Newsletter Term 3 Week 1 (21.7.23)

From the Principal

Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you enjoyed some quality time with your children over the break. The term has begun well with children settling back into their classes and routines this week. We are looking forward to a very productive term.

We are currently conducting interviews for our prospective Kindergarten students for 2024. We would like to have these finalised in the next couple of weeks so if you are aware of anyone considering St Anthony’s for their child’s education, please encourage them to make an appointment as soon as possible or they may miss out.

At this morning’s assembly we celebrated NAIDOC, as it officially falls during the school holidays. Many of our students who identify with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage led the service with their peers. We appreciated Tayah Logan coming over from Mt St Pat’s College where she is the Indigenous Education Worker to lead the Acknowledgement of Country, as we currently do not have an IEW, and Jeff Logan, a local Bundjalung elder, who has worked often at St Anthony’s and guided us in many things, was unable to be present but asked his niece Tayah to assist us. Thanks Tayah!  NAIDOC Week is a time to reflect and celebrate the histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, recognising them as the ongoing custodians of the land. Congratulations to everyone for a very respectful service this morning.

As we continue our school improvement journey we are keen to ensure that there is student agency in their learning. This term, students will drive the learning partnership meetings with their parents and teachers. These meetings will take the place of the traditional parent/teacher interview. Teachers will be setting up meeting times shortly. All families are encouraged to take part in this opportunity. Of course after this if you feel the need to talk further with the teachers, please make an appointment.

Next Friday our school athletics team will compete at the zone carnival. We wish them all the best for this. Today our AFL boy’s team competed on the Gold Coast. Later in the term there will be GALA days for netball, tennis and rugby league. We are pleased to allow students to have a wide range of sporting opportunities.

The next Parent Forum will be held at 6.pm in the staff room on Tuesday 1^st August. The forum has a number of initiatives on their agenda. Please consider coming along and sharing your own ideas.

On Sunday 6^th August we will host our next Parish/School Mass at 9.00am. We are hoping to make this a combined Year 6 and Kindergarten Mass to encourage more families to come along. We will also have a morning tea afterwards. Please save the date and try to come along on this occasion. This is a chance to strengthen our partnership with the parish and build our combined community.

This term there is Book Week, Book Fair, Science Fair, Tournament of Minds, author visits – all great opportunities to engage our students in a variety of ways. Please encourage your child to take on some of these opportunities. More information will be available in the near future.

This week we welcomed two new families to our school: the Lehmann family with Sonny in Year 2, and the Wakefield/Mallette family with Beau in Year 5 and Alinta in Year 2. We hope that you all come to love belonging to the St Anthony’s community.

What the world needs most is openness: open hearts, open doors, open eyes, open minds, open ears and open souls.

God bless,

Lynne

Important Dates & School Information

Term 3 2023

Friday, 28th July - Zone Athletics

Tuesday, 1st August - Parent Forum @ 6pm

Sunday, 6th August - Parish School MASS

Tuesday, 8th August - Rugby League Gala Day

Wednesday, 9th August - Netball Gala Day

Wednesday, 9th August - Byron Bay Writers Festival

Thursday, 10th August - Tweed Catholic Schools Public Speaking - Finals

Tuesday, 15th August - Feast of the Assumption - MASS @ 9 am

Wednesday, 16th August - Author Visit - Hakea Hustler 

Monday, 21st August - Book Parade

Wednesday, 23rd August - Tweed Catholic Schools Year 6 MASS @ St Anthony's

Thursday, 24th August - Book Week speaker and workshop

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

NAIDOC

This week at St Anthony’s we have been celebrating NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Observance Committee) Week. The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is ‘For our Elders’. Elders have many important roles, and often hold authority and decision-making power in our families and communities.

 “They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones.

Our loved ones who pick us up in our low moments and celebrate us in our high ones. Who cook us a feed to comfort us and pull us into line, when we need them too. They guide our generations and pave the way for us to take the paths we can take today. Guidance, not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life and how to place ourselves in the world.” -National NAIDOC Committee

Classes have been engaging in a range of activities and learning that celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We’ve also had some songs from indigenous artists playing through our school bells, so hopefully you’ve enjoyed those ones! Attached are some photos from our NAIDOC Assembly this morning, which was attended by Tayah who led a Welcome to Bundjalung Country.

Look out for the hottest authors in town!

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the in-school writing contest! It's wonderful to see such talent and passion for writing among the students. Each one of them deserves recognition for their efforts and creativity.

It was extremely difficult to choose just one student from Stage 2 and one student from Stage 3 to send to the Write On competition, the fact that all these students produced great and fantastic writing is a testament to their dedication and talent. Congratulations to Elise Edwards Year 6 and George Huett Year 4 for being the chosen two. It's heartwarming to see young writers shine in their writing pursuits.

Having an in-school writing contest with book awards is an excellent way to appreciate and celebrate the students' hard work. Congratulations to our winners Elise Edwards, George Huett, Harry Chapman, Scout Maloney, Caoimhe Hansen, Rose McMahon, Evelyn Stewart, Nicholas Croker, Scarlett Wallis, Layla Morgan, Joel Andrews, and Lily-Rose McCann. The competition not only provides encouragement to the winners, but it also inspires other students to continue honing their writing skills and expressing their creativity through words. I'm sure this experience will be memorable for all the participants and encourage them to keep exploring the world of literature and storytelling.

Rigorous Project Based Learning

Next week our Stage 3 Teachers will be attending two days of learning with Educational Expert, Michael McDowell. This is part of St Anthony’s ongoing commitment to inquiry learning and student agency in learning. Teachers will be embedding their understanding of how to shift learning from Surface (I know things) to Deep (I can relate things) to Transfer (I can apply things), ensuring rigorous learning that is rich in depth and breadth. A key element of the learning will be Rigorous Project Based Learning- where students co-construct learning opportunities and driving questions to hinge their learning across multiple contexts. For more information visit Michael’s page. 

Tell Them From Me

At our staff development day on Monday we explored the data from our recent Tell Them From Me survey. Something that stood out from the 77 parent responses was that parents sometimes don’t feel they are informed enough. We are eager to address this and are seeking some ideas and feedback about what would best meet the needs of our St Anthony’s parents and caregivers. While we have weekly Newsletters, SeeSaw, Compass and Facebook, we acknowledge that there could be alternative means to connect with and inform our parents and community. If you have any ideas and suggestions, please feel free to email through your ideas (sapkings@lism.catholic.edu.au) or contact Lynne Pull (Principal), Gemma Ballantine (AP Mission) or Julianne Barlogio (AP Learning & Teaching).

Book Parade

Book Parade- Monday 21st August- Come dressed as your favourite book character

Helpers Needed for Book Covering

The Library has small packs of about 10 books that need covering. If you are able to help with covering please call or pop in to the office to collect them. 

Thank you Lauren Plunkett (Teacher Librarian)

National Science Week

We will be holding a science fair to celebrate National Science Week in week 5. The Science fair will be held on Thursday 17th August. This is an optional activity for students. If students wish to participate, they may work in groups or individually and prepare a display, experiment, presentation or poster showing a scientific idea. The theme for this year is innovation powering future industries. Projects do not have to fit the theme, however judges will look favourably on those projects that do fit the theme. Students must nominate what they are doing and return their nomination form to Mrs Hawkins by 4th August. All students who have elected to participate should have brought home a note. If you think your child may like to participate and they did not collect a note, please ask them to contact Mrs Hawkins in year 1. The note contains all the important information relating to the Science Fair.

Learning Partnership Conferences

St Anthony’s Learning and Teaching goal is for students to be assessment capable learners; gain clarity in their learning and develop assessment capabilities to maximise their learning potential.

This year, through an Inquiry approach we are changing the structure of our parent/ teacher meetings. Instead of the regular approach we are implementing Learning Partnership Conferences.

The conferences will be held during weeks 3 & 4 of term three.

These meetings will be designed as student led conferences in collaboration with parents and teachers.

Students will prepare for their conferences (with teacher support) by selecting and sharing evidence of their learning and learning goals.

During the conference parents and teachers will be invited to clarify goals and reflect on ways to support the students' learning journey.

Research suggests that a student-led approach encourages students to think critically about their own learning and to seek feedback.  It also provides a sense of ownership leading to assessment capabilities to maximise their learning potential.

In addition, the Learning Partnership Conferences also foster a collaborative relationship between parents, teachers and students, ensuring that all parties are involved in the process of learning and supporting the student's growth.

We believe that this approach to parent/teacher meetings will not only engage students more deeply in their learning but also support their development as assessment capable learners, thus enhancing their overall educational experience.

We will seek feedback from parents, students and teachers leading up to and following the conferences to gain insights and find ways to further enhance this approach as we continually strive to improve student outcomes.

Social Media: Are They Old Enough?

Social Media: Are They Old Enough?

While the internet offers incredible opportunities for children to access information and connect with others, it's important for parents to teach them how to navigate online environments safely. Without proper supervision and understanding of concepts like privacy, children may face negative experiences that can impact their well-being.

Wait Till 13

One common question that arises is when your child should have a social media account.

Most social media platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook, require users to be at least 13 years old to register. Following these guidelines, we recommend that no primary-aged child should have their own social media account. As a school community, we kindly request that you protect your child by allowing them to access social media only under your account and supervision.

After they are 13, take into account your child’s:

• Maturity
• Resilience
• Understanding of the impacts of social media.

Saying No

Safeguarding your child's confidence and self-worth during their primary school years is crucial, and social media can have negative consequences on your child’s developing identity. We encourage you not to let the online environment distort this important phase of their development. Stay strong and resist the pressure to introduce your child to social media when they are too young.

Together, let's empower our children to explore the digital world safely while preserving their well-being and fostering a positive sense of self.

Learn about the latest games, apps and social media use for children in The esafety Guide.

2023 Non-Government Schools Census

Seasons for Growth

Dear Parent/Caregiver
The ‘Seasons for Growth’ program offers children who have experienced grief, loss or change in their lives the opportunity to talk to other children, of similar age, in a small group about their similar experiences.
‘Seasons’ was initially launched over 20 years ago and there is evidence indicating the program makes a very positive contribution to the social and emotional wellbeing of thousands of children and young people in Australia and overseas.
With the framework ‘Seasons’ provides, children are encouraged to focus on what they can do to make these changes or losses easier to live with. Each group operates with a trained adult companion, during school hours, on a weekly basis for about ten weeks.
St Anthony’s is very pleased to be able to offer this program again in our school and will commence in week 5.  If you feel your child would benefit from ‘Seasons’ please complete the attached return slip.
Yours sincerely
Lynne Pull
Principal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------
Seasons for Growth
I/we give permission for my child  _______________________ to participate in the      ‘Seasons’ Program
Signed    ……………………………………………………………. Date …………………………..

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.

MISC ITEMS

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 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/

RICA - Rite of Chrisitan Initiation of Adults

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