St Francis is a school with many different elements. Below you will find a some information, but much, much more can be found in our Information Booklet which you can download off this site.

Assembly

Each Friday afternoon at 2.45pm we gather as a school family in the sports shed. These formal assemblies are led by our Year 5 & 6 students and begin with a beautiful prayer. From there, we share school news, present awards, make announcements and highlight all of the marvellous achievements in and around our school.

This time is a terrific weekly school celebration, which is open for all to attend.

Bus Travel
Many of our children travel on school buses. We access a wide network that safely brings children to and from our school. Appropriate standards of behaviour and politeness are expected at all times. Bus application forms are available from school office and must be processed for your child to be assigned to a bus.

In the morning bus travellers are dropped off at the very front of the school (in the yellow parking zone) only metres from our front doorstep.  In the afternoons students are assembled by allotted staff. Staff ensure each child is accounted for on our bus list, which is checked off before departure. The senior students work to care for and look after younger students and set an example with regard to behaviour and attitude.  If a bus student is NOT going home on the bus, the office needs to receive a note or phone call prior to 3.00pm that day.

Canteen
The School Canteen opens each Thursday and Friday. Lunch orders need to be ordered on CDF Pay by 9.00am on each Thursday &  Friday morning. There are two paid canteen managers and many parents volunteer their services to help and prepare lunches and serve the children at lunchtime.

Our canteen provides our children with a range of healthy choices. We pride ourselves on the provision of suitable healthy foods for our children to enjoy.

End of Term Arrangements
School finishes at 2.30pm on the last day of Terms 1, 2 & 3.  Term 4 finishes at 3.20pm.  These times fit in with bus arrangements.

Memorial Garden
As part of our 10th Anniversary Celebrations (Sunday 23rd May 2004) we Opened and Blessed our new Memorial Garden. This special garden was built as an area to remember and celebrate the lives of pupils and parents in our school community who have died.

Many people see a garden as a place of solace, a place to retreat and to restore balance. Our Memorial Garden will serve as a place of quiet reflection for families and for the children of our school to visit. We see the concept of a Memorial Garden complementing our ethos and epitomising the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

The garden is situated in a triangular area between three Chinese Elm trees below the outdoor barbeque and classroom structure. The garden has a wall designed to accommodate memorial plaques with a water feature in front of this wall. For those who wish to have their loved one included, a special plaque is struck which includes a cross and their name, along with their year of birth and death.

After School Care
The After School Care Program operates by the YMCA Bendgo from the school's Community Centre. After school activities are less structured than those offered during the Pupil Free Days, to allow children to wind down after the school day.

The program's activities are designed to meet the interests of children aged 5-12 years. Children are offered the opportunity to participate in leisure and recreation activities including art, craft, games, drama, sport and other physical activities, and cooking. Children also have some "down time" where they can watch television and movies on large screen.

School Fees
Our School policy clearly states that no child will be excluded from school if families have genuine financial difficulty. Your first decision is whether you choose to be a part of our community, then we come to a mutually fair and suitable arrangement.  Families experiencing financial difficulties can contact me at any time so that alternative arrangements can be made. Such arrangements are strictly confidential.

A full schedule of School Fees can be viewed on this website - Downloads - School Information - 2020 School Fees.

State Government Education Maintenance Allowance  From 2015 this Allowance (EMA) is no longer provided to eligible parents by the Victorian Government.

Maintenance Fee This fee of $70.00 is only payable if families elect to pay in lieu of performing some weekend maintenance tasks for 2 to 3 hours one weekend during the year. The fee is billed to all families and is deducted from school fee accounts following completion of weekend maintenance duties.

All fees (including camp fees) will be billed at the beginning of the school year. There is usually no extra call for money relating to fees apart from perhaps an additional "out of town" excursion related to the curriculum.

Accounts are sent home to parents each term. Parents who may be experiencing difficulty in meeting school fee payments are asked to please make an appointment for a confidential meeting with our Principal, Tim Moloney.

School Hours
8.30 am     Teachers are on duty and available to children in the classroom
8.45 am     Classrooms opened
9.00 am     Learning Session begins
11.00 am   Morning Recess
11.30 am   Learning Session begins
1.30 pm     Lunch Break
2.20 pm     Learning Session begins
3.20 pm     Dismissal

Uniform
We have a beautiful uniform that is worn proudly by our boys and girls. Our staff work to support the correct wearing of uniform so that high standards are maintained.