2023 Term 1 Week 5 Newsletter
Prayer Focus
From the Principal
Strategic Plan and Goals
Over the last few weeks our Leadership Team and our staff have been working on our Strategic Plan. This involves evaluating where we are at, identifying our areas of development and mapping out the areas we are focusing on for the next three years. The information that you, our parents gave us last year in the ‘Tell Them From Me Survey’ was critical to this process. Our Strategic goals focus around the areas of The Mission of Christ, Catholic Leadership, Pastoral Care, Learning and Teaching and Family, School and Community Partnership. Over the next three years we are focusing on the area of English and building teaching capacity so that there is growth in student learning.
Following on from our Strategic plan, the Leadership Team along with the staff, then focused on our Annual Goals for 2023. Our goals for 2023:
- Create a clearly defined Mission, Vision and values that are lived out by all members of our school community.
- Growth in student learning in Writing which is reflected in a 7% increase in our English results.
- Establish a parent community who is visibly present in the school and engaged in student learning and community events.
'Tell Them From Me Survey'
This year's ‘Tell Them From Me Survey’ will be shared in early Term 2. The survey is a fantastic opportunity for parents to share their ideas and provide feedback to the staff. We are also using our Parent Forum and opportunity for parents to make suggestions and have input into decision making. If you have any feedback or further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on woolp@lism.catholic.edu.au
Caroline Lewis
Principal
Faith & Mission
Stage Parent Support Teams
Family Mass
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Easter Raffle
Parent Social Night
Katrina Ryan
Assistant Principal Mission
All Things Learning & Teaching
SpotLight on Learning - InitiaLit in Kindergarten
This year we have embarked upon a new reading initiative called InitiaLit. This is an evidence-based whole class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful reader and writers. The Kindergarten students are loving the learning.
NAPLAN School Calendar
NAPLAN online takes place early in Week 7 this term. This is the National Assessment Timeline (link below) and we have included the timetable dates for our school below.
Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computer skills is part of our school curriculum, and our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format.
To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, visit the Public Demonstration Site (link below). Both you and your child can explore the questions together. Walking through this site and exploring how questions may be presented goes a long way towards easing any fear around ‘what things may look like.’ At school we expose the student to examples as well, so that on the day the students are familiar with the format of what they will be presented with.
NAPLAN is a point in time reference. It is just one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. What it does provide is additional information about students’ educational progress which the school, system and government use to see how educational programs are working.
Young Archie
The Young Archie is a competition run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales every year. It invites young artists to submit a portrait which has been the focus of our Visual Arts Program over the last 5 weeks. As a whole school, students created portraits to be entered into two categories 5-8 year olds and 9-12 year olds. Only 5 entries from each category can be submitted by schools, so our students voted and our top 10 were selected.
Congratulations to all our students your work looks amazing and best of luck to those whose portrait has been sent off to the next stage.
The Young Archies are on display in the school hall for the next few weeks, it certainly is worth a visit.
Open Day
Kindergarten 2023 Enrolment
Lunch Clubs
At lunch times, students have other options, if they don't wish to be out on the playground. Please see the Lunch Club Roster below. The Clubs are dependant upon the teachers, who run the particular club, being available on the day.
Sharon de Dassel
Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching
Sporting Roundup
Clarence Zone Swimming Carnival
A team of 22 students attended the Clarence Zone Swimming Carnival on Monday this week. Each student showed integrity and swam their hardest in every event. The highlight of the day was listening to our team cheer, support and encourage all participants including students from other schools. A big congratulations to all the students who represented our school. A special mention to Mia Brown, Georgia Winn, Tilda Vary and Margaret Winn who have progressed to the Lismore Diocesan Primary Swimming Carnival. We wish you the best of luck.
Running Club
Gold Token Winners
Well done to all token recipents this week and congratulations to the Gold Token winners!
School Fees Reminder
A friendly reminder to all families that payment for Term 1, 2023 school fees is due by Friday, 10th March, 2023. If you have requested a payment plan for 2023 with the Catholic Schools Office, no action in relation to this date is required.
If you would like a recurring payment plan calculated, please contact the Catholic Schools Office on woolp-fees@lism.catholic.
Details of your account can also be viewed on your Compass App.
Statements have been emailed to families this week.
Thank you for keeping your school fees up to date.
Expression of Interest
Counsellor's Corner
Maggie Dent
Maggie Dent, also known as 'the queen of common sense', is a well known parenting author and educator to help parents support their children and young people in building resilience in early and adolescent years.
Maggie has a podcast "Parenting As Anything" that can be accessed through this website as well as Spotify. Maggie covers a range of topics including bullying, building resilience and sibling rivalry. Maggie also offers a number of online course and webinars to parents.
Body Confident Children and Teens Webinar
This webinar is being run by the Butterfly Foundation on Tuesday, 21st March 7.00pm-8.15pm via zoom. This webinar is to support parents in promoting positive body image at home. Please see the flyer below for more information about cost and registration.
Alee Isgro
School Counsellor
Scholastic Book Club
Edition 2 of Scholastic Book Club will come home this week. Please order online using LOOP or return cash orders to school, by Friday, 17 March. Click on the link below to view the brochure.
Canteen News
Calling all Grandparents!
If there are any grandparents in the St Francis Xavier community who would like to volunteer in the school Canteen for an hour or two, on a Wednesday and or a Friday, once or twice a Term, please contact the school office on 66541981.