Term 2 Newsletter 30th May 2025

Principal's Message

WAY TO GO ST FRANCIS…

I really do need to give our St Francis kids a big rap. Throughout this year and especially this week, I have observed some extra-ordinary behaviour from students across all the grades. Especially when you consider last week and the unsavoury weather, also with the principal being away, children can tend to test the boundaries a little more frequently than normal. Our students are certainly setting the tone for the school and our future students.

I am always somewhat hesitant in delivering too much praise for great behaviour, reasons being that we should always expect high standards of respectful behaviour at all times. In other words, it shouldn’t be something that kids do just to get rewarded. Not only should students know what is expected but more importantly understand the benefits of contributing and belonging to a positive school culture. The other reason is that I’m conscious of Murphy’s Law!! 

We are highly aware of the insidious nature of bullying and recent nationwide initiatives to rid this cowardly behaviour which are well worth government funding. I’m pretty sure that there wouldn’t be anyone who disagrees with me – especially those among us who have been on the receiving end over the years. Throughout each term, the staff and I spend time talking to students about the issue... So, here at St Francis de Sales, we take this issue very seriously. “Is there bullying at this school?” is a common question raised at enrolment interviews. I can’t promise any parent that there won’t be a case of bullying here at St Francis de Sales, but what I can promise is that we will never ignore bullying that is reported to us and that as a strong and supportive community we will do all we can to ensure that every student at the school will feel safe.

“Positive Behaviour” and “No Bullying” policies exist and are regularly reviewed. Like all behaviours, I believe they should all be dealt with on an individual basis. From my experience here we have not experienced any severe cases of bullying. More commonly we experience name-calling and teasing that can escalate as parties attempt to have the last word in an argument. Rumours and gossip at times have caused hurt, and this is just not the domain of students. Adults too have been guilty of not checking out the facts. People, young or old, love a story. Whether or not the facts are true often does not matter as much as sharing the story with whoever will listen. This can and does cause people great harm. All of us have a responsibility not to participate in tearing down someone else’s reputation.

Bullying can be insidious and is always destructive. Too often it goes unreported. Far too often, teachers only hear of it after a long period of time has passed and as a result, it is exceedingly difficult to resolve the issue. Most disagreements, perceived relationship issues etc. can be resolved fairly simply if those who can make a difference are informed. It is always better to deal with issues before they go too far. Please encourage your children not to be reluctant to share their concerns.

As I mentioned in newsletter articles, we urge students in the first instance to be resilient. That is, some stuff you just learn to put up with – life and people are not always fair, if however, a pattern develops, and the next skill they need is to be assertive. To learn to say, calmly and directly, “Stop I don’t like that, give it a break!” If then, the perpetrators continue, the inappropriate behaviour needs to be reported.

Everyone needs to expect respect. This is a core element of our beliefs here at St Francis de Sales and is central to our school culture. All of us have a part to play, especially those who witness people being treated unjustly. Every day we say… “try and be the best version of yourself every day and think of those people who are less fortunate than us.” This will lead to encouraging kids to be courageous and call out inappropriate or poor behaviour, especially behaviours that are directed at those who can’t stand up for themselves.

WALKING ADVERTISEMENTS 

As a school, we do what we can in getting the ‘good word’ out about what we do from day to day. Social media platforms, local publications and signage are some of the ways that we try to achieve this. Yet remarkably, for all the resources invested in this worthwhile endeavour, this type of advertising is not the most effective.

When interviews are conducted, we ask our families how they came to hear about us. 95% of the time they tell us it’s you—our parents. Their reasoning for choosing St Francis de Sales School is mostly to do with the fact that they have spoken to a member of our community that has told them about their good experiences. You play the main part in building good experiences with your school.

Thank you for: 

→ Seeing us when you’ve got a concern— Good experiences aren’t always about the ’warm and fuzzies.’ Good experiences can be about how the school responded to a concern of yours regarding your child’s progress.

→ Being engaged in your child’s learning— When you involve yourself by simply asking; “How is my child going?”; you help create relationships that ensure the progress of your child. 

→ Supporting a ‘solutions focused’ way of thinking— any problem involves all parties working together towards a solution. When we support each other, great things can be achieved for your children.

As a part of our community, you are a ‘walking advertisement.’ On behalf of our school community, I thank you for your ongoing support of your children and, in turn, our school.

PREP AND ENROLMENTS FOR 2026

A number of interviews have taken place for Prep 2026. Please continue to promote and talk about our beautiful school within the community. If you know of any families with Prep aged children, please encourage them to make contact with Jennifer in the front office or visit our website https://www.clifton.catholic.edu.au/

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Our annual athletics carnival will look slightly different this year with Day 1 (Wednesday 18 June) being held at St Francis de Sales and Day 2 (Friday 20 June) being held here at St Franci de Sales.

Day 1 (Prep to Year 6) is on Wednesday 18 June and Day 2 will be on Friday 20 June.

Day 1 will consist of 5yrs – 12yrs running a 200m and 8-12 yrs running an 800m.

Day 2 will consist of sprint races for all students including relays, field events for 8yrs to 12yrs (not high jump as it will be run here at St Franics on Tuesday 10 June (8-12yrs Boys and Girls). There will also be ball games for the students as well at the start of the day.

A more detailed information letter will go out next week which will have further explanations of what is happening on these two days.

SCHOOL FEES

Thank you to all the families who maintain a regular financial commitment to the school. Your ongoing support by paying school fees goes a long way to assist the school to meet its financial responsibilities and continuously provide contemporary resources for the students. Families who have fallen behind in payments will be contacted by the school over the next fortnight. To avoid any unnecessary embarrassment, please take the necessary steps to bring yourself up to date with school fees before the amount owed accumulates to an unacceptable level.

CHANGES TO CALENDAR EVENTS:

The list of school events is located on the school’s webpage – https://sfdssclifton.schoolzineplus.com/calendar

This is a great way of keeping up to date with upcoming events. Emails, notifications and Facebook posts will also occur throughout the year to inform and remind you of upcoming events etc. Please see the next couple of events happening very soon: -

Week 7

Fri 6 June – Reconciliation Week Liturgy

Week 8

Tues 10 June – High Jump 8-12yrs – 10:15am start (weather depending)

Wed 11 June – School Officer thank you day

Thurs 12June – Be a preppie morning – 9:00am to 10:00am

Week 9

Wed 18 June - 800/200m/ball games events at St Francis – just our school

Fri 20 June – Athletics Carnival combined with St Francis and St Patrick’s at St Francis

Week 10

Wed 25 June -Semester One Report Cards emailed out to families

Fri 27 June – NAIDOC Celebrations 

Thanks for reading…

Regards,

Mr. Red

Middle Leader News

The teachers are busily teaching and thinking forward to their report cards. These reports will be sent out in Week 10 on Wednesday 25 June and they will summarise your child’s learning so far in 2025. When the teachers make a judgement about your child’s progress, they have used a variety of methods including; tests, work samples, questioning, observations and discussions.   

To clarify, please remember, that a:  

• ‘C’ Overall Grade on the report card means your child is demonstrating the necessary skills and understandings for that part of the curriculum.   

• ‘D’ Overall grade means that your child is on their way! They have not reached the end of year standard at this point in time.   

If your child is going to receive a mark of a D or E, you will be contacted by the teacher before the report card is placed on the Parent Portal.   

If, at any time, you would like to discuss your child’s progress, please email your child’s teacher/s and arrange a meeting. We are in partnership with you! We love to see the growth each, and every child is making, and we understand the importance of sharing this growth with you.   

Mrs. Busiko

Prep/1/2 News

We were excited to attend the Cluster Under 8’s Day this Friday, however the rain had other ideas.  As the cooler weather sets in, please ensure children have their jumpers and jackets clearly named.

This week in Religion, we are exploring God’s covenant—His promise. Through our deep dive into Noah’s Ark, students are reflecting on the importance of keeping promises and the consequences of breaking them. Their insights have sparked thoughtful discussions about honesty and trust.

In Mathematics, students are developing their problem-solving skills using different strategies for addition and subtraction. Prep students are focused on ‘friends of ten’ or rainbow facts, while Year 1/2 learners are exploring the split addition strategy and algorithms. Their confidence in these skills continues to grow as they practice and apply them in their learning.

Mrs. Skillington

Yr. 3/4 News

Exploring Initiation Through Baptism 

This fortnight, students explored baptism as the sacrament of initiation into the Church. Through discussions and reflections, they connected the word ‘initiation’ to their own lives—sporting teams, class groups, and communities—highlighting the shared sense of belonging and growth. 

As a creative response, students designed posters illustrating initiation in both personal and faith contexts, deepening their appreciation of baptism as the foundation of one's journey in the Christian community. 

Exploring Australian Cities Through Research 

This week, students took a deep dive into researching an Australian city of their choice, applying their research skills to then write an insightful report on their chosen city. Students explored a range of information that shapes each city, presenting detailed facts with clarity and organisation. 

Mathematical Learning Experience – Engaging and delicious! 

In Mathematics, students used a block of chocolate to reinforce some of the key mathematical concepts we have been learning about in class. Skills in estimating, measuring, multiplying, dividing, converting units of measurement and finding the perimeter of the block were just some of the skills we revised. Students then opened the block of chocolate and engaged in an interactive problem-solving strategy—working backwards! 

We look forward to more exciting and creative math challenges ahead! 

Mrs. Malbon

Yr. 5/6 News

In Religion, we have been learning who was Jesus and how is he described, represented and shown in the Bible? This is the question that was posed to the Year 5/6 class this week. The students went on a bit of a hunt, to describe the words used.    

During HASS, this week, it was so much fun to try preferential voting and then count the votes! We didn’t know that voting could take so long, and we now understand why it sometimes takes a long time to count votes in a real election.  

We have now begun our movie reviews in English. We have been enjoying hearing all about some other movies during our presentations. Please ensure your student is ready to go for their talk this week!  

Mrs. Busiko

P.E with Mr. Red

Gala Day practise, ball games skills and throwing events have been our focus for the last couple of weeks. We will culminate these activities with our athletics carnival in week 9 (please see information above).  Starting in Week 7, before school Athletics practise will begin at 8am Wednesday and Thursday mornings. All students are able to join in and practise. We will culminate these activities with our athletics carnivals (please see dates above).

Yours in sport,

Mr. Red

Be a Preppie Morning

On Thursday morning, we had the joy of welcoming our 2026 Prep students to St Francis de Sales. The morning was filled with excitement as they joined the welcome circle, settling in and getting to know their new learning environment.

Mrs. Skillington and the P-2 students shared a special story time, reading Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox. The children loved listening to the engaging story.

Hands-on activities were a highlight of the morning! The children had so much fun drawing with chubby paint sticks, navigating the obstacle course, and exploring their creativity through painting. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and eagerness to jump into new experiences.

We look forward to seeing our future Preppies return for more transition opportunities and can’t wait to support them on their learning journey!

Please join us for our next Open Morning 12/06/2025.

Our second Be a Preppie morning is on Thursday 12th June.