T3 W9 Newsletter 2024

From The Principal

Children are a precious gift, embodying the essence of innocence, resilience, and boundless potential. They are the future of our nation, and their enthusiasm and zest for life are a constant source of inspiration.

As a parent and teacher, I am deeply privileged to witness their growth and development firsthand. Their natural curiosity and openness to the world offer invaluable lessons for us all. While the teaching profession can be challenging, the joy of guiding young minds far outweighs any difficulties.

Each day, I take a moment to reflect on my interactions with students, seeking to understand how I can better connect with them and embody the values of Jesus. I believe that our actions and attitudes shape our character, just as our diet influences our physical health.

Let us strive to be the kind of adults we want our children to become, fostering an environment of love, compassion, and lifelong learning.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn,

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight,

If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy,

If children live with shame, they learn to fell guilty,

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence

If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate others

If children live with fairness, they learn justice,

If children live with security, they learn to have faith

If children live with acceptance and friendship

They learn to find love in the world.

“So Jesus called a child, had him stand in front of him and said, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.  The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles and becomes like this child.  And whoever welcomes in my name one such as this child, welcomes me!”  (Matthew 18:2-5)

Lately, I've learned a valuable lesson from a child about the power of perseverance.  I was helping a young student with something challenging, and after several attempts at trying to solve a dilemma, frustration was expressed and this little person wanted to give up.  I gently encouraged this child to keep trying, reminding of past successes.  To my delight, perseverance ensured, and eventually the puzzle was solved with a beaming smile.

The determination and resilience shown were a powerful reminder to me that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with persistence.

As a parent, I've tried to instill values like kindness, empathy, and curiosity in my own children. Through my actions, I hoped to demonstrate to them the importance of hard work, honesty, and respect for others. I believe that by modeling these values, I helped my children develop into compassionate and responsible individuals.

Parenthood is indeed a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey.  It's a constant balancing act between providing guidance and allowing for independence.  The most important thing is to love children unconditionally and support them in their growth and development both at home and at school.

Indeed, children are very precious!  What have you learnt from a child lately?  What have you taught your child through your actions? 

I would treasure any thoughts or reflections you may have about this.

Principal's Messages

Year 5 Camp

As our Year 5 students prepare to embark on their exciting camp adventure, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincerest gratitude to Miss Rice for her unwavering support and dedication in organizing this camp to ensure it a success.  Thank you too to Mrs Adams for her behind the scenes magic in bringing this to life.

Your tireless efforts in planning and organizing this camp have ensured that our students will have a memorable and enriching experience.

We are incredibly grateful for the staff and parents attending for their willingness to go above and beyond to make this camp a success.

We ask for God's blessing and protection over our staff, students, and parents as they embark on this journey.

We wish our Year 5 students a safe and enjoyable camp experience; please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Prep - Year 2 Excursion

THE GRUFFALO  |  Yesterday our prep to year two students joined Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep, dark wood in this magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The prep to year 2 students absolutely loved going by bus to the MECC, which for the preps was their first ever excursion. The students joined in with the performance, singing and clapping along to the songs and growling when the mouse gave the signal.  

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK | During National Child Protection Week, the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) are hosting free webinars on various topics about child safety for anyone to attend.

Use this link https://www.napcan.org.au/final-official-program.../ to register for the daily webinars this week.

Topics include:

** Intergenerational Solidarity – The Pursuit for Justice

** Intersectionality – Young People Leading the Way

** Working with culturally and linguistically diverse children in out-of-home care

** Cultural Currents – Shifting Media Dynamics

** The Digital Playground: Safeguard Young People’s Future

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST CHILD SAFETY LESSON |  Earlier this week, all St Anne's students participated in  Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson – a live streamed broadcast, produced by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

This year’s focus was on consent and aligned with the Daniel Morcombe Curriculum your child is currently completing in their Health lessons.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY | Last week Year 1B students celebrated the gift of fathers in prayer in preparation for Father’s Day which was last Sunday.

We thank our Father in Heaven for the gift of fathers and those who are father-like to us. We also remember in a very special way today those fathers who are no longer with us.

Thank you to all of the fathers and members of our school community who came along to be part of our celebration. The students really appreciated your presence.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful men, who are fathers or like fathers to our students. We hope you have a blessed weekend and are able to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

From a child.....

When I was little

You gave me your finger to hold

When I could walk

You held my hand

When I grew taller

You put your hand on my shoulder

Now that I'm grown

I still feel that hand on my shoulder

Guiding me

And I have to say

Thank you, Dad

Yes, Thank you

Happy Father's Day

Prep Enrolments for 2025

PREP 2025  |  Do you have a Prep student beginning in 2025?

We are now taking enrolments via the online system.  We encourage both existing and new families who have a child starting Prep in 2025 to lodge their enrolment application as soon as possible.  Applications are to be made via our online enrolment application available on our website via this link: https://www.sasrok.catholic.edu.au/   

Interviews being conducted now. 

Please contact the school office for further information or if any assistance is required.

Family Wellbeing Expo & Colour Run

Date Saver - St Anne's Centenary Week 2025

St Anne's 99 Years in Education

COVID Requirements

Student Protection News

Across The Curriculum

STUDENT LED INTERVIEWS

You’re invited to Student Led Conferences. This means that your child will discuss (with teacher help) their strengths, challenges and goals for each subject area. 

These conferences have begun this week and will continue into week 10. Your child is very excited to be part of this process and is looking forward to sharing their progress with you.

Thank you for your ongoing support in your child's learning.

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST SAFETY LESSON

On Tuesday the 3rd of September, St Anne's students participated in Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson – a live streamed broadcast, produced by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. This year’s focus was consent and it aligns with the Daniel Morcombe Curriculum your child is currently completing in their Health lessons. More information can be found at https://danielmorcombe.com.au/keeping-kids-safe/keeping-kids-safe/australias-biggest-child-safety-lesson/

WHICH ONE DOESN'T BELONG?

The goal for ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ is to improve mathematical reasoning.

There can be more than one reason why one image, shape, number or object doesn’t belong — the focus is on explaining the reasoning. All  answers are accepted as long as the reasoning is true. Look at the picture of the following numbers. 

Which one out of the four numbers doesn’t belong? 

How do you know this? Can you find more than one way of explaining this?

The Good News

From the Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Ms Georgia Moloney

Mini Vinnies Roadshow

On Thursday, St. Anne’s welcomed Annamaria Cappello, the Youth Facilitator from St Vincent de Paul, as part of the Mini Vinnies Roadshow. Students in Grades 4 and 5 participated in a dynamic 90-minute workshop that delved into social justice issues and encouraged them to transform their faith into action. This year's Roadshow theme, “You’ve Got Talent,” inspired students to explore their unique gifts and consider how they can use them to make a positive impact on their communities.

The afternoon was both engaging and enriching, with students actively participating in the thoughtfully crafted activities led by Mrs. Cappello. The workshop not only challenged their perspectives but also fostered a sense of empowerment and purpose.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

We are pleased to inform you that the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered this October for students in Year 3 and older. This important sacrament provides an opportunity for students to deepen their faith and understanding.

If you are interested in having your child participate, please reach out to Ms. Moloney at your earliest convenience for further details and to register.

Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to supporting your child's spiritual journey.

Finance News

Important Information regarding how School fee payments show on the Parent Orbit App  |  With the introduction of the new Parent Orbit App, parents are now able to easily see where they are up to with their school fee payments. However, an important thing to note is that any payments that have been made in the past 2 weeks may not show in the App, as they need to be processed to your account after the repayment is received and this is done in bulk every week or two. If it is longer than 2 weeks since you have made a payment and it is still not showing on the Orbit App, please contact the Finance Officer, Sandra Adams for it to be looked into. Sorry for any confusion this has caused.  

Sports News

Netball

Last Thursday, our netball teams, the Firebirds and the Spirals, competed in their semi-final matches with great determination and skill. Both teams demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship and significant growth throughout the season.

The Firebirds battled a strong opponent, Swayneville Crackers, showing impressive teamwork and resilience. Despite their best efforts, the competition proved too strong on the day.

Similarly, the Spirals faced a tough rival team, Sarina Blazers, and, while they played valiantly, were ultimately outmatched.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated coaches, Mrs. Hazel, Lillie, and Marli, whose guidance and support have been instrumental in the teams’ development and success. Their commitment has been crucial in helping our players grow both on and off the court.

Although the results were not in our favour, we are incredibly proud of the progress both teams have made. Their hard work and spirit have been truly inspiring. Congratulations to all players for a fantastic season, and we look forward to continued success and growth next season.

P&F News

🤩 🙍🙍‍♂️ // VOLUNTEERS NEEDED // 🤩 🙍🙍‍♂️

Join the #ColourExplosionSchoolRun4Fun and feel uplifted by the difference you can make in our school! We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to help with our incredible Colour Explosion School Run 4 Fun on 13^th September 2024.

By sharing your time and skills, you can help us make our students have a colourful blast!

If you have a few hours available, please contact Nikki to volunteer!

📞 0437 021 682

✉️ sas_pandfpresident@rok.catholic.edu.au    

We look forward to hearing from you 😊!

#schoolrun4fun #funrun #australianfundraising #fundraising #colourexplosion

Tuckshop

If you order Tuckshop for your child, please remember to still supply fruit 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 -10:30am on Thursday or Friday on the week your child's class is rostered, please contact the office. 

SWAP IT - Lunchbox Tips

Student Leadership

Newsletter Report By Indee |  Last week, as most of you know, someone broke into our school on the weekend and Monday night. Thankyou all for understanding not to go near broken glass or in areas with tape. But, I have noticed that some people were drawing on the windows that the fire extinguisher sprayed onto. Please do not draw on the windows as to keep our school looking tidy. Also, please do not touch the microwave that has been thrown into the garden. You all have been great this week but still remember to listen to your teachers and put up your hand when the bell rings after lunch. I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Year 6 Raffle

Mercy Awards

Congratulations To Our Mercy Award Recipients Of The Week |  Matilda J, Layla K, Rubie G, Hunter C, Max S, Isla M, Chad K, Cohen D, Travis S, Harleigh S, Mia K, Summer K, Chiara M, Mathew W, Thomas B, Mack W, Jed P, Harry vB, Zane L

General Information

Parent Orbit App Setup Guide