Newsletter - 2024 Term 1 Week 8

Calendar

From the Leaders

Palm Sunday

The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is called the Passion of the Lord. The word passion refers to the historical events of Jesus’ suffering and death. Because the passion of the Lord is such a long reading filled with sad details and because people wish to remember how Jesus suffered and died for us, churches hold Stations of the Cross prayers every Lent.

The Easter Triduum begins with the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and on Good Friday we remember Christ’s passion and death. Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence for adults. The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday begins with the blessing of fire, the renewal of baptismal promises, including our own, inviting new members to Baptism and Eucharist and concludes with the celebrations of a risen Christ on Easter Sunday. 

We welcome Rocco Moy and Jessica Kershaw into the Catholic Family. Last Sunday Rocco was baptised in St Agnes’ Church. Whilst Jess Kershaw finished her RCIA program and will become a full member of our Church on Saturday night at the Easter Vigil Mass. Congratulations to both of them. If any families are interested in learning more about becoming Catholic, please see the flyers attached later in the newsletter.

Harmony Week

What a colourful display of cultures entering the St Agnes’ gates this morning. Students and staff came dressed in orange, the colour of Harmony Day or representing the cultures they originated from.

Year One Writing

We were so excited to have Year One students come and visit us in the office to show us their amazing work. We were amazed at their use of nouns, verbs and adjectives. They could even explain to us what they were. We are so proud of them!

Palm Island Visitors

On Tuesday afternoon we were blessed to meet our newest Parish guests from Vanuatu.  Our visitors joined our students for a ‘sing along’, learning the song ‘We are One Big Happy Family’. This was a beautiful experience which provided a timely interaction for our students during Harmony Week. We enjoyed another opportunity to cement a relationship whilst some of our First Nations students from Years 3, 4 and 5 sang to them. Thanks to Natalie Henderson and Sharon Hugo for coordinating this lovely experience.  We look forward to further opportunities to share our different cultures.

Holy Week

Families are invited to take an ‘Easter Walk’ with their children, reflecting on the true meaning of Easter as the events of Holy Week are represented at stations around the school grounds. Parents and carers can collect their children from their classrooms from 2:30pm on either Wednesday 27 March or Thursday 28 March to take this walk.

Easter Celebrations

We look forward to celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday through the Easter Hat parade and Easter raffle Draw on Tuesday 2 April.

Catholic Schools Week

Our school will join more than 45 schools across the Lismore Diocese to celebrate Catholic Education Week in Week 11.

This year’s theme is “Innovation and Faith’. This theme works towards our Mission of ensuring our  students experience the fullness of life (John 10:10). 

Our Catholic schools walk alongside clergy, parishioners and families to prepare and nurture our future innovators and faith leaders on their journey. 

We extend a warm invitation for you to participate in our Catholic Education Week events and faith celebrations. Please take the opportunity with members of our parish and wider community, to experience innovation and faith at St Agnes’ Primary School.

We welcome families to join us for whole school prayer on Monday 8 April at 9:00am to celebrate our innovation and faith. You are also invited to join your children in a variety of lunch time activities available and a sausage sizzle lunch from 1:40pm on Wednesday 10 April.

TAP-ITAS

Next week we will finalise our Tap-itas project. Thank you to all students, staff and families who have contributed to providing homes in rural communities with hygienic toilets. 

Congratulations to our Year 1 students on their reverent and respectful behaviour in their Liturgy at Christ the King chapel on Thursday. We were excited to see so many families join us for this special time with Father Prodencio and Year 1.

Come Pray With Me

Families are welcome to join their children in celebrating Masses and Liturgies at Christ the King Chapel each Thursday at 10:15am. The children always appreciate this special time with their grade and we encourage any family members to join us.

Stage One’s Amazing Artwork!

Stage One have been learning about how their experiences can be represented in Visual Art. They have made these beautiful clay dishes by moulding, stamping and painting the clay. The prints on the clay represent the beauty found in nature . They are painted gold to represent the living things around us and our collection of these keepsakes which are as precious as gold.

This Week At Aggies

Pop-Up Art Room

Sports News

School Cross Country Carnival

Next Tuesday is our School Cross Country Carnival. Students 8 years old (this year) and older can compete in the competitive events for Zone Selection. Children aged 8 to 10 years will complete a 2km course (four laps of the bottom field), and 11 and 12 years a 3km course (six laps). From the carnival, the first six runners in each age division will be selected to attend the Zone Carnival in Kemspey on Wednesday 8 May. 

The primary carnival will begin at 9:00am and run through to lunch one. Children have the option of competing in competitive events or non-competitive events. The infant's carnival will be held after lunch one. We invite all families to join us for the event and stay for a BYO picnic lunch between 11:00am and 11:40am. A presentation for age champions will be held under the shelter at 2:15pm. 

If any family members would like to help with timekeeping during the primary carnival, please get in touch with the school.

A program of events is attached to help families plan their day.

KM Club

This week, our Year 5 students stepped up and helped with KM Club on Wednesday while our Year 6 Leaders were at camp. They did a fantastic job setting up and organising students with cards and getting them out on the track. It has also been a big week regarding cards coming in, awards going out and 175 kilometres added to our trip. Year 2 continues to lead the tally with 100km, with Year 4 close behind at 95kms. Currently, Chelsea Orme in 2 Faith is our biggest kilometre cruncher with 25km registered and well done to the following students for 10km and 20km.

10km
Hunter Sherd-Booby - 1 Hope
Leo Hersee - 1 Love
Thomas Burrell - 2 Faith
Dominic Ritchie - 4 Love
Jayde Bruce - 5 Faith

20km
Jai Cadden - 1 Hope
Chelsea Orme - 2 Faith

Future Dates

Term One

• Tuesday 26 March - School Cross Country Carnival
• Tuesday 9 April - Polding AFL Trials, Newcastle
  
• Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April - NSW PSSA Swimming, Homebush Aquatic Centre

Term Two

• Friday 3 May - Polding Winter Sports Trials, Tamworth
• Wednesday 8 May - Zone Cross Country, Kempsey
• Friday 17 May - Diocesan Rugby Union Trials, Grafton
• Tuesday 21 May - Diocesan Cross Country, Grafton
• Friday 7 June - Diocesan Rugby Union Gala Day, Coffs Harbour
• Tuesday 18 June - NSW Netball School’s Cup Years 5 and 6 Gala Day
• Friday 21 June - School Athletics Carnival

Postive Behaviour Support

This week we continue with our focus on learning about what respect is and how we can  show it at school. The purpose of this lesson is to align with our catholic social teaching to ‘Human Dignity’. Our goal is to teach students that every person is made in the image of God. We are all valuable and worthy of respect and fairness because we are all human. We can all be like Jesus and show respect for ourselves and others. We can do this by demonstrating acts of compassion. 

PBS Focus: I can be like Jesus. I respect myself and others by showing compassion.

PBS Video:

Family Resources:

Story Books:

St Agnes' Primary School Community Forum

Dear Parents

On Monday night, the St Agnes’ Primary School Parents & Friends Association (P&F) held our 2024 AGM where all executive roles were declared vacant and an open nomination process occurred with the following results:

o   Allison Ritchie elected as Chairperson
o   Grainne Ducat elected as Assistant Chairperson
o   Tracey Rubery elected as Secretary 
o   Rachel Constantine elected as Treasurer

Parents discussed their wish to add two executive roles (as allowable per clause 9.1a in the School Community Forum Constitution). Two motions were moved and both carried, to include the following roles;

Communications Coordinator – responsible for taking the lead on the creation of invitations, flyers and other communications for Community Forum activities and sharing these items via relevant channels to ensure parents are informed.  

Volunteer Coordinator – responsible for taking the lead on sourcing and securing parent volunteers for Community Forum activities and briefing parents on their volunteer roles. This person will also be the best point of contact when school requests help from the Community Forum in finding parent volunteers for school led activities (such as for Shrove Tuesday etc).  

NOTICE TO MEMBERS: Nominations for the executive roles of ‘Communications Coordinator’ and ‘Volunteer Coordinator’ will be called for at a Special General Meeting to be held on Monday 20 May at 5:45pm, where an open nomination process will occur for these two positions. This brief meeting will precede the May Community Forum meeting.  

If you are interested in being nominated for either position but have questions, please feel free to contact the current executive via pandfstagnes@gmail.com.

Following the AGM, the St Agnes’ Primary School Parents & Friends Association will become known as the ‘St Agnes’ Primary School Community Forum’.

Please follow the links below for the Minutes from the March P&F Meeting and AGM (including details in the President’s Report regarding the change to the Community Forum, as well as financial information). 

Please also see below for information regarding two upcoming Community Forum activities. 

Allison Ritchie

Chairperson
St Agnes’ Primary School Community Forum

This Week's Notes and App Alerts

Canteen News

Parish News

Key Enrolment Dates For 2025

Kindergarten Information Sessions

• St Peter’s Primary School – Saturday 18 May 2024 – 9:30am
• St Agnes’ Primary School – Saturday 18 May 2024 – 9:30am
• St Joseph’s Primary School – Saturday 18 May 2024 – 9:30am

Primary School Tour for Kindergarten

• St Peter’s Primary School – Saturday 1 June 2024 – 2:00pm
• St Agnes’ Primary School – Saturday 1 June 2024 – 2:00pm
• St Joseph’s Primary School – Saturday 1 June 2024 – 2:00pm

Year 7 Enrolment Information Session

• St Joseph’s Regional College – Tuesday 7 May 2024 – 5:00pm to 7:30pm
• MacKillop College – Monday 6 May 2024 – 5:30pm to 8:00pm

Year 11 Enrolment Information Session

• St Joseph’s Regional College – Monday 29 July 2024 – 6:00pm
• Newman Technical College – Tuesday 30 July 2024 – 6:00pm
• MacKillop College – Wednesday 31 July 2024 – 6:00pm

Community News