In Faith we will show..... Respect, Empathy, Inclusion, Excellence!

Farewell

I wish to bring to your attention to the following staff members who will be leaving our school at the end of the year.

Mrs Emma Clausen has been an instrumental member of our staff and teacher who has worked with many of our students in the classroom and has nurtured them on their learning journey. We were fortunate enough to have Emma utilise her Masters of Student Wellbeing to deliver the Peaceful Kids Program, this is an area which involved children and their families and we were so very lucky to have her deliver the program with finesse and professionalism. Her kindness and understanding when working with our children has been outstanding.

As a staff member we will miss her attention to detail and kindness to all. On behalf of our school community, I wish her well and hope as she leaves our school, she takes with her many fond memories.

Mrs Liz Kelly-McAlister has taught Visual Arts to all the children who have been at our school. Her passion and skill in Art has been evident in the work that the children have produced over the years. Her capacity to bring confidence in this area of the curriculum has been outstanding. The Visual Arts Exhibitions held biannually have been of the highest standard with many people making comments on the high caliber of the work on display. The lockdowns over the past years did not stop her from having an online exhibition to showcase the work when the children were in and out of Distance Learning. On behalf of our school I thank her for her time at our school and hope that she has some cherished memories with her.

Mr Taylor Butler has only been with us for the last two years as classroom teacher and this year as our PE teacher, but has made a big impact on our school community. He has taught our students with kindness and made all classes fun and exciting. I wish him every success in the future as he embarks on new adventures. We hope he takes with him some fond memories of our school community.

Classes for 2025

I would like present to you the classes and teachers for next year:

Prep & Year 1 - Sarah O'Hara & Marie Georgiadis (Thurs & Fri)
Year Two - Tim O'Mahoney + Eadaoin Lorigan (Thurs & Fri)
Year Three & Four - Melanie Norton + Linda Di Camillo (Thurs)
Year Five & Six - Marie Casey + Linda Di Camillo (Fri)
Specialists:
- LOTE Italian - Linda Di Camillo
- DigiTech - Loretto Campbell
- PE - John Mitchell
- Art - tbc
Learning Support Officers: Liz Martello, Jo Kirkham, Tracey Birthisel, Luisa Henderson, Carla Whitfield, Vesna Simic

Year 5 & 6 Public Speaking Course - Debating

Once again our year 5/6's have been outstanding in this public speaking course. They were able to deliver negative and affirmative debates on a variety of topics. I am sure they have been able to use these skills when having an argument at home in trying to get their point of view across, we may have some future politicians in our midst! They should all be very proud of themselves.

Kathy Sansalone 30 Years at St Anthony's School

Sometimes a person comes along where everyone knows how special they are. Kathy Sansalone will celebrate 30 years as a staff member at St Anthony's School. She has seen many children, staff and principals pass through this school. How fortunate has everyone been to have her in their lives. Kathy is one in a million and we are very grateful for her being who she is and the dedication she shows day after day no matter what is thrown at her. Congratulations Kathy on this great achievement and we look forward to your continued commitment to our school community.

SAC 2025

The SAC team for 2025: Nicole Seddon will continue as Chairperson for next year. Welcome to the new members Agustina Arumardi and Shirley Pfleger who join Loretto Campbell, Matthew Rodgers and Oksana Ilker. Many thanks to Elena Kelly and Pallavi Kumthekar who have served as members and will be completing their term at the end of the year.

PFA

The PFA AGM was held last Wednesday and here is the new committee for 2025.

Co-Presidents : Kate Buick & Naobh Deka

Secretary : Elena Kelly

Treasurer : Iskra Petrova with Luci Sinclair

General Members : Wes Folkard, Anna Marie McGann, Fiona Flynn, Luci Sinclair, Yohanna Pontan, Efra Chairul

St Anthony's Carols Night

Come along on Friday 6 December from 6.30pm for dinner with a 7.00pm start for the tradition Carols and singalong. The PFA will be having a Sausage Sizzle.

Curriculum Days 2025

Friday 28 February - Education In Faith
Tuesday 10 June - Learning and Teaching
Monday 18 August - Learning and Teaching
Monday 3 November - Report Writing Day
Thursday 4 December - Planning 2026

I would like to share with you last week's article in the MACS Catholic Education News. I hope that you take the time to read it as a reflection on the meaning of Christmas.

Yours sincerely

Margaret Carlei

Principal

Catholic Identity

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas …

By Pauline Cicutto, Learning Consultant, Religious Education, Primary, Catholic Mission and Identity, at Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).

Advent

Advent is a time of promise, of hope and of waiting. I am perhaps even a little more conscious and appreciative of Advent coming this year, as I have been eagerly and anxiously waiting, praying and preparing for the arrival of a new grandchild. It has been a time of intense joy and anticipation for our family, but there have been moments of uncertainty and real fear for the health and safety of mother and baby.

‘The word advent comes from the old Latin word adventus, which refers to an “arrival, an approach or a coming”. Yet Advent is not simply a time to wait and prepare for the coming of Jesus, the baby born over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.

Advent is not about sentimental waiting for the baby Jesus. Advent is a time to focus our anticipation on ‘the adult Christ, the Cosmic Christ’, who challenges us to empty ourselves, to lose ourselves, to surrender.

Yes, we will recall, retell, reenact the ancient story of Jesus’ birth, but during Advent we also celebrate and await with hopeful expectancy, the arrival of God entering our world and our lives, and we also prepare for when God comes again.

Dilexit Nos

On 24 October, Pope Francis released his latest encyclical, Dilexit Nos, a document focused on the sacred heart of Jesus and the transformative power of God’s love. In it, he reminds us that:

Jesus came to meet us, bridging all distances; he became as close to us as the simplest, everyday realities of our lives. Indeed, he has another name, ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘God with us', God as part of our lives, God as living in our midst. The Son of God became incarnate and ‘emptied himself, taking the form of a slave' (Phil 2: 7) (Francis 2024, n. 34).

This baby, born into a place and time of turmoil, terror and chaos, is the fullest expression of God’s gift to us all – a God who became vulnerable, weak and powerless to join our struggle here on Earth. There is no doubt about the struggles in our world. We live in troubled times. War, political and economic instability, division, hatred and fear abound.

As we prepare to mark Christ’s birth during Advent, we are challenged to find ways to become more aware of God’s presence and love, which completely surrounds us. The great, fourth century theologian and doctor of the Church, St Athanasius, summed up the meaning of the incarnation: He became what we are, that we might become what he is (CCC, n. 460).

We are instructed in the first epistle of John:

… for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him … Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another (1 Jn 4: 8–11).

We ought to love one another. ‘It’s as simple and as difficult as that’.

Act out of love

We will hear Scripture over the next few weeks that reminds us to stay awake and stand ready – to wait with ears and eyes wide open to the world around us. We will be urged to prepare a way for the Lord and to make his paths straight (Lk 3: 4). Advent is not a time for passivity. At its core, Advent calls us to reflect and, more importantly, to act out of love for one another, especially the poor, lonely and vulnerable.

One of the most profound ways to observe this season is by reaching out to those who are suffering, those who are broken and desperate. Our world today still bears witness to vast injustice, where many live without basic comforts and security. In this context, Advent becomes an opportunity for each of us to embody and enflesh Christ in the world.

The weeks of Advent will be marked by lighting candles placed in a wreath, one each week, until all are lit and the joy of Christmas is here.

The first candle represents hope – the longing for the coming of Christ, who brings hope to a broken world.

The second candle symbolises peace – reminding us that through Christ, we are called to be peacemakers in our families, communities, and the world.

The third candle represents joy – a deep, abiding joy that comes from knowing God is with us.

Finally, the fourth candle stands for love – the greatest commandment given to us by Jesus himself, who showed us that love is the foundation of our relationship with God and one another. ‘Our fulfillment as human beings is found in love' (Francis 2024, n. 23).

So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ – the life of the world (Boesak cited in Berrigan 2004, p. 211).

Amen.

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