From the Principal
2023 Annual Report to the Community
I am delighted to provide the 2023 Annual Report to the School Community (ARSC). The report will also be available on the school website and can also be downloaded from the Victorian State Register. The report was completed in Semester one and sent to MACS. It has now been released for publication.
EduTECH 2024
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Angela (Deputy Principal), Taryn ( Digital Technology teacher) joined me as we attended the EduTech 2024 Conference at the Melbourne Convention centre. We were joined by educators across all sectors of education and from across the country and overseas. We always make it a priority to attend EduTech each year in order to meet with experts across the world and to keep abreast of best practice in education, emerging technology and to network with those in the know to ensure we can apply the best practice for our students and staff at St Francis de Sales.
This year's EduTECH did not disappoint and has given us alot of information to consider. As expected there was alot of dialogue about the emergence of AI. We were introduced to alot of new apps for us to trial and consider, some free and some at a cost. There were certainly apps and devices that we will trial and consider for use. Some devices we will go ahead and purchase such as document cameras to make the presentation and demonstration of work by students and teachers easier. We were also keen to add to our STEM resources and expand what we do for coding and robotics. There was a vast number of new ideas that we are excited to pursue. We will begin some trials this year with the prospect of implementation in 2024. We were excited about the possibilities and know there were great opportunities to further support student engagement and learning.
MACSSIS 2024
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) are conducted annually for schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s MACSSIS window is from Monday 2 September to Friday 20 September 2024.
MACSSIS is a low impact, high return set of tools for creating, collecting, analysing, interpreting and using data to inform Catholic school improvement. MACSSIS produces perception data. This data tells us about what different people in a school community think and feel about their learning environment.
Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress.
A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys.
Further information will be provided in coming weeks. We encourage our families to participate in this confidential feedback. As a school we evaluate and adjust and change our plans informed by data we gather. MACSSIS data is a key source on information that informs our school improvement and our 2025 Annual Action plans.
We are pleased to advise you that our school has engaged Semper Dental to provide your children with the opportunity of visiting the dentist at school commencing on Friday 6 September 2024.
Semper Dental is a well-respected catholic family business and is a significant provider of oral hygiene education and dental treatment services with programs running in more than 70 schools in greater Melbourne.
The program is available to participating students from all year levels at the school. The basis of this offer will be fully explained in the Semper Dental parent consent forms and in the Semper Dental information flyer.
Semper Dental provides a preventative treatment program involving an oral examination and treatments such as scale, cleaning, fluoride application and fissure seals where necessary.
Semper Dental will then provide you with a treatment plan for your child following the visit and will inform you if your child requires additional dental care.
Further information and parent consent forms were sent home this week. Please complete the consent form to enable your child to participate in this new initiative.
On a Personal Note
It has been a tricky few days in our home. My husband has been ill and we also received the very sad news of the death of his younger brother Sean White. Sean had been battling cancer for the past three and a half years and only a month ago was taken off chemo. We had planned a trip to Dublin this September to see him. However very unexpectedly, Sean passed away a lot quicker than everyone expected. Life is precious and it is important to make the most of every day. RIP Sean.
I thank Ange for her support during my absence last week and on Monday and Thursday this week. The funeral for Sean was held on Wednesday night and thanks to technology we were able to participate with family.
I am reminded of a quote from Abraham Lincoln, “And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count but the life in your years.”
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there's despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness only light
And where there's sadness ever joy
Christine White
Principal