T1 W4 Newsletter 2025

From The Principal

Quite often throughout the Bible, reference is made to the image of the shepherd:

“The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” Ps 23

“I am the good shepherd … I know my sheep, they know me.” John 10:14-15

There are certain similarities between the role of the shepherd and that of parent and teacher who are entrusted with the care of children.  The demands placed on parents and teachers, because of the nature of the society in which we live make it imperative that we give serious consideration to the responsibilities of our roles.  To tend his flock the shepherd needs to be strong, aware and caring; by his steady presence he gives a certain unity to the flock.

Perhaps this steady presence can be understood as TIME given to our children, we all know how much sacrifice is sometimes entailed for this to happen.  To make ourselves available is a sure way that words cannot express.  Our steady presence to children is a sense of great encouragement to them and can do much more than money or material wealth can ever hope to achieve.

In us are the values, attitudes, behaviours and dreams that we hold dear and would wish our children to have.  There is no way children will be part of these, unless we are very present in their lives.  There is no doubt that if we are not dedicated to instilling Christian values into our children, the void will soon be filled by the shallow values that are pumped out daily through many videos and television shows.

It takes time for a loving relationship to grow and deepen.  It might even be said that the love that develops between parents and children develops and matures to the degree to which they can reach out to each other and discover each other as fellow human beings.  Fellow human beings who have much to share and whose difference in age, talents, interests are much less important than their common humanity.

“Lord God, thank you for allowing me to share in Your creation through my parenthood.  As we continue our Lenten journey, please enlighten me as to how I can share the Christian values of my life with my children.  Amen.”

Principal's Messages

Thank you for the donations  | Over the holidays St Anne's was kindly gifted a large number of books from All Hallows' School, a fellow Mercy School located in Brisbane. The St Anne's School community extends its sincere gratitude to Louise Sutton and the All Hallows' School Library team. Their generous donation of books is a wonderful gift that will enrich our library and inspire a love of reading in our young learners. We are grateful for the support of our fellow Mercy school and the positive impact this will have on our students' educational journey. 

Across The Curriculum

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy
assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian
students have the opportunity to undertake.
As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential
skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that
students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with more information about students’ educational progress.
NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education
programs are working, and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. 

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school
curriculum. Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.
All government and non-government education authorities contribute to the development of NAPLAN test materials. To find out more about NAPLAN, visit https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan

Further information will be emailed to parents with students in Years 3 and 5 regarding NAPLAN and the assessment schedule.

Religious Life of the School

From the Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Ms Georgia Moloney

Opening School Year Mass Thursday 20th February

One of the highlights of our school calendar is the Opening School Year Mass. This year, our Mass will be held on Thursday, the 20th of February, at St. Michael's Church at 9:00am. This beautiful tradition marks the official start of our academic journey and serves as a reminder of God's presence in our lives. We encourage all families to attend this important event as we come together to seek God's blessings for the year ahead.

Bishop Visit - Thursday, 20th February

This Thursday, we are thrilled to welcome Bishop Michael McCarthy (Bishop of the Rockhampton Diocese), along with Diocesan Director of Catholic Education, Mr Michael McCusker, Mr David Paul (Assistant Director) and our esteemed Parish Priests, Father Anthony and Father Matthias. Our guests will visit each classroom, engaging in meaningful conversations with our students and teachers. Bishop Michael and Mr. McCusker are traveling all the way from Rockhampton as part of their regional school visits and for Bishop’s Inservice Day.

Bishop’s Inservice Day - Friday, 21st February (Student-Free Day)

On Friday, Bishop Michael will begin Bishop’s Inservice Day with an opening address to all staff within the Diocese of Rockhampton. This year, the theme of the Inservice Day is "Prayer and Worship". Staff from St Anne’s Catholic Primary School will participate in three enlightening workshops presented by Father Richard Leonard SJ, Professor Robyn Horner and Dr. Teresa Brown, and Gary Reen. This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for all staff to engage in formation, fulfill annual accreditation requirements for teaching in a Catholic school, and gain valuable insights from Bishop Michael McCarthy.

Prayer Assemblies

We would like to remind you that we will continue our tradition of Assembly every Friday. On Fridays of even weeks, a class will lead a prayer celebration at the beginning of the Assembly. These gatherings offer a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together in prayer, reflection, and celebration of our shared faith. We invite all parents and members of the wider community to join us for these special moments as we strengthen our school community through prayer and by coming together, for the students.

Please see the roster below.

P&F News

Congratulations Year 6

Our Year 6 students received their Leadership Shirts & Badges last Friday at assembly. Congratulations to you all and we look forward to having you as our student leaders for 2025. 

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND GOALS FOR 2025

St Anne's Centenary Week 2025

Student Protection News

SWAP IT

Finance News

School Fees  |  Term 1 fees have now been emailed to all parents. Due date is 26/02/25. If you do not already have a payment plan in place and foresee difficulties paying in full by the due date please contact our Finance Office, Sandra Adams, to discuss options.  

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 payment 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 2025

Thank you to all the families that have expressed interest your child playing netball for the St Anne’s teams in the 2025 Sarina and District Netball Association competition.

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the enthusiasm and support of our families, we have successfully formed three teams for this year! We appreciate your commitment and participation, which has made this possible. 

At this stage, we kindly ask you to register your daughter with the Sarina and District Netball Association using the provided link. Additionally, please contact the uniform store to arrange a netball dress. These dresses are available for $40 ($10 to hire the dress and $30 deposit, which will be refunded when the dress is returned at the end of the season).

When you have registered your daughter in the competition can you please let Ms Moloney know via email. 

 I look forward to an exciting and successful season ahead! Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Kind regards,

Georgia Moloney

SPORTING NOMINATIONS

Welcome to an exciting year of sport in 2025! For years 4 - 6 students, there are a number of Mackay District and Capricornian sporting events coming up.

If you haven't already, please follow the Mackay District School Sport (MDSS) facebook page. This page has the most up to date information and any changes . 

The MDSS school sporting calendar is available via facebook, or a condensed Primary version is listed below. These trials often have a short turnaround time, so please check our facebook page, newsletter and the orbit app for information. If your child is interested in trialling for representative sport, please follow the communication and organise their paperwork promptly to ensure they don’t miss out. 

How to nominate for MDSS:

• Collect a permission booklet from either Kathy or Sandra at the office.
• Complete the permission booklet IN FULL, including all consent and parent/guardian signatures.
• Return to the office to be signed by the school and make payment to the office.
• Student will be advised when their booklet is ready to collect from the office.
• This booklet must be taken to the trial. 

NETBALL TRIALS

Huge shoutout to Peyton H, Bella R, and Khloe S for stepping outside their comfort zones and trialling for Sarina District Netball! A big congratulations to Bella R on her successful selection – we wish you all the best at the Mackay District Trials!

Mercy Awards

Congratulations To Our Mercy Award Recipients Week 2  |  Tye R, Liv S, Lucas L, Matilda G, Mackenzie F, Cullan K, Olivia T, Hunter C, Julianna D, Chad K, Ben T, Achilles D, Toby T, Seth W, Tyler F, Darci K, Addison W

Congratulations To Our Mercy Award Recipients Week 3  | Jonas H, Shaelee R, Abigail M, Isla R, Jaxson T, Jaxson S, Xander A, Max S, Aaliyah K, Eva C, Bryce G, Chiara M, Za'Layah M, Chris B, Jemma M, Jasper H

General Information

Parent Orbit App Setup Guide

Community News

The South Mackay Cluster is seeking applications for the role of Cluster Finance Administrator. Primarily the role includes managing the financial reporting and administration for the four Parishes in the Cluster including the entry of financial data into MYOB, preparing Parish accounts for payment and working with the Parish Priest, Finance Councils and the Pastoral Council. Secondly the successful applicant would be required to assist the Cluster Secretary in their duties as required. Book Keeping experience and experience with MYOB are highly desired. The role is a Permanent/Part Time position initially for 15 hours per week. To apply for this role please send a brief letter of application and your resume to cluster@smky.catholics.org.au. If you have any further questions please contact Paul Reaston 0419 739 708.