Good Day, Good People,

I want to pass on to you all a big thank you for your assistance as the Townsville community battled with flooding. As you are aware the school had to close down suddenly two Fridaysago. Parents, staff and students all worked very well together to get everyone home safely. My thoughts and prayers go out to our families who were directly impacted either short term or with ongoing impact. The school had minor damage with some leaks and shade sail damage. We had to take Monday and Tuesday of the following week but were then able to get school back under way. Hopefully we can settle into a few normal weeks.

Both Campuses ran successful swimming Carnivals this week. Students were enthusiastic and we had some wonderful individual performances. A win to Benedict at Padua and Agnes at Assisi. Congratulations to them.

We also celebrated our Opening Mass and Liturgy this week at Padua and Assisi. We were able to assign our student badges at these events. All our Year 6 students and Year 12 students receive leadership badges as we want them all to lead in their own way.

This Saturday we have a Board Formation Day. I would like to thank our Board members for giving up their time to assist our College in continually improving. We look forward to where our Board leads us this year.

Jordan Marty has been given the opportunity to be on the senior leadership team at St. Margaret Mary’s for the remainder of Term 1. We wish him well and look forward to his return in Term 2. Andrea Quinney will step into the role of “Acting” Year 8 coordinator.

Yours sincerely,

Barry Horner

College Principal

Good day, good people!

Welcome back to another wonderful year. Over the last week, we have celebrated our Opening Liturgies and induction of our College, Campus and House Leaders, our First Nation leaders as well as our Year 6 Padua Guardians. They were wonderful ceremonies with parents, staff and students congratulating these amazing students on their journey for the year.  

Despite the rain and disruption as our students returned, we can now confidently say that the St. Anthony’s Catholic College community is ready for a wonderful year. With our passion for teaching and love for our students, guided by God’s grace, we look forward to a year filled with growth, joy and endless possibilities. 

College Prayer

Creator God, like Gabul, connect us through our ancestors to shape a just future

God of Wisdom, like Anthony, lead us, teach us, show us  

Reflective God, like Clare, allow us to see your light in ourselves and others

God of Hope, like Agnes, fill us with the joy of possibility and purpose

Awe-filled God, like Giles, inspire us to be honest and trust in your way

God of Charity, like Benedict, open our hearts to goodwill, mercy and kindness

Peaceful God, like Francis, make us a channel of your love. Amen

CARING FOR CREATION: Turning Trash into Treasure at St. Anthony’s

At St. Anthony’s Catholic College, our students are putting their faith into action by caring for the environment in a creative way. They are recycling plastic bottle lids and turning them into eco-friendly pens and useful items like flowerpots. This hands-on project teaches them about protecting God's creation while reducing waste.

Every lid they recycle helps keep plastic out of our rivers and oceans,          protecting marine life like turtles. This effort reflects Pope Francis’ call in Laudato Si’ to care for our planet and live more sustainably.

These pens are more than just school supplies—they are a symbol of hope and action. Made from just three plastic lids, each pen reminds us that small steps can make a big difference. With 100% recyclable casings, they continue the cycle of caring for our Earth, embracing the Franciscan value of stewardship.

The team were able to make a collection of these to send to our Franciscan Schools Australia team in Brisbane who will be attending the Los Angeles conference this term and they will be showcasing our ‘Forever Pens’. We are very excited to be able to contribute. 

More detail to come...

MASS at ST ANTHONY’s PARISH 

Please see the Parish Website or Facebook Page for details about Mass times and locations.

MASS at ST ANTHONY’s PARISH

Everyone is welcome to attend Mass at St Anthony’s Parish. 

Please see the Parish Website or Facebook Page for details about Mass times and locations.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM - Google Form for Enrolments  

Time is running out for enrolments.

Children in our St Anthony’s Parish and College community who are in Grade 3 or above and have been baptised are invited to embark on a sacred journey of faith, preparing to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation, and Holy Communion over the course of several terms.

This is a profound and grace-filled time in your child’s faith journey. With your guidance and through dedicated time spent learning about each sacrament, they will come to experience the beauty and significance of these sacred rites. As they take these important steps, they will be fully embraced by our St Anthony’s Parish community, deepening their relationship with Christ and the Church.

 WHAT YOU NEED TO DO   

• See the Google Form Link for the enrolment form and Bank details.  
• Complete your child’s enrolment on the Google form and it will be sent directly to the Parish, ensure you have attached a copy of the candidate’s Baptism certificate (this can be done by email). 
• Pay the enrolment fee of $50 per child- which must be paid online to St. Anthony’s Parish before the commencement of the programme unless arranged otherwise with Fr Vinoj.
• Bank transfer details are found in the document below and on the Form.
• Attend all lessons with your child.   
• Attend Mass on Saturday (St Clare’s) OR Sunday (St Anthony’s) with your child.
• Complete activities with your child and talk about the Sacraments with them both during the lesson and at home.
• Please find a hard copy of the Sacrament Program for 2025 if prefer and you can email the details through. Please request a copy if unable to open. 

For further information, dates and or queries please contact:

Fr Vinoj Francis (Parish Priest) Ph: 4751 5217

Email: deeragunparish@tsv.catholic.org.au

Or speak with an Assistant Principal - Religious Education

St Anthony’s Catholic College

Rose Fitzsimmons (rfitzsimmons1@sacc.catholic.edu.au )

Ph: 4751 7200

Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. 

(St Anthony of Padua)

God Bless

Rachel Bond                                                                          Rose Fitzsimmons

Acting APRE (Secondary)                                                        APRE (Primary)

Good day good people,

As we begin another year, we are excited to begin a range of outstanding learning opportunities for our students across all areas of the curriculum. I invite you to continue collaborating with us to ensure that the wellbeing and success of your children — our most precious gifts — remain our top priority. We ask that you, as parents, support us by encouraging your child to fulfil their academic and behavioural responsibilities. Should you have any concerns, please reach out to your child’s teacher as the first point of contact. Early and open communication helps us address issues before they escalate. Additionally, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with the Townsville Catholic Education Parent Code of Conduct here.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (SHINE)

St Anthony’s Catholic College is a Positive Behaviour for Learning school. Here we have implemented the program to incorporate our college’s vision and mission and therefore developed SHINE. It is a system approach to establishing the social culture of behavioural supports needed for all school children to achieve social and academic success. Positive Behaviour supports can effectively address a range of behavioural needs from those who just need minor supports to those who require more intensive in-depth supports. The goal of SHINE at St Anthony’s is to enhance the capacity of schools to educate students, especially students with challenging social behaviours by establishing an effective continuum of PBL systems and practices. 

God bless,

Karen Krzelj - Deputy Principal (Acting)

I hope everyone is safe and well. To those families impacted by the floods please reach out to the College if you need any help or support during this difficult re-building time. No doubt there is cleaning to be done and ridding the house of mould that seems to have taken hold. 

Last week we tried to get back to some normality, however, the rain made this hard and uncomfortable. This week we had plenty of events to keep us busy. On Tuesday the light drizzle and lovely temperature was good for our Interhouse Swimming Carnival. Numbers seemed to be down a bit, however, the students that were there had a great time. Agnes was by far the best House on the day, running out clear winners. Giles took home the spirit trophy. Wednesday was our Awards Night and we recognised the efforts of our students from last year. There were over 400 awards given out and we thank all the families for their support and the Seniors of 2024 who attended. Barry spoke about our Faith, Family and Future and Abbey Connell, our Dux, addressed the students about being humble and working hard. Our musicians played tremendously with plenty of upbeat music. I will send out an email requesting some feedback. Thursday was our Opening Mass and Fr Vinoj joyfully celebrated this with us. Our Elected Leaders received their badges and all the Year 12s received their badges as well. We thank the families who could be there to celebrate this with us. Today our Year 11 students spent the day with Michael Fitzpatrick in a workshop aimed at the step up to Senior schooling. We hope they took away some good messages and how they are going to be as a cohort for the next two years. Finally our members of the Board will have their Formation Day tomorrow. So a busy end to the fortnight. I do hope the next fortnight we can settle into some solid and uninterrupted teaching time. 

Until next Newsletter or I see you, take care

Nick Antoniazzi

Deputy Principal - Assisi Campus

Parents/carers can you please ensure that the library books are safe in a waterproof bag or folder to prevent the books from getting damage or wet. Once a book is wet, it will need to be thrown out to prevent damage to other books in the library.

Although students have a weekly library lesson, they also have the opportunity to change their books before school from 8:15am and at their 2 nd lunch break 1:00-1:15pm.

Book Club
Book Club Issue 1 was due on Friday 14 th February. It is very important that we have a closing date to allow for the balancing of payments and to allow items ordered to be sent promptly before the next issue is released or the holidays are due. If paying by cheque it needs to be made out to Scholastic Australia.

Please remember to include your child’s name and class
on the order if using the leaflet order forms.

Repairing Library Books
Parents/ Carers, we asked that if your child has a library book with the pages falling out, or maybe a page has started to rip, or the glue on the spine has started to let go please do not repair the book at home simply return the book and we will repair it using the correct book tape and glue.

Library Timetable
Below is a timetable of when classes have their library lesson to help you encourage your child to return and borrow library books.

As Dr Seuss says
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Sue Keith
Teacher Librarian
Padua Campus Library

Moving to a new school is a big deal! Your child is going to meet lots of new people and be thrown into new situations. That’s bound to make them feel lots of different emotions. They may feel worried and anxious, but also excited and happy – all at the same time!

It is considered to be one of the most important transition periods of a student’s life and can present some significant psychological challenges for both students and parents.

Making new friends, learning new routines, discovering new environments, accepting new cultures and adjusting to new learning practices is all part of the process. Some children will sail through this period of change, whilst others may need a bit more guidance. It is important to give your child the chance to feel comfortable in their new space. This may take a few months, but ensure you keep the lines of communication open and check in regularly with your child to see how they are settling in.

In this Special Report, parents and care givers will be presented with a number of strategies that can be deployed to help ensure a smooth transition.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://sacc.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/moving-new-school

We have welcomed our new Food Specialisation and Hospitality classes back to H block to begin to sharpen their skills and create delicious dishes. As we begin cooking, please remember to bring your own labeled containers to safely store your prepared food. Also, a reminder your OnGuard safety modules must be completed before you can participate in practical cooking lessons as safety comes first! This week our Year 9 Food Specialisation students made their own pizza dough to create delicious Margherita pizzas. Our Year 11 and 12 Hospitality students have been learning how to use the commercial espresso machine and practicing their barista skills for our very willing staff customers! Keep an eye out for Cafe at lunchtimes reopening again soon. 

Immunisation program for Year 7 and Year 10 students

Our school is participating in Queensland Health’s annual School Immunisation Program. All Year 7 and Year 10 students will be offered free vaccinations as recommended on the National Immunisation Program schedule to protect against vaccine preventable diseases. Year 7 students will be offered human papillomavirus (HPV) and a combined diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine. Year 10 students will be offered vaccines against meningococcal disease.

Please read the information booklet contained in the consent pack which will be sent home with your child in term 1.

Only students with a signed and completed consent card, indicating ‘Yes to Vaccination’ will be vaccinated. If you would like your child to be vaccinated, please fill in the consent card and return it to the school within one week.

If you do not wish your child to be vaccinated, or your child has already been vaccinated with the offered vaccines, please complete the ‘No to Vaccination’ section on the consent card and return the consent card to the school within one week.

The Public Health Act 2005 requires the school principal to disclose student and parent/legal guardian/authorised person information for eligible Year 7 and Year 10 students to the school immunisation provider if requested. This information will enable the school immunisation provider to determine those who have and have not consented, and directly follow- up with parents/legal guardians/authorised persons of students who have not returned a consent card. This direct follow-up ensures all parents/legal guardians/authorised persons are offered the opportunity for their child to participate in this important school health program. It may also assist you in making decisions about your child’s immunisation needs.

Parents, legal guardians and authorised persons who have indicated ‘No to Vaccination’ will not be followed up by the provider.

School immunisation providers will be bound to comply with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). This Act stipulates the requirements for the secure collection, use, storage and disposal of personal information to be followed by school health program providers.

The vaccinations will be conducted by a team of authorised registered nurses and/or a medical practitioner. Parents, legal guardians or authorised persons are encouraged to ensure their children have an adequate breakfast on the morning of vaccination.

The vaccination team will be visiting the school to give the free vaccinations on the following date/s:

7 March 2025 – Year 7
13 March 2025 – Year 10

For further information about the School Immunisation Program please call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or visit www.health.qld.gov.au/immunisation

Last December, Our Teen Vinnies visited the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Distribution hub. The volunteers' charitable work deeply inspired the students and witnessed how donations were packed and distributed.

Our Mini Vinnies, on the other hand, wrote heartfelt, handwritten cards for refugee children. The children warmly received and appreciated the thoughtful gesture, along with the toys that the OSCH Mini Vinnies personally gift-wrapped.

This year, our Teen and Mini Vinnies are deeply committed to creating fundraising events that aim to support those who are struggling, especially those impacted by the recent floods. We understand the challenges many face and want to do our part to help.

One heartfelt initiative we are planning is a sleep-out fundraising program. We truly believe that by coming together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of those in need. 

We’ll soon share more details about this fundraising program, so please stay tuned and join us in this important effort!

Get involved!

If you are interested in joining Teen Vinnies (Secondary students) or Mini Vinnies ( Grade 4 to 6 students), please don’t hesitate to contact us. We welcome new members and look forward to working together to make a positive impact in our community.

Feel free to contact Mrs Ciencia at ccienciajeroma@sacc.catholic.edu.au. 

Cristina Ciencia- Jeroma

School Chaplain

Assisi and Padua Campus ( Monday and Thursday)