Newsletter - 2024 Term 4 Week 9

Calendar

From the Leaders

On the Third Sunday of Advent the Rose coloured candle is lit, which is the colour of Joy.

This is the season of a million preparations. We spend time and money getting ourselves and our homes ready to celebrate Christmas. Sunday’s readings ask us to consider more seriously the part of Advent that prepares our hearts and lives for the time when Christ will come again. Like the people in John the Baptist’s time, we need to ask ourselves what we need to do to get ready for Jesus.

End of Year Mass

Today we celebrated the 2024 School Year with a whole school Mass.

This was a special way to acknowledge the contributions made by students, staff and families working together to assist all students reaching their full potential. Father Prodencio shared that we each have beauty inside us and we need to share this with others. Our Year 6 students handed over the reigns of leadership to our current Year 5 students.

2025 Classes and Teacher Allocation

A big thank you to all of our staff that have been spending hours and hours of their time to get class combinations correct for 2025. Our staff have done a wonderful job in setting up our groupings for next year. Staff have tried to accommodate requests where possible, but given that we have three classes per grade, some requests were not able to be facilitated in their entirety. We ask parents to support these groupings when children come home this afternoon. Staff have taken the opportunity to trial these groupings and are very happy with the balance across the three classes. A great deal of time and energy has gone into this whole process. 

2025 Class Transition Experience

All of our students have had a wonderful experience today meeting their new teachers and classmates. It was a lovely way to finish the week, with lots of smiles and excitement across the school.

2025 Staffing Announcements

As you know St Agnes’ Primary has been very lucky to be the recipient of some amazing staff from St Joseph’s Primary over recent years through our Parish transfer process. This year we have three of our amazing staff heading off on 12 month transfers to our local schools:

Lisa James- St Joseph's Primary Port Macquarie.

Jessica Stewart- St Joseph's Primary Wauchope.

Claire Thurlow- St Joseph's Primary Kempsey.

We are incredibly blessed to have these wonderful ladies as part of our school community and we are not saying farewell, as we look forward to welcoming them back in 2026! We wish them all the very best in their exciting new roles next year.

Whilst they are away, we are very blessed to welcome Laura Stapleton from St Joseph's Primary Port Macquarie as a class teacher in Year 3 and Sammy Walters from St Joseph's Primary Kempsey as our Leader of Pedagogy. Both Sammy and Laura bring a wealth of experience and excitement to our staff and we look forward to them joining us next year.

2025 Team Announcements

We are excited to announce our 2025 Teaching and Leadership Teams below. We know that they will all be amazing in their roles in 2025!

2025 House Leaders

We would like to congratulate and introduce our House Leaders for 2025:

Boronia - Jack C and Beau L

Clarence - Max S and Mila S

Flinders - Ryan C and Ava S

Kennedy - Zane B and Patrick M

School Reports

School reports are being finalised and will be available on Compass early next week. We will advise you all once they are live.

Parent Feedback - Video Information Topics

Kate (School Counsellor) and Nadine (School Occupational Therapist) are excited to offer some short parent information videos in 2025 covering a range of topics. Please click on the following LINK to provide feedback on topics that are important to you.

Kindergarten 2025

The Kindergarten Information night and BBQ was a wonderful evening where Kinder families were introduced to the Kinder Staff Team for next year. The families got to know more about their class teacher and expectations for the start of the 2025 school year. We loved seeing all the families.

Volunteers’ Morning Tea – A Heartfelt Thank You

On Tuesday we held a special Thank You Morning Tea for all our wonderful volunteers who have so generously given their time to our school community in 2024.

In the spirit of Mary MacKillop’s wise words:
"Never see a need without doing something about it," we celebrated the generosity, time, and effort of everyone who has made a difference in our school community.

From our canteen helpers to classroom support volunteers, and Betty, who lovingly sets up the Chapel for our weekly visits—thank you for your dedication. All these contributions make our school a better place for everyone.

We look forward to welcoming all our volunteers back in 2025!

Year 6 Fun Assembly

The whole school got involved in the Family Feud session run by the SRC on Wednesday. Thanks to Mrs Alchin and the Year 6 students who started the process in their Social Circles groups.

400 Dojo Winners

On Tuesday the 400 dojo winners happily shared in their treat session, eating their choice of ice cream cones or a slushie.

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Year 4 Visit to Lourdes

The Year 4 card making visit to Lourdes Village residents was another huge success. Twelve of the residents joined with over 20 of our students who were selected to participate to create Christmas cards. 

This brought joy to our students and the residents. Plans are already being made for other card making sessions next year.

Year 6 Fun Week

Next week Year 6 end their primary school education with a Graduation Mass on Monday, an excursion to Stoney Aqua Park on Tuesday and a fun day on Wednesday. They will finish with walking through a guard of honour at the end of the school day, with other students and staff who will not be returning in 2025.

Year 1

Year 1 students enjoyed their retreat on Monday afternoon with Evronia and Jaz, participating in whole class and small group activities focusing on the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Whilst Kindergarten had the final Liturgy of the Word for the 2024 year in the chapel on Thursday.

Weekly Challenge with Miss Rinnie

Little Muzos

Band Rehearsals will resume on Wednesday 12 February for all continuing musicians. 

New students need to go to littlemuzos.com.au to register so that the correct instrument and book is prepared for your child. 

Pastoral Care

The holidays are an exciting time for children, but they can be challenging for kids, too, when all those things they look forward to — free time, sweets, presents, cousins! — can get overwhelming. Changes to routine, late nights, and travelling can all increase feelings of stress. Here are some tips from the Child Mind Institute to help make the Christmas Holidays kid friendly.

Prep kids for changes in routine: Preparing kids for changes in their routines, including what to expect and what you expect of them, will help head off meltdowns and overwhelm. If you’re travelling, bring familiar toys and books, and make sure you have quiet one-on-one time like reading before bed.

Prioritise: It can feel like there are a lot of expectations to live up to at Christmas time. Look after your wellbeing by deciding what is important and what can be let go, prioritising, and saying no to things.

Be realistic: Recognise your kids limitations so that you can plan accordingly. For example; Kids who are anxious about meeting new people, or seeing extended family they are not familiar with, will need support and realistic expectations. Children who are sensitive to sound, lights, or crowded spaces may become overwhelmed. Planning for different environments together and having realistic expectations of what you and your children can cope with will minimise stress. 

Have fun and laugh: Most importantly, enjoy the time together. Kids don’t remember if everything was perfectly arranged, or even what presents they received….they will remember how it felt to spend quality time with you! 

Sports News

St Agnes' School Swimming Carnival

Last Friday, our students showcased their swimming talents at the annual St Agnes' School Swimming Carnival. The weather was perfect and the enthusiasm and positive attitude of our swimmers set the tone for a fantastic day.

Competitors in the 50m pool gave their all in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events. Congratulations to all students who participated and demonstrated great determination and sportsmanship.

Meanwhile, the infant teams enjoyed various fun activities in the 25m and toddler pools. They dominated novelty games and engaged in free swim sessions with their peers, with some staff members taking the opportunity to get in the water.

The team spirit was alive throughout the day as house teams went head-to-head with chants and cheers. The lively atmosphere undoubtedly left many with sore throats by the end of the event!

A huge thank you to our dedicated staff for ensuring the carnival ran smoothly and provided an enjoyable experience for all. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the parents and families who generously gave up their time to help on the day. Your support is vital to the success of events like this.

Special congratulations go to Clarence House, who emerged as the champion house, narrowly defeating Boronia by just four points.

Finally, well done to all the Age Champions and Runners-Up for their outstanding performances! 

8 Years Girls
Age Champion: Isobel W
Age Champion Runners-up: Eva D and Evie E

8 Years Boys
Age Champion: Harry M
Age Champion Runner-up: Lachlan F

9 Years Girls
Age Champion: Rose M
Age Champion Runner-up: Layla M

9 Years Boys
Age Champion: Rocky W
Age Champion Runner-up: Ardan B

10 Years Girls
Age Champion: Asha W
Age Champion Runner-up: Alba W

10 Years Boys
Age Champion: Dominic R
Age Champion Runner-up: Myles G

11 Years Girls
Age Champion: Sophia F
Age Champion Runner-up: Jade J

11 Years Boys
Age Champion: Kallan F
Age Champion Runner-up: Ryan C

12 Years Girls
Age Champion: Sienna H
Age Champion Runner-up: Zoe O

12 Years Boys
Age Champions: Lorcan B and Ethan F

Registration for 2025 Zone Swimming Trials

Entries are now open for the 2025 Swimming Trials, which will take place at Wauchope Pool on Thursday 6 February. These trials serve as a pathway to the Hastings Zone Carnival, scheduled for Tuesday 18 February, in Macksville.

The trials are open to students who meet the following criteria:

• Regularly attend swimming lessons or squad training, and/or
• Can competitively swim 50 meters in their nominated stroke.

Families can register for events through schoolinterviews.com.au using the event code 6gctd. Earlier issues with missing events on the platform have now been resolved. Families who have already made bookings can log back in to add additional events if needed.

Diocesan AFL Trials – Friday 21 February 2025

The Diocesan AFL Trials will take place on Friday 21 February 2025, at Lower Fisher Park, Oliver Street in Grafton. These trials aim to select representatives for the Polding AFL Trials, which will be held in Newcastle on Tuesday 8 April 2025.

Students in Years 5 or 6 in 2025 who are representative-level or highly skilled AFL players are encouraged to participate. To nominate your child, please refer to the instructions provided on the attached nomination form from the Lismore Diocese.

Future Dates

2025

• Thursday 6 February: School Zone Swimming Trials - Wauchope Pool
• Friday 7 February: Polding Summer Sports Trials - Tamworth
• Monday 17 February: Zone Winter Sports Trials - Port Macquarie
• Tuesday 18 February: Zone Swimming Carnival - Macksville

Positive Behaviour Support

This week we continue with our focus on being Respectful. I can respect and celebrate difference. Congratulations to the Kennedy house for winning the house cup for Term 4. You all did an amazing job of setting an example of how to follow our whole school agreed expectations of the 4R’s.

Well done Kennedy

Catholic Social teaching: 

We believe that every person is made in God’s image. We believe that every person has inherent dignity and every life is sacred.

The innate dignity of each person is the foundation and inspiration of our vision for a just and compassionate world.

We see the image of God in every person, no matter their circumstance. The women, men and children most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice should not be hindered from living a life equal to their dignity.

Canteen News

Parish News

Community News