Principal Update

An update from our Principal

A Prayer of Gratitude for Grandparents

Loving and gracious God,

Today we pause to give thanks for the grandparents in our lives —those who have nurtured us with unconditional love, guided us with quiet wisdom, and shown us the beauty of faith lived daily.

We thank You for their presence in our families and communities, for the stories they share, the traditions they pass on, and the gentle strength they offer in times of joy and challenge.

Bless all grandparents — those near and far, those still with us and those who now rest in Your eternal peace. May their legacy of love continue to shape our hearts and inspire us to live with compassion, patience, and grace.

Help us, Lord, to honour them not only with words, but with lives that reflect the values they hold dear. May we always cherish their wisdom and walk gently in the footsteps they’ve laid before us.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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

I hope that the Melbourne Cup long weekend provided a short reset for our students so that they are ready for a strong finish to the year. Melbourne Cup Monday was used by staff for curriculum planning to ensure that our programs are targeted to the specific needs of our learner cohort. 

Last week I was able to visit our F/1 class to join in their InitialLit program where I was particularly impressed by the ability of our Grade 1 students to identify the two different sounds that the letter ‘c’ can make in the word ‘circus’. It is incredibly pleasing to see that these early Literacy programs are having real impact on the learning and skill development of our youngest students, and I look forward to joining other classes through the term. 

As I left one classroom, I was attracted by the cooking aromas emanating from our kitchen where I found our Grade 6 students cooking dumplings and fried rice, with muffins cooling alongside. I was especially excited to see the number of parent volunteers involved. Their presence enabled each student to be actively involved in different aspects of the program, helping to develop life skills and making the connection between what is grown in the garden and the food that is prepared. Knowing the commitments of our community members, I am particularly grateful to parents and family members who are able to find time to support our school programs. 

Unfortunately I missed Grandparents Day this week as I attended a Principals’ network meeting, but I trust that our students were excited to show their grandparents and significant people our school facilities and to inspect samples of work. Thank you to the staff who organised and supported the Day and welcomed our community in to share the achievements of our student body.  Thank you, also, to those families who joined us to share in the joy of learning and show their support for their younger family members. I look forward to similar events that can bring our community together in a spirit of learning and togetherness.

Next week we welcome our 2026 Foundation students for the first of their Transition visits. This is an important program to ensure the seamless transition to primary school. It is our ambition that these newest students go to the Christmas holidays with any nerves or uncertainties eased as they know what to expect for day one of 2026. 

The SIMON outage, impacting access to the Parent Access Module (PAM) and the mobile app SIMON Everywhere, continues while SIMONSchools work toward increasing security measures for all users of the platform. We appreciate the inconvenience caused while PAM is offline, and ask that you please continue to contact the school office to log a student absence or to update any important information. This outage affects all SIMON schools across Victoria, and we will certainly keep you updated as we are able.

Peace and blessings,

Bev Thorp

Acting Executive Principal