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St Anthony's School - Term 1 Week 4 2021

Principal's News.....

It was wonderful to begin our week on Monday with our New School Year Liturgy and Leadership Induction. The theme for our Year 6 cohort this year is ‘Nothing is Impossible’ and this embodies everything we stand for at St Anthony’s.

We have already witnessed many opportunities so far this year where these amazing individuals have shown maturity, initiative and persistence both in and out of the classroom. Thank you to our Year 6 parents for attending this occasion also.

Parents and Friends in Our Community

Last Tuesday evening, we had our first Parent Partnership forum gathering for the year. It was wonderful to have a group of parents assembled, and in particular some new parents to our community.

I shared our school priorities this year which include continued refinement and embedding of the writing strategy - ‘Write That Essay’, the Reading Improvement Strategy – which is a consistent approach to the way guided, modelled and shared reading is taught throughout the school, our Lighthouse Numeracy non-negotiables such as daily number talks, hands on maths learning, maths journaling, maths vocabulary walls in classrooms and regular and rigorous opportunities for inquiry learning. We are developing our ‘St Anthony’s Way’ - What are the learning dispositions and behaviours of a student and staff member at St Anthony’s. This is wrapped within our pillar of ‘Love of Learning’.

We also had some discussion around opportunities for parent engagement in the current climate and agreed that we would not have any bigger school events in the immediate future.

We also had some initial discussion around our current school uniform. We have a lot of variety around the branding on our clothes and would like to have some consistency. We also discussed the possibility of allowing the boys to wear short sleeved shirts and shorts in winter with the woolen pullover and we discussed, but no decision was made, regarding the tie being a compulsory item.

Please keep an eye out for a microsoft form that will be emailed out gauging people’s opinions regarding some uniform discussion and changes. It takes 2 years for any uniform changes to fully come into effect.

Our PPF AGM will be on Tuesday, 16^th March at 6.30pm in the staffroom. All welcome and we will be looking to fill the positions of chairperson and secretary. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Chrissie Everett as Chairperson for 2 years and Jacqui Castles as secretary. These ladies willingly stepped into these positions as guinea pigs under our new PPF model and both have done a stellar job! These positions come with the support of the whole parent body and neither are onerous positions. Please consider taking on one of these positions or nominating someone you believe would be willing! Always happy to chat to individuals regarding these positions also.

Be Safe

Please be ever vigilant of school children when driving and parking in the school precinct. We had a very close call last week where one of our older students was very close to being hit by an impatient driver on the wrong side of the road. This incident was reported to police and since this incident the police have been out in force regarding speed limits, parking and safe driving practices in school zones. Slow right down around schools and be conscious and respectful of others when parking. All schools in town experience traffic and parking issues. We have put several measures in place to help reduce the congestion but above all your patience during these busy times is vital for the safety of all. We certainly do not wish for a tragedy to occur for drivers to slow down and park in a safe place, even if it means a 2-minute walk.

Please avoid getting out of your car in the Stop, Drop and Go zone if possible. The traffic congestion runs much more smoothly if cars are in this area for a minimal time. Staff on duty do their best to have children waiting at the gate for pick up.

School Fees

All Toowoomba Diocesan schools are currently in the process of transitioning to a new administration and financial software system. As a result, we want to ensure the correct information has migrated over to the new system. Therefore, it is anticipated Term 1’s school fee invoices will be delayed until next week.

Making the Grade- 2021

A photo of each of our 2021 Prep classes will be published in the Toowoomba Chronicle on Wednesday, 24th March as part of the ‘Making the Grade 2021’ Feature. Be sure to get yourselves a copy!

Student Protection

The safety and wellbeing of students is very important in our school and is a shared responsibility of parents, staff and students. There are a number of ways we promote safety and wellbeing. Through our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy, we proactively set up safe systems and practices for recruitment, supervision, conduct and responding to risks, in order to protect students. We also inform our school community about respectful relationships, expectations for conduct and how to avoid dangers. Our school implements the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum into classes during the year. This program teaches students about ways to stay safe and what to do if they do not feel safe. We have a formal process for taking action and reporting situations where there is a reasonable suspicion that a child has been abused or harmed, or a staff member has behaved inappropriately. All of these processes come under the banner of ‘student protection’.

Our School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs) play an important role in all aspects of student protection. Students may speak with any staff member if they have concerns, however our SSPCs have more in-depth training to manage student protection situations. The SSPCs for St Anthony’s School for 2021 are Jennifer Fenn, Leigh Winters, Katie Hauser and Louise Pfingst. Their names and photographs are on the “Feeling Safe” posters around the school. Please talk to your child about who they could speak to if they have any concerns and remind them who our SSPCs are this year.

Administration of Medication at School

To ensure we meet our duty of care obligations, there are a number of policies and procedures that the school is required to follow regarding the administration of medication.

ALL medication MUST be brought in in the Original Packaging with a Pharmacy Label attached which clearly states the child’s name and dosage instructions, (this includes over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol).
Parents/caregivers MUST complete the relevant medication forms which we will keep on file. These forms are available from the Administration Office.

We are unable to administer the medication if any of the above steps have not been completed.

Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Until next newsletter.........God Bless

Louise

louise.pfingst@twb.catholic.edu.au

APRE News.....

Thank you to all the children and families who attended Parish Mass last weekend. It was lovely to have a church full of people and children. Not only does this strengthen the Parish community and our connection to it but is a great way for children to become familiar with the parts of the mass as they take on some responsibilities within the service. Next parish mass will be on Sunday the 7^th March and everyone is welcome! We keep in our thought the students who enrolled in the sacramental program as they continue their preparation for Reconciliation in early March.

This week marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of lent, which lasts for six weeks prior to Easter. We call it Ash Wednesday because many, many Christians around the world receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads. God’s people have used this sign for hundreds of years. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect. It also reminds us to live justly as Jesus teaches us. During Lent we can try to reach out to others with more love and kindness especially in our own families, our school and in our world. This year we will again support Caritas with their Annual Project Compassion Appeal. Each child received a Project Compassion box on Ash Wednesday to collect donations during Lent to enable them to put their compassion into action! The boxes will be collected prior to the Easter holidays and any donations, big or small, are very much appreciated. Caritas Australia is a Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development that work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. This Lenten season consider who might need your prayers, what could you give or give up and how could you make a difference to others, or the environment.

katie.hauser@twb.catholic.edu.au

Middle Leader News.....

Nearly a month gone of schooling this year and the hard work of both students and teachers in building relationships is beginning to show. These relationships are crucial in laying the foundation for a community of learners. There is no learning without risk and students will not be willing to take risks if they do not feel safe and supported by the significant relationships around them. Teachers have worked hard over the last month to develop a snapshot of the students in their class and determine adjustments required for all learners to ensure they are accessing the curriculum.

Using the Learning Pit as a guide, students at St Anthony’s are encouraged to see that taking risks, accepting challenges and stepping out of their comfort zones is necessary in order to grow and learn. Making mistakes along the way, getting stuck and having to go back in order to go forward are all natural stages of the learning process that should not be scary, but a good sign. The only danger in getting stuck is if you choose to stay there! If you find when talking with your child that they may have found some learning challenging, using the language of the Learning Pit at home can go a long way to developing your child’s dispositions towards learning. The ability to draw on a number of different strategies (one of which is ‘asking for help’) is an important skill to develop in all learners to avoid ‘being stuck’ and to encourage some independence with their learning.

In the next couple of weeks, teachers will be assessing all children’s reading to determine where they are at, and what needs to be the next steps for them in their reading journey. Teachers have already used standardized Maths assessments from the end of last year to determine individual and group goals for their classes this year. As a staff we are continually assessing, analysing and planning to ensure that we are clear where all students are in their learning to determine where they need to go next.

katie.hauser@twb.catholic.edu.au

Prep KJ & SJ

Since the commencement of the term, the Preps have been very busy learning new concepts and exploring themselves as individual learners within the classroom setting.

We have been delving deeper into our learning areas and have had many insightful contributions from students.

In Religion over the past three weeks the Preps have learnt about what it means to be a ‘bucket filler’ and how the choices you make affect you and others. We have explored sacred places around the school and have toured the church and looked at sacred symbols. Students are enjoying learning about ‘What is special about St. Anthony’s’ and how we are all part of a team.

Our English unit ‘On the Farm’, which focuses on Joy Cowley’s texts, explores characters related to farms and uses repetition to expose children to the early stages of reading. With this unit we are expecting ‘Old McDonalds Travelling Farm’ for a visit. Students are looking forward to this fun and engaging experience.

Students are continually showing how much they are learning, and it is wonderful to see them settling in so well to the classroom.

kylie.jones@twb.catholic.edu.au

samantha.jaeger@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 1 RW & HS

We are all settling in well with lots of learning happening. Last week in Math we focused on whole numbers, and odd/even numbers. We identified the patterns we noticed on a 100 board. In English we continued looking at ‘Pig the Pug’ by Aaron Blabey. We created a ‘Pig the Pug’ craftivity and wrote our many reasons for enjoying the book. We loved how each Pug looked different from the next.

rebecca.white@twb.catholic.edu.au

holly.sheehan@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 2 OT

2OT have made great progress in following their classroom rules and expectations - our learning stamina is growing every day! Our Math, English, and HASS units are in full swing. We are developing a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect about places, people, cultures, and systems around the world.

Reminder: Our class will borrow books from the library every Thursday - please ensure your child brings their library bag!

ory.tattam@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 2/3 VN

Welcome back to Week 4 newsletter. In English, we have been learning about holidays and connecting our own experiences with experiences depicted in books such as ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘Chicken Travels Australia’. We are connecting this learning to our HASS unit in which we are learning about geographical divisions- mainly continents as well as looking at celebrations and commemorations seen around the world. If there are any significant cultural events that your family celebrates, please send me an email, or pop in and we can research this celebration as a class. In Math we are working on place value- modelling, representing and ordering number to 1000 (Year 2) and 10 000 (Year 3).

Library- Wednesday (no bag or books, no borrowing).

vicki.nauschutz@twb.catholic.edu.au

emm.daniells@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 3 RM

It's been a busy time in 3RM. In English we have been comparing similarities and differences between texts and events within texts. In Maths we have continued to work on place value by practising using hundreds boards. In HASS we are looking at celebrations around the world. In Religion we constructed our own Ten Commandments for St Anthony's School.

rebecca.more@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 4 SC

It goes without saying that the students in 4SC have a love of learning and are enthusiastic about learning new things. Their curiosity is highly developed and we are often engaged in very interesting conversations. Through the 'You Can Do It' program we are learning about our strengths and challenges. We know that if we look at mistakes through a different lens we can see that mistakes are how we grow. History is drawing us into the world of the past - in particular the history of our Indigenous Australians. We will be planting our seeds this week in Science. They will hopefully sprout over the next few weeks and be ready to plant in the school garden (or your garden) at the end of the term. We continue to work on following the school rules and be the best person we can be.

God Bless.

Mrs Cox

sharon.cox@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 4/5 RS

Dear Families,

In Religion, 4/5RS are learning “What does it mean to share community?” and studying the life of St Paul who, after his conversion, established communities in many places. We had pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, them discussed and made a promise for Lent.

We have begun Guided Reading groups with Mrs Doherty and Mrs Boyce, and work on Spelling strategies including phonological awareness and syllables. We have a daily Quickwrite. Our Maths, supported by Mrs Doherty and Mrs Mary, is about studying numbers to 100 000 – place value, sequencing, odd and even numbers, the 4 operations and money. The Science units are “Plants in Action” for Year 4 and “Desert Survivors” for Year 5 and HASS is a History unit, “First Contacts”.

There is Library on Thursdays, Digital Tech with Mrs Watkins on even week Mondays; PE on Wednesdays and Music on Thursdays.

We have read mantras for positive self-talk and have come up with our own personal mantra.

So believe in yourself, keep on going and don’t give up!

Barbara and Robyn.

robin.smith@twb.catholic.edu.au

barbara.hair@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 5/6 TN

I am finding it difficult to wrap my head around it being the end of Week 4 already! We have continued to work hard over the past fortnight to build our relationships as a class and find a happy balance when working in our two different grade levels. In 5/6 TN we have been working on all things place value. We have been expanding and pulling numbers apart, creating factor trees and identifying the prime numbers and this week begun to look at representing data. Our genre in English has been informative text types. So far this has involved learning about the importance and difference of fact and opinion, the structure of an informative text type and language features.

I have been very impressed with the level of independence the students have been showing with their homework and congratulate the students on their dedication to completing tasks from school on Teams, such as HASS PowerPoints. Year 5 are diving into the world of Democracy and Voting within Australia, while the Year 6 students are looking into Needs and Wants through an interesting Economics Unit.

Until next time, stay safe.

Mrs Terri-An Nolan

terri-an.nolan@twb.catholic.edu.au

YR 6 LW

Thank you to everyone who attended the Leadership Liturgy on Monday. It went off without a hitch and I was very proud of everyone's contributions. We will be examining our motto "Nothing shall be impossible” in more depth in the following weeks, as it is the saying we will strive to live up to throughout the year as the school leaders. It will also shape our attitude towards the academic challenges of this year!

Work wise, we are examining information texts in English with a view to soon writing our own information texts, and exploring prime and composite numbers in Maths. In Humanities we are learning about decision making, including the cost of choices made by consumers.

Thank you to all parents for your wonderful support since the start of term with all the activities that have been going on - it is a real pleasure to work with you and your children.

Mrs Winters

leigh.winters@twb.catholic.edu.au

Learning Support

Hello Parents and Friends,

I hope that all is going well with the students beginning a new schooling year.

This is the start of a Learning Support information stream that will be placed in the newsletter each fortnight.

The Learning Support Staff is comprised of two teachers, Leona Doherty and Ann Foster and three Aides; Mary Neilan, Sandy Sullivan and Jan Boyce. Leona takes care of the children who have English as a second language while I support the children who have a disability. Both roles overlap. On Fridays, Leona and I meet to transfer information and to make certain that we have the teachers and children supported. Additionally, there are administrative tasks to be completed.

The role of the Learning Support Teacher is to support the classroom teacher within the classroom environment. That support is allocated according to the student needs within the classroom. These needs are identified through the standardised assessment, the complexities of the children who have a disability and behavioural difficulties within each classroom. Academically, the Support Teachers are in classes for Math and English. At times, Support Teachers spend time supporting children with English and Math in other KLA’s. The aides also support teachers in similar roles.

This week, I am going to describe the new, Learning Support Model. Most of us can remember the times when Learning Support Teachers took the children who were experiencing difficulties, out of the classroom to improve learning. This model has changed, but, we are in transition mode and are moving at a pace that is comfortable for teachers. At the beginning of the year, teachers need time to introduce routines and structures that support positive behaviours and learning. This means that for some classes, it is necessary to take some students out of the classroom in the lower grades, until the class majority are settled. Then, the Learning Support Teacher will transition these children back into the classroom.

At times, like this week, testing that is required by Toowoomba Catholic Education, is being completed. Learning Support time will be devoted to teaching whole classes while the class teacher completes reading assessments. In this way, the teacher has all the information related to individual reading results and the strengths and weaknesses of individual students.

At each staff meeting on Tuesday, there is time allocated to collaboration with Class and Learning Support Teachers. This means that individual student information is used to enhance growth.

Both Leona and I love the new model. It is a collaborative arrangement that will improve growth.

I hope that the above information adequately informs parents of the changes introduced into the classroom environment. If further information is required, please contact the classroom teacher.

Have a great week,

ANN FOSTER

ann.foster@twb.catholic.edu.au

leona.doherty@twb.catholic.edu.au

Meet our Teachers....

Mrs Barbara Hair

Hello! I am Barbara Hair and it is my privilege to be a teacher at St Anthony’s this year! I am teaching part-time in both Year 3RM and Year 4/5RS.

This is the third “St Anthony’s” school that I have taught at in my career, so he is now my patron saint! I have taught many classes in many schools across QLD in three different dioceses. To mix things up a little, I have also worked in different teaching roles like Visual Art specialist, Teacher/Librarian and part of the Learning Support team. I still have the same passion for children as I had when I began this journey. It seems I just can’t get enough learning!

When I’m at home you’ll probably find me in my garden or sipping coffee with my husband Shane. Perhaps I’ll be practising Italian or maybe chatting on the phone with one of my three boys. There’s always so much to do!!

Mrs Leigh Winters

I trained as a teacher in South Africa and worked mostly in a local high school before moving to Australia at the end of 2006. In order to be able to teach in an Australian school, I needed to have my teaching qualification assessed. During this time, I did relief teaching in numerous schools across Toowoomba. My first full-time Catholic position was at St. Mary’s in Charleville, where I worked for four years before moving back to Toowoomba. I spent a year at St. Thomas More before moving to St. Anthony’s at the beginning of 2019.

I have 2 children – Courtney was an army medic until the birth of my granddaughter, Adeline, a year ago. My son, Devon, is currently in Perth serving in the special forces.

Since my children left home, I have adopted two cats – Basil and Sage – who get up to enough mischief to keep me full of stories to share with my class!

Mrs Sharon Cox

After living in Canberra for 28 years, my husband and I moved to Toowoomba late 2018. I have 3 children, all of whom are settled with their partners - the youngest is now married but sadly we had to watch the wedding online as Covid 19 prevented us from travelling to Sydney. I love to bake delicious goodies to share with others and have made numerous cakes for special occasions. I also love to read and take the time to chill out with a good book. In Canberra I worked on many school performances developing soundtracks and planning lighting effects for major productions. I am looking forward to another wonderful year with the St Anthony's community and sharing in the learning journey of the students. I have been blessed to work with Catholic Education for 22 years and look forward to many more years ahead. God Bless

Mrs Terri-An Nolan

Hi! My name is Mrs Terri-An Nolan and I am the 5/6 teacher this year. It is my second year at St Anthony’s and my 16^th year teaching. I loved joining the St Anthony’s community last year and can’t wait to see what we all get up to this year. I was born and raised in Brisbane however moved to Toowoomba to study my Bachelor of Primary Education at USQ. Since graduating I have taught in Brisbane, Cunnamulla, Oakey and Highfields. During this time I have also completed a Masters of Theology from the University of Newcastle. I am passionate about our students seeing themselves as learners and have a passion for making an engaging and relevant curriculum for our students. Please feel free to say Hello if you see me about the school or drop in to see what we are up to in our classroom!

Yamma Group

Last week we had our first official Yamma Group Meeting. Indigenous students from Year 2 to 6 meet to share a morning tea and discuss what they would like to do during this group time this term. The students came up with lots of exciting activities and experiences. We are starting the year off with an Art Project. This week the students went for a hunt to find leaves, sticks and paper bark to create our own natural kookaburras. We can’t wait to share with you all.

School Photos

Monday March 22nd

Formal Summer Uniform to be worn (please read the uniform requirements below).
Sibling Photo Envelopes are available at the school office
No change available at the school office

St Anthony’s Uniform

It is an expectation that St Anthony’s uniform is worn with pride and our students are well presented at all times.

Girls Summer Uniform

Girls wear….

St Anthony’s ‘Presentation Schools’ dress – blue checked with Madonna blue trim, St Anthony’s embroidered on the collar and short tie
St Anthony’s grey turnabout anklet socks with blue trim
St Anthony’s blue checked blouse with Madonna blue trim, St Anthony’s embroidered on the collar and short
St Anthony’s royal blue skort printed with the school
St Anthony’s grey turnabout anklet socks with blue trim
Plain black leather school shoes/joggers.

Boys Summer Uniform

Boys wear….

St Anthony’s short-sleeved school-blue embroidered shirt (must be tucked in)
St Anthony’s grey shorts with St Anthony’s embroidered above the back pocket
St Anthony’s School grey knee-high socks with blue stripes
Plain black leather school shoes/joggers.

Prep Uniform

Prep students wear….

St Anthony’s school sports polo shirt
St Anthony’s blue school sports shorts
St Anthony’s blue sports socks (with two white stripes)
Plain black school shoes/joggers.

Hair & Accessories

Hair must be worn in a clean and tidy fashion
Fringes longer than the eyebrows on all students, must be tied back or secured with a clip. Hair longer than the collar must be tied up.
Hair ties or ribbons in royal blue, white or gold These ribbons should be no more than 2cm wide.
Hair bands must only be royal blue & be plain design.
Hair combs, if used, should be natural hair colour.
Oversized hair bows and accessories are not permitted.
Hair colourings are not permitted.
Styles should be conservative in nature and tracks, rattails, undercuts and ‘number one’ cuts are not.

Jewellery

Students may wear simple, unobtrusive watches.
Girls with pierced ears may wear one simple gold or silver stud or sleeper in each ear.
Decorative jewellery including Euro balls are not permitted.
A signet ring may be worn.
Only small, simple necklaces of a religious significance may be worn.
Coloured plastic armbands, plaited wristbands or other wrist jewellery is not permitted.
If your child wears earrings they must wear them in both ears.

Fingernail Polish

Students must not wear coloured nail polish to school.

School Badges

School Badges may be purchased from the school office at $4.50 each. The school badge can be worn on the tie as part of the winter uniform. As part of the summer uniform, it can be worn on the left collar.

Summer_Uniform.jpg