Newsletter 30 August 2024
Principal's Message
St Augustine's Feast Day Liturgy
Year 6 Speech Competition Finalists
Friday 30 August 2024- Term 3 Week 6
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week, I’m excited to share the story of St Augustine, a significant figure in history and a symbol of learning and spiritual growth. St Augustine is known for his profound wisdom, deep faith, and his journey from a life of searching to becoming a great teacher and leader in the early Christian church. His teachings inspire us to seek knowledge, live with integrity, and grow in our understanding of the world around us.
In the classroom, our students have been exploring St. Augustine’s contributions and how his values can be applied to our daily lives. We encourage you to talk with your child about what they’ve learned and how we can all strive to be lifelong learners, just like St Augustine.
I’m excited to share the incredible success of our recent Colour-thon Fundraiser! Thanks to the enthusiasm and participation of our students, families, and staff, we raised a huge total that will go back into the school to enhance the experience for all children. It was a day filled with laughter, energy, and vibrant colours as our students ran, walked, and danced their way through the course. Thank you to the Parent Forum, Naomi Loader and the whole St Augustine’s team who made this event possible. Your dedication and generosity continue to make our school a wonderful place to learn and grow.
As Father’s Day approaches, I want to take a moment to honour and celebrate the amazing fathers and father figures in our school community. Your love, support, and dedication play a vital role in shaping the lives of our students. We see the positive impact you make every day, from helping with homework to cheering on your child at school events. This week, our students have been busy buying special gifts and making cards to show their appreciation. Thank you for being an essential part of our school family.
Grace and peace,
Peter Watts
Principal
Faith and Mission News
St Augustine's Feast Day
On Wednesday our school celebrated the Feast Day of our patron saint, St Augustine of Hippo with a liturgy in the church. Fr Joy reminded us that even when St Augustine was choosing to be far from God, God always loved him and was waiting for him. It’s the same with us. God is always there for us, loving us. Thank you to the students from 5 Yellow who explained to us the symbolism of the images in our school logo. As St Augustine was famously quoted to have said: ‘Those who sing pray twice’ and by the way the children sang at the liturgy, there was definitely plenty of praying happening!
Father’s Day Liturgy
This morning we joined in prayer to thank God for the wonderful gift that our fathers are to us. The children shared their thoughts on what makes their dad that ‘special someone’ who is so important in their life. Their heartfelt rendition of the song ‘That Someone’ caused an eye or two to tear up, I’m sure! We wish all fathers and father figures in our community a very happy day on Sunday.
Spotlight on Religious Education
Year 1 has been learning about Old Testament messengers who God chose to help His people.
Joseph, wearing his technicolour dreamcoat.
This is the burning bush from which God spoke an important message to Moses.
Year 3 wrote prayers to show their gratitude to God for His gift of creation.
Naomi Loader - Assistant Principal Mission
Maria Woods - Leader of School Evangelisation
Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 Speech Competition
Congratulations to all students who participated in our recent Year 3-5 Speech Competition! Our students' level of skill and confidence was truly impressive, with topics ranging from inspiring personal stories to thought-provoking global issues. The quality of language, powerful use of gestures, and well-timed pauses brought each speech to life, leaving the audience captivated.
A special congratulations to our winners, who will go on to represent our school at the Regional Catholic Schools Speech Competition later this term. We wish them the best of luck as they prepare for this exciting next step!
Year 3
Winner: Riya Joshi
Runner Up: Enzo Bormann
Year 4
Winner: Sadie Hardaker
Runner Up: Griffin Guselli
Year 5
Winner: Nicholas McAra
Runner Up: Aleaha Attia
Year 6 Speech Competition
Congratulations to all the students who competed in the Year 6 Speech Competition held on Thursday August 29: Jaxen Moore, John Rajesh, Reuben Wong, Sophie Williams, Grace Davis, Johan Rajesh and Claire Wilby. Their hard work and dedication in preparing and delivering their speeches on ‘If I could change one thing about the world’ were truly inspiring. Each student brought their unique perspective, and the diversity of topics covered made for an engaging and thought-provoking competition.
We commend all participants for their bravery in tackling the impromptu speech on ‘The Worst Chores’ with such skill and enthusiasm. It’s never easy to think on your feet, but they rose to the occasion beautifully.
A big congratulations to the winner, Claire Wilby, and runner-up, Johan Rajesh. Both students delivered outstanding speeches, demonstrating impressive confidence, humour, and the ability to captivate the audience with the quality of their speech. Claire will go on to represent the Year 6 cohort at the Regional Catholic Schools Speech Competition in Week 10.
A special thank you to the teachers from St. John Paul College, Mrs Marshall and Mrs O’Brien, who took on the challenging role of judging the competition. They remarked on the exceptional quality of the speeches, making it a difficult task to choose a winner.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to Mrs Orton and the Year 6 teachers who supported the students in preparing their speeches. Your guidance and encouragement were invaluable in helping the students shine.
Well done to everyone involved!
K-2 Parent Storytelling 2024
Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal
A massive thank you to all for the continuation and culmination of our Winter Appeal today... despite the Summer- like heat! We are pleased to announce the winners of the beautiful hand-quilted blankets in the 100 Club raffle.
1st Prize - Layla Cole
2nd Prize - Harper Cheers
3rd Prize - Hope Mengel
Congratulations to these lucky people... they will be well looked after next Winter!
Also, the winning cohort in our Cohort Coin Challenge was.....drumroll please........ Year 2! Congratulations and thank you to all who donated their silver coins to the cause... any amount big or small can help make a difference. A big thank you from the Mini Vinnies team for supporting our Winter Appeal.
LARC News
Library Bags
If your child has borrowed a SAPS LARC library bag and you are able to provide them with their own library bag, please return the borrowed bag to the LARC so other students can use them. Any bag (shopping bags etc) can be used as a library bag.
Thank you for all your effort with dressing up as a book character last Wednesday. After our dress up parade Mr Watts read the Picture Book of the Year to the students. Each year the Children's Book Council of Australia chooses an outstanding book from the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity. This year ‘Timeless’ by Kelly Canby was the winner. This book is all about time -making it, losing it and letting it slip through your fingers.
Snow White Musical - Ticket Information
Sport News
SPORT CALENDAR 2024
Week 7 | |
Tue 3 Sep | Touch Football Gala Day (Coffs Harbour) |
Fri 6 Sep | Clarence Zone Football & Netball Knockout (TBC) |
Week 8 | |
Fri 13 Sep | NSW CPS Athletics (Newcastle) |
Week 9 | |
Wed 18 Sep | Barney Barselaar Football Cup (Woolgoolga) |
Thu 19 Sep | Todd Woodbridge Tennis Cup (England's Park, Coffs Harbour) |
Week 10 | |
Wed 25 Sep | Lismore Diocesan Netball Knockout (TBC) |
Diocesan Athletics
Last Tuesday St Augustine’s had an impressive 32 students attend the Lismore Diocesan Athletics Carnival held at the C.Ex Stadium. All students gave it their all in front of their home crowd and posted some excellent results.
Congratulations to the Senior Girls Relay team (Grace Duede, Poppy Warren, Pippa Keshk and Tillie Reiblelt) for sprinting away to take out 1st place, and to our Junior Boys (Louis Davis, Jack Wilson, Blake Galvin and Vinnie Fensom) who came in at 2nd place. Both of these teams will now progress to the Polding Athletics Carnival held at Glendale on Friday 13th September.
A very special mention to Tillie Reibelt who racked up many points across her full program of events to take out the Senior Girl Age Champion. What an amazing achievement!
Congratulations to the following students who will also progress to the Polding Carnival in other events.
Nate Butcher 1st Place 11 Year Boys High Jump
Grace Duede 2nd Place Long Jump, 3rd Place High Jump
Yuan Grandeza 3rd Place 13 Years 100m
Hugh Morgan 3rd Place 800m
Riley O’Brien 3rd Place High Jump
Tillie Reibelt 1st Pace 12 Years 100m, 1st Place Senior Girls 200m, 1st Place Senior Girls Long Jump, 2nd Place Senior Girls High Jump
St Augustine’s v Mary Help of Christians Rugby Union Friendly
Today St Augustine’s hosted a Rugby Union friendly against our friends from down the road, Mary Help of Christians. It was an impressive display of rugby talent from both sides. With both teams coming into todays game with one win each, it was an eagerly anticipated match, but in the end St Augustine's were able to come away with the win in a thrilling match. We would like to thank all of our supporters and volunteers for making the day possible, particularly coaches Peter Readett and Paul Butcher.
TERM 3 Fee Reminder
CANTEEN NEWS
Canteen Roster
Week beginning 2 September
- Monday - L Seccombe
- Tuesday - M & M Black
- Wednesday - S Rowan
- Thursday - J Ward
- Friday - W McLean, K Cochran, L Horne
Week beginning 9 September
- Monday - M Mainey
- Tuesday - M & M Black
- Wednesday - J Hay C Jones
- Thursday - L Hardaker
- Friday - W McLean, K Cochran, C Williams
Notices
