Good Day, Good People,

NAPLAN testing took place this week for our Year 3,5,7 and 9 students. We now await their results to do some cross checking with our school results. Thanks goes to the parents and carers as our attendance was good for these days. There will be some make-up exams next week for those who were away on the testing days.

It is enrolment time again at St. Anthony’s. If you have a young child looking for a Prep place, make sure you contact the office. Our Year 6 students have automatic entry into secondary school at Assisi. If you know of any others who are looking, please get them to contact the College as soon as possible. Further information and online enrolment forms can be found on our website: https://www.sacc.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-apply-now/

Parenting is such an important role in our society. I am often amazed at the effort our parents go to. I am taking this opportunity to advertise a few things. In the past we have mentioned School TV that can be found on our website with many little tips and hints for our parents. I want to also share with you a series I have recently watched on the ABC called “The Role of a Lifetime”. It is all about parenting. It is available on IVIEW. Each episode goes for about 45 minutes, but I found them very informative.

Finally, we are working in partnership to provide the best for your children.  We will be emailing all our families the Parent Code of Conduct. Our staff have a Code of Conduct that we revisit regularly. There is also a Student Code of Conduct being developed that I hope to share a little later this year. Unfortunately, our students get some very mixed messages through social media, and we need to keep setting the example of how we treat each other.

Parenting is the role of a lifetime and I encourage you to keep yourself informed on current trends and good parenting tips. 

Yours sincerely,

Barry Horner

College Principal

Good day, good people!

Welcome to a space where we reflect, grow, and support each other on our faith journey. Inspired by the gentle spirit of St. Francis and St. Anthony, we are called to live with humility, love and open hearts to God’s grace. 

During this time of Lent, we explore how to embrace peace, reconciliation, and service in our daily lives. Whether through acts of kindness, moments of prayer, or a simple “I’m sorry,” we take steps toward a deeper relationship with God and one another. May we always be instruments of God’s peace, sharing His love with joyful hearts.

The Power of "I'm Sorry"

Teaching our children to say "I'm sorry" is an essential part of helping them build strong, loving relationships. Even in the best friendships and families, misunderstandings and hurt feelings arise. Our children need to learn not only how to express sincere apologies but also how to forgive and accept forgiveness.

Saying “sorry” isn’t always easy—even for adults. Sometimes, apologies come with justifications or excuses, making it harder for the other person to truly forgive. On the other hand, when we receive an apology, we may be tempted to bring up past wrongs rather than accept the moment of reconciliation.

Forgiveness can be challenging, but we have a powerful example to follow: the loving mercy of God. As we guide our children in the art of saying and receiving “I’m sorry,” we help them grow in grace, kindness, and understanding.

Loving God, 

our sins and failures are no barrier to your love. 

You have sent Jesus to show us the kind face of forgiveness. 

Open our hearts to him. 

Give us your Spirit that we may forgive as we are forgiven. Amen

Sr Kym Harris OSB 

Reconciliation - Sacramental Program

Students participating in the sacramental program are embarking on a meaningful journey of faith, deepening their relationship with God and their community. Through lessons in Reconciliation, they learn the importance of forgiveness, grace, and healing. As they prepare to receive this sacrament, they grow in understanding of God's loving mercy and develop the courage to seek and offer forgiveness in their daily lives. 

This journey strengthens their faith, guiding them toward a life rooted in compassion, humility, and spiritual growth.

Please keep them in your prayers as they take on the next step in their journey.

Project Compassion

Project Compassion is underway at the College, encouraging students to support Caritas Australia's mission through fundraising and awareness initiatives. Since the official launch on Ash Wednesday, students have engaged in activities that highlight the importance of solidarity, justice, and compassion for vulnerable communities. This will culminate in a Market Day being held for Assisi students in Week 9 and Padua’s Market Day to be held in Greccio Place on the Wednesday of Week 10. Through their efforts, the College community is living out the Franciscan values of service and care for those in need.

Franciscan School Australia

If you haven’t read this article yet, please take the time this week to learn a little about our Franciscan Community and the wonderful conversation on page 3 about our students here at St Anthony’s.

Read the latest Feb 2025 Franciscan’s Schools Australia eNewsletter - Our students are featured in this edition. 

The Franciscan path is different because it does not ask, “what would Jesus do?” but “how does Jesus live in me?” by Ilia Delio, OSF

God Bless

Rachel Bond                                                                          Rose Fitzsimmons

Acting APRE (Secondary)                                                        APRE (Primary)

Good day good people,

God bless,

Karen Krzelj - Deputy Principal (Acting)

Last week as a College we began the Lenten season. This was first celebrated with pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and then our Ash Wednesday service. I hope that your child/ren have committed themselves to something new or challenging or are giving up something this lent. 

Our Year 7s and 9s have been very busy with NAPLAN these last three days. We hope they have had a good experience and given it their best shot. The data we receive helps inform our practice and the results you receive will allow you to see what their ability is at that point in time. 

There have been a number of opportunities this fortnight that our staff have provided for our students. A small group of Year 12s attended the CQU Experience Day. We hope this has given them more information about choices for next year. Our Drama students participated in the Homunculus Theatre Residency Day and our music students went up to Cairns to participate in the SHEP Music Program. The Arts are alive and well and we hope these students gained some wonderful experience in their area of the Arts. Our Year 7s on Tuesday participated in a resilience program called Step Up. It was a fun day in the SDC and a nice way to have a break before going into NAPLAN. Thursday night we had one of our best turn ups at the First Nations Education Committee Meeting of both students and parents. We are working towards a cultural shift at the College and for a parent to lead this committee. In the early hours of this morning our Elected Leaders were up and about getting ready for the International Women’s Day Breakfast at IPC. We hope they had an enjoyable time celebrating this special occasion. 

Until next Newsletter or I see you, take care

Nick Antoniazzi

Deputy Principal - Assisi Campus

Padua Library

We have had a wonderful start to the year with students using the library regularly and responsibly, taking care of the items they borrow each week. Although students have a weekly library lesson, they also have the opportunity to change their books before school from 8:15 to 8:30am and during their lunch breaks. Students are asked to always have their library bag or waterproof folder with them when they come to change their books.

Dear Parents/ Carers could you please remind your child about keeping their library books safe from water (especially in wet weather, swimming and leaking water bottles) we have many books being returned that are wet and once they are wet, we cannot put them back into the library collection due to the mould that grows in the books.

If your child’s library book is damaged, could I please ask that you contribute to the cost of buying a replacement book.

If your child has an overdue book, we would appreciate your help in locating and returning the book to the library so that other students are able to borrow those books.

The library does not open in the mornings until 8:15am when the first bell rings. This is a time for returning and borrowing of library books.

Book Club

Orders for Issue 2 closed on Friday 14^th March. It is important that we have a closing date to allow for the balancing of payments and to allow items ordered to be returned before the holidays. Please remember to include your child’s name and class on the order if paying by cash.

Sue Keith
Teacher Librarian
Padua Campus Library

“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” – Roald Dahl

SHINE

This fortnighy's SHINE Focus is:

The SHINE Team works each year to enhance our behaviour support actions and procedures. Our priority actions for 2025 include:

Whole School Systems – Actions Across the College
Patterns of student behaviour are consistently monitored by teams and staff to support informed decision-making.

What this means:

• Staff document both positive and negative behaviours in Chronicle.
  
  
• Behaviour reports are reviewed regularly, and appropriate responses are made at different
  levels.

The SHINE Team meets each term to analyse this data from a whole-school perspective, identifying areas that need improvement and implementing strategies to
support positive behaviour.  The Google Slide presentation, ‘How We SHINE on Play Equipment’, has been revisited with students in class. Signage is positioned in these
areas as a continual reminder of safe and respectful play expectations.  These initiatives continue to promote positive behaviour in 2025.

Padua Campus SHINE Team

AT PADUA CAMPUS OUR STUDENTS SHINE

Pic
Congratulations to our SHINE Award Winners from Prep – Year 3

Pic
Congratulations to our SHINE award winners from Years 4 - 6

Gracelyn Mitchell
Assistant Principal Administration (Acting) - Padua Campus

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Careers and Counselling

All Year 12 completers from last year will soon receive an invitation to participate in the Next Step survey. This is their chance to help our school to understand the different pathways of the 2024 Year 12 students and to improve our senior programs and support for future students. The survey only takes five minutes and asks graduates about their study and work activities since finishing school.

As a thank you for participating, Year 12 completers who complete the survey will be entered into a draw to win a MacBook Air.

We ask parents, siblings and friends to encourage our graduates to complete the survey. If their contact details have changed, please assist survey interviewers by providing their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate. Graduates may receive an invitation by mail, email or phone. The survey can be completed online or by phone.

For more information about Next Step, including previous results, visit http://www.qld.gov.au/nextstep.

University early entry offer programs

Early entry is when a student submits an application and receives an offer for a course before the main offer rounds. Early entry is often (but not always) merit-based, for students who stand out above the crowd with things like - Principal’s Recommendation, Academic results, Leadership or community engagement. Here are some popular early entry programs:

Australian National University. ANU’s Direct Early Offer applications are now open and include course admission, accommodation and scholarships in one application. Offers will be released in September using Year 11 results. Applications close on 15 May.

James Cook University. Under the JCU Early Offer program, students may be able to receive an early conditional offer for a course. To participate in JCU’s Early Offer Program, students will need to list JCU as their first preference in QTAC when applications open, and also discuss their interest in applying with our Career Development Practitioner for a school recommendation. Offers made before mid-October will be conditional on meeting entry requirements and subject prerequisites.

CQU. The Principal’s Recommendation Scheme (PRS) provides a pathway for Year 12 students to receive an unconditional offer to a range of undergraduate CQU courses based on their high school principal's recommendation rather than ATAR. 

Griffith University. Griffith's Year 12 Early Offer Guarantee gives peace of mind to students who are meeting minimum subject marks. Students can receive an offer to study at Griffith before they receive their ATAR. Students also have the ability to defer their offer. Applications are by invitation only. To be invited, students must list one or more of the eligible Griffith degrees in their QTAC application.

QUT. The Year 12 Early Offer Scheme can provide certainty about future options, with an offer to study at QUT before receiving the ATAR. Offers are conditional on meeting minimum subject results.

Bond University. Bond allows Year 12 students to apply directly and receive an early offer using results from your Semester 1, Year 12 report, as well as your reports from both semesters in Year 11.

Every program is different with its own criteria, so it’s important that students check the eligibility requirements and talk with our Career Development Practitioner. Some courses also have additional requirements and conditional offers only will be made for these courses.

ADF Career Information Sessions

Wondering whether a job in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the right fit?

Come along to an upcoming info session where you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and learn everything you want to know regarding job roles in the Navy, Army and Air Force.

You'll have the chance to speak with current serving members to see if an ADF career is the one for you. Click here for the latest events and to register.

• Townsville Air Force Careers Information Session - Thursday 20 March, 6pm
• Townsville Gap Year Information Session - Wednesday 26 March, 6pm
• Townsville Navy Careers Information Session - Thursday 17 April, 6pm
• Townsville Army Reserve Information Session - Tuesday 29 April, 6pm

Miss Kathryn Tebble

Career Development Practitioner 

4751 7300 or ktebble1@sacc.catholic.edu.au

www.stanthonyscareers.com

Vocational Education and Training

Hastings Deerings Apprenticeships

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2026 apprentice program to receive notification when applications open for apprenticeships across:

• Autoelectrician
• Electrical - high voltage
• Diesel fitter
• Mechanical fitter

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables Apprenticeships

Students are encouraged to register their interest to receive an email notification when applications open for 2026 apprenticeships in:

• Electrical
• Fabricating
• Fitting and Turning
• Diesel Fitting

Glencore Coal Apprenticeships

Applications for the 2026 intake open in May. To request an apprenticeship program brochure, complete and submit this form. Apprenticeships available may include:

• Auto Electrical
• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Plant Mechanical
• Metal Fabrication

Ergon Energy Apprenticeships

Students are encouraged to register for Job Alerts to receive notification for the 2026 apprenticeship intake, opening in June, for:

• Electricians
• Communications Technicians
• Distribution Linespersons
• Transmission Linesperson
• Underground Cable Jointer
• Mechanical trades (fitting)

For students considering an apprenticeship with Ergon Energy, participation in the Energy Queensland work experience program is highly encouraged for students in Years 10, 11 and 12.

Komatsu

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2026 Komatsu Apprenticeship Program. Applications open on 1 July with opportunities across:

• Plant mechanic
• Automotive electrician
• Electrician
• Mechanical fitter
• Electrical fitter
• Boilermaker

Apprenticeships are dependent on locations available.

For information about VET courses:

Mr Chris Kyle

VET Coordinator

4751 7300 or ckyle2@sacc.catholic.edu.au 

www.stanthonyscareers.com

Work Experience

JCU Heroes in Health program

30 April and 1 May

This two-day program for students in Year 11 and 12 will provide students with a sneak peek of what it’s really like to be in a healthcare career. Students will go behind the scenes at the Mater hospital, experiencing interactive activities such as suturing and wound care, CPR, vital signs, Webster packs and how to birth a baby with opportunities to speak directly with health professionals including doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and pharmacists. Applications are now open. Spots are limited and applications close on 26 March. Students are required to make their own private transport arrangements to the program. 

Defence Work Experience Program

The Defence Work Experience Program provides young Australians interested in Defence as a future career, the opportunity to sample life in Defence and learn more about the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Australian Public Service (APS). Applications are now open for:

• RAAF Careers Overview Townsville, 29 April 2025 (applications close 21 March)
• Indigenous Youth Program RAAF Careers Overview Townsville, 8 May 2025 (applications close 4 April 2025)
• Navy Careers Overview: HMAS Cairns, 7-8 May 2025 (applications close 6 April)
• RAAF Careers Overview Townsville, 22 May 2025 (applications close 24 April)

For information about work experience:

Ms Sam Van Eerde

Industry Liaison Officer

4751 7300 or svaneerde@sacc.catholic.edu.au 

www.stanthonyscareers.com

Upcoming Events

In this edition of SchoolTV - Confidence & Motivation - AU

Building confidence and motivation in young people is essential for their overall wellbeing and is a key aspect of their development. These qualities can have a lasting impact on their success and happiness. Confidence helps children believe in their abilities and face challenges with a positive attitude, while motivation drives their desire to learn, explore, and achieve their goals.

Fostering these traits involves creating an environment that encourages children to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and celebrate their achievements. Confidence is built when children feel capable and valued, while motivation is fuelled by the belief that their efforts will lead to growth and success. By actively supporting both, we can help young people thrive in the academic, social, and personal areas of their life.

By offering positive reinforcement, setting realistic expectations, and celebrating their efforts, we can model a positive mindset that can go a long way in helping young people develop both confidence and motivation. Nurturing these qualities, will help them grow into self-assured individuals who believe in their ability to succeed, setting the foundation for a fulfilling future.

In this edition of SchoolTV, discover how to provide opportunities for autonomy and support your child in persevering through challenges.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Confidence & Motivation - AU edition of SchoolTV

DRAMA WORKSHOP 

Last Tuesday was a memorable day for our dedicated Drama students, who participated in a workshop conducted by the highly skilled Mr. Clint Bolster from the esteemed Homunculus Theatre Company. This enriching day of learning complemented our study of the unit Commedia Dell'arte. The environment was filled with laughter and creativity as students engaged in collaborative activities, enhancing their passion for drama and promoting teamwork.

SHEP EXCURSION

This past weekend, twelve of our exceptionally talented instrumental students traveled to Cairns to participate in the State Honours Ensemble Program. The weekend was characterised by dedication, hard work, and a deep passion for music, as they collaborated and learned alongside talented peers from various regional schools. Their efforts culminated in an impressive performance on Sunday evening, reflecting their commitment and enthusiasm.

Fleur Hislop

(Curriculum Leader- The Arts)

Music Boosts Learning – Join Our Padua Choir! 

Did you know that learning music can improve results in other subjects? Students involved in
music develop better memory, focus, and problem-solving skills, which support learning
in maths, reading, and more. Music also builds confidence, creativity, and teamwork,
helping students thrive in and beyond the classroom.

Our Padua Choir is a wonderful opportunity for Year 3-6 students to experience these
benefits while making friends and enjoying the joy of singing together.

Why join?
✔ Build confidence
✔ Improve focus & teamwork skills
✔ Enjoy performing & making music

Rehearsals: Fridays, 7:30–8:15 AM
Location: Padua Music Room

Contact: Mrs Glenys Kyle
Email: gkyle2@sacc.catholic.edu.au

I’m reaching out from Brother Rugby Union Club to ask for your support in sharing an exciting opportunity with your school community.

We’re currently welcoming new players for our Junior Rugby programs, designed for children turning 7-17 years old in 2025. Our Junior programs focus on developing fundamental skills in a fun and supportive environment, while encouraging teamwork, confidence, and an active lifestyle.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could share our flyer with your school community, either through your newsletter or on your communication platforms. There are still spots available for the upcoming season, and we’d love to offer this opportunity to as many young players as possible.

In particular we are looking for 7-11 years olds to playing the mixed aged groups, without your help there is a chance that we will not be able to field teams.

For more information or to register, families can contact us at  registrar.bjruc.com.au, through our social media www.facebook.com/brothersrugbyuniontsv or scan the QR code on our flyer.

Thank you for your support in promoting healthy, active opportunities for students in our community.

Warm regards,    

Luke Eastlake                                                            

Registrar                                                        

Brothers Junior Rugby Union Club

M: 0417 006 715

• TSV - Amazing Race - 15th March 2025 
• TSV - Ice skating - 5th April 2025
• Cairns - Aquarium - 3rd May 2025
• TSV - Ninja Park - 14th June 2025

• TSV - Gumburu Camp - 23rd – 25th May 2025