St Anthony's School - Term 1 Week 2 2022
Principal's News
Louise Pringst
My name is Louise Pfingst and I am honoured to be leading St Anthony’s in 2022.
I grew up in Pittsworth and later attended St UrsuIa’s and Downland’s College here in Toowoomba.
I completed my teaching degree at The Australian Catholic University with an early childhood major and was first posted to St Mary’s Charleville where I taught for many years and was also Principal for 4 years. I’ve also taught at Charleville School of Distance Education, St Ann’s Special School in London and Our Lady of Lourdes in Toowoomba. Most of my 20+ years of teaching experience has been in the lower school.
I am married to Tom and have 2 daughters who are 19 and 15 and a son who’s 13.
In my spare time I like to garden, read and spend time with family and friends.
I feel soooo lucky to be Principal of such a great school and I am driven by doing whatever it takes to ensure our students receive the very best educational opportunities and develop in all areas to reach their full potential!
On behalf of the staff at St Anthony’s School, I would like to welcome you all to the 2022 school year and what a bumpy start it has been!! We have been so very impressed with the enthusiasm, cooperation and resilience of the children who have been here for supervision. Children really do generally adapt to most situations. We also very much appreciate parents who have been able to make alternate arrangements for their care of their children for the past two weeks. This time has been valuably used by all staff whether working onsite or from home to ensure we are ready to hit the ground with teaching and learning on Monday! We are so ready and excited to welcome everyone. Our students really are the heart and soul of our school!
A special welcome to our new St Anthony’s staff, students and families! I am sure there will be many mixed emotions from our new preppies and their parents on Monday. Starting school is quite a significant event. Let me assure you, your children are in great and very capable hands!
This year we are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure your children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
1) Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience (unless unwell)
2) Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
3) Shares school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life
5) Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject or there is a problem to share
6) Wears the correct school uniform each and every day.
I encourage you to keep in contact with your child’s teacher. Let us know how to better serve your child and how you would like to be further involved in their education. I believe a home-school community partnership is a powerful one. It is the one that will bring maximum success to our students this coming year.
Email is the preferable way to contact teachers and all of our emails are firstname.surname@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Under the current Covid Safe Guidelines, parents are permitted in the school grounds wearing masks and all adults need to adhere to socially distancing at 1.5m. Hand sanitizer is available to adults and students within the school grounds also. We continue to promote good hand hygiene. We will have a staff member at the gate at Stop, Drop and Go to greet students each morning from 8.15. Parents are most welcome to park and bring their children in if that is required. It is important that all children feel safe and settled.
You may have seen the current health advice that students in Year 3 – 6 are able to wear masks but this is not mandated. Masks will need to be provided by parents. We do have a minimal supply here at school if needed.
Please keep you children home if they are displaying any flu like symptoms. If children develop symptoms at school, parents will be contacted and children must leave the school grounds immediately. Please ensure you provide your most recent contact details and details of an emergency contact in the instance parents cannot be contacted.
The newsletter will be an e newsletter emailed to parents on a Thursday every fortnight. Community and parent notices can still be included in the newsletter by emailing the item to the school.
The health advice also is that we avoid congregating in numbers on the school grounds where possible. Therefore, Parade on a Monday morning will be pre-recorded on Teams and students will view in classrooms. There will be no whole school assemblies until further notice and our Parent Information Sessions will be in the format of a Powerpoint with a voice over that will be uploaded to the school portal on Monday 14th February.
Sports uniform is to be worn by all students each Wednesday and Thursday.
Just a reminder that wearing the correct school uniform is an expectation of all students at St Anthony’s. Please ensure your child wears the correct uniform each day. Plain black shoes MUST be worn every day. If your child is out of uniform and has a legitimate reason this must be put in writing to the Principal.
The Sentral Portal is our one stop shop for communication from the school. Parents are able to download the Sentral app from the app store, choose St Anthony’s School and notifications can be received when there is new information posted. An outline of the week ahead is posted on the portal each Sunday. Schools are busy places and we encourage parents to check the portal once a day to keep abreast of current information. Please contact the office if you experience difficulties accessing the portal.
So let’s all work together to make the 2022 school year a HUGE success, where we strive to enable our students to be the best they can be, Lighting Pathways for Life and igniting that Love of Learning!
My office door is always open and I am happy to discuss and find a solution to any issue that is brought to the table.
My email address is louise.pfingst@twb.catholic.edu.au and I am available for a chat via an appointment made through the office.
God Bless!
Louise
APRE News.....
I hope this newsletter finds all the families in our community well. Christmas celebrations and New Year seems a long time ago, and yet we have not officially begun the school year. Although it is lovely to spend time with our loved ones and have holidays, there is comfort in the familiarity of the routine of ‘going to school’. If your children are like mine, they are searching for stimulation and social interactions and if you are like me, you are craving some normalcy in your home life that the school routine provides. This unusual start to the school year is also difficult for teachers as they also are missing the rituals that proceed and begin a school year.
At times like these where there is uncertainty, it can easily lead to uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, frustration and even despair. We know in current times that we cannot control how the year will unfold however, we do know with certainty that our school community will always be a place where students, families and staff can be assured of feeling welcomed and that they belong.
At St Anthony’s, inspired by the stories of Jesus, we strive to be inclusive, to be fair, to be kind, to be respectful and to be honest. We are a school made up of many different perspectives, yet fundamental to how we operate is that we all belong. Guided by the forebearers of our school, the Presentation Sisters and parish priests of the St Anthony’s Parish who have shown us the way, we are walking the pathway towards loving one another. We can’t wait to welcome you all back next week and begin the journey for this year.
Parish Family Mass
Parish Family Mass for the month of February is this Sunday the 6th at 8.30am. All members of the school community are invited to attend. Normally, students from the school would help lead the liturgy, however having not officially started school we are unable to do this. It would be lovely to see St Anthony’s students and families at this Mass if you are able to come! We might even be able to find ways for you to participate in leading the service if you are happy to help as you arrive.
Sacramental Program
This weekend is also a weekend Sr Maria and the sacramental team would like to meet with children and families who are on the sacramental journey from last year as they prepare for the sacraments of Confirmation and Communion. There will be two sessions on offer to attend, Saturday the 5th of February at 5pm – 5.50pm (before the 6pm mass) and Sunday the 6th of February 9.30am – 10am (after the 8.30am mass). Could you please bring your workbooks along to the session and joining in the mass prior or post the session is a great way to connect the learning for the children and develop a sense of community with the Parish.
Middle Leader
Katie Hauser
I graduated with a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education 25 years ago. Being a teacher was always a goal I had even from a young age, as I loved the idea of working with children and helping them to achieve. The bulk of my teaching experience has been in the early years of school. I have taught in many schools, from country settings to urban schools across the state. I returned to Toowoomba with my husband and three young children in the early 2000s and began working at St Thomas More’s Primary school. ‘Early Years Education’ and teaching children to read have been passions of mine during my career, which led me to the role of Education Officer for the Reading Improvement Strategy with the Toowoomba Catholic School’s Office in 2018. During this time, I was fortunate to be able to support teachers in their teaching of reading and work with the leadership teams from all schools in the Diocese! Coming to St Anthony’s in 2020 as the Assistant Principal Religious Education and Middle Leader was so exciting. It felt so rewarding to be able to focus my support on one community, and that community happening to be my original primary school made it even more sweet! I love being a part of the school community and the broader parish community at St Anthony’s. This role has enabled me to merge my love of curriculum and all that entails with my faith and I feel I am in a privileged position to be able to do the work I do, always striving for the best outcomes for the students in our care.
Katie.Hauser@twb.catholic.edu.au
Love of Learning
Be engaged | Be curious| Be a communicator| Be persistent| Be proud
Prep SJ
Samantha Jaeger
Hello, my name is Samantha Jaeger, I come from a large family and have grown up in the Toowoomba area. I completed my schooling at St. Ursula's College and university at USQ in Toowoomba. I majored in the early years at university, as this is where my passion lies. I have been teaching since 2017 and started out my career at St Finbarr's Quilpie, teaching both the 4-6 and P-3 classes. I love teaching and enjoy watching children learn and grow.
samantha.jaeger@twb.catholic.edu.au
Prep SR
Siobhan Rush
I am so excited to be teaching Prep at St Anthony’s!! This year will be my first year teaching. I have worked with children for the last several years in various positions and schools throughout Toowoomba. I love to teach and my daily goal is to make our classroom a happy place to learn. In my spare time I love to cook and garden with my family.
Siobhan.Rush@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 1 RS
Emma Daniells
I am excited to be part of the St. Anthony's school community again in 2022. I joined the school at the end of 2019 and in 2020/21 worked in a share teaching partnership with Vicki Nauschutz.
Previous to this I taught at St. Saviour’s Primary School here in Toowoomba and also St. Francis De Sales in Clifton. In my teacher career I have had many varied roles and classes, including many multi-age classes, specialist teaching in Learning Support and also Music and Drama.
When I am not at school you will find me reading, gardening or spending time with my family. I live with my husband and two children who are 8 and 11 and both attend local Catholic schools.
I am looking forward to getting know more of the school community this year and working with the Year 1 RS.
Emma.Daniells@twb.catholic.edu.au
Jo Keleher - Yr 1 RS & Relief Teacher
From rural life on the Darling Downs, my family moved to St Anthony’s Parish in 1972. Two of my brothers attended St Anthony’s School while I proceeded to St Saviour’s College then to USQ for my teaching degrees. My career has developed in several Diocesan Schools where I have gained teaching experience in all classes from Prep to Year 7. In recent years, as I transition to retirement, my focus has been on part-time and relief teaching. In the coming years, I hope to continue my love of travel, theatre, cinema, reading, walking, and spending time with family/friends, as I continue along my pathway of life.
Jo.Keleher@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 1 KS
My name is Kathleen Spencer and I am excited to be spending the year with the lovely students in my class.
I live on a farm at Biddeston. I have been teaching for more than 30 years and after all this time Yr 1 is still my favourite!! I’m looking forward to having a wonderful year with 1KS.
Kathleen.Spencer@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 2 BH
Barbara Hair
This year I am thrilled to teach Year 2 at St Anthony’s! I am having a long and interesting career in teaching. This is my tenth school in my third diocese, though always in QLD – go the maroons! No two classes have ever been the same - just as no two children are alike. So, this year will again be an adventure.
When I’m not adventuring at school I like to adventure into my garden or go on an adventure to wherever serves good coffee! One day I would love to adventure overseas again … but that will have to wait.
Barbara.Hair@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 2/3 VN
Vicki Nauschutz
Hi, I’m Vicki Nauschutz and I am teaching 2/3VN on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this year with Mr Tattam. I have two children, Evie who is starting Prep at St. Anthonys’s this year and Jack who is 3. I love spending time with my family going on bike rides. I also love doing Crossfit in my spare time.
Vicki.Nauschutz@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 3 RM
Rebecca More
Some of you already know me because I've been at St Anthony's for 12 years, and love it. I have 3 almost fully grown children and 4 granddaughters. My favourite thing about being a teacher is when the children make it out of the learning pit after finding something a challenge. I LOVE reading books with children. My favourite is "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr Seuss. My own children tell me I could recite it without needing the book! When I'm not at school, I like to cook and binge watch TV series (happy to accept recommendations!). This year I'm lucky enough to be teaching buddies with Jess Gillam, so I'll be working Monday to Wednesday.
Rebecca.More@twb.catholic.edu.au
Jess Gillam
My name is Mrs. Gillam. Some of you are familiar with me as I was at St Anthony’s a few years ago. I am now back after 3 and a half years Maternity Leave. I am a proud Mum of Molly (3) and Hugh (1). I love spending time with my family, especially when my husband is home as he works away. I love being outdoors and enjoy the small things in life. I will be working on Thursday’s and Friday’s in 3RM as Mrs. More’s Team Teacher. I am excited to be back, and I cannot wait to see some familiar faces and get to know so many new ones. Regards, Jess Gillam
Yr 4 SC
Sharon Cox
Hello St Anthony families! This is my 3rd year at St Anthony’s. Prior to this I spent 20 years in Catholic education in our nation’s capital - living there with my husband Greg and three beautiful boys – now men. At the end of last year I became the Nanna of a beautiful little girl. I love living in Toowoomba with our two labradoodles Sammi and Barney. I love to bake and can’t wait to use my new oven (hopefully sooner rather than later). I am looking forward to building positive relationships with my new class and supporting them in their journey through primary school. See you all on Monday! God Bless. Mrs Cox
Sharon.Cox@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 4/5 PK
Peta Kingsford
Hello St Anthony’s Community! My name is Peta Kingsford. This is my first year at St Anthony’s and I can’t wait to start face to face learning. I began my teaching career at St Mary’s Charleville. When my husband and I decided to start a family, we relocated back to Toowoomba to be closer to family. During this time, I worked at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy being in the great outdoors, preferably close to water, and I love relaxing with a good book! I am looking forward to being here at St Anthony’s and being a part of the community.
Peta.Kingsford@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 5/6 TN
Terri-Ann Nolan
Welcome to the 2022 school year (finally). My name is Mrs Terri-An Nolan and I am the 5/6 classroom teacher. I have a Bachelor of Primary Education from USQ and a Masters of Theology from the University of Newcastle. I have had the privilege of working for Catholic Education for 17 years and can’t believe that this is my third year at St Anthony’s School. I am passionate about all student accessing the curriculum and achieving their best with growth and confidence. My husband and I live locally in Toowoomba and enjoy spending our weekends outside with friends, family and of course our 2 dogs. I am looking forward to getting the year started and hopefully being able to share moments with you all about our class through the newsletter and at school events throughout the year. Until next time, stay safe. Mrs Terri-An Nolan
YR 6 LW
Leigh Winters
Welcome to Year 6! I hope that everyone has had a great holiday and is ready to get back to school. This will be your last year in primary school and I hope that it's a year of learning, growth, memories and fun.
I grew up in South Africa and graduated as a teacher in 1986. (Unfortunately, that’s not a typo!) Our family migrated to Australia at the end of 2006 and after an arduous process of getting my qualification recognised, I was eventually able to secure a teaching position in Charleville.
This will be my 9th year working for the Diocese of Toowoomba, and my fourth year at St. Anthony’s.
I’ve got 2 children, 1 granddaughter and 2 cats! When I’m not caught up in school activities, I enjoy reading, various handicrafts, and attempting to tame the jungle that is my garden. Mrs W
Leigh.Winters@twb.catholic.edu
Heath & Physical Education
Ory Tattam
My name is Ory Tattam, and I’ll be the HPE and 2/3 teacher for the upcoming school year. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and guiding every child through a successful year both inside the classroom and on the sporting fields. I am excited to have the opportunity to work beside Ms Vicki Nauschutz with our Year 2 and 3 students to continue to master my practice within the classroom. Teaching and running are my two greatest passions and I have the privilege this year to combine these here at school. During 2022 I look forward to representing our state at the National Athletics Championships and several State Championship Road and Track races (your support out on the roads this year would be greatly appreciated 😉) Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns – my email is ory.tattam@twb.catholic.edu.au which you can use to reach out anytime. Let’s hit the ground running and see what successes the year may bring. Until next time, Mr. Ory Tattam.
St Anthony's Outside School Hours Care
Our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services provide the opportunity for children to grow and develop their social skills in a leisure based environment nurtured by our Catholic ethos.
The services offer a combination of before school, after school, Pupil Free days and vacation care led by a team of qualified educators. Our educators work with all children to create fun and recreational experiences so that a child’s wellbeing, learning and personal development are a priority. The services provide a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to support the diverse interests of all children.
St Anthony's OSHC Toowoomba
Coordinator: Jacinta Rixon
Phone: 0458 937 154 or 0458 897 293
Email: ANTcare@tckc.qld.edu.au
