Filter Content
- Principal's Message
- Date Claimers
- Year 6 Parent Planning Meeting - Friday 22 August
- Kindergarten White Assembly - Friday 22 August
- Year 2 Red Class Mass - Tuesday 26 August
- Father's Day Stall - Thursday 4 September
- Daffodil Day 2025
- Sandpit Toys Needed
- FlexiSchools is now Live - Canteen & Uniform Shop
- NEW!! Canteen Menu 2025
- Attendance - Late Arrival and Early Departure
- Families Living in a Cyber World
- Diverse Learning Information
- Parish Mass Times
- Offertory Procession
- Uniform Shop
- Catholic Life
- OOSH - Before and After School Care
Dear Parents, Carers, Staff and Students,
The start of this term has provided our community with many opportunities to come together and celebrate the wonderful features of our school. On Tuesday 8 August, we gathered as a Catholic community to celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. The liturgy reminded us of the importance of pausing to pray and give thanks for Mary MacKillop’s life, her lasting influence on the world, and her legacy as a woman of deep faith and inspiration.
Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, who responded to the educational needs of poor and isolated children. They established the first Josephite school in Penola, South Australia, in 1866. Their mission continued with schools opening across the country, including our own, with the arrival of the Sisters here in 1880.
In 1871, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop encouraged us to “be full of hope.” While this is sometimes easier said than done, hope requires both optimism and a positive attitude. At St Anthony’s, we strive to nurture students who are hope-filled and resilient. This was powerfully evident today as we celebrated Daffodil Day. The generosity and positivity shared across the school—through the splash of yellow and the joy of our cupcake stall—gave us a tangible sense of hope.
I continue to be in awe of the generosity of our parent community, who consistently support not only the needs of our school but also those of the wider community. For Daffodil Day, we set a goal of raising around $500. Thanks to your support, donations, and the success of the stall, we raised in excess of $800—an amazing achievement.
Take Care
Mr Justin Devlin
Principal
Listed below are some important dates.
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2025 Term 3 August |
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| Friday 22 | Year 6 Parent Planning Meeting - End of Year Events at 1:30 pm in school library or via zoom |
| Friday 22 | Assembly - Kindergarten White at 2:20 pm |
| Tuesday 26 | Class Mass - Year 2 Red organising |
| Thursday 28 | Soccer Gala Day |
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September |
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| Thursday 4 | Father's Day Stall |
| Thursday 11 | Sacrament of Confirmation at 7:00 pm Tahmoor Church |
| Friday 12 | Assembly - Kindergarten Red at 2:20 pm |
| Thursday 18 | Year 1 Excursion - Australian Botanic Gardens |
| Friday 19 | Basketball Gala Day |
| Friday 19 | Kindergarten Excursion - Camden Park |
| Friday 19 | Year 4 Excursion - Rocks Walking Tour |
| Friday 26 | Grandparents/Grandfriends Day |
| Friday 26 | Last day of term 3 for students and staff |
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Term 4 October |
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| Sunday 5 | Daylight Savings Time starts |
| Monday 13 | Student Pupil Free Day / Staff Development Day |
| Tuesday 14 | Students return for term four |
We would like to invite our Year 6 parents and carers to join us for a meeting tomorrow, Friday 22 August at 1:30 pm in the school library or via zoom. This meeting will clarify plans and the coordination of the Year 6 farewell activities.
Please keep in mind that this will be a general conversation regarding ideas and parents will be able to nominate themselves to coordinate different activities towards the end of year. This will also give those parents who volunteered to help on a particular job, the chance to ask questions and clarify any concerns.
Please click on the link below to join our meeting
Kindergarten White will be presenting at assembly on Friday 22 August at 2:20pm. We would like to invite parents/families from Kindergarten White to join us in the hall for the presentation.
All parents and carers are warmly invited to join Year 2 Red for their class Mass on Tuesday 26 August at 10:00 am in our School Church. Year 4 Red and Year 1 Red will be attending.
Our Daffodil Day stall was a huge success today, and it was so wonderful to see our students having a great time choosing from all the delicious cupcakes, cookies, and slices.
We raised a total of $831.00 from the cupcake stall and online donations which is a fantastic achievement, especially since it surpassed our goal of $500.00. This really shows the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.
We want to extend a massive thank you to our families for their incredible generosity in baking and donating all the treats. A special shout-out also goes to the mums and nans who volunteered their time to help run the stalls. Your support is truly appreciated!
Thanks to everyone's kindness, all funds raised will be donated directly to the Cancer Council to help with their important work. What a fantastic way for our school community to come together and make a real difference!
We are looking to refresh and expand our collection of sandpit toys for the children to enjoy during outdoor playtime in our new Primary play space. If you have any used sandpit toys that your child no longer uses—such as trucks, cars, spades, buckets, or sand moulds—we would be very grateful for your donation!
These items help spark creativity and collaborative play, and your contributions will go a long way in enhancing our outdoor learning environment.
If you'd like to donate, please bring any items to the front office or hand them to a staff member at drop-off or pick-up.
Thank you for your continued support!
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.
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).
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.
Supporting our Diverse Learners and families at home offering some strategies on how to help foster engagement in learning and promote success both at school and at home. If you need any support for your child please reach out and make contact as we highly value positive partnerships with our parent community.
Miss Karyn Wescombe
Diverse Learning Support Leader
Wildflower Holistic Services - Principal Psychologist Alexandra McCarthy
Regulation Before Reasoning: (And How It Builds Emotional Literacy)
Picture this: your child is mid-meltdown because their toast is cut the wrong way. You try to explain it still tastes the same, but it only makes things worse. Why? Because in that moment, logic won’t land.
When kids are overwhelmed, their brain goes into fight, flight, or freeze. The thinking part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) goes offline, and the emotional brain takes over. No amount of reasoning will work until they feel safe, seen, and settled.
This is where the Four R’s come in: Relate. Regulate. Respond. Reflect.
These steps not only calm the moment, but also teach emotional literacy, the ability to recognise, understand, and express emotions in healthy ways.
Emotional literacy - the ability to recognise, understand, and express emotions - starts with regulation. A child who is flooded by emotion can't reflect or label what they’re feeling until their nervous system is calm enough to allow it. By helping your child regulate first, you’re creating the conditions for emotional learning to happen.
1. Relate: Connect First
Before anything else, your child needs to feel emotionally safe. That means tuning in to what they’re feeling, not just what they’re doing. “You’re really upset that your tower fell. That was important to you.”
This moment of empathy helps your child feel seen. That’s the first step in calming their nervous system.
2. Regulate: Help Them Settle
Kids can’t learn or reason while dysregulated. Co-regulation - staying calm yourself while helping your child ride the wave, is how they begin to regulate their emotions. Use fewer words. Offer your presence. Breathe together. Create calm in the body so the brain can come back online. This could look like a physical hug, doing slow deep breathing together, or letting them know “I’m here for you”.
Try calming tools outside of the meltdown first like breathing, pressure toys, movement—so they’re more accessible when emotions run high.
3. Respond: Guide With Care
Once your child is calmer (this may be the following day!) you can offer support, guidance, or gentle limits based on what the behaviour was. “It’s okay to feel angry. It’s not okay to hit.”
This stage isn’t about punishment—it’s about showing your child that all emotions are valid, and behaviour can be safely guided.
4. Reflect: Build Emotional Language
In a quiet moment, later that day or even the next, invite your child to make sense of what happened. For example, “You looked really frustrated when your game froze. What do you think helped you calm down?” This is how kids learn to name their feelings, understand what triggered them, and build a toolkit for next time.
We often expect kids to talk through their emotions. But expression starts with regulation. Until a child feels safe and calm, emotional learning can’t happen. By using the Four R’s, you’re wiring your child’s brain for emotional growth. Over time, they’ll start to do more of this on their own: recognising what they feel, calming themselves, and finding words to express it.
| St Anthony's Church Tahmoor | ||
| Saturday Vigil | 5:00 pm | Tahmoor |
| Sunday | 8:30 am | Tahmoor |
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Reconciliation |
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| Saturday | 4:00 - 4:30 pm | Tahmoor |
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Weekday Mass Times - This Week |
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| Tuesday |
5:00 pm |
Adoration |
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5:30 pm |
Tahmoor |
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| Wednesday | 8:30 am | Tahmoor |
| Thursday | 8:30 am | Tahmoor |
| Friday | ||
An invitation is extended to any families/couples/friends interested in taking part in the offertory at the weekend Masses. If you would like to be an active participant in this important task, please arrive 15 minutes before Mass and make yourself known to the greeters who will introduce you to the offertory organiser for that Mass. If you are unsure and would like further information, please call the Parish Office on 46 832 230.
The uniform shop is now open for face to face purchases every Friday from 9 am. Otherwise orders can be emailed to the school via info@sapdow.catholic.edu.au
Orders must be at the office by 9am Fridays.
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.