Principal's Message

Father's Day Celebration

I hope all our Dads, Grandads, Uncles and father-figures had a wonderful Father’s Day. We enjoyed a lovely celebration at school with so many of the significant men in our lives joining us for a BBQ breakfast, yo-yo challenge and our prayer liturgy. 

Thank you to Scott Zeglin for sharing his experience of fatherhood. A special thanks to the parents and friends who organised an outstanding breakfast. 

Assembly Friday, 6 September

The United Nations declared that every year on September 7, celebrate the “International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.” This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of clean air and encouraging actions to improve air quality. This year’s theme, “Invest in #CleanAirNow,” emphasised the need for collective effort, wise investments, and shared responsibility to combat air pollution, which poses serious health risks and economic costs.

As part of the United Nations International Day of Clean Air, we were excited to have Dr Anthony Hull and Dr Fiona Foo, two passionate environmental advocates, lead our assembly. They spearheaded the 'Idle Off' Campaign at St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School and discussed the significance of clean air and its impact on our health and environment. 

We also had the pleasure of welcoming Ms Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth, Randwick Councillor Rafaela Pandolfini, Dr Clare Willington, and Barbara Perry, Manager of Family Wellbeing and Education from Sydney Catholic Schools.

We showcased the Idle Off video, created by our Family Educator, Laura Neeson, with voiceovers by the students at St. Anthony’s.

Thank you for your continued support in promoting a healthier environment for our community.

Celebrating with John Burland: A Musical Journey

We were delighted to welcome John Burland, an accomplished world-renowned Catholic composer, musician, and educator to our school this week. The children, from Kindergarten to Year 2 and Years 3 to Year 6, had the privilege of singing songs under his guidance, creating a memorable and uplifting experience for all. We were honoured to celebrate with him.

In Week 9, I will be attending the 2024 APPA/NZPF Trans-Tasman Conference in New Zealand. This prestigious event will feature a range of inspiring speakers, including Dr Jordan Nguyen, a leading Australian engineer, inventor, and innovator. Dr Jordan is a passionate advocate for STEAM education, adaptable mindsets, and big-picture thinking. During my absence, Mrs. Marie Iorfino will be overseeing the school. I will return to school on Monday, Week 10.

PACER Rebate

Stage 3 students from St Anthony's Primary School Clovelly went to Canberra for camp earlier in the term and participated in an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion and we are in the process of applying for this.

School on time

Thank you to the parents who always have their children at school on time as I know how busy mornings can be. The first part of the day is really important for the children to hear the routine of the day and what they will be learning. Please note our school day starts at 8.55 am with a prayer led by our Year 6 leaders.

Uniforms / Hats / Water Bottles

Thank you to those parents who ensure their children are dressed in their complete and proper school uniform each day. A reminder that children must have their hat and a water bottle each day. The office has noticed an increased number of students forgetting their hats and water bottles and we are hoping this will improve as the weather starts to warm up. 

Summer Uniform

The official changeover into summer uniform is after the holidays at the beginning of Term 4, however given that we have had some warm weather, we will have a transition period from this term where summer or winter uniform may be worn. Please note, however, that either full summer or full winter must be worn - not a combination of both. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Last week, the entire school participated in a lockdown exercise. The children remained calm and followed instructions diligently. Overall, it was a successful drill.

Debating 

In week 6 a group of Stage 3 students represented St Anthony's in the Inter-School Debating competition. These students have demonstrated an immense amount of school pride by participating in this extracurricular activity. They worked on researching and preparing their debates at home improving by working collaboratively and graciously accepting feedback. 

The debate topic: Winning is not as important as participating. 

I would like to congratulate the students for their efforts: 

Year 6 - Gregory, Tanea, Tilly, Adelaide, Callum W, Henry, Ella, Sophia

Year 5 - Lila, Leila, Charlotte, Sienna, Luke, Samuel, Morgan, Kai

Thank you to our adjudicators: Ms Ali Green, Ms Verity Temple, Ms Millie Gordon & Ms Michelle Beyers . 

Art Competition Winners 

Congratulations to the winners of the Randwick Council Library Book Week ‘Reading is Magic Sticker Art’ competition. The winners are:

• Ciara from Year 1
• Luca B from Year 2

Staff Development Day - Friday 27 September (Pupil Free Day) 

Vacation Care - Important Notice:

SCECS Vacation Care will be available during the first week of the holidays, from 30th September to 4th October, regardless of the number of attendees.

The availability of Vacation Care during the second week of the holidays will depend on the number of attendees. Further information will be provided soon.

To give you a glimpse of what a typical day looks like at SCECS Vacation Care, watch the video, “A Day in the Life at SCECS Vacation Care”. This short clip showcases the variety of activities your children will experience while in SCECS care. View the Vacation Care program 

2024 SCS Community Survey 

You will soon receive a notification on either your Compass Mobile App, or Internet browser when you next log into Compass directing you to complete an insights cycle for an SCS Community Survey in Compass.

When you see the notification (pictured above) as a banner. Click on the blue link to open the cycle, select your responses and ‘save’! - you will receive a ‘Thank you’ when completed. 

Participation in these surveys is voluntary, and may take approximately 5 minutes.

Distributed each term throughout the year, these surveys capture parent feedback in relation to topics such as; mission, classroom learning, wellbeing and partnerships, allowing participants to give their thoughts and feedback.

To navigate back to the Insights module without a ‘banner’, you will find the module by clicking on the ‘more’ option at the bottom of your mobile screen, and selecting the ‘Insights’ tile or adding Insights, to your favourites list.

Week 6 & 7 Assembly - Congratulations to the award recipients!

Yours in Partnership

Anna Novak

Principal