St Anthony's Primary School Kingscliff eNewsletter

Principal's News

On Sunday we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, which holds great religious and historical importance to Christians. As we read in the New Testament, Pentecost marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus, which enabled them to go out into the world to preach and share the message of Jesus Christ. The Good News. Thus, Pentecost is often seen as the birth of the Christian Church and the beginning of its mission to spread the teachings of Jesus to all nations.

Today, Pentecost serves as a reminder of the Holy Spirit's empowering presence and the ongoing mission of the Church to share God's love and teachings with others; something that is central to the Mission of Catholic Education here at St Anthony's.

Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence and renew our hearts. Inspire us with your wisdom, and grant us the courage to share the Good News with others.

Parent Community Group Feedback

Last week I met once again with our Parent Community Group to discuss a number of topics as we continue to work together for the best interests of all our children.

At our very first meeting we discussed and had a wonderful conversation about the things families love about St Anthony's, what we should do more of, what we should do less of and anything else you felt I needed to know as a new principal. We gathered wonderful insights from the meeting and also from the online form that was sent home.

Below you will see some of the main themes from our conversations.

Parent Feedback - You said and we heard.

What do we need to do more of?

Timely communication- sharing dates well in advance where possible
Awards- more focus on effort, kindness, being a good friend, sport
Excursions and book parades
Social emotional work with students/parents regarding supporting behaviour
Building parent understanding of classroom structures and our model of learning.
Sharing learning-what is happening in our classrooms, what our children are learning
More explicit teaching
Classrooms more flexible

What do we need to do less of?

Classes- reduce distractions/noise/behaviours
Better communication of events/ pre-planning
Fundraising events
Uniform..investigate costs, variety
Less collaborative group tasks
Last minute things required from families

What are the things we can't let go of?

Flying start partnership, kindy orientation
Sporting opportunities
Academic programs-Science week, STEM Challenges etc
Arts opportunities-school public speaking, music, choir
Faith and community
Fun activities for our children-rewards days, colour run etc
Acknowledging families leaving school end of Year 6
Families welcomed into the community
Excursions

What are we currently working on?

Flexible and Focused Learning Spaces- Utilising our flexible spaces and structuring the learning environment to maximise student focus and learning. Many families during the recent Kindergarten interviews and school tours have commented on how calm and focused the school and our learning spaces were.
Communication-Newsletter and Calendar updated well in advance for the year.
Excursions-All classes involved in excursions with many exciting opportunities planned throughout the year.
Uniform- $17 socks have been removed from the sports uniform
Rewards Activities-Each term and giving students a voice in what these activities will be.
Flying Start and feeder preschools - Strengthening our partnership and extending our transition program to ensure we are ready for all our little people to start Kindy in 2026.
Explicit Teaching-Explicit teaching happening in all classrooms everyday.
Year 6 Leaders- Revisiting our student leadership policy and processes as well as moving student speeches and the voting processes for school leaders forward. It will now occur at the end of 2025.

NAPLAN DATA

Each year, our students in Years 3 and 5 sit the NAPLAN assessments. Whilst this is only one data set for us as a school, it gives us a benchmark against similar schools compared to us and all schools across Australia.

At St Anthony's all learning is viewed as important whether it can be assessed or not. As we work together to ensure our children experience the fullness of life, love learning, continue to grow, be challenged, try new things and ultimately become good people who contribute to our local community, it is also equally important that we continually striving to be a high performing school in all areas.

Please see some of our data sets below from Naplan 2025. We are extremely proud of how hard our students and staff are working. We are excited for not only the level of achievement but also the level of growth for our children.

Year 3 Reading- 79% of students above Proficiency

Year 3 Writing- 88% of students above Proficiency

Year 3 Numeracy- 69% of students above Proficiency

Year 5 Reading- 80% of students above Proficiency

Year 5 Writing- 70% of students above Proficiency

Year 5 Numeracy- 67% of students above Proficiency

Thank You

Many thanks to all families who participated in the recent Tell Them From Me survey that our school participated in. With the number of responses, it is a clear sign of the strong partnership we are continuing to build with our families. The Tell Them From Me survey gives us very good feedback and data from students, staff and families, to reflect on and supports our school improvement journey.

At times it might seem easier to do nothing. To leave things as they have always been.

Doing this can make leaders popular.

Our students deserve more than that.

From the School Calendar

Week 7, Term 2, 2025

Monday 9th June - Public Holiday
Tuesday 10^th June - Pupil Free Day
Thursday 12th June - Casual Day-Gold coin donation for the Flood Appeal
Friday 13th June - St Anthony's Feast day, 9am Whole School Mass

Week 8, Term 2, 2025

Monday 16th June - 2:15pm School Assembly
Monday 16^th June - Class Public Speaking Competition begins
Thursday 19th June - K-2 Mass 9am
Friday 20^th June - NAIDOC Celebrations

Week 9, Term 2, 2025

Tuesday 24th June - Athletics Carnival
Wednesday 25th June - Year 5 Planetarium Excursion
Thursday 26th June - 3-6 Mass 9am
Friday 27th June -Thursday 3rd July Murwillumbah Eisteddfod- School Choirs

Week 10, Term 2, 2025

Monday 30th June - 2:15pm School Assembly
Wednesday 2^nd July - 5:30pm Narrators Night
Thursday 3rd July - K-2 Mass 9am
Friday 4th July - Rewards Day- Last day of Term 2

Attendance

Expect your child to be at school every day. Today our school attendance percentage was 92% Our target for every school day is 95%.

Every school day builds upon the previous one, making it essential for students to attend regularly.

Regular attendance is crucial as it fosters resilience and enables students to form vital social connections. Please be mindful that if your child is late to school or leaves early, this will be marked as a partial absence and this partial absence accumulates towards their overall percentage.

During the week, there were letters sent home to families where students have fallen below 90% in their attendance. We acknowledge that there may be many reasons for absences and you may have already provided information to the school about why your child has been away. However, this communication is to ensure all parents are aware that their child’s attendance is currently at or under 90%.

Please come and see me to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have regarding attendance. Working together and supporting each other is crucial in helping our children grow and flourish at St Anthony's.

MISSION NEWS

Wildfire Ten: Ten

Today we have a wonderful student discipleship experience; Wildfire Ten:Ten.

Ten:Ten is a scriptural reference from the Gospel of John, “...I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” This is the inspiration for our Diocean Mission Statement:

“Enabling our students to achieve the fullness of life.”

All of our students, K-6, were given the opportunity to play, pray and celebrate the friendship they have with Jesus; who is always there, loves all unconditionally and has made each and every one of us to be a unique work of art, because God doesn’t make rubbish.

The kids had a wonderful day and we are so grateful for this opportunity offered by the Diocese of Lismore.

St Anthony’s Feast Day

This Friday, June 13, is the Feast Day of our Patron, St Anthony. Our school will celebrate with Mass and a range of fun activities, finishing with whole school play and a cake to celebrate the wonderful faith community we have in our Parish School.

You are very welcome to join our Mass in the morning at 9am and/ or the end of day fun (starting at 2:30pm).

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Learning Around The School - STEM

During the term students from grades 3- 6 have had the opportunity to participate in lunchtime STEM club activities promoting team work, collaboration and skill development. Working in small groups provided students with the opportunity to gain diverse perspectives, improve communication skills and enhance problem-solving abilities.

As part of our ongoing commitment to enriching STEM education, a group of selected students participated in an exciting Science and Engineering Discovery Day yesterday. A total of 32 students from Grades 5 and 6 represented our school at the Primary School Science and Engineering Challenge, proudly hosted by Griffith University.

Throughout the day, students engaged in a variety of hands-on, inquiry-based activities that challenged them to think critically, solve real-world problems, and collaborate effectively. Through trial, testing, and evaluation, they explored innovative solutions and demonstrated creativity, resilience, and teamwork in action.

The highly engaging activities included:

Bridge Building- design and build a bridge using limited materials that can support a certain weight

Launch It- Build a model glider to be launched using the Y.E.E.T. (YOLO Electronic Ejection Technique).

Eco-Shelter Showdown -using limited materials students design and build an ecologically friendly house that must meet certain requirements.

Gust Busters - design and construct fan blades using basic materials to catch wind

provided by an electric fan.

Light Coms- Create functional codes to accurately and efficiently send secret messages using pulses of coloured light.

Electropolis- the task is to provide the lowest-cost electricity to the city’s infrastructure.

It’s A Trap- Students design a variety of different traps with the 3D printed rocks. They work through scenarios aiming to catch specific amounts and sizes of “fish”.

Carnival Creator- Students solve a series of scheduling problems based on real life scenarios by arranging coloured tiles into lanes on a board: the Scheduliser X1000.

The students represented St Anthony’s with pride, respect and genuine enthusiasm embodying the values of our school. Congratulations to all teams on achieving an impressive third place overall in the competition. And a big thank you to Mrs Kirstie Hawkins for facilitating the STEM lunch club and seeking opportunities for our students to showcase their learning.

Diocesan Cross Country

On Thursday 29th May the Diocesan Cross Country was held in Woolgoolga.

Well done to the following St Anthony’s students who took part in the sporting event, all were excellent representatives of our school displaying outstanding effort and perseverance.

Ida Rudd (Year 3) Ava Scott (Year 4) Amelia Popov (Year 4) Willow Milligan (Year 5), and Cate Thierjung (Year 6)

Congratulations to Ava Scott who finished 3rd in the 10 Year Girls and Amelia Popov who finished 7th also in the 10 Year girls. They progressed to the NSWCPS carnival later in the Term.

Good luck Ava and Amelia!

Athletics Carnival Reminders

Please read the following information carefully regarding the Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 24th June:

1500m ZONE TRIALS

If your child would like to be considered to attend the Tweed Zone 1500m trials at St Joseph’s College Oval, Tuesday 17th June Week 8 at 3:45pm they are required to submit a time through the St Anthony’s email ASAP. 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

800m

Sign ups for the 800m races will take place in class groups.

The 800m is a competitive race for ages 8 to 12/13 Years. The race is ran in the following age groups:

Junior boys and girls: 8, 9 and 10 Years
11 Years boys and girls
Senior boys and girls: 12 & 13 Years

This year the race will be run at 8:30 am sharp at the Walter Peate Oval, Murphys Road Kingscliff on the day of the carnival. If your child nominates for this event they will be required to arrive no later than 8:15am at the Athletics complex.

Transport will be the responsibility of parents.

More information will be sent out closer to the event.

COMPETITIVE HIGH JUMP

Sign ups for Competitive High Jump have taken place in classroom groups this week.This is a competitive event, is NOT compulsory and is ONLY FOR 8 YEARS and OLDER.

This year High Jump trials will be held at school on Monday 16th June during Zing Activ lessons. The top 6 jumpers in each age group will then compete in the High Jump finals on the day of the carnival.

PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS CAN ONLY COMPLETE THE SCISSOR KICK AT SCHOOL. IF YOUR CHILD IS COMPETENT AND CAN PERFORM THE FOSBURY FLOP CORRECTLY THEY WILL NEED TO SUBMIT A CLEARANCE LETTER FROM A LITTLE ATHLETICS OFFICIAL OR COACH AND THEY WILL COMPLETE THE EVENT ON THE CARNIVAL DAY ALONG WITH THE TOP 6 FINALISTS. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR CHILD'S CLEARANCE LETTER TO: sapkings@lism.catholic.edu.au

All other students who do not want to participate in High Jump competitively will participate in Non-competitive High Jump at the carnival for House Points.

COMPETITIVE DISCUS

Sign ups for Competitive Discus have taken place in classroom groups this week.This is a competitive event, is NOT compulsory and is ONLY FOR 8 YEARS and OLDER.

This will run as an event on the carnival day but please be aware that for some large age groups with large numbers of sign-ups, trials may be needed during PE classes to determine the top throwers on the day and who participates in the competitive event.

All other students who do not want to participate in Discus competitively will participate in Non-competitive Discus at the carnival for House Points.

Flying Start

Week 5 and 6 has been very busy for us over at Flying Start Preschool. We have begun investigating recycling and the environment as a bigger interest. We followed this interest and had an excursion to the “Return and Earn” at Woolworths where we got cash for all of our donations from families. We then used this money to purchase morning tea which we had in the park at the beach. Walking on Country gave us opportunity to collect native flowers and draw them, the pre-schoolers taking photos of their favourite part from the excursion and playing games in the park. Connecting to community helps our pre-schoolers to be part of something bigger than just the preschool or family.

We have also all worked together to bring one of our favourite books “Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See” into our very own artwork. The children used a variety of materials to create there very own picture book of the story and it is now proudly displayed in our room. We love sharing our love of books both at Preschool and with our weekly visits to the school library.

We look forward to the next couple of weeks of fun at Preschool.

My New Gallery

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

Newsletter Term 2 Week 6, 6.6.2025