Newsletter Term 2 Week 4, 23.5.2025

Principal's News

Do Great Things With Love

We often hear excuses to not help those in need: 'They made their choices!','He got what he deserved!', 'That's not my problem!', 'That's Karma for you!' But Jesus commands us to reach out to those who suffer. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me"

We are taught that humans have basic rights we must always protect. The United Nations’ lists many human rights, including rights to work, education, fair legal treatment, and ownership of property, however, with these rights also comes responsibility. Jesus challenges us to to always help those in need. Feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, tending to the sick, and so on. These are the demands of our faith. If we truly want to make our world a better place, model to our children how to treat others and most importantly, call ourselves disciples, we must let our actions speak louder than our words.

In our local community and even our school community, can the hungry receive a meal? How are housebound, elderly or terminally ill people cared for? How are refugees and the marginalised welcomed? 

We are all challenged to respond to God's call. What is it that you need to do?

Building Resilience

Supporting our children to know that they are loved, cared for, belong, can learn and overcome challenges and have the resilience to move past setbacks and disappointment is part of the work we all do as parents and educators.

During the week I reread an old article and it made me reflect on not only my responsibility as a dad but also my work as a principal and what we are working towards as we guide our children to become responsible young men and women, to enjoy life to the full, use their gifts and talents and make valuable contributions to society in later life. 

Resilience, School and Parenting- What happens when we try to protect our children from experiences of failure, frustration, disappointment and struggle?

The children we teach and the children we’re raising are going to have to face the real world at some time. They’re going to experience feelings of disappointment, frustration and upset throughout the course of their life.  As parents and educators, we cannot – and we should not – continually rescue them from potential hurts, not getting their own way, losing a game, blaming everyone else and disappointments. If they’re constantly rescued, they’ll never learn to draw on their own skills and resilience.

Resilience doesn’t mean abandoning our children or asking them to detach from their feelings. Resilience is about putting life’s everyday events and adversities onto a scale of importance. We need to show our children that certain moments are inevitable, upsetting and frustrating, but in order to succeed in this world, we need to be able to manage these moments, accept responsibility and move on.

As parents and educators, at times, we nurse our children’s hurts and disappointments as though they’re truly suffering some kind of hardship. The trouble is, we are over protecting our kids so much; we aren’t allowing them to experience real life and giving them any room to grow. Life can be tough at times, but we’re strong enough to manage it.

At times we need to stop ask ourselves if it’s really working for us. Are we stopping our children from growing when we try to protect them from experiences of losing, failure, frustration, disappointment and struggle?

When our youngest learners first arrive at school, they should already know what it feels like to lose when they play a game, not get your own way or not be invited to a birthday party. They should be familiar with the experience of being told no. Adults provide boundaries and expectations. Our children shouldn’t be shocked or offended when a parent or teacher gives direction on a task or discusses what is expected from them.

Raising and educating our children certainly take a village. Wouldn’t it be much easier if there was a simple manual for getting it right.

Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week

Monday 26th May marks the commencement of National Reconciliation Week (NRW) in Australia. For Catholics, Reconciliation is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ in his love and mercy to offer us forgiveness for the times we have turned away from God. Regardless of how the word is used, at the heart of the matter is that reconciliation can only take place if the cause of a division is addressed, whether it be between communities, a relationship with a friend or family member or our relationship with God.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for 2025 is Bridging Now to Next.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australian’s as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Jesus taught us the ultimate commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you!”

Dear God,

Give us the courage to accept what has happened in the past so that we may build a better future together, for our nation. Teach us to respect all cultures. Teach us to care for our land and waters. Help us to share justly the resources of this land. Help us to bring about spiritual and social change to improve the quality of life for all groups in our communities, especially the disadvantaged. May your power and love be the foundations on which we build our families, our communities and our nation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Tell Them From Me Survey

As part of our focus on school effectiveness, St Anthony’s, Kingscliff, will be participating in an online survey for students, staff and families – Tell Them From Me® (TTFM®). The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our teachers, students and their parents think about school life, celebrate what is working well and identify areas that we will focus on as part of our improvement journey. Schools in Australia and around the world use the Tell Them From Me survey.

Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary, but we would appreciate as many families as possible giving feedback. The more feedback we are given, the better we are able to understand what we're doing well and what we need to work on to create an even better school.

Thank you for your participation and ongoing support of St Anthony's School.

Parent Community Group Meeting

I would like to personally invite you to attend our Parent Community Group meeting on Monday 26th May. The meeting will be held in the school and will commence at 5:30pm in our staffroom. The Parent Community Group is one way of supporting school initiatives, being part of school decisions and developing a stronger sense of community.  I thank you in advance for everything you do to support your child’s education and I look forward to seeing you on the 26th May if you can make it. Please find the draft agenda below.

1. School Learning and Wellbeing Data.
2. Parent Learning Opportunities.
3. School Events
4. Update on initial feedback from our first meeting.

School Uniform

Thank you to our students and families who consistently support our uniform expectations here at St Anthony's. The correct wearing of our school uniform demonstrates a sense of pride in our school and in ourselves and identifies us as being part of our school family. I have noticed that several students may need a gentle reminder in the morning as they get ready for school regarding correct uniform items.

The support of our families is critical in continuing the high standards we strive for here at St Anthony's.

From the School Calendar

Week 5, Term 2, 2025

• Monday 26th May - 2:15pm School Assembly Year 3
• Monday 26th May - National Sorry Day
• Monday 26th May - First Communion Retreat Day
• Tuesday 27th May - Dio Cross Country
• Wednesday 28th May - Kinder Excursion Fleays Wildlife
• Thursday 29th May - 3-6 Mass 9am
• Friday 30th May - Year 6 attending Glow at Mt St Pat's Murwillumbah
• Friday 30th May - Rugby Union Trials
• Saturday 31^st May - First Communion Masses begin

Week 6, Term 2, 2025

• Wednesday 4th June - Shannon Kitchener Visit Kindy and Year 1
• Thursday 5^th June - Griffith University Stem Challenge
• Thursday 5th June - K-2 Mass 9am
• Friday 6^th June - Wildfire
• Friday 6^th June - AFL Gala Day

Week 7, Term 2, 2025

• Monday 9th June - Public Holiday
• Tuesday 10^th June - Pupil Free Day
• Thursday 12th June - 3-6 Mass 9am
• 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

1. Tuesday 24th June - Athletics Carnival 
2. Wednesday 25th June - Year 5  Planetarium Excursion
3. Thursday 26th June - 3-6 Mass 9am
4.  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

 Term 3 and 4 Dates

• Book Week-Friday 22nd August Book Character Parade and Book Fair in the hall
• Friday 5^th September Confirmation
• Father’s Day- Monday 8th September 3-4:30pm
• Grandparent’s Day- Friday 31st October
• Year 6 Graduation Mass 10am Friday 12th December (tbc)
• Monday 15th Year 6 Big Day Out
• Christmas Nativity 16th December, 2pm
• Wednesday 17th December-Final Day of 2025 School Year

MISSION NEWS

First Communion

A number of our St Anthony’s students are preparing to receive the Sacrament of First Communion. In preparation, our students will participate in a First Communion Retreat day this Monday, May 26. Students will explore the signs, symbols and rituals involved in this special Sacrament and have a chance to go deep with the learning. Students will be provided with a pizza lunch and will be joined by some students from other schools preparing to receive the Sacrament.

GRIP Leadership Conference

On Friday our Year 6 Leaders attended the GRIP Leadership Conference in Tweed Heads. The students joined leaders from a large number of local schools and discussed the concept of leadership and the traits of a good leader, including courage, integrity and responsibility for self and others.

The students had a very fun day and gained insights and ideas they will be implementing back at our school.

My New Gallery

Reconciliation Week

Between May 27th and June 3rd, Australia celebrates Reconciliation Week – Bridging Now to Next. National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

During Reconciliation Week, we reflect on both our past and our progress in a spirit of honesty, truth-telling and building unity.

Next week classes will take part in whole school and small group activities to explore Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Please familiarise yourselves with the Diocesan Student Attendance Procedure. A reminder that learning starts at 8:40am and finishes at 2:55pm. Late arrivals and early pickups have an adverse affect on the rhythm and flow of the classrooms.

Ever day matters and late and non-attendance has a negative cumulative effect on your child's academic, social and emotional success.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Reading at the Heart of Learning – K–6

At St Anthony’s we are committed to developing strong, confident readers from Kindergarten through to Year 6. Reading is the foundation for all learning, and we know that when schools and families work together, children achieve the greatest success.

One of the key models we use to guide our teaching is Scarborough’s Reading Rope (see diagram below). This model shows how skilled reading is made up of many different threads – from vocabulary and background knowledge to word recognition and decoding. These threads are woven together over time to build reading fluency and comprehension.

We also use the Simple View of Reading, which highlights that skilled reading comes from two key areas: word recognition (being able to decode words) and language comprehension (understanding what those words mean). Both are essential and need to be developed hand-in-hand.

Across the school, we support reading development in three main ways:

• Modelled Reading – where the teacher demonstrates reading strategies aloud to the whole class.
  
  
• Guided Reading – small group sessions where students practise reading with teacher support.
  
  
• Independent Reading – where students practise reading on their own, building stamina and confidence.
  
  

🔹 How You Can Help at Home

Reading with your child or to your child every day is one of the most powerful things you can do to support their learning. This might be:

• Listening to your child read their home reader or favourite book
  
  
• Reading aloud to your child at bedtime (yes, even older students love this!)
  
  
• Talking about books, asking questions, and sharing your own love of reading
  
  

Every minute you spend reading with your child makes a difference – to their vocabulary, comprehension, confidence, and overall academic success.

Let’s continue to build strong readers together – at school and at home!

SPORT NEWS

Zone Cross Country

On Thursday 8th May the Zone Cross Country was held at Murwillumbah. 

Well done to the 45 St Anthony’s students who took part in the sporting event, all were excellent representatives of our school displaying outstanding effort and sportsmanship.

Some highlights of the day included:

• Ida Rudd of Year 3 came 4th in the 8/9 Years Girls
• Ava Scott of Year 4 came 1st in the 10 Years Girls

• Amelia Popov of Year 4 came 3rd in the 10 Years Girls.
• Lenny Bartlett of Year 4 came 5th in the 10 Years Boys. 
• Willow Milligan of Year 5 came 6th in the 10 Years Girls.
• Gemma Rogers of Year 5 came 1st in the 11 Years Girls.
• Bonnie Brownjohn of Year 6 came 4th in the 11 Years Girls. 
• Lennox Stonefield of Year 5 came 5th in the 11 Years Girls. 
• Cate Thierjung of Year 6 came 5th in the 12 Years Girls.

Congratulations and good luck to the above students who finished in the top 8 of their age group and will represent the Tweed Zone at the Diocesan Cross Country in Woolgoolga.

Polding Winter Trials

On Friday 2nd May, 3 St Anthony’s students from Years 5 and 6 travelled to Bathurst to represent the Lismore Diocese in their chosen sports for the 2025 Polding trials. 

Well done to the following students who by all reports, participated at these trials to the best of their abilities and with outstanding sportsmanship:

Ky O’Grady and Nixon Moase (12’s Rugby League) and Jacinta Reynolds (Soccer).

Congratulations to Ky who was selected in the Polding team for the U/12’s Rugby League. He will attend the PSSA games later in the Term. 

Good luck Ky!

Athletics Carnival Reminders

Please read the following information carefully regarding the Athletics Carnival on 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 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

Shot Put 

This will be run during Sports Athletics classes at school on Monday 2nd June, Week 6. Sign ups for this event will begin in class groups. This is a competitive event that is not compulsory and is ONLY FOR 8 YEARS and OLDER. 

Long Jump Trials - Long Jump trials for all students in Years 2 to 6 will be run during PE lessons this term in Week 5. The Top 6 jumpers (boys and girls) from age groups 8 to 12/13 Years who qualify will compete in the Long Jump finals at the Athletics Carnival in Week 9. All other students will compete in non-competitive Long Jump at the carnival to gain house points. 

If your child is in Year 2 and will be turning 7 this year, they can still participate in the Long Jump trials during PE lessons BUT they are not eligible to participate in the Long Jump at the Athletics Carnival. 

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. 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. 

By starting this event early it will ensure all events are finished on the day in time for the House Relay. 

More information will be sent out closer to the event. 

Flying Start

Week 3 and 4 of term 2 has been full of learning new gross motor skills through different games and activities.  Engaging in a variety of ways to move our bodies and strengthen our skills has been happening every afternoon for us here at Preschool.  We love that we have the soccer field to play games like Red Rover and Tug O War where we are never short of space to run and play. 

We celebrated World Bee Day where we had taste testing of honey and honeycomb and learnt all about the importance of bees.  We were very busy bees making hotels, bees out of recycled items and enjoyed honey sandwiches for lunch. We also participated in National Simultaneous Storytime where we enjoyed the book The Truck Cat.  The theme behind this story is one of kindness and belonging which is an important part of our preschool journey.

Our weekly visits to the school library and kindy sport are continuing, and we sure love this part of our week.  The opportunity to build relationships with the teachers to ensure that our transition to school next year is a smooth one is an important focus for us here at Flying Start. 

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/

Voluntary Assisted Dying a Catholic Response

Everyone is welcome to learn about the recently introduced Voluntary Assisted Dying in NSW
and the Catholic response. The session will cover three things, Catholic commitment to quality
end of life care, an outline of the NSW law and, some global perspectives on assisted dying.
The presenter is Rev. Dr. Anthony Gooley, who is a deacon in Ballina parish and a theologian.
He has worked for a time in the Catholic health sector and taught theological ethics. The
session will be held at St Anthony’s Parish, in the meeting room (beside the church),
commencing at 10.00am and concluding at 12.00pm Please register with the parish office
parkings@bigpond.com to help us plan for hospitality.

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