From the Principal

Our Mother's Day 2022 celebration was a huge success! It was great to see so many mothers and grandmothers join in a lovely morning tea. Well done to our P&F for organising this lovely event. It was great to catch up face to face on such a lovely occasion. Morning tea was delicious, great company and lovely ambiance. Money raised from the raffle goes to Cancer Council. Thanks to all who helped and donated prizes. 

Our children look forward to purchasing their own Mother's Day gift from our very own Mother's day Gift shop at SFS. I heard of at least one child who did not spend their money on buying pop-corn today, so they could have 50c more to spend on their mum!! How precious is that? A little heart of gold. Every child I spoke to was very excited with their purchase and plan to surprise their mum on Sunday. Thanks again to the P&F for all the work that goes into organising this special event.

Congratulations to our Bronze Medalist!!

Congratulations to our St Francis de Sales students who represented our school at District Cross Country on Wednesday and came third out of ten schools who competed. We are so proud of each student who competed and did their very BEST! Well done.

Sun Sails even in the Rain!

The winter chills hit us all on a cold and wet Wednesday this week. However our spirit could not be dampened, as work commenced for our new sunsails outside Learning Space 2!! We arrived at school to see that work had commenced on the post holes. By second lunch time the poles were in place and before we knew it, the concrete pour was done. Measurements were then taken for the large sails that will be installed and the colour was selected. What will it be??? In just five weeks before the end of this term we will have our sunsails!! All of this was made possible thanks to a Victorian Government Grant to schools. I know they will be put to good use for outdoor learning, lunch time play and for community events.

Staff News

Just before the holidays Logan Wilson our Digital Technology teacher informed me that he was unable to continue teaching at St Francis de Sales as he had to move house and the commute to Lynbrook was no longer viable. Logan has been on staff for just 5 terms. He is currently on medical leave and will not be returning to SFS. We wish him well for the future.

The position was advertised over the holidays and we are delighted to announce that we have appointed Taryn Bartlett to this attractive role. Taryn is a very experienced teacher who has taught all Year levels. She also brings an abundant of experience and knowledge in areas such as sustainability that will be a great asset to our school. Taryn has been a teacher at St Augustine's in Baxter since she graduated. We are delighted that the stars aligned to lead Taryn to our school. She will commence with us on the 21 June, ready to plan and prepare for Semester two. In the interim Rita Karamalis will be taking specialists lessons in Digital Technology. We welcome back Rita a teacher who is very familiar with our school and a regular Casual Replacement Teacher (CRT) for us.

NAPLAN tests online in 2022

All Year 3 and Year 5 students will do the NAPLAN tests online this year, in order to provide a better and more precise assessment that is more engaging for students. One of the main benefits of NAPLAN Online is tailored (or adaptive) testing, in which the test presents questions of higher or lower complexity depending on a student’s performance. Tailored (or adaptive) testing is designed to assess a wider range of student abilities and to measure student achievement more precisely. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions more challenging than usual; they may be taking a more complex test pathway. A student’s overall NAPLAN score is based on the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly.

We have been preparing our staff and students for this move from the paper based tests to online assessments since last year. We are now ready for NAPLAN online which will commence next week. Teachers have ensured students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and have provided practice at working on this new online platform, giving appropriate support and guidance. 

What can I do to support my child? 

On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and by reminding them on the day to simply do their best. ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers. Please ensure your Year 3 child brings a fully charged Chromebook to school each day.

Withdrawal and Exemptions

Exemptions may be granted to students with significant intellectual disabilities and to students who have been learning English for less than one year. 

If your child is eligible for support due to disability or an exemption, you should have already discussed this with his/her teacher prior to the tests. Parental consent is required before any support due to disability or exemption is granted. 

Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parent or carer. This is a matter for consideration by parents and carers in consultation with the Principal. If, after consultation, you decide to withdraw your child, you must sign a withdrawal form. These forms are available at the school. 

If your child is eligible for an exemption or if you wish to withdraw your child from the 2022 NAPLAN, please contact the school by Monday 9 May.

NAPLAN Tests commence on Tuesday 10th May 2022. Year 3 students will commence tests at 9am on a testing day. Year 5 students will commence tests at 10 am. We have two weeks to schedule the tests. The test schedule is as follows:

Catch up tests will be administered between Wednesday 11 May and Thursday 19 May.

We wish our Year 3 and Year 5 students well as they do their best on the NAPLAN tests in coming days.

Winter Uniform

From next week, all children should be wearing our winter uniform.   I thank all parents who have got organised and taken the time and effort to ensure their child/children have the correct items of the uniform for school days and sport days. They look smart.

We hope you have a lovely Mother's Day as a family with all the wonderful people who care for your child and nurture and love them unconditionally.

Christine White

Principal