In This Edition

Dear Families,

On Wednesday of last week, we gathered as a school and parish community to mark Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Each year in the Catholic Church, the season of Lent marks a sacred time of prayer, reflection and renewal. Lent lasts for forty days and begins on Ash Wednesday, leading up to the celebration of Easter.

For Catholics, Lent recalls the forty days that Jesus Christ spent in the desert in prayer and preparation before beginning his public ministry. During Lent, Catholics are invited to reflect on their relationship with God, to seek forgiveness, and to grow in love, compassion and service.

At school, we help children understand Lent in age-appropriate ways. They learn that Lent is not about guilt or punishment, but about becoming the best version of ourselves — guided by the example and teachings of Jesus.

The Catholic Church traditionally focuses on three key Lenten practices - prayer, fasting and almsgiving

Prayer - spending time speaking and listening to God, both individually and in community.Fasting - making small sacrifices (such as giving up a favourite treat or screen time to spend time with family) to practise self-discipline and remember those who go without.Almsgiving - giving generously to people in need, following Jesus’ call to care for the poor and vulnerable.

While Lent is a distinctly Catholic season, its themes of reflection, compassion, sacrifice and generosity speak to universal human values. We recognise that families in our community come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, and we approach this season with respect, sensitivity and inclusion. Our hope is that Lent provides all students with opportunities to grow in empathy, gratitude and service to others.

We once again ask for your support of the charity Project Compassion, information about which can be found here.

Swim Team

Congratulations to all members of the St Anne’s Swim Team who represented our school with great enthusiasm on Wednesday at the Sunbury Swimming Carnival, and a big thanks to Jacinta, Leonie, Erica and Shayna who accompanied the team on the day. We were lucky enough to bring home the “Big Schools” Shield once again.

Good luck to those swimmers who have qualified for the Woodlands Division Championships at Broadmeadows next Thursday. Good luck to Mason, Sadie, Emily, Jean, Brodie, Edward, Oscar, Molly, William, Xavier, Nathan, Brodie, Olivia, Pippa

Uniform

The uptake of our new uniform has exceeded all expectations, and it finally seems we have surpassed the stock shortages that took place when orders were coming in faster than uniforms could be produced. Now we will move to the next stage of ensuring all students are wearing the new uniform correctly. Even though we are in a transition phase, it is important that students get into the habit of wearing the right uniform on the right day.

There are two uniform types - Academic Uniform (worn 3 days per week) and Sports Uniform (worn 2 days per week). Some uniform items are particular to Academic/Sports uniforms, while others such as the bomber jacket or soft-shell jacket can be worn with both uniforms. To help this, Noone has provided mannequins showing the different uniform options and how they should be worn. These are on display in the front office.

Socks

• Academic uniform (blue shorts,pants, skirt etc) = Plain blue socks or Noone blue hoop socks

• Academic uniform (dress with check pattern) = White socks

• Sports uniform = Plain white socks (no logos), plain blue socks (no logos) or Noone blue hoop socks

At St Anne’s we…

As part of our drive to recognise positive behaviours across the school, we have been holding regular “Mystery Raffles” on Thursday during eating time. 3-4 students have their “At St Anne’s we are…” tickets drawn out of a box and they win a prize for their class, which is delivered on a Friday after lunch. We’ve seen some very joyous celebrations in classrooms - keep up the fantastic work everyone!

As usual, reach out with any questions, complements or concerns - principal@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au

Please note that before the release of the next General Newsletter in Week 8, I will head off on enrichment leave for the end of the term. Sponsored by MACS, a group of Northern Principals have spent the last 12 months learning about St Paul and the important role he played in creating what became known as the early Christian Church. We will be visiting sites of historical and religious significance while using the opportunity to deepen our own faith. In my absence, Leona Dean and Lauri Plummer will be Acting Principals.

Warm Regards and God’s Blessings,

Stephen

Watch the recording of this session here