Principal's Update
Dear Families,
Tomorrow, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption with a whole school mass to be celebrated from 9.15am in the shed. All parents are most welcome to attend. Please arrive 5 minutes early so that we can commence on time. In addition, dress warmly as our ‘shed’ is rather fresh in the mornings.
I share with you a prayer about our Mother Mary...
Prayer for the Feast of the Assumption
Loving God,
As we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, we thank You for the gift of Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother too. Mary trusted You with all her heart and always said “yes” to Your call. Through her Assumption into Heaven, we are reminded of the hope and joy You promise to all Your people.
Help us to follow Mary’s example by being kind, faithful and caring towards others each day. May we listen to Your word, serve those in need and share Your love with our families, friends and school community.
Bless all the children, staff and families of our school. Fill our hearts with peace, courage and hope as we walk together in faith.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Book Week – next week
Our Book Fair remains open all week so that our children and parents can purchase beautiful books to read.
Sale times are:
- Tuesday 19 Aug – 8.15-8.50am & 3.20-3.45pm
- Wednesday 20 Aug – 8.15-8.50am & 3.20-3.45pm
- Friday 22 Aug – 8.15-8.50am & 3.20-3.45pm
- Monday 25 Aug – 8.15-8.50am & 3.20-3.45pm
- Tuesday 26 Aug – 8.15-8.50am & 3.20-3.45pm
On Friday 21 August we will hold our Dress Up Book Parade at 9.15am on the basketball courts. Please help your child prepare for this day – all parents are most welcome to stay for the Book Parade which will be held on the external basketball courts. During this time our children will also be voting for their favorite books with prizes to be won.
None of this could have been possible without the tireless work of Sue Johns our librarian. Thank you, Sue!!
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.
Finalising 2027 school numbers
It is at this time of the year that we begin to forecast how many students will be attending our school in 2027. These forecasts are very important as they tell our Advisory Council how many classes will be required for 2026. This of course impacts how many teachers are required.
Subsequently, I ask that all parents advise Tim Moloney -
tmoloney@sfstrathfieldsaye.catholic.edu.au if children will be leaving St. Francis of the Fields. Thank you.
2027 Enrolments – Limited numbers available
I am letting our families know that we have limited enrolment positions for students in 2027 in the following year levels:
- Year 2,
- Year 3,
- Year 4, and
- Year 5.
If you know of any parents wishing to enrol their children, please forward them to our school website and complete the enrolment for application form.
Parents & Friends Meeting
Our next P & F meeting will be held on Thursday 20 August at 7.30pm in our staff room. All parents are most welcome to attend.
Thank you!!!
A heartfelt thank you to Andrew and Jess McKinley for the generous loan of their Compactor Machine. This machinery was used to improve the walking tracks at our Oasis Garden, making it a fully accessible area for everyone.
Shed Unavailability
The shed will be unavailable for training use on the following dates in Term 3:
- Thursday 13 August (after school) - Set up for Assumption Mass on Friday 14 August
- Thursday 3 September (after school) - Set up for Father's Day Mass on Friday 4 September
- Thursday 10 September (after school) - School Disco
Assembly
3R & 3BH will lead our next school assembly on Friday 14 Aug from 2.45pm in the Shed. All parents, grandparents and guardians are most welcome to attend.
Kind Regards,
Tim Moloney
Principal
St Francis School Choir success
On Tuesday 4th August, our 46-member strong, Grade 4/5 choir headed to the Ulumbarra Theatre to compete in the Peter Ryall Memorial School Choir Competition. There were seven schools across four categories, ours being the Primary Level Novice Choirs.
It was nerve wracking being the second choir to compete as we were warming up during the first performance. The students were visibly excited yet did a fantastic job at keeping quiet as we moved through the theatre, into place.
Once on stage I was blown away with their focus, diction and quality of sound. I was not surprised, however very pleased, when we received the Gold Standard certificate along with some lovely feedback from the adjudicator- Doug Heywood OAM. Each student went away with a ribbon, a medallion and a huge sense of pride in representing our school so brilliantly.
Bravo to all involved and thank you to Mrs Brohm and Mrs Bone for coming along with us, as well as the parents and friends in the audience.
Please join us at assembly tomorrow, if you are able to, as we celebrate our achievement by sharing a song with you all.
Stacie Mason
Music teacher