School Newsletter
Our lunch time groups are up and running! If your children are looking for something extra to do, be sure to check out what groups are on offer.
Knitting needles have been flying with Aunty Sharon and Mrs McEntyre at Lunch 1 on Mondays. Mrs Alchin, Mrs Allwood and Mrs Ninness have been getting some help to prepare Garden Club. Watch this space! We look forward to planting new veggies soon!
See you in a lunch group soon!




During this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Matthew on the First Sunday of Lent, the focus is on the temptations of Jesus. At times, we may not have enough food, we may not always be safe, we may not always be in control, but we are always loved by God. When we are tempted we need to look at Jesus’ example and trust in God.
Shrove Tuesday by Year 6
Pancake Tuesday is also called Shrove Tuesday. The word shrove means to tell God we are sorry.
During Lent we give up things that we love for 40 days. On Shrove Tuesday we use up all our salt, flour, milk and eggs. After we have used up all of these ingredients we can’t use them for the rest of the 40 days.
On Tuesday at school, we received the most delicious pancakes to celebrate this occasion. Mrs Sprague asked us some questions that we had to answer correctly before we received our pancakes. Some of these were…
“What is the specific name of tomorrow's date?”
“What do we celebrate on Holy Thursday?”
“What season in the liturgical calendar starts tomorrow?”
“How many days are there in Lent?”
“Who died on the cross?”
Ready, set, Go! Some classes participated in pancake relay races. We had to balance a pancake on a spatula and try to beat the other teams. Our cheeks were hurting from laughing whilst dropping the pancakes over and over again. This is an activity often participated in other countries around the world on Shrove Tuesday.
Thank you to our wonderful parents that cooked over 500 pancakes for our school community. We are so grateful for your help!









Ash Wednesday
Despite the wild weather during our Ash Wednesday Prayer Service this week, we were still able to receive the ashes and hear more about the significance of Ash Wednesday as the start of the Lenten season. During this season we are called to the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We do this to imitate Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert before beginning his public ministry.








Beginning of School Prayer Celebrations
Today our school community prayed to Let our Light Shine through learning and friendships this year. Our Infants students and families joined Father Paul at 10:30am for a beautiful prayer celebration. Our school leaders received their badges during the Primary Mass later in the day. The theme for today was “letting our light shine’. Father Paul set the challenge for students to find ways to do this in our community. Thank you so much to all of our family members who attended, showing support for the faith life in our school.
Aggies Connects: K-2 Come and read with me
We have been communicating lots of information about K-2 reading and we are excited to offer a series of short sessions in the library over the next few weeks that will help parents to learn about and understand some of the changes to reading, especially in the way that you can read with your child at home. You are welcome to bring your child to the morning session, or collect them from the classroom for the afternoon session, so that you can experience the activities with your child. All sessions will have the same information, so choose a time that works for you. We have tried to attach them to pick up and drop off times, to make it easier for families.
Are you wondering where your home reading books are in Kindergarten to Year 2?
At your family sharing time this week, you should have received a letter about home reading, as well as a bookmark that supports word reading strategies. At present, the focus at home is on reading quality literature to and with your child, however, after Week 6 we will be sending our home reading diaries as well as some optional homework activities that link to the current learning in English. Home reading is supposed to be easy practice, children should be developing their fluency, comprehension and love of stories. Our main message is that “number level books” do not matter. These books have all been pooled as resources for children to choose from, please disregard the old numbers as they are not intended for the same purpose that they were previously. You may also hear your child or teacher talking about “decodables”. These reading books have a series of words that are easy for children to “decode” or sound out all of the words using their taught strategies. These are used in Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two only until children are able to successfully blend and segment words and understand the alphabetic principle in order to read more independently. Children who can do this are able to choose their readers. Home reading should also always include quality literature. The vocabulary, comprehension and enjoyment that comes from these texts are essential for their little minds.
NAPLAN Reminder
NAPLAN BEGINS IN THREE WEEKS!
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Each year students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
From 2023, NAPLAN is moving to Term 1 and will take place from Wednesday 15 March to Monday 27 March. The reason for this change is so results can be returned to schools earlier in the year which will support teachers to understand the learning needs of their students and plan accordingly.
NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.
In preparation for NAPLAN 2023, our school will undertake activities to help students to become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked. At school we speak very positively about NAPLAN, reassuring and preparing the children for the assessments.
Students and parents can access the public demonstration site (Online Assessment) to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.
If you have any questions or concerns about NAPLAN or your child participating in the assessments, please contact your child’s teacher or Kate de Bressac.
Canteen News
Monday |
Jo McLaren |
Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
Barbara McGregor |
Thursday |
Ros Caldwell and Anna Lloyd |
Friday |
Tracey Waind, Karyn Rein Castle and Nicole Gluyas |
If you would like to volunteer in the canteen on a regular basis, please see the link below with a form to complete and return to the school.
Give your child the best start to their learning life with St Agnes' Education. Register for a Kindergarten 2024 Enrolment Information Session to find out all you need to know about sending your child to a St Agnes' Education Primary School in 2024.
At our schools, your child will:
• learn from professional, highly skilled and dedicated teachers that know how to help them reach their full potential,
• be embraced by a community that cares for them and teaches them to care for others and their world,
• grow spiritually, socially, physically, morally and intellectually.
Please check your zoning before registering to ensure you attend the information session aligned to the school zoned for where you live. You can view the zoning map on our website www.enrolinexcellence.org.au
Information session details:
St Agnes' Primary School – Tuesday 21 March 2023 – 5:30pm
St Joseph's Primary School – Thursday 23 March 2023 – 5:30pm
St Peter's Primary School – Monday 20 March 2023 – 5:30pm
For questions regarding school zoning, please contact the Education Enrolment Team on (02) 6588 7444.
K-2 English Syllabus
Year 2 Excursion
Carpark Pick Up Permission
Drawn to Art - After School Art Classes are back. Term 1 on a Wednesday from 3:10pm to 4:45pm.
There are still places available, so if you would like to enrol your child into the Term 1 program please book via the website www.drawntoart.com.au or contact Jane on 0438 803 992.
Ben Hardman Music Tuition
Enrolments are open for guitar, bass guitar and drum lessons with Ben. If your child is interested, please complete the attached form and return to the school office.
A massive effort by Aggies swimmers at the Zone Swimming Carnival in Macksville this week. The team represented themselves and their school in the true Aggies Spirit. On the Day, St Agnes’ successfully took home the Zone Swimming Champion trophy. Individually, we had 15 students selected for Diocesan Swimming. Sophia Fox was the Junior Girls Age Champion runner-up and Max Schneider was Senior Boys Champion. Well done to all who participated.
Diocesan Winter Sports Trials
Well done to all the Year Five and Six students who participated in the Winter Sports Trials on Monday. 53 students represented St Agnes' Primary School across 5 different sports. From the day, 13 players made selections for the Diocesan Trials in Grafton on Friday 10 March. Good luck!
Hockey
Xavier Dare, Hayden de Bressac and Chloe Chilko
Netball
Armani Daley and Macey Singh
Monday 27 February |
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Tuesday 28 February |
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Wednesday 1 March |
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Thursday 2 March |
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Friday 3 March |
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Dates For The Diary
Tuesday 7 March |
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Wednesday 8 March |
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Friday 10 March |
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Tuesday 14 March |
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Thursday 16 March |
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Tuesday 21 March |
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God wants you to never plant hatred and revenge towards those who have done wrong against you.
We are excited to be having parents join us to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day. Pancakes were an easy and quick way to use up dairy goods before the beginning of Lent (from back in the days when all animal products were forfeited during Lent). Somewhere along the line, someone attached special significance to the ingredients: eggs represent creation; flour, human work; salt, wholesomeness; and milk for purity.
Ash Wednesday dates back to the 11th century. Yet, the tradition of receiving ashes has even earlier roots — to the ancient Hebrew custom of clothing oneself in sackcloth and dusting oneself with ashes as a sign of penance. This week we will be participating in an Ash Wednesday Prayer Service encouraging all in our community to follow the steps of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
We are grateful to Father Prodencio for celebrating Mass with our Year Five students yesterday. His message was for them to make this year memorable by showing love to others in the St Agnes’ family and their own.





Year Four look forward to having family members join them at 10:15am next Thursday at Christ the King Chapel for their celebration.
Over the course of the week you should have received some information in your child’s Seesaw about ways that you can support your child with Mathematics at home. Please know that this information is not designed to tell you if your child is having difficulty, it is designed to give you supports and strategies to help at home. In the same way, the MAI tells us as teachers what the next learning points are for each child and how to help them develop their skills. If your child’s class teacher has any concerns about your child, they will contact you via phone or arrange an appointment.
K-2 New Curriculum Update
Have you heard your child talking about ‘Component A or Component B’ in their English learning. The children are referring to their instructional groups for English. We will continue to share more information about the learning as it progresses. We will include some photos next week of our work in K-2 English. We are so proud of all of the students as they adjust to the new style of learning.
Reading Update
As we continue to update parents on changes to home reading, all K-2 families will receive a bookmark and some information about home reading during their Family Sharing Time next week. Stay tuned for some invites to some learning sessions at school.
NAPLAN Reminder
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Each year students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
From 2023, NAPLAN is moving to Term 1 and will take place from Wednesday 15 March to Monday 27 March. The reason for this change is so that results can be returned to schools earlier in the year which will support teachers to understand the learning needs of their students and plan accordingly.
NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.
In preparation for NAPLAN 2023, our school will undertake activities to help students to become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked. At school we speak very positively about NAPLAN, reassuring and preparing the children for the assessments.
Students and parents can access the public demonstration site https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.
If you have any questions or concerns about NAPLAN or your child participating in the assessments, please contact your child’s teacher or Kate de Bressac.
Canteen News
Monday | Jo McLaren |
Tuesday | Natalie Favalovo |
Wednesday | |
Thursday | Maryanne Field |
Friday | Daniel Stewart, Veronica Swadling and Nicole Carter |
If you would like to volunteer in the canteen on a regular basis, please see the link below with a form to complete and return to the school.
P&F Meeting – Monday 20 February – 5:45pm
Please join us on Monday 20 February for the first P&F meeting of 2023. All are welcome and we would love to see some of the new families to our school attend. The meetings are an opportunity to ask questions, share your views on topics that concern your children and our school, as well as plan activities that support our school community.
The meeting will run for one hour in the school staffroom (access is via the staff car park). Monday’s agenda and the minutes from the last meeting can be viewed here. Please get in touch prior to have an agenda item added or to find out more via pandfstagnes@gmail.com.
Pancake Tuesday – call for parent helpers
Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the start of Lent - the 40 days leading up to Easter.
Next Tuesday 21 February, students will celebrate Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, by enjoying pancakes as they learn about this feast day and what it represents.
We are seeking parent helpers over three time periods;
Session 1: 8:45am – 10:00am (Set-up, Kindergarten and Year 1 leave class to enjoy pancakes)
Session 2: 9:45am – 11:00am (Year 2 and Year 3)
Session 3: 11:45am – 1:00pm (Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6)
Please email corinne.white@lism.catholic.edu.au (Gross Motor Program and Family Engagement) if you are able to assist.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
St Agnes’ Primary P&F
Enrol In Excellence
Give your child the best start to their learning life with St Agnes' Education. Register for a Kindergarten 2024 Enrolment Information Session to find out all you need to know about sending your child to a St Agnes' Education Primary School in 2024.
At our schools, your child will:
• learn from professional, highly skilled and dedicated teachers that know how to help them reach their full potential,
• be embraced by a community that cares for them and teaches them to care for others and their world,
• grow spiritually, socially, physically, morally and intellectually.
Please check your zoning before registering to ensure you attend the information session aligned to the school zoned for where you live. You can view the zoning map on our website www.enrolinexcellence.org.au
Information session details:
St Agnes' Primary School – Tuesday 21 March 2023 – 5:30pm
St Joseph's Primary School – Thursday 23 March 2023 – 5:30pm
St Peter's Primary School – Monday 20 March 2023 – 5:30pm
For questions regarding school zoning, please contact the Education Enrolment Team on (02) 6588 7444.
Assembly Awards
K Faith | Nina and Tate |
K Hope | Aston and Isla |
K Love | Lacey and Logan |
1 Faith | Mike and Billie |
1 Hope | Willow and Bracen |
1 Love | Alexander and Harper |
2 Faith | Angus and Maddilyn |
2 Hope | Jaxson and Gillyanna |
2 Love | Korbin and Issy |
3 Faith | Keeley and Sophia |
3 Hope | Harrison |
3 Love | Kruze and Catherine |
4 Faith | Malakai and Imogen |
4 Hope | Dean and Emme |
4 Love | Chloe and Xavier |
5 Faith | Jovan and Kaitlyn |
5 Hope | Aaron and Shivam |
5 Love | Cohen and Piper |
6 Faith | Addison and Max |
6 Hope | Isabelle and Kendall |
Zone Winter Sports Trials (selected students)
Zone Swimming Carnival (selected students)
Family Share Time
Carpark Pick Up Permission


Drawn to Art - After School Art Classes are back. Term 1 on a Wednesday from 3:10pm to 4:45pm.
There are still places available, so if you would like to enrol your child into the Term 1 program please book via the website www.drawntoart.com.au or contact Jane on 0438 803 992.
Ben Hardman Music Tuition
Enrolments are open for guitar, bass guitar and drum lessons with Ben. If your child is interested, please complete the attached form and return to the school office.
Congratulations to the students who were successful at yesterday's trials. We wish you all the best at the Zone Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 21 February in Macksville.
Zone Winter Sports Trials
These trials will be held on Monday 20 February. Netball trials will be held at the indoor stadium and Rugby League, Union and Soccer will be held at St Joseph's Regional College. The bus will depart from school at 8:15am and will return in time for afternoon buses.
Please contact andrew.wilson@lism.catholic.edu.au or renee.shaw@lism.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions, news, or suggestions surrounding sport at our school.
Monday 20 February |
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Tuesday 21 February |
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Wednesday 22 February |
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Thursday 23 February |
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Friday 24 February |
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Drawn to Art - After School Art Classes are back. Term 1 on a Wednesday from 3:10pm to 4:45pm.
There are still places available, so if you would like to enrol your child into the Term 1 program please book via the website www.drawntoart.com.au or contact Jane on 0438 803 992.
Ben Hardman Music Tuition
Enrolments are open for guitar, bass guitar and drum lessons with Ben. If your child is interested, please complete the attached FORM and return to the school office.