Principal's Message
Dear Parents & Carers,
It was lovely to see the students return to school last week with their beautiful smiles. Term four is a busy term with some great events taking place. In the 'Important Dates' page are the dates for term 4, please place these in your calendars so you are able to join us for the various activities.
In the next couple of weeks, we will welcome our new kindergarten families at our orientation meeting and our 2026 kindergarten students. We are looking forward to meeting the future generation of teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, mathematicians, artists, musicians, creative thinkers, philosophers and professions that are yet to be created. Kindergarten 2026 will graduate from St Anthony's in 2032 and from year 12 in 2038.
Term 2 PTS Conferences and Term 4 Meetings
It is an expectation that all Sydney Catholic Schools provide one mandatory parent/teacher meeting time during the year. This is always held at the end of Term 2. Parents and Carers are always welcome to make an appointment to see their child’s teacher at any point of the year. You do not need to wait until the end of Term 2 or Term 4 to meet with your child’s teacher.
In regards to Term 4 Parent/Teacher Meetings, these are not mandatory and are simply an ‘optional meeting’ that you may choose to arrange with your child’s teacher. If required, I really encourage you to organise a meeting with your child’s teacher/s during the year rather than waiting until the end of the year. There will not be formal parent/teacher meeting times at the end of Term 4.
Year 6 Religious Education Test
All Year 6 students from Sydney Catholic Schools sat the Religious Education Test last week (Wednesday 15 October). Congratulations to our Year 6 students who worked hard to prepare for the test. Thank you to Mr O'Malley and Miss Stinson for preparing the students.
Lost property
Please ensure that you label your child’s uniform, including jumpers, hats, etc. It makes it challenging to locate the owner of items if they have not been labelled with your child’s name. If you have purchased second-hand uniforms, please change the name on the clothing to your child’s name. I appreciate your assistance with this as it helps to reduce the number of unclaimed items. Lost items are stored in a basket in the school uniform shop.
Staff Development Days - Professional Learning
We’d like to share some highlights from our recent staff development days, which play a vital role in enhancing teaching and learning across our school.
🗓️ Friday 26 September - Our focus was on Gifted Education, exploring strategies to stretch students in their learning. Teachers engaged in professional learning aimed at implementing best practices that challenge and support all learners in key learning areas to reach their full potential.
🗓️ Monday 13 October - Staff dedicated time to analysing NAPLAN data to identify trends, strengths, and areas for growth. This analysis helps us tailor our teaching to better meet student needs and drive improvement across English and Mathematics.
These valuable days allow our educators to refine their practice, ensuring that every student experiences meaningful growth in their learning journey. Thank you for your continued support.
Important Update: New Social Media Age Restrictions Starting 10 December 2025
From 10 December 2025, social media platforms with age restrictions will be legally required to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts. This change is part of a broader effort to enhance online safety for young Australians.
To help families stay informed, the eSafety Commissioner provides a regularly updatedfacts page outlining which platforms are affected and what these changes mean for children and parents. It's a valuable resource to support safer digital habits and protect kids from inappropriate content and interactions.
Visit the eSafety website to learn more and stay up to date.
World Teacher's Day
World Teacher’s Day is celebrated in Australia this year, on Friday 31 October. St Anthony’s is incredibly lucky and blessed to have the amazing teachers and other staff who work in our school and care for the children each day. They are incredibly dedicated, talented, kind and giving and always have the best interests of the children at heart.
Children are asked to wear a hat on Friday 31 October.
Week 1 Assembly - Congratulations to the award recipients!
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Yours in Partnership
Anna Novak
Principal