2026 Classes and Staffing
In the coming weeks we will complete our teachers allocation for 2026. A great deal of thought and planning is involved with these decisions as we set up the school for the learning and success of everyone.
We are extremely proud of the emphasis that is placed on learning and the school wide structures
that we are putting in place and constantly refining to promote high levels of learning and wellbeing across the
school. Staying true to this vision and keeping our students at the heart of everything we do enables us to make the best decisions for our school community when it comes to staffing, school priorities and school structures.
I thank you in advance for your continued support and understanding with this important aspect of school life. I have every confidence in our staffing allocation, class distribution process and in the quality and care afforded all students at St Anthony's.
I thank all parents in advance for your support as we continue to work together for all our children.
Grandparent's Day
Today we had the opportunity to celebrate our wonderful Grandparents and what an incredible day it was.
We loved spending the morning with the special people in our lives who inspire, support and help shape us every single day. Thank you for being such an important part of our St Anthony’s family!
All Saints Day
On Saturday 1st November, we celebrate the feast of All Saints Day. A time where we express our thankfulness to God for the many faithful people who show us how to live as Jesus wants us to. It marks the beginning of a month where we remember all of the people we have loved who have died and give thanks for the special place they have in our hearts. We also pray that they are with God and at peace.
After Jesus died, his friends were sad and confused. When they met him on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t recognise him, but they did what he had always taught them to do. They walked and talked with him and then welcomed him in to their home. When they recognised him, they were very excited and wanted to tell everyone.
When people we love die, we miss them very much. Hopefully we keep doing the wonderful things they taught us to do. Maybe they taught us to cook, or to tie our shoes, or to swim, or play piano. Maybe we enjoyed playing games with them, or singing songs together, or going on adventures. Whatever it is, we keep doing the things that we learned and enjoyed, or know are important.
We also realise that they will always be in our hearts. We carry our memories and have a sense of them being with us, or watching over us, a bit like the disciples walking along the road beside Jesus. When the disciples realised that Jesus really had risen from the dead they were very excited, and we trust God’s promise that those we love who have died will also be raised to life with God.
During the month of November, take time to thank God for the people close to us who have died, and to ask God to continue to take care of them.
Tweed Zone Cricket Trials
Well done and congratulations to Darcy Elliott who attended the Tweed Zone cricket trials during Week 1. He was selected to progress to the next level and will attend the Diocesan Cricket Trials in Lismore. Good luck Darcy!
NSWPSSA Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to Beau Harrison, Ava Scott, Harrison Morley, Andy De Beer and Eden Usher who recently represented Polding at the NSWPSSA Athletics Carnival in Sydney.
Congratulations to Beau who placed 3rd in the 1500m and the 800m, he has qualified for the State team and is now off to the National Athletics Carnival for this event
Congratulations to Eden Usher who broke a record for the Multi-class Long Jump and placed 1st in this event, 2nd in her age group for Shot Put and 3rd in Discus.
She has made the State team for these events and is also off to the National Athletics Carnival.
Well done to Harrison Morley who competed in the Long Jump and 200m.
Well done to Andy who competed in the Multi-class Discus and Long Jump.
Well done to Ava Scott who competed in the Junior Girls Discus.
Beau, Harrison, Ava, Andy and Eden St Anthony’s are proud of your achievements at this carnival and good luck to Beau and Eden at the National Athletics Championships in Canberra!
Netball Gala Day
On Tuesday 2nd September around 80 St Anthony’s students from Years 3-6 participated in the Tweed Schools Cup Netball Gala Day at Arkinstall Park.
St Anthony’s entered 10 teams, 2 in the Mixed Competitive and 8 in the Non-Competitive.
The 2 Mixed Competitive teams who competed in the Years 5 / 6 rounds had a mix of wins, draws and losses against tough competition. Both teams improved each game and they should be proud of their achievements on the day.
Many thanks to Miss Ross for coaching one of the teams and running lunchtime training for both the competitive teams. Also many thanks to Mrs Barlogio for coaching the other competitive team. Many thanks to Mrs Reed and Miss Laynie Tate for umpiring the competitive games. Your time is greatly appreciated.
We had 5 mixed non-competitive teams from Years 5 /6 and 2 mixed Year 4 non-competitive teams.
The netball gala day showcased the true spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship with our non-competitive teams. What made this even more special was the participation of many students who had never played netball before. Their skills and confidence showed remarkable improvement as the games progressed.
Congratulations to all the students who participated on the day!
NRL Gala Day
At the end of Term Three, our senior and junior teams competed in the annual “NRL All Schools Challenge” at South Tweed R.L. Fields. The Junior team was ably coached by Mr Judd and consisted of students from Year 3 and 4. The senior team was made up of Years 5 and 6 students and both teams spent many lunchtimes training for the big day. We were also invited to compete against Pacific Coast College as a practice match to prepare for the Gala Day, which was very successful and we hope will continue next year.
This year, St Anthony’s also entered a girls Oz-Tag team that was enthusiastically coached and managed by Mrs Sleba.
The day was organised by our local NRL Coordinators, who this year, moved from a competitive to a more participatory focus to encourage more enjoyment in the sport.
Each team played three games throughout the day and enjoyed the competition against local students from various schools. The competitive spirit and sportsmanship was obvious amongst all the teams, supporters and organisers. On the day, Rugby League was the winner!
We look forward to the next event and thank all those involved in what was a very positive day in sport.
Girls Soccer
Our competitive 9 a side girls team from Years 5 and 6 played excellent football in their round games working together well as a team and showing the true St Anthony’s spirit through their sportsmanship.
They came away undefeated from their round games and made the final convincingly. The girls went on to win the final and qualified for the Diocesan Football Finals in Grafton. At this next tournament they had a few wins and a few losses but once again should be congratulated on their efforts and sportsmanship on the day. What a wonderful achievement girls!
Congratulations to the following girls for your participation in this team:
Jacinta Reynolds, Willow Milligan, Evelyn Stewart, Georgia Dodge, Bonnie Brownjohn, Cate Thierjung, Lacey Alach, Claudia Popov, Tiger Hawkes, Gracie Searle, Ava Kotze and Stella Dourado
Thank You to the parents who transported the students to Grafton and your support on the day.
Todd Woodbridge Cup Tennis Regional Finals
On Friday 17th October, St Anthony’s had 8 students travel to Byron Bay to compete in the Stage 2 Todd Woodbridge Regional Tennis Finals.
The competition is a modified version of traditional tennis played in teams of 8 on a modified court with low bounce, larger balls.
The team played a round robin format against tough competition. The St Anthony’s team competed with spirit and excellent sportsmanship winning 4 of their round games and only lost 1 game on the day.
At the end of their round games, they were placed equal 2nd but after a close countback on sets were named outright 2nd place for the day.
Due to this successful result, the team has qualified for the State Finals at Sydney Olympic Park. What a wonderful achievement, this is the first time a St Anthony’s Tennis Team has made it to this level. Good luck to all the students attending.
Congratulations to the following students for competing and commitment to lunchtime training: Conor Searson, Thomas Huett, Lenny Bartlett, Peter Perske-Fripp, Minka Nielsen, Amelia Popov, Ava Scott and Ava McLean
Thank You to the parents who transported the students to Byron Bay and your support on the day.
Boys Soccer
This year we had a Year 5 and 6 Boys competitive soccer team who also came up against tough competition but played with exceptional teamwork through all their round games remaining undefeated with 3 convincing wins.
They progressed to the final against a tough St Finbars team for the second year in a row with the competition very even between the 2 teams.
The scores were locked in a draw at full time sending the team into penalty shoot outs. Unfortunately the team just narrowly lost in the end but should be congratulated on their effort and sportsmanship during the final game.
Well done to the following players:
Warner Kitching, Edwin Keast, Ky O’Grady, Alex McFarlene, Joe Handisides, Orlando Caine, Ziggy Morgan, Joel White, Logan Woodward, Rhys Porter, Xavier Stewart, Finn Zuber, Flynn Pierce, Noah Barbosa Zanarde, Gus Wallis.
Tweed Catholic Primary Schools Sports Gala Day
On Friday 19th September, all of Years 5 and 6 attended the annual Tweed Catholic Primary Schools Sports Gala Day.
On the day there was a competitive Netball and Soccer competition as well as 4 other non-competitive sports for the students to participate in. All students who weren’t part of a competitive team rotated around 4 sports, the emphasis being on fun, learning and participation. These non-competitive sports were: tennis, Oztag, AFL and netball. Well done to all students for being involved.
The Years 5 and 6 competitive Netball team had a great day, coming away with a few wins and a few losses against tough opposition. Congratulations to the following students who competed with the St Anthony’s spirit:
Eden Tate, Kahlani Gordon, Rose McMahon, Gemma Rogers, Scout Moloney, Aubree Chatto, Neve Lawrence, Isabelle Neaves and Zara Reid.
LIBRARY - OVERDUE BOOKS
Dear Parents/Guardians
The end of 2025 school year is fast approaching. We have 433 overdue books. Notices will go home this week with the list of books borrowed by students. Please have a look around and see if you can find them.
Lost Book/s? We are on a hunt for missing school library books.
Ideas of where to look: In your desk? At a friend’s house? Under your bed? Behind the sofa? In your friend’s desk? Beside your bed? In your library bag? In your brother’s or sister’s bedroom or backpack? At your other house? Under the seat in your car? On your bookshelves in your home? On your teachers’ bookshelves?
Thank you
St Anthony's Primary School - LIBRARY
FLYING START
The countdown is sure on now till the end of the year and we have been playing so many different games around numbers and letters the past two weeks. We have had to find numbers of items out in the yard, find letters that are in our names, sort numbers from lowest to highest and use the interactive whiteboard to count objects before they disappeared. All of these activities are giving our preschoolers practice in a play based environment which allows them to gain confidence and readiness for success.
Monkey bars, climbing and building with sticks in the dirt pit have also been a highlight of the past couple of weeks. The way that the preschoolers help each other, give advice and are willing to share thoughts and ideas shows how confident and comfortable they are.
We joined in crazy socks and hair day with the school on Wednesday and this gave us all lots to laugh about and decided who had the craziest socks. We also couldn’t let the week go without boarding the fast train that is Halloween. We have made potions, bats, spider webs and all things related to the celebration on Friday. I am positive that the preschoolers will be hitting the streets as soon as school is over.
COMMUNITY NEWS
SPORT NEWS
MISSION NEWS
SOCKTOBER
Wow! What a great day we had on Wednesday for Socktober. So many creative, crazy hairstyles and crazy socks. Thank you for all of the effort our families went into, encouraging all our St Anthony’s kids to participate on the day.
So far we’ve raised over $450 for Catholic Mission Australia. We will finalise our totals at the end of today. All of this money will go towards the 2025 campaign for Zambia. For more information watch this Socktober video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZXXbtqjvK0&t=1s
The Year 6 students went deep with Socktober and the work of Catholic Mission Australia and explored how children play in places where they have no games or soccer balls. In solidarity with these children, our Year 6s made a soccer ball using recycled rags and plastic bags with string.
Socktober 2025
Principal's News
Today we celebrated our amazing educators....
What makes our school so special is the people.
It's always the people.
The children, the staff, the parents and our parish community.
We are truly blessed at St Anthony's to have such a passionate and dedicated staff who are prepared to give their all and do whatever it takes for our children. The extraordinary work of our staff ensures that our children know that they are loved, cared for and belong here at St Anthony's.
I am truly blessed and incredibly proud to work with such an amazing group of talented and beautiful people here at St Anthony's and it is an absolute privilege and blessing to be part of such a vibrant, caring and faith filled community.
When you love the people you work with because of who they are and everything they do our children, it is no longer just a job, it is a blessing and a gift.
Today we celebrate and are grateful:
For educators who believe in us ...
For educators who guide and direct us ...
For educators who give us a second chance ...
For educators who laugh with us ...
For educators who comfort us in times of need ...
For educators who are patient with us ...
For educators who bring out the best in us ...
For educators who show us the love of God ...
For educators who welcome us every morning with a smile and let us know that we are loved ...
God of Wisdom,
on this day of celebration for all educators
we give thanks for all who teach.
Hold them close to your heart and give them guidance
and strength in their daily work.
Bless them abundantly for their dedication
and service to your children.
We pray this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Parish Information and News
Parish Priest: Fr Paul McDonald
Finance Manager: Paul Crouch
Parish Secretary: Marty Darragh
Pastoral Assistant: Catherine Holliday
Phone: 0266741368
Email: parkings@bigpond.com
Website: http://stanthonysparishkingslciff.org
WEEKEND MASS TIMES
VIGIL: KINGSCLIFF 6:00pm
SUNDAY:POTTSVILLE 7:30am
KINGSCLIFF 9:00am
WEEKDAY MASS TIMES
TUESDAY: POTTSVILLE 9:15am
WEDNESDAY: KINGSCLIFF 8:00am
THURSDAY: KINGSCLIFF 9:00am
FRIDAY: KINGSCLIFF 8:00am
RECONCILIATION TIMES
SATURDAY: KINGSCLIFF4:00-5:30pm
SUNDAY: POTTSVILLE 7:00—7:25am
Current Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9am-3pm
PARISH NEWSLETTER LINK: http://stanthonysparishkingscliff.org/news-events/
St Anthony's Parish - Care Group
Many parents may have noticed from the Parish Bulletin, that the Parish has a Care Group which, among other things seeks to provide meals to any parishoners in need.
This could include times of family sickness, new mums struggling to provide for the family in the early days of returning home, and many other circumstances of genuine need.
Please be aware that the Care Group is very willing to help out if any families find themselves in need of this service.
Contact: Parish Office: 0266 741 284 or Maree Moore 0439 174 116
Welcome Back to Term 4
It is already shaping up to be another big term with lots of events and activities planned for all in our school community. It's hard to believe that we are commencing the last term of our school year as it only seems like yesterday we were commencing a whole new school year.
We are excited to welcome our 2026 Kinder class for our Little Learners this term, and welcome and encourage our families to attend our special days, liturgies, assemblies and end of year celebrations.
We are looking forward to another wonderful term at St Anthony's as we work together to support our children in their faith, learning and wellbeing, as well as the joy of preparing for Advent and Christmas as we approach the 25th December.
Our children have returned to school amazing. Our first week has been calm and focused with students knowing exactly what is expected and what they need to do to be successful. I am so proud of the work we have achieved this year and how students and staff have journeyed together as we keep challenging ourselves to be a school of excellence and to keep our school improving.
Thank you to our whole community for a fantastic start to Term 4!
Year 6 Canberra Excursion
Next week our Year 6 Leaders will head off on their Sydney/Canberra adventure I have no doubt that they will represented themselves our school and their family extremely well and make us all proud.
School camps and excursions play a vital role in the development of young students. These activities promote teamwork and collaboration, helping students build social skills and friendships outside the traditional classroom setting. Exposure to new environments encourages adaptability and resilience, while also sparking enthusiasm for learning. Additionally, camps often focus on environmental awareness, physical activity, and cultural appreciation. Overall, these experiences contribute to the holistic development of students, enriching their educational journey and creating lasting memories that shape their growth and perspectives.
I would also like to thank our staff who spend time away from their own families to ensure that our students have these wonderful opportunities. Their enthusiasm and commitment in creating a safe and enriching experience for our students is so greatly appreciated. I am incredibly grateful for your hard work and passion and without your generosity of time, these opportunities for the children at St Anthony's would not be possible.
Mission News
World Mission Sunday
This Sunday, October 19, the global Church celebrates World Mission Sunday. St Anthony’s School will be organising the ministries at the 9am Mass and we would love to have lots of St Anthony’s families come and join us. We will celebrate with morning tea afterwards. All are welcome, all belong.
Pope Leo has asked us to make a special effort to observe World Mission Sunday and has made a 90 second video speaking to this. It is quite powerful hearing a pope speak in one's own language and Pope Leo speaks beautifully.
You may also be aware that missionaries across the world are being killed for their faith. Pope Francis requested an inquiry into this which found that over 1600 missionaries have been killed from the year 2000- 2025. Of these, 643 were killed in Sub-Saharan Africa, 357 in Asia and Oceania, 304 in the Americas, 277 in the Middle East and the Maghreb, and 43 in Europe. For further information follow this link https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53232
Baptism
We will soon start preparing a number of students who have expressed an interest in receiving the Sacrament of Baptism, which will initiate and welcome them to the Catholic faith.
If you would like your child to receive the Sacrament of Baptism and your child has a Catholic, Baptised Parent, please contact Gemma Ballantine gemma.ballantine@lism.catholic.edu.au