From the Principal

His Grace Archbishop Peter Comensoli.

Blessed and Officially Opened Our

Multipurpose Building and Garden.

Click on the photo above for the video shown as part of our opening ceremony.

We were honoured that Dr Edward Simons, the Executive Director of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) visited St Francis de Sales to participate in the blessing and official opening.

The Unveiling of the Plaque

The Cutting of the Ribbon

The Blessing of the Multipurpose Building

So Proud....

Our Blessing and opening of our Multipurpose Building was an amazing day in our school history. We were so honoured to have the Archbishop Peter Comensoli present to Bless and open the building. In addition we had the Executive Director of MACS, Dr Edward Simons and Fr Fabian participate in the official ceremony. The hall was full as many special guests, from central and regional MACS staff, Fr Des, Fr Shanthaiah the Parish Priest when the school commenced, architects, builders, principals, teachers and former and present staff, parents, grandparents and students attended this historic event. They were all so impressed with our school. From the Archbishop Comensoli, to the Executive Director and many, many special guests. I received so many compliments about our school and our students. Our students have made us so proud. People complimented our children on their beautiful singing, the way they prayed, the way they behaved and the beautiful atmosphere they felt from the moment they walked through the doors and were greeted by our seniors. Many said it was the BEST opening ceremony they had been to and some even had tears in their eyes. My heart is bursting with pride.

I thank all our students from the bottom of my heart for being so shining like brilliant stars. I thank all our staff, everyone played an important role in making this day so special. Huge thanks to Rozeta, for her coordination of the service, Kristy for the coordination of the choir, Joanna, for countless tasks she completed right up to late last night and finally Ange, for being her brilliant self and being the huge support that she always is to ensure the BEST outcomes for our school. We are so lucky to have such an amazing school. Thank you to each and everyone.

Our P&F completed a great day by a special treat of a raspberry smoothie at second lunch. A well deserved treat. Thanks to our P&F.

It was an extra special day and so wonderful that we had so many people join us for the celebration. Thank you.

Bloom where you are planted.

Bloom where you are planted. Is a very famous quote from St Francis de Sales.

With careful nurturing this school has certainly grown and flourished since it opened in 2010. It took pioneers with strong faith, educational vision, courage and good judgment to create the opportunities and discern the possibilities for our students to excel in this contemporary Catholic school.

It is not what we are able to accomplish for ourselves in this world that counts, but what we leave behind us, to assist others who will take our places, to enable them to flourish with greater success because of the foundations we have laid for them. The school blossoms today because of the solid foundations laid by great leaders. Today we acknowledge Des Dalton the school’s inaugural principal whose leadership, passion, professionalism and efforts over the first seven years of the school’s 14 year history, has been instrumental in the outstanding school we all enjoy today. We have indeed inherited a gem. We thank Des and all who were involved in the journey with Des when the school began, the staff, the students, the community and Fr Shanthaiah, for the important role they have played in this school’s story.

The sculpture beside the yarning circle in our new garden captures our vision of being a faith community animated by love. The cross is grounded and emanates from a rock, a solid foundation. It stands for all to see.The intertwined connected circles within our St Francis de Sales cross represent our community past, present and future, our relationship to one another and our story within our Catholic faith community here in Lynbrook. We each are an important part of the fabric of this story. Artist Marty from Juet Sculptures, was able to embody the importance of continuity, connection and community relationships in the artwork. For the child at the foot of the cross to thrive it requires a community working in partnership to inspire and empower our students to be their best selves, filled with hope for their unique capacity to make a difference.

A school is not just an island itself; it is part of the wider community: We need opportunities to come together, to connect, expand networks and partnerships so that we can thrive. A community gathering space within a school is a necessity and it was always in our master plan. While we have made do with the facilities we have,we have always known there was a vital need for this new building. We now have an aesthetically beautiful and highly functional multipurpose community space. A place to gather for liturgy, sport, performing arts and to meet. A place for learning and for entertainment. We are particularly thrilled with a new office in the hub of the school and a music centre that is now part of the main school building.

We are grateful to the Capital grants team for listening to our needs. So thankful for the support of Fr Albert, Fr Des and from MACS as we persevered through the process to adjust and refine our application. We were so overjoyed when we were finally successful in receiving a grant so that our dream and vision for a community gathering space could become a reality.

We are grateful for the brilliant design work you see all around you from our architects Baldasso Cortese. We acknowledge Steve Cortese, Rebecca and Katsurra. Their design was brought to fruition by Fimma Constructions and we thank Adrian Artico, Adrian Seymour, Arpad, Jun and Bob our site manager who so ably managed the project, with great consideration for the needs of the school. We appreciate the leadership and calm, considered professional guidance from Ashlee Rinaldi MACS Capital Delivery Officer throughout the project.

Finally, I would like to thank Angela Faiola our Deputy Principal for walking the journey of this project with me every step of the way and for her passion to achieve the best outcomes for our school. Thanks also to the staff and students who have lived and worked beside a building site, who have managed the changes with great cheerfulness and resilience, and who helped to pick green as the colour for this building.

With the opening of this new multipurpose building today, we begin a new era. I am confident that we will build on the strong foundation laid. I know the school will fully utilise the enhanced facilities and the diverse educational experiences this building will offer to all - both our students and the wider community. I trust that we will continue to live our vision of being a faith community animated by love, inspiring innovation, confidence and empowering learners to develop as responsible and respectful members of society, “ to be who they are, and be that perfectly well.”

We are blessed to have this new facility.

The Federal Member for Holt Cassandra Fernando and the State Member for Narre Warren South Gary Maas, Join our architect Steve Cortese, Fr Des and the Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli.