Welcome Back to Term 4!

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 4! We hope you had a restful break and are ready for the exciting and busy term ahead.

This term sees our Kindergarten Transition Mornings. We are very excited to welcome our new families to our St Kevin’s community and getting to know our 2026 Kindergarten students. These mornings are a special time of connection and discovery, and we’re thrilled to see our newest learners in their new learning environment.

As we move through the term, we also look forward to celebrating World Teachers’ Day. This is a perfect opportunity to pause and acknowledge the incredible work our dedicated teachers do each and every day. At St Kevin’s, we are truly blessed with a team of passionate, skilled, and caring educators who go above and beyond to support every child’s learning and wellbeing.

This World Teacher’s Day is especially poignant for 1 staff member who has announced their retirement after 46 years of teaching. Mr. Martin Vaughan will celebrate his last day of being in a classroom on December 18. Mr Vaughan has been working here at St Kevin’s since 2003 where he started teaching Year 5. Mr Vaughan is an amazing teacher, and we have been truly blessed to have had him as part of our learning community for the past 22 years. Enjoy these last weeks of teaching Mr Vaughan!!!

Next week we will also celebrate All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. It is a feast day to honor all saints, both known and unknown, who have passed away. Our Australian saint is Mary MacKillop. Her mantra was “Never see a need without doing something about it.” We try to follow this mantra here at St Kevin’s through all our words and actions on the playground and in the classroom. As a parent, perhaps you could ask your child as All Saints' Day approaches, “What did you do today to help someone?”

All Saints Blackbutt South Parish is holding their Parish Assembly on November 1 starting at 2:30 with afternoon tea and Mrs Hogan’s famous scones! At this assembly discussions will be held around planning for the future of our Parish. Your input and contributions are highly valued. The assembly will conclude with a 5:30pm Mass and a BBQ tea to follow. Full details are to be found in the Parish bulletin.

Thank you for your continued support as we journey through this final term of the year together.

Warm regards,

Mary-anne Jennings

Principal

Sporting Opportunities

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thankyou to those who were able to respond to our recent survey. We know how much our students enjoy engaging with a variety of sports and how valuable these experiences are for their physical development, teamwork, and confidence. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to access external providers through the Sporting Schools program, which has allowed us to offer specialised sporting experiences each term.

However, due to increased national demand, our school is now only able to access Sporting Schools funding for two out of four terms. This change has impacted our ability to consistently engage external providers throughout the year. Additionally, many sporting bodies that previously offered promotional sessions have now redirected their resources towards gala days, which, while exciting, are less frequent and have an additional cost to parents. Engaging providers on a fee basis is costly, generally costing $6-$7 per student per session, approximately $50 per student for the term or $6250 for the school for the term.

We’re also reviewing our swimming program, particularly in light of the rising cost of bus transport, which has made it more challenging to run the program as we have in previous years.

To help guide our planning for 2026, we’ll be sending out a short survey in the coming weeks. It will cover both swimming and external sport providers, along with approximate costs, so you can make an informed decision and share your preferences. Your feedback is really important to us, and will help shape a program that’s both enriching for students and manageable for families.

Thanks for your continued support – we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

God Bless,

Kim Hogan

Co-Principal / Assistant Principal

This term in Religious Education, our Kindergarten students are learning about the beautiful idea that God is love. They’re discovering how the love they feel from their families, friends, and even their pets connect to the love God has for all of us.

Through stories, discussions, and creative activities, students are exploring how we can show love and care for others—just like God wants us to.

We’ve included some lovely examples of student work in this week’s newsletter—be sure to take a look and see how our youngest learners are expressing their understanding of love and kindness!

• “It’s a sacred space for God to love us. It keeps us happy. People who know us love us. Love is the power of God.” – Tilly
• “Love is holding hands with your family.” - Jude
• “Love is helping people.” – Toby
• “Love is maybe people being kind and people respecting other people.” – Elanor
• “Love is giving your Mum and Dad huggles and kisses.” – Leo

Class Masses

This term class masses on a Thursday at 9:30am at St Kevin’s Church are on the following dates.

• 23/10 – Year 6
• 30/10 – Year 4
• 6/11 – Kinder
• 13/11 – Year 1
• 20/11– Year 2
• 27/11-Year 5

All families are welcome to join us to celebrate with Fr Joseph and the parish community, as we love seeing everyone.

October – The Month of Mary

October is a special month in the Catholic Church, dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. During this time, many classes and families take time to pray the Rosary, a beautiful and reflective prayer that helps us think about important moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. These moments are called the Mysteries of the Rosary, and they are grouped into four sets: the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries. Each set invites us to reflect on different parts of Jesus’ life—from His birth and ministry, to His death and resurrection. Praying the Rosary is a peaceful way to grow closer to God and to ask Mary to pray with us and for us.

Kaayi (Hello – Awabakal)

Yaama Ngindaay (Hello everyone - Gamilaraay)

Nungamanladi (Hello - Bardi)

Worimi (Hello – Dharug. Pronounced ‘Wurramee’)

Exciting news regarding two former students of St Kevin’s. Antonio M was elected School Captain and Lily P elected as Sports Captain for 2026 at Cardiff High School. Both students held the same leadership positions at St Kevin’s in 2020. How good is that! Our congratulations to Antonio and Lily and we wish them all the best in their leadership roles next year, evidence of the realisation of the 2025 NAIDOC Week theme ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy’ which we celebrated earlier this year.

Country

We often hear references to ‘Country’ when talking about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are two different but equally important things.

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This explanation of a Welcome to Country comes from the Reconciliation Australia website:

Welcome to Country is delivered by Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who have been given permission from Traditional Owners, to welcome visitors to their Country.

Welcome to Country occurs at the beginning of a formal event and can take many forms including singing, dancing, smoking ceremonies, and/or a speech.

Traditional owners are not welcoming people to Australia, they are welcoming to the land within their cultural boundaries which their ancestors have cared for, and lived on, for millennia.

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In an Acknowledgement of Country we pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the traditional owners and name the Country we are on. We make reference to the ongoing relationship the people have with each other and with Country.

Even though Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people may not live in a traditional way on their land, they are still connected to it, and to them the meaning of ‘Country’ is much more than just ownership of the land. As Professor Mick Dodson explains:

For us Country is a word for all the values, places, resources, stories and cultural obligations associated with that area and its features. It describes the entirety of our ancestral domains.

So, while we see certain landmarks and places every day in our local area such as Mt Sugarloaf, Lake Macquarie, Nobbys or Swansea Heads, it’s important to acknowledge the special significance these places have for our Traditional Owners, the Awabakal people. There are Dreaming stories associated with some of these places – Mt Sugarloaf (Warrawelong), Nobbys (Whibayganba), Belmont Lagoon and Swansea Heads for example. The children enjoy these Dreaming stories and there is often a good underlying message in them as they learn more about Awabakal people, language and culture.

Yaluu

Phil Taylor

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Teacher

Congratulations to Callan Year 5!

Callan achieved an incredible result in the Newcastle Permanent Maths Competition, achieving first in Year 5. Callan has written a report for this newsletter about his achievements.

Newcastle Permanent Test

My name is Callan, and I won the Year 5 Division Newcastle Permanent mathematics test, designed to challenge young mathematicians like myself, in all areas of math. I had to answer quadratic equations, algebra, and questions in other hard mathematic areas. The 35-question test starts easy and progressively becomes much harder. In fact, so hard that I only a had few seconds before I submitted my answers. I am also one of five that answered all questions correctly.

 Fortunately, the few students who perform exceptionally, are rewarded with prize money, which ranges from 50 – 250 Australian Dollars. You can then extract that money from your local Newcastle Permanent bank and use as you please. You can apply for the test anywhere from Gosford to the New England region. Students like me, must study endlessly in order to win. I am glad to represent not only my school, but the entire Catholic Diocese in mathematics galore!

Congratulations to 2 Ex-Students!

Antonio and Lily attended St Kevin’s and were our School Captain and Sports Captain back in 2020.

Fast forward 6 years to 2026 and the story is repeated! Congratulations to Antonio on becoming School Captain for Cardiff High and to Lily on becoming Sports Captain at Cardiff High for 2026. We are very proud of all your achievements and wish you every success as you complete your final year of school next year.

Anastasiia recently competed in the Cheercon State Championships held in Sydney from the 5th to the 7th of September. She is a member of the Sapphires team from Premier Cheer Elite and performed in the CheerStars Tiny Restricted 1 division. 

Anastasiia and her team delivered a fantastic routine that earned them 1st place, proudly taking home the title of State Champions of NSW in their division. 

Thank you to all families who have either finalised or are continuing to make regular payments on their 2025 school fees. All school fees are due to be finalised by the 30th November 2025. This date is coming around very quickly so please ensure that your payments are sufficient to have your fees paid in full by the due date.

Any family experiencing genuine financial hardship are encouraged to contact the school on 4954 0036 to have a confidential discussion with the Principal to make an alternative arrangement.

During the Term 3 holidays, three Year 2 students, Hannah, Ivy-Anne, and Alexis, took it upon themselves to make a difference in their community. The girls set up a lemonade stall, making  lemonade from scratch and designing eye-catching posters to promote their initiative. The girls dedicated their time to raising funds for Mum’s Cottage, a local support centre for women and charities.  

This act of service is a shining example of mission in action and reflects Catholic Values. We are incredibly proud of Hannah, Ivy-Anne, and Alexis for their thoughtful efforts and the significant impact they are making for those in need. 

Please find attached the parish bulletin for this Sunday. There is also a flyer for the upcoming Combined Churches Prayer Gathering in November.

Wishing you all a safe weekend.

God bless!

Parish Administration 

ALL SAINTS PARISH BLACKBUTT SOUTH

48_Thirtieth_Sunday_in_Ordinary_Time_26_10_2025.pdf

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Please find a flyer and handbook below from the Council of Catholic School Parents titled "Our Catholic Faith". This resource is for all parnets and carers, but particularly for those who may be unfamiliar with our Catholic traditions. We invite you to use it to understand the basics of our Catholic beliefs, celebrations, symbols and prayers.

We’re excited to share that the Saver Plus program is now available to families at our school. Previously limited to select areas, recent changes mean we can now offer this government-funded initiative to eligible families in our community. 

Saver Plus is a free matched savings and financial education program designed to support families on a low income. Participants can receive up to $500 to help cover educational expenses. 

Program Highlights: 

• Matched Savings: Participants who save regularly over 10 months will have their savings matched by ANZ, up to $500. 

• Education Support: Funds can be used for a wide range of educational costs, including uniforms, books, laptops, camps, and excursions. 

• Financial Education: Participants join MoneyMinded workshops to build lasting budgeting and savings skills. 

Eligibility Criteria: 

To participate, individuals must: 

• Be 18 years or older 

• Hold a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card 

• Receive an eligible Centrelink payment 

• Have a child in school (or starting next year), or be studying themselves 

• Have a regular income (from paid work, child support, carers' payment, or cash-in-hand) 

• Be willing to join free online financial education workshops 

Note: All eligibility criteria must be met.