Newsletter-Term 3-Week 10-Thursday 25th September 2025

Principal's News...

OUR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

We want to keep everyone in the loop! Our fortnightly newsletter is here to update you on school activities and important information.  By reading it each fortnight, you can better support your child and help them stay prepared for events like excursions or special dress days.  The newsletter is sent out every fortnight on a Friday during term time and can be referred to anytime, as past newsletters are archived on our website and available through your Compass notifications.

FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

As we come to the end of Term 3, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge and congratulate our students and staff for their outstanding efforts and achievements throughout the term.  They have been fantastic in every way – true ambassadors of St Francis Xavier Primary School – and we are very proud of them.

This term has been filled with a wide variety of opportunities and experiences, including: Grandparents Day, Book Week, Athletics Carnival, Lismore Eisteddfod, NAIDOC Day, Zone and Diocesan Athletics, ICAS Assessments, 100 Days of Kindergarten, Sacramental Programs, Byron Bay Writers Festival, Parent/Teacher Interviews, Whole School Masses, Spelling Bee, School Writers Festival, Zone Public Speaking and Poetry Competition, School Choir singing at Parish Masses, Waste Free Wednesday, School Assemblies, Father’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy, Kindergarten 2026 Transition, Whole School Disco, Stage 3 Multi Sports Day, Brian Kelly Cup Rugby League Gala Day, and the Diocesan Netball Finals.

What a term it has been! None of these opportunities would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our staff and the wonderful support of our parents.  Together, we provide our students with experiences that help them grow, achieve, and shine.

We now look forward with excitement to all that Term 4 will bring for our school community.

STUDENT TOILET UPGRADE: The first day of the upcoming school holidays, Monday, 29^th September will see work commence on the revamping of our student toilet block.  We are hopeful the demolition stage will be completed before we return to school.  The fit out of the toilets will begin after this with a time frame of approximately 4-5 weeks to completion. 

To accommodate students when they return in Term 4, two temporary toilet blocks will be installed (plumbed into the sewer line) behind the canteen and Creative Arts Room.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAYS: A reminder that the last day of term, Friday, 26 September is a Professional Learning Day for the staff of St Francis Xavier, which means it is a pupil-free day.

Our next Staff Development Day for 2025 will be the first day of Term 4, Monday, 13^th October.   Students return to school Tuesday, 14 October. 

ARRIVING TO SCHOOL PUNCTUALLY: A gentle reminder of the importance of arriving at school punctually each day.  Our morning session is vital, with teachers outlining the day and beginning the Literacy Block – a key part of our learning program.

When students arrive on time, they begin the day calmly, settled, and ready to learn.  Building this routine helps set them up for success and ensures they don’t miss out on important learning opportunities.

TERM 4 CALENDAR: A copy of the Term 4 Calendar will be sent home with all families on the first day of next term (Tuesday, 14^th October).  We are still finalising a number of dates and are unable to confirm at this stage.  This calendar includes all the important dates and events happening here at St Francis Xavier, Ballina throughout the term.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to another fantastic term together!

Wishing you all a safe and restful holiday.

Warm regards,
Tony

School Calendar...

Term 4 Calendar

Assistant Principal Mission News...

The Twenty - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

This coming weekend's reading is from Luke 16:1-13 - Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest steward who is commended for his prudence; one cannot serve both God and money.

As a family, talk about what it means to be responsible and trusted.  Responsibility often means that we put aside something of a small value for something of a greater value.

Discuss the importance of being responsible with money and material possessions.  What’s one thing you could do as a family that shows your family serving others and God and not money?

Source: https://www.loyolapress.com

Loud Shirt Day 

This year we will recognise and celebrate Loud Shirt Day on Thursday, 16 October.  This is a day where we recognise those in our community who have difficulty hearing.  This is not a fundraiser, rather a day of recognition as we encourage our school community to wear their loudest, brightest shirts to school. 

Light of Jesus Awards

Congratulations to the students who were awarded a Light of Jesus ticket at our last Assembly.  They now receive a canteen voucher. 

• Iggy Whiting - Kindergarten
• Indigo Bungate - Year 2
• Florence Pickford - Year 2
• Braxton Whitton - Year 5

Congratulations to the following students on receiving 10, 25 or 50 Light of Jesus Tickets.  They now receive a certificate and a blue, green or yellow armband. 

• Jaxon Kealy - Kindergarten
• Maisy McMahon - Kindergarten
• Sloane Proudman - Kindergarten
• Levi O’Brien - Kindergarten
• Quincy Pickford - Kindergarten
• Djalu Edwards - Year 1
• Charlotte (Lottie) Loughrey - Year 1
• Kenzie Rozairo - Year 1
• Leeuwin Brown - Year 2 x25 tickets (green band)
• Poppy Ford - Year 2 x25 tickets (green band)
• Mishka Patel - Year 2
• Florence Pickford - Year 2 x25 tickets (green band)
• Yuvakshi Sharma - Year 2
• Ruby Hernage - Year 5
• Grace Hosie - Year 5

Parish News...

Learning & Teaching News...

Zone Poetry and Public Speaking Competition

On Thursday last week, 12 students represented our school by presenting poems and speeches at the Zone Poetry and Public Speaking Competition.  There were up to 14 students competing in each section and the competition was of a very high standard.  Congratulations to all of our representative students, the judges commented on how polished and prepared the St Francis Xavier students were. 

• Early Stage 1 Poetry: Louis Messager & Millie North
• Stage 1 Poetry: Lulu Lawrence & Pearl Niland
• Stage 2 Poetry: Nox Loadsman & Lara Dowden
• Stage 3 Poetry: Evie Whitty & Mila Laranjeira Miranda
• Stage 2 Speech: Lea Leturgie & Finn Budnick
• Stage 3 Speech: Hugo Leturgie & Reef Molyneux
  

We had 5 students from our school receive a place in this year’s competition.

Congratulations to:

• Evie Whitty - 1st in Stage 3 Poetry
• Lea Leturgie - 1st in Stage 2 Speech
• Reef Molyneux - 1st in Stage 3 Speech
• Finn Budnick - 2nd in Stage 2 Speech
• Hugo Leturgie - 3rd in Stage 3 Speech

Staff Professional Learning Days

Friday, 26th September, Term 3, Week 10

Teachers will engage in targeted professional learning to effectively plan and create engaging units of work for Term 4 in Mathematics and English.  This professional development will focus on deepening their content knowledge, as well as providing practical strategies for implementation.  A key component will be differentiated instruction, equipping teachers to tailor lessons to meet the varied needs of students in their classrooms, leading to improved student outcomes.

Monday, 13th October, Term 4, Week 1

Teachers will engage in collaborative professional learning to collectively update the school's student behaviour policy.  This process will involve a comprehensive review of current practices, providing teachers with the opportunity to share their experiences and expertise.  Staff will utilise data and current research to draft new policy components that are fair, consistent, and effective.  This collaborative approach ensures that the updated policy is relevant and implementable across all grade levels, fostering a sense of shared ownership and accountability.  The updated behaviour policy will ensure a consistent application of behavioural expectations, a stronger school culture, and improved student well-being and learning outcomes.

School Community Group (SCG) 

Our School Community Group (SCG) has achieved so much together this term. Our School Disco last Friday is the latest example of the group’s successful projects! Special thanks goes to the SCG Secretary, Maree Melville, who led the charge for this special event. Events like these require many hours of preparation and many hands to ensure a fun-filled evening.

Thank you to our Parent Volunteers

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of the wonderful parents who have supported the school in so many ways this term.  Events such as Book Week, Kindergarten Transition Days, Grandparent’s Day and the School Disco would not have been such a success without the help of our parent volunteers.

We would also like to thank the parent/community volunteers who assist in the school canteen and who come in to read with our students each week.  Please know how much we value your contributions to our school.

Acting Leader of Pedagogy News-Mr Hosie

Year 4 Writers Bring Characters to Life

This term Year 4 students have been diving into the world of characterisation, sharpening their writing skills while letting their creativity shine. Their latest task invited them to step into the world of The Callers: Book 2 and create a brand new character. Students considered whether their character would be a hero, villain, family member or friend, then explored how this character might drive the plot and create emotional engagement for the reader.

To guide their work, students used clear success criteria that encouraged them to:

• use descriptive language and high quality adjectives
• include figurative language such as similes and personification
• experiment with rhetorical questions and Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary
• construct a range of simple, compound and complex sentences
• edit their writing for accuracy and impact

Using a Bump It Up Wall students could see examples of quality writing and map their own progress. Each student also worked towards an individual writing goal, and both teacher feedback and peer to peer feedback played an important role in shaping their drafts.

Mr Warren explained, “Year 4 have been working on our latest piece of writing in our Characterisation unit. We are doing this to inspire creativity and encourage students to think deeply about how building characters helps shape stories and making them engaging for readers.”

The excitement is clear in the words of our budding authors:

• Jack J: “I like this task because I get to use my imagination and put my ideas into stories.”
• Isla: “I enjoy getting to create my own character and putting them into my writing.”
• Maxon: “We get to make up a chapter based on a book we’ve read to continue the story.”
• Tyler: “I like writing. I enjoy creating stories.”
• Ari: “I like using characterisation.”
• Emerson: “I enjoy creating a character and trying to tell a story.”

The Year 4 classroom is filled with creativity and it is clear that students are not only learning the skills of great writing but also experiencing the joy of storytelling.

Sports News...

Athletics! 

In week 8, some of our athletes competed at Polding Athletics, and they all did exceptionally well.  Some were successful enough, and will now go on and compete at State:

• Luke Dogan won the 1500m at Polding!  He broke the Polding Record and now holds the new record at 4:45
• Isla Parker ran 4th in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m
• Mila Bomba placed 3rd at discus 

NSW Netball Schools Cup

On Wednesday of Week 9 the school netball team travelled to Lismore to compete in the NSW Netball Schools Cup final.  The girls played well, coming away with 3 wins from 6 games.  The girls were wonderful ambassadors for St Francis Xavier and displayed great sportsmanship throughout the day.  Congratulations to Molly Gerada, Eva Larkin, Lily Osborne, Evie Whitty, Frankie George, Mila Bomba, Isla Parker, Einin Shannon and Olivia Harry! 

Polding News

This week at assembly we acknowledged students who have made Polding representative sporting teams so far this year.  Due to being recently held, Polding Athletics representatives will be acknowledged at a later date.

Congratulations to the following students on your sporting achievements!

• Vincent Benfield-Basketball and Cricket
• Reef Molyneux-Rugby League
• Jessica Aslin-Football (Soccer)
• Luke Dogan-Football (Soccer) and Cross Country
• Teo Amit-Tennis
• Oscar Donald-Hockey

Luke Dogan was acknowledged as a member of the NSW  Cross Country team.  Your hard work and continuous training has paid off!  Well done, Luke!

League Stars After School Program & Registration Link: 

•  Day: Tuesday 
• Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm
• Venue: St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School 
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Cost: $89 (all participants receive a pack)
• Registration Link:  Club Finder – MySideline
• Date: Tuesday, 28th October (Week 3) - Tuesday, 2nd December (Week 8) 

1. Session 1: Tuesday 28th October 
2. Session 2: Tuesday 4th November 
3. Session 3: Tuesday 11th November  
4. Session 4: Tuesday 18th November 
5. Session 5: Tuesday 25th November 
6. Session 6: Tuesday 2nd December 

Canteen News...

Canteen Roster-Term 4

Week 1

Monday 13th October to Friday, 17th October

Canteen Roster-Term 4

Week 2

Monday, 20th October to Friday, 24th October

EALD News-Multicultural Day...

We’re excited for Multicultural Day at St Francis Xavier Primary School on Friday, 17th October. It’s a chance to celebrate the diverse cultures that make our community so special.

Students are invited to wear cultural clothing—traditional outfits or something that represents their family’s heritage.

On this day students will take part in cultural activities in their classrooms, including songs, games, stories, crafts, and learning words from different languages.

Our Butter Chicken Special is available to order from the canteen.

It’s still not too late to contribute to our classroom activities!  If you’d like to be involved—big or small—please contact Danielle Bagraith (EAL/D teacher) at danielle.bagraith@lism.catholic.edu.au.

We look forward to a joyful day of learning and celebration together!

Student Awards...

Learning & Class Awards

Congratulations on your well-deserved success! You've worked incredibly hard for this achievement.

Happy Birthday....

Wishing all of our students a wonderful birthday!!

Friday, 26th September to Thursday, 23rd October

Community News...

Free Workshop! 

Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Training - Supporting Young People

Narelle Corless is a Training Facilitator with the Wesley LifeForce team, and they have been funded by the Australian Government to deliver suicide prevention training for community members across Australia. The training is evidence based and is accredited with Quality Innovation Performance Limited (QIP), assessed against the Suicide Prevention Australia Standards for Quality Improvement.

Narelle will be facilitating a Half Day Suicide Prevention Training – Supporting Young People on 29th October 2025 in Lennox Head. There is no cost to attend and a light lunch will be provided.  

This event is aimed at people aged 18+years old but anyone can attend. To register please click on the link below. Other venues and dates are available on the website.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/wesley-lifeforce-supporting-young-people-suicide-prevention-workshop-nsw-tickets-1677777229859?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please contact Narelle if you would like to ask any questions or discuss anything regarding the training.

Narelle Corless (she/her) | Trainer & Assessor | Wesley LifeForce

P: 0439 594 703   | Narelle.Corless@wesleymisison.org.au