Newsletter - 2024 Term 1 Week 5

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From the Leaders

John 2:13‐25

This Sunday’s Gospel from John tells of Jesus turning over the tables in the temple in Jerusalem just before the Passover. As he entered the temple he saw people selling animals and changing money. He ordered them to, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ 

Usually, Jesus, the Man and God and Prince of Peace, is presented as tender, gentle, humble, and preaching love of neighbor to forgiveness. But where does this “anger” of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem come from?  Jesus’s answer can be summed up as follows: My Father’s House is sacred, it must not be soiled or polluted. On the contrary,  it must be respected and cared for.

To conclude, let’s ask how Jesus would have acted had he arrived at the Temple and found people sweeping; cleaning the benches and walls; adorning and beautifying the sacred space; or even praying or proclaiming the word of God. Let’s also ask ourselves how we care for the Earth, our common home.

2024 School Improvement Goals - Mission

Our Mission goal in our School Improvement Plan for 2024 is to increase our understanding of social justice. Social Justice is justice in relation to a fair balance in the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognised and protected.

In achieving this goal we will have a strong focus on the Catholic Social Teaching principles, which offer us guidance in caring for people and the planet. As mentioned last week our current focus is on caring for our common home. We must all respect, care for and share the resources of the earth, which are vital for the common good of all living beings.

Students and staff are promoting ways to care for our environment and being grateful for all of God’s creation, including keeping our classrooms and school grounds free from rubbish and caring for our gardens.

English and Mathematics Syllabus Implementation

Take a look at the wonderful learning in English and Mathematics that has been captured across the school. Mrs James and her Kindergarten class certainly seem to be enjoying their learning about patterns in the environment!

Incitare

On Tuesday we went to Incitare to show our Faith in God. We did lots of fun activities. There were Year 10 students from MacKillop who are in the Youth Ministry Class, which means their school gave them the opportunity to learn more about God and teach others about him too. We listened to lots of songs with very deep words about their ways to connect with God. We played some games that taught us more about our faith and connection with God. We also acted out scenes that showed examples of people being bullied and then reenacting people being courageous and standing up for someone who was being bullied

Laylah Walsh 6 Hope 

On Tuesday, 14 Year 6 students went to  Incitare and we did lots of faith work about how you should not be ashamed of following God. We listened to high schoolers’ stories about how they were not as close to God once, but when they had the opportunity, they joined the Youth Ministry Class and they learnt more about God. We got into groups with other people from different schools and learnt something about them. We played games that taught us about everyone. We learnt more about God and how we can follow in his footsteps and be a better person.

Arrabella Daley, 6 Faith

Yesterday Fathers’ Prodencio and Roland joined our Year 5 students for the Sacrament of Penance at school. Our candidates and family members in Years 4 and above participated in workshops this week and again next week, to prepare for receiving this sacrament for the first time on March 12, 13 or 14. We wish them well in their preparations, including their reflection day to be held in our school hall on Tuesday 12 March.

Harmony Week

This year, Harmony Week is scheduled from Monday 18 March to Sunday 24 March 2024 and is dedicated to celebrating Australia's rich multicultural heritage.

The 2024 Cultural Diversity Week theme of Everyone Belongs, invites us to weave a tapestry of vibrant experiences with 'Our Shared Stories - Celebrating Together'. This powerful theme goes beyond individual stories, encouraging us to recognise and celebrate the beautiful ways cultural diversity enriches our community. At St Agnes’ Primary School we are proud to be represented by over 40 different cultural backgrounds and look forward to celebrating this with our families on Friday 22 March. Teachers will share more information about the learning that will take place and be shared in their classrooms that afternoon.

New Enrolment Portal

Our school is moving from paper-based enrolment applications to online enrolments using Compass.  As an existing user of Compass, you will find a new tile in the Compass app called Family and Enrolments, found under the “More” icon in the Compass app or under the Cog icon in your preferred browser.  

When the family and enrolments module went live Monday 26 February, as a parent, you can update your contact details at any time. We strongly encourage you to log in to confirm your details. If you update your details, they will update across all schools where you have a child enrolled.

Applications for 2025 can be completed from today Friday 1 March. If you have already applied via our old system, rest assured we have your application; there is no need to reapply.  

See our website for more details on how to enrol and where to get assistance if you need it. 

TAP-ITAS

Each class has a Project Compassion money box on their prayer table. As classes reach $5 in their boxes they add a water drop to the TAP-ITAS display in the front office with their Class’ name on it. We are excited to see how much money we can raise for rural communities in Samoa where  poverty rates are strongly linked to lower levels of education. Caritas Samoa is installing water tanks in crucial areas of communities, such as schools and family homes, to prevent children from missing out on their right to an education. 

The money we raise this year will work to provide homes like Leaia’s with hygienic toilets with septic tanks, which will improve the health of rural communities. 

We would like to acknowledge Mahli-Lee Willoughby who asked her parents if she could donate $50 of her own money to project compassion. 

The grade in the lead with the most water drops this week is 2 Love.

Come Read and Spell with Me

Next week we will continue to offer Come Read and Spell with Me sessions for families in Years 3 and 4. This is a chance to hear all about the changes in the way that we teach reading and spelling, according to our new NSW curriculum which began this year for Years 3-6. We will share some positive ways that you can support your child with both reading and spelling and you will have an opportunity to share in some of the activities with your child. We encourage all families to come along to one of our sessions over the next two weeks. All of the sessions repeat the same content, so feel free to choose one that is convenient for you.

Clapstick Workshop

Year 3 and 4 First Nations students were treated to a Clapstick Workshop conducted by Strong Spirit Aboriginal Service. Tris, Jess and Tyler Morris gave each student the opportunity to create their own Clapsticks and decorate them with their own art. The students were also treated to a pizza lunch with compliments of Strong Spirit Aboriginal Service. We would like to thank Tris, Jess and Tyler for bringing this cultural learning to St Agnes' Primary.

Staff Professional Learning/Pupil Free Day

We will be offering limited child minding facilities for students in Kindergarten to Year 6 from 8:25am to 3:30pm on Friday 8 March 2024 for those families unable to organise alternative arrangements for this day.

You must book in your child for the day so we can organise staffing. Please go to  schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the event code h3a4t. Bookings are now open. 

Child minding information - The students that attend child minding here at St Agnes’ Primary during this period will be required to wear their school uniform, including their school hat, on each day they attend. They will need to bring with them their fruit, Lunch One, Lunch Two, a drink bottle and a pencil case in their school bag. The canteen will be operating on the day. Children will need to be signed in at the office on arrival (unless they are catching the bus).

Come Pray With Me

Families are welcome to join their children in celebrating Masses and Liturgies at Christ the King Chapel each Thursday at 10:15am. The children always appreciate this special time with their grade and we encourage any family members to join us.

NAPLAN- Important Reminder

We remind all families in Years 3 and 5 that your child should have a working set of headphones at school. With just two weeks until NAPLAN, we ask that you please assist us by attending to this ASAP.

Make Getting Students To School On Time Every Day A Top Priority

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Ensuring that students arrive at school on time every day is crucial for their academic success and wellbeing. Parents play a crucial role in instilling the importance of punctuality in their children. Here are some strategies for parents to make getting students to school on time every day a top priority:

• Establish a Consistent Routine. Set a daily routine that includes specific times for waking up, getting ready, having breakfast, and leaving for school. Consistency helps children develop good habits.
• Model Punctuality. Children often learn by example. Demonstrate the importance of punctuality by being on time for family events, appointments, and other commitments. 
• Limit or Have No Screen Time in the Morning. Minimise distractions such as excessive screen time in the morning. This helps your child stay focused on getting ready for school without unnecessary delays.

Sports News

AFL - Diocesan Trials Flynn and Henry

Last Friday, Henry Fryer attended the Diocesan AFL Trials in Grafton to play against some of the best AFL players in the Lismore Diocese. He played multiple games in sweltering conditions to show off his skills to selectors. Henry successfully gained selection to the next level and will compete at the Polding Trials in Newcastle in April.

Flynn Wehlow was not able to attend the AFL trials in Grafton but was also selected to go on to the Polding trials based on previously being chosen last year and his training, competition and representative history.

Well done to both Henry and Flynn and we wish you all the best at the Polding AFL trials.

Zone Winter Sport Trials - Rugby Union

On Wednesday, 19 St Agnes' students travelled to Kemspey to compete in the Hasting Zone Winter Sports trials for Rugby Union. Reports from the grounds were that it was a well run event by convenors and that our students had a strong representation. They played multiple games in a gala day format in hot conditions. Many of our students played their way into final selections, with 6 St Agnes' students being selected to move on to the next level. Thank you to Mr Brazel for organising and preparing our students. 

Congratulations to the following students for your Diocesan selection:

Zane Bannon
Reagan Clark
Ryan Chilko
Oliver Wainwright
Charlie Haddon
Harley Cadden

Diocesan Winter Sports Trials

We have students competing in Soccer, Netball, Rugby League and Hockey and wish the following students the best of luck as they compete against all other Catholic schools in the Lismore Diocese.

Ethan Favaloro - Hockey
Stella Donohue - Netball
Mahli Forster - Netball
Josh Abraham - Soccer
Jade Johnson - Soccer
Jagga Smith - Soccer
Ruby Hagenbach - Soccer
Reagan Clark - Rugby League
Zane Bannon - Rugby League
Ryan Chilko - Rugby League
Harrison Joyce - Rugby League
Braxton Stewart - Rugby League
Oliver Wainwright - Rugby League

School Cross Country

We are close to locking in a Term 1 date for the School Cross Country Carnival. Students have been preparing for the event in PE and the KM Club on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For the carnival, students 8 years old (this year) and older can compete for Zone Selection. Children aged 8 to 10 years will run a 2km course (4 laps of the bottom field), and 11 and 12 years a 3km course (6 laps). A schedule of events will be available to families soon.

Future Dates - Term 1

• Wednesday 6 March - Diocesan Hockey Trials, Grafton
• Friday 8 March - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials, Grafton (pupil free day)
• Tuesday 9 April - Polding AFL Trials, Newcastle
• Thursday 11 and Friday 12 March - NSW PSSA Swimming, Homebush Aquatic Centre

Postive Behaviour Support

This week our focus is on learning about how we can use the 4R’s every day in keeping our school clean and tidy,  be respectful and responsible in our environment and the toilets. The purpose of this lesson is to align with our catholic social teaching to ‘Care For Our Common Home’. We want to develop students' understanding of the value of our environment through our 4R's and what this looks like in our learning spaces at St Agnes’. Our goal is to teach students that earth is a gift from God that we should care for and protect; for current and future generations. 

PBS Focus: I can use the 4R’s every day in keeping our school environment clean and tidy.

PBS Video:

Family Resources: 

• K-1 - Go Green 
• Years 2-6 How To Take Care of the Environment

• Stewards of Creation
• Years 5-6: Tribute to Planet Earth

• The Lorax

Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received an award at today's assembly:

Alex A, Amelie W, Angel  S, Annalisa L, Arthur H, Benjamin B, Billylee P, Charlie R, Daisy-Rae A, Edward M, Elise G, Emmett Y, Eva D, Eva D, Evie P, Florence H, Frankie D, George S, Georgia W, Hadlen S, Hailey J, Hunter F, Jacob B, Jessy P, Jett L, John D, Julian K, Kalari D, Lacey W, Layla M, Leila L, Len D, Leo H, Lily S, Logan S, Lola F, Micah V, Michelle A, Mila S, Oakley A, Rocky W, Saxon K, Slayter G, Sophia F, Taya M, Thomas B, Tully D, Tyson E and Willow N

Congratulations to the following students who have reached 100 Dojos:

Fritz, Lucas and Tara

Canteen News

Parish News

Community News