Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter
From The Principal
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference (ACEC) in Cairns alongside over 14,000 other Principals and Catholic Education employees from around the country. The theme of the conference was Hope Anchored in Faith and revolved around three key areas: faith development, teaching excellence and equitable access for all. Many rich keynote speakers and workshops were offered during the conference, which stimulated a lot of thinking and discussions. One of the keynote sessions was entitled A Synodal Vision for Catholic Education. We were asked to spend a minute's silence to conjure up a word, statement or image that came to mind when we thought about Catholic Education. The presenter then spoke about a Synodal church where our community shares a common passion to proclaim the Gospel, walking together, listening to each other and the Holy Spirit in order to move forward. Synodality emphasises listening to all voices in the community, valuing different perspectives, creating hope and an empathetic, inclusive environment based on authentic relationships. In our Catholic schools, we offer a holistic education guided by our relationship with Jesus Christ, Christ-centred and mission led in hope that we equip our students to be the best version of themselves.
On the last day of the conference, a panel of students from various Queensland colleges, ranging from Grade 7 to Grade 12, had the opportunity for their voice to be heard. They were presented with a variety of questions to respond to. The main topics that came out of the discussion was the importance of all voices being heard and the importance of building positive student-teacher relationships where students feel valued, understood and connected. It was affirming that this was important to students in reflecting upon St Anthony’s as this is one of the key strengths of teachers at St Anthony’s.
Seven Steps for Writing
Below is an explanation of the final steps in Seven Steps for Writing that students are exposed to prior to putting all the steps together to construct a text.
Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell is a method where in a narrative text, the writer uses the characters actions to show what the character is like. In informative and persuasive texts the writer connects with the audience by using examples that reflect a larger issue such as climate change.
Step 6: Ban the Boring creates an awareness in the writer that whilst we all do mundane things in life not every detail needs to be written about. Instead they need to make every sentence engaging, interesting and impactful.
Step 7: Exciting Endings Endings are just as important as Sizzling starts and need to leave a lasting impact on the reader. Some strategies to do this may include linking the end back to the beginning or posing a question to make the reader ponder.
An example from one of our Grade 4 students.
A little girl tucked her hands into her sleeves and stood at the edge of the cliff lost in thought. Although the warm afternoon sun was reflecting off the crystal clear rapids she felt calm and cold. She steered into the wild rapids and noticed how fast they crashed down the overgrown river. The smell of the sap leaching out of the trees and the fresh water mist mixed with the sound of the rushing water and the strong wind rustling the trees made her skin feel icy and soft. The taste of the foamy water was strong and the fresh water air made her feel like someone or something was watching her.
For more information about Seven Steps please access the link below.
https://www.sevenstepswriting.com/
Sincerely,
Adele Murphy
Principal
Car Park
To model road safety for our children, when walking through the car park, please use the pedestrian crossing and footpath around the turning circle, rather than crossing the driveway or through the turning circle.
The purpose of parent pick up procedures is to enable fast, efficient and safe movement of cars into and out of our car park. If a driver needs to assist a student into the car the driver must park in a designated parking bay. Drivers at parent pick up must stay in their cars.
School Hours
Classes commence each day at 8:45 am and finish at 2:55 pm. The first bell will sound at 8:45 am to alert students to move to their classroom. The supervision of students at school begins at 8:30 am. If your child is arriving late to school (after 8:50am), you will need to sign your child in at the school office.
CatholicCare Tasmania do provide before and after school care on site at St Anthony’s, please click here for further information.
Friendly Reminder:
Absences and Illness – Please Keep Sick Children at Home
To help keep our school community healthy, we kindly ask that you keep your child at home if they are feeling unwell or showing any signs of illness (e.g. cough, sore throat, fever, runny nose, upset stomach).
If your child is absent, please record the absence on Compass and include the reason (e.g. "unwell" or "cold symptoms"). This information is confidential and helps us monitor and manage any illness trends across the school. If you are unable to access Compass please call the school office.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe and well.
UPDATE: PRIME MINISTER'S SPELLING BEE 2025
The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee 2025 has seen an incredible response, with more than 82,000 students registering this year – a new record for the competition. From this huge field, just 200 students from each reading level in every state and territory will now progress to the highly anticipated State and Territory Finals next week. With the competition being timed, every fraction of a second counts, making it one of the most competitive and exciting academic challenges for Australian students. The difference between placing can be as little as a few thousandths of a second, showing just how remarkable the effort and focus of each participant truly is.
We are immensely proud of all the students who entered the Bee and gave their very best. Special congratulations go to Grade 5/6 students, Ronan, Nicholas, Zack, Evie, and Macie, who have earned their places in the State and Territory Finals next week. Their achievement is a testament to their hard work, perseverance, and love of language. We look forward to cheering them on as they represent our school in the next stage of this prestigious national event.
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Protecting students online
Keeping our students safe online is important. The E-safety website provides a range of useful resources to assist families in navigating the digital world and having important conversations about online safety. From cyberbullying to new apps, keeping young people safe online is a shared responsibility. Please explore the following links to help keep our children safe.