Newsletter Term 1 Week 8 (17.3.23)
From the Principal
Dear Parents
Where has this term gone? Already seven weeks down and only three to go before holidays. By and large everyone has been very settled throughout the term. Our classrooms are hives of learning and there is a willingness for all to keep striving to be better and better. We constantly repeat the mantra that our job at school is to be the best learners we can be. So we encourage students to listen, ask questions, have a go and seek help if they don’t understand something. Many of our classrooms have extra teachers and support staff to ensure all needs are being met.
Besides learning, we constantly talk about our expectations for being a St Anthony’s person. Our school motto Love and Service drives us to be kind and considerate of others, to show the Spirit of Jesus in all we do, which means we are welcoming and inclusive, encouraging and supportive, able to acknowledge our behaviour, to be genuinely sorry when we do stuff up, to seek forgiveness and to forgive, and to always be people of gratitude who are thankful for all that we have. In small ways we instil these values in our students so that hopefully in turn this spills over into our homes and communities. In the end we want to grow good people in our school, people who will ultimately make a difference in our world.
This week we welcomed back Mr Kennedy to his fulltime role as Assistant Principal – Administration although he did come in for a couple of days last week. It’s great to be laughing along with him again and to know he is in much better health and willing and able to be such a vital part of our school. He has been missed by all.
Our Ministry Team (staff and students) have put together an opportunity for everyone to spread kindness, happiness and harmony next week at school which is officially Harmony Week. Monday is actually the International Day of Happiness! Students may wear colourful mufti on Thursday – gold coin donation to Caritas. On Friday we will hold our annual school Cross Country event in the school grounds. Let’s hope it is not as hot as today! Students may wear a shirt in their house colour if they have one with their school sports shorts. Otherwise school sports shirts are fine. It looks like being a colourful happy week!
The last week of school this term is actually Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday. Our focus at school will be around the events of this week finishing with a whole school liturgy in the COLA from around 2.15pm before students are released for the holidays. Parents are invited to attend on this occasion. It will be solemn, however students will be learning about the Last Supper, the Crucifixion of Jesus, and His Resurrection which is celebrated on Easter Sunday, as part of their Religious Education.
After the holidays we will still be in the Season of Easter and classes will focus on this topic then. We discourage eating Easter eggs in Holy Week and enjoy celebrations on our return to school in Term 2.
Catholic Schools Week coincides with the first week back at school next term. We will have an Open Morning for parents and visitors to visit classrooms after Assembly on the first Friday back, 28th April. This assembly will focus on Anzac Day and will be led by Year 5 students.
Next term there will be a School Review from 24th - 26th May. Parents will have an opportunity to be involved with this process and more information will be forthcoming next term. We will look closely at how we are progressing in a number of domains and determine how we can improve, setting a three year plan to do so. The process is different from what has been done in the past and will focus on what we are doing well and how we can be better.
During Lent we are asked to focus on Prayer, Fasting and Alms-Giving. Fasting is quite a trendy thing these days and may not be something truly spiritual. However, I like to think about Pope Francis’ suggestion for fasting and include it here for your consideration as I think it epitomises what we should be thinking about.
Fast from hurting words and say kind words
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worry and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words. Be silent and listen.
May God’s blessings be on all our families.
Lynne
Important Dates & School Information
Term 1 2023
Tuesday, 28th March - Parish 2nd Rite and Childrens First Reconciliation 6:00pm at Kingscliff Church
Monday, 3rd to 5th April - Year 5 School Camp Goodenough
Thursday, 6th April - last day of Term 1 - Liturgy @ 2.15 pm
Term 2 2023
Monday, 24th April- Pupil Free Day - Staff Professional Learning
Tuesday, 25th April - Anzac Day no school
Wednesday, 26th April - School resumes
Friday, 28th April - Anzac assembly @ 8.40 am followed by Open Classroom morning
Friday, 5th May - Zone Cross Country
Monday, 8th May - Aboriginal Pereformance
Thursday, 11th May - Mother's Day Stall
Friday, 12th May - Mother's Day Assembly
Sunday, 14th May - Mother's Day
TERM DATES 2023 - pupil free days etc to be advised
Term 1: Friday, 27 January to Thursday, 6 April
Term 2: Wednesday, 26 April to Friday, 30 June
Term 3: Monday, 17 July to Friday, 22 September
Term 4: Monday, 9 October to Tuesday 19 December
Child Protection Policy can be found on our School Website under Information/School Policies: St Anthony's Primary School Website or in the following link: https://www.kngplism.catholic.edu.au/policies
Parish News
St Anthony's Parish
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: KINGSCLIFF 5:00-5:30pm
SUNDAY: POTTSVILLE 7:00—7:25am
Current Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9am-3pm
PARISH NEWSLETTER LINK: http://stanthonysparishkingscliff.org/news-events/
UPDATE ON 2022 FLOOD APPEA L FROM THE DIOCESE OF LISMORE
We feel it is important for everyone in our school community to know the impact our Bishop has had for the wider community, This letter was sent from the Diocesan Office to all parishes.
'As we acknowledge and commemorate the anniversary of the February 2022 flooding disaster, we thought it timely to provide an update on the 2022 Flood Appeal.
We are grateful that so many were able to give generously of their time and funds to assist those within the Diocese who were and continue to be impacted by the events of February and March 2022.
The Bishop’s Flood Appeal raised $1,687,000 with donations being received from individuals and community groups, Australian parish and school communities, other Dioceses and Religious Orders as well as international donors.
The focus of the Appeal is to support the Northern Rivers community to recover and rebuild. Complementing other appeals providing immediate relief of food, emergency accommodation and clothing, this Appeal supported sustainable initiatives that will assist the flood-affected now and in the future. The importance of the wellbeing, safety and security of the citizens of the region has been the paramount consideration in the application of the Appeal funds.
We are very pleased to provide you with an update as to how the funds have been disbursed/allocated to date:
- The Good Pantry Lismore was a community initiative founded in the immediate aftermath of the flood and run by volunteers. It quickly became obvious that the scope and scale of the project was too extensive to be managed by volunteers alone and within a very short period the Diocese entered into a partnership with The Lismore Soup Kitchen Limited to provide ongoing support to the community through The Good Pantry Lismore, currently located on Wyrallah Road, East Lismore. To date approximately 1,300 members have joined The Good Pantry Lismore which provides at little or no cost necessary food items. The Diocese has committed $50,000 to this work.
Further information can be found at https://www.winsome.org.au/the-good-pantry
- The Diocese has entered into a partnership with Resilient Lismore to support the Two-Rooms Project which aims to assist residents to return to their homes by offering construction of two rooms, bathroom and electrical check to the house. To date 65 homes have been completed, 15 are currently underway and 80 are on the waiting list. The Flood Appeal has contributed $330,000 to this project. The Diocese’s contribution will increase significantly as works progress, with the hope that as many residents as possible will be back into their homes by winter 2023.
Further information can be found at https://www.floodhelpnr.com.au/two-rooms
In addition to these two projects, the Diocese is looking to purchase/build a warehouse out of the flood zone to provide a site for a food hub which will assist people if and when the need arises. Further, it is intended that a rental relief programme will be established. Funds from the Flood Appeal will also be allocated to these ventures.
We are at the beginning of the rebuild and once government initiatives have been announced and implementation has commenced, the Diocese will be better able to identify the further needs of the community and apply funds to meet those needs. It is paramount that the Flood Appeal funds are allocated to worthy and responsible programmes to re-establish the community and support residents in meaningful ways that are restorative and future-focussed.
Gemma (Assistant Principal, Mission)
Lenten Prayer Group
It has been wonderful to have such a large group of Stage 3 students joining our Lenten Prayer Group every Friday morning. We are averaging around 20 students each week, which is wonderful and life-giving. A reminder that all Parents and Parishioners are very welcome to come and we would love to see you there. There are 2 more prayer sessions before Holy Week.
Project Compassion
A reminder of our major social justice outreach this Term, Project Compassion. We will add to this total on Thursday via the ‘Wear Your Colours’ day, where students are asked to bring a gold coin donation for Caritas/ Project Compassion. These funds will be put together with the funds collected on Pancake Tuesday. The students have also been contributing to their class boxes and students in the younger years were given their own Project Compassion box for home. Due to student requests, we will be ordering one for every student from K-6 next year. If your child has a Project Compassion box at home, could you please encourage them to start thinking about ways to collect some money, perhaps by doing some odd jobs around home. We are hoping to have all boxes returned in the next 2 weeks so we can count our donations and send the funds through to Caritas. Thank you for your ongoing support of this outreach project. To find out more, visit Project Compassion.
Incitare Yr 6
On Thursday, March 23, all Yr 6 students will participate in Incitare and be led by the Year 6 students who attended the Diocesan Retreat day in Murwillumbah. We pray the students enjoy the day, exploring ways to show courage and live a life of love and service for the common good.
Gemma Ballantine
AP Mission
Meet the Teacher Miss Thompson
Harmony Week
Sports News
Diocesan Swimming Carnival
On Friday 3rd March St Anthony’s had 20 students travel to Kempsey to compete in the Diocesan Swimming Carnival.
The team produced some outstanding results with many being successful and progressing to the Polding carnival. The following students were awarded Age Champion:
- Finn Carroll-Cinque Junior Boy Age Champion
- Rafael Carroll-Cinque Senior Boy Age Champion
- Flynn Flaherty 10 Year Boy Multi-Class Boy Age Champion
Congratulations to the Junior Girls Relay Team who consisted of Claudia Popov, Amelia Popov, Lennox Stonefield and Scarlett Mison. They placed second in their race and will be competing as a St Anthony’s team at the Polding Carnival.
Good Luck to the following students who will be representing the Lismore Diocese. These swimmers will be going to Homebush at the end of the Term:
Finn Carroll-Cinque, Rafael Carroll-Cinque, Flynn Flaherty, Thomas Huett, Ivy Mison, Scarlett Mison, Amelia Popov, Claudia Popov, Zara Reid and Lennox Stonefield
Winter Sports Trials
Winter Sports Trials were held on Friday 10th March in Grafton. Many of our Year 5 and 6 students participated in these trials hoping to be selected in the Lismore Diocesan teams for their chosen sports. Well done to the following students who took part in these trials in difficult weather conditions:
Soccer: Billy Handisides, Alex Todan and Kalani Favaro Andreo
Girls Soccer: Jorja Geoghegan
Boys Hockey: Dash Campbell
Girls Hockey: Alice Little
Netball: Ellie Neaves
Rugby Union: Sunny Ryan, Joziah Loughland and Flynn Horton
Rugby League 11’s: Luke Thierjung, Derayne Kelly and Bohdi Barton
Rugby League Opens: Jaxon Bond and Dash Barnes
Congratulations and good luck to the following students who were selected to represent the Lismore Diocese in their chosen sport. These students will travel to Tamworth early next Term to the Polding trials:
Billy Handisides and Kalani Favaro Andreo - Soccer
Alice Little and Dash Campbell - Hockey
Derayne Kelly - 11’s Rugby League
St Ambrose Community Fair
Parent Snippet Active Kids
