From the Principal

Benvenuto - Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we near the end of the first term, it is a good opportunity to stop and reflect on the growth and achievement made in just 8 weeks. Over the holidays planning and preparation will continue to ensure a smooth transition into term 2. Many great things have been happening at St Anne’s College over the last two weeks so please take the time to read through the newsletter as a celebration of the learning journey of our students. 

These last few days, I have had the wonderful privilege to attend the bi-annual VACPSP (Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals) conference. The theme of the conference this year was ‘Leading With Strength.’ The line-up of guest speakers was very impressive and they were incredibly inspiring. 

Some of the speakers were:

Ashley Fell from McCrindle research, she had some really great insights into ‘Generation Alpha’ which includes young people aged 0-14. These insights were fascinating and useful in our daily work and living with Gen Alphas.

Theresa Ardler who spoke of the healing powers of the Eucalyptus tree as a metaphor for life and healing and how we can use the lessons from the traditions of the indigenous people of this land to work with our students to develop a deeper connection to their story, their healing journey.

Craig Foster, former Socceroo, commentator and author, who spoke of the challenges of leading in the space of advocacy for refugees. The need for more kindness, understanding and action were his main messages.

Mitch Tambo, proud Gamilaraay man, musician, author and actor who spoke about the challenges for our first nations people and some of the historical background impacting their lives today and ways we can work with our students to deepen their understanding and connection. We also had the great privilege of singing and dancing with Mitch!

Saroo Brierley, author of the book ‘A long way home’ which has been made into the award-winning movie ‘LION.” Saroo spoke of his story and the incredible twists of events that led to him being able to find his way back to his family in India after being adopted by an Australian family at a young age. 

Jelena Dokic, accomplished Australian tennis player, commentator and author, who spoke about finding kindness, strength and a way forward from domestic violence and abuse. 

There were so many incredible ‘take away’ moments from these sessions that can be brought back to our communities. I am most grateful for the opportunity to attend these events as formation and development is an important part of professional learning and growth. 

I am off now to attend the St Mel’s Debutante Ball where many of our wonderful students are going to demonstrate their dancing skills after months of hard work training and learning new skills. I am sure it will be a great celebration of this incredible group of young people. 

I hope you all have a peace-filled weekend where you find time to connect with friends and loved ones. 

Susan Carroll

Principal

Thanks to the following businesses for supporting St Anne's College:

 Adornato's

for landscaping supplies 

 Intercontinental Spares

for the 40ft shipping container

 ConX Hire

for the VMS display board