Newsletter 28 July 2023

Principal's Message

Friday 28 July 2023 - Term 3 Week 2

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last Wednesday and Thursday, Bishop Greg visited the parish for Confirmation. During his time with us, he emphasised the significance of love and the vital role of imparting this value to our children. His simple and concise manner of presenting the teachings from the Gospels left a lasting impression on the candidates and their families.

The Sacrament of Confirmation constitutes the second of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. Through this sacrament, we become more closely united with Christ. With the strengthening of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the candidate is able to accept new responsibilities for witnessing Jesus to the world.

We congratulate all of the children who were Confirmed and wish them every blessing in their lives. As they receive the Holy Spirit into their lives in this Sacrament, may they be taught to cherish the Faith throughout life by the example of their parents and loved ones.

I encourage your attendance at next week's Parent-Teacher meetings. It is widely acknowledged in the field of education that schools which consistently renew, strengthen, and innovate their approach to engaging with parents reap the benefits of improved school community cohesion, enhanced student achievement, and increased job satisfaction for staff. Our ongoing endeavor here at St Augustine’s is to foster meaningful relationships between parents/carers and teachers, aiming for improved learning and well-being outcomes for the students.

Next Friday is the 2023 Non-Government School Census collection data. For details on the information collected for the census please see the link below.

A huge thank you to everyone who has assisted their child to sign up to our Colour-Thon fundraising platform. We look forward to a wonderful day celebration on Friday 25 August. 

Kind regards,

Naomi Loader

Acting Principal 

Faith and Mission News

Sacrament of Confirmation

Congratulations to all our students who received the sacrament of Confirmation last week. We pray that the gifts that were sealed in them in the sacrament continue to grow stronger and bring them ever closer to our Lord.

First Eucharist

Our First Eucharist candidates have begun preparing to receive this most holy sacrament. Please note the following dates associated with this preparation.

• Family Preparation Evening/Passover Wednesday 9 August 6:30pm

An evening for parents and children to participate in a Passover Meal. Unfortunately, due to the large number of candidates, only one parent will be able to accompany their child.  At this evening, parents are asked to indicate which Mass their family will attend for their child to receive the Eucharist for the first time. (Saturday 26 August@5:30pm, Sunday 27 August@9am or Sunday 27 August @5:30pm

• Retreat for Students Thursday 24 August

A retreat will be held at the Curran Centre (across the road from St Augustine’s School) for students making the Sacrament of First Eucharist during school hours.

RE Spotlight 

The students in Year 3 have been working very hard on how to write a persuasive speech. Below are two speeches where the children chose the topic of Why God/the Church is important. 

Alannah  Guselli 

God is Everything

Hi my name is Alannah. A warm welcome to all listening today. Fingers crossed I will convince you that the person I am going to speak to you about is someone you should know pretty well. Well I hope you do! I am going to speak about. God. Did you know God is always with you? Let me explain.

To begin, God is the cause of all things and so is the creator, sustainer and ruler of the universe. God is the ruler of all. 

Secondly, it's important to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion. The reason you make these three steps in life is to be welcomed into the Holy Church and of course to live life as a Christian. It is the first three steps to be a member of the Catholic Church so that you can develop your faith and build your relationship with God.

Also, the church is a special place. It is a place where you can find  peace,  respect , dignity and patience. If you go to mass on Sundays then continue that, and if you don’t, I would start going more often. If you can't make it on the weekend then pray everyday and make the most of mass during a school day. Make it count while you can! 

What purpose would life have if we didnt have God in our lives? Why do we get up every morning; why do we experience love in our lives if it didn’t have meaning. Where do we want to go when we die? We want to be with God. Right?

Did you know that the very word you say after every prayer is Amen. That very same word means I believe. Do we all really believe as we should?

There is no question that I have convinced you today that God is the most important person well..  (actually three persons) you will ever have in your life.

SPEECH - Sadie Hardaker

The Church

Hi, Put your hand up if you know what special means.

You might be thinking of a special occasion like, for example, Christmas. But if you think even deeper than that, you think of something even more special ….. Jesus!!!!!and when you put that theory into place you must think of the …..Church!!!   The Church is a good place because ..You can socialise , be supported and feel closer to God and Jesus.

Firstly, if you socialise, you can make friends with like minded people who also love our saviour. Believing in God  makes your friends happy and you will be happy too. It can also enlighten your mood which is good for your mental health especially because God is there for you. It is only when we feel close to God that we are truly happy.

Secondly, you can be supported by everyone and build up your confidence and courage, which will help later in life. For example, not being scared to do things because you asked God for help.  You can participate in the liturgy at Mass, building your confidence whilst speaking the word of God. For example, in church I’ve spoken in front of people,  which built up my courage to do this in front of you today.

Lastly,you can be closer to God, meaning you’ll never be alone if you repeat this in your head MARANATHA MARANATHA MARANATHA  which means Come Lord Jesus and only when you ask Jesus to enter your heart, will you truly know the real reason we exist. 

I know how people love to have peace at the beach but you know what I think? The most peaceful place in the world is at the altar. 

In conclusion, I hope I have convinced you that your best friend is God and you can find him in the Church. There you will make friends, be supported and feel close to Jesus.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Divine Mercy Chaplet

After the 9:15am Friday morning Mass a group of parishioners will be staying back to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet each week. They have been going for 2 weeks now. They will start as soon as the students leave the Church. Teachers, student, parents etc are all very warmly invited to join in if they wish to stay back after Mass. Laminated booklets will be available to help people follow along with the prayers. Regular Rosary beads are used and it takes approximately 20 minutes.

Reconciliation Times in our Parish are as follows:

Coffs Harbour, St Augustine’s Church : Saturday 9:30am-10:30am and 4:30pm -5:30pm

Woolgoolga, St Francis Xavier’s Church : Sunday 8:15am - 8:45am

Dominique Montford - Acting Assistant Principal Mission
Maria Woods - Leader of School Evangelisation

Learning and Teaching

BOOK WEEK PARADE - Wed 23 August

Book Week Parade: An exciting event not to be missed! 

The 2023 K-6 Book Week Parade is a celebration of literature and the love of reading. It will take place on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at 9:15 am across the WWA and Year 3 area. This year's parade promises to be a wonderful celebration of imagination and creativity. Our students are encouraged to bring their favourite book characters to life and showcase these in the parade.  Following the K-6 parade, K-2 students will move up to the top area for a special staff pantomime. Parents and carers are invited to join us too…. Something not to be missed!!!

The Book Week Parade is more than just a showcase of characters; it is an occasion to inspire a lifelong love for reading and literature. Seeing their characters come to life through the eyes of their peers and parents encourages our students to explore new worlds, embark on thrilling adventures, and appreciate the magic of books.

Please mark your calendars and be sure to join us.

K-2 Parent Storytelling Dates Term 3 & 4

Save the Dates: K-2 Parent Storytelling dates for Term 3 and Term 4

Click on the Google Form  to let us know you will be there.

Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal - THANK YOU!

A big thank you to all who contributed to our Winter Appeal this year. We were overwhelmed by the volume of donations received from our school community. Yesterday Leon Walsh and John Plumber from SVDP came to collect the donations and were extremely grateful that they have so many jumpers and blankets to share with community members in need.

Our Catholic Social Teaching at work!

We were also able to present a cheque for the money raised from our Mother's Day Raffle. Thank you once again to our school community for generously supporting less fortunate members of the local community.

Mini Vinnies are very grateful for your support!!

Mini Vinnies PYJAMA DAY - Wed 9 August

PJ DAY 

Wednesday 9 August (Week 4 )
As a follow-up to our Winter Appeal, Mini Vinnies will be holding Pyjama Day on Wednesday 9 August. Come to school dressed in your warm winter PJ's for a GOLD COIN donation....  (Appropriate footwear must be worn). Hot chocolates will also be available to purchase on the day for $2.50 or $3.00 with a marshmallow. YUM!

COLOURTHON - Friday 25 August

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Friday 25 August, we will hold our annual Colour-Thon. Each student will be encouraged to walk as many laps of our school oval as they can in approximately an hour and a half, raising funds for our St Augustine's Parent Forum. There will be colour, music, and lots of fun! All of our families are invited to come along and watch or even join in!

Each student will create their own online sponsorship page, allowing them to collect sponsors via Chuffed.org. Students will join their class team, and each week, there will be prizes awarded to the class that raised the most money in that week. 

The overall highest fundraiser will win our amazing COFFS HARBOUR ADVENTURE PACK valued at over $1000 (see below). Prizes will also be awarded to the next five highest fundraisers across the school and the best-dressed group or individual in each cohort.

The instructions attached outline how you create your child's online fundraising page linked to the St Augustine's 2023 Colour-Thon chuffed.org page. Use this link to get started.  

https://chuffed.org/project/st-augustines-colourthon-2023/signup

Once students have created their online page, they can collect sponsorship by sharing their individual link with family and friends. In sponsoring a student in our Colour-Thon, you directly support our Parent Forum which uses the funds raised to improve facilities at St Augustine's.

Our goal is to have all students create their online sponsorship page by this Monday. A small icy pole treat will be provided on Monday to anyone who has done this. Any student or family who requires technical assistance to set up their online page shouldn't hesitate to contact the school for support.

Kind regards,

Naomi Loader

Acting Principal

On behalf of the St Augustine's Parent Forum

Sport News & Sport Calendar

 SPORT EVENTS CALENDAR - TERM 3

Year 3-6 Elective Sports 

Students in Years 3 - 6 have enjoyed their first two weeks of Elective Sports.  From Ten Pin Bowling & Ice Skating to Gymnastics & Stand Up Paddleboarding, there has been lots of fun learning new skills, making friends and enjoying a variety of sports.

Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival

Well done to our Athletics Team who competed at the Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival last term. It was a great carnival of running, jumping and throwing in the winter sunshine. St Augustine’s School was awarded the Zone School Point Score Shield! A big congratulations to the following Age Champions:

Junior Boy - Nate Butcher 

11 Years Boy - Cohen Straw 

11 Years Girl - Grace Duede

Senior Girl - Pippa Dodd

Congratulations to the following students who qualified to compete at the Lismore Diocese Athletics Carnival: Willow Beatty, Kai Brian, Nate Butcher, Hudson Cochran, Pippa Dodd, Grace Duede, Vinnie Fensom, Alexander Greenwood, Eric Greenwood, Pippa Keshk, London Lacey, Hugh Morgan, Riley O’Brien, Tillie Reibelt, Pippa Rowbotham, Harlow Smith, Ruby Smith, Cohen Straw, Jack Tyler, Poppy Warren, Luke Wilson, Reef Winkler. 

Expression of Interest for Upcoming Sporting Events 

An expression of interest form for the following events is on student notices. Students are to advise their class teacher if they wish to have their name added to the expression of interest form. 

National Tree Day

National Tree Day is celebrated this Sunday 30 July. Today schools across Australia plant trees as an opportunity to do something positive for their local environment and community and to reconnect with nature. Many thanks to Coffs Harbour Toyota for their kind donation of this lovely olive tree... some of our keen gardeners were on hand to help with the planting!

SJPC Sleepout

Students and staff from SJPC will be spending a night out in the cold on Thursday 17th August to raise awareness and much needed funds for people in our community experiencing homelessness. Their fundraising goal is $10,000!

Please support them by making a donation via the following website:

https://my.fundraise.vinniesnsw.org.au/vinnies-school-sleepouts/2023-sjpc-winter-sleepout

Canteen News

Canteen Roster

Week beginning 31 July  

• Monday - L Seccombe, S Forbes
• Tuesday -  C Williams
• Wednesday - Help Needed 
• Thursday - J Ward
• Friday -  W McLean, K Cochran, Help Needed

Week beginning  7 August

• Monday - D Budden
• Tuesday - E Taylor
• Wednesday -  C Jones, N Oakland
• Thursday - C Williams
• Friday - L Knight, W McLean, L Lawler, K Cochran

Notices

Darby’s story:
COVID put many things on hold for a while for a wide range of people- including the very keen younger soccer enthusiast Darby Wall from Nana Glen. Thankfully, in the winter holidays of 2022, George Cowie and his partnership with West Ham Football Club came to Coffs Harbour for a 2 days soccer camp. Even the inclement weather could not stop a strong turnout and the kids had a blast learning from coaches, who had worked and coached overseas.
The keenest of the kids who attended the winter camp were given the opportunity to head to a follow up camp on the Gold Coast, held at the Prestigious Establishment known as The Southport School.  A glorious four days of playing in the Gold Coast sun and in some lucky cases, down by the water, meant that there was no shortage of inspiration and fun. This year, in 2023 Darby was selected of these soccer enthusiasts and have been given the opportunity to head to the United Kingdom for follow up camps. The contingent from Coffs Harbour is very strong and there is no doubt that these soccer enthusiasts will be playing alongside UK development squads , watching and learning from Premier League matches, coaching sessions and playing games. Once in a lifetime opportunity for Darby. Please help us to make his dream come true.

https://asf.org.au/projects/help-darby-get-to-the-west-ham-development-tour-in-the-uk