Last Friday, we remembered St. Mary MacKillop — the Australian who stood up to power and kept going anyway. In the 1800s, Mary saw kids growing up in poverty and decided to do something about it. She opened schools. Taught anyone who needed help. Spoke up when things were wrong — even if it meant calling out the Church. For that, she was excommunicated.

But instead of turning bitter, she forgave them. Quietly kept working. And never stopped fighting for the people who needed her most. She didn’t chase power or praise. She just believed every kid deserved a fair go — and she built that future, one classroom at a time.

Her legacy still reminds us: being Australian means standing your ground and helping others up while you do it.

Provident God,

with grateful hearts we remember the power for goodness that Mary MacKillop is in our world.

On this her feast day may we be touched anew with her spirit of prophetic charity

and generous participation in mission.

We ask this in the name of Christ, the Sacred Heart, and of the Spirit of Mission.

Amen

At the annual Clergy Principal and Religious Education Leaders Day, our Executive Director, Mr David de Carvalho, delivered an address urging Catholic educators to reflect on the true measure of their mission. The Catholic Voice captured the following:

He emphasised that faithfulness to the Gospel, rather than conventional notions of success, should serve as the guiding principle for all Catholic educational efforts.

Drawing inspiration from Mother Teresa’s words, “We’re not called to be successful. We’re called to be faithful,” Mr de Carvalho challenged attendees to evaluate their purpose through a Gospel-centred perspective.

“We plant seeds that one day will grow. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are the workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

We continue to pray for our candidates who are making their Sacrament Reconciliation. We look forward to celebrating their Reconciliation with families on this evening at St Anthony’s Church at 6pm.

We keep in our prayers Mrs Jasprit Girgla and her family after the recent passing of her dear father last week. We also pray for Jo Dufelmeier who is unwell at this time.

Congratulations to our wonderful students who have represented St Anthony’s across multiple events this term. We have also shared in some wonderful events this term in school. Including 100 days of Kindergarten, Science week, Bullying No Way and many more.

Thank you

My sincere thanks to our wonderful St Anthony’s community for your kind and thoughtful messages and gifts for Primary Principals’ Day. How blessed I feel to work and be a part of such a beautiful community. I truly love and value my position as Principal of St Anthony’s and am so grateful to each of you for your partnership and support between home and school. Thank you.

Staffing

Garreth Wigg will take Long Service Leave for term 4. Recruitment for this position is currently in progress with the acting assistant principal to be announced later this term.

Governance of OOSCA

Following the incorporation of Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Education Limited, The Governance Team has been undertaking a staged approach to reviewing the requirements of our compliance and government frameworks given our newly appointed structure. Sarah Meier, General Counsel and Governance spoke with our community council executive last night about these stages. Further information will be shared with the community over the coming weeks.

Please be assured that this does not change the position of Director- Necta or the current staffing at OOSCA.

Hall update

Thank you for your patience, particularly this week as concrete has been laid at the entrance of the hall. We have tried our best to avoid disruption to traffic and pedestrians, however, we appreciate that for the short term this week, access will be disrupted and redirected to allow the concrete to set. Please follow the direction of staff and workers in the fluros and be guided by the safe pathway they direct in the morning and afternoons. Concrete work should be finalised by Friday. We’re so close to the finish line.

My absence next week ACEC

Next week I will be attending the ACEC conference. National Catholic Education Commission is partnering with host diocese, Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns to offer an engaging professional learning experience for an anticipated 1,500 Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents and others from the broader Church involved in Catholic education.

With the theme ‘hope, anchored in faith’, the conference will focus on the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence and Access. The conference is featuring a broad range of speakers, presentations and workshops focused on Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing; and more. I look forward to sharing my experience and professional learning with the school community upon my return. My thanks to our leadership team and staff for their support and work during my absence.

STA Pop-up car boot market & bake stall

Due to limited interest, we will not go ahead with the pop-up car boot sale. We look forward to sharing other opportunities for fundraising at a later date.

SAVE THE DATE- Friday 12 September 3.00pm-5.30pm.

We will be having a Community Garden Refresh working bee on Friday 12 September from 3.00-5.30pm. If you can spare 20 mins, half hour or an hour to spread some mulch, plant some natives or oil some seats, we would love to have you join us out the front of the school at our community garden. (this is the garden to the right of the office with the circular donut path). It shouldn’t take long and will look wonderful in no time with a little TLC. This will be the first of many working bees we are looking forward to having in the future.

PERKS Parenting Workshops

Parenting & Carer Workshops Supporting Southside Families

Click here to see upcoming workshops this year

Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know

28 August

AI chatbots and companions that act like friends or partners are becoming more common – but they can be risky to children and young people. This 45-minute webinar explores what AI companions are, the risks to look out for and how to talk to your child about them. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students. Register here

Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online

2 September

Parental controls can be a useful addition to the strategies you use to help protect your child online. This 45-minute webinar covers the types of controls available, and how to use them alongside other online safety measures. It’s suitable for parents and carers of primary and high school students. Register here

The Southside Initiative has teamed up with southside primary schools and local community services to bring FREE parent workshops to Canberra families.

To view up and coming workshops simply use the QR code above or visit the Healthy Schools Network ACT website and hit on the Southside Initiative tab.

Reminder - Reconciliation and First Eucharist programs

We keep in our prayers our students who are preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist.

• Wednesday August 13 @ 6pm. Sacrament of Reconciliation Mass.
• Tuesday August 19. First Eucharist Life Lesson 1
• Tuesday August 28. First Eucharist Life Lesson 1
• Thursday September 4. First Eucharist Retreat Day
• September 13 and 14 + September 20 and 21. First Eucharist Masses

Please contact Mr McGrath at joseph.mcgrath@cg.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.

Grand friends Day

Save the Date!

Grand friends’ day is being held on Friday 31 October Term 4. More details to follow.

Father’s Day- Friday 5 September 8.30am-9.30am

Friday 5 September we warmly invite our fathers and Father figures into our school for our Dad’s and donuts morning. Dads are welcome to come into see your child/ren’s classroom and enjoy a donut with your child then join our morning assembly and prayer. Details are as follows:

8.30am-9.00am- Classrooms open for visits

9.05am- Morning assembly and Fathers’ Day prayer and award celebrations.

9.20am- Students return to classrooms and farewell visitors.

Please note- Carparking is limited, and additional parking is available at the top oval. Please allow sufficient time to walk across the oval/pathway ready for 8.30am classroom openings.

There is no cost to families for this event.

Bullying No Way

This year St Anthony’s Primary students will again be participating in the Bullying No Way: National week of action, 11 to 15 August 2025. Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The theme for this year's campaign is Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.

It takes a community to be brave and address bullying behaviours, within and beyond the school gate. Students can be bold, kind and speak up to support others being bullied. While trusted adults are there to support children and young people learn how to be kind to each other and report bullying.

This Bullying No Way Week, we’re asking you to be bold and say something, be kind and support someone and be proud to speak up against bullying. During the week we will be engaging students in meaningful discussions and activities aimed at promoting empathy, understanding and respect for diversity. Students have already participated in a school-wide online webinar yesterday, with a focus on anti-bullying facilitated by Kids Helpline. We encourage families to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations with your child about the impact of bullying and what they can do if they need support. Parents and carers can access relevant resources here.

Term 3 dates and events

Costs of Violin Lessons
Total Cost
Violin Lessons $46.15 a week. Violin hire $45 a month
with a $150 refundable deposit. ( no lock in contracts)
Violin Lessons
Violin lessons are $60 a week (during school terms of 40 weeks a year) or
you can pay $46.15 a week for 52 weeks a year with my ezidebit account .

Canberra String Rentals
Violins can be rented from Canberra String Rentals for a security deposit of
$150 (refundable on return of the rental package, in a good condition) and $45 a
month rent.
Talk with me when you want to start lessons and I will guide you through
your best options.
Peter Thorne (ph) 0413106584
e-mail: peter-thorne@live.co