Term 2 Week 2 Newsletter
Prayer
As the world mourns his passing, Pope Francis’ legacy will be remembered as one that brought the Church closer to its mission of love, mercy and justice.
Pope Francis was a passionate advocate of children and young people calling them the ‘joy and hope of the Church and the world!’ (Spes Non Confundit, #12).
Pope Francis said that his own life story was a journey of hope. He understood that in a world that can feel scary or divided, God’s love and the hope it brings is needed more than ever. In fact, he made hope the theme of this Jubilee Year. Pope Francis has inspired us all to work for a better world.
From The Principal
Dear families and friends of St Anthony’s,
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope you all had a restful break over the Easter holidays and enjoyed time with family and loved ones. This term we have many exciting experiences to look forward to including cross country and Mother’s Day celebrations.
This week our PBS focus has been on wearing the correct uniform, which our captains reminded us about in gathering on Monday. Now that the weather has turned and the days are progressively getting colder, we would like to remind you that school coloured gloves and beanies are available for you to purchase from Midfords.
Launceston Competitions
Yesterday, students from prep to Grade 6 represented our School in the Launceston Competitions at the Princess Theatre. They have been practising their performances for some time now and should be proud of their efforts. Congratulations to everyone who participated.
ANZAC Day
As you are aware, during the term break our school was represented by students for Anzac Day. Thank you to those parents who supported the school and your children in attending the march to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australians and New Zealanders, as well as those who cheered us on from the sidelines.
Writing
This year at St Anthony’s, we will be introducing a school-wide writing focus. In the past, we have used programs and explicit instruction that focuses on the secretarial side of writing, including how to construct different sentence types. This is a vital skill and will continue. We will be extending upon this skill and introducing a program that focuses upon the authorial side of writing, teaching our students different elements that make up different text types, such as ‘sizzling starters’ that engage the reader. We are looking forward to seeing our students flourish in the writing world.
Sincerely,
Adele Murphy
Principal
Grade 2 News
It has been a busy and exciting start to the year in Grade 2! We’ve been working
hard on establishing positive learning behaviours and classroom
routines—especially developing good whiteboard etiquette and participating
confidently in whole-class choral learning.
In English, students have been strengthening their sentence-level writing, focusing
on using descriptive adjectives to make their work more engaging and detailed.
In Mathematics, we’ve been revisiting and practising key number concepts,
particularly reading numbers, place value, and both addition and subtraction
algorithms. Students have enjoyed the sense of achievement that comes from
applying their strategies during independent ‘You do’ tasks (they just like to pretend
everything else is hard!).
In Religion, we’ve explored our school’s Franciscan values and learned about our
patron saints. In our God unit, students reflected on the Story of Creation, the
uniqueness of each person, and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. They also discovered
how they can be ‘Stewards of God’s Creation’ by caring for the world around them.
During our Easter unit, we studied the events of Holy Week in detail—from Palm
Sunday through to Easter Sunday. Students especially enjoyed unpacking the
Easter Story and learning how God’s plan was fulfilled through Jesus’ resurrection.
As we begin Term 2, we’ve been busy creating heartfelt gifts for our mums in
preparation for Mother’s Day. In Science, our new unit focuses on how materials
can be changed without altering their basic composition—a topic that’s already
sparked lots of curiosity and discussion.
A big highlight this week was the Launceston Competitions, where students
proudly recited two memorised poems. Well done to all our performers—you did
yourselves proud!
School Photos
School Photo Reminder
School Photos will take place next Tuesday 13th May.
- Sibling photos will begin at 8:30 in the hall. Please bring your children into the hall and wait with them until they have had their photos taken. If you wish to order sibling photos and have not already done so, please collect an order form from the office. If you have lost your ‘Shootkey’ please contact the office.
- Students are to wear their full uniform
- Photos are to be ordered on the MSP website, please enter each student's unique ‘Shootkey’. Please see the example below.
- Please ensure students arrive at school on time so they do not miss their class photo timeslot.
Absences and Sickness
As we enter into the colder months and illnesses and viruses begin to circulate we would like to remind parents of the procedure around absentees. If your child is absent from school please add their absence to Compass, if they are unwell please add a reason. This information is confidential, it just helps us understand if there are outbreaks of viruses in our community. If you do not have access to Compass please call or email the office with the same information.
Cross Country Volunteers 2025
Date of Cross Country (Kinder-Gr 6 students) Tuesday 20th May 2025
St Anthony’s Cross Country relies on the assistance, and appreciates the help of volunteers.
If you are available to help out on the day between 9-1pm please contact Emma Marshall (emma.marshall@catholic.tas.edu.au) or the school office.
Please note all volunteers must hold a current WWVP card and complete a Child Safeguarding Briefing. More information about the cross country will be provided closer to the day.
Scholastic Book Club
Scholastic Book Club Issue 3 online orders only are due by 3pm Wednesday 14th May.
