St Francis of Assisi News

PRINCIPAL'S POST

Dear Families,

This week, our school participated in its Quality Catholic Education School Review (QCESR). A four-member panel, comprising a Director of Catholic Identity and Religious Education, School Improvement Advisor, Religious Education Consultant and Peer Principal, met with students, staff, parents, members of the School Advisory Council and P&F, parish representatives and the school leadership team. Through conversations, observations and a review of school documentation, the panel gained a comprehensive understanding of our school’s achievements, current priorities and future direction. The review considered our work across the four pillars of Quality Catholic Education: Catholic Identity, Education, Community and Stewardship (see photo below).

The review provided an important opportunity to celebrate the many strengths of our school and to reflect honestly on areas for continued growth and improvement. We sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the process by sharing their experiences, insights and aspirations for our school. The panel’s feedback will help inform our ongoing school improvement planning and ensure we continue to provide a Christ-centred, student-focused and engaging learning environment for every child. We are grateful to the panel for their professional, thoughtful and affirming approach throughout the review, and to our staff, students, families and community members for the valuable role they played in representing our school so positively. We look forward to sharing the summary of our review with the wider community.

P&F NOMINATIONS 2027: Be Part of Building Our Community

Nominations are now invited for our 2027 Parents & Friends (P&F) Executive and Committee. Our P&F plays a vital role in the life of our school. While fundraising is an important part of its work, the P&F is about much more than raising funds. At its heart, it is about building community, strengthening connections between families and the school, and creating memorable experiences for our children.

Nominations are invited for the four Executive positions:

Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer

We also warmly encourage parents and caregivers to nominate to become a P&F Committee Member. Committee members and volunteers are essential in supporting events, contributing ideas and helping bring our school community together.

What is expected of Executive members?

To ensure responsibilities are shared fairly and sustainably, members of the P&F Executive are expected to:

Attend the four P&F meetings held throughout the year.
Take responsibility for overseeing or coordinating one community event during the year.
Work collaboratively with Committee members and parent volunteers to ensure events are well organised and enjoyable for our children and families.

Coordinating an event does not mean doing everything yourself. The Executive will draw upon the support of Committee members and volunteers so that the workload is shared across our community.

What could our 2027 P&F calendar include?

Our P&F traditionally supports a range of fundraising and community-building activities. Depending on the support available in 2027, these may include:

Family Fun Night
Easter Raffle
Cadbury Chocolate Boxes
Mother’s Day Stall
Father’s Day Stall
School Disco
Colour Run
Parent social events and other community-building opportunities

Our 2027 Calendar Depends on Your Support

Importantly, the number and range of P&F events offered in 2027 will be determined by the level of involvement from our Executive and Committee members. These events do not happen without parents and caregivers generously giving their time. Without sufficient nominations, the P&F will not have the capacity to run the same number of events, and our 2027 calendar will need to be adjusted accordingly. The more people who become involved, the easier it is to spread the workload and continue providing these wonderful opportunities for our children and families.

Serving on the P&F Executive is a vital and highly valued role within our school community. Executive members give their time, energy and leadership for the benefit of our children, and their contribution will be appropriately recognised by the school. We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to consider nominating for 2027. You do not need to do everything or have previous P&F experience. You simply need a willingness to contribute, work alongside others and help build a strong and connected school community. Should you wish to nominate yourself for one of the four executive positions or simply a committee member, please use the link below:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/QP8CFgjXgd

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC) NOMINATIONS 2027

The SAC plays an important role in supporting the Principal and school leadership team in the strategic direction, resource management and financial governance of the school. Members contribute their experience, perspectives and ideas to help ensure decisions support the ongoing development and long-term sustainability of our school.

Nominations are invited for the Executive positions of:

Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
We also welcome nominations for general Council positions (maximum 2)

We encourage parents and community members who are interested in making a positive contribution to consider nominating for 2027. To nominate, please follow the link below:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/rJeDhH830J

CELEBRATING 800 YEARS OF ST FRANCIS

What a brilliant day of faith, community and celebration! This year marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, our school’s patron and a continuing inspiration to our community. We were blessed to celebrate this special occasion with a beautiful Mass led by Bishop Nelson Po, bringing our community together in prayer and thanksgiving.

Following Mass, the celebrations continued with our wonderful Mission Fete, filled with fun, generosity and community spirit. The day concluded in spectacular fashion with an amazing Colour Run, complete with a foam cannon that was certainly a highlight for our students! Mrs Kavanagh has more details below, but what a fantastic celebration for our school community!

INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Today our talented Interschool Athletics Team competed at Kingsway against students from St Anthony’s, Liwara, Our Lady of Mercy, Mercy and St Luke’s. It was a fantastic day of competition, teamwork and school spirit, with our athletes giving their very best across the various events. Most importantly, it was wonderful to see the sportsmanship, encouragement and respect shared amongst all schools throughout the day. Our students represented our school with pride and should be very proud of their efforts. Congratulations to all of our athletes on a brilliant day!

PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT

As a Catholic school community, we value respectful, positive and collaborative relationships between students, staff and families. We kindly remind all parents and caregivers of our Parent Code of Conduct, which outlines the expectations for communication and interactions within our school community. By working together with mutual respect, courtesy and understanding, we help create a safe, welcoming and supportive environment where every child can flourish. Please take a moment to read the attached PDF and familiarise yourself with these important expectations. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.

YEAR 6 CAMP

Wishing all our Year 6's the best as they embark on Camp next week from Wednesday - Friday. They are super excited and we can't wait to see them enjoy themselves over the two nights.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend and fortnight ahead.

Best wishes

Jason Baker

Principal

pdf

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CEWA-Parent-and-Carer-Code-of-Conduct.pdf

Term 4 2026 - Important Dates.pdf

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LIVE CALENDAR

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI FEAST DAY & MISSION FETE

Our celebration of the 800th anniversary of St Francis was made especially meaningful through the presence of Bishop Nelson Po, whose leadership at our Mass united students, staff, families and parishioners in a joyful expression of faith, community and the enduring legacy of St Francis. A big thank you to John who coordinated this special celebratory mass.

It was so lovely to have so many parents join us in celebrating the life and work of St Francis. A very big thank you to everyone who contributed to our special feast day Mass – Fr Daruis, Altar Servers, Readers, Special Minister & Choir.

The Mission Fete proved once again to be a huge success, raising much needed funds for Wheelchairs 4 Kids. It was great to see the effort from all classes to create such creative stalls.

Thank you to the parents who were able to help out at stalls or walking around with a small group of Kindy or PP children. Thank you to all our families for supporting the Mission Fete through donations AND spending money! With the colour run and foam cannon to end the day, it was a wonderful way to end the first week back of Term Four.

ALL SAINTS DAY

All Saints Day is fast approaching on November 1st. All Saints is the time in the Church's liturgical year where we remember the saints or “hallows,” martyrs of the faith, and all of those Christians who have already passed away and are presumed to be in Heaven. All Saints Day remains a Holy Day of Obligation.

SACRAMENTAL PHOTOS

A reminder to make sure you have viewed and purchased any photos from First Communion and Confirmation. Please check on SEESAW for the links to the photos. These photos will not be available after Friday 4th December.

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS

Our annual Christmas Hamper Appeal will begin in Week 7 on Monday 23rd November. Please check upcoming newsletters, SEESAW and Facebook for more details as we get closer to Week 7.

"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance."

St Francis of Assisi

UPCOMING DATES

Friday 30th October- Year 4 Mass

Sunday 1st November- All Saints Day

Tuesday 10th November- Agnes Feast Day

800 YEARS OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Did You Know? Feast Day: The Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on October 4, a day when many churches also bless pets.

Sarah Kavanagh

Assistant Principal

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Hope Angela Brecio, who has been selected to represent Perth Magic All Stars and Western Australia at the Cheer Con Cheerleading and Dance Nationals in Sydney this November! Hope will compete across four elite All Star divisions in cheer, lyrical dance and pom dance. This is a wonderful achievement that reflects the dedication and commitment required to compete at a national level. We are incredibly proud to see one of our students representing WA on the national stage and wish Hope and the team every success. Well done, Hope!

SAND TOY DONATIONS

YOUR MOVE AT SFOA

ACTIVE TRAVELLERS ARE REWARDED

This Friday we celebrate and recognise our first four students who regularly choose active ways to travel to and from school. Walking, riding, scooting and skating are fantastic ways for children to stay healthy, build positive habits and contribute to a more sustainable community. We look forward to recognising the commitment and enthusiasm of our active travellers and encouraging even more students to get involved. Every active journey counts, and we are excited to celebrate the wonderful efforts of our students.

NURSING NOTES: POWER UP WITH SLEEP!

Nursing Notes: Power Up with Sleep! 😴 A good night's sleep helps children learn, concentrate and regulate their emotions. Primary school-aged children need 9-11 hours of sleep each night. Try keeping bedtime routines consistent, even on weekends.

Fun Fact: Your brain is busier while you're asleep than when you're watching TV!

SCHOOL FEE INFORMATION

Dear Parents,

School fee statements have been sent out via your eldest child. Families on payment plans other than direct debits must finalise their school fees by 30th November 2026.

If you wish to discuss your school fees or are experiencing financial difficulty, please feel free to come see me in the school office from 8:00am-2:45pm. Alternatively you can email me on finance@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au

If your Concession Card has expired, please send an updated copy to the school ASAP to ensure you continue getting your discount.

Kind regards,

Geneve Bastian

P&F NEWS

Colour Run Success!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Colour Run! Together, we raised just over $11,000!

Our top fundraising class was KB with $1,439 raised, followed so closely by 2B with $1,425. Well done!

A special shout-out to Harper Madden, who was the top individual fundraiser, well done Harper!

A big thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time to help run the event, as well as our students, families and everyone who donated. We couldn’t have done it without you!

What an amazing effort from our school community!

2027 Events – We Need You!

We’re starting to plan our events for next year, kicking things off with our Family Fun Night in early Term 1! Keep an eye out for more information later this term.

To keep our P&F thriving and bring more fun events and support to our school community, we need your help!

Whether you’d like to help organise events, volunteer on the day, or become part of the P&F committee, we’d love to hear from you.

Every little bit of help makes a difference, and there are plenty of ways to get involved!

Interested? Get in touch with us!

pandf@stfrancisbutler.wa.edu.au

We’d love to have you on board.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating their birthday over the next month:

Bowie Benson, Aila Lombard, Thomas Hennessey, Wieu Kuach, Jacob Hansen, Gurhukamvir Gill, Domonic Scalisi, Violet Gray, Mason Carrara, Jeremiah Odongo, Ella Ladner, Bianca Banghi Lago.

We wish you all a wonderful day!!