Filter Content
St Peter’s staff wish all families a very warm welcome back to the start of the 2021 school year.
We hope families had many opportunities over the holidays to enjoy each other's company, to share some great experiences with your relatives and friends and to engage in our beautiful local treasures and the fruits offered through some limited travelling.
Please keep families in your prayers, who for some reason found the holiday break a testing period.
We especially pray for the family, relatives and friends of Don Farrell, legendary foundation Principal of St Peter’s, who passed away on the 5th of January.
We will have a commemorative ceremony for Don in the near future, to celebrate his wonderful contribution and very rich legacy to the community of St Peter’s and education more broadly.
It was so good engaging with our little people and families at the end of this week through students’ MAI and Best Start interviews. We hope 2021 is a very productive and enjoyable year where we can share our love of learning and our partnership in nurturing this love.
A SPECIAL WELCOME TO THE FOLLOWING NEW FAMILIES
Smith - Jameson - Year 3 | Crilley - Franklin - Year 1 |
Gregory - Annabelle - Year 1 | Campbell - Eleanor - Year 1 |
Prosser - Maisie - Year 2 | Wheatley - Ella - Year 3 |
Mills - Jeremy - Year 5 | Britten - Ned - Year 5, George - Year 2 |
Garnett - Lucas - Year 5 | De Somma - Sebastian - Year 4, Gabriella - Year 2 |
Castle - Meela - Year 6, Alva - Year 4 | Goldie - Paige - Year 6, Madeline - Year 3 |
Tarbox - Samuel - Year 4, Thomas - Year 2 | Bemmann - Harrison - Year 4, Fletcher - Year 2 |
McKeand - Ella - Year 3, Marlee - Year 1 |
SOME HELPFUL UPDATES
- Year 1–6 return this Monday to begin formal learning. Families are asked to drop children off at the ‘welcome gate’ (north side between MacKillop and St Peter’s). We will have support staff at the gate to assist children who maybe a little anxious.
- Kinder families will be allowed to enter the school on Monday, February 1 to support our little people transitioning to big school. This will continue until further communication.
- Pick up will be similar to the end of 2020. The gates will be opened at 2:50 pm and families with surnames A – L, enter through the front gate (adjacent to office) and M – Z families through the side ‘welcome’ gate. Please stand on the allocated spaces above or below the centre pathway where children will be assembled.
- All families are reminded that the Basketball Court and west of, is out of bounds unless by invite.
- If parents/carers wish to communicate with teachers, please email teachers or make an appointment through the front office.
- Please continue to exclude students with even mild symptoms of COVID-19 and continue to seek testing when symptoms persist. Parents of symptomatic children should provide evidence of a negative result prior to returning to school. In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from the GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test.
- Please continue to sign in at the front office with a limit of two adults and remaining people waiting outside.
- Please continue to be considerate and courteous in the car park and drop off zone. MacKillop College returns next Monday when our Years 1–6 classes return. It’s lovely to hear Vicki (our ‘lollipop lady’) give great feedback about the friendliness of our students and families at the crossing.
- This year we will be trialling whole school Assemblies on Friday of even weeks (beginning Week 2, February 5) at 2:20 pm in the Don Farrell Hall. We hope soon that we will be able to invite families to join us.
- The bubblers are back in use.
Parent/Teacher Meetings |
Tuesday 9th February | Wednesday 10th February | Thursday 11th February |
5.00pm - 5.30pm |
Year 1 | Kinder | Year 2 |
5.45pm - 6.15pm |
Year 3 | Year 4 | |
6.30pm - 7.00pm |
Year 5 | Year 6 |
The meetings will be held in the Don Farrell Hall, and we are asking families to maintain social distancing and hand cleansing on arrival. We would also appreciate a reasonably speedy exit as following meetings have been planned in the same space.
PARENTS AND FRIENDS ON THE GO!
St Peter’s P&F are looking to build our family connection from the ‘get go.’
The following early initiatives have been designed to support our valued family connection:
- Kinder Parents Morning Tea - Thursday, February 4, 9.00am, Don Farrell Hall
- Initial P&F meeting - Wednesday, February 3, 6.00pm - staffroom. All Welcome!
- Proposed New Family get together - more information in follow up newsletters
- Parent/teacher meetings outlined above.
Thank you to Bec Eakin and our P&F for organising and supporting initiatives to help renew our school community.
Welcome to Kindergarten Thursday 4th February 2021
We are excited to have our Kindy’s join us next Thursday for their first day of school. Please watch this video and “advice from the experts” on what you need to know before starting school. For more information, please visit http://earlyyears.csnsw.catholic.edu.au/
Parents are invited on the first day to come into the classrooms to drop off and settle the children. Then enjoy morning tea and a chance to connect with other Kindy parents in the Don Farrell Hall afterwards. We hope many of you will join us.
MISSION
Prayer to Start the New School Year
Loving God, Our creator, our saviour, our companion, bless this journey of a new school year that we undertake today. Refresh our souls and renew our spirits as we embrace the beautiful ministry you have called us to. We welcome those who are new to this community and ask that you strengthen them to share the wonderful gifts you have given them. Lord, make our hearts pure as we prepare for the return of students to this school, and may you guide them to return with open hearts and minds eager to learn. We ask this in Your name, Amen |
A Warm Welcome to our New Families
I would like to extend a warm welcome back to all of our St Peter’s community, and especially to our new families joining us this year. As is tradition, we will be welcoming these new families at our first school assembly. An invitation will be extended early next week.
Geoff Leary Principal |
Karen Robson Assistant Principal Learning |
Rebecca Cameron Assistant Principal Mission |
Welcome back Sport, we missed you!
2020 was a very different and difficult year for sport, but hopefully sport can get back to some normality in 2021. Our sports calendar is again looking very busy with a huge amount of sports happening this year, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead. As always, our teams and individual selections will be based on our PBS firstly, and skill secondly. We are very proud of how we select students to represent our great school at sport, and it’s one of the big reasons we continue to be very successful in Pathway and Gala Day Sport.
Here we go!
Sport kicks off in Week 2 for Tennis Polding Summer Sports and we wish Noah Pociask the very best.
AFL
If your son is in Years 5 and 6 and would like to trial for the Lismore Diocese AFL Trials in Grafton on February 19, could you please contact me no later than Wednesday February 3. My contact details are jeff.arkinstall@lism.catholic.edu.au
Zone Swimming
Our team is ready to make a massive splash at the Zone Swimming Trials in Macksville on February 15. Last year, we won the carnival for the first time in 9 Years and we are setting a goal to win the carnival again. Notes will be sent home on Monday of Week 2.
Winter Sports- Year 5 and 6
If your child is interested in trialling for one of the following sports, they will need to come to a registration session on Monday Week 2 in 4 Red at eating time 1st lunch. The sports available are: Hockey, Soccer (Girls and Boys), Rugby Union, Rugby League (Opens and 11’s) and Netball. We will then commence trials and base our teams on PBS firstly then skill. Good luck to all students and I encourage students in Years 5 and 6 to come and try out.
Polding Summer Sports Trials |
Friday 5th February 1st B/U Date 12th February 2nd B/U Date 5th March |
Tamworth and Newcastle |
Zone Swimming Carnival |
Monday 15th February B/U Date 17th February |
Macksville |
Diocesan AFL Trials |
Friday 19th February B/U Date 23rd February |
Grafton |
Zone Winter Trials Netball, Soccer (Boys & Girls), Union, League (Open & 11's), Hockey |
Monday 22nd February |
Port Macquarie |
Diocesan Swimming |
Friday 26th February B/U Date 2nd March |
Murwillumbah |
School Cross Country |
Wednesday 10th March |
St Peter's |
Diocesan Winter Trials |
Friday 12th March 1st B/U Date 19th March 2nd B/U Date 26th March |
Grafton |
Jeff Arkinstall - Leader of Sport
Monday 1st February |
|
Tuesday 2nd February |
|
Wednesday 3rd February |
|
Thursday 4th February |
Kinder Parents morning tea - 9.00am @ The Don Farrell Hall
|
Friday 5th February |
|
Tuesday 9th February | Parent/Teacher Meetings - Years 1, 3, 5 |
Wednesday 10th February |
Year 6 Retreat Day - "Walking with Jesus" Parent/Teacher Meeting - Kinder |
Thursday 11th February |
Parent/Teacher Meetings - Years 2, 4, 6 |
Monday 15th February | Zone Swimming @ Macksville |
Tuesday 16th February | St Peter's Prayer Day |
Monday 22nd February | Zone Winter Sports @ Port Macquarie |
Thursday 25th February | Opening School Mass |
Canteen RosterThere is a limited number of vacancies on the 2021 Roster Please contact the office or Mrs Robins if you are interested !! The Roster will be sent out to families once it is finalised and your required to attend |
Pete's Eats Open for Lunch 1 and Lunch 2
MILKSHAKES !!!
Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate
50 cents
LUNCH 1 ONLY
or place your order as normal on a lunch bag!
Debbie Robins - Canteen Manager
Clothing Pool Volunteer Would be Appreciated
We are seeking a volunteer to run the "Second Hand School Clothing Pool"
The Clothing Pool can be opened any day of the week and at a time that suits you.
If you are interested in becoming the new Clothing Pool Volunteer please see the school office.