Good Day, Good People,

Today we welcome our new Pope. We pray for Pope Leo 14th to lead us into the future.

We are currently in the middle of our Prep 2026 interviews. If you have a child or know of a family with a child coming into school age please contact the College ASAP.

I have read a lot about the Welcome to Country debate over recent times. I read this recently and thought it was very well written. Regardless of where you are in this debate, I encourage you to read this article from Carrick Ryan. 

I will say as a Catholic College we will continue to use Welcome to Country at our gatherings.

I'm going to wade into the "Welcome to Country" debate because I think I've identified a common but fundamental misunderstanding in what the ceremony means.

I don't want to talk about when they should be held, how long they should go for, or whether they should be used for political statements. But I do want to talk about what it actually means to be "Welcomed to Country", because this is what I think people get wrong.

To be clear, you're not being welcomed to someone's "country" in the geopolitical sense we usually understand it. It's not someone's territorial possession like we own property, it's something deeply spiritual.

Now there are High Court rulings that do actually give Indigenous Australians a very real legal right to Australian land based on our own common law, but that's not what this is about.

Indigenous lore sees the land like we see God, it's a spiritual being... a presence. It's not just where their ancestors lived, it's where they still exist... every single ancestor they have ever had. Their entire belief system is inextricably linked to the land, it's as sacred to them as a consecrated church.

Now I understand "Welcome to Countries" are a relatively new formality in their current form, but if you understand what Indigenous people are trying to say to you then you might feel differently about pausing to listen to it.

They aren't welcoming you to THEIR territory, they're welcoming you to be present on SACRED territory. You're walking upon the land their nation has cared for since the start of time.

Yet, for your presence on this deeply holy land, they only ask that you take a moment to respect their ancestors who continue to exist within the land. That's it... and with that they wish us well, and promise us protection, and usually express great joy that this happy gathering is happening on this land.

Now you might suggest it's all a silly superstition, but if you respect the religious beliefs of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and Buddhists... this is no more fanciful. Why does this religion not get the same respect?

Personally, when I understand why Indigenous people are performing this ceremony, I can see it's a genuine attempt to involve me and the rest of Australia in their culture. They are allowing us to be a part of a new religious ceremony to celebrate an ancient civilisation, and they're doing it in a way intended to make us feel... welcome. How beautiful.

We talk a lot about reconciliation, but most people just expect Indigenous Australians to fully assimilate into our society and be happy with that. That's not true reconciliation.

The Welcome to Country is an attempt by some to introduce a tiny part of their 60,000 year culture into our broader national identity by teaching us about their deeply personal relationship with "country" and integrating it within some of our other national traditions, be they sport, politics, celebrations, or commemorations.

It's a moment where Indigenous Australians truly attempt to reconcile their ancient customs and values with ours.

- Carrick Ryan

Kind regards,

Barry Horner

College Principal

Good day good people,

Every Day Counts – Attendance and Punctuality Matter!

As we navigate Term 2, we kindly ask for your continued support in ensuring excellent student attendance and punctuality. Arriving on time each day helps set a positive tone for learning and reduces unnecessary stress for students, particularly our senior learners who are experiencing increasing anxiety around lateness.

School begins at the same time each day across all campuses, and a consistent start supports routine, wellbeing, and academic success. Let’s work together to help every student start their day ready and confident. The following visuals help highlight just how much valuable learning time can be missed through absences and lateness. Arriving on time sets students up for success—every lesson counts, and it’s here that responsibility begins. Regular school attendance not only supports academic achievement but also strengthens friendships and builds a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Let’s work together to ensure every student has the best chance to thrive—because success starts with showing up!

National Family Reading Month – May

May is National Family Reading Month – a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading together as a family! Sharing stories at home helps build strong literacy skills, sparks imagination, and creates lasting memories. Throughout the month, we encourage all families to set aside time each day to read with their children – whether it’s a bedtime story, a favourite picture book, or a new chapter in a novel. Let’s work together to foster a love of reading in every household and inspire lifelong learners. Happy reading!

Mother’s Day

As we approach the special celebration of Mother’s Day, we are filled with deep gratitude and admiration for the remarkable women who enrich our lives with their love, support, and strength. In our Catholic faith, we recognise the sacred gift of motherhood. Just as Mary, the Mother of Jesus, showed steadfast faith, compassion, and resilience, so too do the mothers in our lives reflect these virtues every day. Through their wisdom, care, and presence, they nurture these same qualities in us, helping to build lives rooted in faith, love, and kindness.

This Mother’s Day, let us pause to reflect on the many blessings the maternal figures in our lives bring us. May we show our gratitude not just in words, but in thoughtful actions and moments of appreciation, honouring their constant love and dedication.

To all the mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our St Anthony’s community and beyond, we send our warmest wishes for a joyful and blessed Mother’s Day. May your day be filled with love, laughter, and treasured time with those you hold dear.

May God bless all mothers and those who are like mothers to us, today and always.

Cross Country

This morning, we held our interhouse Cross Country, and it was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, and members of our school community come along to support the event. A big thank you to Mr Smit for his organisation. Thanks also to all the staff who helped make the day such a success. 

God bless,

Karen Krzelj - Deputy Principal (Acting)

SHINE focus for Week 4: We are Respectful – we use calm and polite language.

FIRST NATIONS NEWS

Padua Students are being invited to participate in the 2025 NAIDOC School Initiative
Competition again this year. Prep - Year 2 Students will be given a colouring in to complete and Year 3-6 Students are being asked to write a poem entitled Respect (Everyone has a culture, and it must be respected). More information regarding this will be sent home and there are some great prizes to be won.

Important dates coming up:
Sorry Day: Monday 26th May
Reconciliation Week: 27th May to 3rd June
Mabo Day - Friday 3rd June

We look forward to commemorating and celebrating these dates with you.

Gracelyn Mitchell
Assistant Principal Administration (Acting) - Padua Campus

Gracelyn Mitchell
Assistant Principal Administration (Acting) - Padua Campus

Assisi Campus News

Thank you to all the families who were able to attend our Parent Teacher Interviews last week. I do hope you have gained valuable insight from the teachers about how your child/ren are progressing with their subjects. I know our teachers really appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and discuss your child’s progress and it is valuable to have this partnership together to give your child/ren the best learning opportunity possible. 

Yesterday we had terrific participation in the Cross Country Carnival. There were plenty of joyful and excited faces when they started and then at the end exhaustion from their effort. Giles managed to win the Spirit Trophy and Agnes won the Event. This means two from two for them. 

Recently we seem to have quite a large number of students messaging home to family members to come and pick them up because they are sick without coming to the office first. We have had unauthorised family members arriving to collect the sick child. These have been step parents and uncles that are not on our system so it has created quite a run around to try and get a hold of a parent, find the student and arrange the departure. We have even had parents expecting their child to be there to be collected and we have no knowledge of this happening. Please reply back to your child to go to Sick Bay if they are sick and let us follow our process please. This is not something we want to encourage either, so your support with this would be greatly appreciated. 

Sunday is Mother’s Day, so I would like to wish all the mothers out there all the best and hope you celebrate it the way you want to in whatever way that is. 

Until next Newsletter or I see you, take care.

Nick Antoniazzi

Deputy Principal - Assisi Campus

The research set out to explore the connections between parents reading to their young children and their child’s later reading and other cognitive skills.

Key Findings The frequency of reading to children at a young age has a direct causal effect on their schooling outcomes regardless of their family background and home environment.

• Reading to children at age 4-5 every day has a significant positive effect on their reading skills andcognitive skills (i.e., language and literacy, numeracy and cognition) later in life.                                                                                            
• Reading to children 3-5 days per week (compared to 2 or less) has the same effect on the child’s reading skills at age 4-5 as being six months older.
   
• Reading to them 6-7 days per week has the same effect as being almost 12 months older.
  
  
• Children read to more frequently at age 4-5 achieve higher scores on the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for both Reading and Numeracy in Year 3 (age 8 to 9).
  
  
• These differences in reading and cognitive skills are not related to the child’s family background or
  home environment but are the direct result of how frequently they have been read to prior to starting
  school.

This research is a result of a partnership arrangement between the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Library News
National Simultaneous Storytime Wednesday 21 st May.

This is a nation wide event where schools, libraries, kindergartens, child care centres across Australia read the same story. This year’s story will be ‘The Truck Cat’ by Deborah Frenkel . I will share with families and classes an online version of the story as the date approaches.

2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge. – The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an annual state- wide initiative. The challenge is not a competition but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Students can participate in the challenge within their school or as individual readers.

For a student to successfully complete the challenge they must read or experience the allocated number of books for their year level during the reading period. Students who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland. The Challenge will begin on the 6 th May and will finish on the 22nd August. Recording sheets will be available from classroom teachers or the library.

"I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn't be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage." Roald Dahl                   

Sue Keith

The School Photographer will be at the Padua Campus on 21 and 22 May and at the Assisi Campus on 23 May.

All students at Padua Campus are to were full academic uniform for photo day and may bring their sports uniform to change into if they wish.

All students at Assisi Campus may wear their sports uniform on Thursday. They are to wear their formal academic uniform on Friday 23 May.

Upcoming screening of Seen - The Film at Citylibraries Riverway. This is Townsville’s only free screening of the film.

Bookings are essential. We would love to see you there!