Newsletter 3 November 2023

Principal's Message

 Friday 3 November 2023 - Term 4 Week 4

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Wednesday, we welcomed our Kindergarten class of 2024 to their first taste of ‘big school’ at their orientation morning. They were just delightful, and we loved having them with us. 

It has been a privilege this year to meet with prospective families and hear their stories of what draws them to our school…a welcoming faith community, a strong reputation, educational excellence, and outstanding staff are just some of the comments I have been told.

These comments are lovely to hear, and they have caused me to ponder not only how great I believe our school is but also what we can do to make it even better. This week, I have shared with students and staff three areas of improvement to focus on that will help keep students calm and settled as they finish the year successfully. 

1. Ensuring an ordered and safe environment by walking around the school and staying to the left-hand side of the stairs.
2. Lining up calmly to enter classroom spaces ready for learning.
3. Speaking politely and using manners. If you know someone's name, try to use it. 

It has only been three days, but we have noticed students making marked attempts to lift in these three areas. Whilst they seem like relatively simple points for improvement, much of what we read and learn about regarding well-being and school excellence mentions the many little things that occur daily to make students feel safe, calm and ready to learn. 

As always, our goal at St Augustine’s is to provide an environment where students thrive. As we countdown to the end of the year, I encourage us all to maintain high expectations of our students and our school and to enjoy what the last 29 days of the 2023 school year will bring!

Kind Regards,

Naomi Loader 

Faith and Mission News

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Max Murphy and Vinnie Ambrosini who received their First Holy Communion on Sunday morning at the 9am parish mass.

Parish Luncheon

On the 3rd Wednesday of each month, a social parish luncheon is held in the Curran Centre at 12 noon. Everyone is welcome to come along and meet some other parishioners and have a chat. A plate to share is welcome, but not essential. Pop in for a quick cuppa if you don’t have time to stay for lunch.

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

Learning and Teaching

Year 3 'What is a National Park?' Field Trip

On Thursday 2 November Year 3 students are asked the question 'What are National Parks?' on their field trip to Moonee Beach Nature Reserve and Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve. The excursion is an integral part of this term's Geography unit. The students worked through a series of learning activities led by Ranger Matt and Year 3 staff, exploring the ecosystems and management practices of past and present national park users.

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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.

2023 St Augustine's Yearbook on sale!

Limited copies available!

Pre-order via Compass

Orders CLOSE 6pm Wednesday 15 November

See flyer below for details

Enviro Club: St Augustine’s & Sustainability

St Augustine’s Primary School wants students to learn that sustainability requires people to interact with the environment in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for future generations.

The Enviro Club has been busy these last few weeks setting up a Pen and Marker recycling program. We created the first of hopefully many videos outlining ways that students, teachers and families of St Augustine’s can help take care of our amazing environment. 

The Waste Warriors have been busy monitoring our playground for any rubbish that might be blown away and end up in our beautiful waterways and oceans. They are so generous with their time and are making a big difference.

The Gardening Club have been busy planting, watering and weeding our school vegetable gardens. We recently harvested some honey from our two native bee hives and want to keep our gardens healthy so these essential pollinators can keep up their amazing work in nature! 

Keep your eye out on school notices, Facebook and the newsletter for future projects that our students are working on to create a sustainable future for all.

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FETE - 7 Sleeps to go!

Our Fete is only 7 sleeps away. Use this wishlist to plan your Fete afternoon. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in donations. Please keep them coming!

Kinder 2024 Orientation

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Love our Learning Journeys!

We were excited to welcome Parents and Carers to our Semester 2 Learning Journeys last week.

Learning Journeys are an opportunity for our students to showcase their learning and for families to gain insights into their progress, achievements, and goals. We loved having so many of you here to share in our learning.

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Year 5 Camp Photo Gallery

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Year 5 $20 BOSS Market Day

SAVE THE DATE
Year 5 $20 BOSS Market Day - Wed 6 December 2023

Support our Year 5 entrepreneurs on their Market Day!

See flyer below for details

Year 5 families - more information will be sent home next week

Term 4 Canteen Specials

Sport News & Sport Calendar

 SPORT EVENTS CALENDAR - TERM 4

NSWPSSA Athletics Championships

Last week St Augustine’s had a record number of students attend the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships at SOPAC.   The championships took place over two days, with weather conditions ranging from extreme heat to blustering cold winds and rain. Our students competed against over 30 of the best athletes and relay teams in NSW in their events. The results below are absolutely outstanding and we are extremely proud of all of them! 

Senior Girls Relay (Grace, Ruby, Harlow and Tillie) 5TH 

Tillie 8/38 High Jump, 9/40 Long Jump, 13th in Semi Final 100m

Grace 33/40 Long Jump 

Riley 8/37 High Jump 

Nate 14/37 High Jump 

Clarence Zone Summer Sports Trials 

Our Clarence Zone Summer Sports Trials kicked off this week with Tennis and Cricket. Next week we have Touch Football and Basketball. We wish all of these Year 4 and 5 students the best of luck. A full report can be found in the next newsletter.

St Augustine’s Representative Swimming Trials 

Our St Augustine’s Representative Swimming Trial Carnival will be held at the end of the term on Friday 1st December. This carnival is optional for competitive swimmers. Any competitive swimmer turning 8 years or above in 2024 are eligible to enter. (Not for students in the current Year 6). To nominate please use the nomination form sent to you via compass. Please note the cutoff date for nominations is Wednesday 16 November. 

St Augustine's Out of School Hours Care

We are very excited to announce that St Augustine’s Out of School Hours Care is commencing Before School Care (BSC) from the 10th October 2023, Term 4.

Before School Care Hours of Operation: 6:30am - 8:30am, 5 days a week

Daily Fee: Permanent Session $18  or Casual Session $21

The BSC program will be filled with fun and exciting games and experiences for all ages. Breakfast will be available for all children attending Before School Care and we cater for children with dietary needs or allergies.

Please email cofhp-oshc@lism.catholic.edu.au if you would like to book your child/children into the BSC program.  We look forward to seeing you at BSC in Term 4.

Fee Reminder

Canteen News

Canteen Roster

Week beginning 6 November

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

Week beginning  13 November

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

Notices