Catholic Identity
Blessing of the Animals & St Francis of Assisi Awards
We are just a week away from one of the biggest occasions in the St. Francis of The Fields Calendar. Here are some details about the day!
When: Friday 17 October @ 9.15 am
(until 10.15am approx.)
- Where: Basketball Court
- Who: Everyone, especially our beloved pets!
We will celebrate St Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day on Friday 17 October. A part of the Feast Day celebration will be the Blessing of the Animals. We invite our school families to bring along their pets to be blessed. Students can bring along a photo of the pet to be blessed if they are unable to bring along their pet or if their pet has died. It is important to note some safety requirements that we need to be mindful of for our Feast Day celebrations:
1. Pets must be on leads and small animals would be best left in their cages for safety
2. Parents must remain with pets at all times, especially the larger dogs. Parents are invited to sit with their child and pet amongst the class group.
3. We ask that large dogs are kept to the edge of our gathering area around the basketball court. Your child can sit with you.
4. All pets are to be taken home at the conclusion of the awards.
Following the Blessing of Animals, the St Francis of Assisi Awards are presented to two recipients from each year level. One boy and one girl will be recognised for their work in emulating the charism of St Francis throughout the year. Each student will receive an award and a beautiful citation written by their teacher to illustrate how they live out the Gospel values as St Francis did. We hope to see you all there with your beloved animals.
All are welcome!
Sporting Colours Day
Condolences to Geelong fans on the loss over the school holiday period. A huge congratulations to Brisbane Lions/Fitzroy supporters for an incredible performance in this year’s Grand Final. Going back-to-back is a remarkable achievement!
On the last day of Term 3, we celebrated Sporting Colours Day, where students dressed up in their favourite sporting team or sport. It was wonderful to see such a vibrant display of colours—even some students proudly wore their horse-riding gear!
A big thank you to the St. Francis of The Fields community for your generous donations. We raised over $720 for the Opening Doors Foundation! This contribution will go a long way in supporting families seeking educational opportunities for their children.
Socktober - Friday 31 October
Later this month, we’ll be running our annual Socktober fundraiser. Socktober invites us to make a difference in the lives of children and families in Zambia. In previous years, our donations have helped raise vital funds and awareness for those in need. This year’s theme is “Kick Goals for Good.”
We’re asking all students to wear crazy socks to school on Friday, 31st October to show their support.
Donations to be made via CDF Pay (from Thursday 23 Oct) — just like lunch orders and other fundraisers we’ve run throughout the year. We’re asking for a gold coin donation to help support this important cause.
For more information, please feel free to watch this video:
Memorial Service
On Friday 7 November at 11:45 am, we will hold our Memorial Ceremony at the Memorial Garden.
During the ceremony, we will remember and pray for our loved ones who have died and will always hold a special place in our hearts. All are invited to join us for the ceremony.
We ask our school families to please contact Dave Waters:
dwaters@sfstrathfieldsaye.catholic.edu.au by Friday 10th October, if they have a family member that has passed away and they would like them to be considered for inclusion on the Memorial Wall.
Eligibility for the Memorial Wall:
Present and past staff
Immediate family of a child whilst enrolled in the school.
Present students and their siblings and past students.
Families of St Francis of the Fields School can have their loved ones included retrospectively in keeping with 1, 2 and 3.
Families who have had loved ones die in the past twelve months or represented on the Memorial Wall will be invited to the Remembrance Liturgy.
A period of 12 months for grieving and reflection is recommended before a plaque will be placed on the wall.
Dave Waters
Catholic Identity Leader