From the Principal
Celebrating our Special Octogenarian!!!
It is certainly an extraordinarily rare extra special event that would possibly never happen in schools. However this week we were delighted to gather as a staff to celebrate the 80th Birthday of a staff member!!!
Femia is a much loved staff member, who has been part of the St Francis de Sales family almost from the time that the school commenced. In all those years Femia has been a dedicated and passionate teacher supporting our children who needed a little bit of extra help in learning to read. Femia has made a massive difference to countless young lives and got them started on their reading journey. Femia is the bright ray of sunshine who comes into school for just two hours each morning to share her expertise and make a difference.
It certainly is not everyday that we get to celebrate a staff member who has turned 80 and in fact it is a first. So celebrate we did on Tuesday 4th August. We wish Femia a very Happy 80th Birthday from all of us at St Francis de Sales, Lynbrook. May God bless her always. We are so grateful that Femia is part of our school family.
Planning for 2027
We have commenced the process of planning and setting budgets for 2027. We have increased numbers for Prep 2027 with just a couple of spaces left as well as new enrolments at other year levels, with some starting this year and others in the new year.
We ask families who are not planning to return to St Francis de Sales in 2027 to please notify the school Office by the 10 August to assist with our planning .
Parent Initiative - Family Community Spirit
We are excited to announce that the School Advisory Council have introduced the idea of family members being able to contribute to the Community Spirit Award. An excellent idea not only to recognise the fact that family members add to the SFS Community Spirit by their actions but also contribute to our school community in a very tangible way.
In order for family members to contribute towards the Community Spirit Award, points will be given out for a variety of events where Community Spirit is demonstrated through parents and other family members assisting or doing a job at a school event:
- Assisting with excursions, sporting events…
Assisting with P&F events – Fun Lunch Days, Mother’s Day Stall, Father’s Day Stall and breakfast, icy poles, uniform shop, discos…
Teachers will record names of parents assisting with excursions and sporting events. For P&F events there will be a sheet near the iPad at the office where you sign in, to provide your details which will include the event you attended and the specific job you were allocated. For any out of school time events such as Mini Vinnies Soup & Chat Night, Disco, Movie Night, the person running the event will have a sheet for you to complete.
It’s fantastic that family members will be able to add to our Community Spirit points and regular updates will be provided via afternoon reminders and the newsletter about family contributions to our Community Spirit Award.
Let's have some FUN!! Thank you for your support of our school.
MACSSIS 2026
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS): will be held from the 31 August –18 September 2026
We encourage all parents to take a few minutes to provide us your feedback and support as we use this information from students, staff and parents to set our goals and to improving our school.
Letter regarding the MACSSIS Survey to our parents.
Our Deepest Condolences
The St Francis de Sales School Community is deeply saddened by the news of the sudden passing of Danny Coyles a past parent of three of our St Francis de Sales students, Tiernan, Orin and Caolan. The funeral service for Danny was held at St Kevin's Church on Friday. Our deepest condolences to Clare, Tiernan, Orin and Caolan and all their Australian and Irish extended family at this very sad time.
May God wrap His loving arms around you as you grieve the loss of Danny.
Prep Enrolments for 2027 and 2028
Absences via nForma only
Please notify the school of your child's absence via the nForma portal. You can no longer use the Absence Form on the School App. We encourgae all parents to us nForma as it saves multiple handling of the information. Thanks for your assistance in making this transition.
Let's go Fishing with Little Angler Kits
The Victorian Fisheries Authority want more kids to catch a new hobby - fishing - because it’s a healthy and active pastime that gets them into the great outdoors, experiencing nature with friends and family.
To make that happen, the Victorian Government is giving away 82,500 Little Angler Kits to grade 5 primary students in 2026, funded by recreational fishing licence fees. These complement 95,000 kits distributed back in 2023/24.
Each kit includes a fishing rod, reel with line, tackle box with hooks, lead-free sinkers, swivels and a lure, along with a Kids Guide to Fishing – all FREE!
The Victorian Fisheries Authority kid-friendly web hub has lots of useful information and instructional videos with advice on how and where to use Little Angler Kits.
The Little Anglers Kits have arrived at St Francis de Sales. They will go home with every Grade 5 students next week. This is timed to occur just before the September term break, when thousands of catchable rainbow trout are stocked into local lakes across the state. So Let's go Fishing and catch on to a great outdoor leisure activity.
Looking forward to a very HAPPY weekend. Wishing you and your family a great one.
Christine White
Principal