Welcome to the 2023 school year

Welcome to the 2023 school year. A very special welcome to all our Kindergarten students, new students across other year levels and our new families. St Anthony's has made an excellent start to the 2023 school year. The students are very settled and focussed on learning. As I visit the classrooms I have been delighted to see just how engaged the students are with their learning, the respectful way they communicate and the joy they show in learning together. I congratulate all our students for showing such a positive attitude to their learning. Thank you to all parents for your collaboration with the new before school drop off and the after school pick up arrangements.

Best wishes is also extended to last year’s Year 6 students as they commence the next stage in their schooling - high school.

May I also take this opportunity to remind you that if at any time you need any assistance, have any questions or have any concerns regarding your children or any aspect of the school, please do not hesitate to contact the school to make an appointment to speak to the class teacher or any other member of staff. I am more than happy to speak with you also and if by chance I am unavailable at the time will do my best to contact you as soon as possible.

During the initial few weeks of the year, we endeavour to ensure that everyone is well informed about the learning agenda for your children and our school vision, expectations, procedures and processes. This newsletter and the following events are significant for achieving this goal. The school newsletter will be sent via Compass on a Wednesday every fortnight.

Opening School Mass

Today we gathered together in prayer for the first time in 2023 as a community and celebrated our Opening School Mass. Father Pierluigi spoke wonderfully about the importance of education helping us grow into the best people we can be. We were extremely proud of our Student Leaders, who received their badges and recited their Leadership Pledge to the community. We look forward to seeing such examples of leadership in our community as the year progresses.

We congratulation the school leadership team for 2023!

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM 2023
School Captains	Mateo Amoedo & Scarlett Delaney
Padua House Captains	Erin Cunningham & Capri Vincent
MacKillop House Captains	Lachlan Masina & Savannah O'Keefe
Nagle House Captains	Eva Delavande Vasconcelos & Leroy Price
Glee Captains	Zara Deayton & Hannah Merritt
Student Representative Council
Year 6	Clara Perin & Josephine Sheppard
Year 5	Isabella Hobart & Sophia Whittaker
Year 4 B	Maya MacArthur & Samuel Thompson
Year 4 Y	Lila Buchanan & Bailey Sonego
Year 3	Mabel Hall & Cody Mellick

Farewell Father Pierluigi

We farewell Father Pierluigi Passoni after three years at St Anthony's Clovelly as Parish Priest. We thank Father for his services. May God bless him and provide him with the wisdom, grace and strength to continue his vocation. You are welcome to attend the Opening School Mass followed by morning tea for Father Pierluigi in the library.

We welcome Father Laurie Cauchi to the St Anthony's community, who will commence on 1 March.

STAFF 2023
Principal	Anna Novak
Assistant Principal (AP)	Marie Iorfino
Religious Co-ordinator (REC)	Leanna Langlands
Kindergarten	Millie Gordon
Year 1	Leanna Langlands
Year 2	Mackenzie Whillier
Year 3	Catherine Wernas
Year 4 Y	Marie Iorfino
Year 4 B	Brid Claffey
Year 5	Sarah Buxton
Year 6	Sasha Juric
Diverse Learning Teacher & Reading Recovery	Honey Hartley
Music & Drama	Jodie McInness
Visual Arts	Julie Traylen
Teacher Librarian	Verity Temple
AP Release (Thursday)	Marita Wells
REC Release (Thursday)	Verity Temple
Year 5 Release (Friday)	Sue Stivala
GENE	Sue Stivala
Physical Education	Sarah Buxton (1 day a week)
Family Educator	Laura Neeson
Learning Support Officers	Cheryl Daly Grianne Tierney-Reed
Front Office Clerical Team	Noelle Burton (Mon - Thurs) Koula Scerri (Thurs-Fri)
Catholic Care Counsellor (Thursday)	Ashleigh Kayes

Parent Information Evening

Parent Information Evening for Kindergarten to Year 6 will be held tonight, Wednesday 8 February in classrooms. This evening is a very important aspect of school life.

These meetings provide you with an opportunity to be informed about the curriculum for your child’s particular class. It is a great introduction to the year whilst establishing a clear understanding of the expectations within the classroom, for stage/year opportunities and the general organisation of the school.

All parents will be sent curriculum notes via Compass, prior to the commencement of the parent meeting.

Time	Year Group
5:30pm	Year 1
6:00pm	Year 5 (note change of time)
6:15pm	Kindergarten, Year 4
6:45pm	Year 2, Year 3 & Year 6

Student Goal Setting and Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Parental engagement recognises the important role that both parents and teachers play in developing positive attitudes towards learning and education for children, building their motivation and confidence as learners, and fostering their enjoyment of learning. Parents and families play an important role in supporting their child's education.

Research has shown that when schools and families work together, children do better, stay in school longer, are more engaged with their schoolwork, go to school more regularly, behave better and have better social skills. Parent engagement also results in longer term economic, social and emotional benefits.

Next week we invite parents and carers to come to school to meet their child’s teachers. These meetings involve the development of shared goals with input from parents, teachers and children and allow for a shared learning environment to be established from the very beginning. We recognise that all children are different and their learning journey needs to be catered to their specific needs.

Teacher’s Role: Teachers will facilitate the meeting and give insight into how your child has started the school year.

Parent’s Role: Parents will give teachers any information they feel is relevant for the academic, social and emotional support they will require at school.

Child’s Role: To share their ideas about where they feel they are doing well and which areas they are looking to grow and further develop this year.

As the year progresses, it is hoped that the students will be able to share their achievements with their teachers and parents. We hope that this process will not only help instil student responsibility but also make it easier for you as parents to engage with your child about their learning.

Parent/Teacher/Student conferences will take place next week from 13-16 February. These 15 minute interviews are conducted face to face in classrooms and the student is encouraged to attend. Parents are able to make a booking online via Compass.

Welcome to STA!

Mrs Catherine Wernas

My name is Catherine Wernas and I am really looking forward to being the Year 3 teacher at St Anthony’s in 2023. I have been a teacher for over 16 years and during this time I have taught overseas in London and at many other Catholic schools within Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. I have a passion for teaching Maths and Art and I can’t wait to meet your children and help them thrive in the Year 3 classroom.

Ms Brid Claffey

Hello teachers, students, parents and members of St. Anthony's community and parish. I just wanted to give a quick introduction to those who may not know me. I am from County Galway in Ireland and I moved here to Sydney in July of this year. I am currently on a career-break from Scoil Chrónáin Naofa Primary School in County Offaly and have taught in that school since 2017. I am a keen sportsperson with a love for music also. I am looking forward to starting a new teaching path here at St Anthony's and making lots of wonderful memories.

Ms Mackenzie Whillier

My name is Mackenzie Whillier and I’m looking forward to starting at St Anthony’s in 2023. I was born and raised in the local area. I have a love of travel, the beach and craft. I recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame and was lucky to complete my final placement at St Anthony’s this year. I am looking forward to working and supporting the STA community.

Mrs Jodie McInness

My name is Jodie McInness and I am a Performing Arts Specialist teaching Music, Dance and Drama. With a background in both Secondary and Primary education, I have a passion for engaging students in a range of creative experiences that allow all students to thrive.

Ms Koula Scerri

Hi, my name is Koula Scerri and I am thrilled to be joining the St Anthony’s community in 2023. I am married, and we have 2 sons Nicholas – Yr 9, 2023, and Alexander – Yr 7, 2023. Before St. Anthony’s, I worked in many Administration roles, with my most recent being at PricewaterhouseCoopers at Barangaroo, as an Executive Assistant to 4 very busy Partners. I am really looking forward to this new challenge, and to meeting you all.

Year 5 & 6 Boys Initiative

We are excited to announce a Sydney Catholic Schools initiative within the Botany-Randwick network.

We will be working in partnership with local primary schools on a collaborative project with Marcellin College, Randwick. This project will provide our Year 5 & Year 6 Boys (Stage 3) with the opportunity to experience creative, engaging, and exciting learning opportunities using college resources and learning spaces under the guidance of the high school teaching teams across the Term.

St Anthony’s Clovelly will be working together with Marcellin College during this project. The first sessions for Term 1 (Weeks 2 & 9) will have a Science and Technology focus where students will engage in supervised scientific investigations and experiments.

Teachers from each school and a Principal will be present at each session. The boys will have lunch prior to leaving school.

Uniform Standard

It has been very pleasing to see the high standards of summer uniforms and sports uniforms being worn by students to school each day at the start of this year. We thank parents and carers very much for your support in this area of ensuring students take pride in their uniforms and appearance each day.

Staff members kindly ask for parents and carers constant vigilance to ensure excellent standards are maintained as the year progresses. Thank you very much.

Inquiry and Review

STA will participate in a School Inquiry and Review process this term in week 9. It is to provide support to Sydney Catholic schools for self-evaluation and school improvement in line with expectations of the Education Act 2013. The process includes external validation and critique of the school’s improvement journey. The School Inquiry and Review process is framed within Sydney Catholic Schools’ School Reviewand Improvement Framework, as part of a four year cycle of continuous self-reflection and school improvement.

Our Executive Director, Tony Farley, shares his thoughts on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in an education setting. Read more here: https://fal.cn/3vv18.

Facebook & Instagram

Our school Facebook and Instagram page is used to promote all the wonderful work and events happening at our school. Its purpose is to engage in a meaningful two way conversation with our school community and beyond. Thank you to those of you who comment, like and follow us!

Check out our new school video!

OPEN DAYS! ALL WELCOME!

Yours in Partnership

Anna Novak

Principal

Family Educator News

St Anthony's Playgroup Starts Term 2!

Settling Back into School