St Francis of Assisi News
Term 2 Issue 7 28th May 2026
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Week Six already! This term is flying by, but there have been so many wonderful things happening in and around our school. I have been conducting 2027 Kindy interviews this week and last, and it is such a pleasure walking new families around our school and showing them all the learning spaces and first-class resources that our school have to offer. This school is such an easy sell due to the calm and friendly environment we have all created here over recent years. We really do have so much to be proud of.
NUMERACY WEEK
Week Five saw our school celebrate 'Numeracy Week' in style with a whole school 'World of Maths' incursion, after-school parent workshop, exciting classroom based activities and some before-school Maths riddles. Maths can sometimes get a bad rap, but we are constantly trying to change that at SFOA by making Maths fun, collaborative and not so daunting for our students. Every two years, Numeracy Week gives our school the opportunity to further change that narrative and highlight the importance that numeracy plays in our school and our world. Parents and caregivers also play a pivotal role in the way they discuss Maths at home, and together we can make Maths one of our students' favourite learning areas.
CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL FRIDAY 5th JUNE
Our Cross Country Carnival has been rescheduled for Friday, the 5th of June. Mr Rebeiro has sent out a new program to parents. If the weather again intervenes, the students will run the course in their PE lessons, and the interschool team will be chosen from those results. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.
YEAR 6 WINTER CARNIVAL - THURSDAY 28th MAY
I spent today going from ground to ground watching our students participate in either AFL, soccer or netball. They certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves, and as always, our students represented our school with great pride and in good spirits. A huge thank you to both the staff who facilitated the day and also to the parents who volunteered their time and expertise to help coach and manage the teams. The children (and coaches) will sleep well tonight!
YEAR 4 IMCC TASTER DAY - WEDNESDAY 3rd JUNE
Next week, our Year Four students will cross the great divide and head over to IMCC for a 'Taster Day'. The day will give our students a chance to experience a day in the life of a secondary student. This annual event on the calendar is just another way our two schools are working together to help our students transition successfully into college life. We thank the staff at IMCC for taking the initiative and welcoming our students and families into their community for the day.
EXTENDED LEAVE FORM - HOLIDAYS
A reminder to parents and caregivers that if you are planning on going on a holiday or having a planned absence (other than medical) longer than three consecutive days, you must fill out an Extended Leave Form via our school website under headings 'Our School' 'Forms & Procedures'.
STUDENT ABSENTEEISM
We kindly remind parents and caregivers that if your child is going to be absent from school, the process to notify us is either one of two ways: firstly, you can ring the school number and choose the absentee line or secondly, use the link on the website to send an absentee form via email. Notifying the classroom teacher is not the protocol, and you will be directed to go through the formal process explained above. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.
PUPIL FREE DAY - TUESDAY 2nd JUNE
Enjoy the long weekend, everyone, and don't forget that Tuesday, the 2nd of June, is also a pupil-free day here at SFOA. Our staff will be busy moderating, planning and learning ways to enhance classroom learning environments. Have a ripper four-day break.
Best wishes,
Geoff Clarke
Acting Principal
Sacrament of Eucharist (First Holy Communion- COMMITMENT MASSES)
The yellow Sacramental commitment card, is to be filled out and handed in to St Andrew’s parish at the end of mass as part of the sacramental commitment process. Please ensure this is done ASAP.
If there are any questions in regard to this sacrament, please do not hesitate to contact via email-sarah.kavanagh@cewa.edu.au.
MAY - The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary
MAY is a special month that the church dedicates to the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God and our mother. In this month especially, we are encouraged to renew and deepen our relationship with our Spiritual Mother Mary. We can do this by reflecting on her life, whilst we pray the rosary, or any other prayer devoted to Mary, which expresses our gratitude for her Motherly care.
Upcoming dates:
First Holy Communion Retreat- Thursday 28th May (All day at school- sport uniform please)
800 YEARS OF ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI
- Did you know… Literary Pioneer: He composed the "Canticle of the Sun," a beautiful hymn praising God for creations like Brother Sun and Sister Moon. It is one of the earliest known pieces of literature written in the Italian dialect rather than traditional Latin.
Sarah Kavanagh
Assistant Principal
At SFOA we use the RULER approach to help students understand and manage their emotions. We are focusing on the Green Quadrant – the space where feelings are pleasant with lower energy.
Students in the Green Quadrant often feel calm, relaxed, satisfied, content or peaceful. This quadrant is great for learning, focusing, working with others and problem-solving. Our classes practise ways to enter or stay in the Green Quadrant, such as mindful breathing, quiet reflection, reading, and taking positive breaks.
Working Together
You can support this at home by:
- Talking with your child about how they feel and helping them label emotions that belong in the green quadrant
- Encouraging calm routines (reading time, quiet play, family downtime)
- Modelling strategies like deep breathing or pausing when things feel busy
By helping children recognise and value these calm, positive feelings, we build their emotional awareness, resilience and readiness to learn.
Mrs Liz Ward
Leader of Teaching and Learning
Social Worker Tips
Teaching emotional regulation – managing anger.
Here are a few evidence-based strategies to help kids navigate anger:
📣 Teach and Model Emotional Vocabulary: Words are power! When we give kids the right words for their feelings, we're basically equipping them with the skills to express themselves clearly. Name it to tame it!
🧠 Include Physical Sensations: Help kids connect emotions to how their bodies feel. Butterflies in the stomach? A clenched jaw? It's all part of the emotional package.
👁️ Incorporate Emotional Identification: Just like detectives, we can teach our kids to look for clues on what they're feeling and why. Was it that snatched toy or a skipped snack that triggered the meltdown?
🔢 Ask Kids to Scale Their Feelings: How big is that anger on a scale of 1-10? Is it a mosquito bite annoyance or a full-on thunderstorm rage?
This week, we would like to turn our attention to our Health teacher, Mrs Peirce-McNeill. Kirstie has had several different roles within our school community over the last year or so. Let's find out more about her.
- My go-to binge or streaming service or program...is currently any docu-drama I can watch with my children. Recently, we have watched True Spirit (Netflix) and Young Woman and the Sea (Disney).
- If I could be elite at any sport, it would be...if it were back in my school days, it would have 100% been basketball; these days, I quite fancy some netball and think I would love to be elite in a fast-paced netball game!
- My all-time favourite music artist is...Pink for sure!
- Bucket list holiday destination....Anywhere with a kids club 😅 Seriously though, anywhere near the beach where I can snorkel.
- Peanut butter - crunchy or smooth? Smooth all the way!
If we don't see Mrs Peirce-McNeill after the long weekend, we should start checking all the Club Meds in the Northern Hemisphere.
YOUR MOVE PROGRAM
Walking Wednesday's and Feel Good Friday's are well underway. Be sure to look out and receive a special star charts to record our active travellers.
NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY
On Friday, 22nd May 2026, St Francis of Assisi was a huge success and it was wonderful to see so many happy active travellers. A big thank you to the City of Wanneroo for their $200 grant for a healthy breakfast!
Dear Parents,
There are families who have not as yet commenced a payment plan for their school fees. Can you please attend to this urgently. If you wish to discuss your school fees or are experiencing financial difficulty, please feel free to come and 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.
Kind regards,
Geneve Bastian
Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating their birthday over the next two weeks:
Clara Susini Da Cunha, Zelina Akera, Ryder Ninyette, Maddox Prunster, River Prunster, Luther Harper, Arkyn Milton, Nathan Beaven-Davis, Valentina Stone, Olivia Moylan, Awan Awan, Kyle Murphy, Azeez Basra, Indiana Kingsley, Rylan McAllister.
We wish you all a wonderful day!!
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
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stfrancisbutler
Please find below St Andrew's Parish Holy Week and Easter Celebrations 2026 schedule.
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/