Newsletter - 2024 Term 3 Week 4

Calendar

From the Leaders

Jesus continued, “I am the Bread – living Bread! – who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live – and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self.” (John 6: 51 - 52)

The Church teaches that the bread and wine are Christ’s Body and Blood. Christians understood that eating and drinking in memory of Jesus make them bearers of his life.

Most of us in the receiving line at communion time will not be asked to die for Christ. But each of us are being asked to live for Christ, by following the example he set in our everyday lives.

Feast of The Assumption

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption with a whole school mass led by Father Alejo. Father Alejo reminded us that as we celebrate Mary, Jesus’ mother, we think of all of the things our mothers do for us and know that she would have done all of that for Jesus. This feast commemorates the belief that when Mary died, her body was "assumed" into heaven to be reunited with her soul.

Youth and Family Mass

On Sunday 18 August at 5:00pm everyone is invited to join us at St Agnes’ Church as our school hosts the Youth and Family Mass. Staff, students and families will be involved in each of the ministries of welcoming, reading, music, offertory and Children’s Liturgy throughout the mass. We hope you can join us.

Whole School Mass - Friday 23 August

Social Justice will be the theme for our Whole School Mass on Friday 23 August from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Please join us.

Creative Arts Spectacular Tickets

If you missed the notification on Compass on Monday afternoon, tickets are now on sale for families to purchase for our Creative Arts Spectacular - 'Aggies in Wonderland'. If your child/children are performing on the night, a ticket does not need to be purchased for them.

Please click on the link below to purchase tickets:

https://compasstix.com/e/gd7yh2qgog

Enrichment Back Stage Drama Day

Yesterday, a group of students participated in a great day of learning about the important work of back stage production. The students were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and work alongside  Jackson Walsh, current Lighting Operator at the Glasshouse Theatre, and Tim Maddren Director of Got Ya Back Productions in learning the basics of lighting and theatrical production.

During the course of the day the students learnt about the building of lighting rigs, the importance of safety, working as part of a team, and how to create different moods with lighting. In addition the students also had an opportunity to learn about how sound effects enhance a production.

These students will now have an opportunity to work with Jackson, Tim and and our Staff at this years’ Creative Arts Spectacular ‘Aggies in Wonderland,’ utilising their newly learnt skills.

"I loved it! It was so fun. I learned how to rip gaffa tape, to properly roll and throw an extension cord, lights and more. We played with lights, microphones and volume levels. Would definitely do it again, 100% recommend trying it out. 5 stars!" - Wyatt

"I loved the lights, tape tricks and everything" - Owen

"It was very fun and cool and the lights could do cool stuff" - Nirvik

"It was fun, I learned a lot and I would do it again. I 10/10 recommend doing it" - Reagan

"I liked the sound stuff and I learned how to do lights" - Tyler

"I had fun today because we learned some new skills. We learned how to rip gaffa tape and how to roll up extension cords easily. We also did some lighting and learned the names for different cords" - Kasper

2025 Excursions and Incursions

We look forward to hearing all the feedback and suggestions in relation to the types of excursions or incursions you would like available to your child in 2025. 

Below is a list of excursion and incursions our students have already experienced.

Car Park Pick Up

A reminder to all family members using our car park service to please be patient and respectful. The aim of the staff member directing the flow of traffic into school is to keep students safe and to keep the traffic flowing along Boronia Street. When cars wait back level with OOSH and St Agnes' Uniform Store for their turn to enter our car park, they stop St Agnes’ families and the general public from moving. This impacts bus schedules, neighbours from getting in and out of their driveways and does not follow general road rules, as cars then try to overtake on the wrong side of the road. Vehicles are not to park across the pedestrian crossing into our car park so our students and families can safely cross. Access to car park pick-up is a privilege and drivers that are not following the instructions of school staff may have their access removed. We hope that we do not have to action this process in the future.

Raffle tickets for the Nintendo Switch, Port Macquarie Monopoly game and the Mickey Mouse jigsaw puzzle are available for 50 cents each outside of the front office at Lunch One each day. All proceeds will be donated to Sr Marjorie’s Soup Kitchen at ‘Our Place.’

Hairstyle Reminder

This week students were reminded of the correct school uniform policy regarding hair. Students are required to have hair tied back off their face for learning at all times during the school day. Hair at shoulder length and below, needs to be tied back in a neat manner for boys and girls. No extreme hairstyles of mullets, shaved or cut out designs are acceptable.

Father's Day Celebrations

All father's and father figures are invited to join us for a sausage sizzle on Friday 30 August from 7:30am. We will have games and activities on the oval and a coffee van too.

Cour’Tarlor Daley will take part in this year’s Starlight Children’s Foundations charity ride and will share her experience of the wonderful help this foundation has provided for her. Cour’Tarlor is raising money for the Starlight foundation through selling raffle tickets. We congratulate her on being such an inspiration for others and wanting to support the charity that has helped make her medical journey more bearable.

Breaking Point with Dr Justin Coulson

The Council of Catholic School Parents is hosting a FREE parenting webinar with parenting speaker and author, Justin Coulson. This webinar will unpack:

• The root causes behind the deteriorating state of mental health, and who (or what) is responsible.
• The tools you need to reverse this trend for your children.
• Realistic approaches for managing screen time in a way that protects your child's wellbeing.
• Creating margin in your home and family life to protect and promote mental wellness.

Free Webinar For Parents and Carers

Consent and Online Boundaries: How to support your primary aged child.

Tuesday 20 August 2024 - 7:30pm to 8:00pm

As children begin to navigate the online world, they need to know how to make decisions around consent and boundaries. This 30-minute webinar will outline strategies for parents and carers, as well as support those hard-to-have conversations.

Join online at our upcoming Term 3 eSafety Commissioner cybersafety talk for parents and carers.

Please register here

Sports News

Georgia Watson - Polding Rugby

On Wednesday, Georgia Watson, a Year 5 student, travelled to Sydney to participate in the Polding Girls’ Rugby 7’s Trials. Having grown up playing rugby league, this was Georgia's first experience transitioning to rugby union. The event took place at Santa Sabina College, where Georgia played as part of the Polding Team. Throughout the day, she competed against other Catholic schools from the MacKillop regions. Georgia and her teammates played two games, winning one and losing the other. Despite being a Year 5 student, Georgia faced Year 6 players and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing representative rugby union. She is already looking forward to participating in the Rugby 7’s event next year.

Here’s what Georgia had to say about her experiences.

“My mum and I travelled to Sydney the day before and stayed in a hotel. We woke up really early to get to the rugby union venue. When I got there I had to get a coloured shirt. I got white. We were split as the girls that live out of sydney and those who live in sydney. We started by doing warm-ups with some passing drills and then we did some tackling drills. We had a break and then we got in to the games. My team lost the first game, but we won the second game. I don't know if I made it, but it was so fun to do.” 

NSW Touch Football Gala Day

The teams for the NSW Touch Football Gala Day have been drafted and submitted. The event will take place at Tuffins Lane on Thursday 5 September, with the first games starting at 9:30am. Around 210 students are expected to attend. This non-competitive gala day is focused on participation and skill development. Students will have the opportunity to play touch football with their peers while learning the rules and techniques from experienced players and referees. We welcome any families to come and join in the gala day and support their children. The permission notes were posted on Compass today.

NSW Netball Schools Cup - Years 3 and 4

This week, notes for the NSW Netball All Schools Cup were sent to families via Compass. The event is set for Wednesday 11 September, and will include both competitive and non-competitive leagues. Parent permission for the gala day will close on Tuesday 20 August, so we can register each team on the PlayHQ website. After the teams are registered, a second notification will be sent out, prompting families to complete the registration on the PlayHQ  for their childs specific team.

Diocesan Athletics

Due to the heavy rainfall throughout the week, the Diocesan Athletics Carnival had to be postponed. The decision was made on Wednesday afternoon following significant rain in Coffs Harbour. The carnival has now been rescheduled for Tuesday 20 August. We wish the best of luck to our athletes who will be attending, and we look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Future Dates

Term 3

• Tuesday 20 August: Diocesan Athletics - Coff Harbour (Rescheduled from Friday 16 August)
• Tuesday 23 - Friday 26 August: NSW PSSA Soccer - Tamworth
• Thursday 5 Spetmeber: NSW Touch Football Gala Day (Years 3-6) - Tuffins Lane
• Wednesday 11 September: Netball NSW Schools Cup (Years 3 & 4) - Port Macquarie
• Thursday 12 September: Paul Wilson Cup & Lismore Diocese Netball Challenge - Laurieton (All Year 6)
• Friday 13 September: Polding Athletics - Newcastle
• Wednesday 25 September: Paul Wilson Cup & Lismore Diocese Netball Challenge Finals - Grafton

Positive Behaviour Support

This week we have continued with our new focus on National 'Say No to Bullying' by following the 4R’s. I can use my 4R’s to make sure everyone belongs. The 2024 theme this year is 'Everyone Belongs'. When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It’s about embracing who we are, respecting everyone’s differences and standing up together against unkindness. Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We’re encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected, and our voices are heard and valued.

This week we have engaged in daily lessons to learn how to create a place where everyone feels they belong. Today we continued with our learning during our Social Circle sessions. All students were given a purple wristband to wear today to raise awareness about saying no to bullying.

Daily Videos

Family Resources

Website: For families This site has some great fact sheets to help families understand and prevent bullying below.

St Agnes' Primary School Community Forum

There are lots of exciting School Community Forum activities coming up!

Social Sundays - Year 5 and Year 6 - Just two Social Sunday's remain - This Sunday 18 August for Year 5 and Sunday 25 August for Year 6. See flyers below for further details and please RSVP via your grade facebook page or by contacting the parent listed on the flyers below. 

August Meeting - Wednesday 21 August 5:45pm Please follow the link to view the meeting agenda. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend. 

'Spring Fling' Parents Night - Friday 20 September - Parents and Carers, get the babysitters organised and book your tickets to the 'Spring Fling' at Hello Sailor, Port Marina. See flyer below. BOOK NOW via: https://shorturl.at/HiIQN

Save the date - SCHOOL DISCO - Thursday 12 September (5:15pm to 7:00pm). Details coming soon!

To get in touch, please contact pandfstagnes@gmail.com

Canteen News

Parish News

Community News