From the Principal

Welcome to our last newsletter for Term Three. It’s been a busy term, but amongst the busy-ness we have been witness to lots of great learning as well as some wonderful community events. I would like to thank our staff for their continued dedication, our students for their eagerness to learn, and our parent community for your ongoing support.

I trust all our Dads (and other significant father figures) had a great family day on Sunday. Our Father’s Morning last Friday had another great turnout, despite it being a bit overcast to begin the day. We appreciate all the Dads who took time off work to start the day with us, and we thank the staff of St Anne’s for their coordination, particularly Michelle Buckley our Community Partnerships Leader.

At Friday’s PTFA Trivia Night, with about 100 people in attendance, host Andrew O’Callaghan (Dad of Ruby in Prep Maroon) led us on a trip down memory lane with questions from across the decades. An excellent night was had by all. As well as Andrew, particular thanks must go to the organisers Bianca Young, Sarah Magro, Maria Apap and Mel O’Callaghan. Money raised will go towards outdoor equipment, with the SRC having input into what might be purchased.

As you are aware, St Anne’s recently underwent our four-yearly external review. This review was conducted by Emma Richardson from Valad Solutions, in conjunction with our governing body, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). Emma first reviewed our policies, procedures and practices to ensure compliance with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) minimum standards. Our updated suite of policies can be found on the school website under Quick Links.

Emma then spent time with staff, students and parents to get a sense of our school’s strengths and areas for future focus. Among many affirmations, Emma noted that “True partnerships were in place with families to enhance both student wellbeing and academic outcomes”. As a staff, we are particularly pleased with this affirmation, knowing the importance of school-home relationships in the educational outcomes of students. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to strengthening these partnerships over the next four years.

Congratulations to the students who competed in the Woodlands Division Track and Field Competition at Epping on Tuesday - Sabella, Eliza, Kwel, Jaxon, Lenny, James, Ebony, Liam, Willow, Johnny, Rejoice, William, Carter, Ollie, Leo & Andrew

Top 3 Placegetters were

1st - 11 and Under Girls Relay (Rejoice, Ebony, Sabella, Willow)

1st - 11 and Under Boys Relay (Lenny, James, Carter, Kwel)

2nd - Eliza & William Triple Jump

3rd - Liam 100m, Lenny 800m, Jaxon Discus

As we continue our Term 3 Positive Behaviour for Learning focus on Being Resilient, this quote from Michael Grose seems particularly pertinent.

When we solve all children’s problems, we not only increase their dependency on adults, we also teach kids to be afraid of making mistakes and to blame themselves for not being good enough.

To support our work with students here at school, you may like to read the article from which the above quote came. It can be found here or via the QR code.

Our Junior toilets are on track to be completed over the school holidays and will be ready for use at the start of Term Four. Construction will then move to the Senior toilets located near the library. It is anticipated that these works will be done by the end of November. 

A reminder that Term Three concludes at 1:30pm next Friday. Good luck to those of you who have teams competing in the various sporting finals, and if you are travelling over the September break, please do so safely. 

Warm regards and God’s blessings,

Stephen