Newsletter 29 August 2025

Principal's Message

Friday 29 August 2025 - Term 3 Week 6 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday, we celebrated St Augustine’s Day, learning about this influential Saint who helped shape early Christian thought.
St Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) was a philosopher and theologian whose writings, particularly Confessions and The City of God, deeply influenced the Church. He is known for his journey from a life of worldly pleasure to one of deep faith, famously writing, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  The students reflected on themes of forgiveness, learning from our mistakes, and always seeking truth in God and celebrated with liturgy. 

Colourthon – Thank You!

Thank you so much for your generous support of our Colourthon! The students had an absolutely fantastic time, and we were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the day. Your encouragement, donations and presence helped make this event so special for our school community. The smiles on the students’ faces said it all!

Father’s Day BBQ & Liturgy – Friday Next Week

We warmly invite all dads, grandads and father figures to join us for our Father’s Day BBQ at 7:30am on Friday, 6th September, followed by a special liturgy in our shelter area. It's a great opportunity to come together in celebration of the wonderful men in our lives. We look forward to seeing you there!

Open Forum Meeting – Tuesday 9th September

We are hosting a School Community Open Forum Meeting on Tuesday 9th September, and we would love to see as many parents and caregivers as possible. This is a chance to hear about exciting school initiatives, including the curriculum rollout for 2026, and to share your ideas for school improvements. The agenda is still open – please check Compass for your chance to contribute. Everyone is welcome!

Hall Update

As many of you know, our school hall has been out of action since May because a broken pipe resulted in the space being flooded. This has unfortunately impacted our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program, as well as choir and music lessons. They both still happen, but in different areas of the school, so it is quite disruptive.
We are currently awaiting builder quotes to begin remediation works. If the new floor can be installed before 15th September, we will proceed with our school socials as planned. If not, we may need to cancel or postpone these events. We’ll keep you updated as soon as more information becomes available.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in our school community.
Grace and peace,

Peter Watts

Faith and Mission News

St Augustine’s Feast Day 

"God loves each of us as if there was only one of us." 

This beautiful quote from St. Augustine was at the heart of our school liturgy yesterday as we celebrated his feast day. We reflected on St. Augustine's journey of faith and how he inspires us to always return to God's love.

The celebration was a testament to our wonderful students. We witnessed a moving procession led by Year 5, watched an inspiring video created by our Year 6 'St.AY n Glow' group, and joined our CSYMI group in a thoughtful reflection on living our school motto: ‘In all things may God be glorified.’

Thank you to all the students and staff who helped create such a memorable and prayerful gathering for our community.

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CSYMI (Catholic Schools Youth Ministry International) Lunch Club

Our CSYMI lunch club meets weekly under the guidance of Mrs Woodward to have fun and develop their faith. A big thank you to this group who helped the school community reflect on the meaning of our school motto ‘In all things may God be glorified’ by sharing their thoughts on what this motto means for them.

Tessa 4G

If I give glory to God when I am taking a walk I will take time to admire and be thankful for the beautiful world.

Merissa 4G

If I give glory to God when I am with my family I will share good things about God to them because he gave me shelter and my family.

Imogen 3Y

If I give glory to God when I am relaxing or reading I will think of what God gave me, and how I will share that.

Erin 3Y

If I give glory to God when I am playing sports with my friends I will pray to God that everyone is being kind and acting the way they should. By caring, loving and showing kindness.

Angelene 3R

If I give glory to God when I am feeding my fish I will give my fish the right amount of food.

Eden 4R

If I give glory to God when I am playing with my sister I will be kind, play kindly, talk kindly.

Harper 4G

If I give glory to God when I am playing with my dog Narla at the beach I will love what she brings into my life.

Islah 3R

If I give glory to God when I am playing with my friends I will not leave my friends out.

Harper 3R

If I give glory to God when I am playing with my friends I will do this kindly, trying to be understanding and not getting angry.

Phoenix 3Y

If I give glory to God when I am playing with my friends and family, I will treat them respectfully and make sure they won’t get hurt.

St.AY n Glow

St.AY n Glow is a lunch club for Year 6 students where they develop youth ministry skills and their faith. Run by Christa Morrow, the Youth Coordinator in our parish, the students are working on making videos. We are excited to see what they create!

Father’s Day Liturgy

We welcome all in our school community to join us in prayer on Friday 5 September at 9am to thank God for fathers and father figures in our lives and the lives of our students.

‘Pilgrims of Hope’

Many classes have begun their ‘pilgrimage’, working through the activities on the poster below. This pilgrimage will take almost all year to complete and we look forward to sharing some of the experiences that bring us closer to God.

Naomi Loader - Assistant Principal Mission
Maria Woods - Leader of School Evangelisation

Father's Day - SAVE THE DATE!

Dear Fathers and Father-like Figures,

You are warmly invited to join us in celebrating Father’s Day at St Augustine’s School on Friday, 5 September 2025. Students, Dads, family and friends are encouraged to wear their favourite sports apparel or team colours for the day. 

Program for the Day:

• 7:30–8:30 am – Father’s Day Breakfast (Sausage sanga & cuppa, near the canteen, supplied by the school)
• 9:00 am – Whole School Liturgy (top area)
• 9:45 am – Learning Journeys (visit your child’s classroom)
• 10:55–11:40 am – School Lunchtime (Dad’s BYO lunch)
• 12:00–1:00 pm – Rugby “Friendly” – St Augustine’s Vs MHOC (field)

Extra Father’s Day Fun

• Mini Vinnies Father’s Day Raffle – 3 prizes to be won! Choose your lucky number on the raffle board for $5 each (cash only). The draw will take place at the Week 9 assembly on Thursday, 18 September. All proceeds go towards the SVDP Christmas Appeal.
• Father’s Day Stall – On the afternoon of Friday, 5 September, students will have the opportunity to purchase a gift for $5 each (organised by the Parent Forum).

We can’t wait to share this special day with you!

2025 SOCIALS - DRESS AS YOUR HERO

Our school socials are happening this term in Week 9. They are a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together socially, to dance and have fun. This year's theme for all grades is DRESS AS YOUR HERO. Students are welcome to come dressed in themed clothing, if they wish, or in casual attire. 

Our staff will fully supervise the evenings, and there is no cost for the children to attend. Light refreshments will be served at the socials; however, we ask all students to bring a labelled drink bottle. 

Social dates and times:

Monday 15 September - Year 3 and 4 6:30-7:30pm Please drop your child to the School Hall at 6:30pm and collect your child at 7:30pm (the Albany Street drive-through will be staffed should you wish to use it). Families are invited to join us for the last dance at 7:25pm.

Tuesday 16 September - Years 1 and 2 6:30-7:30pm Please drop your child to the School Hall at 6:30pm and collect your child at 7:30pm (the Albany Street drive-through will be staffed should you wish to use it). Families are invited to join us for the last dance at 7:25pm.

Wednesday 17 September - Kindergarten 6:30-7:30pm Please drop your child to the School Hall at 6:30pm and collect your child at 7:30pm (the Albany Street drive-through will be staffed should you wish to use it). Families are invited to join us for the last dance at 7:25pm.

Thursday 18 September - Years 5 and 6 6:30-7:45pm Please drop your child to the School Hall at 6:30pm and collect your child at 7:45pm (the Albany Street drive-through will be staffed should you wish to use it). Families are invited to join us for the last dance at 7:40pm.

Book Week Parade Gallery

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CANTEEN SPECIAL - LAST DAY OF TERM

GRANDPARENT'S DAY - SAVE THE DATE

Pastoral Care

Short Courses that may interest you:

ADHD: This short course was developed with the help of Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia (PAAA). This course is aimed at supporting the parents and carers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Other people may also find it helpful, such as other relatives, teacher assistants, and teachers.

Autism: This short course is directed at parents and carers of children with autism. Other people may also find it helpful, such as other relatives, teacher assistants, and teachers.

Parents of children who’ve been identified on the autism spectrum have been interviewed to identify the issues that concern them the most. This is reflected in the videos throughout this short course.

Please find more information about the courses on the OLT platform linked here.

K-2 Parent Storytelling 2025

                   Week 7 - No reading Fathers Day

                   Week 8 - Year 2

                   Week 9 - Kindy 

Happy Families

Sport News

National Hockey Championships 

Last week, our talented hockey player, Sonny Dent travelled to Bendigo, Victoria, for the National Hockey Championships. The tournament ran for a week, with each state playing each other. The winners of the tournament were determined by points accumulated from a loss/win or draw. 

NSW and QLD were tied up in first place at the end of the tournament and shared the gold medal. It is not every day that we get to see a National Gold medal, and we were very excited as a school to share in the excitement as we celebrated Sonny’s incredible achievement during yesterday’s assembly. 

SAPS Rugby Finals 

Congratulations to all our SAPS Rugby Union teams who played in the season's final last Friday night!  Especially to our U11's and U12's who competed in their Grand Finals.  

Well done to our U11's team who went down to BDC Barracudas in the final moments 24-19 and finished Runners Up of the season.

Congratulations to our U12's who finished up 2025 Major Champions!  They defeated Grafton 14-7 in the Grand Final.

Thank you to all our coaches and managers for their time during the season. 

A very special thank you to Paul Butcher for his 11 years of SAPS Rugby coaching. Your dedication to the sport and our school has been the driving force behind the success of SAPS Rugby and on behalf of the players, parents and carers and staff we thank you.

Chris Gangemi Cup 

Runners Up in Catholic Schools in NSW! Congratulations to our rugby boys who played their hearts out at the Chris Gangemi Cup (Diocesan 10s State Final) last week.

After winning all pool games 40-0 and then the semi 26-7, they faced Mudgee in the Grand Final. A tough game in the pouring rain going down, 24-7.

Congratulations boys and a big thank you to our parents and coaches for their support of the team.

Lismore Diocesan Athletics

Well done to our students who competed at the Lismore Diocesan Athletics carnival on Tuesday.

Congratulations to the following students who have qualified to compete at the NSW CPS Athletics Championships in Newcastle later in the term.

Lily Orton - 9 Year Girls 100m 

Pippa Rowbotham - 11 Year Girls 100m and 200m

Emma Sandes - 11 Year Girls 1500m

Angus Morgan - Snr Boys 800m and 1500m

Hugh Morgan - Snr Boys 800m and 1500m

Nate Butcher - Snr Boys Discus and Snr Boys High Jump

Riley O’Brien - Snr Boys High Jump

Jnr Boys Relay Team - Hudson Cohran, Arlo Tuala, Hamish Loy, Beau McMillan

Netball NSW Cup Regional Final

Congratulations to our netball team who competed at the Netball NSW Cup Regional Finals on Tuesday.  In a tough competition, the girls finished 3rd. Well done girls and thank you Mrs Warren for your coaching.

CANTEEN NEWS

Canteen Roster  

Week beginning  1 September   

• Monday -L Seccombe 
• Tuesday -   M & M Black,  
• Wednesday - S Rowan 
• Thursday - J Ward
• Friday -  W McLean, K Cochran, L Horne 

Week beginning 8 September    

• Monday - M Mainey     
• Tuesday -   M & M Black 
• Wednesday - C Jones 
• Thursday -  L Hardaker 
• Friday -  W McLean,  K Cochran, C Williams   

Notices

Coffs Harbour Basketball Association currently have an offer where all new players are eligible for a free $100 towards their fees through the Dream Hoops program.

We are looking for new players and teams across all junior boys and junior girls age divisions.

Our age groups for the next competition are:

U9 is 2017 to 2020
U11 is 2015-2016
U13 is 2013-2014
U15 is 2011-2012
U17 is 2009-2010

 Under 9’s (male and female) and all junior girls divisions play on a Wednesday afternoon.

 U11 to U17 male divisions play on a Friday afternoon.

 We are especially looking for players in the U9’s divisions! If they apply for the $100 Dream Hoops voucher, an u8 player would only need to pay the difference of $30 for the term to play 

 If anyone has any questions or would like to join, they can email us at admin@coffsharbourbasketball.com.au and we can connect them into a team.