Issuu

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

The

paddo post Issue No. 1 | Term 2 2022

Discover the

Extraordinary

CONTENTS FROM THE EXECUTIVES 4

From the Principal

From the Assistant Principal

From the Religious Education Coordinator

From the Instructional Specialist

From the Wellbeing Coordinator

CLASS TERM IN REVIEW 16

Kindergarten

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Photographed by

W W W . S T F P A D D I N G T O N Felix . C A TManzano HOLIC.EDU.AU

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

JUNIOR NEWSLETTER 28

Interschool Sport

Social Justice

Athletics Carnival

Environmental Team

School of Rock

Our Lady Help of Christians

Peer Support

Grandparent's Day

Public Speaking

Sister Mary Frances

Wellbeing Week

Representative Sport

Mother's Day

F R O M

T H E

PRINCIPAL Nicole Hudson

REBUILDING CONNECTIONS As we emerge out of the challenges and restrictions we have faced over the past two years we have turned our focus towards rebuilding connections within and across our community. It is important to acknowledge the disconnect that many in our school and communities have felt as a result of the restrictions. Discussions held with both the P&F Executive and Advisory Council have centred around addressing the current needs of our community. With this renewed focus we have seen the recommencement of inter-school events and sports and the participation in some new events such as public speaking. We have also re-established our connection with our network primary schools and St Clare’s Waverley, with some exciting collaborative work in the area of STEM and entrepreneurial learning planned for our Stage 3 students (Year 5 & 6) towards the end of the year. It has also been incredibly exciting and heartening that we have been able to celebrate two major community events, Mother’s Day and Grandparent’s Day, as well our most recent Athletics Carnival. These events support the building of our community and we look forward to many more in the second half of the year.

I would like to especially thank each and every parent volunteer who has so generously donated their time and skills to the planning and running of the events. We appreciate all that you do for our St Francis of Assisi community. We thank our families for your contributions to the Tell Them From Me survey. We received a total of 77 responses - a significant increase from previous years, so we appreciate the time you have given to share this feedback. Your responses indicated positive feedback regarding the inclusive nature of the school, parents feeling welcome and the safety of students at school. Many families shared that they would like more information regarding their child’s academic and social progress throughout the year. The staff and Leadership Team will discuss how we can enhance this area of communication and look forward to sharing some further approaches with you in the coming months. A further area of inquiry has been regarding the structure of the classrooms and teaching and learning. In this newsletter our leadership team will share with you some of the strategies that are being implemented in Mathematics, English and apple

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

Religious Education to provide the students with highly effective teaching in these subject areas. Further, we look forward to re-implementing our open classrooms in Term 3 so that our families are able to see the learning that is taking place. We will continue to explore ways we can share with you our focus and commitment to improving student learning. Finally I would like to formally acknowledge Sister Mary Frances who we officially farewelled this term. Sister Mary Frances leaves a legacy at St Francis of Assisi, having commenced and concluded her teaching career here. We thank Sister Mary Frances for her generosity of time, sharing of wisdom and spiritual guidance that has been so appreciated and valued by many. Sister Mary Frances we will miss your smile, your gentle ways and your kindness.

F R O M

T H E

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Hayley de Vries

ENGLISH IN REVIEW At St Francis of Assisi we believe that targeted individual student growth in English occurs by implementing the Gradual Release of Responsibility model (GRR) by Pearson and Gallagher (1983). The Gradual Release of Responsibility model of instruction suggests that cognitive work should shift slowly and intentionally from teacher modelling, to joint responsibility between teachers and students, to independent practice and application by the learner (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). This semester in Kindergarten we introduced InitiaLit-F. InitiaLit-Foundation, or InitiaLit–F, is a literacy program for all children in their first year of school to ensure that all children get off to the best possible start. An evidence-based whole-class literacy program through Macquarie University, provides all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. The activities provided in InitiaLit-F have been engaging and allowed the students to use all their senses when learning about English.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

Stage 1 continued to focus on Modelled, Guided and Independent reading and writing skills and creating more complex texts. In Semester 2, we will look at providing our students with more opportunity to develop their oral language skills. Oral language skills make a very large contribution to literacy skill. There is a strong relationship between understanding of oral language, word knowledge and reading comprehension. The child’s level of skill in producing oral language is likely to be reflected, in time, in the written work he or she is able to produce. In Stage 2, we recently completed a Literacy Audit to gain a deeper understanding of our students’ strengths and areas for growth. As a result of this audit the school has purchased new reading resources and our focus for Term 3 will look at supporting students in writing more complex texts, using sophisticated vocabulary. In reading, Stage 3 have been using Reciprocal Reading skills as part of their Guided Reading groups. Next Term, we will be introducing Literature Circles. Literature Circles is when a small group of students gather to discuss a book, much like a book club but with greater structure, expectation and rigour. The aim is to encourage thoughtful discussion and a love of reading in young people. We look forward to sharing more English news next term. Together, through collaboration, creativity and excellence in English, we will continue to Soar to the Extraordinary.

F R O M

T H E

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR James Robinson

DIVING DEEPER INTO SCRIPTURE. Across 2022, the staff at St Francis of Assisi Regional Catholic Primary School have engaged in various professional development opportunities. Within Religious Education, staff have been exploring ways to enhance student engagement and vocabulary when exploring Scripture. We aim to provide students with authentic activities that build and develop their religious vocabulary. Scripture is central to the life of the Church and is the driving force of Religious Education. It reinforces the many elements within Religious Education in order to give an organic presentation of what the Church believes, celebrates, lives and prays. Through authentic engagement, students are able to better understand and make connections with our practices, beliefs, rituals, and traditions. When children engage authentically with scripture in Religious Education sessions they are piecing together the beautiful stories and history of our faith and church. When reflecting on our sacred scriptures, our Bible was written for an audience older than the children we teach. Having effective, meaningful and engaging lessons that allow students to break open the meaning behind scripture, understand its contexts, and discuss its significance is crucial.

Scripture is such a beautiful and significant part of our faith and it is important that we do more than simply ‘read’ scripture. We need to immerse ourselves in a variety of ways. This can be achieved through reading scripture multiple times, annotating and studying, praying with scripture, exploring scripture through art response, or discussing scripture. Our staff have endeavoured to provide rigorous and innovative learning opportunities and have engaged in their own professional development or study or scripture to best cater to our students.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

Take a look at some of the wonderful and innovative ways that our teachers are unpacking scripture in their classrooms! You can see from below that students are identifying key terms, understanding significant themes, and beginning to place themselves into the stories to gain that deeper understanding. To complement our school-wide goal of building students’ religious literacy, Father Anthoni and Father Joseph have organised weekly class visits. These sessions are an opportunity for staff and teachers to either share their knowledge of their current scripture study or ask challenging questions. As mentioned earlier, discussing scripture is a wonderful way to engage students and having Father Anthoni’s and Father Joseph’s expertise in our classroom is an amazing and beautiful resource. In addition to building students' exposure to scripture and religious literacy, our classroom visits are a wonderful community-building opportunity, highlighting the significant role our parish, and our priests play in the education and development of our students!

F R O M

T H E

INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST Rebecca Nicholson

MATHEMATICS IS ON OUR MINDS AT ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI! In 2022, St Francis of Assisi continues to engage in Sydney Catholic Schools Mathematical Expertise and Excellence (MEE) project. The MEE project was designed and implemented in response to a seven year research study into relationships between teachers’ understandings of mathematics, the tasks they provide for student learning and the ways in which they respond to students’ thinking (Mae, 2019). Our teachers are engaging in a professional development program to develop a deep understanding of the Mathematics syllabus and to provide rich and cognitively challenging tasks for their students. This year our Stage Two teaching team are engaging in a regular cycle of collaborative planning, observation, feedback and goal setting to enhance their knowledge of best practice in mathematics teaching and learning. Students use a range of pedagogical moves Fish Bowl, Gallery Walk, Very Important Point and Showcase to learn from their peers, problem solve, develop mathematical language and reflect on their success throughout a lesson.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

NEXT STEPS FOR NEWMAN! Following our successful Newman Accreditation at the end of 2021, The Newman Team have been working this semester to implement recommendations provided from the expert panel. Teachers have been working on individualised learning plans for our students that cater for their social, emotional and learning needs. In Term 2, professional development was based around international academic Dr Del Siegle’s work on strategies to address underachievement and motivation for students. Dr Siegle provides teachers with practical ways to foster a love of learning for all students. Staff looked at strategies to incorporate Carole Dweck’s Growth Mindset, Kaplan’s Depth and Complexity and Bloom’s Taxonomy into their Science and Technology, History and Geography teaching programs. These strategies provide opportunities for students to engage in rigorous learning in a variety of curriculum areas.

F R O M

T H E

WELLBEING COORDINATOR Joseph McPhee

ST FRANCIS AND THE BE YOU FRAMEWORK At St Francis of Assisi we use the Be You Framework as a guide to help enhance and embed new wellbeing practices. Be You is a mental health initiative delivered by Beyond Blue and Headspace. The Be You Framework supports educators to develop a positive, inclusive and resilient learning community. If you are interested in learning more about Be You please visit their website; https://beyou.edu.au/ The Wellbeing of the students, teachers and extended community continues to be a significant focus at St Francis of Assisi. This semester, parents and teachers completed the Be You Survey. We were able to celebrate many achievements from the data, including; how the school community encourages families to feel a sense of connection and belonging. The data collected also enabled the Wellbeing Action Team to identify areas of improvement which will elicit a positive change for the school community. These changes include; more communication available for families regarding available support services and the need to upskill teachers with trauma informed strategies when dealing with a critical incident.

This term the school community has embraced many wellbeing initiatives. These initiatives include; Peer Support Program, Wellbeing Week, Sportsfest and Can You Sit With Me day. These events were effective in upskilling and strengthening the students' personal development as well as creating a positive and healthy school community. The Wellbeing Action team looks forward to term 3 and implementing more social and emotional initiatives. We will be working towards achieving the school goals that were gathered from the data collected from Be You surveys.

COME SOAR WITH US! @sfapaddington

@stfrancisofassisi paddington

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

term in review

KINDERGARTEN Geography We have been exploring the places we live in and belong to. Our class has been discovering how the location of places can be represented. This term, we went on our first excursion to Nielsen Park and explored environments like bushland and beaches. Kindergarten learnt how each is special and why we should care for them and the connection they have to people. On our excursion we went on a bush walk and we saw flowers, bush turkeys, boats, the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We learnt lots of different facts like animals that are awake at night are called nocturnal and when bats get hot they pee on themselves to cool down, ewwwww! Our class made homes for different animals like echidnas. We went bug catching and some of us caught wiggly worms! Science In Science, we have been focussing on daily and seasonal changes in the environment. Our class did an experiment with Miss Van Hagan. We put shaving cream and blue colouring in and made it rain. Kindergarten liked when the chain reaction started. The chain reaction was when the food colouring fell from the shaving cream. This represents that when clouds are too full with water the rain falls out. Athletics Carnival Our Athletics Carnival was postponed a few times so Kindergarten were very excited when it was finally time for us to attend our first Athletics Carnival! Especially since we got to go on a bus! We did three races, the 70m, 50m and a relay race. We liked racing because we got different ribbons at the end. Our class were thrilled to have a sausage sizzle for lunch and even more thrilled when we saw our grownups helping. We also participated in different novelty games like sack racing, three-legged races and stuck in the mud.

YEAR ONE

This term the Year 1 class community has been learning about a range of interesting topics including: Chance and Data, Material World and features of information texts, just to name a few! Our class has enjoyed being authentic authors in their bookmaking. We have explored language features through many rich literature by wellknown authors such as: Mo Williams, Eric Carle and Nick Bland. In Mathematics, we have been learning to take turns and work together through playing games to learn new skills. In particular, playing the ‘what is the chance?’ game with our friends. In Science, we participated in various experiments where we made predictions, observations and conclusions about a range of materials and how when combined, changed! In May, one of the best ways of celebrating and honouring Mary, Mother of Jesus is praying the Holy Rosary. The Year 1 class were fortunate to have Father Peter, with the support of Mrs. Wong lead us in this prayer, as afaith community.It was wonderful to have parents come along to this beautiful experience. We were fortunate enough to receive specially made rosary beads to take home. In preparation for our athletics carnival, the Year 1 class community participated in various novelty events which supported growth in various skills such as: teamwork, leadership, resilience and problem solving. The students had a wonderful time together, sharing laughter with one another!

History In history this term we have been learning about how technology has changed in our homes, school, community and world. We learnt how technology has helped many people that were born without body parts. We saw how 3D Printing has helped to make hands that can be used by people without hands. We also learnt that the way we communicate has changed too, before people sent letters and now people can call and text each other. By Ignatius Zarb & Louis Ricciardo Reconciliation One of the most important days of this term was our Sacrament of Reconciliation. To prepare for the sacrament we had a book to complete at home with our parents. We also had a retreat day where we made a mosaic (that you can see in the office now), a first aid kit and visited the church to practise. On the day of Reconciliation all of us spoke to the Friars and told them what we were sorry for. Father Anthoni forgave me for my sins and I lit a candle with my Dad and said a prayer. Reconciliation was very special because I got to say sorry for the mistakes I made, I loved Reconciliation. By Esther Minglis-Cerreto English In English this term we learnt about Information reports. We wrote information reports on whales and spiders. Some information we learnt was about their habitat, diet, interesting facts and appearance. Did you know a Killer Whale has never hurt a human in the wild! This term we have started reading a new class novel, George’s Marvellous Medicine. The book is written by Roald Dahl . We don’t want to spoil the book for you but the main idea of it is that a boy named George is making a medicine for his wicked Grandma. We can’t wait to write a procedure on how to make our own version of the medicine. By Mila Rana-Dimitropoulos Mathematics One of our units in Maths this term was Multiplication & Division. We learnt how ‘groups of’ can also be made into ‘rows of’, these are called arrays! I liked learning all about arrays, I learnt that they have to be in rows. If you put them in rows it makes it easier to count. By Anouska Duke

YEAR TWO

YEAR THREE & YEAR FOUR The Stage 2 Dance Program This term, we started dancing with Got Game. The dance we learned was called “Lets Nacho”. It was so much fun learning a new dance and skill. Every Monday, we learnt more about the dance. After a few weeks of dancing, we had our Stage 2 in-class performance and we tried very hard! We all loved the dance. Star Science Day Boxes of materials were stacked up outside the classroom as we prepared for our exciting egg drop challenge. We worked in teams to design our products that would transport an egg safely to the ground when dropped! As part of our day, we met two people from Reverse Garbage who lectured us on how plastic actually can be recycled! After their presentation, we had some fun exploring all the different materials that we can recycle and reuse! Later in the day, we gathered at the bottom of the Stage 3 staircase preparing to drop our egg packages from earlier. One by one we dropped our egg packaging off the staircase. Out of all the eggs, only two were smashed and the rest remained intact. We thought this was worth celebrating! Over the day we learnt that even though items aren’t able to be recycled they can still be used again. Majestic poems Stage Two have been learning about Poetry this term. We have explored a lot of different types of poetry in all of our classes! We have looked at diamante, cinquain, blackout, quatrain and season poems, just to name a few! We learnt how every poem has its own particular purpose and structure. We have loved presenting these poems in class! Makers Empire Makers Empire is an educational program that helps teach Stage 2 about sustainability. We are learning how to build new and improved technology and machinery through 3D technology. Though challenging, this app creates happiness for the whole stage! Makers Empire shows the whole stage the importance of the design process

Stage Two Launch Tasks Stage Two has been busy this term with some exciting launch tasks in Mathematics and we would love to share with you how we use launch tasks! We have even written them down in simple steps! 1. We read the learning intention and skim and scan for keywords and discuss what they mean. 2. Then we read the Launch Task twice as a class and once again pick out the key words. 3. After that the teacher asks “What is the task asking us to do? And where is a good place to start?” We think about the task and what might be a good place to start. 4. Right after that we turn and find a person next to us and share our ideas. 5. Finally we go to our learning space and start the task. During our lessons we have: -VIP’s which stands for (very important point), Gallery walks which are when we stand up and walk around the classroom looking at what others did. -Fish bowls which mean we stand up and gather around a student’s desk and the student explains what they did to let other students understand better. -WOW cards which means the teacher places a card on the students’ desks to represent their great work so when we have a gallery walk the students who are confused can look at the books with the WOW cards. Every time we do a Launch Task we learn something new. Stage Two’s Super Stupendous Speeches This year, students across a range of stages and schools are competing in the public speaking competition. Each stage has a different topic and we got to present: Should we have zoos, when I grow up, it gets easier with practice or my hero /heroine. But let's turn our focus to the lucky winners of the first round of the speech competition. They are Alfred, Marcus and Liam in Year 4 and Dulcie, Halina and Charlotte in Year 3. These lucky few presented their speeches in front of the whole school hoping to get into the next round to compete in the finals against other schools. Good job to all who participated in this quest.

YEAR FIVE

This year in Term Two, Year Five have had the opportunity to experience many different learning opportunities and out of class activities. Some of these thrilling activities are learning instruments in a program called Amadeus named after a child prodigy in classical music, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We can learn a vast selection of instruments and have fun with the woodwind, string and low brass instruments. The students in Year 5 also have fun in active sports lessons with Mr. McPhee and Ms. Beer such as a fun game of ‘continuous tag’ or a dancing lesson in the hall! Recently, the whole school had taken part in the Athletics Carnival including Year Five. During this experience we participated and won ribbons while enthusiastically cheering on our team mates. From big explosions to working in groups, Science is always fun in Year 5. This term we have designed and made a new playground by suggesting changes in the St Francis Of Assisi playgrounds. Science this term has been unforgettable. This term for Religious Education we have been learning about Easter and Pentecost. In this class, we have been taught to understand the traditions of our Cathoilc beliefs. In inquiry lessons we are using drones to see how much shade our school playground has. We also had to measure precisely how big our school is. Year Five and Six do our inquiry lesson together with Mr. Robinson. For Art with Ms Johnson, Year Five have created unique pieces of art such as the radius design, mandalas, Notan’s and James Rizzi’s anthropomorphic buildings. While making these with hard work, Year Five enjoyed this class very much.

Year Five has been using ‘Maths Pathways’ during our Mathematics lessons. Students are to finish a total of 6 or more modules each week. Each module is based on a topic in Maths. At the end of each week, we have a Maths test based on the modules we have completed. If we master the module, students will be able to unlock more modules that will help them continue on to expand their knowledge. If not mastered, they still do have the chance to attempt the module several times more which will allow students to revise and learn from their mistakes. We also have mini lessons with our teachers to concentrate on topics we need to learn more about. This term for English, our focus has been writing recounts. Currently we are working on an assessment that includes researching information about a chosen historical event. From this historical event, students write personal and factual recounts. This independent task helps students to learn the skills of writing recounts. The children we interviewed were named Jack, Max H and Alessandra. Jack and Max are new and they have been really enjoying Year Five because there are new opportunities that they both did not have at their old school. One of the students Alessandra who has been here since kindergarten and her opinion on Year Five work in term two is that it is ‘very helpful in life situations.’ Overall Year Five has had a brilliant Term Two learning, socialising and having fun! We look forward to an enjoyable holiday but can’t wait for term three to start! By Sofia Foot, Kayla Lee, Alessandra Holt, Jack Beard & Max Hayes

YEAR SIX

Year 6 focuses on what our school stands for: we are empowered by others, we use innovative ideas, we are interconnected and we use a growth mindset. We incorporate a variety of devices in all our learning. Religious Education: Religious Education is a heavily focused subject in Year 6. Religious Education in Year 6 is driven by creativity and the teachings of Jesus. Our teacher Mrs Hughes combines oral and visual techniques when teaching Religious Education. She commented that “one of her favourite things to see in religion lessons is the way the students innovate and adapt to produce something different and unique.” Students were to make an El Salvador cross for our 6.2 Lent Assessment Task. El Salvador crosses tell a story through bold colours and bright pictures. English: English is never boring in Year 6. Our teacher Mrs Hughes incorporates collaboration, technology and fun throughout all our lessons. This term, we have focused on writing the different types of recounts, including literary and factual. We have showcased our work in a variety of different ways. Mrs Hughes comments “‘One of my favourite subjects to teach is English because it has a written and oral component. The lessons all have an element of story within them.” She definitely makes it everyone else's favourite lesson too. Art: Every single artwork made by a Year 6 student is full of bold colour, vivid passion and unique liveliness. Each artwork we do in class is based on someone else's artwork but then our art teacher Mrs Johnson encourages us to put our own twist on it and make it our own. An example of this is when we took Sandra Silberweigs' artwork, which is very colourful due to her heightened senses, drew our own and then also made a whole new design we printed onto paper using ink.

Science and Technology: Science this term has been based on the unit material world. In pairs, Year 6 students have studied the Infant’s playground, the basketball court and the undercroft to analyse prominent issues. Students created modifications to improve the durability and safety of these areas. This topic in Science encourages innovation and a growth mindset. Our science teacher ' ‘Mr McPhee’ ’commented that he “enjoys teaching Science, especially design and making assignments as the design and make assignments let students use their creativity, I really enjoy seeing this”. Music: This year our school has commenced Music lessons with the incredible teacher Mr Parkinson. He has been teaching Year 6 how to use and read music. We also have learnt tempo and rhythm but one of the main things we love about music is after we all learn or create something we can present it in front of the class. Luckily, the class is supportive when we each present. You might be wondering ‘what instruments do we learn during music?’ In music, we get to learn how to play songs on the glockenspiels, guitars, pianos and drums. We have learnt the old classic, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and have created our own songs. Music is an important part of our school life and we look forward to lessons with Mr Parkinson each Thursday.

COME SOAR WITH US! @sfapaddington

@stfrancisofassisi paddington

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Regional Catholic Primary School

junior news letter

Inter school sport

Throughout the term, Stage 2 and 3 have been participating in inter school sports. The activities that were introduced to our school were: Touch Football and Soccer. Throughout the three weeks, students developed skills like blocking goals, kicking soccer balls, throwing AFL balls and scoring! Everyone had a chance to participate in the games, they tried hard, participated well and had a growth mindset. The referees were high school students from Saint Clares and OLSH. Students looked forward to Tuesdays just to play inter school sports and everyone enjoyed it. Thankyou Mr McPhee and all the other teachers that helped organise this! By Keziah Holt

SOCIAL JUSTICE

This term the Social Justice Committee has been working hard to raise funds for Ukraine by selling ice blocks. The Social Justice team started planning this fundraiser in Term 1. The school has raised $152 for Ukraine. This initiative was brought to the attention of the Social Justice team by Khanyisa in Year 3 who has been working with the committee to get this underway. The team also organised a mission day for Vinnies. The community was asked to bring in food items and containers in order to make snack packs for those in need. The team made an enormous number of snack packs! Thank you to the Social Justice Committee for coordinating all of the activities and their contribution to helping those in need. We also thank the community for your generosity in contributing to these fundraisers. By Dominic Ryan

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Buses were jammed along the side of the road opposite Trumper Park. A mixed rainbow of yellow, green, blue and red spilled out of each bus and loud screams erupted from each student. On the 23rd of May the St Francis of Assisi Primary School Athletics Carnival commenced at Trumper Park. It was quite an intense competition between all house colours because every person was just as determined to win. First off we had the chants. Now we must say it was a very close call. In second place we had a tie with gold and blue but in first place was another tie with green and red. As soon as that was finished everyone moved straight into the 100 metre races. In some races there were only a few milliseconds between first and second place. It was a very tight competition! All the house colours had a great time cheering for their house and the leaders of the school really stepped up to guide their house through the cheers. Next came the 200 metre race with a very close call as well because we almost had a tie again, but overall everyone did a great job just trying their best and participating. It took a while, but finally the time for the 800 metre race had arrived. Everybody was racing so hard that some shoes even fell off. After all that excitement came our personal favourite time of day… Lunch time everyone had chips and hot dogs and all the good stuff. The last couple of events for the day were shot put, long jump, continuous tag and torpedo throw. These were some of the favourite events of the day. All of the classes were able to participate in these events and had so much fun doing so. The last event of the whole day is our personal favourite… THE RELAY RACE! It is where the fastest people from each class in each house compete in a race where they pass a baton to the other side. When we found out who the winners were, we were shocked. The places were Teachers , Parents, Red, Green, Blue and then Gold. Parents and the teachers decided they wanted to have some fun too. Overall, I think all of the kids, parents and teachers had so much fun and are looking forward to the next event. By Clementine and Saskia

Environmental Team This term, the Environmental Group has been working hard to replant the school’s garden beds and educate the school community about ways we can care for the environment. Once our seeds have grown our garden beds will look amazing! The team presented to each class ways that we can care for our school environment. We have introduced the Environmental Awards at weekly assemblies to acknowledge students who demonstrate care for the environment. Some of our new initiatives include: Pickup rubbish Tuesday Compost Wednesday Plastic Free Thursday All of our initiatives are ways to help protect our ocean and environment from pollution. Thank you to everyone in our community for your support and stepping up to protect our beautiful St Francis of Assisi. By: Anastasia Macdondald

school of rock This year I achieved a big accomplishment and dream of mine. You might be thinking, ‘What is this accomplishment?’ I have been fortunate to have been cast as a lead role in the musical School of Rock! This show will be performed in October and I will be performing on Tuesday 11th in both the morning and night show. The show takes place at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW. Being in the School of Rock musical is the best thing that has ever happened to me but it wasn't all easy. I had to record an online video of myself singing a song of the director's choice. I also had an entire script to memorise. After sending in the video and waiting for what seemed like an entire lifetime I received a callback! Callbacks mean they liked your performance and want to know more about you. This meant I had to travel all the way to Burwood to sing, act and talk with other cast members and the directors! That wasn't all, I had to return to Burwood for another callback. Finally I received the call I had been waiting for.. I was on the edge of my seat. The results had come in.. I HAD BEEN SELECTED FOR ONE OF THE MAIN CAST MEMBERS! My parents and I were absolutely ecstatic! Why should you come to see the show? School of Rock (SOR) shows how kids can be free and have fun even if they go to a strict school like in this scenario “Horest Green.” The show involves musicians, dancers, singers, actors, love, drama and lots of humour! We even have some Year 5 and 6 students in the massed choir - Mariah, Aisha, Tessa and Sara! Keep an eye out in the Family Memo for when tickets go on sale. By Alexis Vella

OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

Monday the 15th of May was a delightful experience as we celebrated the feast day of Our Help of Christians, who is also known as the Virgin Mary. To mark the occasion, four students from Year 6 were selected to attend the Our Lady Help of Christians Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. I was fortunate enough to be selected to read a Prayer of The Faithful at the Mass, however, I was quite nervous. Several Sydney Catholic School students and teachers attended the Mass and were eagerly listening in. The Our Lady Help of Christians Mass was a lovely experience and I would love to go again! By Anatasia K

PEER SUPPORT

This term students from K-6 participated in the Peer Support Program called Stronger Together. Every Thursday Stage 3 students organised and taught students from Kindergarten to Year 4 about how to build positive relationships, how to include others, how to lead a group and who to talk to when they feel unsafe. This program was a lot of fun as it allowed students to meet other students they might not have had much to do with. The program also helped develop our leadership skills as we had to organise and teach students. By Celine

GRANDPARENT'S DAY Grandparents are very special people in our lives and as children we should care, acknowledge and love them while we have them. Grandparents are the friends that help guide you though life. It is important to love and care for them because some grandparents are older and go through difficult times which means we need to help and support them through those tough times. On our school’s very special Grandparents Day we commenced with open classrooms, then we celebrated with a whole school Mass and finally the grandparents enjoyed a special morning tea. On this day we interviewed some students about their grandparents:

What do you like about your grandparents? Georgie Yr6: I like how kind, loving and thoughtful they are. Leon Kinder: I like how they play lego with me. Charlotte Yr 3: I like that they are nice. Florence Yr 2: They are kind. Why is this day special to you? Georgie Yr 6: We get to celebrate the important people in our lives who care for us. They deserve so much respect and a day for themselves. Leon Kinder: Because my grandparents came. Charlotte Yr 3: Because my grandparents get to come to school and see all the work that I do. Florence Yr 2: Because I got to see them and I don't get to see them often. What was your favourite part of the morning? Georgie Yr 6: Getting to see my grandmothers who have gone out of their way to see me today. Leon Kinder: Doing the reading. Charlotte Yr 3: When I got to go up stairs and show them the poetry wall. Florence Yr 2: I like spending time with my grandma.

From this we can see how special and meaningful our grandparents are to us. Although they may not always see us or hear us we must be patient. Grandparents and Grandfriends are extremely special and in our opinion we strongly believe that you should make the time you have together worthwhile! By Audrey and Charlotte

PUBLIC SPEAKING This term, our school entered a Public Speaking competition where we competed against different students and different schools in our area. First students from Year 1 to Year 6 participated in an in-school public speaking competition. Two-Three students were selected from each class to represent the stage at the St Francis of Assisi whole school final. I would like to congratulate everyone who participated; whether students proceeded into the next round, or not. It was a tough competition and to compete against your classmates in public speaking is not an easy task and takes great bravery. However, in the end 17 students made it into level two! They were fortunate enough to compete against each other in front of the school, teachers, parents and their fellow competitors. That afternoon, the winners were announced! Congratulations to: ~ Leo Duncan (Year 1) ~ Dylan Blanchard (Year 2) ~ Dulcie Klein (Year 3) ~ Alfred To (Year 4) ~Alessandra Holt (Year 5) ~Lucia Buchanan (Year 6) I was one of the second-round contestants. I personally felt excited, nervous and proud. It takes a lot of practice, commitment and determination to be competing against different schools - That takes guts! On the 27th of June, the six school finalists went on to compete at St Columba's Leichhardt North against five other schools. The competition was fierce with many strong contestants. A special congratulations to Dylan Blanchard in Year 2 who placed third in his stage competition. By: Georgiana Porter

SISTER MARY FRANCES On Monday 23rd of May, we said farewell to our beloved, hardworking, caring and encouraging Sister Mary Frances. Unfortunately, when Sister Mary Frances concluded her time here at our school we couldn’t give her a proper farewell but we invited her back to give her the farewell she deserved. To express our gratitude for Sister Mary Frances, the school designed a shiny silver plaque and dedicated a section of the school to her, which is now called the ‘Sister Mary Francs garden.’ Some Stage 3 students designed a prayer and framed it for her so that she can pray the school prayer anytime she wants. In addition the whole school contributed to making rosary beads. The teachers also selected one student from each class to read out some of the students’ favourite memories of Sister Mary Frances.

It was a dreary day but that didn’t stop us. First thing in the morning, the whole school gathered in the undercroft to commence our farewell for Sister Mary Frances. Right on time she walked through the gates and the farewell began. The school captains said the acknowledgement of the country, the liturgy captain said a prayer and then they handed it over to Sister Mary Frances. Afterwards, she spoke to us and finally the students who were sharing the memories came up and showed how much they each individually loved and appreciated her. To conclude, Sister Mary Frances visited the classrooms to see how we were all going and of course to help the kindergarten students. We will greatly miss Sister Mary Frances and we hope to see her again. Like she said, “It's not goodbye, it's just see you later.” By: Josephine Calas

Wellbeing Week

During week 7 of every term, students from St Francis of Assisi engage in wellbeing activities to build social and emotional skills as well as develop positive school cohesion. A recent event that occurred during Wellbeing Week was “You Can Sit With Me Day”. On this day Stage 3 students worked with their Peer Support group teaching them about the importance of inclusiveness and friendship. Another initiative during Wellbeing Week is a change of homework. Wellbeing Week homework focuses more on social and emotional learning rather than academic activities. Students find this enjoyable and stress free as the tasks are creative, engaging and develop different homework skills. The purpose of wellbeing week isn’t just about caring for yourself, but considering others' wellbeing as well. By Celine

representative sport This term we have had a lot of successful students participate in representative sports. In Term 1 we had students compete in the Sydney Catholic Schools Swimming Championships as well as the Soccer, AFL, Rugby and Netball Trials. Term 2 saw students compete in the Sydney Cross Country Trials. Below is a list of students I interviewed who made it to the Sydney or MacKillop Championships. Sydney Catholic Schools Swimming Championships In Term 1 we had Ella Liu (Year 4) compete at the NSW Catholic Primary Schools Swimming Championships at Sydney Olympic Park. Ella finished 3rd in her heat and 10th overall with one second off her personal best time in the 50m Breaststroke. Congratulations Ella on this amazing achievement and we look forward to seeing you swim again in term 4. Sydney Catholic Schools Cross Country Championships In Term 2 we saw Miles (Year 4) qualify for the Sydney Cross Country Championships. Miles ran a total of 2 kilometres at the challenging Sydney Motorsports Park. What makes this run very impressive is that Miles ran the race with a stitch, whilst many people racing were stopping, Miles continued to keep running. You may be asking what position he finished in? Well, he managed to stay in the middle of the field. Miles was quoted saying, ‘the other people were too talented to keep pace with.’ Not being towards the front didn't dampen his spirits, as he managed to achieve a new personal best. MacKillop Netball Championships Lastly, we have our netball superstar, Estelle Soden-Smith (Year 6). Estelle started playing netball in Year 2 and has since continued to work hard to develop her netball skills. This term Estelle represented Sydney at the MacKillop Championships in Canberra. Estelle has always enjoyed playing netball and the associated friendships that come with it. By Jimmy Walsh

mother's day

On Friday, May 6th, all mothers were invited to a breakfast and celebratory mass at our school. o commence, the mothers were able to attend a special breakfast. It was a break that they all deserved. Then the whole school and the mothers attended a Mother’s Day Mass. One student from every class was chosen by the teacher to write a reflection on their mother. Every reflection contained lovely memories and heartfelt messages that were written from the heart. It was lovely to hear the reflections from the students about their mothers. I definitely know that all mothers enjoyed the day, especially my Mum. By Mariah Moubarak and Annabelle Hughes

COME SOAR WITH US! @sfapaddington

@stfrancisofassisi paddington

Issue No. 1 | Term 2 2022