Listed below are some important dates.

As the year rapidly draws to a close, we would like to invite you to the final Parents and Friends (P&F) Association meeting for 2025.

This is an important opportunity to wrap up our planning for the current year and share your thoughts and ideas as we begin to look ahead to 2026. Your participation is what helps make our school community thrive!

Please note that this meeting will be held online only via Zoom.

We will send the Zoom link out via email on the morning of the meeting.

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout 2025. We hope you can join us!

We are excited to announce that students in Years 2 to 6 will be participating in a fun and engaging Netball NSW Clinic on Wednesday, 29 October.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn the fundamental skills of netball from professional coaches. Each grade will participate in a dedicated one-hour session throughout the day.

Action Required: Sports Uniform Day

Please note there is a change to the uniform requirements for this special event:

• All students in Years 2 to 6 must wear their full school sports uniform on Wednesday, 29 October.

This is a change for Year 2 and Year 6 students, who would normally wear their formal uniform on a Wednesday.

We look forward to a fantastic day of skill-building and activity!

Book Club Issue 7 will be sent home with students today.

If you wish to place an order, please do so online via the LOOP App by Friday, 31 October. Please allow approximately two weeks from the order due date for delivery of the books.

Ordering for Christmas???

If you wish to purchase items for Christmas please order them as GIFT and we will notify you when they arrive so that you can arrange collection from the office. 

Kindly note that we are unable to accept cash payments or office orders—all orders must be placed online.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Last Wednesday, October 16, fifteen enthusiastic students from Years 5 and 6 represented St Anthony's at the local Cricket Gala Day.

The students displayed exceptional cricket skills, but more importantly, they were outstanding ambassadors for our school. Their behaviour, fair play, and positive attitude truly embodied great sportsmanship. Every student encouraged their team mates, respected their opponents, and showed gratitude to the event organisers and umpires.

It was wonderful to see all the students having a fantastic day and thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to play competitive cricket. 

Well done to all our Year 5 and 6 participants! 

Our Stage 3 students were given the opportunity to participate in the Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition, an initiative by the Catholic Education Office in Wollongong. This competition aims to celebrate and explore students’ creative talents in illustrating the Christmas story. Every newsletter throughout term four we will share with you the wonderful art that our St Anthony's students submitted this year.

We are thrilled to share that Year 5 student Juliano Spadone Garcia received a Highly Commended Award for his exceptional entry. His artwork is currently on display at the Wollongong Art Gallery, highlighting his impressive artistic ability. Congratulations, Juliano!

The Emotional Heart

Juliano Spadone Garcia

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is about The Journey to Bethlehem from Luke 2:1–5. This story is about Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, even though it was a long, hard journey. I think this journey was not just walking and riding, but also a journey in their hearts. They would have felt many different emotions at the same time—happiness because Jesus was coming, fear because they didn’t know what would happen, and love because they trusted God and each other.

In my picture I made the bleeding heart to show all of these emotions mixed together. It shows that their love was so strong it overflowed, even when the journey was hard. The bleeding heart also shows how much courage it took for them to keep going.

I can connect this story to my own life because sometimes journeys today are also difficult. We might not walk to Bethlehem, but we go through times that are tiring, scary, or exciting. Just like Mary and Joseph, we have to keep going and trust that love and faith will guide us.

The Guided Journey

Emmeline Magee

St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Picton

Year Six

My artwork is based on the scripture passage Luke 2:1-7, The Journey to Bethlehem. I have named my artwork “The Guided Journey” because the star guides Mary and Joseph on their journey.  I have chosen to use pencils for the background so that the silhouette of Mary and Joseph stand out with yellow pencil as a glow of holiness.

The background has a blend of different shades of blue and different shades of purple. I used black sharpie to make silhouettes of Mary, Joseph and the trees so that the shine of the star pops out. I have layered uneven cut out stars to show that baby Jesus is about to be born and the star is guiding Mary and Joseph on their long journey. The stars behind the front star are uneven to show that there are many stars behind the front star that people have wished for the new king to come soon. I have used erasers to make the star shine down on them. 

The trees in my artwork have leaves blowing in the opposite direction that Mary and Joseph with the donkey are travelling in to show that Mary and Joseph pushed through the challenges to get to their destination. I have used four different colours. Mary had four important people whom she loved in her life, Joseph, Jesus, God, and the people. I have four important people whom I love in my life, my Mum, my Dad, my brother, and my friends.

The shine also represents that God has faith in Mary and Joseph and He is watching them always even when times are hard. Challenges like this, of God’s mission, my faith will continue to grow my strength and my belief in Christ.

Outshining Love

Imogen Short

St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Picton

Year Six

My artwork is inspired by the scripture ‘Luke 2:7’. I named my artwork ‘Outshining Love’ because it symbolises the love Mary and Jesus will forever have for each other. Mary only having one sleeve brings attention to the fact she had to cover up her pain, and her having one arm free symbolises she went through visible pain and stress during her pregnancy. The heart with a cross and a flame is a symbol of Virgin Mary, so it brings light to her as a human being, while also symbolising Jesus Christ through the cross.

I mostly used a normal lead pencil, pressing down to create darker shades across different portions of the art. I purposely made the flame on the heart and cross the darkest section on the artwork because it shows the brightness of the flame, and makes it pop out on the artwork. I drew both Mary and Jesus faceless because of all the hardships they both faced in life, and I feel deeply connected to this particular piece as I feel everyone has been through hardships in life, whether big or small. I added the sparkles around Mary’s symbol to show the stars that would’ve highlighted the sky during the night of Jesus’ birth. 

Torn Between Two Lives

Everley Wetton

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus, which is told in Luke 2:9–14. In this part of the Bible, the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields at night and told them the good news that the Saviour had been born. The sky lit up with God’s glory, and the shepherds were filled with both fear and joy. That is why I painted a night sky full of stars and light.

In my picture, Mary is holding baby Jesus with Joseph close by. I wanted to show how Mary may have felt torn through tearing the paper—she was carrying the Son of God but also still had her own life to live. This reminds me that sometimes we face choices that feel heavy, but God gives us courage and love to keep going.

I added shepherd  staffs into my painting to show the connection to the scripture. The staffs are symbols of the shepherds who heard the angels and went to find Jesus. Just like the shepherds trusted the angel’s message, we can trust that God is with us.

I used paint and splatter techniques to create the galaxy background because the night Jesus was born was extraordinary and full of wonder.

The Divine Odyssey

Eve Bruna

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is called The Divine Odyssey, which means a holy journey. It is based on Luke 2:1–5, where Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. Their journey was very tough through the hot desert, but they trusted God to guide them.

In my artwork, I used water lilies to represent Mary and Joseph. A water lily begins as a tiny seed deep in the mud, and it has to push through the dark water to reach the light. This is like Mary and Joseph’s journey, which was full of challenges, but they kept going because of their faith. Just as a lily grows into something beautiful, their journey led to the birth of Jesus,  the most beautiful gift for the world.

The blue lily shows Mary, calm and gentle, while the orange lily shows Joseph, strong and brave. The seed on the lily pad is Jesus, ready to grow into the greatest flower of all—the Son of God. The water also shows God’s love, carrying them forward like the current of a river.

I used oil pastels to make bright colours and shading to bring the lilies to life. The story reminds me that even when life is hard, like the seed in the mud, we can grow with love, courage, and God’s help.

St Benedict's Catholic College will be holding its Orientation Day for 2026 Year 7 on Friday, 21 November.

It is critically important that all students arrive at school, ready to learn on time each and every day. The school day begins at 9:00 am and increasingly there are a significant number of students arriving after this time. Consistently arriving late to school impacts student learning and just 10 minutes a day over the course of year potentially equates to 6 school days.

It is the same for early pick-up. Increasingly, the office is inundated with parents and carers from 2:15 pm requesting early departure from school. Our school day concludes at 3:15 pm and as such, without a legitimate reason for leaving early, all children should remain at school until the end of the school day.

While it is understood that there is often little choice in times available for important appointments on either side of the school day, this reminder is for the habitual late arrivals and early leavers. It is not okay to frequently request early departure from school for convenience reasons.

The Education Act (1990), states that school attendance is compulsory for all students over the age of 6 years. Current research confirms that student absenteeism has a significant impact on learning achievements and success, not to mention confidence. It is more often than not the case, that students who are challenged by their learning are those who are consistently arriving late, leaving early, or have high levels of absenteeism.

Please see our new canteen menu which includes a new range of gluten free options.

We now have online lunch orders and if you would like to order, simply download the app or register online here www.flexischools.com.au/parents (or scan the QR code in this post).

Sacramental Programs

Religious Education is a priority in Catholic schools. It provides the knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith and outlines what is needed to live a Catholic life. Sacramental programs are Parish based, Parish coordinated, family focused and school supported.

Each year the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation are celebrated in the Parish.

A Parish based program caters to the needs of all participants. In this way children from all schools receive the same preparation for each sacrament.

The Parish based, family focused approach to Sacramental programs is widely used throughout Australia as the preferred approach. This approach acknowledges the important role of parents and families in the whole preparation process. Parents are the first educators of children in the faith and traditions of the Catholic Church. Parents involvement in Sacramental preparation is crucial in shaping the values and attitudes of each child. So it is vital, for the continual spiritual growth of the child, that the families involve themselves in the Sacramental life of Parish.

St Anthony's is simplifying school life! 

We're excited to announce the launch of Flexischools for online Lunch & Uniform Orders with cashless payments. Please note that Kellie will still be taking traditional orders at the Canteen for those who wish to still order lunches this way.

No more scrawling orders on paper bags , or holding out until the uniform shop is open

Enjoy the ease and convenience of managing school orders and payments anytime, from any device. 

Simply download the app or register online here www.flexischools.com.au/parents (or scan the QR code in this post).

Students are still able to order via the old system and the online ordering is optional. Please note orders are only available for lunches and drinks and all snacks, ice blocks etc will have to be ordered over the counter. 

If you order online and your child has Gluten Free or Allergies, please hand their orange lunch bag to Kellie in the canteen in the morning.

Don't forget the cut-off time for canteen orders is 8:00am daily, so if your Lunch Order is for Monday, the cut off would be 8:00am on that Monday. We encourage you to order in advance to ensure your child doesn’t miss out! 

Lighten your mental load and embrace Flexischools today! 

Please read the FSG/PDS and TMD at www.flexischools.com.au/legal and consider if the service is right for you. Issued by InLoop Pty Ltd (trading as Flexischools). Fees and charges apply. Any advice given is general in nature.