St Francis of Assisi News
Term 3 - Issue 12 26th August 2021
PRAYER
PRINCIPAL'S POST
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
I hope all families enjoyed a very restful 4-day weekend last week with the two pupil free days! The weather was wonderful and provided a great chance to be outdoors and enjoy some time together. We have had a very eventful last couple of weeks at school with a number of events and activities taking place, 5/6 Badminton, PP-2 Book Week Incursion, 1/2 IMCC Drama visit and Make-A-Move workshops to name a few. Friday and Monday provided a chance for staff and children to reset and recharge for the remainder of this term.
WHEELCHAIRS FOR KIDS
As Ms Campbell alludes to below, the Kolbe Feast Day celebration will take place next Thursday, 2nd Sep. Kolbe Faction is named after Maximillian Kolbe, a member of the Franciscan order. Part of the celebration will involve a visit to Wheelchairs for Kids in Wangara for the 4-6 children. The aim of this excursion is to provide an opportunity for our children to experience a service that is run completely by volunteers. Wheelchair for Kids is a non-profit organisation that builds wheelchairs for children in countries who are not mobile. Each wheelchair is constructed at a total cost of $200 each and provides mobility to enable children to access education, basic services around their village and also participate in the many activities that having access to a wheelchair allows. This is a great initiative coordinated and organised by Ms Campbell and hopefully connects our St Francis charism with real-life social justice in action. For more information visit https://wheelchairsforkids.org/ or watch the video in the above player to gain a better understanding of the process. In 2021, all four factions would have visited Wheelchairs for Kids on their feast day celebration.
P&F CAR
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the P&F, Mr Hughes installed the latest addition to our Junior Nature Play last week, an old Land Rover. The wreck was restored to a safe condition, including the seating and preparation of the surfaces thanks to MacKenzie Williams' (3W) grandfather, Rod. Plans are to have the vehicle painted and decorated by children with the support of one of our amazing artistic staff members. Judging from the number of children enjoying themselves at recess and lunch play, it has been a welcome addition!
NEW STUDENTS
Next week, we welcome the following children to our St Francis of Assisi community:
Hunter Jenkins (PPB)
Elyra Gandy (5W)
We also welcome the return of Zaileah-Skye Pitt to Year 1B. I'm sure our community will make all the children and their family feel very welcome.
BOOK WEEK
Another brilliant book week parade was held yesterday to start the day. Thank you to all the parents, children and staff for participating in the festivities. There were some wonderful costumes and the best costumes from each class were awarded prizes. Thanks to our library technician, Mrs Marie Gray for coordinating the prizes as well as the incursions from Bigger, Better, Brighter and the author, Mark Evans this coming Monday. It is slowly gaining traction and becoming as big as the sports carnival! Mr Baker is running out of bald-headed, dark skinned famous people so I will need to get creative in 2022!
FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
A reminder to our father figures that next Friday will be our Father's Day Sausage Sizzle. This will begin at 7:45am outside the hall (weather permitting). It will be followed by a Year 4 Father's Day themed assembly. To assist us with catering, please RSVP your attendance (if you haven't already done so) via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/167022694375
Thank you to our amazing P&F for once again providing great value gifts via the Father's Day stall next Wednesday.
CATHOLIC PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL
Congratulations to our school choir for their performance today at the Vasto Club, Balcatta, as part of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. I had the privilege of watching the children perform ‘I am Australian’ and ‘When I Grow Up’. Both songs were sang beautifully and certainly got me emotional. Their presentation and tone was outstanding. Thank you to Mr Cunniffe for the extra hours he put in preparing the children so well and representing our school with pride. I’ll be rewarding the choir with an ice cream on Monday!
YEAR 6 SPRING CARNIVAL
Wishing our Year 6's (and some eager Year 5's) the best for the Spring Carnival tomorrow. Our children will be competing in badminton, touch rugby and basketball against a number of other Catholic schools in the North Coastal region. I am looking forward to a great day and some friendly competition. I am putting my U14 Boys basketball coaching credentials on the line to bring home the choccies!
The Paralympics got underway this week and it is another chance to watch elite athletes compete for their nation in a number of disciplines. Despite being on the wrong side of the result, I enjoyed the Wheelchair Rugby game last night between Denmark and Australia, with the Wheelers going down by a try. It is hard not to be in awe of the skills on display and the toughness of Wheelchair Rugby!
Whilst still over a week away, wishing all the father figures in our community a wonderful day on Sunday, 5th September. We hope you are showered with socks, ties and fantastic gifts, both homemade and bought. But most importantly, we hope you all get control back of the TV remote - if only for one day! With the AFL finals kicking off, you will need it!
Have a great fortnight ahead.
Best wishes
Jason Baker
Principal
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Dear families,
As the children in Year 6 and their families prepare for them to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in September, we ask all families in the SFoA community to keep them in your prayers.
CONFIRMATION GUESTS
At the Confirmation Workshop last Wednesday, parents were asked to indicate how many guests (including immediate family) the children are inviting to their Confirmation. An example may look like this Eg. 5 (mum, dad, sponsor, grandma, brother) or 7 (mum, step dad, dad, step mum, sponsor, sister, brother). Please do NOT include the child receiving the sacrament. If your number of guests has changed, please contact me to update your guests to ensure adequate seating is available.
CONFIRMATION SPONSOR
The Sacrament of Confirmation requires a Catholic adult (over 16 years, preferably practising) to support the child receiving Confirmation in the Catholic Church. This person is committing to continuing to support them on their faith journey. Ideally, it would be one (or both) of their Godparents from when they were baptised, but due to distance and other various reasons, this is not always possible, especially in COVID-19 times. If your child DOES want their Godparent as their sponsor, but they are not able to attend in person, another adult (including a parent) may stand in as a proxy.
Please make sure your child's sponsor is aware of what they are expected to do during the Mass.
CONFIRMATION RETREAT (children only)
Thursday 9 September (8:30am - 2:40pm) in the school hall. Looking forward to another opportunity to deepen our understanding of Confirmation and how the Holy Spirit works within us. Year 6 children may wear their sport uniform with their Leavers shirt. All children are asked to bring their drink bottle, crunch and sip, recess and lunch. P&F lunch orders are still available.
CONFIRMATION REHEARSAL AND RECONCILIATION (children only)
Friday 10 September (9:30am - 12:45pm) at St Andrew's Catholic Church. The children will travel by bus with their teachers to and from the Church. The children will receive Reconciliation prior to rehearsing Confirmation with Father Darek. This is an important opportunity for the children to experience the different parts of the Mass where they will be asked to participate and respond. The rehearsal allows the children to understand what will happen when they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and to alleviate any fears or anxiety. Children will also become familiar with where they will be seated.
KOLBE FEAST DAY - 2nd Sep
Kolbe faction will be celebrating their feast day on Thursday 2nd September. We will begin the day with a whole school liturgy, led by our Kolbe captains and the Christian Service Team, at 8:45am, before team building games, a visit to Wheelchairs4Kids (Years 4-6 Kolbe children) and come back together as Kolbe faction for a shared lunch at 12:45pm. Parents, please remember all Kolbe children may wear their sport uniform and faction shirt on this day. All are welcome to the Liturgy.
YR 2 LITURGY
The Year 2 classes will join together to celebrate a liturgy in Week 8 (Friday 10th September). Parents and other family members are welcome to join with us in prayer at the Liturgy.
'“God's love is unbounded; it has no limits.”- Pope Francis
May God continue to bless us, each and every day!
Miss Dee Campbell
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT!
BRONX CHANG & KAYLA RASHEED
This past weekend Bronx & Kayla competed at Perth Dance Challenge with their dance team (10yr & under Jazz Troupe) from Da Beat Dance Studio. They danced beautifully, and placed 3rd out of nine teams. Congratulations to both girls (and their dance troupe) for an outstanding achievement! Am I showing my age with a reference to 'So You Think You Can Dance?'
SCHOOL FEE INFORMATION
Dear Parents,
It has been decided that school fee reminder statements will be sent out in the first week of September. Families who are not on a payment plan need to finalise their 2021 fees by 31 August 2021. If school fees have not been finalised by the 31st August we will contact you to discuss. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, either contact me on 9562 9500 or email finance@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au ASAP.
If your Health Care Card has expired please provide the updated one as soon as you receive it to the front office to continue to receive the discount. Please note discounts will not continue to be given to expired HCCs.
Kind regards,
Geneve Bastian
SPORT NEWS
Before and After School Activities
Please read the note below to see what activities are available for Term 3.
Regards,
Amanda Hamilton
Teacher
LIBRARY NEWS
A big thank you to students and staff for dressing up for this year's Book Week. The following students were the class winners of best costume:
Kindy B: Rosie Stratfold Kindy W: Theory Saggers
Pre-Primary B: Khaleesi-Leigh Ellis Pre-Primary W: Arisha Chauhan
Year 1B: Freya Blackwell Year 1W: Zara Dos Santos-Viljoen
Year 2B: Indiana Schmidt Year 2W: Mckinleigh Watson/Jaxon Canzirri
Year 3B: Zoe Van Der Brugghen/Abel Stelio Year 3W: Harper Thomas
Year 4B: Charlotte Head Year 4W: Nirvana Dos Santos-Viljoen
Year 5B: Ronan O'Reilly Year 5W: Dayna Neill
Year 6B: Fred Martin Year 6W: Amaia Hiku
Congratulations to you all, we hope you enjoyed your book prize!
Mrs Marie Gray
Library
SFOA BREAKFAST CLUB (Supported by Bakers Delight Ocean Keys, Clarkson)
When: Every Tuesday/Thursday
Time: 8:00am - 8:20am
Where: Hall
Come in and grab some toast with vegemite or jam and start your day right!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating a birthday over the next two weeks:
Gabriel Smith, Macy Barnes, Paige Goldie, Nyah Childs, Myriam Hakim, Edward Atuer, Jaxon Canzirri, Hunter Marais, Alicia Ridley, Genesis Peter Limbo, Leon Gilsenan, Elana Pearce, Brianna Grantham, Elisabeth Hilliard, Liam Brewster, Scarlett Wild, Martin Okumu,
We wish you all a wonderful day!!
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday 27 August - Bilya Kaatijin by Yirra Yaakin incursion/Year 6 Spring Carnival/P&F Pizza Lunch
Monday 30 August - Author Incursion
Tuesday 31 August - Year 5 Electoral Commission Voting incursion
Wednesday 1 September - Kindy Fathers' Day morning/P&F Fathers' Day Stall
Thursday 2 September - Kolbe Feast Day
Friday 3 September - Fathers' Day sausage sizzle (7:45am)/Year 4 Performance Assembly (8:45am)
Monday 6 September - Year 2 Perth Zoo excursion
Tuesday 7 September - P&F Meeting (8:45am)
Thursday 9 September - Year 6 Confirmation Retreat/R U OK? Pyjama Day
Friday 10 September - Confirmation Rehearsal and Reconciliation/Year 2 Paraliturgy (8:45am)/School Disco
Wednesday 15 September - School Advisory Council Meeting (6:00pm)
Thursday 16 September - Year 6 Confirmation (6:00pm)
Friday 17 September - SFOA Athletics Carnival
UNIFORM SHOP
Parents, please can you check your child/children's items of clothing to ensure they are wearing their own uniform. We ask that parents clearly label student's names on jumpers, jackets and hats.
Monday: 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Where: NEW LOCATION - Operating out of the demountable at the rear of the school!
Ph: (08) 9204 1701
Address: 1/85 Guthrie St, Osborne Park 6017
Email: mailto:sales@jfe.com.au
For Parents, the link to the online ordering system is as follows:
https://www.jfe.net.au/orders-2147.html
From here, parents can see the uniforms list (including pricing) and place their orders online.
Also, as an alternative, parents can also go to the JFE website:
From here, they can see all the contact details for JFE.
They can also place orders from this website. They can click on the “Order Now” button or the “Orders” heading and use the School Code: 2147
Online Order Delivery Timing
JFE will deliver all online orders to the school - they will be available for collection/delivery every Monday
The cut-off time for online orders to make the above delivery date is 12midday the Friday to allow for delivery/collection on the Monday.
CAMP AUSTRALIA
VACSWIM SWIMMING LESSONS
Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the October and summer school holidays. VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations. They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water. Enrol at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim
CONTACT US
Mon-Thur: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Friday: 8:00am - 3:30pm
Email: admin@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au
Website: www.stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au
Location: 1051 Connolly Drive, Butler WA, Australia
Phone: (08) 9562 9500
Facebook: facebook.com/stfrancisbutler
ST ANDREW'S CATHOLIC PARISH
Email: standrewsclarkson@gmail.com
Website: http://www.standrewsclarkson.com/
Location: 53 Belleville Gardens, Clarkson WA, Australia
Phone: (08) 9407 7512
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standrewsclarkson/