Dear Parents, Carers, Staff and Students, 

On behalf of Fr Peter, our Parish Priest, the staff and the school community we welcome you to the new school year. I hope that you have enjoyed the holidays and are ready for what is going to be an exciting year at St Anthony’s. I was reminded on the first day back that at the very core of who we are and what we do, are the children of St Anthony’s. As we begin this new year we pray for them:

Dear Lord,

Fill our children’s heart with peace,

Hold their hand today and each day,

Lift their hearts to trust that they

will be overseen by you,

Help them feel secure and loved,

May they smile and make new friends

Paint and learn and play,

Bless the staff who care for them.

Bless their parents, carers and the wider school community

who will support them in all that they do and say.

Allow our children to know that

they are loved.

Amen.

A very special welcome to all those who have selected St Anthony’s Catholic Parish Primary School for their child’s education commencing this year. We are glad to have you join our school and parish family. Please know that your presence amongst us adds to the richness of our community. This Thursday the welcome will be extended to new Kinder students and their families, starting their very first day of kindergarten. 

In returning this year we need to continue to be mindful of our Covid-19 directives and ensure that the health and wellbeing of all members of our community is a key priority. Can I take this opportunity to thank all parents and carers for the supportive manner in which you have supported these directives. From last year we discovered some new ways of doing things. An example of this is our procedures for dropping off students in the morning. We will continue to ask that parents drop their children off the gate in the morning. Whilst we miss parents joining us for morning prayer, a positive outcome is the easing of back gate carpark congestion in the morning. We will also continue to ask parents, when entering via the back gate or front gate in the afternoon, to stay behind the white markers. This supports a safer and more manageable manner in the way our students are leaving our school at the end of the day. I again would like to acknowledge the respectful way in which our parent community has supported these new initiatives.

As a Catholic community we look forward to ensuring that the children continue to learn in a safe and supportive environment and have opportunities to explore their faith and learn about themselves while interacting positively with their peers.

Take Care

Justin Devlin

Principal