Newsletter Term 1 Week 10 (5.4.24)

Message from the Assistant Principal: Mission - Gemma Ballantine

Cross Country

Wow! What a day it has been! This morning we had a great Cross Country Carnival in spite of the rain. Well done to all of the kids who were so enthusiastic and raced well- it was great to see your happy smiles on the course! On Monday at our Morning Assembly we will acknowledge the students who got a place and those who will go on to represent St Anthony’s at Zone. 

Parents, a big thank you for your support and encouragement with all of this tricky weather. Many families came to the foreshore to cheer and help. Though it was wet, it was certainly not cold and all of the students came back to school happy, warm and dry, which is fantastic. Thanks for organising your child so well. A few parents suggested the foreshore was a better site for the cross country so we are considering this for 2025. 

The weather is forecast to get worse this evening and over the weekend, so we are very happy our carnival was able to happen. We are planning a fun run for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 next Term, so the younger students get a chance to have a big run and get cheered on by the school.

Catholic Education Week 2024 

Next week our school will join with more than 45 schools across the Lismore Diocese to celebrate Catholic Education Week (CEW). This year’s theme is “Innovation and Faith’. The transforming power of innovation and faith working in unison to ensure our students experience the fullness of life (John 10:10). 

For many of the great innovators throughout history, their faith motivated them to explore and understand the wonders of the universe. Our Catholic schools walk alongside clergy, parishioners and families to prepare and nurture our future innovators and faith leaders on their journey. 

I would like to extend a warm invitation for you to participate in our Catholic Education Week events and faith celebrations. Please take the opportunity with members of our parish and wider community, to experience innovation and faith in our Catholic school. 

Below is a schedule of events for the week that you are invited to attend:

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to seeing you during our celebrations for Catholic Education Week in 2024. 

ANZAC Day

Thursday, April 25 is ANZAC Day and occurs in the second week of the holidays. We would love as many families as possible to attend the Kingscliff March. Our St Anthony’s group will meet in their school uniforms on the path outside the Bowls Club, opposite the fire station. We had a very large group attend last year and we were so proud! 

There will be a Mass at 9am in the Church where Fr Paul will bless the wreath with the school leaders, who will then take this to the cenotaph during the Kingscliff Service. The march is set to start at 10:15am.

Start of Term 2

A reminder to families that the first day back for Term 2 is Tuesday, April 30. We have a Staff Professional Learning Day on Monday, April 29.
For your calendars, the school will also be closed on Tuesday, May 28 for Staff Proclaim. Every Catholic School in the Diocese will be participating in Staff Proclaim in each region to reinvigorate staff with purposeful prayer and passionate commitment toward their vocation of accompanying students in choosing the fullness of life in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Staff will hear from guest speakers Meave Heaney (Xavier Centre of Theological Formation at ACU) and Roby Curtis (Director of Emmanuel City Mission). 

Season of Easter

It has been wonderful to welcome our students back for the first week of Easter. All of the children had stories to tell about the Easter Bunny coming to visit and leaving them sweet surprises. At Mass yesterday Fr Paul explained the significance of eggs, representing new life. The Season of Easter lasts 50 days and the students will be hearing about Jesus appearing to his friends and giving them the Great Commissioning to, “Go out and make disciples of all nations.” (Mt 28:19). 

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the families who attended our Holy Thursday Service. The kids put a lot of effort into preparing music, dance, reading  and acting, with a lot of lunch time rehearsals involved. We were so proud of their efforts and the mature, reverent reflection they gave to our community. 

I also want to acknowledge a number of altar servers who served at the Triduum Masses; Tom and George Huett, Poppy and Archie Plunkett, Zali and Indy Meyer, Sammi and Ky O’Grady and Stella Dourado. You all did a marvelous job with a lot of different tasks involved. Well done!

If your household is anything like mine you probably have a glut of Easter eggs your children (and yourselves) are trying to finish. Thank you for not sending your child to school with chocolate. As you can appreciate, chocolate isn’t the best recipe for learning, concentration or emotional regulation!

Companions

A reminder for Parishioners who might have some time to come into school once a week from Term 2 and work with a student (or groups of students) who would benefit from a companion to build positive relationships, self-esteem and resilience. It might be teaching a child how to play cards or how to knit and having a yarn about life’s ups and downs at the same time. 

Volunteers need a Working With Children Check, which can be organised through the school.

If you would like to volunteer for the program or want to talk further about Companions, please contact Gemma Ballantine (Assistant Principal, Mission) through the School Office on 6674 1368. 

Important Dates & School Information

Term 1 2024

Monday 8th April to Friday, 12th April - Catholic Schools Week

Tuesday, 9th April - Family Forum Kingscliff Beach Hotel

Wednesday, 10th April to Friday, 12th April - Year 5 camp Camp Goodenough

Thursday, 11th  April - Whole School Mass Catholic Schools Week

Thursday, 11th April to Friday, 12th April - PSSA Swimming

Monday, 15th April - Friday, 26th April - Term 1 School holidays

Term 2 2024

Monday, 29th April - Pupil Free Day - no school

Tuesday, 30th April - Term 2 students return to school

Tuesday, 7th May - Parent Forum Meeting 5-6 pm

Tuesday, 7th May - Family Workshop First Communion 6-7 pm

Thursday, 9th May - Mother's Day Stall

Friday, 10th May - Zone Cross Country

Friday, 17th May- National Walk to School Day

Sunday, 19th May - First Communion  Commitment MASS @ 9 am

Tuesday, 21 May - DIO Cross Country

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

Message from Assistant Principal - Julianne Barlogio- Learning & Teaching

Please DO NOT park on the grass

We have put up chain and ‘No Parking’ signs to keep cars off the playground which is very wet with all the rain we have had. Repeatedly the chain is being broken and cars are parked on the grass. Please understand that this is the children’s play area that gets dug up and makes it unusable hence why we are no longer allowing parking. Please honour our request and DO NOT park on the grass.

Something to think and pray about

Do You Simply Love Me?

I was greatly helped when Pope Francis wrote in The Joy of the Gospel (n.6), ‘When everything is said and done, I am infinitely loved’.  This massive statement about your view of me, Lord, means that, no matter how I let you down, you delight in me as I am.

Just as the sun heats me without making a choice about it, you don’t have to make a choice about loving me: you simply do it! Often I’d prefer that you wouldn’t intervene in my life as you do, but if I can believe that your love for me is unconditional, total, like the warmth of the sun, I can manage what comes my way. You simply love me!
Excerpted from I Am Infinitely Loved: A Month of Meditations by Brian Grogan SJ (p.8)

https://sacredspace.com/

Sports News

Ensuring Child Safety: A Priority for Our School Community

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we continue to prioritise the safety and well-being of all our students, we want to remind you of some important protocols regarding child safety in and around the school premises.

No Child Leaves Without Notification:

It is imperative that no child leaves the school premises without proper notification to a teacher or adult caregiver. If your child walks home, please ensure they inform a teacher or adult supervisor. This can be done by notifying Mrs. Pull or teachers on car duty if they are leaving via the netball courts, or Mrs. Barlogio or teachers on bus duty if they are exiting through the front gate.

Preferred Pick-Up Zone:

For the safety and convenience of all students, we strongly encourage parents to utilise the designated pick-up zone on Boomerang St. when picking up their child after school. Please refrain from using the Parish car park on Pearl St. for drop-off or pick-up purposes.

Pick up zone Protocols:

If your child needs assistance with seat belts etc of an afternoon, please delay picking them up by a few minutes to enable traffic to not bank up. We can then assist you with buckling them in.

Morning protocols:

If you need to assist your child with getting them out of the car please try to be quick and not create extra delays for others. It is a drop-and-go zone! Please be mindful of others.

Bike Riding Safety:

We remind all students who ride their bikes to school to prioritise safety at all times. This includes wearing a helmet while riding and dismounting from their bikes once they enter the school grounds. Additionally, for students arriving at school between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM via the Parish car park, we urge caution as there may be reversing parishioners leaving Mass. This area can be particularly hazardous, so please exercise extreme caution.

We rely on the cooperation and assistance of parents to ensure the safety of all our students. By adhering to these safety protocols and reinforcing them with your children, we can create a secure environment where all students can thrive.

Thank you for your continued support.

Child Safeguarding Commitment

THIS WEEK AT FLYING START

A busy week for us here at Flying Start Preschool. We are at the end of week 8 already and are so happy to see how well all our new pre-schoolers have settled into our routine and formed great relationships.

We have spent the week focusing on our social skill of “Following instructions” which forms part of our overall social skills program.

We have enjoyed spending time over at St, Anthony’s, both at the library, the playgrounds and engaging in kindy sport each Friday with the Kindergarten class. We also have the opportunity of visiting the canteen three times a week for the pre-schoolers who get lunch orders. We love being in the school which helps all the children become familiar with the surrounds of big school.

We celebrated Harmony Day last Wednesday and shared in a group art activity to bring us all together.

 We can’t wait to see what next week brings!

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 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/

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