Principal Update

 Updates from the Leadership Team

Dear Parents, Care Givers, Students, Staff and Friends of St Francis' Primary School,

What an amazing term it has been for our students at St Francis’ Primary School! The learning and behaviour continue to flourish, and our staff and students have certainly earned their term break!

Last week’s Harvest Festival was a beautiful celebration for our school community, capturing the spirit of our region beautifully. My heartfelt thanks to our Parents and Friends Committee and to Kerry Conroy for the hours of work they put into the day. A big thanks to the friends and families that joined us at school as well.

If you wish to enrol your child in Foundation for 2027, please use the Enrol Now button on our website- https://www.sfnathalia.catholic.edu.au/

All enrolments are now conducted online through the Enquiry Tracker program. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at the school (5866 2271) for a tour or assistance with the enrolment process.

Please continue to share your questions about the amalgamation of SMOTA and St Francis’ PS with us via the following link

PARENT QUESTION FORM – Fill in form

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Amalgamation

Will Primary School students travel on the SMOTA buses?

This is an important question that has been raised by a number of families and is being carefully considered by Catholic Education Sandhurst. A key priority of St Mary of the Angels College is to ensure that we continue to support and protect the viability of our Catholic feeder primary schools, and the important role they play within our broader community. Further consideration is being given to how our SMOTA bus system may support primary-aged students seeking access to Catholic education at the St Francis Primary campus. Nathalia based students wishing to attend St Francis Primary will continue to access the government bus system. At this stage, no final decision has been made regarding primary student access to SMOTA bus services. Once a decision has been reached, it will be communicated clearly to families and the broader community.

Will the uniform change?

At present, the uniform will remain the same at both campuses for 2027. In future, a sub-committee will be developed to consider any potential uniform change. Will secondary students and primary students share the yard / bathrooms / classrooms? No. The existing St Francis Primary campus will remain out of bounds for secondary students unless accompanied by a teacher for a planned activity. Similarly, the secondary campus will be out of bounds to the primary students, unless attending a planned and supervised activity.

Is the amalgamation a financial decision?

While there are definite advantages to streamlining operations between the two campuses, the overarching decision to amalgamate has been made to maximise our ability to provide a strong, supported educational experience for students. Each of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Primary bring strong financial assets to the amalgamation, and we look forward to being able to better utilise these resources to provide facilities and programs for all F-12 students.

Will St Mary of the Angels still enrol students at Year 7?

St Mary of the Angels will certainly continue to enrol students at Year 7. We are very proud of our SMOTA bus system that enables us to bring students from a significant number of feeder primary schools across a wide geographic region, and we work hard to build community with these students and their families. Our targeted Transition program allows incoming students the opportunity to become familiar with the school, our facilities, expectations and offerings, our staff and programs. Students from other year levels are also welcomed at either the Primary or Secondary campuses. Please enquire at any stage if you have an enrolment query.

Is there the potential to have an onsite before and after school care service?

This is not in our initial plans but remains an option for the future.

Please note the student free days coming up this term and in term 3 listed on the calendar.

With peace & joy

 Chris Dainton