St Anne's Catholic Primary School Sarina eNewsletter

From The Principal

As we embark on the sacred season of Lent, this letter serves as a gentle reminder of its significance and how we, as a Catholic school community, can navigate this journey together.

Lent, a period of 40 days leading up to Easter, invites us to embark on a spiritual journey of reflection, repentance, and transformation. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, enduring temptation and preparing for his ultimate sacrifice. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are called to:

Deepen our relationship with God: Through prayer and reflection, we draw closer to God, seeking forgiveness and guidance. We listen to Scripture readings, participate in Stations of the Cross, and engage in personal prayer to delve deeper into our faith.
Practice self-denial: Fasting, in its various forms, reminds us of Jesus' sacrifice and helps us break free from attachments that hinder our spiritual growth. It can involve sacrificing material possessions, indulgences, or even negative habits.
Extend compassion and generosity: Almsgiving encourages us to look beyond ourselves and serve those in need. This can involve acts of charity, volunteering, or offering kind words and deeds to those around us.

These practices are not burdens, but rather tools to help us grow closer to God and prepare for the joy of Easter. As a school community, we strive to offer our students meaningful experiences to engage with the spirit of Lent:

Weekly Lenten reflections: Teachers will incorporate age-appropriate reflections and discussions on Scripture readings into their lessons.
Service opportunities: We will provide opportunities for students to participate in service projects, both within the school and in the wider community.
Family prayer resources: We will share resources and ideas for families to incorporate prayer and reflection into their daily routines.

Remember, dear parents, that you play a crucial role in guiding your children through this period. Discuss the meaning of Lent at home, engage in prayer together, and encourage acts of kindness and service. By walking this path together, we can enrich our own spiritual journeys and nurture the faith of our children.

May this Lenten season be a time of profound reflection, renewed faith, and acts of compassion for all of us.

Principal's Messages

Pupil Free Day Reminder | Friday the 16th of February is a Pupil Free Day for the Bishop's In-service. Please make sure you make other arrangements for your children for that day as staff will be in a learning day.

COVID Requirements

Student Protection News

Our Student Protection Contacts for 2024 are:

Across The Curriculum

MEET AND GREET

Thank you to all parents who attended the 'Meet and Greet' on Tuesday. The feedback received from teachers was that it was fantastic to connect and provide parents with a term overview.

If you missed Tuesday, a term overview will be sent home with your child. Please contact your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions.

MINDSET

In mathematics, a focus this year has been on growth mindset and how to react when a problem is not understood. You might like to wach this video with your child and discuss how Austin reacted to feedback he received.

Questions for your child:

- Did he listen to feedback?

- Did Austin give up?

- What qualities has Austin shown?

The Good News

Lent

Lent and our journey to Easter start this week.

We will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Shrove Tuesday (13th February) with pancakes available to purchase from the tuckshop for a gold coin donation.

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. Year 4 will lead the school in a Prayer Celebration from 10am in the hall. Ashes are a sign of sorrow and repentance and God’s people have used this sign for hundreds of years. All families are welcome to attend.

Project Compassion

This week, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of Caritas Australia’s annual Project Compassion Appeal.

The theme of Project Compassion 2024 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come.

By donating to Project Compassion, Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, can work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

Each family will receive a Project Compassion box for their donations, or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

prayer_poster.pdf

Sports News

Netball

Ms Moloney is currently in the process of taking nominations for students interested in playing Netball in 2024 at Sarina & District Netball Association in a St Anne's Catholic Primary School team. Both girls and boys in all grades are invited to play. Games will be played on Thursday afternoon at either 3.45pm or 4.45pm. Training afternoon TBA. Nominations are to be sent to Ms Moloney at georgia_moloney@rok.catholic.edu.au before the 1st of March so teams can be organised.

Congratulations Bella & Carter | On the weekend Bella, a current year 5 student, and Carter, a past St Anne’s student, competed in swimming events at the Queensland Sprints Championship.

They both did well, Bella had a massive personal best in breaststroke and Carter had massive personal bests in breaststroke and freestyle. It was a tough competition but they both swam well. Congratulations Bella & Carter on your achievements.

DISTRICT NETBALL TRIALS | On Tuesday Year 6 students Lucy, Ellani & Matilda & Year 5 student Bella competed to gain a spot in the Sarina District Netball Teams, the girls fell quickly into their 2023 form. The defence & attack plays formed by Challenge Cup & Sarina Club circuit games were executed fantastically. All the girls have a good chance & played their hearts out, with the final team still to be announced. They represented St Anne's Catholic primary with humility, determination, admirable sportsmanship & fierce competition, Good Luck Ladies!!

Finance News

Concession Card Discounts | If you have an existing concession card discount, please be aware that discounts are not automatically applied to new enrolments. Discounts are applied to each student upon individual application and there is a form that is required to be completed each time.

If you have an existing concession card registered at St Anne’s and have more than one student, please contact Sandra Adams to confirm that discounts have been applied to each student.

Term Fees | Term 1 fees are due 20/02/24. Please contact Sandra in the office if you foresee any issues with payment.

Tuckshop

If you order Tuckshop for your child, please remember to still supply friut for fruit break for that day, as well as second lunch if you only order first lunch Tuckshop.

If you can volunteer to help in the tuckshop from 8:30 -9:30am please ring Debbie Nielsen on ph. 0417 128 428.

Students Of The Week

Congratulations To Our Students Of The Week | Zachary Z, Taytum C, Julianna D, James M, Boyd B, Millie T, Jordan L, Achilles D, Hannah C, Seth W, Monica Z, Payton H, Khloe, Axl, Lizzy S, Zane L, Scarlett B, Zoe P, 1B.