Term 3, Week 8 Newsletter 2023

Principal's Message

Congratulations to our First Communion children who received the sacrament of Eucharist last Saturday evening. It was a beautiful school / parish celebration which will remain in the hearts and minds of all involved for a long time.

Year 6 had a fantastic trip to the Sunshine Coast last week where they experienced so many fun activities. Highlights included rock wall climbing, canoeing, caving and more. Special thanks to Mrs Piccoli, Mrs Magnus, Mr Keane, Miss O’Brien and Mrs Nulley for taking such care of the students.

Year Three recently went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and students and parents came home raving about the fun and learning from the day. Thanks Year Four for their Bake Sale on Friday where they have begun raising money for the Fun Run in October. Students are organising another Bake Sale this Friday. 

The Father's Day breakfast was such a great morning last week and a big thank you to all those who were able to attend. Special thanks to our cooks and servers and those who provided treats on the day. Thanks Mrs Boggis for her patience and skill in taking the special photos on the day. It was wonderful to have Fr Jim join us on the day and parents and students enjoyed his positive interaction, friendliness and welcome to all. 

Term 3 School Fees
Term 3 fees are now overdue for payment, please ensure that your school fee account has be finalised. Anyone needing to discuss payment options, please contact Alison Mason in the front office.

Here are some pictures of our year 6 students at the Tweed Catholic Schools Mass,  year 4 students having lunch with Mr Bleakley and Charlotte and Hannah at their fundraising stall.

Have a great week.

Yours in Partnership,

Tim Bleakley - Principal

Mission

First Holy Communion

On Saturday night a number of our students along with some other children who are also a part of the Holy Spirit Parish celebrated the sacrament of First Holy Communion. The Mass was beautifully presided by Father Jim Carty with each of the students who were celebrating their first Holy Communion actively participating in their very special Mass by either reading, or as a part of the offertory and Gospel processions. 

Sacraments are such special events in our Parish and there are a number of parishioners who help to prepare for this special occasion behind the scenes. 

We would like to thank Kathryn Head and Pat Higgins who always take the time to prepare beautiful certificates for each of the candidates. Ian and Ret Leggo who presented beautiful slides for the Mass which included images of the last supper to remind us all of the significance of this sacrament and of course Father Jim who was so present throughout the children’s preparation, ensuring the Mass was a very special occasion even giving each student a small gift at the end of the Mass to mark the occasion.

Catholic Schools Week -Whole School Mass

On Friday the 15th of September, St Finbarr’s will be celebrating a Whole School Mass to acknowledge Catholic Schools Week.

All Finnie’s families and friends are warmly invited to this special Mass then join us back at school for open classrooms and morning tea where a coffee van will be available. Combi will also be working out of our school canteen selling coffee with number of options to eat for Morning Tea.

After morning tea, all students will then walk to the beach with their classes to participate in a number of  fun activities on the beach. 

Father's Day  Prayer

On Monday morning, Year 4 Wategos led a Father's day prayer service at our assembly. This was a beautiful prayer service which focussed on all the important male role models our children have in their lives, also remembering those who are no longer with us. 

The prayer service concluded with a beautiful prayer:

Generous God,

you are like a loving father to us.

We ask you to bless these men who reflect something of your fatherly love to us.

Keep them safe each and every day and hold them in your loving embrace.

Give them strong and loving hearts, bless the work they do and surround them with love and peace.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Yours In Partnership,

Mrs Sonya Piccoli

Assistant Principal -Mission and Additional Needs

Learning & Teaching

Year 6 Sunshine Coast Excursion

Camp, despite what many adults think, is always a highlight for Mrs Piccoli and I. We were blessed to be on camp this year with Yr 6, Mrs Nulley, Mr Keane and Miss O'Brien. Watching the students step outside their comfort zones, conquer fears with sheer determination and achieve goals they set for themselves with persistence, was extremelty rewarding. It's always great to see the kids connect as a cohort and create memorable moments with their peers as their primary school years come to an end. 

Camp Recount by Hamish K

Last week, Year 6 went on school camp in the Sunshine Coast for 3 days, from Wednesday the 30th to Friday the 1st.

First, we stopped at Australia Zoo. Some of the highlights there were the crocodile show, the kangaroos and the meerkats. We had lunch while watching the crocodile show before being able to explore the zoo and all the wonderful exhibits it has to offer. After the zoo, we continued on to camp. That evening at camp, we were able to do rock climbing, and that was a major success! Everyone enjoyed rock climbing immensely, and a few of the teachers even had a go! The next day, we enjoyed a double session of kayaking in the morning, before caving and archery in the afternoon. Then, just before bed we competed in the camp Mini Olympics. Boy, did everyone sleep well that night! In the morning, we had the opportunity to conquer the camp Aerial Park. Some students (and teachers) tested their skills on Level 1, while others conquered their fear and ventured all the way up to the top level. Sadly, that was our last activity at camp, but the fun wasn’t over just yet! On the bus ride home we stopped off at McDonalds and enjoyed a burger, chips and a drink.

All in all, Year 6 camp was a great experience that gave everyone the opportunity to connect with each other and challenge ourselves. Everyone learnt a lot, and it really was a memorable event in our St Finbarr’s journey.

Learning Collaborative - Walks & Talks

Last week a team of our teachers attended a Learning Walk and Talk at St James Banora Point. This was a part of our continuius work within the Lismore Diocese Learning Collaborative Partnership. Dr Lyn Sharratt provided coaching and professional learning input throughout the day and the team found it to be extremely beneficial and inpiring.

The visit to St James in Banora was super inspiring. We visited a range of classrooms and in each, students were engaged in their learning and there was a purposeful chatter amongst the students as they discussed their own learning. The walls were alive with scaffolding for learning; prompts for students to rely on for support. From the visit, I’m excited to implement a few strategies into my classroom! Abbi Powell

"I felt inspired after visiting St James. The students across the school showed great ownership in their learning and their classroom spaces. It was impressive to see the impact of anchor charts and learning intentions and to hear from students how they use the classroom to support their learning as well as explain what they were learning and why. Moving forward I'm excited to continue to implement and utilise the classroom as a third teacher.  Ensuring my students know how to use the co-constructed anchor charts and success criteria to provide them with feedback on their learning." Shelley Clark

Yours in Partnership, 
Lauren Magnus
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Finnies Fun Run - Donation Site is LIVE

Our Finnies Fun Run Donations Site is LIVE.
All students must create an individual profile and connect themselves to a team. Please DO NOT create your own teams. Please ensure you follow the steps below when creating individual profiles.

Click on Create a Team (top right hand side of screen)
Click on Fundraise as an Individual
Click on Join a Team 
Click Yes
Type in Team Name (Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 & 6)
Click on Team
Click Join
Enter Details
Configure Profile
Set individual Fundraising goal
Make your donation

Please DO NOT create a team - these have been created by the school.  

Student Awards

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