Dear Families,

Catholic Athletic Sports - Postponed

Unfortunately, due the expected poor weather conditions tomorrow, Friday 29th August, the Catholic Athletic sports have been postponed and will now be occurring on Wednesday 3rd September.

Parent Information Sessions – You're invited....

We are excited to announce that Catholic Education Sandhurst has partnered with renowned educator and neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath to work directly with our parents, carers, and students.

To kick off this partnership, Dr. Horvath has created three specially prepared video recordings designed to support and engage parents and carers across our Sandhurst community. These sessions focus on how learning happens in the brain and offer practical strategies to support student success at home and school.

The content of the sessions is as follows:

Session 1 – Stress, Tech & Sleep (45 minutes)

Can stress be good for learning & wellbeing?
Is technology supporting or hindering our learning and wellbeing?
What critical role does sleep play in learning and wellbeing?

Session2 – Surviving study (30 minutes)

How does memory work?
How can we help our children to remember what they learn?
Can we multitask?
What can we do to provide a supportive learning environment?

Session 3 – Brain development (45 minutes)

What are the critical periods of brain development in humans?
What causes adolescents to alter their personalities and become greater risk takers?
What can we do to preserve our brain function as we age?

Where

St. Francis of the Fields meeting room. (The Office building)

When

Thursday, 28 August @ 7.30pm
Thursday, 11 September @ 7.30pm
Thursday, 18 September – A link will be shared for this day

If you would like to attend, please feel free to click on this link to register for the sessions:

Dr Jared Cooney Horvath - Parent Sessions

Courage and Codes

Parents and Carers, we are excited to invite you to a special event: ‘Courage and Codes’ – a night designed especially for boys in Years 4–6 and their dads or carers. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Evening Session – Courage and Codes

Who: Year 4, 5 & 6 boys and their dads/carers
When: Wednesday, 3 September at 7:00pm
Where: Community Centre
Duration: Approximately 75 minutes
RSVP: courageandcrowns.com/st-francis-bendigo-codes

We encourage all dads and carers to attend with their sons – it promises to be a meaningful and engaging evening.

As a school, we are committed to supporting the emotional and social development of both our boys and girls. This year, both ‘Courage and Codes’ and 'Courage and Crowns' program will be delivered in-class for all students (Years 4–6), with separate sessions for boys and girls:

Classroom Sessions – Courage and Codes & Courage and Crowns

Monday, 1 September

Year 5: 12:30–1:30pm (separate sessions for boys and girls)
Year 6: 2:20–3:20pm (separate sessions for boys and girls)

Wednesday, 3 September

Year 4: 12:30–1:30pm (separate sessions for boys and girls)

While the night session is only for boys and their dads/carers this year, both boys and girls will participate in the full program during school hours.

Father's Day events

Father's Day Stall - Wednesday 3rd September

Our Father’s Day Stall will be held on Wednesday 3 September. All gifts are $6 each and payments must be made on CDF Pay. We ask that children only pay for and take one gift for their special father figure.

Special thanks to our Parents & Friends for coordinating the Father’s Day stall, especially Kate Fraser, Megan Merrett & Nicole Emmerson.

Father’s Day Breakfast & Mass – Friday 5th September

We’re excited to invite all dads, grandads, and father figures to our annual Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday 5th September! It’s a wonderful way to start the day together and celebrate the special role fathers play in our lives.

Breakfast kicks off at 8:00am – swing by for a delicious egg and bacon roll, a hot drink, and some great company. It’s a relaxed and friendly morning, and we’d love to see you there!

Following breakfast, we’ll gather for a Father’s Day Mass with our Year 4–6 students, a chance to reflect, give thanks, and celebrate the gift of family and faith.

We hope you can join us for this special morning – it’s one of the highlights of our school year!

Repeat - Important Message: Student Safety Before and After School

Over the past month, we’ve become increasingly concerned about student safety during drop-off and pick-up times. Unfortunately, we have observed a growing number of parents and carers speeding into our school grounds and disregarding the clearly posted speed limits.

There have already been several near-misses, and we are deeply worried that it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

We are asking – pleading – with our school community to take this seriously. Please slow down, be respectful of others, and follow all traffic rules when entering and exiting the school grounds. Your actions have a direct impact on the safety of our students, staff, and families.

Let’s work together to ensure that our school remains a safe environment for everyone.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Repeat - Finalising 2026 school numbers

It is at this time of year that we begin to forecast how many students will be attending our school in 2026. These forecasts are very important as they tell our Advisory Council how many classes will be required for 2026. This of course impacts on how many teachers are required.

Subsequently, I ask that all parents advise Tim Moloney if children will be leaving St. Francis of the Fields at the end of 2025. Thank you.

Shed Unavailability

The shed will be unavailable for training use on the following dates in Term 3:

Tuesday 2 Sept - Yr 6 Life Relationships Evening (afterschool training affected)
Thursday 4 Sept - Father's Day Mass setup (afterschool training affected)

Assembly

2S & 2HL will lead our next school assembly on Friday 12 September from 2.45pm in the Shed. All parents, grandparents and guardians are most welcome to attend.

Christ has no hands but yours.

Tim Moloney | Principal

Community News.....