Term 3 Newsletter, 8th August
Principal's Message
Growth Mindset – Embracing Challenges
Overcoming challenges or adversity is a lifelong skill that takes time and experience. In life, we often encounter obstacles and face challenges that test our resilience and determination. It is during these moments that our true character shines through, and we have the opportunity to grow and learn. Here at St Francis de Sales, we believe in fostering a growth mindset—a belief that abilities, intelligence and emotional connections can be developed through dedication, effort, and a willingness to learn.
The following strategies may help you and members of your family overcome challenges:
Embrace Resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adapt in the face of adversity. By embracing resilience, we can maintain a positive attitude, persevere through difficult times, and keep moving forward.
Seek Support: Remember that you are not alone. Reach out to teachers, mentors, and peers who can provide guidance and support. Together, we can brainstorm ideas, offer different perspectives, and find solutions that may have been overlooked.
Foster a Growth Mindset: View challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Instead of being discouraged by setbacks, approach them with curiosity and a determination to improve. Recognise that failure is not a permanent condition, but rather a steppingstone on the path to success.
Break it Down: Sometimes, challenges can appear overwhelming. To tackle them effectively, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. By taking one step at a time, you can make progress and build momentum towards your goals.
Think Creatively: Encourage yourself and others to think creatively, challenge assumptions, and consider different perspectives. Innovation often arises from finding unexpected paths to overcome obstacles.
Learn from Setbacks: Every setback holds valuable lessons. Take the time to reflect on what went wrong, what could be done differently, and how to apply those lessons to future endeavours. Remember, setbacks are not a reflection of your worth but an opportunity for growth.
As we each navigate the challenges that come our way, let us remember that challenges are not roadblocks but steppingstones on our journey towards personal and academic growth. Together, we can foster a supportive environment where perseverance, resilience, and the pursuit of growth are celebrated. Wishing you strength and determination for many years to come.
Why St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Was So Special
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop holds a special place in the hearts of Australians as our first canonised saint. Born in 1842, she dedicated her life to helping others—especially the poor and those living in remote communities. With deep faith and courage, she co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph and opened schools across Australia (just like St Patrick’s, Allora) to ensure every child had access to education, regardless of their background.
Mary lived by the motto “Never see a need without doing something about it.” Her compassion, resilience, and trust in God continue to inspire us today. She reminds us that holiness is found in everyday acts of kindness and service. Today we will celebrate her lastly memory and legacy she left on us.
Being Safe
Just a reminder that the grassed area around the foot path outside the front of the school has had some recent erosion problems and is now quite dangerous. Please be mindful of this and continue to talk with your children about ‘staying on the concrete’. The council has been informed, and we are awaiting their response to this hazardous situation.
Father’s Day Liturgy
Over the next two weeks, please send Mr. Red (Brendan.redinger@twb.catholic.edu) a picture/s of dad/granddad/pop (or father figure) with your child. This could be on the beach, farm, playing video games, cleaning up, laying on the couch or simply having a laugh. If these could be sent by Thursday 28 August, I would appreciate it. If photos are not sent through by this date, I can’t guarantee they will make it in the photo presentation.
Up-coming events
Week 5
Mon 11 Aug – last day for cash money $7 for Father’s Day gifts to be sent in
Tues 12 Aug – hop on QuickCliq and order Book Week Meal Deal – no forms this year
Fri 15 Aug – Assumption of Mary; send Father’s Day photos to Mr. Red
Week 6
Tues 19 Aug – Book Week Celebrations at St Francis de Sales – all welcome to attend
Sun 24 Aug – Family Sunday Mass and Morning Tea – 9:30am
Week 7
Thurs 28 Aug – last day to send in Father’s Day photos
God bless and thanks for reading…
Regards,
Brendan
Middle Leader News
Unlocking Language: The Importance of Teaching Vocabulary
Vocabulary is more than just a collection of words, it’s the foundation of communication, comprehension, and critical thinking. At St Francis de Sales this year, we have been focusing on explicitly teaching vocabulary as it empowers learners to express themselves clearly and understand the world around them.
Why Vocabulary Matters
- Boosts Reading Comprehension: Students with a rich vocabulary are better equipped to grasp the meaning of texts, infer context, and engage with complex ideas.
- Enhances Writing and Speaking: A strong vocabulary allows learners to articulate thoughts precisely, choose words with nuance, and communicate effectively across different settings.
- Supports Academic Success: Vocabulary knowledge is closely linked to achievement in subjects like science, history, and math, where understanding key terms is crucial.
- Builds Confidence: When students know the right words, they feel more confident participating in discussions, asking questions, and expressing opinions.
Vocabulary instruction is about nurturing lifelong learners who can think critically, connect ideas, and thrive in a global society. We hope that your child/ren have been coming home and sharing their new words with you.
Mrs. Busiko
Prep/1/2 News
What a fantastic week we've had in Prep-2! Our classroom has been buzzing with curiosity, kindness, and meaningful learning.
We're diving into the world of Australian currency, learning to recognise notes and coins, identify their values, and solve simple problems using real-life scenarios. Students are becoming confident little mathematicians, turning cents into sense.
This week, we celebrated Catholic Education Week—a special time to honour our communities of faith, hope, and love. Our classroom has been filled with stories and discussions that highlight the values we hold dear. Through joyful activities and quiet moments of reflection, students explored what it means to belong to a caring and connected faith community.
In our Religion lessons, we've begun exploring the social teaching of human dignity. Through books, discussions, and creative activities, students are learning that every person is special and deserves respect. These lessons help us build empathy and appreciation for the uniqueness of others.
Our vocabulary lessons are helping us become stronger readers and thinkers. We're learning how to make inferences—a skill that encourages us to dig deeper into texts using our prior knowledge and clues from what we read. It's like being detectives, piecing together information to uncover hidden meanings.
Mrs. Skillington
Yr. 3/4 News
In Mathematics, Year 4 students have been learning to compare and classify angles and use a fraction wall to identify equivalent fractions. Year 3 students we have been learning to show how money can be represented in different ways and still have the same value. We have been learning to round numbers to give reasonable estimates when adding and subtracting.
In English, students were eager to begin reading our term 3 novel The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. This story celebrates the beauty of nature, the power of friendship, and the resilience of the human (and robotic) spirit. In the coming weeks, students will explore the rich and descriptive vocabulary used by author Peter Brown and reflect on their own connections to nature and the universal themes of friendship and belonging.
Mrs. Malbon
Yr. 5/6 News
In Religion, we have been learning about Jesus’ new commandment - to love one another as I have loved you. We have now begun looking at Contemporary Catholics and how they share and demonstrate their faith in the world.
In Mathematics, we have been learning about fractions, decimals, time, angles and 3D shapes. We have been learning about place values to thousandths and calculating operations involving decimals.
In HASS, we are busily learning about urbanisation and how people impact their environment. We learnt about Fire Stick farming and are now about to move onto the impacts of floods and fires on our environment.
Mrs. Busiko
P.E. with Mr. Red
PE with Mr Red
We have continued our focus of catching, passing and spreading out in the skills of netball, rugby league and rip tag. We also have worked on kicking the rugby league ball in different ways (chip, grubber, drop kick to name a few). All the students are enjoying the fun and challenging activities this term.
Southern Downs Athletics Update
Congratulations to our recent Central Downs Representatives who competed at the Southern Downs Athletics Carnival this week. We are awaiting to see if any of our students made it into the team for the upcoming DD trials.
Father's Day Breakfast-4/9/25
