Last week we received news that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation/retirement of
Bishop Brian Heenan, Bishop of the Rockhampton Diocese. Within this Newsletter you will find
a Diocesan announcement of Fr. Brian’s retirement plus news of Fr. John Grace being appointed
as Diocesan Administrator. I however would like to share a brief personal reflection on our
wonderful Bishop Brian.
St Francis belongs to the wider Catholic ‘Church’: organisation, hierarchy and the people who
make up the living Body of Christ. Fr. Brian above all things has been very much the ‘shepherd’
leader of our Catholic Church in this Diocese, the ‘Human face of Jesus’ in his outward love,
compassion, patience, understanding for all people and wisdom of God’s Mission for each of us
within the larger Church.
At Mass on Sunday the following words of Jesus in the Gospel placed me in the mind of Fr.
Brian as I know these words will sit comfortably in his humble nature: “So you also, when you
have done all that you have been told to do, you must say, ‘We are no more than servants; we
have only done our duty.’”
Our Bishop has done all that he has been asked to do by God and now he takes more time to
share with his family and reflect on his amazing ministry of service. We assure him he will
continue to be in our prayers and that his gift of Jesus bought to us through his person, is
indelible in the life of the St Francis Community.
Also in this Newsletter you will find a Parish Information Form from OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA
PARISH: ‘We are in the process of updating our parish records and we would greatly
appreciate if all families who are a part of our parish would fill out the attached form.’
SUNDAY OCTOBER 20TH is St Francis School
MARKET DAY
This is another wonderful, traditional celebration of our St Francis Community. I encourage you
all to take part in what should be a great day.
We welcome Dannika Wass, Grace Johnson and their beautiful families to our St Francis
Community. I know they will feel welcomed, nurtured and loved by our school family.
I look forward to once again sharing in the lives of you all in this final School Term for 2103. We
continue to journey together as our school is such a lovely and privileged place to be a part of
but also a place of learning opportunity, change, challenge and vital relationships.
God Bless
Andy
20th Oct—Market Day
21st Oct—Student Free Day
5th Nov—Recital Day Instru-
mental Students
21st Nov—Recital Night
Private Music & Drama
5th Dec— Graduation Mass
Fri 11 Oct 2013 9:00 am -
QUEST -
Awards and
Thankyou
Ceremony
Mon 14 Oct – Tues 15 Oct
EISTEDD-FOD - Drama Section
Fri 18 Oct 2013 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Assembly 5's
From Lorrie’s APRE’s desk:
Yours in Christ….. Lorrie Columbus
From Nanette’s APC desk:
Jesus used to spread his message through stories. The
Making Jesus Real (MJR) format aims to reflect on at
least 50 of the Good News stories that are going
unnoticed in your school yard every day. Jesus’
message was : “Love God by loving your neighbour” –
the MJR message is very similar – “The way you greet
and treat people”. The main aim is for students to
recognise their own growth in attitudes and values
through MJR. For the teachers the Good News is that
it is not a programme, but the Christian way of life
reflected each day. Congratulations to all our ‘W.E.S.T.
- ies’ :-) Let’s have a fantastic Term 4 and live Jesus in
our hearts while we look for our Walking God
Moments.
Homework. Generally parents, teachers and students either love
homework or hate it with a passion. Below is a link to a
document: ‘Homework Policy’ which refers to current research
about this topic. The findings are objective and look at the
reasons for and against homework and refers to data from
research overseas as well as from recent Australian studies.
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/homework/Hwk_Res%20scan.pdf
Conclusions below are from the summary within the
document
The ‘more homework the better’ view has no research
support (Cooper, H, 2001). ‘Homework for All ‘– In
Moderation, Educational Leadership, 58(7), cited in
Queensland Government Department of Education and
the Arts, 2004).
The quality of the homework assigned is likely to be more
important than the quantity (Canadian Education
Association, & Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
2010).
Homework must be purposeful and relevant to student
needs and should not jeopardise the right of children to
enjoy a balanced lifestyle (Dixon, 2007).
The amount of homework and time spent on it should
accord with the student’s age and developmental level
(Canadian Council on Learning, 2009).
Effort spent on homework is a stronger correlate of
academic achievement than time spent on homework
(Canadian Council on Learning, 2009).
Year level appears to be a determinant of homework’s
academic effectiveness (Blazer, 2009; Cooper, 1989).
Most researchers conclude that for primary students,
there is no evidence that homework lifts academic
performance. There is only a small correlation between
homework and achievement in middle school (Cooper,
1989; Walker, 2011). Only in the senior years of high
school does homework clearly raise academic
performance.
These findings are very interesting - as well as being for
some - quite controversial. Families today struggle to find a
balance in their busy lives between work, school and ‘down
time’ - so essential for nurturing strong relationships.
Homework most agree—has its place in children’s lives and
currently we are reviewing our Homework Policy to ensure
it is up to date and relevant for the times and culture we
live in.
Have a great week,
Nanette
Happy ChappyGrinners and Winners
Givers
Welcoming:
Wave
Smile
Thumbs up
Wink
Make eye contact with any member of the school community.
Don’t look away
Encourage words with:
Class members
Family members
Teachers
Say “Sorry”
Use “Thanks” (10 times a day)
We sadly farewell
Sister Beryl from our
community. On
Wednesday the 30th
October she will be
at the Rosary Group
as her final goodbye.
She has been an
inspiration to our
staff and students
and will be dearly
missed, we wish her
the best of luck for
her future doing
ecumenical work in
Melbourne.
Tuckshop Dear Parents and Students
Welcome back to Term 4!
Thank you to the parents of grade 7H that are helping in the Tuckshop
this week and to the volunteers who are helping in the Tuckshop next
week. A reminder to the parents of Prep CW that your tuckshop turn is
in week 3 and the class roster response is due back this Friday 11
October 2013.
Important Notices:
The Tuckshop is now open on a Wednesday as well, but only for
online orders and over the counter sales. Please note that no
written brown paper bags will be accepted.
Tuckshop online ordering system: Go to www.flexischools.com.au
and click on “Register Now”. Enter your e-mail address and follow the
prompts. Please note that the cut-off time for online orders are 08:10
am each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Please remember to order your sushi order on a Wednesday before
12:00pm. Sushi can only be ordered online via Flexischools.
Very Important Information:
If you order via a written brown paper bag, please make sure that you
have the new limited menu . This menu was distributed in the last
week of the 2nd term. If you do not have a new menu please get a copy
from the office or the Tuckshop. If you order anything that is not on
this menu, the order will be changed to an item available on the
menu with the same monetary value.
When ordering from Tuckshop via a written brown paper bag please
also include the correct money for 1st break and 2nd break as this will
greatly help and reduce the time it takes to stick change on the bags.
To access the full menu you will need to register and
place your order via flexischools.
Students can still buy ice blocks, slush puppies, cold drinks and
certain snacks over the counter.
Please contact me if you have questions or queries and also if you want
to volunteer in the Tuckshop.
WEEK CLASS
Week 01—08/10/2013 and 10/10/2013 7H
Week 02—15/10/2013 and 17/10/2013 Volunteers
Week 03—22/10/2013 and 24/10/2013 Prep CW
Week 04—29/10/2013 and 31/10/2013 Prep H
Week 05—05/11/2013 and 07/11/2013 Prep HF
Week 06—12/11/2013 and 14/11/2013 1H
Week 07—19/11/2013 and 21/11/2013 1W
Week 08—26/11/2013 and 28/11/2013 2R
Week 09—03/12/2013 and 05/12/2013 2S
WEEK TUESDAY VOLUNTEERS THURSDAY VOLUNTEERS
Term 4
01
08/10/2013
7H
C Boshoff
10/10/2013
7H
C Boshoff
C Backman
02
15/10/2013
C Backman
Rachel Curro
17/10/2013
Debbie Shaw
Bec Penhaligon
03
22/10/2013
Parents/
Guardians of
Prep CW
24/10/2013
Parents/
Guardians of
Prep CW
Reminder
Francis Way
Congratulations to Kirstin &
Daniel Nutley, Logan (Year 1H)
and Xavier on the birth of Kai
William on the 23rd September.
Book Covering Morning
We will be holding a book covering morning on
Wednesday 23rd October, 2013 at 8:30am to
10:30am. Please come along and help cover books
for our students to start using. We will supply a
cuppa and a light morning tea in the comfort of air
conditioning. Your help would be greatly
appreciated.
Book Fair – 2 days only
Wednesday 6th November, 2013 – 8am til 3:15pm
Thursday 7th November, 2013 – 8am to 9am &
1:30pm to 3:15pm
Every book that you purchase you will receive a
second book of equal or lesser value FREE to keep
for yourself or you could donate back to the library.
Resource Centre
QUEST AWARDS & THANKYOU ASSEMBLY will be held tomorrow, Friday 11th October in the hall commencing at the revised time of 8.45am. Please join us to celebrate and acknowledge the people who contributed to the success of our second whole school musical.
School Banking ….. Every Friday.