Listed below are some important dates.

ALL students from ALL grades will wear their full sports uniform this Friday, 2 August as the students will be participating in an AFL Clinic with their class.

Parents, Carers and family members are invited to join us for our next P and F Meeting on Monday 5 August at 6:30 pm via zoom. 

On Thursday 8 August we will celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop with a whole school Mass at 10am in the school hall. Everyone in our community is warmly invited to join the children to celebrate the founder of Australia’s first order of nuns, the sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

The Parents’ and Friends’ are kindly providing a free sausage sizzle lunch for the children to be served immediately after Mass. Parents, Carers and Grandparents are encouraged to stay for lunch and have a picnic with your children.  Please bring a rug or picnic chairs to sit on while having lunch. 

Canteen will still be open for purchases on the day.

HELPERS NEEDED - We are in need of parent helpers, particularly with cooking the BBQ and serving the students their lunch. Your help would be greatly appreciated and will ensure that the day runs smoothly. If you are able to help please fill in the note sent home with students or phone the school office. 

Year 2 Red will be presenting at assembly on Friday 9 August at 2:20pm. We would like to invite parents/families from Year 3 Red to join us in the hall for the presentation. 

Due to some changes in our school calendar, we have changed the following class assemblies

Year 1R assembly will now be held on Friday 20 September (Term 3 Week 9)

Year 4W assembly will now be held on Friday 1 November (Term 4 Week 3)

The following awards will be presented to students at week 3 assembly on Friday 9 August at 2:20 pm.

Medallion - Leo Failla, Marco Simeoli, Xander Gibb, Luca Falcone

Super Star - Zayne Greene, Olivia Bronson, Phoebe Smith, Nicholas Labib, Leo Prisote, Audrey Bruna, Fletcher Maybury, Azaylea Gard, Cooper Collum, Scarlett-Rose Hurtado, Amelie Oestreicher, Olive Medd, Cooper French, Matilda Oldfield, Flynn Taylor, Flynn Batty, Emmerson Greene, Diesel Medd, Lennox Tapai, Isla Noonan, Elise Carson, Noah Mouloudi, Samwise Nguyen, Harlow Spiteri, Kimberly Axiak, Taiya Fardella, Piper Latta, Ella Sabados, Miles Cartwright, Hazel Kyle, Franco Albanese, Beaudy Lawrence, Scarlett Kovacevic, Braeden Mackrill, Violet Mitchel, Jackson Carson

The St. Anthony’s Parents’ and Friends’ Association and staff are thrilled to unveil our highly anticipated fundraiser for 2024! Building on the success of last year’s event, we’re delighted to announce that this year’s fundraiser will feature a fresh twist.

Our talented students will once again create beautiful pieces of artwork, but here’s the exciting part: you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a range of fantastic items showcasing their art! This year, you can choose from Calendars, Tea Towels, Tote Bags, and more perfect for holiday gifts or keeping as mementos.

Mark your calendars: Orders will OPEN on Friday, 18 October. Stay tuned for more details on how you can support our school while enjoying these unique, student-created items.

All funds raised will go directly back into our school, helping to support and enhance our students’ educational experiences. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Please see attached flyer and more details to come later in the term.

Plant a Tree Day at Stonequarry Creek: A Green Triumph! 

This year, our Plant a Tree Day at Stonequarry Creek in Picton was a resounding success, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of our children! On this special day, young eco-heroes donned their gardening gloves and got their hands dirty, planting trees and native plants to help restore and beautify our cherished creek area.

Their hard work will have lasting benefits, enhancing local biodiversity and contributing to the health of our environment. As they planted, they also learned about the importance of native species and the role trees play in our ecosystem. The smiles on their faces as they watched their saplings settle into the soil were a testament to their commitment to making a positive impact on our planet.

A huge thank you to all the children, and Damion Stirling from Wollondilly Council who made this event possible. Your efforts are truly making a difference and setting an inspiring example for future generations!

Let's continue to nurture these new additions to our landscape and celebrate the positive change we're creating together. 

Wildflower Holistic Services - Principal Psychologist Alexandra McCarthy

Part 2 - How Can I Help My Child Be School Ready?

Welcome to the second instalment of our school readiness blog! Last fortnight, explored what it means for a child to be ready for school and key factors to consider when assessing their readiness. Today, we’re diving into practical ways you can help your child develop the essential skills for a successful start to school.

Practice Fine Motor Skills: Engage your child in activities that promote fine motor skills such as colouring, cutting, and writing. These skills are crucial for classroom tasks like handwriting and using classroom materials. Encourage activities that involve hand-eye coordination and precision, such as using a spray bottle to water plants, squeezing sponges/clothes when in the bath, manipulating playdough or putty, using pegs to help with the washing or encouraging kids to serve their own food using tongs.

Self-Care Skills: Establishing morning, bedtime, and ‘get ready’ routines can be an important part of school readiness. Use a visual schedule to help your child follow the steps for getting ready in the morning, getting dressed, and preparing for bed. Encourage self-dressing with easy-to-manage clothes like velcro shoes and elastic waist pants, to build independence. Teaching toileting routines and proper hand-washing techniques is also vital for their
independence.

Emotional Regulation: School can be an emotional challenge for children. Help your child identify and name their emotions by using picture books, emotions cards, or a ‘feelings chart’ where they can point to how they feel - you could try it with the whole family to help build emotional awareness. Integrating these tools at home mirrors classroom practices and builds emotional literacy, providing a headstart in managing their emotions.

Language Skills: Reading together is a fantastic way to develop language skills. Ask open- ended questions about the story to enhance comprehension and vocabulary. Encourage your child to tell their own stories or recount their day, fostering narrative skills and language development.

Executive Functioning: Activities that promote planning, organisation, time management, working memory, and self-regulation are essential. Visual schedules can promote executive functioning skills, for example, a morning/get-ready routine for your child to understand the steps involved in getting ready. Allocate specific time blocks for activities like play and chores to improve time management. Memory games like “Simon Says” are excellent for enhancing working memory and attention.

Play Skills: Role-playing games, such as acting out “teacher” and “student” can mimic school scenarios and build social skills. Activities like blocks or LEGO sets encourage problem-solving and creativity. Interaction with other children is crucial for practising sharing, turn-taking, and negotiating during play. Group therapy is particularly valuable for honing these social and play skills in a real-time setting with peers and therapists to provide real-time feedback and learning opportunities.

If you have a little legend who is preparing for kindergarten in 2025, our School Readiness group starting in Term 4 is an excellent opportunity to practice all the above skills to ensure a smooth transition into school. Group therapy not only supports social and play skills but also incorporates evidence-based strategies to develop fine motor skills, self-care, eye coordination, pencil grip, pre-writing skills and more. Our program is designed to build a solid foundation for future learning, making the preparation for school both effective and enjoyable for both children and parents.

By nurturing these skills early on, you can make the journey to school readiness a positive and enriching experience for your child - and of course, reach out for help where you need it!

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.