St Augustine's Parish School eNewsletter

Principal & Deputy Principals Message

Dear Families,

Welcome to term 3 and for our all children and families who have started with us this term, we warmly welcome you to St Augustine’s!

There is much to be excited about in our school at the moment and also in our church. This Friday, August 8 is the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first saint as well as the Feast Day of St Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Dominican Order. Feast days are an important part of our liturgical calendar as they provide us with an opportunity to reflect upon the lives of the saints and provide continued guidance for us in our own life.

Next week (Friday 15 August) is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. On this day, we celebrate Mary, Mother of Jesus ascending Body and Soul into heaven to be reunited with Jesus. This is one of the most significant Feast Days in our Catholic Tradition.

Our term has begun with renewed vigour and focus. Our teachers have been learning and practicing a suite of high impact strategies for student engagement in classrooms. Our ESO teams have been focusing on working together and strategies for supporting and elevating each other in the workplace. Yesterday, many of our OSCH team attended a professional learning day on supporting children with diverse needs in an OSHC setting.

Our children have been equally focused on their own learning inside and outside of the classroom. This time of year is an great time to reflect on Semester 1 and to set goals for the remainder of the year. Learning time is precious and the year moves quickly.

On Wednesday night, 6 August we had the pleasure of attending Wakakirri. Our participation in this event has been ongoing for many years. Every year a new story and dance is prepared based on the theme provided and we tell a story that reflects who our school and community is.

This year our school told the story of a girl drawing on our school Learner Qualities to help her through different stages of life. It was beautiful, emotive and inspiring. It showed to all who were there that our school is focused on education that is lifelong and impactful beyond school.

At the completion of the performance, three children from each school are invited forward to speak. Demonstrating extraordinary courage, Annabelle, Isaiah and Gab did so without any cue cards or assistance. They were genuine, articulate and passionate about our school and their performance. As a result, our school was awarded the Public Speaking Award!

Thank you to Miss Riccio, Mrs Oldfield and every staff member involved in making Wakakirri an experience our children will remember for the rest of their lives and for showcasing to the world how remarkable our school, children, staff and families are.

Take care,

Dan Cowan, Principal & Michelle Thomas, Deputy Principal

Catholic Identity Updates

Feast of the Assumption of Mary: 15 August
In the Catholic Tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, has a very important place. The Catholic Teaching is that Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, also known as the Son of God. This means that at the end of her earthly life, Mary was assumed both body and soul into Heaven. Her body did not corrupt as human bodies after life.

Our whole school will be celebrating this special Feast Day with a whole school Mass on Friday, 15 August at 9.30am in the St Augustine Parish Church. The celebrant is Fr Charles Lukati. You are all warmly welcome to join us.

Sacramental Program
We give thanks to Louise Svensdotter who retired from the role of Sacramental Coordinator after 17 faithful years. Currently, the Program is being led by Anthony Terminello (APRIM – Holy Family) and myself. Our next Workshop in on the weekend 16^th and 17^th August. We will keep you informed as to who will be the next Sacramental Coordinator.

Feast of St Augustine: Date claimer
Our important St Augustine Feast Day is on Thursday, 28 August. Please note this in your diary and more information will be forwarded in the next Newsletter.

THOUGHTS: The maddening pace of life can affect all relationships. It can be hard to switch off your mind. Prayer has been linked to wellbeing and overall calm.

PRAYER: Lord, allow nothing to disturb our peace. From Your inner calm, touch our souls to find peace and rest from all that affects us in life. Reassure us with Your Presence today and always. Amen.

Dr Rachele Tullio,
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission

Northern Cluster Footy Carnival

On Friday 27 June, St Augustine’s boys’ and girls’ students from year 4,5, and 6 attended the Northern Cluster Catholic Schools Footy Carnival at Ridley Reserve, Elizabeth.

The students participated in AFL matches against various catholic schools from the northern area. The boys and girls conducted themselves well and showed great teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the day.

This was a valuable and memorable experience for these students. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers involved for your support in providing this opportunity for our students.

Dylan Baker & Bo Roper,
Health & PE Teachers

Jam Band 2025

On Friday 25 July we welcomed Jam Band to our school for a fun filled, high energy performance. With catchy songs, lively characters and lots of dancing, our students had an absolute blast.

Kendell Vivian,
Performing Arts Teacher

On Wednesday Week 2, our Year 2 astronauts took trip to the Solar System, with an exciting excursion to the Adelaide Planetarium! Students participated in a range of activities to conclude our learning about space. Working in teams, students completed space-themed STEM activities to crack clues and uncover the mystery space word. Under the dome of the Planetarium, we explored the night sky, the planets, constellations, and the Indigenous dreamtime story of the Sun Woman. Students enjoyed the film ‘The Great Solar System Adventure’ which took us on an animated trip through the solar system.

A big thank you to our parent volunteers and ESO’s who supported us on the excursion.

Sarah Pope,
Year 2 Teacher & EALD Support

Year 3 - Monarto Zoo

On Tuesday 5 August, the Year 3 students went on an excursion to Monarto Zoo. We got up close to so many amazing animals such as meerkats, lions, cheetahs and even the new elephants. We learnt about all their features, habitats, behaviour and some fun facts!

We are so excited to use our new knowledge about African animals to write our own Information Reports this term.

Sarah Cakalci,
Year 3 Teacher

Wakakirri 2025

On Wednesday 6 August, our 2025 Wakakirri Team performed live on stage at the Norwood Concert Hall. The students were professional and absolutely shined as they told our story through dance & drama.

This years Wakakirri theme was ‘Mind Over Matter: Tales of Inner Strength’. We chose to tell the story of a girl who uses our school learner qualities to overcome difficult challenges throughout her life, titled ‘Qualities of Life’. We had students play the characters of Curious, Collaborative, Courageous, Thoughtful and Resilient as the main girl’s subconscious.

The story begins with a young girl starting Year 3 and feeling isolated. The learning qualities help her throughout this tough time by encouraging her to be brave and play with her peers, as well as making others feel included. The story then fast forwards to when the girl is 15 and playing in a semi-final soccer match. She unfortunately gets injured and is unable to play the grand final. The learning qualities guide her through this difficult time and encourage her to support her team. Finally in her adult years, she experiences more hardship with the loss of her home due to a bushfire. In this moment, she realised that the learning qualities have guided her throughout her life and is now able to support others the way the learning qualities have supported her.

After the performance, nominated students speak on behalf of the Wakakirri Team to explain our story. Our 3 Year 6 students, Annabelle, Isaiah and Gab did a wonderful job of presenting without any cue cards. They showed incredible courage and resilience on night and did our school proud.

We are so immensely proud of our Wakakirri cast this year. It has been incredible to see all their hard work and dedication on the stage. We would also like to thank everyone who supported our Wakakirri Team in any way, big or small throughout our Wakakirri journey.

Below are a list of the 6 awards that we won on the night:

Storytelling Awards for Story construction and Clarity
Ensemble Award for Overall Performance
Production Award for Sets, Props and Costumes
Storytelling Award for Story Theme and Concept
Ensemble Award for Dancing and Acting
Best Public Speaking Award

Congratulations Wakakirri Team!

SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival

On Wednesday 6 August, our Year 4, 5 and 6 students took part in the annual SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival, and what an incredible day it was!

A big congratulations goes to all runners for giving their best effort! We saw plenty of personal bests, some impressive endurance, and endless encouragement between students.

Thank you to our staff and families who came along to cheer, your support helped make the event a great success!

Dylan Baker & Bo Roper,
Health & PE Teachers

Year 6 Arts & Ecology Student Leaders

Upcoming Book Week Parade

Wellbeing Corner

Mel Stockdale,
School Counsellor

Community Hub News

Start the Day Right at Breakfast Club! 🍎☕

Our Breakfast Club is open every morning from 8:30 to 9:30am—and it’s so much more than just a meal!

In partnership with Foodbank and supported by generous donations from Parabanks Woolworths, we offer a delicious range of toasted sandwiches, cereals, fruit, and fresh bakery items to help children and families fuel up for the day.

Families and staff can also enjoy a barista-style coffee or hot chocolate from our drinks machine for just $2.50—perfect for a warm start to your morning.

Breakfast Club is a great chance to:

Connect with other families
Settle your child and set them up for a successful day
Catch up on what’s happening at school and in the Community Hub
Build a sense of belonging and connection to place

Come and join us—everyone is welcome! It’s a small thing that makes a big difference to the way your day begins.

Carole Smith,
Community Hub, Playgroup & Occasional Care Coordinator

Congratulations

Congratulations to Eva who competed in National rounds 5 & 6 held at Cross Keys BMX Club in July.

Eva's results were:

Day 1 - 7th in 12 girls & 4th in 11-12 cruiser

Day 2- 5th in 12 girls & 3rd in 11-12 cruiser

Eva will compete at BMX Nationals in October at Macarthur BMX track.

Next year the children will compete in a qualifying event to hopefully make BMX worlds which will be held in Brisbane in July 2026.

Canteen News

Canteen volunteers are required throughout the week. If you are a registered volunteer and are available, please see me in the canteen or call the front office staff on 8182 7900.
Any help will be appreciated.

NEW ITEMS ON THE MENU
Baked Potatoes - with choice of toppings = $4.50 (Wednesdays only)
Baked Beans Cup (180g) = $3.00
Spag-A-Saurus Cups (175g) = $3.00

Reminder: Please use the QKR App for lunch orders. The App closes at 9:15am each morning.

Carolyn Collis,
Canteen Manager