St Anthony's School Term 3 Week 8 2022
Principal's News
Here is our second last newsletter of yet another exhausting but successful school term!
There is a lot happening over these next 2 weeks so please ensure to check the Portal each day and all events which are on the Sentral calendar also!
It was great to see everyone at our annual Dad's and Kid's Night! A BIG thank you to the staff who are coordinating this event. Thank you also to the PPF who organise our Father’s Day stall each year. There is nothing more endearing than seeing students choose the most special gift with love and thought for their dad or father figure.
Thank you to the 4 parents who came along to our reading information session on Tuesday evening. Mrs Hauser shared insight into how children learn to read and how we assess reading here across our school and helpful hints for assisting children with reading at home. Mrs Hauser formerly worked in our Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office as a reading coach supporting teachers through the rollout of the Reading Improvement Strategy which is a consistent and rigorous strategy regarding the teaching of reading across our diocese. Mrs Hauser is such a valuable asset to our school.
It would be great to see more people attend sessions that we offer such as these. The interest in running a session regarding reading came out of one of our PPF gatherings. We are always happy to respond to areas of curriculum or behaviour or anything school related that parents would like to learn more about. Parent Engagement is one of the key areas of focus for our school.
We are always open to feedback and suggestions with trying various timeslots etc to accommodate people being able to attend.
Executive Functioning
Last week, we experienced what felt like some spring weather and then boom…….back to some very low temperatures. As I went out to morning duty on one of these chilly mornings, I was greeted by a sea of various coloured jumpers. For a brief moment, I thought I must have missed the ‘Free Dress’ memo. As I walked down to duty and questioned a number of students as to why they were wearing various coloured jumpers, shoes and socks, the responses varied from I’ve lost 2 jumpers, 3 jumpers, can’t find my socks, my shoes are wet, lost one shoe and the list goes on. The longer I’m in this job, the more I’m starting to believe my own children when they refer to my parenting style as one of authoritative. I am that parent who with teenagers still says where is…..??
I see it as a one of my ‘jobs’ as a parent to have some quality control and I guess I could never see the financial sense in continually replacing items that were lost as a result of carelessness. It has always been the expectation in our household that when you arrive home, your lunchbox is on the bench and your school clothes either in the wash or hung up for the next day. Fulfilling this expectation did not happen overnight but I can confidently say, it is the norm in our household now. Whichever belongings you take to school, it is the expectation that they come home the same day and it is your responsibility to look after them through the day. My departing words to my most disorganised child most mornings when dropped to school is usually along the lines of ‘don’t forget to look for/ask for……….’ We also have a list on our fridge of each child and his/her responsibilities before and after school. These are for the purposes of my own sanity also!
While I’m not preaching to be perfect by any means, I’m beginning to realise that this is not the norm in many households. My children never had 2 or 3 jumpers or school hats to lose.
Mrs Hess collected and sorted all of the lost property around the school last week and delivered the named items to classrooms. There was an unnamed pile which was massive, equating to hundreds of dollars worth of clothing.
Teachers and office staff often receive accusations from parents regarding clothing being stolen or it is implied that it is our responsibility as the school to track items. I have parents say directly to me ‘everyone steals hats at this school’ which really gets my bristles up because more often than not these items are lying in a lost property box or in some other location around the school where they were actually left by their owner.
In education, we refer to executive functioning as a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, self-control and organisation. Executive functioning helps you manage life tasks of all types. An individual with poor executive functioning often can’t find a pencil, can’t think of an idea, can’t focus on the task at hand BUT executive functioning can be taught, practiced and strengthened over time.
Some ways to strengthen executive functioning is to use visuals. In each of our classrooms, teachers use a visual timetable usually constructed as part of the morning routine. Visuals and verbal reminders at home are beneficial in developing these skills. It might be as simple as where is the jumper you wore this morning? It’s not nagging….it’s developing executive functioning skills!
It is a requirement and clearly articulated at the point of enrolment that wearing the correct unform at St Anthony’s is expected. If your child is out of uniform, please put that in writing to the principal stating the reason. Being out of uniform is also expected to be temporary with a plan being made to replace items. At St Ursula's Retail Shop, uniforms are very well stocked. They also stock second hand uniforms and Mrs Doherty opens a second hand uniform stall in the art room each Friday morning before school. Please always ensure that ALL items of clothing are clearly named. This includes changing the name on items previously owned by past students.
Child Protection Week
National Child Protection Week runs from September 4 to 10 this year and is a campaign held annually across Australia to raise awareness of child abuse prevention. The objectives of the week are to raise the profile of all issues connected with child protection.
As a whole school we will be participating in the Daniel Morcombe Biggest Child Safety Lesson next Tuesday, 6th September. Protection of students and their well being is one of our highest priorities. We often talk with students about the 3 R’s – Recognise, React and Report if faced with an unsafe situation and we ask students to identify 5 trusted adults they could talk to if needed.
At St Anthony’s, our appointed Student Protection contacts are Louise Pfingst, Katie Hauser, Leigh Winters and Jennifer Fenn.
Student protection is everyone’s business!
Pupil Free Day
Staff will be working and involved in the annual Consistency of Teacher Judgements Day. Our staff often internally moderate student work samples. This is a process whereby colleagues come to a consensus as to how they will grade and assess student work. CTJ Day provides opportunity to extend this process across school communities. We will be partnering with Oakey, Dalby and Chinchilla in Oakey. We always look forward to a day of professional learning and growth which will in turn benefit the students
Congratulations Cedar!
Congratulations to Cedar Johnson who recently competed at the Central Zone athletics carnival and placed first in the 800m and 1500m. Cedar now has the opportunity to represent the Darling Downs Track and Field Team in Brisbane in October. What a great achievement, Cedar!
Colour Fun Run
Just a reminder that our Colour Fun Run is on Thursday, 15th September on our school oval from 2.00 – 3.00pm. Students are able to wear their Colour Fun Run clothes for the whole day. White is recommended for the best colour effect.
There is a registration fee of $15.00 per child, which includes participation, sunglasses and an ice block at the conclusion of the event.
Parents and younger siblings are welcome to spectate and participate. It’s a gold coin donation for extra participants. All proceeds from this event go towards our Year 6 school trip.
Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for $1.00 in the hoverboard. These tickets are available from the school office or our Year 6 students who are selling these at First Break each day. This will be drawn after the Colour Fun Run.
Until next newsletter…..God Bless
Louise
APRE News.....
Happy Father’s Day
This Sunday the 4th of September we celebrate Father’s Day. 1KS will lead us in prayer at assembly as we pause to be thankful for our fathers and all those who may care for us like a father would. We wish all the dads a special day on Sunday and hope you all get spoilt!
Child Protection Week
Next week is Child Protection Week, a time when we can bring a focus to how we as a community keep children safe through our actions and the things we can teach our children to help them keep safe. During this week classes will participate in the Daniel Morcombe Foundations ‘Biggest Child Safety Lesson’. This year’s theme is around Boundaries and Body Parts and is designed to be a fun and engaging way to discuss personal safety in an age-appropriate way. Teachers will also use this week to teach year level appropriate Relationships and Sexuality Education. These lessons form part of a larger unit of work and are part of the curriculum of this school and all schools across this Diocese. They form part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum and follow the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Guidelines for teaching Relationships and Sexuality and Protective Behaviours. You will have received more information concerning the particulars of each year levels discussion points via an email. If you would like to discuss this further, you can email me or come to see me in person.
Sunday Parish Family Mass
This Sunday the 4th September is our monthly Parish family Mass where all students and families from the school are invited to attend. Classes 1KS, 4SC and PSR will be leading this mass so we hope to see many children and families there. All school families however are very welcome to come. After mass there is a morning tea in the Parish Centre which is a lovely way to meet other families and members of the Parish community.
Middle Leader
Opti-Minds
Over the last six weeks, two groups of students from Year 5 and 6 volunteered to undertake the Opti-Minds Challenge. This is an inclusive team challenge which empowers participants to think, create and communicate. It was a privilege to be able to assist with the judging of the challenge and reflect upon the bravery, ingenuity and collaboration skills of our students. The challenge they took on this year was from the STEM category and it was quite a challenging task. Both teams worked hard together, and one team was acknowledged with a ‘Spirit of Opti-Minds’ Award. Well done to all these students for epitomizing the St Anthony’s Way ‘love of learning’ touchstones in your actions throughout the challenge process.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Don’t forget to make an appointment for a Parent Teacher Interview via the Portal for next Tuesday the 6th of September. There are a couple of spots available if you have not done so already. If these times do not suit, please speak with your child’s teacher to find a suitable time that might work for you both. Time is so precious for all people in our community and setting aside a time to touch base with your child’s teacher is an important way to keep the school and home connection strong. A strong connection such as this can only bring optimal outcomes for students, which is everyone’s number one priority!
Prep SR & TF
Welcome to Week 8
Welcome to Week 8! Thank you for your support with the changes to school drop off and pick up, children are demonstrating a growing independence.
In Maths this week children are exploring ordinal numbers. In Religion children have created a painting of their favourite part of God’s Creation and they have been learning to use the iPad app ‘clips’ to create a mini movie in Technology.
This Sunday 4th of September Prep SR will be having their Mass at St Anthony’s Parish. All are welcome to attend with it commencing at 8:30am.
Students will be participating in swimming lessons every day in Week 10 this term as part of the PE curriculum. Please ensure that your child has swimmers that fit, with girls requiring one-piece swimmers.
Tracey & Siobhan & Katie & Ang
Yr 1 ED & Yr 1 KS
Welcome to Week 8. Another big week ahead and a very busy one just past! Last week we had a wonderful time with Book Week. The children enjoyed the parade and the Book Fair and we did lots of book activities. The children also participated in Reader’s Cup with Mrs Watkins. The lucky and very clever winners are pictured! Congratulations to all our children – they participated really well!
Swimming is also in Wk 10. Please check that your child has swimmers that fit …. Some of them have grown a lot over Winter!! Each day – starting on Monday in Week 10 children will need…
- Togs
- Towel
- Slip on shoes / thongs
- Goggles are optional
- Undies (some children wear togs to school and forget these!!)
Have a wonderful week! Hope to see you at Parent Teacher Interviews next week!
Kathy and Emma
1KS and 1ED
Yr 2 BH
What a delightful couple of weeks we’ve just had!
We went overboard with science during Science Week and in fact we’re still examining rocks and crystals thanks to your wonderful sandpits and driveways!
Book Week was also a blast! Thankyou for your fine efforts in dressing your children up for the parade. They looked fantastic and we had a wonderful day. Thank you also for spending your hard-earned dollars to support our school by way of the Book Fair.
Happy Father’s Day to our Fathers and Grandfathers this coming weekend. We hope you have a great day and get thoroughly spoilt!
Mrs Hair
“Anyone can become a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.” -Wade Boggs (Baseballer)
Yr 2/3 VN
Next week, on Thursday 8th October from 9am-10am, our class will go on an excursion to The Lighthouse Toowoomba to participate in a writing workshop being held there as part of their Botanicals School Program. Our class will participate in a workshop called The “Wish You Were Here” Postcard Workshop. The Lighthouse Postcard workshop asks participants to respond to a particular image, create their own version of that image and write a short story responding to that prompt. For this exhibition they are asking students to consider what stories can be made from botanical topics. This excursion will be all completed within the morning session on Thursday and we will be transported to and from the location. Please ensure your child is at school by 8:40am when the bell goes as we will leave right on this time. We will return before eating time at Morning Tea.
Yr 3 RM
In English we have been examining language and text features of informative texts. We have practised note taking by using key words, before turning these notes into sentences. This skill has also linked to our inquiry task in HASS as we research continuity and change in a community using a variety of sources to write a historical narrative. In Maths we have learned about multiplying and dividing by 10 using our knowledge of place value. We have also been practising our problem solving skills and discussed the importance of showing our working out. In Religion we have read and discussed the story of Jacob and Esau. We investigated the three worlds of the text to assist our understanding of the story and reflected on what this story might mean for us today. A reminder that we will have our swimming block in Week 10, so it might be timely to pull out the swimming gear to check that it still fits.
Yr 4/5 PK
We have been working hard during the last fortnight – it has been fantastic to see. Year 5 experienced team building and leadership activities at Cooby Dam. This was a day filled with fun and challenges. We have been exploring angles in our mathematics lessons. All students have experienced some success measuring and drawing various angles using a protractor. We even got creative and created angles using a large protractor and chalk on the carpet. Our skills in this area have been improving over the last week. On Fridays we enjoy working on our listening comprehension skills. We often watch an episode of BTN (Behind the News). We take notes, create and complete quizzes. Last week, students were challenged to complete further research on one of the stories presented – La Nina. Students answered several questions and created a poster presentation to explain the weather event of La Nina. Students have also started researching a country of their choice. This is in preparation for writing an information report on that country. Mrs Kingsford can’t wait to start reading them!
Until Next Time,
4/5PK
Yr 5/6 TN
Leadership, Team Work and Belonging to a Team were the themes that ran through the Year 5 Leadership Day at Cooby Dam last week. The students worked together to solve problems and try new things that put them out of their comfort zone. It was lovely to watch as all the Year 5 students worked together and communicated in such a mature manner so that everyone was involved and heard.
In class we are working towards finishing our Term 3 units. I have been very impressed with how the students have been focusing on not only the tasks, but the time management and organisation around completing these tasks as well.
The end of the term is shaping up to be very busy. Please remember that all students will be participating in a week long swimming block during Week 10. Our class will be swimming at 11.30am Monday – Friday. Please ensure that your child has appropriate swimmers, a towel, slip on shoes (thongs) and goggles, if they require them. Swimming caps will be provided by the swimming pool.
Until next time,
Mrs Terri-An Nolan
Yamma Group
The end of the term is shaping up to be rather busy for the kids of Yamma Group.
By now you have hopefully read the email about our excursion will be taking place on Friday 16 September. This year we will be travelling by bus to Ngutana-Lui Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Cultural Studies Centre. This facility is run by Brisbane Catholic Education and offers a range of culturally appropriate programs. As we are taking students ranging from Year 1 to 6 the staff are organising a special program for us, so that we can have a of different experiences.
If you haven’t already replied to the email about this excursion, could you please do ASAP. If you require any further information, please email me directly.
Finally, during Weeks 9 and 10, those students who have signed up for 715 Health Checks you have been sent an email to book in a time that you are available for your child’s appointment. There will also be a date for the beginning of next term as we have had so many take up this wonderful opportunity. If you have any questions or concerns about this, could you contact me directly.
Until next time,
Mrs Terri-An Nolan
Book Week
BOOK WEEK 2022
Children’s Book Week was celebrated at St Anthony’s with some great activities. It was wonderful to see both staff and students take part in the Book Week character dress-up parade. Clearly a favourite activity! A huge thanks goes out to families for the effort that was put into students’ costumes.
Our Book Warehouse Fair was again successful, with sales totalling $2882.99.
As a result of this great effort, the library will gain new resources to the value of $864.90.
A HUGE thanks to all students and families who contributed to the success of the Book Fair by making a purchase during the week. Thank you to our volunteers who helped make the Book Fair successful in its running.
Our Readers’ Cup Challenge competitions were held once again during Book Week. All students were keen to share their knowledge of the picture books they had been studying.
Congratulations to all students who participated.
The St Anthony’s 2022 winners are:
- Prep TF: Kayla
- Year 1ED: Juwan, Charli
- Year 1KS: Georgia
These students will be competing in the interschool Reader’s Cup against Sacred Heart. Further information to come regarding this competition.
Thank you, to everyone for supporting our 2022 Book Week.
Jan Watkins & Naomi Rigby
Library Staff
Jen Fenn - Guidance Counsellor
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
Phone: 0458 937 154 or 0458 897 293
Email: ANTcare@tckc.qld.edu.au
