have also seen improvements in student learning regarding literacy, mathematics, science, cultural studies, social development and environmental sustainability. It has been truly amazing. The overwhelming success and benefits of the program would not be possible without the dedication of Mrs Kerry Conroy and her team including Jo Ormond and Robyn Backway, who work tirelessly to make sure SAKG delivers the best learning opportunities for our students and we thank them for their hard work. However this comes at a cost. SAKG is a program that was only ever designed for grade 3-6 students. To run the program for all grades, especially with limited time and resources, is not sustainable. As you can appreciate, kitchen lessons take significant preparation and these lessons are often rushed with some classes missing the full experience. Therefore, next term SAKG will
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN
be offered to grades 3-6 students only. Students in grades Foundation – 2 will have a modified SAKG experience approximately twice a term. At present, SAKG operates on a limited budget and limited facilities regarding a proper kitchen. We are currently developing a new master plan for St Francis that will include provisions for a new kitchen and communal eating area. An information session regarding future developments of school facilities will take place later in the year. We are also looking at introducing a SAKG levy for grades 3-6 to ensure SAKG remains a viable educational experience for all students at St Francis. Thank you for your understanding and please don’t hesitate to contact the school for further clarity or to offer feedback.
We are extremely short on volunteers to sell tickets for the school's wood raffle out the front of the supermarket on Thursdays or Saturdays. We have only had three families volunteer. Our leadership students are selling tickets each Thursday from 1.45 pm until 3 pm. One family is able to sell tickets on Sat 25 June and Sat 16 July but other than that we have no-one rostered on to sell tickets. If Thursdays or Saturdays or the times we have suggested simply don't work for you please let me know, we can always rearrange times and days to suit volunteers. If you can help please either phone the school office or Greg McIver on 0407 338 714.
As a show of support to all the dairy farmers in our community, our students are encouraged to come to school on Thursday, 23 June dressed as a farmer, or even as a farm animal. Should be fun to see what everyone comes dressed as!
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN cont
WOOD RAFFLE
COME DRESSED AS A FARMER DAY
Our Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 students are eligible to enter into the Lions Club Junior Public Speaking competition. The school heats for the Junior Public Speaking will take place in the St Clare Auditorium at SMOTA on Wednesday, 13 July 2016 and Thursday, 14 July 2016. We have the auditorium booked from 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. but we will confirm the start time closer to the event. Three winners from each age group (i.e Yrs 3/4 and Years 5/6) will then go on to compete against students from other local schools in the Lions Club event to be held on Wednedsay, 20 July 2016 at Nathalia Primary School. A winner from each age group will then go on to represent Nathalia at the Regional level of the competition. Topics for Speeches: Years 5-6 Topic: - “A Day in my life as a…….” You are a doctor, teacher, nurse, vet, prime minister, brain surgeon, astronaut etc. Tell us about a day in your life. It may be an ordinary kind of day, or a day when something big happens. Hint: While some of the details may be fiction, it must be based on the facts of a real occupation, etc. Years 5 and 6 students’ speeches need to be four minutes in length. When presenting their speech, students will hear a warning bell at three and a half minutes and then the bell will be rung twice when they have reached the four minute mark of their speech. Years 3-4 Topic: - “My Secret Life as a Superhero” You are a superhero – tell us about yourself. Do you have a superpower? What is it and how do you use it? How did you find out you were a superhero? Are the rest of the family superheroes? How do you keep it a secret? Years 3 and 4 students’ speeches need to be three minutes in length. When presenting their speeches they will hear a warning bell at two and a half minutes and then the bell will be rung twice when they have reached the three minute mark of their speech. In the past we have had a fantastic response with the majority of our Gr 3-6 students taking part and we are looking forward to another great year of inspiring speeches. Do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.
JUNIOR PUBLIC SPEAKING
Encouraging Positive Behaviour with Kids ~ Try these tips to encourage the behaviour you want in your child.
1. Children do as you do. Your child watches you to get clues on how to behave in the world. You’re her role model, so use your own behaviour to guide her. What you do is often much more important than what you say. If you want your child to say ‘please’, say it yourself. If you don’t want your child to raise her voice, speak quietly and gently yourself.
2. Show your child how you feel. Tell him honestly how his behaviour affects you. This will help him see his / her own feelings in yours, like a mirror. This is called empathy. By the age of three, children can show real empathy. So you might say, ‘I’m getting upset because there is so much noise I can’t talk on the phone’. When you start the sentence with ‘I’, it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective.
3. Catch her being ‘good’. This simply means that when your child is
behaving in a way you like, you can give her some positive feedback. For example, ‘Wow, you are playing so nicely. I really like the way you are keeping all the blocks on the table’. This works better than waiting for the blocks to come crashing to the floor before you take notice and bark, ‘Hey, stop that’. This positive feedback is sometimes called ‘descriptive praise’. Try to say six positive comments (praise and encouragement) for every negative comment (criticisms and reprimands). The 6-1 ratio keeps things in balance. Remember that if children have a choice only between no attention or negative attention, they will seek out negative attention.
4. Get down to your child’s level. Kneeling or squatting down next to
children is a very powerful tool for communicating positively with them. Getting close allows you to tune in to what they might be feeling or thinking. It also helps them focus on what you are saying or asking for. If you are close to your child and have his attention, there is no need to make him look at you.
5. ‘I hear you.’ Active listening is another tool for helping young
children cope with their emotions. They tend to get frustrated a lot, especially if they can’t express themselves well enough verbally. When you repeat back to them what you think they might be feeling, it helps to relieve some of their tension. It also makes them feel respected and comforted. It can diffuse many potential temper tantrums.
ENCOURAGING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR WITH KIDS
6. Keep promises. Stick to agreements. When you follow through on
your promises, good or bad, your child learns to trust and respect you. So when you promise to go for a walk after she picks up her toys, make sure you have your walking shoes handy. When you say you will leave the library if she doesn’t stop running around, be prepared to leave straight away. No need to make a fuss about it – the more matter of fact, the better. This helps your child feel more secure, because it creates a consistent and predictable environment.
7. Reduce temptation. Your glasses look like so much fun to play with – it’s hard for children to remember not to touch. Reduce the chance for innocent but costly exploration by keeping that stuff out of sight.
Our Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 ERP Expo will be held on this coming Monday, 20 June 2016. All the students have been working extremely hard on their own project and all are very proud of what they have created. Our Grade 3/4 students have been busy creating projects about earth and our environment. Our Grade 5/6’s have been using design and technology to create their projects. We invite parents to attend our Expo which commences at 2.15 p.m. Parents are welcome to visit all four classrooms. The students are always excited to see you and they are very proud of their efforts. A big thank you to all the wonderful grandparents who attended our Grandparents Day last Friday. The children absolutely love being able to show you around the school.
St Francis Catholic Primary School acknowledges the Bangarang and Yorta Yorta people, the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is situated. We commit ourselves to actively work alongside Aboriginal people for reconciliation and justice.
