Term 1 Newsletter, 21st March 2025

Principal's Message

Welcome to Week 8 - Homework and Why It’s Worth It in The Long Run 

Now that the excitement of the beginning of a new school year has worn off, some of the routines of school life start to become a little mundane for some at this time of term. Usually, one of the first things that begin to fade at this time of term is students’ and parents’ attitudes towards homework. Parents need to dig deep and keep an optimistic outlook. For most classes, there are only about 2 more weeks of homework left, but for some, this may seem like an eternity. However, by concentrating on encouraging students to keep going and setting a goal, the reward at the end is two weeks holiday.

Homework always has and always will be a source of frustration in many households around the country if not the world...so you’re not alone on this one! However, why is it so that some families struggle with homework more than others? The answer to that question is simple…. set a clear and consistent expectation and routine right from the start and place a high value on completing homework activities on time.

Homework is a common expectation for most primary school children. The nature of the activities will vary between different schools and for different ages, so it is best to discuss expectations with your child’s teacher.

Homework causes more headaches for parents than it does for children. Some parents worry because their children don’t seem to do enough while others are concerned because they are given too much. Others are concerned that their child will get into big trouble if it is not done, and a minority (gladly) don’t feel homework is important and provide excuses for their children. My advice…do this at your own peril. Kids who are in routine and who make a commitment to their learning have a far greater chance of success when they enter secondary school. You will make a rod for your own back if you allow your kids to avoid such commitments.

Homework is very much a part of secondary education however primary schools vary in their approach. As a general rule, little formal work is given to children in the first couple of years of schooling. But as they progress, the amount of homework increases. Here at St Francis, students are shown what is required of them and each week the teachers give feedback to the students about their homework. Set tasks should be an extension of work covered in class or revision. In other words, unless a student has been absent from school, the excuse of “I don’t know what to do”, is not completely accurate. Completion of projects in older year levels is never given at the last moment. The students are provided with criteria/information sheets with more than enough class and home time for their completion.

As your children progress through the grades, parents need to become a little redundant when it comes to assisting with homework. Most kids in Grades 5 & 6 are more than capable of completing homework tasks on their own. They can access online activities which cater to individual learning styles, and I know for a fact that their teachers make themselves available during lunch hours or alternative times to assist anyone student who may require assistance. Also, in most year levels, students have seven days to complete the set tasks.

Talking with students a couple of weeks ago in Year 5/6, they all agreed that they can easily complete all their homework over one or two afternoons if they put their mind to it…. not a huge commitment by any means. As I said to this cohort recently, your teachers have put in the effort, it is only right to repay the favour and put the effort in yourself to get it done.

There has been considerable debate over the last decade about the value of homework for primary-aged children. Most educators agree that reading and repetition of learning basics are the most valuable homework that a child can do and should become a daily habit for children. "Repetition is the mother of memory." Other benefits include reinforcement of topics covered at school, an opportunity for parents to gain an idea of what is being taught in class and help establish a regular study routine in preparation for secondary school study expectations.

If you have concerns about how much homework your child is set or the level of difficulty, please contact your child’s teacher and arrange a time to discuss your worries. Such discussion is the basis of a true partnership between you and your child’s teacher.

Updated Homework Policy 2025 – 2029

Thank you for the recent feedback regarding our Homework Policy. In the coming week, this will be placed on our website for your perusal and interest.

Changes to the School Uniform

A decision has been made to adjust parts of the school uniform. This has come about after some issues with the supplier and their availability. With this in mind, the Green School Sock will no longer be available to purchase (old stock will still be available for those needed a pair, at a heavily reduced price or second-hand options are available). We have sourced an alternative option that is White, with a green base and SFDS in green writing along the side. This option is half the price (around $4.50), and all families will receive a complimentary pair from the school to assist with this transition. Unfortunately, the new white socks will not be available until the end of June, however, we do have some second-hand socks that we can offer. We are aiming that by the end of 2026, all students will have transitioned from the Green School Sock to the White Sock.

Possible changes/inclusion to other school uniform items

Over the coming months, I will need to seriously consider possible changes or inclusions to the current school uniforms. Why are we considering this you may ask?

Updating school uniforms is not just about aesthetics; it's about creating a more comfortable, inclusive, and practical environment for students. By embracing these changes, schools can better support their students' well-being and success. Students face long school days filled with various activities. Updated uniforms that prioritise comfort and practicality can enhance students' focus and performance. Breathable fabrics and flexible designs can accommodate different weather conditions and physical activities, ensuring students are comfortable throughout the day.

Staffing Update

We welcome Micaela Kenny to St Francis de Sales. Micaela recently moved from Brisbane and now resides in Toowoomba. Micaela has a degree in Biomedical Science and was the SHEQ Advisor for Ventia which included liaising with many workers around all thing's safety. Micaela is soon to be married in the coming months and will be a wonderful addition to our school community. Please join with me in welcoming Micaela to our lovely community on Thursday 27 March.

School Master Plan Survey – Last Chance as it closes on the 28 March

If not already, please complete this very short Master Plan survey and have your say - https://forms.office.com/r/3tBxR9mGqU

Cross Country Results

Congratulations to Cosgrove in taking out the 2025 Cross Country Trophy. Well done to the following place getters who finished in the top 3 for their age division.

From here our 9 yrs (non-competitive), 10yrs-12yrs will complete in the Central Downs Cross Country event at Pilton on the 2April accompanied by Mrs. Angela Skillington. Please be mindful that qualifying times are used to select the students to represent St Francis de Sales at this event. These selected students have already received a note which outlines the program of this day.

Parent Teacher Interviews in week 9/10

All the best for the upcoming parent teacher interviews next week - these interviews are most important and are designed to provide parents with the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of your child’s progress and wellbeing at school.

Prep 2026 -

Please continue to spread the word and promote this wonderful school. If you can direct interested families to enrol via our website, I would be sincerely grateful.

Changes to Calendar Events:

The list of school events is located on the school’s webpage – https://sfdssclifton.schoolzineplus.com/calendar

This is a great way of keeping up to date with upcoming events. Emails, notifications and Facebook posts will also occur throughout the year to inform and remind you of upcoming events etc. Please see the next couple of events happening very soon: -

Week 8

17 Mar – St Patrick’s Day; NAPLAN Testing; Harmony Week begins

18 Mar – NAPLAN Testing

19 Mar – NAPLAN Testing

20 Mar – NAPLAN Testing.

21 Mar –Nobby Triathlon; Harmony Day

23 Mar - Family Sunday Mass – 9:30am

Week 9 - NAPLAN ONLINE; Parent Teacher Interviews

24 Mar – Swimming Titles – Chandler; NAPLAN Testing. SD Netball

25 Mar – NAPLAN Testing; Swimming Titles Chandler 

26 Mar –

27 Mar – SD Rugby League

28 Mar – Twmba Show Holiday

Week 10 – Newsletter Week Holy Week Celebrations; NAPLAN ONLINE; Parent Teacher Interviews

31 Mar – AFL DD

1 Apr – Netball DD – Twmba; Swimming State – Chandler

2 Apr – Cross Country – Central Downs

3 Apr – Holy Week Celebrations 

4 Apr – Meals on Wheels

Term 2

Week 1 – Holy Week and ANZAC Day Celebrations

21 Apr – EASTER MONDAY

22 Apr – Pupil Free Day – no students

23 Apr – School Resumes, Tennis Southern Downs, Holy Week Preparations

24 Apr – Holy Week Celebrations, ANZAC Liturgy at 10:30am

25 Apr – ANZAC DAY – St Francis de Sales Staff and Community attend March time to be announced

27 Apr – 9:30 Sunday Mass with Morning Tea

Week 2

28 Apr – Line Marking on Oval; Pie Drive Forms handed out

29 Apr – RL DD trials, Staff Attending PD in Allora – 3:30pm

30 Apr – RL DD trials

1 May

2 May – Pie drive forms due back

To finish this week with a little laughter…

The child comes home from his first day at school.

“What did you learn today?” Asked the mother.

“Not enough,” the child replied. “I have to go back again tomorrow.”

Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Brendan

Middle Leader News

How to help your child through NAPLAN 

It is, as you know, NAPLAN time! All of the teachers and staff at St Francis have been so proud of the Year 3 and Year 5 students this week. We know something out of routine, and new can lead to big emotions for your student, so here are some helpful tips for parents during this time: 

• Be confident and express this to your child. Let your children know you are confident in their abilities.  

• Be relaxed and treat tests as an everyday event. Explain that you did lots of tests at school, and that they are a natural part of school life.​  

• Ensure your child has sufficient rest during this time.  

• Ask about the test afterwards, listen and give positive encouragement. 

A big thank you to Mr Red for delivering well wishes and some little goodies to our hardworking Year 3 and Year 5 students during this testing block.  

Parent Teacher Term 1 Interviews 

The Parent Portal is open for parents to book in a time with your classroom teacher/s to discuss learning, goals, and social interactions for this year. When you log into the Portal, and you will be able to pick from a number of time slots. If you are having trouble for any reason, please email your child’s teacher or call through to reception. Teachers are happy to hold Zoom meetings or phone interviews if you would prefer. We thank you in advance for ensuring a healthy line of communication between home and school. We look forward to meeting with you and sharing the 2025-year progress with you.  

Mrs. Busiko

Prep/1/2 News

This fortnight, Prep-2 students have been diving into an exciting array of learning adventures!

In Mathematics, we are exploring the concept of symmetry. From finding symmetrical patterns in nature to creating our own symmetrical designs, students are discovering the beauty and balance symmetry brings to the world around us.

In Religion, we are reflecting on God’s love through the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. This story inspires us to think about forgiveness, acceptance, and the power of God's love.

In English, we are developing essential reading skills. Students are practicing their ability to decode texts and comprehend their meaning, building a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Our mentor text for this fortnight has been Tiddalick, a rich and engaging Dreamtime story. This tale has sparked curiosity and imagination, while helping students connect with the cultural heritage of Australia.

We are so proud of the growth and enthusiasm our students are showing in every aspect of their learning

Cross Country Recounts 

Olivia Bazley

Today we competed in the Cross Country. I was confident. I am in the blue team. My friends were clapping. Every class got ribbons. No-one lost. Everyone was so good and so happy. Even when they didn't get a ribbon. 

Oscar Johnson

Today we competed in the Cross Country. I was running so fast, and I came first. I was so happy and was cheering for my friends. I was resilient. I was so proud of my friends, and I was proud of myself. Some of my friends came third place and second place. 

Billy Byrne

Today we competed in the Cross Country. I got a ribbon for McKenna. It was a third-place ribbon for McKenna. I was persistent and I tried my best. 

Grayson Fallbrown

Today we completed in the Cross Country. I'm in Cosgrove. I ran and I came second. I got a second-place ribbon. I was cheering for my friends. 

Nell Skillington

Today we completed in the Cross Country. I tried my best and I was persistent. I'm in team Cosgrove. I got a second-place ribbon. My friends were cheering for me. I was running really fast. i tried my hardest, I never gave up and I had fun. I felt exhausted.

Zarah Daley

Today we completed in the Cross Country. I ran my fastest and I was persistent. I was cheering for my friends on the course in the team McKenna. I never stopped in my race. I love racing with everyone even my friends. I tried my hardest in my running and I was not stopping.  

Mrs. Skillington

Yr. 3/4 News

Learning to set goals has been an important part of our learning this term. Students have followed the 5 steps below to accomplish their goal. 

1. Setting the goal. 

2. Planning on how to go about achieving the goal. 

3. Getting to work and giving your best effort.  

4. Persisting at the goal. 

5. Reaching the goal.  

It is pleasing to report, that all students have now experienced success in achieving their first mathematics learning goal for the year and are feeling inspired and motivated to move on to their next two learning goals. Congratulations Team 34! Continue to strive high! 

Throughout the fortnight, students have been busy working on their HASS, Religious Education and Digital Technology. 

In HASS, students have been busy creating their own towns which include developing their own set of laws and rules that will be needed for their society to run smoothly. In addition to this, students have started to create a town plan. 

In Religious Education, students are looking at Matthew’s Beatitudes and how they are relevant today. Students have investigated why they were written, in what time and for who. The students have used Bible Images and Google Earth to gain a deeper understanding of what the town of Capernaum would have looked like when these Beatitudes were first written. 

In Digital Technology, students have investigated data systems and explored reasons why it is important to keep our personal information to ourselves and not share online which includes photos and other forms of data. 

Mrs. Malbon

Yr. 5/6 News

This fortnight, we have been investigating faithfulness and how this is shown in the Psalms and through the lives of the prophets in Religion. Together, we studied the prophet, Samuel. The students are now investigating the other prophets: Amos, Miriam, Jonah, Micah and Isaiah to understand the important place that the prophets held in Ancient Israel and identified books of the Prophets in the Old Testament. 

We have been so busy in our classroom reminding ourselves about persuasive texts and the language features they require. Students have familiarised themselves with the structure of this type of writing and we used our skills to correctly sequence text.  

We have also created our second narrative, which the students are excites to share with you at the Parent-Teacher Interviews. Please read Rhys’ second narrative below. He is the first one to finish his second story. More stories to come! 

In Mathematics, we have been learning about direction, graphing, factor trees, estimating and perimeter. The students are getting much better at estimating now.  

The Chase 

Rhys Gascoyne 

Creak! My owner walked along the old rickety floorboards towards my old kennel in the basement. My kennel was an old rusted out metal box that poked me in the side each time I turned. William, my owner was a tall man that had a beard down to his chest. He was the best owner ever; he gives me pats and gives me treats when I follow his commands. 

On our way to the boarder, we were ready to fight crime as border security employees. The radio was going on and on about some cyclone, but I just wanted to listen to the beat of music. I put my feet on the dash, and I saw a big grey and black cloud. When we arrived, we did the usual, but today the border was empty. There was no people and no loud noises. 

After a long tedious few hours of checking people’s luggage and watching the rain. A short man with a smug look on his face walked through our row. I had a weird feeling about this man, but then I caught a whiff of a smell that I had smelt during training. Curiously, I stood up and walked over to his leather bag and smelled it again. I barked to alert William that there was something bad in his bag. Suddenly, the bad guy started running and jumped over the swinging doors. We both struggled to find traction on the wet and slippery asphalt in the parking lot. I tried to pursue him while bolting through the alley ways. All I could see was a vague outline of building a small man in front of me. 

We lunged over bins, walls and even cars! I could tell the man was getting exhausted, but he would not give up. I could now practice my parkour skills that I learned in William’s backyard. I turned out to be rather good at it. 

Crack! Surprised, I stood in silence, frozen from shock. The guy was under the tree! Finally, I could catch him. I lunged on him, and he tried to break lose. But he was going nowhere. I barked and bit at him while waiting for security to arrive. The rain picked up and so did the wind. The cold murky water ran from the gutters slowly flooding the paths and roads. 

Shortly, after the security guard arrived so did the cops. Everyone joined in together and lifted the tree off the man. They put him in handcuffs and pushed him in the car. 

After Williams shift, we drove home, and William gave me lots of pats and an extra cup of dog food. We both dawdled down into the basement and he tucked me into my kennel, -so I was ready for the next day to do it all again. 

Mrs. Busiko

P.E. with Mr. Red

Congratulations to the Cosgrove Team with their winning performance at last week’s cross-country event and to all the students for their pride, passion, encouragement and wonderful sportsmanship throughout the morning. It was so wonderful to witness and be apart of.

We will finish our term’s tennis sessions and begin practicing our Holy Week Celebrations during PE over the next couple of weeks.

Mr. Red

O'Donnell's Pie Drive