Thank You for the gift of a new beginning —
for fresh starts, open doors, and the hope that comes with each new day.

As we step into this new term,
I ask for Your guidance to light our path,
Your strength to steady our steps,
and Your wisdom to help us make choices that honour You.

Wash away the regrets of the past,
and fill our hearts with courage and peace for what lies ahead.
Help us to see change not as loss,
but as an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to trust You more deeply.

May this new beginning bring renewal to our spirit,
purpose to our days, and love to every moment.
I place all my plans, hopes, and dreams in Your hands,
trusting that You make all things new in Your perfect time.

We keep in our hearts those that are unwell and needing our prayers at this time.

Amen.

Welcome to term 4

Welcome back everyone and thank you for such a wonderful start to the term. The students have settled back to learning quickly and are in the swing of our school routine.

Thank you to our wonderful staff who will accompany our students to Boorowa this Friday. I appreciate the enormity of the organisation of this event and thank each of them along with our parent volunteers who are coaching and managing teams along with families attending for your time and support.

Canteen

Thank you for your patience as we continue to work out of our old canteen. We look forward to receiving the installation of our new appliances to be ready for our new canteen to open in the weeks ahead.

Catholic Leaders Day and Principals’ meeting

This Thursday and Friday I will be attending the annual Catholic Leaders Day and evening following on with the principals’ day on Friday. I thank each of you for your support in me attending these days and appreciate our leadership team for covering the extras as needed.

OOSCA Gates

To help keep our school grounds safe and organised, please note the following gate arrangements for OOSCA access:

• The bottom gate near the hall will remain closed.
• Parents are asked to use the middle gate near the front toilets to enter and exit OOSCA.
• The top gate next to the office will be locked.

At the end of the school day, please ensure the middle gate is closed (but not locked) after you pass through, so other families can continue to access OOSCA.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Toys at School

Whilst it is always exciting to share new toys with our peers, may I request to avoid toys being damaged or lost, students refrain from bringing toys to school. These can often become an unhelpful distraction and cause conflict between students. Thank you for your support.

Lost Property 

Labelled items are return to the children. However, we gather a lot of clothing that is not labelled. If your child loses anything, please check lost property located at the entry of the library. Currently the clothing pool has a few winter coats in need of collection. Items unclaimed are sent to the Clothing Pool for resale. It is extremely important to regularly check all your child’s belongings are labelled correctly. 

Summer Uniform

Thank you all for your organisation of having our students wearing their summer uniform. The clothing pool is open at different stages of the term if you require additional items.

Please note that all students should be wearing their hat outdoors and the following uniform:

Notes on uniform: 

• Children with hair that is below collar length should always have it tied back for health reasons. Hair should be clean and colouring of hair, including shaving patterns is discouraged. Ribbons and hair ties are to be in school colours or natural hair colour. 

• No jewellery is permitted other than a watch and one plain stud type earing in each ear. For safety reasons, ONLY earlobes are permitted to be pierced. 

• Nail polish or tattoos are not permitted. 

• Children must wear designated school hats every day, except for during the months of June and July. 

• All school items are available at Lowes in Tuggeranong or from our second-hand clothing pool. 

• In the first week of school students are to wear the formal school uniform, a timetable of Sports days will be communicated home during that week. 

Class requests

During this term, we will be finalising our staffing arrangements for 2026. Below is a copy of the ‘Class Allocation Policy’ which aims to ensure a fair and just process in allocating students to classes for the upcoming school year. 

I firmly believe that teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know all the children in their classes and have a view of the ‘big picture’. However, I invite parents to inform me of anything that you feel needs to be considered, for your own child’s well-being or development. 

In 2026 there will be three streams of classes across K-6 at St Anthony’s Parish Primary School. Within each class there are different combinations of children in classes. When forming the class lists the following factors are taken into consideration: 

• Gender; 
• Diverse Learners; 
• Work habits; 
• Cognitive ability; 
• Friendships; 
• Behaviour; 
• Health considerations; 
• Religion (to assist in achieving a balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years) and 
• Common names. 

Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Where practical, parental requests based on educational concerns may be considered. At St Anthony’s, the staff and parents will follow these principles and guidelines when considering the placement of students each year: 

Every care will be taken to ensure that each child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development. 

Parents who wish to raise particular concerns regarding the placement of their children in particular classes should put the concern in writing and email it to me (erin.marmont@cg.catholic.edu.au) by Friday of Week 4 (7 November). 

Parent concerns will be considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that no definite guarantees can be given regarding parental concerns. 

Where appropriate, advice will be sought from the Leadership Team, School Counsellor and current class teacher during this process. 

Considering all the factors listed above, the current class teachers compile class lists using Class Creator from mid-term, Term 4. These are then overseen by me to confirm. 

Children will be informed of their class placement for the following school year in December and the opportunity will be provided for them to spend some time with their new class teacher on step up day in Week 10. New students to the school for the following year are invited to attend. 

Throughout this process, after appropriate consultation, I reserve the right to make final professional decisions regarding the placement of children. 

I thank our community for their ongoing support and trust in this rigorous process. 

Students not returning to St Anthony’s in 2026

It is a system requirement to advise the school in writing if your child will not be returning to St Anthony’s in 2026. Please email the office directly at office.stanthonyswanniassa@cg.catholic.edu.au

Assessment and reporting

Assessment and Reporting is continuing to be undertaken across classes. Teachers will begin the report writing process this term and all reports will be released via compass on Wednesday of week 10. Semester 2 reports will be graded using the A-E assessment scale and supported with a brief comment. Optional parent/teacher interviews will be available for families to meet with classroom teachers in week 9. Further information will be provided in our week 4 and 6 newsletters.

Term overviews this week

To assist families in becoming familiar with the learning across their child’s class, term overviews have been sent home this week.  These overviews are great opportunities for conversation starters with children if you are looking to find out more about their day and what they are learning. It avoids the typical answer of “nothing” that some students may reply with when you ask what they did in their day at school.

Term 4 Pupil Free Day

The last day of term 4 is Thursday 18 December. Please note that pupil free days are system directed and not determined by the school or Principal.

Please note that OOSCA will be closed on Friday 19 December 2025.

Term 4 dates and reminders

Friday 24 October. Boorowa Touch and Netball competition

Friday 31 October. Grand Friends Day

Friday 31 October. Ride Safely to School

Friday October 31. World Teachers Day

Friday 7 November – Executive Director David de Carvalho school visit

Monday 15 December. Year 6 end of year dinner @ Vikings Club

Thursday 18 December. Students last day of Term 4

For all school events and dates, please check the calendar on our school website at stanthonys.act.edu.au/calendar and Compass

World Teachers’ Day

Ride Safely to School