Newsletter Term 2 Week 10, 4.7.2025

Principal's News

What a Term

I would like to once again thank our staff, students, parents and guardians, Father Paul and all those involved for your efforts in supporting our children to have such a wonderful term. It has been amazing at St Anthony's.

Term 2 has been extremely positive and productive in so many ways, filled with many wonderful learning, creative, sporting, challenging and growth opportunities for our children. And through it all, we never never lose sight of why we do what we do. We are here for our children. We have made pleasing gains in many areas and we will continue to strive to provide the best Catholic learning environment for our students and parish school community here at St Anthony's.

Our students have been involved in many rich and engaging learning opportunities both within and outside of the classroom. This is having a significant impact on their growth both academically and socially. I am extremely proud of our staff and the dedication and love they show to our children. We are continually challenging ourselves to be better and to do whatever it takes for our children to know that they are loved, that they belong and for them to experience success.

To our parents, I thank you for your continued support of your children, our staff and our entire parish school community. You are an amazing group and I am extremely grateful for the trust, loyalty and support that you give me as Principal and all our staff as we work together for our children.

I wish you all a happy and safe holiday and I look forward to next term which promises to be exciting and rich in new learning, growing as friends and loving like Jesus.

Murwillumbah Eisteddfod

This week our choirs participated in the Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts. We had 4 entries and achieved a First place for our Stage One Choir with Actions, First Place for Stage One Choir without actions and a second place for our Stage Two Choir. Our Stage Three Choir performed beautifully and sounded even better, however, like the other contestants, were at the mercy of the adjudicators for using actions which led to disqualification. We are so proud of every student who performed and practiced so hard throughout the Term.

A very special thank you to Mr Spurlock, Miss Lewis and Mrs Ballantine for their dedication to prepare our choirs and also our class teachers for supporting this wonderful opportunity for our children.

Orators Evening

On Wednesday night, we proudly hosted our Orators Evening, celebrating the incredible talent and courage of our public speaking finalists. Each student delivered a thoughtful and passionate speech, making it a night to remember!

Congratulations to all our finalists. You made it incredibly difficult for our adjudicators. Our school winners will go on to represent St Anthony’s at the Tweed District Catholic Primary Schools Public Speaking Competition next term.

We can’t wait to see you shine on the next stage at the Tweed Finals on the 7th August.

A very big thank you to our adjudicators Mrs Jan Jeske (former St Anthony's Teacher), Mr Ryan Campbell (Principal St Joseph's College Banora Point), Mrs Kim Sheperd (Lindisfarne Drama Teacher) and Mr Gavin Dykes (Principal Mt St Pats' College Murwillumbah).

Thank you to all of our participants, families, and staff for supporting this special event.

From the School Calendar

Week 1, Term 3, 2025

• Monday 21st July - Pupil Free Day
• Tuesday 22nd July - Pupil free Day
• Wednesday 23rd July - First Day of Term 3 for all students

Week 2, Term 3, 2025

• Learning Partnership Conferences
• Tuesday 29th July - Confirmation Family Workshop
• Friday 1st August - Zone Athletics carnival

Week 3, Term 3, 2025

• Learning Partnership Conferences
• Wednesday 6th August - Byron Bay Writers Festival (40 students from stage 2 and 3)
• Thursday 7th August - Year 4 Camp Lake Ainsworth Lennox Head
• Thursday 7th August - Tweed Public Speaking Finals
• Thursday 7th August - Making Jesus Real visit Stage 3 students
• Friday 8th August - Year 4 Camp Lake Ainsworth Lennox Head

Week 4, Term 3, 2025

• Monday 11th August - 2pm Street Science
• Friday 15th August - Science Fair

Week 5, Term 3, 2025

• Book Week - Theme "Book an Adventure"
• Monday 18th August - Book Character Parade 9am
• Book Fair in the library - Times to be advised
  
• Town Library visits - Times to be advised

Week 6, Term 3, 2025

• Tuesday 26th August - Diocesan Athletics Carnival

Week 7, Term 3, 2025

• Friday 12th September - Polding Athletics Carnival

Week 8, Term 3, 2025

• Monday 1st September - Chris Hudson Parent Workshop
• Tuesday 2nd September - Netball Gala Day
• Friday 5th September - Father's Day afternoon 3-4:30pm
• Friday 5th September - Confirmation

Week 9, Term 3, 2025

• Friday 19th September - Year 5 and 6 Gala Day

Week 10, Term 3, 2025

• Monday 22nd September - Rewards Day- Colour Fun Run
• Friday 26th September - Last Day of Term 3

MISSION NEWS

Confirmation

Next Term a number of students from years 3-6 will prepare for and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Confirmation completes Baptism, by which in the laying on of hands and the anointing with Chrism Oil, which first happened at Baptism, we are confirmed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of our participation in the ministry and mission of Jesus, and strengthened to follow Jesus more closely.

Family Workshops for Confirmation will take place in the St Anthony’s school hall on Tuesday, July 29 at 5pm and the Sacrament will be celebrated on Friday, September 05 at 6pm at St Anthony’s Church, presided by Bishop Gregory Homeming.

All families involved should have received a Compass notification to enrol their child in the 2025 program, please contact Gemma Ballantine if you wish to enrol your child or want further information.

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

Vinnies Winter Appeal

A huge thank you for all of your donations for the Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal. Many warm, quality items were donated and non-perishables went to the Vinnies Food Bank. Thank you for your generosity and thank you to Paul Monahan for coordinating this important campaign for St Anthony’s.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Exploring the Future: Technology in Learning at St Anthony’s

At St Anthony’s, we are committed to preparing our students for a world where technology plays an increasingly important role in how we live, work and care for others. Thanks to the support of our Diocese, which provides class sets of devices and technology loans to schools, we are able to bring rich, real-world learning experiences into our classrooms.

Our Year 6 students recently explored how drones could be used to support communities after natural disasters as part of their Geography unit. By coding drones, students considered how this technology might assist in checking for safety hazards, locating wildlife, and delivering food or medical supplies to areas where roads are inaccessible. This hands-on application of coding helped students connect deeply with both the human and environmental impact of natural events.

Meanwhile, in Year 5, students have been immersed in the wonders of space as part of their Science unit, Earth’s Place in the Solar System. Using LEGO Spike Prime robotics kits, they have programmed robots to simulate the exploration of other planetary surfaces. Students also used Scratch and Scratch Jr to animate their LEGO creations and tell imaginative stories of space discovery. Through these tasks, students developed coding and problem-solving skills, while engaging in meaningful inquiry about the universe.

Across the school, students are not only learning how to use technology—they are learning to think critically and creatively about how technology can be used to improve lives and shape the future. These experiences are sparking curiosity, building capability, and encouraging our young learners to become thoughtful innovators in a rapidly changing world.

SPORT NEWS

St Anthony’s 2025 Athletics Carnival

Well done to all the students who competed at the St Anthony’s Athletics Carnival last week. The effort and sportsmanship was outstanding and participation was at a very high level.

Congratulations to the following students who achieved Age Champion for the day:

8 Year Boy - Leo Clarke

8 Year Girl - Scarlett Hardy

9 Year Boy - Finley Smith

9 Year Girl - Avalon Gallagher, Ida Rudd and Reiya Cordy

10 Year Boy - Harrison Morley

10 Year Girl - Ava Scott

11 Year Boy  - Rafael Harman

11 Year Girl - Bonnie Brownjohn

12 Year Boy - Ky O’Grady

12 Year Girls - Evelyn Stewart

Congratulations to the winning house for the day, Mackillop Red.

Well done to Mackillop house who also won the All Age Relay and won the War Cry competition. What a team effort!

Good luck to all the students who are attending the Tweed Zone Athletics Carnival on Friday 1st August. The team and events have been placed on the sports notice board. 

Tweed Zone 1500m Trials

The Tweed Zone 1500m time trials were held last week at St James oval. Well done to all the St Anthony’s students who competed in this event. 

Congratulations to Gemma Rogers who came first in the 11 Year girls race and Ava Scott who finished 2nd in the Junior Girls race. 

Both Gemma and Ava will progress to the Diocesan Athletics Carnival in this event representing the Tweed Zone. 

Polding Representatives

Congratulations to Orlando Caine and Ky O’Grady of Year 6 who have recently represented Polding in their chosen sports.

Orlando travelled to Sydney to compete in the NSWPSSA AFL championships. His team came a respectable 6th out of 14 teams. Orlando had a very successful  tournament personally, kicking plenty of goals for his team throughout his games. Amazing achievement Orlando!

Ky travelled to Sydney to compete in the NSWPSSA U '12 Rugby League championships. His team not only had a successful tournament finishing 4th in the state but Ky was named captain of the team. After his performance he was also selected in the NSW All Schools squad. Good luck Ky in the next stage of these selections.

AFL QLD Primary Schools Gala Day

On 6th June both a boys and a girls St Anthony’s AFL team travelled to Brunswick Heads to compete in the 2025 AFLQ Primary School Gala Day. 

Both teams trained hard at lunchtimes before the competition. Many of the players were not AFL players, but from different sports. They are to be congratulated on their commitment to the team and learning all the necessary skills and techniques to play on the day to the best of their abilities. 

The boys team won all their round games, many convincingly, they were undefeated for the day. The girls team had 2 wins, 1 draw and a loss for the day. Great achievement for both teams.

Many thanks to Mr Rogers, Mr Judd and Mr Monahan who gave up their time and trained both teams at lunchtime leading up to the day. Thanks to Mr Rogers for coaching the girls team and Mr Monahan for coaching the boys team on the Gala Day. 

CPS Cross Country

Congratulations to Ava Scott of Year 4 who recently represented the Lismore Diocese at the CPS Polding Cross Country Trials at the Sydney Equestrian Centre. 

Ava finished 17th out of 39 competitors, what an amazing achievement in a tough competition!

COMMUNITY NEWS

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