Newsletter 5 April 2024

Principal's Message

Friday 5 April 2024- Term 1 Week 10

Dear Parents and Carers,

We had a joyful Resurrection Liturgy on Tuesday this week, giving us a time to celebrate the new life that Easter promises. The children sang with gusto and were supported by the talented Sam Horne on drums and Mr Pennycuick on guitar. Thanks to Mrs Woods and the team for organising. 

We have had some terrific results from the Polding swimming carnival in Sydney this week. Our senior AND junior girls relay team defeated all comers for a gold medal, which means they will compete again next week in Sydney against the best from all schools in NSW; private, government and Catholic. It’s great they can fly under our banner and we are enormously proud of them. Many thanks to the dedicated parents who must take the credit for the many early morning starts and travel to Sydney on multiple occasions. 

Unfortunately we’ve had to postpone the Swimming Carnival for today however we have a back-up day booked for Friday 12 April (the last day of the term). Consequently, the assembly will now be held on Thursday 11 April at 2pm. 

Next week a form will be sent home seeking nominations for the Parent Forum. The Forum is a representative group from parent and carers that has the function of representing the voice of the parent community, discerning and advising on strategic direction, building community and raising funds. Meetings are held twice a term on Tuesdays, beginning at 6.30pm and are usually completed in 60-80 minutes. All are welcome to nominate for the position. 

Being a parent is the most rewarding and also the most challenging task we face so having some tips and strategies to navigate this can be very helpful. To this end we have partnered with a group of local professionals (Dr Nicola Holmes and Dr Annemarie Winters with others) and various schools to facilitate a series of workshops on different topics across multiple schools. They are run separately so pick which one suits you: 

Building resilience and managing anxiety. Thursday 2nd of May. Toormina Primary School                                               

Managing technology and creating peaceful households. Tuesday 18th of June, St Augustine's Primary School.                          

Managing challenging behaviours and negotiating conflict (including ADD ASD). Tuesday 20th of August. Narranga Primary School.        

Building a healthy body image with nutrition and exercise. Tuesday October 22nd. Mary Help of Christian’s School, Sawtell.

I recommend these sessions to you to develop your understanding to help your child flourish in a complex world. A flyer on how to register will be sent home next week. Save the dates!    

This is the last official newsletter for the term however I’ll put out another short letter on the last day with holiday information. 

Grace and peace,

Peter Watts

Principal

Faith and Mission News

Sacraments in 2024 - Overview

First Reconciliation and First Eucharist

Wednesday 29 May

First Eucharist Family Preparation Evening  (celebration of the Passover) @6:30pm (Top Assembly Area)

Friday 14 June

First Eucharist Retreat for students at St Augustine’s School and Curran Centre

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June

Sacrament of First Eucharist celebrated at ONE of the Parish Masses 

Confirmation - For baptised students in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6

Monday 29 April

Confirmation Note and  Enrolment via Google Form sent home

Wednsday 5 June

Confirmation Information Night @ 6:30pm 

Sunday 4 August (TBC) and Monday 5 August 

Sacrament of Confirmation (time and day to be advised)

Parish Picnic 

The St Augustine's Parish was holding a Parish Picnic on Saturday 6 April. However this has now been postponed due to rain. A new date will be advised at a later time.

Holy Week Liturgy and Resurrection Liturgy

On Thursday 28 March, our whole school came together to reflect on the great mystery of our Lord’s passion and death. When we returned to school after the Easter break we celebrated His glorious resurrection together in the church. We also listened to how the Mass reflects the events that happened to the disciples on the road to Emmaus just after Jesus’ resurrection; therefore every Sunday is a mini Easter celebration. Alleluia!

Holy Week Pilgimage

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Resurrection Liturgy

Project Compassion Appeal 2024

A huge thank you to everyone who gave so generously to Project Compassion. Please return the boxes to school by the end of the term.

Naomi Loader - Assistant Principal Mission
Maria Woods - Leader of School Evangelisation

Project Compassion - Water Tank Fundraiser

Many thanks go to our generous school and parish communities
for supporting the water tank fundraiser.
We have raised an amazing $690 which will go towards helping vulnerable communities access clean water at home.

Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

Connectedness has long been recognised as core to belonging, as positive and meaningful interactions are crucial to satisfying humans' need to belong. Belonging, learning, believing, and achieving are essential to our students' well-being and are indicators of a thriving child or adult. They underpin our St Augustine’s KEY that guides our students' behaviour. 

Our KEY is below. It may be a starting point for a conversation with your child at home.

K-2 Parent Storytelling 2024

Our Parent Storytelling initiative, a success since 2022, will continue in 2024, offering parents a chance to foster a love of reading in K-2 students. We aim to build a strong reading culture in our school, making reading an enjoyable activity for students.

Here's a quick guide to Parent Storytelling for new and returning families. It's a voluntary activity where parents, caregivers, or grandparents can read to small groups of students. You can join on certain weeks, skip a week, or opt-out as needed. Bring toddlers along if you'd like. Storytelling happens from 9 am to 9:30 am, with parents meeting at 8:55 am outside the front office. You don't need to sign up; just show up with a blanket if you'd like to participate. Your involvement is appreciated for the positive impact on our community.

We can’t wait to see you there!!

Mini Vinnies - Easter Fundraisers

Mini Vinnies had an EGGscellent Easter Fundraiser due to their EGGscellent members who so diligently and enthusiastically were at Mrs Kachel's door 3 times each day to set up and run the stall with a smile. 

In total we raised $425 from our Guessing Competition and Raffle and three EGGstremely happy winners went home before the Easter break. We would like to thank our wonderful school community who continue to support our Mini Vinnies campaigns. Without you, we would not be able to do the work that we do. Together with the Pancake Day for Shrove Tuesday, we have contributed an additional $861.50 to Caritas. Thank you to everyone who supported us. We are EGGstremely proud of our Mini Vinnies team. 

HOT DOG Canteen Special - last day of term

The Canteen is holding a special HOT DOG DAY on the last day of Term 1.
See the flyer below for details.

ANZAC DAY - Save the Date - 25 April

SAVE THE DATE: More information coming soon via COMPASS!

MOTHER'S DAY - Save the Date - May 10

An invitation!

Dear Mothers and Mother like figures in our lives, 

You are invited to celebrate Mother’s Day with us at St Augustine’s School on Friday, May 10, 2024. This year, our Learning Journeys will be part of our Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrations rather than separate events.

The morning is outlined below. You can opt into whatever parts work for you.

7:30am-8:30am  -  Breakfast and cuppa supplied by the school (Top area)
9am  -  Whole school liturgy (Top area)
9:45am  -  (approximately) Learning Journey - Student-led tour of classrooms where students will share some of their learning with you. Families will have an opportunity to visit the classrooms of their children.
10:55am-11:40am  -  Lunch break - BYO picnic or order the special butter chicken online via Flexischools.

Once you, our special guests, have departed, the students can purchase a gift for you from the Parent Forum Mother’s Day Stall. Gifts are $5 each - cash or eftpos is now available. 

We can’t wait to celebrate this special day with you,

Naomi Loader
Assistant Principal Mission

Photo Club

Purple - Maya and Sophie

LARC NEWS

Snap a photo reading in your favourite place or sharing a book with someone special these holidays to go in the draw to win a book pack.

Photo entires will be displayed in the LARC. Please send all photos to chantal.warnes@lism.catholic.edu.au with your name and class by Monday 29 April. 

St Augustine's Cross Country Gallery

The St Augustine's Cross Country Trials took place on Monday 25 March at Geoff King Motors Oval. We had 142 students from Year 2 to Year 6 tackle a course that was a little muddy, a little hilly, and a long, long way for little legs! A huge congratulations to all students who completed the course.

There was a lot of fabulous sportsmanship as each student crossed the line. We would like to sincerely thank our parent helpers who kept everyone on course and motivated on a hot day.

A full report on placings and age champions can be found in the SPORT SECTION of this newsletter.

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Sport News

SPORT CALENDAR 2024 TERM 1

SPORT CALENDAR 2024 TERM 2

St Augustine's Cross Country Trials

Well done to all students who competed at our Cross Country Trials last week. It was great to see the results of Run Club training and athletes displaying good sportsmanship.  Thank you to our parent volunteers who gave their time to help. 

Congratulations to our Age Champions 

8/9 Years Boy - Arlo Tuala 8/9 Years Girl - Frankie Zuvela

10 Years Boy - Ollie Chiswell 10 Years Girl - Stella Dobson

11 Years Boy - Hugh Morgan 11 Years Girl - Rylee Cutler

12 Years Boy - Noah Keshk 12 Years Girl - Pippa Keshk

And to our students who qualified for the Clarence Zone Cross Country Trials:

Arlo Tuala, Beau McMillan, Hudson Cochran, Liam Murphy, Mason Kidd, Frankie Zuvela, Evie Hunter, Isabella Guthrie, Olive Tyacke, Kyanna Horne, Ollie Chiswell, Tre Grant, Vinnie Fensom, Benjamin Burton, Luke Goddard, Stella Dobson, Emma Sandes, Hope Mengel, Zoe Priest, Marika Scheepers, Hugh Morgan, Angus Morgan, Jack Tyler, Nate Butcher, Parker Murphy-Moore, Rylee Cutler, Ariana Yaya, Layla Cole, Sophie Beckhouse, Naya Watson, Noah Keshk, Charlie Chiswell, Reuben Wong, Jack Hammond, Hendrix Glover, Pippa Keshk, Grace Duede, Sienna Porter, Grace Davis, Tahina Yaya.

St Augustine's Cross Country Age Champions

St Augustine's Cross Country Trials placegetters

Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival 

Unfortunately the inclement weather has forced us to postpone the Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival that was to happen today. The good news is that we are able to move the carnival to Friday 12 April, our last day of school. Let’s hope for sunshine! 

NSW CPS Swimming Championships

Our swim team came home with wonderful results from the NSW CPS Swimming Championships this week. St Augustine’s is proud to have such wonderful students representing our school with great sportsmanship and team camaraderie. Well done to all.

Congratulations to Pippa Keshk who medaled in all her events! 

GOLD - Senior Girls 4 x 50m Relay 

SILVER - 100m Open Girls Freestyle

SILVER - 12 Years 50m Freestyle

SILVER - Senior Girls 50m Butterfly

SILVER - Senior Girls 200m IM

BRONZE - Senior Girls 50m Backstroke

Congratulations to Hope Mengel!

SILVER - Junior Girls 200m Individual Medley 

4th - Junior Girls 50m Butterfly

5th - 10 Year Girls 50m Freestyle

11th - Junior Girls 50m Backstroke

Congratulations to our relay teams!

GOLD - Senior Girls 4 x 50m Relay 

(Pippa Keshk, Grace Duede, Ciara Kirkaldy, Brooklyn Kennedy)

GOLD - Junior Girls 4 x 50m Relay 

(Hope Mengel, Alahni Kirkaldy, Stella Dobson, Evie Hunter)

Congratulations also to:

Finnley Johnson (7th - 11 Yr Boys 50m Freestyle, 11th - 11 Yr Boys 50 m Butterfly)

Alahni Kirkaldy (10th - Junior Girls 200m IM, 14th - Junior Girls 50m Butterfly)

Ciara Kirklady (8th - Senior Girls 50m Backstroke)

Ben Wilson (7th - 11 Yr Boys 50m Backstroke)

Ariana Yaya (10th - 11 Yr Girls 50m Butterfly, 11th - 11 Yr Girls 50m Backstroke)

Tahina Yaya (8th - Senior Girls 50m Butterfly)

Good luck to our Pippa, Hope and our Junior Girls and Senior Girls relay teams when they compete at NSW PSSA Swimming Championships next week!

Netball NSW Cup

Last Thursday, five very excited teams of Netballers attended the Netball NSW Cup held in Coffs Harbour. Four of these teams were made up of a variety of experienced players and some who took the court for the first time. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn some new skills and mix with other schools from around the Coffs Harbour area. Our U12 Maroon side played in the competitive round and placed 4th overall on the day. We would like to sincerely thank our coaches Ms Maddie Batey, Mrs Kay Parsons, Mrs Spagnolo, Mr Lewis, Mrs Beckhouse and Mrs Siriwongwatthanakit.

CANTEEN NEWS

Canteen Roster

Week beginning 8 April 

• Monday -  B Rae
• Tuesday -   M & M Black 
• Wednesday - B Symons, P Duffy 
• Thursday - 
• Friday -  W McLean, Lil Lawler

Week beginning  29 April 

• Monday - L Seccombe 
• Tuesday - M & M Black
• Wednesday - 
• Thursday - J Ward
• Friday - W McLean, K Cochran, L Horne 

Notices

BASKETBALL 

 FREE 3X3 BASKETBALL CAMP - Awesome Autumn Slam (everyone 10-19yrs)Grab your friends, make a team, come play 3x3 Basketball - It's fun & it's FREE!Open to Boys and Girls aged 10 - 19 years.: Sportz Central, Coffs Harbour: Wednesday 24th April 2024: 10am to 2pmPlease use the below link to register and select your applicable program:: bit.ly/BNSW-AASlamAwesome Autumn Slam is supported by the Office of Regional Youth.

 I AM A GIRL - COME 'N' PLAY (GIRLS 9-17 yrs)Get ready for an adrenaline-packed experience! Immerse yourself in the dynamic game of 3x3 basketball, where creativity meets excitement. Enhance your skills and decision-making, and build teamwork and confidence on the court. Invite your friends to join the action! Sign up today and receive a complimentary reversible singlet and mini basketball.: Sportz Central, Coffs Harbour: Tuesday 16th April 2024: 2pm to 5pmPlease use the below link to register and select your applicable program:: bit.ly/IAAG-Play

 I AM A GIRL - COME 'N' TRY (GIRLS 5-10 yrs)Unleash your potential and have a blast on the court!Jump into the world of basketball, where you'll enjoy fun games while developing fundamental and basketball movements. Boost your confidence, spark your imagination, and enjoy being active. Don't miss out—bring a friend for double the fun!Register now and receive a complimentary tee and mini basketball.: Sportz Central, Coffs Harbour: Tuesday 16th April 2024: 9am to 11amPlease use the below link to register and select your applicable program:: bit.ly/IAAG-Try