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Newsletter Term 4 Week 8 (29.11.23)

Message from Julianne Barlogio - Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching

Reflecting on last night's School Disco, it is with immense gratitude and admiration that we acknowledge the dedication of our parents and teachers who tirelessly worked to make this event a resounding success. This celebration of unity and community spirit showcased the remarkable efforts put forth by individuals committed to enhancing the student experience.

The commitment of our parents, who generously volunteered their time and resources, played a pivotal role in creating a memorable atmosphere for our students. Their unwavering dedication was evident in every aspect of the event, from the vibrant decorations that adorned the venue to the seamless coordination of various activities. It is heartening to witness such active involvement, emphasising the strength of our school community.

Equally commendable is the extraordinary effort exerted by our teachers, many of whom dedicated up to 13 hours on that day alone to ensure the students had an unforgettable experience. Their commitment to going above and beyond their regular duties is a testament to the passion they have for nurturing our students' holistic development.

The joyous atmosphere at the disco was palpable, with families and friends coming together to revel in the festivities. It was truly heartwarming to see the diverse members of our community enjoying quality time together, fostering connections that extend beyond the classroom.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening was the widespread enjoyment of snowcones, adding a sweet touch to the festivities. However, it is important to remind everyone that, in line with our school policies, candy canes are not allowed to be consumed on school premises. We kindly request parents to refrain from sending them to school to reduce the temptation for our students. In the event of non-compliance, any candy canes discovered will be promptly disposed of to maintain a safe and healthy school environment.

With two weeks to go we still have so much to do but are looking forward to a happy, holy festive season with our loved ones.

“Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook, and broadens our perspective.”

― Germany Kent

Important Dates & School Information

Term 4 2023

Friday, 8th December- Infants Swimming Carnival - Kindergarten to Year 2 from 8.45 am to 11.45 am

Thursday 14th December - Year 6 Graduation Mass 9 am (whole school)

Friday, 15th December - 8.40am The Nativity Assembly & Awards years 1 to 6

Friday, 15th December - Last day of school for students

Term 1 2024

Tuesday, 30th January - Teachers return to School - no school

Wednesday, 31st January - First day of Term 1 for Students 1- 6

Friday, 2nd February - Primary Swimming Carnival

Wednesday, 7th February - First day of school for Kindergarten

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 Gemma Ballintine - Assistant Principal Mission

HOPE

Have you set up your Christmas Tree early this year? In amongst the drizzly rain (and wet washing!) pulling out the sparkling, happy ornaments reminds us of Christmases past and we can’t help but be filled with childlike delight, joy and hope for good things to come.

Perhaps you are more of a traditionalist and are waiting for the first Sunday of Advent- which we will celebrate this Sunday. As we gather as a community of faith we will light the first candle on the Advent wreath: The candle of hope.

This year has been another big one with multiple wars and accompanying human atrocities, financial instability and community division around contentious political issues. A few years ago American Jesuit and philanthropist Chris Lowney shared with our Diocese an acronym that was developed by the US Army to describe the world during the Cold War: VUCA- Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. We can certainly apply this to our current world predicament. Within our Church context, Pope Francis says, “We are not living in an era of change, but a change of era.”

So how will we react to these changes and challenges? It is a personal choice that we need to make every day. It is easy to become fatigued, bitter and resentful and it is normal and healthy to recognise and acknowledge these feelings. But we also need resilience, faith, trust and hope for the future.

There exists a multitude of stories in the bible that seemed like hopeless situations- The Israelites wandering in the Desert for 40 years, wars, floods, famines and crucifixion. What we need to remember from these stories is that God never breaks His promises. He never forsakes His people. God’s plan always defies human expectations.

This Christmas, as we commence our new Liturgical Year, may we be graced with our own personal epiphanies and learn to find signs of God’s grace and love and hope in all things. God is found in unexpected places and working through unexpected people. And so we wait with hope-filled hearts for God to bring about a future that is as surprising as the Messiah, God of the universe, coming to us as a small, helpless infant... As surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead.

“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:7

Love is born

With a dark and troubled face

When hope is dead

And in the most unlikely place

Love is born:

Love is always born. - Leunig

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

St Anthony’s is asking all families to donate items to ensure struggling families in our community

have a happy Christmas with presents and treats for their kids to celebrate.

We are asking for donations of the following Christmas items:

Shortbread
Chips
Nuts
Long life custard
Long life milk
Chocolate
Puddings (packaged, not fresh)
Fruitcake (packaged, not fresh)
Fruit mince pies (packaged, not fresh)
Biscuits (sweet & savoury)
Bon bons
Toys and gifts for needy families (please ensure these are new) - collect a star from the Christmas tree in the foyer. Please DO NOT wrap gifts but attach the star and place under the tree.

Thank you for your anticipated generosity in a year that has been financially difficult for so many. Everyone committing to small acts can make a big difference.

Prayer in Year 3

The Year 3 students are learning about a variety of prayer forms and the importance of prayer to establish a personal relationship with God. Nixie, Gemma and Zara wrote some great reflections about prayer and these are attached below.

"When I pray, I know Jesus is with me because I feel loved. I praise Jesus for being with me and helping me love and learn. Jesus is always there for me whenever I struggle and face a hard task. When I pray Jesus is in my heart listening to me. God makes me feel connected to Jesus."

Nixie

"When I pray and go to church my relationship with God builds and if I don't do a good thing the relationship breaks. When I pray, I'm communicating with God and the more you communicate with someone the more you build a relationship with that person.

When I meditate I feel calm and relaxed and in the moment like God is standing right next to me."

Zara

"I have a good relationship with God because I pray and go to a Catholic School and I like going to church.

I communicate with God by praying and singing prayers.

When I pray or mediate, I think about God and me hugging but I mainly talk to him about the day and how it's going."

Gemma

Something to think and pray about

‘It’s Not Fair’

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the state of the world and to feel helpless. There’s not much any single individual can do. A starting point is to see how the world works through the eyes of the disadvantaged, the poor, the marginalised and those most impacted by climate change. When leading sixth year Quo Vadis pilgrims on a three-day hike over the mountains, there was an implicit understanding. ‘I’ am not there yet until ‘we’ are all there. No matter how fast or athletic a person was, the pace had to accommodate the weakest. We would often stop to wait for the stragglers who were finding it difficult to climb the steep sections and then continue only after they had recovered. While the stronger may have been frustrated from time to time, there was an invaluable lesson. We walked as a community where people watched out for one another. We weren’t in competition. We were in empathetic solidarity. This experience mirrors our better nature.

Excerpted from Reimagining Religion by Jim Maher SJ (p.116)

https://sacredspace.com/

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Showing images 1 - 8 of 13

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING

The safety of our students, families and staﬀ is our highest priority. In order to best ensure this, the St Anthony’s leadership and staﬀ, supported by the Catholic Schools Oﬃce, plan for a number of possible incidents, emergencies or natural disasters that could take place at school or during the school term. The events of recent years have reinforced how important this planning is and we all have a role to play when it comes to emergency management, including families.

Our students participate in various safety drills and staﬀ participate through training and safety drills. We’d like to share with you the role of parents and families in emergency management.

School Lockdown

A number of the situations we plan for include a school lockdown as one of the immediate safety actions to ensure the safety of our students and staﬀ. We understand that some may understand the word ‘lockdown’ to mean there is an immediate safety risk to all students. It is important to understand that when a school initiates a lockdown this may not be the case.

Depending on the situation, the purpose of a school lockdown will diﬀer. A school lockdown may be a preparation step for an evacuation, or a school lockdown may allow emergency services access to an area of the school without having to navigate past students. Regardless of the purpose of a school lockdown, no one can be admitted to the school grounds other than emergency services.

Should we initiate a school lockdown, parents and families will be informed via text message and Compass notiﬁcation. We will also inform parents and families as soon as the school lockdown has been lifted or if there are any actions required of parents and families. It is important that you do not attempt to attend the school during a school lockdown. We understand that you may be concerned however attending the school may also add risk to a possible emergency situation, block emergency services or impede an evacuation.

Natural Disaster

In the event of a natural disaster, such as ﬂood or bushﬁre, the school leadership, supported by the Catholic Schools Oﬃce, will determine if it is safe for the school to open. If there is a probability the school may have to close part way through the day, the school will not open for that day as it is extremely diﬃcult to evacuate a school site and ensure all students are able to go directly home safely.

In a bush ﬁre or ﬂood event it is important that parents and families have a plan to get your child/ren home from school, or into your care, at short notice. Please be aware that school buses may not be running and the school can not allow your child/ren to go home to an empty house or home with another parent without your permission.

Family Preparedness

How can you help us prepare for emergency situations? Please ensure that:

You have downloaded the Compass and have allowed notiﬁcations.
Any changes to your contact details or custodial arrangements have been updated with the school.
You have a bush ﬁre/ﬂood plan in place that all members of your family understand.
In the event of a school lockdown or evacuation, directions in the parent notiﬁcations are

It is always our hope that these measures will never be needed but it is also our responsibility to ensure our school community is prepared and informed should the need arise. We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

Lynne Pull and Nigel McIntyre, Work Health and Safety Manager, Catholic Schools Oﬃce

Sports News - 2024 Primary Swimming Carnival Reminders

The St Anthony’s 2024 Primary Swimming Carnival (Years 3-6) will be held next year on Friday 2nd February, Week 1.

*The following is important information for competitive swimmers in Years 2-5 who will be turning 8 or older in 2024.

If your child/children are interested in submitting a time for consideration in the 200m Individual Medley event for 2024, for the Tweed Zone Swimming Carnival they will need to provide a certified time to Mrs Croker by Week 1, Term 1, 2024.
The top 8 times for each age group from the Tweed Zone will be invited to compete in this event at the Tweed Zone Swimming Carnival on Monday 19th February in Murwillumbah.

Please email your certified time, name and DOB to sapkings@lism.catholic.edu.au

*Nomination sign up sheets for the following Primary Swimming Events are now located outside the staffroom on the Sports Notice Board. Competent swimmers who are able to complete the following are invited to put their name down for the following (please note these events are not compulsory):

100m Open Freestyle (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Years students compete in 1 race)
50m Butterfly (race is run as a junior race 8, 9, 10 Years, an 11 Years race and a Senior race, 12 and 13 Years)
100m IM (race is run as junior 8, 9, 10 Years and senior 11, 12, 13 Years, includes 1 lap of each stroke)

Please have your name down by the end of term.

*PLEASE NOTE: If your child would like to nominate to swim in the 100m IM competitive race at the Primary swimming carnival next year, this will take place at 8:30am at the Kingscliff swimming pool. Transport to the pool will be the responsibility of parents and swimmers will need to arrive no later than 8:15am for marshalling.

Fiona Croker

Sports Coordinator

$20 Boss Market Day - Monday 11th December

Many of our Year 6 students have been taking part in the $20 Boss Entrepreneurial Program this term. This is an immersive learning program for building the enterprise skills of young people that has been developed in consultation with students and educators and is the largest entrepreneurship program in Australia. The program was originally designed by the Foundation for Young Australians and is now being delivered by Young Change Agents (YCA). The program gives students $20 of funding to create, launch and operate their own venture over the course of a school term.

A Market Day will be held on Monday 11th December for students to present their social enterprise and sell their product/service. The Market Day will be open to families and students of St Anthony’s before school from 8:15am. Classes will also visit throughout the morning. Children may bring cash along with them if they would like to purchase from the stalls.

We would love to see families and students there to celebrate our future entrepreneurs and support their business ventures!

MISC ITEMS

Seeking Music Tutors St Ambrose for 2024

We are currently seeking to appoint a variety of Music Tutors for 2024. We are specifically looking for individuals skilled in Piano, Guitar, and Drums.

The successful candidate must:

have appropriate qualifications/experience to teach students including a valid Working With Children Check;
have the ability to teach students from 5 to 12 years of age;
have excellent skills in communicating with students and parents;
be willing to contribute to the development of performance opportunities held at St Ambrose as required by the Principal; and,
have their own ABN and the capacity to operate as an independent contractor.

If this sounds like you we want to hear from you! Send your enquiry or application to the School at sapot@lism.catholic.edu.au

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