Newsletter Term 1 Week 2 (14.2.25)

Parish Mass this Sunday

This Sunday, February 16, there will be a Staff Commissioning at the 9am Mass at St Anthony’s, Kingscliff. We would love to see as many St Anthony’s families there to help us celebrate and we will share Morning Tea afterwards.

All are welcome, all belong.

Love one another as I have loved you.

On Thursday morning we experienced a beautiful Mass with Father Paul. He spoke to our children about the importance of Love, Service and Leadership.

A new year is a fresh start-a chance to learn, grow and make a difference in our school community.

In Thursday's Gospel, Jesus gave us a powerful message. "Love on another as I have loved you." He tells us that true leadership is not about power or being the boss. Instead, it is about serving others with love.

At our school, we have a special motto: Love and Service. This isn't just a nice phrase-it is a way of life. It means looking out for one another, including those who might have felt left out, being kind, and helping without expecting anything in return.

Think about leaders in our school, our teachers, our students, the best leaders are not the ones who just tell people what to do, but those who show others love, care and compassion. We can all lead every day by the way we treat others.

As we begin a new school year, let's ask ourselves:

• How can I show love and service in my class?
• How can I be a leader by helping others?
• How can I follow Jesus' example of love?

Let's make 2025 a year where everyone in our school feels included, supported and loved. If we do that, we won't just be following our school motto, we will be following Jesus Himself.

Why Sports

I share this with our school community because I think this speaks volumes about what we are trying to teach our children here at St Anthony's.

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money for your kids to do all their sports?"
Well I have a confession to make; I don't pay for my kids to do sports. Personally, I couldn't care
less about what sport they do. So, if I am not paying for sports what am I paying for?

I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don't.

I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are "too tired" to go to their
training but they go anyway.

I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated.

I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body and equipment.

I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat and
humble in success.

I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that placing or title
they'd hoped for, but still they go back week after week giving it their best shot.

I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals.

I pay for my kids to respect, not only themselves, but other athletes, officials and coaches.

I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years of hard work and practice
to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight.

I pay for my kids to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long term goals.

I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong
memories, to be as proud of their achievements as I am.

I pay so that my kids can be out on the field or in the gym instead of in front of a screen...

I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for sports; I pay for the opportunities that sports
provide my kids with to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and
give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others.

From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!"
Author~Unknown

Communication

Effective communication between school and home is so important to assist our children to flourish, help us meet their needs and continue to build strong relationships. We look forward to continuing our strong links between families and school this year.

Your child’s teachers are an integral part of your child's school life and there may be times during the year, aside from our scheduled Learning Conferences, when you need to contact your child’s teachers.  This can be done through the school office, via email or Compass. I encourage all families to keep their class teachers informed of any significant events, changes to routines or family changes that may impact your child. We certainly do not want to know all the details, however, it is important for us to be able to understand why we may see a change in behaviour or emotions and how we can best support and nurture our children when they are at school.

As you can appreciate, teachers are very busy during the school day and don't always get to messages. Any ‘urgent’ day to day messages for your child regarding travel arrangements, medications, lunches etc... can be made through the office and messages will be passed on to students and teachers through our class messages system.  

School Assemblies and Newsletters

This year we have made the decision to move our assemblies out of our Literacy Block to ensure that learning and teaching continues to have a strong focus in the school and we are minimising disruptions to student learning.

Our Whole School Assemblies will now be held every second Monday, starting at 2:25pm. Our assemblies for Term 1, will be held in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9.

School Newsletter will be sent home every second Friday in weeks 2,4,6,8 and 10.

Important Dates & School Information

Term 1 2025

Sunday 16^th February- Staff Commissioning Mass, 9am

Week 3

Monday 17th February- 2:25pm School Assembly

Wednesday 19th February- Zone Swimming Carnival

Thursday 20^th February- Whole School Mass, 9am

Week 4

Monday 24^th February- Family Community Group Meeting 5:30pm in the school hall

Monday, 24th February - Scholastic Book Club - Student orders due

Thursday 27^th February- Years K-2 Mass, 9am

Week 5

Monday 3rd March- 2:25pm School Assembly

Tuesday 4^th March-Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday 4^th March-Reconciliation Family Workshop 5-6pm

Wednesday 5^th March-Ash Wednesday, Whole School Mass, 9am

Week 6

Learning Partnership Conferences

Wednesday 12^th March-NAPLAN Years 3 and 5

Thursday 13^th March-NAPLAN Years 3 and 5

Thursday 13^th March- Years 3-6 Mass 9am

Friday 14^th March-NAPLAN Years 3 and 5

Week 7

Monday 17th March- 2:25pm School Assembly

Learning Partnership Conferences

Monday 17^th March-St Patrick’s Day

Thursday 20^th March-K-2 Mass, 9am

Thursday 20^th March- Family Faith and Fun Night 5:30-7pm

Friday 21^st March-Harmony Day

Week 8

Thursday 27^th March-Years 3-6 Mass, 9am

Week 9

Monday 31st March- 2:25pm School Assembly

Tuesday 1st April- School Cross Country

Thursday 3^rd April - K-2 Mass, 9am

Week 10

Wednesday 9^th April-First Reconciliation 6-7pm

Thursday 10^th April- Years 3-6 Mass, 9am

Friday 11^th April- Last Day of Term 1

Leadership Mass

This Thursday, February 20, we will have a whole school Mass and induct the 2025 School Leaders. All families are very welcome to attend St Anthony’s Church at 9am. The Year 6 students gave some exceptional speeches this morning and we are so pleased with them. The students were thoroughly engaged during these presentations and it will be difficult for staff and students to select only one girl and boy, with so many quality applicants. Furthermore, these students lead beautifully every day, regardless of whether a teacher is looking. 

We are so proud of the start our Year 6 students have had in 2025 and we know that they will all lead our school beautifully, whether they are voted in as school captain or not.

Baptism

We will soon start preparing a number of our St Anthony’s students to receive 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

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Next week Compass communication will go out to families for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is for any child Baptised Catholic in Year 4 or above.

There will be a family Workshop on the night of Tuesday, March 04 at 5pm in the Year 4 Classrooms. 

Please note that attendance is COMPULSORY. If you are unable to attend you will need to contact the school.

There is a Commitment Mass for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Sunday, March 09 at 9am. You can attend St Ambrose, Pottsville, at 7:30am if that works better for your family.

The Sacrament of First Reconciliation will be on the evening of Tuesday, April 09 at 6pm at St Anthony's Church.

If you require further information, please contact Gemma Ballantine via the Office.

The Year of Hope Jubilee 2025

The Holy Father, Pope Francis,  has announced that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year, something which happens every 25 years. “Jubilee” is the name given to a particular year. A time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of Creation. The theme for Jubilee 2025 is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis.

We have a range of activities and celebrations planned at St Anthony’s during the year to observe this Jubilee and the students are working on a display that will go up in the next few weeks. 

For more information and updates visit the Vatican website https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html

Something to think and pray about

Things haven’t changed that much

I’m sure Noah would never get his ark completed today. The flood would well and truly have passed over him before he started building. There are so many rules and regulations governing the simplest of tasks. There are mountains of paperwork that have to be completed, forms to be filled in, permissions to be got, and standards to be reached.

He’d have to complete an environmental impact statement, let the planning authority know he was creating a temporary structure, undergo a health and safety audit, let the tax office know where he got the money from just in case he was laundering, and he’d have to ensure that all the animal rights organisations were happy with the accommodation he was hoping to provide to the animals.

The world has become a very complicated place. Some of us may dream of an idyllic, simple life where things can be done with ease and basic camaraderie, but that dream is getting further and further from view. It’s as if the world has been made to destroy initiative and keep the status quo in place. On reflection, this is not new. I’m sure Noah had equivalent problems in his day. Sure, Jesus was a leader, too, and it was the status quo that had him crucified.

Excerpted from Dipping into Life: 40 Reflections for a Fragile Earth by Alan Hilliard

We remember at this time...

Spring 2025 has kicked off once again with a slow but steady start.  We are beginning to see tiny buds on the trees, snowdrops have already appeared, and daffodils are starting to flower.  Nature is amazingly resilient, and the circle of life begins over and over again each year.  We are sometimes so wrapped up in our own concerns and agendas that we don’t notice the new life appearing.  Let us pause for a moment and enjoy the beauty that is visible all around us.  We cannot solve the world’s problem’s but we can hand them over to our God, who will willingly shoulder our burdens.  He knows that we need hope, and He has provided nature for us to enjoy, and nature is forever hopeful. Amen!

Canteen

Helpers needed:

Please contact the school on 0266 741 368, sapkings@lism.catholic.edu.au or pop in and see Bec in the canteen if you can help in the Canteen.

Flying Start

Preschool is well under way for 2025, and we have started the year off with activities around us all getting to know one another and settling into a new routine for many.

We have seen relationship strengthened, new ones formed and children becoming comfortable with each other and staff.

Our visits over to the school have also begun and the children have loved collecting their lunch orders from the canteen as well as playing on both the kindy playground and the adventure playground most days. We have visited the library and are having discussions around the importance of books and how we incorporate these into our everyday routines. All these opportunities are an integral part of our strong relationship with the school and help to make transitions to kindergarten each year seamless.

Back at preschool we have had potions and stew being made in the mud kitchen, houses and rockets built with the waffle blocks and animals being cared for in our vets play area.  We can’t wait to see where our children’s interests take us this year and we can guarantee that it will be action packed and full of fun!

MISC

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