Newsletter Term 2 Week 8 (21.6.24)

Message from the Principal - Lynne Pull

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We were certainly blessed with the weather for the annual athletics carnival on Tuesday. There was a great atmosphere at the carnival and it was obvious that everyone was enjoying themselves. It was good to see students having a go, trying their best and supporting one another. That is sportsmanship! Many thanks to Mrs Croker who worked so hard to organise so many things for the day, plus organising events at school prior to the day, for liaising with Zing Activ (previously Dance Fever) who helped out with the carnival, and who taught athletics skills to students during sports lessons throughout the term. Thanks to those members of staff who were at the grounds early to assist with setting up for the day, and to the remainder of staff who assisted with events during the day. It was a great team effort. Well done to all the age champions and to Presentation House who ended up winners on the day, only four points ahead of Leonard House who were 2nd and who were only ten points ahead of MacKillop House. It was a close competition!

This Sunday during the school hosted Mass, all those students who have recently received their First Holy Communion will be presented with their certificates. We will celebrate with cake after Mass. All families are asked to consider making a special effort to be part of this last school Mass for the term.

Monday is school photo day. Students must wear their full school uniform (NOT sports uniform) on this day. Correct school shoes must also be worn (NOT white joggers). Longer hair is to be tied back for photos. Only school colours are to be worn as accessories – eg hair ribbons, hair clasps etc. No other fashion adornments are to be worn.

All classes will showcase their Verse Speaking at Assembly on the morning of the last day of term – Friday 5^th July, commencing at 8.40am.  If you missed the eisteddfod or if you would like to see all classes perform then make a date to be present that morning. You are guaranteed some wonderful entertainment!

Yesterday our school hosted an e-sports competition in our hall. Teams from St Joseph’s Primary School at Tweed Heads and Holy Family Primary School at Skennar’s Head joined our St Anthony’s teams for some fun competition in Just Dance and Mario Kart.  Our girls were winners on the day and the boy’s team finished in 2^nd place. I believe it was a really good day. We look forward to hearing more about e-sports in the future. Congratulations!

Next Friday 28^th June students from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 (5-7 years old) will participate in their own cross country here at school in the afternoon. This has been held over due to the inclement weather when the event was held earlier in the year. Class teachers will forward information. Parents will be most welcome to attend.

We have a lot of things in Lost Property at the moment. We have discarded some lunch boxes as they were putrid. If your child has “lost” a lunch box or some article of clothing please have them check the lost property containers!

School reports will be sent out during the last week of term. Parents have been informed of the changes to reports. We are beholden to the Catholic Schools Office for the format these appear in. We will be discussing numerous aspects of the reports with the office which we would like addressed. In the mean time our partnership conferences (parent/teacher/student) will be held during Weeks 2 & 3 of next term. Bookings will be taken after the holidays. Please make yourself available for these. This is really important for your child’s wellbeing also.

Only two weeks left before the holidays! Enjoy the weekend!

Lord when I am wrong, help me to be willing to change. And when I am right…help me be easy to live with!

God bless

Lynne

My New Gallery

Important Dates & School Information

Term 2 2024

Sunday, 23rd June - School Mass and First Communion Certificate Mass

Monday, 24th June - MSP School Photo Day - Formal Uniform

Friday,  28th June - Cross Country - Kinder to Yr 2 (5 to 7 year old)

Monday, 1st July - Primary Choirs, Eisteddfod

Tuesday, 2nd July - Tropical Fruit World - Year 2

Wednesday, 3rd July - Infant Choirs, Eisteddfod

Wednesday, 3rd July - Orator's Evening 

Friday, 5th July - Last Day of School 

Term 3 2024

Monday, 22nd July - Pupil Free Day - NO SCHOOL

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

Athletics Carnival Information

Those students that were successful at the Athletics carnival will be notified by note to attend the Tweed Zone Carnival at Walter Peate Reserve, Kingscliff on Friday 2nd August, Term 3.

The Diocesan carnival is in Coffs Harbour on Friday 16th August. 

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY

Something to think and pray about

Finding God in All Things

By taking your cues from a spirituality which helps you to find God in everything, you will see God hidden under many disguises. Your searching and finding can go on forever. Life then becomes an exciting adventure, which carries great joy. Christian faith comes to life, and the Church grows. We are made, after all, for God, so in finding God, we experience a rich depth of joy which does not fade. And since we reveal or hide God from one another by the depth of our appreciation of God, every finding of God can help others to grow.

Excerpted from Finding God in All Things  by Brian Grogan SJ (p.10)

The 2024 Premier's Reading Challenge is open!

Dear Parents and Carers,

All children at St Anthony’s are invited to take part in this year's NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC). This is a program that encourages students to read quality fiction and non-fiction books from a selected list nominated by the premier's office.

What does the challenge involve?

To become involved in the challenge, Kindergarten to Year 2 students need to experience 30 books, 20 of these books need to come from the K-2 PRC booklists. 10 books can be their own free choice. Children can read the books on their own OR be read to by parents/carers. 

For years 3-6, students need to read 20 books, 10 of these books must be on the PRC booklist and 10 books can be their own free choice.

PRC books can be found in our school library, at home and in local council libraries. For the PRC booklists, please visit:  https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html

All books need to be read and recorded online by 23rd August 2024 (by 11:59 pm).  Students will receive a certificate from the PRC team on completion. PRC Certificates will be awarded in Term 4.

Further information is contained on the PRC website including the booklist for each level of the challenge: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/rules.html

How to register and record books online:

Students can begin their reading now! Follow the below instructions to log on and begin registering your books:

1. Go to the PRC website https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html or Google Premier's Reading Challenge NSW 2023.
2. Click on the yellow ‘PRC Student Site’ box then select the "log on" button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
3. Enter the student's username and password. If you have forgotten details or are registering for the first time please email lauren.plunkett@lism.catholic.edu.au and a username and password will be generated and emailed to you. 
4. Enter the PRC ID code for each book the student has read. You can search for books on the website.

Please feel free to contact Mrs Plunkett if you have any questions, and look out for more information about the PRC in our School Newsletter, library displays and awards throughout the term. 

Happy reading!

Mrs Plunkett

PRC Coordinator

Important Notice Regarding Dogs on School Grounds

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well. As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students, staff, and visitors, we would like to remind you of the regulations concerning dogs on school premises as outlined in the Companion Animals Act 1998 (NSW, Section 14).

Dogs on School Grounds

According to the Companion Animals Act, dogs are generally prohibited on school grounds unless the principal has granted specific permission. Such permissions are typically reserved for:

• Assistance or service dogs
• Farm working dogs
• Visits by organised groups or programs for school incursions
• School support dogs

We understand that many families enjoy walking their dogs during school drop-off and pick-up times. However, we kindly ask that dogs remain outside the school gates. You are welcome to wait with your dog just outside the gate and arrange for your child to meet you there. This practice helps us ensure the safety and comfort of all students, particularly those who may have allergies or a fear of dogs.

Important Points for Consideration

Responsibility: Only individuals aged 18 or over can be responsible for a dog, as stated in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTAA).

Procedural Fairness: Schools are obligated to consult with parents and consider all relevant information before making decisions regarding assistance dogs.

Health and Safety: Our priority is to maintain a safe environment for everyone on school grounds.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in adhering to these guidelines. By keeping our school grounds dog-free, except for authorised circumstances, we can ensure a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.

This notice aligns with our commitment to safety and compliance with state legislation. Your cooperation is crucial in maintaining a welcoming and secure environment for our school community.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the school administration.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

Canteen News

Canteen now has the following Gluten Free Meals available

• Beef Lasagne
• Macaroni Cheese
• Butter Chicken

These can be ordered through your Flexischool App

Flying Start

This week at flying start we are focussing on numbers and colours. We have discovered that they are everywhere, and this gives the preschoolers endless opportunities to learn them and share our learning with our families.  From coloured playdough to pencils to working with small, numbered groups we have all discovered that learning these is in our daily activities, and we love it!

Our fundamental movement skills are continuing, and we have been lucky enough to get an order of ninja mats, hopscotch and large block mats to add to our every moving obstacle course.  This allows our preschoolers to create and work together to build following their interests and then share with the whole class.

What a week we have had!!

 Kind Regards,

 Jessie Grey

Admin

Email: info@flyingstart.nsw.edu.au
Phone: 02 6674 2028 

Web: www.info@flyingstart.nsw.edu.au 

Address: 23 Boomerang Street, Kingscliff NSW 2487

Misc News - Proposed STEAM workshop on the North Coast - 8 & 9 July 2024

Dear Parents

Tournament of Minds NSW are extending their support of students past and present in the form of a STEAM workshop to run in the upcoming holidays from the 8/9 July if we get sufficient numbers either on the North Coast or Mid North Coast. The potential venue will be SCU and the workshop will run from 8.30 am – 4 pm over the 2 days.  These workshops have been running in Newcastle and Sydney and we are keen to ensure students across NSW have the opportunity to participate in these exciting workshops. Depending on interest, the workshop will either be a STEM based workshop which is designed for budding engineers and creative souls. The cost for this workshop would be $300 for the 2 days. Activities would include drama, art, engineering, mathematical design along with writing a script. The alternate workshop we currently run is a Writer’s Workshop which has been highly successful for budding authors. The cost for this workshop is $400 which includes the extra expense of publishing their completed work.

If this is something that you would like your child to attend, please respond to this email indicating which workshop is of interest to you. These workshops aren’t solely for TOM students but are open to all primary aged students so feel free to pass on my email to other parents.

Warm regards

Narelle

Narelle Jackson

NSW Co-Director|Treasurer

Tournament of Minds (Inc) NSW

0429508832

nsw-treasurer@tom.edu.au

www.tom.edu.au/branch/NSW

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: KINGSCLIFF4:00-4:30pm
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