Dear Families,

Stranger danger

I have been notified by a parent that a man driving a white van had been offering money to a number of children over the weekend at the Strathfieldsaye 7/11.

It would appear that a number of our boys have been targeted and several have taken the money offered.

Police have been advised of this concerning behavior.

I implore parents to speak with their children about stranger danger and what steps they should take to ensure their safety.

I spoke with our Year 5 & 6 students on Wednesday afternoon and have spoken with the Year 3 & 4's this afternoon.

School Closure Day - Wed 3rd Dec - Mgr. Frank Marriott Funeral Wake

The following arrangements will mean that St. Francis of the Fields will need to hold a School Closure Day on Wednesday 3 December.

Monsignor Frank Marriott's funeral will be held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Wednesday 3 December at 1.00pm, followed by the wake in the St. Francis of the Fields Monsignor Francis K Marriott Multi-Purpose Centre (The Shed) - how appropriate!

Many people will want to attend this funeral and wake; however, the Chancery and CESL are concerned that there will not be enough parking to cater for the numbers at the funeral, the number of visitors to the school site and the requirements for catering and refreshments, and toilet facilities for attendees. St. Francis of the Fields will be the hub where attendees will park their cars, and buses will take attendees to the Cathedral from 11am onwards. The buses will then return attendees to St. Francis of the Fields for the wake.

This will mean that there will be no access to the “shed” from Tuesday 2 December as catering will commence setting up from 3.30pm onwards. This will also mean that sporting teams cannot use the “shed” on both December 2 & 3.

I understand that these changes are challenging, but by keeping our children offsite will ensure they remain safe while we have so many visitors present on our school site.

Please keep Monsignor Frank Marriott and our parish priests in your prayers.

Repeat - Parents & Friends and Advisory Council - End of Year Meal & Gathering

All parents, who have contributed to our Parents & Friends Community and our School Advisory Council, are invited to attend a meal on Thursday 4 December to celebrate all that has been achieved in 2025.

Where: School meeting room

When: Thursday 4 December @ 6.30 - 8.30pm

BYO: Own drinks

Meal will be provided by Fiona Thompson

Please let the school know if you would like to attend so we can cater appropriately.

Please email on office@sfstrathfieldsaye.catholic.edu.au to clarify numbers attending and any dietary requirements.

Please note that there will be no further P & F meetings or Advisory Council meetings for 2025.

Orientation Day

Orientation Day will be held for all children on Tuesday 9 December. All children from Year 1 to Year 6 will be placed in their 2026 classes from 11.30am. Children will be taken to their new 2026 classroom for a 11.45am start. New families to our school in Year 1-6 will be greeted out the front of the school and escorted to their classrooms.

I ask the parents of our Foundation students to bring our 2026 Foundation students to the shed at 11.50am on Tuesday 9 December. Please move to where the 4 coloured balloons are - they will have the 4 class lists explaining who the class teacher for your child will be.

Your child’s class teacher will be standing by the matching coloured balloon nearby. Please introduce your child and yourselves to the class teacher. Your child will then be taken to their 2026 classroom by their teacher. I ask that the parents remain in the shed for our information session.

Tuckshop Ordering

We are asking all families to please remind their children to bring their tuckshop bag on the days they are ordering from Tuckshop.

Every week, the tuckshop staff are having to write out over 120 paper bags because children have forgotten their bag. Reusable tuckshop bags are available to order from CDF Pay.

Library Borrowing

Library borrowing will end this week (end of week 8).

All library books will need to be returned during week 9 to enable us to complete a stocktake/audit.

Please encourage your children to locate any books they may have at home ready to be returned.

If you have any concerns/questions about books that may not be able to be located, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me - Sue Johns - sjohns@sfstrathfieldsaye.catholic.edu.au

I hope your children have enjoyed their reading this year.

Shed Unavailability

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

Thursday 27 Nov (Evening) - St Kilian's School Concert
Tuesday 2 Dec - Set up for Funeral Wake
Wednesday 3 Dec - Mgr Frank Marriott - Funeral Wake
Thursday 11 Dec - Yr 6 Graduation Mass

Term 4 School Closure Days & Public Holidays

Please note that our school will be closed on the following days:

Wednesday 2 December - Funeral Wake for Mgr Frank Marriott
Wednesday 17 December - 2025 Planning Day (Last day of the school year for teachers)

This means the last day of the school year for our children will be Tuesday 16 December. The school will finish at 3.20pm on this day.

Assemblies

Our next assembly will be held on:

Friday 28 Nov @ 2.45pm - Fdn Unit presenting

Christ has no hands but yours.

Tim Moloney | Principal

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