St Anthony's School - Term 2 Week 2 2021
Principal's News.....
Welcome to Term 2!! I hope everyone is feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for a busy 10 week term ahead! We have some 4 day weeks ahead and lots of curriculum to cover. With that in mind, it is essential that children are attending school every school day. Our curriculum is delivered face to face and spirals from day to day. Significant absences do lead to gaps in learning. Some that are never closed!
Just a reminder also that it is mandatory that we contact parents the day of a child’s absence if the absence is unexplained. Please notify the office by 8:30am if your child is absent. This can now be done via the portal. With no notification, you will receive a text from the office and a prompt response is required. With no explanation from parents regarding a child’s absence, the relevant authorities will be contacted.
There was much excitement last Tuesday morning with the discovery of our new concrete slab near the fire hydrant. Many thought we had a new cricket pitch!!
This was part of the upgrade of our fire system and the oval work looks very neat and tidy. We have a barricade to give our new turf the best chance of survival and Mr Richard has very kindly offered to paint some handball courts on our new concrete slab.
We also had Mr Geran, our resident plumber fix the guttering and drainage on our Prep, Year 1 and 3 building over the weekend, so hopefully with the next big down pour our school bags stay nice and dry!
Last Monday, the staff enjoyed a Pupil Free Day together. This provided valuable time to reflect on what’s currently working well in the school and areas we can tighten or improve. There’s always plenty of those!!
We decided that we would make it a whole focus this term to move safely, calmly and quietly around the school. We all know it is an innate trait for children to get from A to B in the least amount of time and the fastest possible way so this is habit breaking for many and will take a lot of reminding initially but we are all confident that with this consistent message we will achieve this school wide goal and it will become a new habit.
You may hear your children talking about ‘safety lines’. All students when moving around the school as a class will walk in a line in alphabetical order. It eliminates that argument over who is the leader and I was here before you etc….Students have a place in the line and for now that is in this particular order.
At our first parade of the term, we went through the expected behaviours when moving around the school as well as reminded of routines before school, at break times and leaving the school in the afternoon.
Just a reminder to parents that children ARE NOT to be in the school grounds prior to 8.00am and must be collected by 3.15pm.
The children were also reminded last Tuesday that the school playgrounds and the school grounds in general are ‘out of bounds’ after school and on week-ends and must not be used. This is for insurance purposes and these are not supervised at this time by staff. If you’d like to catch up with other parents, please find a park nearby.
PPF
Thankyou to all parents for coming along to our PPF gathering on Tuesday evening. A lot was covered!
Don’t forget our welcome BBQ and Disco on Friday 7th May. Food will be served from 5.30pm. Entry to the disco per child is $5.00, which includes a sausage and popper. The disco commences at 6.00pm and concludes at 8.00pm. It is an expectation that children are in the disco. The playgrounds and oval will be out of bounds on the night. We will have a designated area outside the hall for children who need a break from the disco.
Chicken and beef burgers will be available on the night for $5.00, sausages on bread for $2.00 and a variety of softdrinks for $2.00. This is a cash only event.
We will have a QR code for adults to sign in, hand sanitiser available and we encourage adults to socially distance as much as possible.
This is very exciting that we are able to hold such an event as last year we had no whole school functions.
Other events and fundraisers coming up throughout the year are:
The Mother’s Day Stall – Thursday 6th May. All gifts $5.00.
Stomping Elephant’s earrings - $7.00 a pair and available for purchase in the office.
Guest Speaker – Guidance Counsellor, Jen Fenn is presenting at a parent information session on June 8th here at school on the Zones of Regulation that is implemented across the school. All welcome!
Trivia Night – Friday, 27th August
Father’s Day Stall – Thursday 2nd September. All gifts $5.00.
Christmas Concert and Fair – Thursday 18th November
Uniform
Thankyou to those parents who took the time to complete our recent uniform survey.
The feedback wasn’t resounding one way or the other with regard to having one uniform all year round or keeping the Winter and Summer uniforms.
We have decided to make the following uniform provisions immediately.
Boys are able to wear grey shorts or grey long pants and short sleeved shirts or long sleeved blue shirts during Winter. These can be mixed and matched.
The tie is to be worn for both boys and girls.
Girls are able to wear either grey socks or grey tights during Winter with the Winter pinafore.
These are the only changes and everything else remains the same.
It is an expectation that students have both a formal and sports hat. The formal hat is worn on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and sports bucket hat is worn on Wednesday and Friday.
We understand that from time-to-time items go missing, so if your child is unable to wear the correct uniform on a particular day, please provide them with a written note so they can share this with staff when questioned about it. We have already had a number of jumpers end up in our lost property box outside the assembly hall. We have 100% success in returning these items when parents have labelled them clearly with their child’s name. I know we might sound like a broken record but naming items really does increase the likelihood of them being returned to their rightful owner! Please remember to re-name items also when given from a past student.
All students will wear winter uniform from this coming Tuesday, 4th May.
Just a reminder that our St Anthony’s second hand uniform shop is open on the first Friday of the month in the art room (near the office) from 8.00 – 8.30am.
Prep 2022!
In a few weeks, I will be interviewing prospective families for Prep placements for the 2022 school year. It’s always rewarding to hear that the main reason families have applied is because of knowing someone who has recommended St Anthony’s as a great place to thrive educationally as well as belonging to a close knit community of care.
Siblings of existing students receive automatic placement into Prep, however we still require an application for enrolment form to be handed in. If you are unsure whether or not you have submitted an application for enrolment for your son or daughter for Prep next year, please contact the office.
I ask for your assistance in regards to your knowledge of any other families who may be thinking about enrolling their child or children here at St Anthony’s in any year level, to inform them to contact the school at their earliest convenience. Prior knowledge of accurate enrolment numbers for the following year greatly assists the school in providing appropriate levels of staffing and classroom resourcing.
St Anthony’s Sporting Star!
Congratulations to Isabelle Jones who has been selected in the Darling Downs 10-12 Years softball team and will now compete in the Queensland Championships at Redlands in August.
What a great achievement Isabelle!
Head Lice
At the end of last term, we had a few confirmed cases of head lice within the school.
Anyone can catch head lice. Head lice cannot fly, hop or jump. They spread from person to person by head to head contact, and may also be spread by the sharing of personal items such as combs, brushes and hats. While it is parents who have the primary responsibility for the detection and treatment of head lice on their children, the school alerts parents of confirmed cases of head lice when informed. This is via a message on the school portal. If a child does have head lice, he/she is to be excluded from school until treatment has occurred and no live lice are present. We rely on notification from parents regarding the detection of head lice. Regular scalp checks are highly recommended. From personal experience, spraying your child’s hair each morning with water containing a few drops of
‘Pop Its’
There’s quite a craze at the moment with ‘pop its’, the bubble fidget sensory toys. We are asking that these are not brought to school unless a medical professional has recommended their use to assist with focus and anxiety.
These are proving quite a distraction in the classroom and a problem in the playground.
Colour Explosion Fun Run
We are all very excited about our Colour Explosion Fun Run tomorrow on the school oval commencing at 1.45. This is a fundraiser for our Term 4, Year 6 school trip to Tangalooma Island and we have raised in excess of $2000 so thankyou to everyone who has supported this fundraiser.
Students can wear their Colour Fun Run clothes and shoes to school tomorrow. It’s a great idea to pack a towel for the car ride home.
Parents are most welcome to come along and join in the explosion of fun and colour!
Until next newsletter…..God Bless!
Louise
louise.pfingst@twb.catholic.edu.au
APRE News.....
I hope you had a relaxing and renewing holiday period and Easter spent with family and loved ones. Easter is so significant to the Church that it is celebrated for a number of weeks. In the resurrection we are reminded that Jesus shares his new life with us and we are full of joy. A start of a new term, a new beginning, is a great time to reflect upon how we can rejoice in the light that Jesus shines on our lives and how we can be renewed with a hopeful future trusting in God’s love evidenced by the Easter story.
This week 2/3VN led us in a liturgy to remember and celebrate the life and work of Nano Nagle who was born in Ireland in 1718. At a time when it was illegal to educate Catholic children in Ireland, Nano secretly gathered the children of the poor and taught them. She often made visits late into the night to help the poor and sick. She carried her lamp to light her way and before long she become known as the Lady of the Lantern.
Nano decided to form a group of Catholic sisters so women could share her ideas and vision to educate poor children, care for the needy, and bring the love of God to their lives. Many children from throughout the world have been educated by Presentation Sisters, including thousands of children here at St Anthony’s. Sister Jarlath Treacy and four other Presentation sisters started our school in 1955.
katie.hauser@twb.catholic.edu.au
In 2021, Catholic Education celebrates its 200th anniversary in Australia. Today there are 1751 Catholic schools educating 768 000 students and employing 98 000 staff.
We continue to keep in our prayers the following students who are preparing for their Confirmation on the 2nd of June and their first Communion; Sharna Mason, Caiden Smith, Christian Magat, Puondak Mawien, Xavier Cullen, Jimmy O’Neill, Libbie Everitt , Ariana Lugg and Sidney Geran.
Middle Leader News
Welcome back to Term 2! It is going to be a very busy term of learning for our students. Last term, I wrote about the culture of learning within our school and how we are building a community of learners that use the ‘Learning Pit’ to visualise the learning process. Coping with the ups and downs of learning whilst navigating the social aspects of school is not an easy task. To be learning and engaged we first have to be in a place where our emotions are in check. No serious learning can ever occur for anyone, unless they are emotionally regulated.
Teachers know this fact and therefore spend a lot of time building ‘connection’ before ‘curriculum’. As part of our goal to develop independent learners, we also are working on building student’s abilities to firstly recognize their emotions and connect how that relates to their ability to learn in that moment. The ‘Zones of Regulation’ is a program we use at our school to develop these individual skills for students.
Zones of Regulation is a framework that uses four colours to help students identify their feelings and level of alertness and provides strategies to support emotional regulation. By understanding how to notice their body’s signals, detect triggers, read social context, and consider how their behaviours impact those around them, students learn improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills.
For students ( or anyone) to learn effectively they need to be in the Green Zone. Identifying yourself as being in any of the other zones is not a bad thing, in fact realising that you are in the RED zone is very important to avoid potential incidents that may cause you or others harm! Acknowledging that I am in the RED zone when I get to work after a chaotic morning at home is crucial for me to then be able to pull on some strategies to help me calm myself in the hopes to get to the GREEN zone! If I was to remain in the RED zone, I can guarantee that those around me and myself would be negatively impacted. The same goes for children. If they come to school, or in the classroom from the playground and are in an elevated, or deflated state, they need some strategies to help them get to the GREEN to be calm and ready to learn.
Ask your child about the zones of regulation and the strategies they may use to be in the GREEN zone. Using this language at home with your children and helping them to identify how they are feeling and what strategy they may need to employ in certain moments, is helping them to develop a lifelong skill, necessary to thrive in our world!!
katie.hauser@twb.catholic.edu.au
Prep KJ & SJ
Welcome to Term 2. We hope that you all had a restful break and were able to spend time with family and friends over the Easter period. We are looking forward to a busy and productive term where all the structures and routines of Prep that we learnt last term are now firmly in place. In Term 2 we will be attending Assembly each fortnight on a Thursday at 12.30pm. This is an important whole school gathering where we come together in prayer and song and celebrate what has been happening in our school. Special achievement awards are also given out to the children at Assembly. Each fortnight, two or more children are chosen from each class and presented with a certificate. We will inform you prior to Assembly if your child is receiving an award so that, if possible, you can make arrangements to be present.
In our Prep classrooms this term we are diving into an ‘Under the Sea’ theme. Students have been so excited and engaged with this topic. We will be reading big books and picture books related to this theme as well as learning a bit about sea creatures. Later in the term, each student will be choosing a sea creature to do an information report on and present this to the class as a special show and share. It is wonderful to see the students so interested in learning about all things related to the ‘Under the Sea’.
kylie.jones@twb.catholic.edu.au
samantha.jaeger@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 1 HS
Welcome to Term 2! This term in English the students will engage in an Australian Animal study, including the 'Aussie Animal Stories' series by Australian Author, Jackie French. Students will research Australian animals and create an information report.
In Math students will continue a whole number study, skip- counting, 2D and 3D shapes, fractions, addition and subtraction, and money.
You should have received an email with information around our HASS unit. Students are required to bring an object or picture of an object that was used in the past in the day-to-day lives of people. Your child will present a ‘show and share’ to the class on their designated day, identifying the object and explaining how the use of the object has changed or stayed the same today.
Feel free to email me anytime.
holly.sheehan@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 1 RW
Welcome back everyone to Term Two! 1RW is looking forward to another term of fun and learning. This term in English our unit looks at Australian animals. We will be reading stories from authors Mem Fox and Jackie French and looking at characters and setting. In addition, we will also have a focus on nonfiction texts that look at Australian animals. We will compare the difference between fiction and nonfiction and create our own information report. In maths we are currently looking at skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. This term in history we will continue our exploration on past and present. I sent an email earlier in the week about a show and share task asking students to bring in an object (or a picture) from home that might be from the past and show it to the class. In Religion we are looking at the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. If the students have any photos of their baptism, they are welcome to bring them in and show them to the class. I hope you all have a lovely week.
Bec
Yr 2 OT
2OT have had an exceptional start to Term 2. They have settled in beautifully and have made
excellent progress in all areas of learning. A big congratulations to Jordan Tyrell for being
awarded our 'Student of the Week'. I look forward to seeing our class further develop
their love of learning.
ory.tattam@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 2/3 VN
Welcome to Term 2! This is bound to be a busy term that will culminate in a report card to demonstrate your child’s understanding of the curriculum. This term in Math our learning intentions are:
Year 2:
- I can explore the connection between addition and subtraction.
- I can recognise and represent multiplication as repeated addition, groups and arrays.
- I can count and order small collections of Australian coins and notes according to their value.
- I can compare and order several shapes and objects based on volume and capacity using appropriate uniform units.
- I can compare masses of objects using balance scales
- I can identify and describe quarter turns
Year 3:
- I can recognise and explain the connection between addition and subtraction.
- I can recall multiplication facts of 2, 3, 5 and 10 and related division facts.
- I can represent money values in multiple ways and count the change required for simple transactions to the nearest five cents.
- I can measure, order and compare and order objects using familiar metric units of capacity.
- I can measure, order and compare objects using familiar metric units of mass.
Please Note:
Library this term will be (this is due to the public holidays coming up)-
Week 1-3 on a Wednesday
Week 4-10 on a Monday
vicki.nauschutz@twb.catholic.edu.au
emma.daniells@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 3 RM
Welcome back to Term 2. Already there has been so much happening. In English we have started our book study, learning about Dreamtime stories and the lessons they contain. In Maths we have been using our addition strategies to help us with subtraction. We have been lucky enough to be using Ozobots with Mrs Watkins during STEM time. Please remember that library day is Wednesday.
rebecca.more@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 4 SC
On our return from the Easter break, we have discovered our class teacher, Mrs Cox, is unwell. We are keeping Mrs Cox in our thoughts and prayers and hope to see her return to the classroom soon. During the first week of Term Two, the class has continued the journey of Jesus through the events of Easter Week and remembered the importance of celebrating Anzac Day. Our English studies are centred around Morris Gleitzman’s narrative, “Toad Rage.” In Mathematics, the class is exploring common fractions and multiples. While in HASS lessons, we are using simple scales, legends and directions to interpret information contained in basic maps. At the end of this week, we are looking forward to participating in our school fundraising Colour Explosion Fun Run.
Jo Keleher jo.keleher@twb.catholic.edu.au
sharon.cox@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 4/5 RS
It was great to hear all the children's stories about their holidays and Easter activities.
Eleanor had the special honour to meet Toowoomba mayor, Mr Paul Antonio at the Drayton ANZAC Day march. Thank you to the students who attended a march on ANZAC Day.
We have Sharna, Christian, Jimmy and Xavier preparing for Confirmation and First Eucharist. Religion topics are ‘Easter’ and ‘How can the parables challenge us in our community today?’
This term, Mrs Leona Doherty and Mrs Jan Boyce (Reading) and Mrs Mary Neilan (Maths) come to our class for lessons almost daily which will enable group learning.
NAPLAN begins on May 11, where the children will demonstrate their knowledge in Reading, Maths and Language Conventions . Year 5 had an online practice for NAPLAN last week which went well.
ENGLISH/HASS will find us looking at Vivid Villains, including Colonial convicts and book characters. Maths topics include the Fish Strategy for Problem-Solving, Consolidation of basic facts, Time, Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, 3D shapes and Data Representation. Year 4 Science is ‘Beneath our Feet’ and Year 5, ‘Earth’s Place in Space.’
We are looking forward to a most productive and high-yielding term, characterised by a Growth Mindset, Student focus and commitment and Visible Learning.
Kind regards,
Robyn and Barbara.
robin.smith@twb.catholic.edu.au
barbara.hair@twb.catholic.edu.au
Yr 5/6 TN
Welcome back to Term 2. I trust that you all had a restful break and enjoyed time spent with family and friends. What a wonderful start we have had to the term. Everyone has come back ready to be a learner and jumped straight into our daily routines. I hope by now you have had an opportunity to read over the email I sent last week that outlined some of the curriculum that we will be exploring this term. This term is also jam packed with a lot of extra curricular activities like, the Year 6 sleep over, Colour Explosion Run, excursions and the list goes on. So stay tuned and watch out for hopefully some amazing photos and stories.
Until next time.
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 various text types, including procedures, reports and narratives, culminating in writing our own narratives. 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 the metric system, converting decimals to fractions and percentages, using timetables and working with negative integers.
Now is possibly a good time for us to pause and consider what goals we have set for ourselves this term, so that we can consciously work towards achieving them by the end of term. So many of us worked extremely hard last term, and we know we have kept 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!
leigh.winters@twb.catholic.edu.au
Welcome to St Anthony's Hasan
Work and Welcome is an employment experience program providing refugees and migrants with paid work experience funded through the TCS workplace giving scheme. Employees of TCS are currently making regular donations and this has enabled St Anthony’s to welcome Hasan Lukko to their school community for twelve weeks.
Hasan was a primary school teacher in Iraq for over 17 years, and in his first experience of working in Australia he is supporting teachers in classrooms and the administration staff in their work.
Hasan shared the story of his home land of Iraq, of coming to Australia, and what it means to him to have the opportunity provided by the Work and Welcome program.
“I was a teacher prior to ISIS attacking the country village of Mount Sinjar where I lived on the 3 August 2014. Over eight hundred young women, girls and children were enslaved and taken to Syria. Seventy-seven women who were aged over forty were killed. I tried to shelter village people in the school however many of my friends and family members, including my eldest son lost their lives. My wife lost her mother and six brothers in the conflict.”
Following the initial conflict Hasan worked with ‘smugglers’ to liberate teenagers that had been captured by ISIS and taken to Syria. Many of them moved to Australia, Germany, France, and Canada however some stayed in Iraq.
Hasan also worked for the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). ICMP has a network across Iraq of families of the missing who share experiences and information to contribute to the process of resolving the fate of loved ones, as well as contributing to the process of truth and justice.
Prior to coming to Australia in December 2019, Hasan and his family spent two years living in a refugee camp in Iraq where he taught English and Arabic.
“Three of my children came with me to Toowoomba. My son is now studying English at university and my two daughters, the youngest is in high school and the other working in childcare. I also have two sons who are working and studying in Germany; they both hope to move to Australia eventually. Due to COVID my wife is still in Iraq however she will arrive in Toowoomba in June this year.”
Hasan says he is enjoying his life here in Australia. “Toowoomba is safe, healthy and everything is of a better standard than Iraq. I miss friends and the school where I taught but I don’t miss Iraq. I lost so many family members and friends.”
“I hope to find a job working in a school. I am enjoying working at St Anthony’s however I need to improve my English. This is my first job in Australia. I have been studying English at TAFE and by reading books.”
Should you wish to help someone like Hasan gain work experience through the Work and Welcome program you can donate to this initiative through a salary deduction. Please contact Natalie Hardgrave, Manager: Employee Services at Natalie.Hardgrave@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Yammer Group
We have some exciting things in the works for Yammer Group this term. We will be trying our hands at some gardening and creating a space that we will call the ‘Bush Tucker’ Garden. We can’t wait to share this space with you all. Last week during Yammer Group the students created and told stories using symbols. We had some very creative ideas and it was easy to follow everyone’s stories using the symbols we had. Until next time.
Mrs Terri-An Nolan
terri-an.nolan@twb.catholic.edu.au
Music News
Eisteddfod Choir!
Our choir will be singing at the Empire Theatre on Sunday 16th May in the 1.30 Session.
We are Competitor Number 6 and there are 12 competitors in the section. Thank you to the following children who have been so very generous with their time this year so far!
Year Three: Charlotte, Maggie, Anaiah, Tiffany, Florence, Ella, Tamika, Jayda, Chelsea, Abut
Year Four: Charly, Jenna, Bailey, Vann, Eleanor, Puondak
Year Five: Mikayla, Olivia S, Chloe, Sadie, Tanisha, Libby
Year Six: Audrey, Ava C, Ryan C, Isabelle, Clovelly, Seraphina, Mika, Fletcher, Beyonce
All children were given a detailed information note on Thursday 22nd April. There are spare copies of this note available from the school office.
Eisteddfod Soloists and Pairs
Congratulations to the brave students who have stepped up and entered solo sections in the Eisteddfod. These students also received detailed information notes last week. We're looking forward to seeing how they perform in May!
- Poems in Pairs on Monday 10th May
- Year Four - Bailey and Jenna (morning session)
- Year Six - Audrey and Clovelly (afternoon session)
- Vocal Solos and Duets on morning of Friday 14th May
- Duet Audrey and Isabelle
- Year Five - Olivia
- Year Four - Puondak and Vann
- Year Three and Under - Juliette, Ivy, Abut, Ella, Florence, Adut, Noah, Maggie, Charlotte, Chelsea, Charlotte S, Charlotte C
- Vocal Solos on morning of Saturday 15th May
- Year Six - Audrey, Clovelly, Ava, Beyonce, Seraphina, Isabelle, Mika
anne-maree.spalding@twb.catholic.edu.au