Last week we received news that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation/retirement of Bishop Brian Heenan, Bishop

of the Rockhampton Diocese. Within this Newsletter you will find a Diocesan announcement of Fr. Brians retirement plus news of Fr. John Grace being appointed as Diocesan Administrator. I however would like to share a brief personal reflection on our wonderful Bishop Brian. St Francis belongs to the wider Catholic Church: organisation, hierarchy and the people who make up the living Body of Christ. Fr. Brian above all things has been very much the shepherd leader of our Catholic Church in this Diocese, the Human face of Jesus in his outward love, compassion, patience, understanding for all people and wisdom of Gods Mission for each of us within the larger Church. At Mass on Sunday the following words of Jesus in the Gospel placed me in the mind of Fr. Brian as I know these words will sit comfortably in his humble nature: So you also, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you must say, We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty. Our Bishop has done all that he has been asked to do by God and now he takes more time to share with his family and reflect on his amazing ministry of service. We assure him he will continue to be in our prayers and that his gift of Jesus bought to us through his person, is indelible in the life of the St Francis Community. Also in this Newsletter you will find a Parish Information Form from OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA PARISH: We are in the process of updating our parish records and we would greatly appreciate if all families who are a part of our parish would fill out the attached form. SUNDAY OCTOBER 20TH is St Francis School MARKET DAY This is another wonderful, traditional celebration of our St Francis Community. I encourage you all to take part in what should be a great day. We welcome Dannika Wass, Grace Johnson and their beautiful families to our St Francis Community. I know they will feel welcomed, nurtured and loved by our school family. I look forward to once again sharing in the lives of you all in this final School Term for 2103. We continue to journey together as our school is such a lovely and privileged place to be a part of but also a place of learning opportunity, change, challenge and vital relationships.

Fri 11 Oct 2013 9:00 am -

QUEST Awards and Thankyou Ceremony

Mon 14 EISTEDDOct FOD - Drama Tues 15 Section Oct

Fri 18 Oct 2013 Assembly 5's 9:00 am - 10:00 am

20th OctMarket Day 21st OctStudent Free Day 5th NovRecital Day Instrumental Students 21st NovRecital Night Private Music & Drama 5th Dec Graduation Mass

God Bless Andy

From Lorries APREs desk:

Jesus used to spread his message through stories. The Making Jesus Real (MJR) format aims to reflect on at least 50 of the Good News stories that are going unnoticed in your school yard every day. Jesus message was : Love God by loving your neighbour the MJR message is very similar The way you greet and treat people. The main aim is for students to recognise their own growth in attitudes and values through MJR. For the teachers the Good News is that it is not a programme, but the Christian way of life reflected each day. Congratulations to all our W.E.S.T. - ies :-) Lets have a fantastic Term 4 and live Jesus in our hearts while we look for our Walking God Moments.

From Nanettes APC desk:

Homework. Generally parents, teachers and students either love homework or hate it with a passion. Below is a link to a document: Homework Policy which refers to current research about this topic. The findings are objective and look at the reasons for and against homework and refers to data from research overseas as well as from recent Australian studies.
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/homework/Hwk_Res%20scan.pdf

Conclusions below are from the summary within the document

The more homework the better view has no research support (Cooper, H, 2001). Homework for All In Moderation, Educational Leadership, 58(7), cited in Queensland Government Department of Education and the Arts, 2004). The quality of the homework assigned is likely to be more important than the quantity (Canadian Education Association, & Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 2010). Homework must be purposeful and relevant to student needs and should not jeopardise the right of children to enjoy a balanced lifestyle (Dixon, 2007). The amount of homework and time spent on it should accord with the students age and developmental level (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009). Effort spent on homework is a stronger correlate of academic achievement than time spent on homework (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009). Year level appears to be a determinant of homeworks academic effectiveness (Blazer, 2009; Cooper, 1989). Most researchers conclude that for primary students, there is no evidence that homework lifts academic performance. There is only a small correlation between homework and achievement in middle school (Cooper, 1989; Walker, 2011). Only in the senior years of high school does homework clearly raise academic performance.

Happy Chappy
Grinners and Winners Givers Welcoming: Wave Smile Thumbs up Wink Make eye contact with any member of the school community. Dont look away Encourage words with: Class members Family members Teachers Say Sorry Use Thanks (10 times a day)

We sadly farewell Sister Beryl from our community. On Wednesday the 30th October she will be at the Rosary Group as her final goodbye. She has been an inspiration to our staff and students and will be dearly missed, we wish her the best of luck for her future doing ecumenical work in Melbourne.

These findings are very interesting - as well as being for some - quite controversial. Families today struggle to find a balance in their busy lives between work, school and down time - so essential for nurturing strong relationships. Homework most agreehas its place in childrens lives and currently we are reviewing our Homework Policy to ensure it is up to date and relevant for the times and culture we live in. Have a great week,

Yours in Christ.. Lorrie Columbus

Nanette

Tuckshop
WEEK Dear Parents and Students Welcome back to Term 4! Thank you to the parents of grade 7H that are helping in the Tuckshop this week and to the volunteers who are helping in the Tuckshop next week. A reminder to the parents of Prep CW that your tuckshop turn is in week 3 and the class roster response is due back this Friday 11 October 2013. Important Notices: The Tuckshop is now open on a Wednesday as well, but only for online orders and over the counter sales. Please note that no written brown paper bags will be accepted. Tuckshop online ordering system: Go to www.flexischools.com.au and click on Register Now. Enter your e-mail address and follow the prompts. Please note that the cut-off time for online orders are 08:10 am each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please remember to order your sushi order on a Wednesday before 12:00pm. Sushi can only be ordered online via Flexischools. Week 0108/10/2013 and 10/10/2013 Week 0215/10/2013 and 17/10/2013 Week 0322/10/2013 and 24/10/2013 Week 0429/10/2013 and 31/10/2013 Week 0505/11/2013 and 07/11/2013 Week 0612/11/2013 and 14/11/2013 Week 0719/11/2013 and 21/11/2013 Week 0826/11/2013 and 28/11/2013 Week 0903/12/2013 and 05/12/2013 CLASS 7H Volunteers Prep CW Prep H Prep HF 1H 1W 2R 2S

WEEK
Term 4

TUESDAY

VOLUNTEERS 7H

THURSDAY 10/10/2013

VOLUNTEERS 7H C Boshoff C Backman

01

08/10/2013 C Boshoff

02

15/10/2013 C Backman Rachel Curro

17/10/2013

Debbie Shaw Bec Penhaligon

Very Important Information:

If you order via a written brown paper bag, please make sure that you have the new limited menu . This menu was distributed in the last week of the 2nd term. If you do not have a new menu please get a copy from the office or the Tuckshop. If you order anything that is not on this menu, the order will be changed to an item available on the menu with the same monetary value. When ordering from Tuckshop via a written brown paper bag please also include the correct money for 1st break and 2nd break as this will greatly help and reduce the time it takes to stick change on the bags.
03 22/10/2013

Parents/ Guardians of Prep CW

24/10/2013

Parents/ Guardians of Prep CW

Reminder

To access the full menu you will need to register and place your order via flexischools.
Students can still buy ice blocks, slush puppies, cold drinks and certain snacks over the counter.

Please contact me if you have questions or queries and also if you want to volunteer in the Tuckshop.

Congratulations to Kirstin & Daniel Nutley, Logan (Year 1H) and Xavier on the birth of Kai William on the 23rd September.

Francis Way

Resource Centre
Book Covering Morning We will be holding a book covering morning on Wednesday 23rd October, 2013 at 8:30am to 10:30am. Please come along and help cover books for our students to start using. We will supply a cuppa and a light morning tea in the comfort of air conditioning. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Book Fair 2 days only Wednesday 6th November, 2013 8am til 3:15pm Thursday 7th November, 2013 8am to 9am & 1:30pm to 3:15pm Every book that you purchase you will receive a second book of equal or lesser value FREE to keep for yourself or you could donate back to the library.

QUEST AWARDS & THANKYOU ASSEMBLY will be held tomorrow, Friday 11th October in the hall commencing at the revised time of 8.45am. Please join us to celebrate and acknowledge the people who contributed to the success of our second whole school musical.

School Banking .. Every Friday.