Newsletter 7 June 2024
Principal's Message
Wonderful Eisteddfod results!
Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival
Authors in the house!
Friday 7 June 2024- Term 2 Week 6
Dear Parents and Carers,
A huge congratulations to Grace Davis, who has made the NSW team for basketball, which is an amazing achievement. Grace will compete against other states at the Gold Coast in July in what will be an incredibly high standard of players. Well done, it’s not just talent but hard work as well.
Many thanks to our staff and students for what was another successful athletics carnival. Mrs Butcher and Mrs George worked very hard to make the day a success and was ably supported by staff and parents. The next level of representative athletics is at the Clarence Zone which includes Catholic schools from Yamba to Bowraville then, if successful, Diocesan (Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads) then Polding (all Catholic schools north of Sydney Harbour) then the PSSA, which is all public, Catholic and independent schools competing against each other for state selection. In our old hall we have a sports honour board and because of recent successes we are going to have to buy another one!
On Wednesday three children’s authors came to share their books and teach students about the writing process. In an age when AI is coming to dominate production of written material, it is great to hear from authors that create original content. Many thanks to Mrs Chantal Warnes for liaising with the Bellingen Writers Festival to make this happen for our children.
The great homework debate is happening again, as we review our policy and procedures as part of our 3 year plan. The exact format is yet to be decided but the discussion and information from the Parent Forum, Tell Them From Me survey and staff points to a need to simplify and standardise across grades. More information will be coming soon but in the meantime, the current procedures stand and remember the one important thing we ask for homework. Yes, you guessed it, home reading. We teach literacy skills constantly at school but we haven’t got time for every child to read independently for extended periods in our busy school day, so this is where home comes into its own. Setting aside a time and place daily in your household for reading makes a huge impact down the line, as it cements the skills learnt at school into the long term memory, increasing vocabulary and fluency and with it success. Please make this a priority for your child.
On Tuesday 18 June we have the fabulous Dr Nicola Holmes and colleagues coming to give a parent talk on anxiety, technology and brain development. This evening presentation is part of a series across the Coffs region aimed at improving the mental health of young people. The seeds of distress from overuse of technology and social media usage are sown in primary school and knowledge is the best tool we have to embrace the positives and counter the negatives. Even though we have recently had a talk from Kirra Pendergast about cybersafety, this is broader in scope and gives practical steps for you as a parent to protect your child.
Grace and peace,
Peter Watts
Principal
Faith and Mission News
Sacraments in 2024 - Overview
First Eucharist- For baptised students in Years 4, 5 and 6
Friday 14 June
First Eucharist Retreat for students at St Augustine’s School at the Curran Centre
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June
Sacrament of First Eucharist celebrated at ONE of the Parish Masses
First Communion Gifts - If you are looking for a First Communion gift, the Pious Gift Shop (located near the front of St Augustine's Church) has a selection for you to choose from. The gift shop is open after Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
Confirmation
Confirmation Liturgies will be held Saturday 3 August 4pm and Monday 5 August 5:30pm
Naomi Loader - Assistant Principal Mission
Maria Woods - Leader of School Evangelisation
Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
Last week, we had the privilege of hosting Kirra Pendergast from Safe on Social. Her engaging sessions with students in Years 3-6, teaching staff, and parents were informative, eye-opening, and sometimes confronting. Kirra's insights and practical solutions are crucial in navigating the digital world. Her practical and family-friendly solutions help avoid some of the common pitfalls our young people and adults face on social media, and we encourage you to implement them at home.
We plan to continue Kirra’s work over the next 12 months by training staff and regularly updating students and families on current apps and games.
But for now, our biggest takeaway for all families is that:
Phones, tablets or devices that connect to the internet should not be in children’s rooms at night.
This is crucial as young people (and adults) require healthy sleep to prepare their brains for the next day. Being interrupted by messages, notifications, or blue light from devices is proven to interrupt sleep.
For parents/carers who were unable to attend the information evening, you can access a video of the session at this link: https://youtu.be/JHwLdT5gB3c
This video must be only viewed by adults as it contains adult themes.
The guides below are also from Kirra’s resource bank, which we now have access to and will share with you. Kirra spoke with our students about the pitfalls of Roblox, and the guide below is for any parents whose children play the game. The other is some helpful tips for parents to model healthy technology use.
We look forward to working with you to ensure that guidelines at school and at home support our students' creativity, safety, and critical use of technology.
A big thank you to the St Augustine's Parent Forum for sponsoring this event.
POWER TO THE KIDS - Invitation
Dr Nicola Holmes is facilitating a community workshop at St Augustine’s on Tuesday, June 18 6pm-7:30pm. Dr Holmes has run successful workshops across the Coffs Coast and is an excellent speaker and passionate advocate for young people. Dr Holmes is grateful to welcome Senior Constable Tegan Baker, Youth Officer, to our workshop, who will deliver an evidence-based presentation and offer educational resources about Online Safety. Tegan Swan from Lifeline, will also join us to update us about resources and supports available.
This workshop is intended for parents and educators: childminding will be provided at the school if necessary.
Please see the flyer below for more information.
Kind regards,
Naomi Loader
Assistant Principal Mission
K-2 Parent Storytelling 2024
We are excited to continue our K-2 Parent Storytelling this term. This program offers a wonderful opportunity for parents to engage with our K-2 students and foster a love of reading.
Storytelling sessions will take place from 9 am to 9:30 am, with parents meeting at 8:55 am outside the front office. You are welcome to join by simply showing up with a blanket if you'd like to participate. Your involvement is truly appreciated!
A big thank you to all who support this initiative. Your efforts help build a strong reading culture within our school community. We look forward to seeing you there!
NCCD
LARC NEWS
Visiting Authors
Our students in Years 4, 5 & 6 enjoyed some wonderful workshops on Wednesday with visiting authors Rebecca Timmis (MerTales & Jawsome), Sarah Armstrong (Big Magic & Magic Awry) and Anton Clifford-Motopi (To and Fro).
Rebecca Timmis shared inventive ideas with Year 4 on how to create new storylines and the ways in which you can use puns or a 'play on words' for humour.
Anton Clifford-Motopi explored his 'method' for adding depth to a storyline, with Year 6 students creating their own narratives by 'raising the stakes' and 'setting goals' for their characters.
Sarah Armstrong inspired Year 5 to write interesting texts by asking the question "What if?" .... and to see what ideas flow from this simple question. Sarah discussed the inspiration for her book Big Magic, drawing from nature near where she lives, her life experiences and the interesting characters she met when the circus came to town.
Many thanks go to our visiting authors for providing an inspirational set of workshops designed to get our students thinking... and writing!
Rebecca Timmis
Anton Clifford-Motopi
Sarah Armstrong
Enviro Club: St Augustine’s & Sustainability
St Augustine’s Primary School wants students to learn that sustainability requires people to interact with the environment in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for future generations.
The Enviro Club has been busy in recent weeks creating their latest video which focuses on educating all our students on the correct use of the GREEN BINS here at school. Enviro Club reps presented the video at assembly this week and ask that our students watch the video again in class next week.
Let's keep our green bins clean!
Canteen Specials for Term 2
School Musical News
Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival Gallery
Sport News
SPORT CALENDAR 2024
Week 7 | |
Wed 12 Jun | Lismore Diocesan Rugby 10’s (Coffs Harbour) |
Fri 14 Jun | Polding Summer Sports Trials - Touch Football (Parkes) |
Week 9 | |
Tue 25 - Thu 27 Jun | NSW PSSA Rugby League 12’s |
Fri 28 Jun | K-2 Athletics Carnival (St Augustine’s) |
Week 10 | |
Mon 1 Jul | Polding Rugby Union Trials (Forbes) |
NSW CPS Cross Country Championships
NSW PSSA BOUND!
Congratulations to Hugh Morgan who competed at the NSW CPS Cross Country Championships and came 5th! He has also qualified for the NSW PSSA Cross Country Championships! A wonderful achievement Hugh. We wish you all the best for your competition at PSSA!
Rugby 7’s State Final
3RD IN THE STATE!
Congratulations to our Rugby boys who finished 3rd in the State at the NSW Rugby 7’s Primary School Championships in Sydney last week! They topped off a great day with the team forming part of the guard of honour at the Waratahs vs Reds game alongside the other teams who finished in the top 4 of the Championships. A wonderful reward for their hard work on the field!
NSW PSSA Hockey Championships
GOLD AT NSW PSSA!
A big congratulations to Sonny Dent who represented Polding at the NSW PSSA Hockey Championships last week. Polding went up against Mackillop in the final who hadn’t conceded a goal throughout the competition and finished with a win! Your classmates and St Augustine’s are very proud of you Sonny.
NSW PSSA Basketball Championships
SILVER AT NSW PSSA!
Grace Davis, Grace Duede and London Lacey represented Polding at the NSW PSSA Basketball Championships last week and came home with a silver medal!
Congratulations girls. St Augustine’s is very proud of the talent and sportsmanship you have displayed at such a high level.
STATE SELECTION!
A big congratulations to Grace Davis! Grace has been selected in the NSW PSSA State Basketball Team! An extraordinary achievement! We wish Grace all the best at the Combined Schools Basketball Championships to be held next month.
AFL Paul Kelly Cup
GRAND FINAL WINNERS!
St Augustine’s students had a fantastic day of AFL at the Paul Kelly Cup last week. The school has received communication from parents and coaches telling of student’s exceptional behaviour, sportsmanship and manners throughout the day. Well done to all of our students.
Congratulations to Boys Maroon and Girls Maroon teams on their wins in the Grand Finals!
Thank you to Jay Guthrie for his time and commitment to our students.
Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival
A celebration of all things ATHLETICS!
House chants, colour, running, jumping, throwing, ball games and even cartwheels down the track were the order of the day at the Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival on Tuesday.
We were delivered a perfect winter’s day of sunshine and students enjoyed a great day of athletics. Well done to everyone who showed great enthusiasm and sportsmanship in all events and throughout the day.
Congratulations to our Age Champions:
Vinnie Fensom (Junior Boy)
Pippa Rowbotham (Junior Girl)
Nate Butcher (11 Year Boy)
Poppy Warren (11 Year Girl)
Kai Brian (Senior Boy)
Tillie Reibelt (Senior Girl)
We also had nine school records broken and one equaled!
Congratulations to our students who now hold a new St Augustine’s athletics record:
Beatrix Selmes - 8 Year Girls 100m (18.23)
Arlo Tuala - 8 Year Boys 100m (16.86)
Vinnie Fensom - 10 Year Boys 100m (15.14)
Tillie Reibelt - 12 Year Girls 100m (14.28)
Tillie Reibelt - Senior Girls 200m (30.13)
Tillie Reibelt - Senor Girls Long Jump (4.29m)
Noah Keshk - Senior Boys 800m (2.49.47)
Yuan Grandeza - 13 Year Boys 100m (14.97)
London Lacey - Senior Girls Shot Put (7.54m)
Nate Butcher - 11 Year Boys Long Jump (4.07m) equaled with Cohen Straw (2023)
The St Augustine’s School Athletics Team to compete at the Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival in Term 3 on 30 July will be announced in the coming weeks.
CANTEEN NEWS
Canteen Roster
Week beginning 10 June
- Monday -
- Tuesday - M & M Black
- Wednesday - C Jones
- Thursday - J Murphy, D Kelly
- Friday - W McLean, K Cochran, Hana
Week beginning 17 June
- Monday - B Rae
- Tuesday - M & M Black
- Wednesday - B Symons
- Thursday -
- Friday - W McLean, L Lawler, C Williams
TERM 2, 2024 Tuition Fees
Notices
