Newsletter Term 2 Week 5 (26.5.23)

From the Principal

Dear Parents

Many thanks to those parents who availed themselves to speak with members of the Review Team which has been in our school this week. The team has been looking at our data, our resources, our curriculum plans and the structures we have in place. They have spoken to all staff members as well as some students to get a good sense of St Anthony’s. At the end of today staff will receive feedback from the team which will highlight commendations and recommendations which we look forward to sharing with you.

There is a Parent Forum meeting on next Tuesday at 6pm. All parents are welcome to come along. It is an opportunity to ask questions, hear what’s been happening, learn how you can add support to the school and the forum to create better outcomes for your children.

Thank you to everyone for the contributions made to assist Floyd Morley from Year 4 to participate in the World Dwarf Games to be held in Cologne in July. Today we presented Floyd and his family with $680 which we know will be helpful. We wish Floyd all the best in the lead-up to this exciting event.

Today is National Sorry Day when we remember and acknowledge the harm done to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities. There are many survivors of the Stolen Generation who are still recovering from the trauma they experienced. Today recognises the hurt of forced removal and separation of family and the importance of the restoration of dignity and agency to the Indigenous people of our land. Today is a day to come together in recognition and reconciliation to build a better Australia for all who live here.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when the apostles were energised by the power of the Holy Spirit and understood what their mission was to be – to spread Jesus’ message of mercy and salvation to all corners of the world. In essence, Pentecost marks the birth of the Christian Church on Earth. At St Anthony’s we continue to spread Love and Service in our school and beyond as part of that mission of Jesus.

The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling creation in the world. May we take notice of the beauty of nature all around us.

God bless

Lynne

Safety Issues

Important Dates & School Information

Term 2 2023

Monday, 5th June - MSP school photo day

Tuesday, 6th June - World Environment Day - Gold coin donation - wear green

Thursday, 8th June - Assembly - Year 2

Friday, 9th June - MASS - Primary

Monday, 12th June- Public Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, 13th June - St Anthony's Day - MASS at 9am

Wednesday, 14th June  - Verse Speaking at Tweed Heads - Yrs 5, 6 2 and 1

Thursday, 15th June - Verse Speaking at Tweed Heads - Yrs 4, 3 and K

Friday, 16th June - Assembly - Awards

Sunday, 18th June - School/Parish Mass 9:00am First Holy Communion Weekend

Tuesday, 20th June - Athletics Carnival

Thursday, 22nd June - Assembly - Year 3

Friday, 23rd June - MASS - Infants

Monday, 26th June - Primary Choirs - Murwillumbah

Thursday, 29th June - Infants Choirs @ Murwillumbah

Thursday, 29th June - last day of Term 2

Friday, 30th June - Staff Retreat  - NO SCHOOL 

Monday, 17th July - NO SCHOOL

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: Tuesday, 18 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 5:00pm
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/

Piety Stalls Kingscliff & Pottsville Churches

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT FIRST HOLY COMMUNION GIFT?
Look no further than the piety stalls at both Kingscliff and Pottsville Churches. A beautiful selection of giftware is available including rosary beads, jewellery, Mass books and cards. These lovely gifts are perfect for First Holy Communion and Confirmation.  Kingscliff Piety stall can now accept ‘tap and go’ card payments.

Messages from Gemma Ballantine

First Communion Retreat

This Tuesday the students preparing to receive First Communion will participate in a retreat day. Students will be allowed to wear free dress for the day, as faith isn’t just something we do at school. It is core to who we are, all the time. The St Anthony’s students will be joined by Year 9 and 10 students from St Joseph’s, Banora College, who will talk about their own experiences receiving Holy Communion for the first time and the joys and struggles that come from following Christ. Thank you to St Joseph’s College for giving the gift of time with these students. We are certain it will be a very special and fun filled day for all.

Our Lady Help of Christians

On Wednesday it was the Feast day of Our Lady, Help of Christians, the patron of Australia. The Stage 2 and 3 students celebrated at Mass. Our Ministry Leaders and Assistant Leaders joined parishioners and members of the Legion of Mary for Rosary in the Park. The group were delighted to have our St Anthony’s students join them in prayer.

Pentecost

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples and they were filled with the fruits and gifts of the Spirit to go out to all nations and proclaim the Good News. Pentecost is a long-standing Jewish harvest party, a Christian celebration as old as Jesus’ Church, and a Greek word that means “fiftieth.” The Pentecost moment described in the New Testament is a 1st-century event in Jerusalem where people’s heads caught fire (sort of). At this event, an indoor windstorm swirled through a packed house, and everyone was baffled—some panicked.

By itself, the Pentecost story in Acts 2 looks a bit bizarre. But seeing what happened on the day of Pentecost within Scripture’s larger narrative makes the story more clear.

Luke, the author of Acts, is a historian. He’s telling us what happened by drafting a story that intentionally maps onto repeated Old Testament patterns and themes. Significantly, this is not the first time that a divine, brilliant fire shows up out of nowhere and doesn’t burn anything up. The stories of Moses and the burning bush, Mount Sinai, the tabernacle, and the temple all include fire that shows up when God’s presence arrives and marks his dwelling space or temple. Luke is hyperlinking to these previous divine-fire scenes to give a background to the Pentecost story. The divine fire has previously rested on Yahweh’s temple spaces, so where does it rest in the Pentecost scene? With the disciples. Where does it rest now? In us.

It’s a temple made out of “each one of them.” It’s made of people. People will meet with God not in a geographic place or constructed space but in connection with those who choose to trust and follow Jesus. God’s fire shines with power and harms nobody, and it ignites a cosmic revolution, the Church. The story tells us that God now dwells within the community of Jesus followers. This living temple is made of people who operate like Jesus, ending fear and oppression with love and peacefully teaching humanity how to love and bless one another. In this sense, Pentecost marks the beginning of a new world.

For more info about Pentecost, visit The Bible Project.

Floyd Morley - 2023 World Dwarf Games

This morning at Assembly we presented Floyd with funds raised for his travels to Cologne, Germany where he will compete in the 2023 World Dwarf Games. We are so proud of Floyd and can’t wait to see him compete and cheer him on. St Anthony’s raised $680 from a mufti and Zooper Dooper Day. Special thanks to the Parent Forum for helping us with this initiative.

Tell Them From Me Survey

Tell Them from Me Survey

Thank you to all of the families who completed the 2023 Tell Them from Me Survey. We had 77 responses, which was a much larger response rate than last year. We are in the process of interrogating the data and understanding what our parents, students and staff are experiencing, what’s working and where we need to improve. Thank you all for the honest feedback. We cannot fix an issue we do not know about and it is so important to have open honest communication to ensure the best outcomes for our kids.

All comments in the survey are confidential and we have read both positive and constructive. 

There were two that we were particularly proud of we’d like to share:

Student #39

“This school has great rules and policies. They care about the environment and make sure we keep our school cleaned. We learn good words and things about bible, Jesus and God. They try their best to keep us safe, and try to get rid of the bullies and other things. The play around is great, we have grass land to play on, we have a basketball and netball count, we have 2 playground and more.” 

Student #106

“At our school I love our primary playground, I love our big grass areas where we can play soccer, football, and lot's of other fun sports, I love our teachers because they are always making jokes to make the class laugh and because they are really encouraging with everything we try to do, their also really kind caring and always show us how patience there are. I love all the students here because they show MJR and our school moto in and out of school and are always putting others before them.”

Yes, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the Spelling and grammar needs attention :)

National School Improvement Tool

This week at school we have had visitors here to review and elevate the quality of education at our school. We believe that continuous improvement is crucial for creating an exceptional learning environment for our students, and the ACER National School Improvement Tool is a powerful resource that will support our ongoing efforts.

The ACER National School Improvement Tool, developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is a comprehensive framework that enables schools to evaluate their performance and identify areas for growth. It provides a structured approach to assessing the quality of education and offers evidence-based strategies to enhance teaching and learning practices.

The tool consists of a set of well-defined indicators and criteria, covering various aspects of educational excellence, such as leadership, teaching and learning, student well-being, community engagement, and more. Our school has engaged in a rigorous self-assessment process using these indicators, gathering data and evidence to evaluate our performance against each criterion.

There has been collaboration and reflection among staff members, consultations, discussions, and collective analysis of our school's strengths and areas that require improvement. This process has fostered a shared understanding of our school's current state and will guide our future planning.

We are excited to embark on this journey of improvement confident that we will enhance the quality of education provided at our school, empowering our students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

In the coming months, we will keep you informed about the progress of our self-assessment process, as well as any initiatives or changes resulting from our findings. We value your partnership and encourage your active involvement in supporting our school's improvement journey.

Thank you for your continued support as we strive for excellence in education.

Sports News from Fiona Croker

Athletics Carnival Update - The St Anthony’s Athletics Carnival will be held on Tuesday 20th June this Term, Week 9. Please read any upcoming newsletters for ongoing updates and information in regards to the carnival.

1500m Zone Trials - If your child would like to be considered to attend the Tweed Zone 1500m trials at St Joseph’s College Oval on Thursday 22nd June after school at 3pm, they are required to submit a time through the St Anthony’s email no later than Friday 17th June. This time must be certified by a running coach or Little Athletics coach. The top 2 times for each age group of boys and girls will be invited to attend the trials.

The age groups are:

• 8, 9 and 10 Years (Junior) Boys and Girls
• 11 Years Boys and Girls
• 12/13 Years Boys and Girls

Please email certified times to: sapkings@lism.catholic.edu.au

Shot Put - This will be run during Dance Fever classes at school on Tuesday 6th June, Week 7. Sign ups for this event will start next week in classroom groups. This event is not compulsory and is ONLY FOR 8 YEARS and OLDER.

Long Jump Trials - Long Jump trials for all students in Years 2 to 4 will be run during PE lessons this term in Week 7. Year 5 and 6 will complete their Long Jump trials during PE lessons in Week 8. The Top 6 jumpers (boys and girls) from age groups 8 to 12/13 Years who qualify will compete in the Long Jump finals at the  Athletics Carnival in Week 9.

If your child is in Year 2 and will be turning 7 this year, they can still participate in the Long Jump trials during PE lessons BUT they are not eligible to participate in the Long Jump at the Athletics Carnival.

Diocesan Cross Country - On Tuesday 23rd May the Diocesan Cross Country was held at Grafton.

Well done to the following 9 St Anthony’s students who participated in this event representing the Tweed Zone: Gemma Rogers, Amelia Popov, Brax Alexander, Claudia Popov, Kaynan Behs, Harper Hutchinson, Zali Meyer, Eva Richards and Ivy Mison.

Congratulations to Gemma Rogers who placed 4th in the 8/9 Years Girls race and she will now represent the Lismore Diocese at the NSWCPS Cross Country later in the Term. Good luck Gemma!

Polding AFL - During Week 4 Harper Gallagher of Year 5 and Jack Rogers of Year 6 travelled to Batemans Bay on the South Coast to represent the Primary Boys Polding AFL team at the NSWPSSA championships.

From all reports the boys and the team played outstanding and achieved 3rd place overall, which is the best this team has placed so far in the competition.

The team also won the Catholic Cup which is an inhouse competition between the Polding and Mackillop teams. Whichever team finishes highest at the end of the tournament wins the cup. This is the first time Polding has won this cup.

Congratulations Harper and Jack, what a great achievement!

GRIP Leadership Conference 2023

On Friday 19th May, student leaders from Year 6 and Mrs Midson attended the GRIP Leadership Conference at Twin Towns. A variety of schools attended from QLD and Northern NSW, and the day was held in a large auditorium. The day was run by an energetic and highly entertaining team from the GRIP Leadership Organisation. The core values of GRIP Leadership are GENEROSITY, RESPONSIBILITY, INTEGRITY and PEOPLE

Students reflected on their individual strengths and their capacity to make changes and inspire ALL students within our school. School pride was celebrated and encouraged throughout the day.

Some themes that were explored:
●    How to be an ‘others first’ leader and the importance of listening to others
●    Creating positive impact for ALL
●    Integrity, Generosity and Responsibility as a leader
●    How to ‘step up’ and carry the load in a leadership position

Our school leaders took part enthusiastically in all activities on the day and felt inspired to implement these ideals within the St Anthony’s school environment. Thank you to Mrs Pull and our school for organising and funding this exceptional experience.

DOES attendance matter?

Support a Champion - Finn Carroll-Cinque

We are thrilled that Finn Carroll-Cinque has been selected in the NSW Primary School State Sports Association Swimming team to compete at the National Swimming Championships in August. To assist Finn and his family with the costs entailed in this significant representation please consider pruchasing a raffle ticket for $5 for a chance to win.

1st Prize: Apple iPad Pro, 2nd Prize: $500 Rebel Voucher, 3rd Prize: Fitbit Versa 2, 4th Prize: JBL Flip 5 Bluetooth Speaker, 5th Prize: JBL Flip 5 Bluetooth Speaker --(Drawn: Monday 19 December) - Tickets available at the front office.

MSP Photo Day

MISC ITEMS