School Community Forum

Our first parent meeting for 2025 will be held next Monday 17 February from 5:45pm in the school staff room. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend.
Our school’s parent body is known as the School Community Forum. Being a part of our school community makes all parents and carers a part of this group. There is no membership form or fee to join. As always, we welcome any parents who are available to attend and would love to see our new kindergarten families join us.
If you have any questions prior to Monday, please get in touch via pandfstagnes@gmail.com.
Please see below for Monday’s agenda and the minutes of the last meeting.
Kind regards
Allison Ritchie
Chairperson
St Agnes’ Primary School Community Forum
Pastoral Care
Community News

Shine
Welcome to a new year of Shine after school program. As our wonderful, talented and creative leader of this program is on leave from our school community this year I feel very excited to be taking over the facilitating of this after school program at St Agnes’. Whether you are a new family to our school community or a current family and you would like your child to be part of this after school program, please see the attached form. This program will be starting next week and will continue to be run each Thursday afternoon after school. I am very excited to be taking this on this year and I look forward to offering a great service and opportunity for our students at St Agnes’.










Positive Behaviour Support

This week we continue our focus on our whole school expectations on wearing our uniform. When we wear the correct uniform we are being responsible and respectful. We also have been learning about wearing our school hats at all times when outside at school.
Canteen News

Welcome to 2025! If you have a few hours spare once a month I would greatly appreciate your help in the canteen. Please complete the note below with your details and preferred day and I will add you to our calendar.
Can I also please ask that parents update their childs class in the Flexi-School App so that their lunch is sent to the correct class.
Thank you
Cassie
Monday | |
Tuesday | |
Wednesday | |
Thursday | Cathy Quirk and HELP PLEASE |
Friday | HELP PLEASE |

Parish News


From the Leaders

Jesus preaches a powerful message in Sunday’s Gospel from Luke. He teaches the Beatitudes to a large group of followers with his twelve Apostles. He grants blessings for those who are poor, hungry and sorrowful, as well as those who are hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced by others. For each of those who are blessed, something positive is promised. He speaks of negative effects that come to others. Consolation will not always be granted to the rich, hunger may come to those who are already filled. Grief and weeping will come to those who laugh, whilst those who are thought of highly may not always have this experience.

Welcome Kindergarten 2025
We welcomed our newest Aggies family members on Monday. Our Kindergarten students have had an exceptionally settled start to school. We are grateful to our families and all staff involved in the 2025 Kinder Transition experience, as they have been well prepared, especially as it was a five day week straight up for them.













Build The Habit Of Good Attendance
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Help your child to learn that going to school on time, every day is important.
Reinforcing the idea that attending school regularly is crucial for a positive school experience. Foster a love for learning by encouraging your child's natural curiosity.
Help your child to see school as a place to explore new ideas, discover interests, and develop a lifelong passion for learning. Foster positive social connections at school by encouraging friendships. Knowing that they have friends to look forward to can motivate children to attend school regularly.

Liturgy and Badge Ceremony
We look forward to gathering together as a faith community on Friday 21 February at 9:30am in the school hall. During this celebration badges will be handed to our 2025 student Leaders. Please note there will not be an afternoon assembly on this day.
Congratulations to the Class Representatives for Term 1.




Parents Matter
We value working in partnership with our families at St Agnes’ Primary School.
In Term 1, your child’s class teacher plans to make contact with each of you. You may have already met them whilst your child visited for their MAI in Week 1 and shared written information about your child. Contact will be made in person or via phone.
Please note that class teachers are the first point of call if you have information to share about your loved one or have questions.


Bus Safety Week
'Be Bus Aware' highlights the importance of bus safety for all road users. Buses are large, heavy vehicles and can’t stop quickly.
Bus Safety Week will run from Monday 17 – Sunday 23 February 2025 to raise awareness for all road users on how to stay safe on and around buses, helping to reduce injuries and fatalities. Please talk to your children about being safe on and around buses.

St Agnes' Primary School Uniform Expectations
We thank all families for working with us to meet the uniform guidelines. We appreciate this can be difficult for some families, please make contact if you need support with this. Partnership is important and wearing the correct uniform with pride is one of the Positive Behaviour School expectations we teach the children.

Donna Sprague - Assistant Principal Mission

Kate de Bressac - Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Sports News

Polding Summer Sports Trials - Basketball
Last Friday, two Year 6 students, Mila S and Emily K, participated in the Polding Basketball selections in Tamworth. Their journey to this stage has been impressive as they advanced through School, Zone, and Diocesan trials to compete against some of the top emerging basketball players from Catholic primary schools.
Both girls demonstrated great skill and determination throughout the selection games, making a strong impression on the selectors. They should be incredibly proud of their achievements.
A special congratulations to Mila S, who has been selected for the Polding Team and will compete at the NSW PSSA State Titles later this term. Well done to both players!
Here is what Emily and Mila had to say about their experience:
“On the 7th of February, we travelled to Tamworth to compete in the Polding Basketball trials. We met lots of new people from around NSW and learned lots of new techniques from them. The trials consisted of dribbling, shooting and passing drills followed by four 15-minute games. Near the end of the day, they announced the Possibles and Probables teams that played another 20-minute game. From the 16 players, they picked 10 to go on to the PSSA team, which included Mila. We had a great experience, as this was our first time competing in Polding level, and we had an amazing time.” - Emily K and Mila S

Zone Winter Sports Trials - Netball, Soccer and Rugby League
Best of luck to all our Year 5 and 6 students competing in the Winter Sports Trials this Monday. Our students will be trying out for Netball, Rugby League, and Soccer, while our Hockey players will advance directly to the Diocesan trials.
The bus will depart from St Agnes' at 8:15am, first stopping at the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium to drop off the Netball players before continuing to St Joseph’s Regional College for the Soccer and Rugby League trials. If any students plan to travel by private transport, please inform the school by emailing andrew.wilson@lism.com.au.
Students must bring all required equipment as listed in the Compass event.
Zone Swimming Carnival - Macksville
On Tuesday, 32 St Agnes students will travel to Macksville to compete in the Hastings Zone Swimming Carnival. These swimmers have advanced through the school trials and will now compete against others in the Hastings Zone.
The bus to Macksville will depart from the front of the school at 7:00 AM. If any students plan to travel to the venue by private transport, please inform the school by emailing andrew.wilson@lism.catholic.edu.au.
Best of luck to the following students:
Nicholas B Ardan B Ryan C Macy C Eva D Noah E Evie E Hunter F Lachlan F Claudia F Kallan F | Arie F Miles G Jude H Imogen H Daniel I Lily J Jade J Rose M Layla M Harry M Aisha M | Issy O Dominic R Nikita S George S Hallie T Pippa T Asha W Rocky W Isobel W Alba W |
Diocesan AFL Trials - Grafton
Next Friday, two Aggies students will travel to Grafton to compete in the Diocesan AFL Trials. We wish Beau L and Oliver W luck and we look forward to hearing how the day goes.
2025 Aggies Representative Kits
Last year, Aggies secured funding through the Community Forum and sponsorship from two local businesses to purchase new representative kits for our athletes. After many hours of designing, the kits arrived just in time for the start of the new school year.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their time and skills to designing the jerseys. The Community Forum provided the majority of the funding for the kits. DONE Coffee sponsored the two rugby league/union kits, Coast 2 Coast Sports sponsored all the other kits and Gem Socials assisted with the designs.
The new sporting kits include:
2 sets of league jerseys
2 sets of soccer jerseys
1 set of netball dresses
1 set of netball singlets
2 sets of touch football singlets
70 cross country/athletics singlets
The jerseys will be launched at the Week 5 assembly with help from the SRC.
Future Dates
Term 1
- Monday 17 February - Hastings Zone Winter Sports Trials - Port Macquarie (Rugby League, Netball, Soccer, Hockey)
- Tuesday 18 February - Hastings Zone Swimming Trials - Macksville
- Friday 21 February - Diocesan AFL Trials - Grafton
- Monday 3 March - Diocesan Hockey Winter Sports Trials - Grafton
- Tuesday 4 March - Diocesan Swimming Trials - Murwillumbah
- Friday 7 March - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials - Grafton (Rugby League, Netball, Soccer)
- Friday 28 March - School Cross Country Carnival
- Wednesday 9 April - Zone Winter Sports Trials - Rugby Union - Kempsey
Term 2
- Wednesday 7 May - Hastings Zone Cross Country - Kempsey

Calendar
Term 1 Week 3
Mon 17 Feb |
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Tue 18 Feb |
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Wed 19 Feb |
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Thur 20 Feb |
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Fri 21 Feb |
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Dates For The Diary
Tue 25 Feb |
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Fri 28 Feb |
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Wed 12 Mar |
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Mon 17 Mar - Wed 19 Mar |
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Fri 28 Mar |
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Pastoral Care
Community News

Shine
Welcome to a new year of Shine after school program. As our wonderful, talented and creative leader of this program is on leave from our school community this year I feel very excited to be taking over the facilitating of this after school program at St Agnes’. Whether you are a new family to our school community or a current family and you would like your child to be part of this after school program, please see the attached form. This program will be starting next week and will continue to be run each Thursday afternoon after school. I am very excited to be taking this on this year and I look forward to offering a great service and opportunity for our students at St Agnes’.






Positive Behaviour Support

Welcome to a new year and a fresh new start. This week our focus has been on learning about our whole school expectations on wearing our uniform. When we wear the correct uniform we are being responsible and respectful. We also have been learning about wearing our school hats at all times when outside at school.
It has been great to see how many Dojo points the students have been receiving for recognition of making good choices and following our school expectations of being Respectful, Responsible, Resilient and Resolute. At St Agnes’ each class has a dojo page where all students are acknowledged for following our 4R’s.

Canteen News

Monday | Amanda Ehlers |
Tuesday | |
Wednesday | Sharon McCarthy |
Thursday | Lana Clarke |
Friday | Renee Lisle and HELP PLEASE |

Parish News

From the Leaders

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Luke tells us of the call of Simon the fisherman. Many of the apostles were called in interesting ways and called out of their ordinary activities. After fishing all night and catching nothing. Jesus suggests that Simon lower his nets again. This time he caught heaps of fish. Jesus invites Simon and other apostles to leave their profession and follow him. We are also called to follow Jesus in our words and actions every day.

Welcome Back
We are excited to welcome everyone back to the 2025 school year. Hopefully you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to enjoy time with family and friends during the school holiday break. This year our whole school values of faith, hope and love will continue to guide all of our interactions.
In line with our mission of ‘Enabling our students to achieve the fullness of life”, we will continue to strive for academic excellence and social and emotional well-being for our students, while looking through a lens of equity and inclusion.
We would like to welcome all of our new families, whether you are joining us from another school in the area or have relocated from another city, state, or country. We are excited to share with you all that the St Agnes’ School Community has to offer and believe you will soon feel as we do, Aggies is a special place for all children. Our educators, support staff, families, and other education partners are ready to welcome you into the school community. It has been lovely hearing about holiday news and adventures from students and families. We look forward to a positive partnership with all Aggies Community members.






















We also welcome previous and new staff to St Agnes’ Primary and look forward to students and families getting to know all of the talented and dedicated staff working with our students in 2025, especially those being introduced below.
Kassi Gilmour - Year 2 Teacher, Cassie Joyce - Canteen Coordinator, Adrian Nalletamby - Year 6 Teacher, Laura Stapleton - Year 3 Teacher and Sammy Walters - Leader of Pedagogy





Mathematics Assessment Interviews
It has been wonderful to see so many smiling faces back this week for our MAI’s Screenings. We appreciate all of the families who made the effort to book in and bring their children to these important appointments. The data that we collect during this time is so valuable to us when planning learning experiences. We are so excited to begin our year of learning.

Help Your Child Have a Positive Start to the Year by Building the Habit of Good Attendance
Building the habit of good attendance is crucial for a positive and successful school year. Here are some tips to help your child develop this habit:
- Establish a Routine. Set a consistent daily routine for your child, including wake-up times, breakfast, and a specific time to leave for school. Having a predictable schedule helps your child understand the importance of punctuality.
- Create a Positive Morning Environment. Make mornings enjoyable by creating a positive atmosphere at home. Encourage open communication and express your enthusiasm for the day ahead.
- Establish Clear Expectations. Clearly communicate your expectations regarding attendance and emphasise the importance of being present at school every day unless there's a valid reason for absence.
Help your child establish a positive and consistent attendance habit, setting the foundation for a successful 2025 school year.

St Agnes' Primary School Uniform Expectations
As we start our new school year, we look forward to working in partnership with students, families and the community.
Please find attached the visual that has been handed to students at their MAI interviews outlining uniform expectations. This is not new information as it has been shared regularly in newsletters and is found in the handbook online. Thank you for your support in ensuring students wear their uniform correctly.

Liturgy of the Word - St Agnes' Feast Day
Everyone is welcome to attend our Celebration to ask for God’s blessings for the 2025 school year on Friday 21 February from 9:30am to 10:30am.
During this celebration, our School Captains, SRC and House Captains will receive their badges. We will also acknowledge our Class Representatives for this year. Parents or carers of each of these children are invited to join us to put on their badges.
Home Reading is Getting Ready to Begin for 2025!
All of the grades are preparing to send out home reading information and to begin to send home reading material. In Kindergarten, at present, the focus at home is on reading quality literature to and with your child, and Kindergarten will commence formal home reading later in the term or early Term 2.
Beginning next week, we will be sending our home reading diaries as well as some optional homework activities that link to the current learning in English. Home reading is supposed to be easy, children should be developing their fluency, comprehension and love of stories. Our main message is that “number level books” do not matter. These books have all been pooled as resources for children to choose from, please disregard the old numbers as they are not intended for the same purpose that they were previously. You may also hear your child or teacher talking about “decodables”. These reading books have a series of words that are easy for children to “decode” or sound out all of the words using their taught strategies. These are used in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 only until children are able to successfully blend and segment words and understand the alphabetic principle in order to read more independently. Children who can do this are able to choose their readers. Home reading should also always include quality literature. The vocabulary, comprehension and enjoyment that comes from these texts are essential for their little minds.
Please be aware that some children in Year 3 and 4 may currently still require the use of decodable texts as their syllabus for learning to read has only just changed so they are getting used to a new way of learning that fits the most updated evidence base. During your family meet and greet times, we will provide all families in Stage 2 with a bookmark that will guide you on how to support your child if they are unsure of a word when reading.
K-2 will send home their reading diaries from Monday to Monday each week. This change was greatly received by our parents last year as it means you as a family have the flexibility to decide which nights suit you. Kindergarten teachers have already told families that we are not sending books or readers yet. Years 1 and 2 will have two decodable readers and a rich literature text. As discussed earlier, re-reading each book for fluency practice will help your child to progress their reading skills.
Years 3-6 will also send home their reading diaries across a 7 day period. Although the day may differ slightly depending on some timetables, your family will also have the same flexibility. We still require home reading for every child, we are simply responding to the feedback from families, that some nights are just too difficult, however, the weekend is often a positive time for families to engage with a book.
Pastoral Care Processes
We have a high number of families making requests for external therapy providers to come during school hours. Please know that we understand how challenging it is to find time for these appointments, however, our number one priority is always engaging all students in their school based learning. If you are seeking this support, we ask that you email a request to pmaca-inclusion@lism.catholic.edu.au . We no longer have an internal space that is not used on any day of the week, so these are becoming increasingly difficult to honour. Where possible, we ask families to make arrangements for appointments outside of school hours, however, if this is not possible, we may only have shared learning spaces available for therapy. If a more quiet, private space is required, then school may not be the best place for this therapy to take place. Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.
Traffic Information

Sports News

School Swimming Trials - Wauchope
Yesterday, our Aggies swimmers showcased their skills at the Wauchope pool, competing for a spot in the upcoming Zone Swimming Carnival. Students participated in various events, including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and the 4x50m individual medley. The competition was intense, with plenty of fast-paced action in the water. Once again, the Aggies' strong spirit and sportsmanship were standout highlights of the day.






















Basketball Polding Summer Sports Trials - Tamworth
This week, two Year 6 students, Mila S and Emily K, are competing in the Basketball Summer Sports Trials in Tamworth. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to hearing the results. Congratulations to both girls on their achievements in basketball so far!

Zone Winter Sports Trials
In Week 3, Students in Years 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to compete at the Hasting Zone Winter Sports Trials for Netball, Soccer, Rugby League and Hockey. The trials will be held on Monday 17 February. Netball is at the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium, Hockey is at the Port Macquarie Hockey Fields and Soccer and Rugby League are at St Joseph's Regional College.
AFL was announced through the newsletter last term. Trials for AFL begin at a Diocesan level. Any students wishing to compete at the AFL selection on Friday 21 February need to email andrew.wilson@lism.catholic.edu.au for signup information.
Again this year, the Diocese is running the Rugby League and Rugby Union separately, so students have the opportunity to compete in both sports. Rugby Union trials will be in Kempsey on Wednesday 9 April.
Future Dates
2025
Term 1
- Friday 7 February - Polding Basketball Summer Sports Trials - Tamworth
- Monday 17 February - Hastings Zone Winter Sports Trials - Port Macquarie (Rugby League, Netball, Soccer, Hockey)
- Tuesday 18 February - Hastings Zone Swimming Trials - Macksville
- Friday 21 February - Diocesan AFL Trials - Grafton
- Monday 3 March - Diocesan Hockey Winter Sports Trials - Grafton
- Tuesday 4 March - Diocesan Swimming Trials - Murwillumbah
- Friday 7 March - Diocesan Winter Sports Trials - Grafton (Rugby League, Netball, Soccer)
- Friday 28 March - School Cross Country Carnival
- Wednesday 9 April - Zone Winter Sports Trials - Rugby Union - Kempsey
Term 2
- Wednesday 7 May - Hastings Zone Cross Country - Kempsey


Calendar
Term 1 Week 2
Mon 10 Feb |
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Tue 11 Feb | |
Wed 12 Feb |
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Thur 13 Feb |
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Fri 14 Feb |
Dates For The Diary
Mon 17 Feb |
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Tue 18 Feb |
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Fri 21 Feb |
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Wed 12 Mar |
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Mon 17 Mar - Wed 19 Mar |
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Fri 28 Mar |
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Pastoral Care

The holidays are an exciting time for children, but they can be challenging for kids, too, when all those things they look forward to — free time, sweets, presents, cousins! — can get overwhelming. Changes to routine, late nights, and travelling can all increase feelings of stress. Here are some tips from the Child Mind Institute to help make the Christmas Holidays kid friendly.
Prep kids for changes in routine: Preparing kids for changes in their routines, including what to expect and what you expect of them, will help head off meltdowns and overwhelm. If you’re travelling, bring familiar toys and books, and make sure you have quiet one-on-one time like reading before bed.
Prioritise: It can feel like there are a lot of expectations to live up to at Christmas time. Look after your wellbeing by deciding what is important and what can be let go, prioritising, and saying no to things.
Be realistic: Recognise your kids limitations so that you can plan accordingly. For example; Kids who are anxious about meeting new people, or seeing extended family they are not familiar with, will need support and realistic expectations. Children who are sensitive to sound, lights, or crowded spaces may become overwhelmed. Planning for different environments together and having realistic expectations of what you and your children can cope with will minimise stress.
Have fun and laugh: Most importantly, enjoy the time together. Kids don’t remember if everything was perfectly arranged, or even what presents they received….they will remember how it felt to spend quality time with you!
Community News









Parish News
