St Anthony's School Term 2 Week 2 2022

Principal's News

Welcome all to Term 2.  It was a delight to see all the children’s bright and cheerful faces as we gathered together at Parade last Wednesday to celebrate Easter! This special time on the Christian calendar is all about hope, optimism and love.  In the context of our multifaith community, we reflected upon and remembered that as human beings we can be Easter people filled with hope, joy and love. What better message to be reminded of as we embark upon a new term with fresh enthusiasm and determination to be the best version of ourselves.

These times of remembrance do not end with Easter as last Friday at our liturgy, Year 4 SC led a moving liturgy on ANZAC Day.  Thank you also to members of our school community who represented St Anthony’s at the Drayton ANZAC Day march on Monday. ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions.  It marks the anniversary of the major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.  Lest We Forget.

Staffing Update

This term, we welcome Miss Tracey Francis as our new Prep teacher.  Tracey has 15 years teaching experience in both catholic and state education and she has already been made feel warmly welcome by the students, parents and staff.

Mrs Belinda Hill tendered her resignation as Tuckshop Convenor over the holidays.  We have appointed Ms Hayley Wright to this position.  Hayley is a parent at our school and has many years of catering and cooking experience.  Welcome Hayley!

Hayley will commence in this role on Tuesday, 17^th May.

PPF AGM

Thank you to those parents who came to the PPF AGM on Tuesday.  It is a great to see a few new faces coming along.  Everyone is always most welcome!

I am excited to let you know that Tracey Page has been re-elected as Chairperson, Katie Rub has been re-elected as Secretary and Lee and Amy Cooper were elected to be the St Anthony’s representatives at the Diocesan Parent and Friends gatherings.

At this gathering we finalised the details of the upcoming Pizza and Disco evening on Friday 13^th May. This will be our first official ‘Welcome to St Anthony’s’ event for the year and we hope to see everyone there.  Tomorrow, an electronic form will be available on the portal for families to RSVP and order pizza and garlic bread, supplied by Pizza Guardians.  The food will be served at 5.30pm and the disco will commence at 6.00pm and conclude at 8.00pm.  The disco will be free entry and we even have one of our very talented mums who volunteered to face paint free of charge at this event also! These events provide a great social opportunity for families to connect! Just a reminder that parents must stay with their children and not just drop them off.

Soft drinks, poppers and water will also be available to purchase from the tuckshop.

At the gathering, we also looked at a wish list of items requested by the staff and the PPF have bvery kindly agreed to fund some Edumarking for around the school.  This consists of 5 educational designs/games that will be professionally painted onto our concrete spaces around the school.

We are also going to purchase a new starter gun for sporting events, a Yarning Mat for our Yamma group and an outdoor kitchen for the Prep Peace Garden.

The PPF are also going to fund a weekly ‘Breakfast Club’ commencing on Wednesday 11^th May. This will be open to all students and will run from 8.15 – 8.40.  Students will be able to have some toast and a warm milo before heading off to class! Two staff members will volunteer each week and we would welcome a parent helper each week also.  Let us know if you are available!

We are very grateful to the PPF for their financial support which allows us to purchase resources that benefit all children.

S.A.W Awards

At the end of last term as a staff, we decided that we would introduce a reward system for this term to acknowledge the majority of our students who day in day out, follow the St Anthony’s Way. SAW is an acronym for St Anthony’s Way and if someone ‘saw’ you following our learning and behaviour expectations in the classroom or playground, you have the opportunity to put your name on your SAW ticket to go into a draw for a prize each week at Parade and then an end of term draw. 

Here's a reminder of our learning behaviours on our pathways of ‘Love of Learning and Love for One Another’.

Love of Learning            

• Be persistant
• Be engaged
• Be curious
• Be a communicator
• Be proud

Love One Another   

• Be respectful
• Be fair
• Be kind
• Be honest
• Be inclusive

Winter Uniform

I did put the following information on the portal last Friday with some changes to our winter uniform.

With the cooler days already upon us, here are the expectations with our St Anthony's uniform through Winter.

From next Tuesday, 3rd May, students are able to begin wearing the Winter uniform.

We have decided to phase out the girl's blue winter pinafore, long sleeved blue blouse and tie but this will occur over a two year period.

Last year, after considering the information we received in a parent survey, we made the decision that boys could wear shorts and short sleeved formal shirts during Winter and this was well received and now we have made the decision that girls are able to continue to wear the summer uniform items through winter. This will bring some inconsistency, during the period of phasing out.

Here is an outline of what is able to be worn each day by students during Winter:

Prep Students - (Monday - Friday)

• St Anthony's polo shirt with long or short sleeves,
• St Anthony's skorts or shorts
• St Anthony's fleecy lined pullover
• St Anthony's tracksuit
• St Anthony's socks
• St Anthony's house bucket hat.

Year 1 - 6  - Boys formal uniform (Monday, Tuesday, Friday)

• St Anthony's Grey shorts or grey long pants,
• St Anthony's short sleeved blue formal shirt or long sleeved blue formal shirt
• St Anthony's tie
• St Anthony's formal jumper
• St Anthony's woollen vest
• St Anthony's long grey socks
  
• St Anthony's formal hat.
•  plain black shoes
  

Year 1 -6 - Girls formal uniform (Monday, Tuesday, Friday),

• St Anthony's blue Winter pinafore
• St Anthony's long sleeved blue blouse
• St Anthony's tie
• St Anthony's vest
• St Anthony's formal jumper 
• St Anthony's formal hat.
  

OR

• St Anthony'sformal Summer dress
• St Anthony's formal jumper 
• Grey tights or long grey socks
• St Anthony's formal hat.
  

 OR

• St Anthony's formal Summer blouse
• St Anthony's Skort 
• St Anthony's formal jumper
• Grey tights or long grey socks 
• St Anthony's formal hat.
  

OR

• St Anthony's formal Summer blouse
• St Anthony's blue slacks
  
• St Anthony's formal jumper
• Grey socks
• St Anthony's plain black shoes 
• St Anthony's formal hat.
  

Year 1 -6 - Sports uniform (Wednesday, Thursday)

• St Anthony's long or short sleeved polo shirt
• St Anthony's blue shorts or skorts
• St Anthony's tracksuit
• St Anthony's blue and white ankle socks
• St Anthoy's house bucket hat.
• Plain black shoes

The only beanies and scarves permitted are those with the St Anthony's branding. The spray jacket is able to be worn on rainy days.

If your child is out of correct uniform, please send a note with an explanation.

St Ursula's is very well stocked with all uniform items and at the last PPF meeting it was decided that the school would take over the selling of the secondhand uniforms.  These are donated items and can be purchased for a donation.  The items currently in stock will be available for purchase next Friday, 29th April from 8.00 - 8.30am in the art room.  These sales are cash only. Any donations of uniforms are also accepted gratefully. 

If you have any queries regarding the information above, please email louise.pfingst@twb.catholic.edu.au.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

This year, we are holding a Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday, 6^th May from 6.45 – 8.00am in our sports hall. To assist with catering, we ask families to complete the online form by April 29th with their numbers and dietary requirements. Late RSVP’s will not be accepted.

Year 3RM will lead us in a Mother’s Day liturgy on Friday 6th May at 12.45pm the assembly hall. All parents and friends are welcome to join us for this celebration. Students will also have an opportunity to visit the Mother’s Day stall on Thursday, 5th May. We wish all the mothers in our school community a very Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday 8th May. Thank you for everything you do for us!

Fundraising

Our Year 6 students are currently co-ordinating a Mother’s Day raffle and Homestyle Bakeries Pie and Bake Sale.  Tickets in the raffle are $1 each and can be purchased at break times, as well as at the Mother’s Day Breakfast.

The instructions to order pies and baked goods online have been posted on the portal and all students should have brought home a hard copy of the order form.  Extras are available in the office.

All orders must be placed online or received in the office with the correct money by 2.30pm on Tuesday 17^th May and orders can be collected from school on Wednesday, 25^th May at a time to be advised.

The PPF are also selling Stomping Elephant stud earrings for $8 a pair.  These are gorgeous and would also make a great Mother’s Day gift. Earrings can be purchased through the office and also at the breakfast.

The PPF will co-ordinate a Mother’s Day stall on Thursday, 5^th May for all students to purchase a gift for mum.  All gifts are brand new and are $5.  This stall will be cash only and please send the correct money.

Until next newsletter………..God Bless!

Louise

APRE News.....

God of Easter joy, we thank you for the gift of Jesus and the new life he has given us. May we be inspired to live out this new life by being people of hope, people of joy and people of peace.

We ask this in Jesus' name

Amen

Project Compassion

Thank you to all the students who donated money for the Project Compassion appeal last term.  Including the Project Compassion Boxes and the free dress water day we raised $378.30.  This generosity will be extremely appreciated by Caritas and will directly help those in need.  If you have a Project Compassion Box still at home, please return it to inlcude it in our total.   The Mini Vinnies group who assisted in the planning of the day and helped with the smooth running were excellent role models of compassion in action!

Parish Family Mass

This Sunday all families are invited to celebrate Parish Family Mass at 8.30am in the church.  Year 2BH and 5/6TN are responsible for helping to co-ordinate the Mass this month so we would love to see as many students and their families from these grades attend.  Please respond to the Microsoft form sent out earlier in the week if you have not done so already.  Everyone is welcome to attend and stay for morning tea after Mass.

Sacramental Program

We continue to keep in our thoughts and prayers the students travelling along their sacramental journey;  Florence Cook, Kristopher Cruz, Jennessarae Cullen, Jaxon Fagg, Charly Greaves, Kaleesha Hall, Levi Higgins, Abut Mawien, Emily Moses, Liam Seaton, Taysean Seaton, Sophia Senagan, Charlotte Sheward and Leonardo Smith.  Please see the following important dates:

7^th or 8^th of May                  Sacramental Meeting- ( before 6pm Mass on Sat or after                                                                                 8.30am Mass on Sunday).

Monday 23^rd May                       Confirmation Practice 5.30-6.30pm

Wednesday 25^th May                Confirmation 5pm

Nano Nagle

This week on Tuesday we reflected upon Nano Nagle in rememberence of the day she passed away so many years ago.  We listened to her inspiring story once again and marvelled at her courage, compassion, commitment to education and to helping those in need.  As the foundress of the The Presentation Sisters, the order of sisters that were the first teachers within our school, we considered her enduring legacy that has traversed time and distance.  Today at St Anthony’s we follow the St Anthony’s Way along the ‘Love of Learning’ and ‘Love of one another’  pathways, inspired by Nano Nagle and in the footsteps of Jesus.

Middle Leader

Welcome back to Term 2! With all the short weeks at the beginning it feels like we are easing back into things, however the classes have hit the ground running!

Naplan Testing 2022

In week 4 we will conduct annual Naplan assessments for students in Year 3 and Year 5.  There are four assessments in total that will run across the week from Tuesday the 10^th to Friday the 13^th of May.  Please see the timetable below.  Like any week of school, we would ask that students arrive on time during this week so as not to miss their assessment.  We will offer ‘catch up’ sessions for those who may be sick during this time, however the Naplan window for catch up sessions has time limits.  Please let your child’s teacher know as soon as possible if your child is unwell during this week so we can make arrangements.   We know that any day of learning needs to begin with a child being well rested and with a full stomach and Naplan week is no exception!  Ensuring your child is ready for a productive day sets them up for success. From a school perspective, the Naplan assessments are based upon the Australian Curriculum and therefore, general classroom learning is the pre-requisite for being ‘prepared’.  The students have participated in a ‘practice’ assessment to introduce them to the Naplan online interface, as well as test our infrastructure.

If you are interested in seeing for yourself what a Naplan online assessment might look like for students or the types of questions asked, you can follow these links to the Naplan Public Demonstration Site.

Naplan Assessments are just one feature of our education system that occur annually and we remind the students that this is just a ‘snapshot’ of their literacy and numeracy skills at this point in time.  Like a real life ‘snapshot’ it represents the moment in time that it was taken.   What makes them unique, such as their personality, their friendship, their ongoing commitment to learning and their excitement and engagement with their personal interests is not reflected in a Naplan assessment.  Thankfully, teachers are privileged to be able to see the full breadth of a student across a year and nurture them as whole individuals, more like reflecting upon a photo album of the student rather than just one snap.   Nonetheless, as educators, we can use these assessments to determine where best we may need to progress from this point in time to ensure all students are reaching their full potential.

If you have any other questions or concerns please speak with your child’s classroom teacher.

Prep SR & TF

Welcome to Term 2!  We hope you have a lovely Easter break with your families. This term we are welcoming Tracey Francis as our Prep teacher.

This term our theme is “Under the Sea”. We will be reading books that incorporate the ocean and ocean animals. As part of our Science unit, we will be investigating weather. In Maths: we will continue working on our numbers 10-20; patterns; position and movement; time - such as days of the week; and measurement. In English: we are continuing our journey to learn our letters and their sounds; write our letters; recognising and writing sight words; and learning to read and write CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. We have started learning word families such as _at – cat, sat, mat, rat, bat.

This term we will continue to have library on Mondays, however, will attend on Tuesdays on the weeks that have Pupil Free Days on Monday. We will continue to have Music on Wednesdays and Health and Physical Education on Thursdays.

Have a great week everyone!

Siobhan, Tracey, Ange, and, Katie

Yr 1 ED

Welcome to Term 2. This term as part of our English unit we are looking at Australian animals. We will gather information and use this to write a simple report. If children have a book on Australian animals, it can be Fiction or Non - fiction they are welcome to bring it in and share it. Please name these so they can be returned to the correct home. We may keep these at school for a couple of weeks. In religion we are investigating baptism and sacraments of initiation. If you child has been baptised, it would be lovely if they could bring a photograph of the day or you have any other momentos that can be safely shared at school they are welcome to bring it in. These will remain on our prayer table during this time. If you child is not baptised but has had a naming ceremony or other special occasion they would like to share they are welcome to do this as well by again, bringing a photograph or a momento. You can help your child by writing a few details down so that I can help lead a discussion about their special occassion.

Thank you, Emma Daniells and Jo Keleher

Yr 1 KS

This term we are hitting the books hard and looking to improve our reading levels. Please remember that students have library books that come home each week and a book a day will help to improve their reading immensely! Library day is the first school day of each week – usually Monday – but Tuesday when we have a public holiday!

We will be looking at the difference between Fiction and Non-fiction this term.  We will be reading lots of stories and lots of information books about Australian animals.  We will also produce a “fiction” story about an Australian animal character and a “non-fiction” report on an Australian animal as well!  Busy, busy times ahead!!

God bless and stay safe,

Kathy Spencer

Kathleen.Spencer@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 2 BH

We are back into the swing of Term 2 already.  New units have begun and soon we will begin pieces of assessment which will contribute to the make up of your child’s end of semester report card.  For a list of what we are studying in class please go to our 2BH Teams Page. They are listed on the ‘General’ Channel.

Likewise, ‘Homework’ is listed on its own Teams Channel.  This term we will move from doing oral work to more written work.  As before, if you use a scrapbook to do your homework, you are welcome to hand it in on a Friday and I will correct it and hand it back on Monday.

Can you help?  I am trying to collect more than 1000 milk bottle tops in different colours.  We are going to be counting them! Please wash them and send to the Year 2 room.  Thank you.

Here’s to a productive term!

Mrs Hair

“The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart.  The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.”                               

 -Carlos Santana

Yr 2/3 VN

Welcome to Week 2 of Term 2. 

In Math this term we are learning about time, fractions, number patterns and measurement. 

Our focus for this newsletter is time.  Students are learning:-

Year 2- Reading time to the quarter hour- past and to.  (e.g o’clock, quarter past, quarter to, half past and 15 minutes past, 15 minutes past, 30 minutes past).

Year 3- Reading time to the minute- past and to- analogue and digital.  (e.g 2:46, 46 minutes past 2 and 14 minutes to 3)

This skill is something that can be integrated into your chats at home and general life routines.  It would assist your children greatly if you can incorporate this as time can be quite a tricky concept for children to master- but needed for life!

Library- has now changed to a Friday due to a staffing change.

Homework- if you would like new homework for the term, please return homework books to get the new work.  It is not compulsory, but many enjoy doing it at home with their children. 

Yr 3 RM

Welcome back to Term 2. We have gotten straight down to learning. In English we are learning about persuasive texts, starting with the book "I Wanna Iguana". In Maths we have learnt that if we know one number fact, we actually know 4 using our turnarounds. We have also started to learn about adding amounts of money. In HASS we are comparing places by looking at maps and photographs, then deciding how their climate might effect how people live. In Religion, we have revisited The Last Supper and started learning about the sacraments of initiation.

Remember to get your photos in to Mrs Gillam by Friday of you with a special lady in your lives  (Mum, Grandma, Sister, teacher, Aunty )to help create our Mother’s Day Liturgy, being held at Assembly at 12:45pm on Friday, May 6th.

Yr 4 SC

4SC are absolute champions! They are all giving their best to learning activities and making excellent choices about their classroom behaviour. Last week we had a special visitor who came to watch us work. All students in each working group impressed her with their communication skills and engagement during the activity. Our prayer celebration on ANZAC Day was simple but meaningful. Our message to all was to always show respect for those who ensured our freedom and give thanks for all people in the armed services and support staff. In HASS we are discovering the difference between rules and laws. We will also be investigating our local government. We look forward to another fortnight of learning and hope to face our challenges with confidences and commitment. God Bless. Mrs Cox

Yr 4/5 PK

What a cracking start to Term 2!  We have certainly hit the ground running in 4/5PK.  Last week we welcomed MJ.  MJ has joined us from the Philippines, and it is so wonderful to have him join us.  This week we have welcomed Miss Morton.  Miss Morton is a USQ Education student spending the next couple of weeks with us. It is always wonderful to have visitors to our classroom.  

During our Mathematics lessons we have been delving deep into the concept of time.  We have been converting time and working on interpreting timetables.  I encourage any extra incidental practice of this concept at home – even if it’s just asking your child to tell you the time using an analogue clock.

Yr 5/6 TN

Welcome back to term 2! I trust that everyone enjoyed the holidays and spent some time to recharge the batteries.

We will be busy this term with lots of exciting new units and projects to complete. Please watch your emails over the coming days to see further break downs of our units and a link to this term's calendar.

In English this term we have started with a book study: ANZAC Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft. This beautiful picture book is a true story of the young nurse who would one day become the most decorated woman in Australia. The students have been analysing the themes within the story, the authors purpose and the detailed way that the story has also be represented visually. The endpapers (the pages inside the cover of the book) are a beautiful collage of items, photos and symbols. This week the students have been challenged to create their own endpapers from a special moment in their lives. If your child asks to bring photos into school, please know that I will copy them for you so that your originals aren’t used in the artworks. 

Until next time, keep warm and safe.

Mrs Terri-An Nolan

Terri-An.Nolan@twb.catholic.edu.au

Yr 6 LW

Hello and welcome to another exciting term in Year 6! We have a jam-packed term ahead of us, filled with learning, laughing and lots of challenges.  

The English focus this term is twofold. Firstly, we’ll be examining information reports, culminating in researching and writing our own reports. Secondly, integrating Science with English, we’ll be researching and presenting an experiment to demonstrate either a reversible or an irreversible change. Maths will cover various concepts; including multiplication and division, the metric system, converting decimals to fractions and percentages, using timetables and working with negative integers. 

Now is possibly a good time to pause and consider what goals we have set for ourselves this term, so that we can consciously work towards achieving them. So many of us worked extremely hard last term and we know we have to keep up the effort so as to have this diligence reflected in our marks on our reports at the end of term. We will spend some time in week 2 clearly identifying and writing down our personal goals.   

Here’s to a productive and successful Term Two!  

Mrs W

Yammer Group

Welcome to Term 2 Yammer Group!

This week we came together for our first Wednesday afternoon Vocabulary session for the term. The students continue to come with great enthusiasm and excitement. It is lovely to see all ages getting in and involved in all the activities and tasks. If your student identifies as Indigenous and hasn’t signed up, please feel free to send me an email and I will let you know all the details.

Thank you also for the quick response last term with the 715 Health Forms. I have taken the forms that were returned so far, however, if you would still like to sign up, it isn’t too late. Either send your form back to school or let me know and I can send you some new ones!

Until next time.

Mrs Terri-An Nolan

Terri-An.Nolan@twb.catholic.edu.au

Mother's Day

Are you a Mum or a Mother figure of a St Anthony’s student? Then you are invited to come and share in our Mother’s Day Breakfast. Term 2, Week 3 – Friday 6^th May.

Come along between 6.45am and 8.00am to share in a simple breakfast and some fun. Please use the link below to RSVP. We have a strict cut off date for catering and activity purposes.

Please note that breakfast is only for Mothers of current St Anthony's students.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email.Mrs Terri-An Nolan

Terri-An.Nolan@twb.catholic.edu.au

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

Performing Arts

Labour Day Rehearsal

Don’t forget the Labour Day Rehearsal this Monday from 9am to 1pm. Bring some morning tea to share.

We will run through Scenes One, Two and Three. PLEASE KNOW YOUR LINES!!! We will also be trying on costumes. Thanks so much for supporting this.

Childen's Choir at St Anthony's Church 

This Sunday, the 1^st May is a Family Sunday. It would be great to have lots of children ready to lead the singing at the 8.30 mass. Thanks for coming along!

Eisteddfod News!

The Eisteddfod is starting very soon! We have so many students taking part. It’s wonderful! If possible please wear your formal school uniform. It makes me very proud to accompany so many students in a ‘Wave of Blue’ at the Eisteddfod.

Friday the 13^th May will be a lucky day for us I’m sure! We have students taking part in the morning session – starting at 9am with Puondak and Abut in the Vocal Duets, then Vann and Puondak in the Year 5 Solos. We have Abut, Florence, Tiffany and Charlotte in the Year 4 solos and Georgia, Juliette, Caiden, Shelby and Ivy in the  Year 3 and Under Solos.  All sections take place at the Church Theatre – the lovely building to the left of the main Empire Theatre (from the street view) at the end of the green lawn section.

Saturday the 14^th May gives our Year 6 Soloists, Olivia and Sadie, their last chance to represent our school. We are lucky enough to be in the first section of the afternoon – so be there by 1.20 and all will be well!

Sunday the 15^th May is our CHOIR performance. We have been practising every Thursday morning from 8am. Some students have not been able to attend enough rehearsals to know their words with confidence. They are welcome to come along to choir again after the Eisteddfod. At this stage, the following students will be singing in the Eisteddfod:

Year Six: Mikayla, Olivia, Chloe, Sadie, Tanisha,

Year Five: Charly, Bailey, Vann, Puondak, Jaxon, Lauren, Phoebe, Hayden,

Year Four: Charlotte, Anaiah, Tiffany, Florence, Layla, Tamika, Chelsea, Abut,  Ashlyn, Olivia, Sophia, Betty, Emily, Zoe, Jayda

Year Three: Caiden, Brooklyn, Ivy, Charlotte, Juliette, Isabele, Toby

The session starts at 1.30 with Section 23 Years P-4 Choirs. There are 6 entries in that section. Our section should begin by 2pm. There are 10 choirs competing in our section – and we are Number 6. We are looking forward to singing our songs – ‘Singing Waters’ and ‘Shut the Gate’ for our audience.

Students should wear formal winter uniform, including the navy jumper for those who wear the blue button up shirts and ties. Grey tights should be worn with the tunics. Please email me if there is a problem with the uniform. We will meet and take the roll on the grassed area to the side of Encores Restaurant between 1.30 and 1.40pm. We will need to move into the Theatre by 1.45 pm. Students will stay with me till the session ends and we will meet back at the original meeting place for students to be signed back over to you!

Thanks for your support.