PRIMARY (F-6)

School Leaders Report - Kara and Emma

Welcome back! The 2025 school year has begun with much excitement, enthusiasm and change.

As communicated at the end of last year, 2025 begins a process of change in the method of which literacy and numeracy and behavioural curriculum content is delivered across Sandhurst schools through Magnify Sandhurst. It has been wonderful to see the way in which St Anne’s College members of all ages have adapted to the change, taking difference with a positive and adaptable approach and knowing that change takes time to perfect and connect back to our college philosophy. As always, we are all on the learning journey together!

Another big change is the creation of the Primary School at St Anne’s College. We now reflect 12 Pastoral Groups from Foundation to Year 6 - our first Year 6 cohort which is exciting, and the fruition of 7 years in the making! We look forward to what we can do this year across the Primary years.

As a complete entity, Year 6 becomes our buddy year. Year 6 students have been paired with a Foundation child. Throughout the year, buddies get together to play and learn together, spending time developing a relationship that will continue past this year as their buddy will always be a familiar face around the school.

Assemblies will continue to be held on Monday at 9:05am in Weeks 3, 6 and 9 for Primary School. Classes will lead these from Week 6.

Please note the following:

Term 1 and 4 - Children need to be wearing a hat while playing, during PE, and when outdoors. Without a hat, children are to play under the shade of the building.

Drink bottles: should be filled with water only and clearly labelled with your student's name.

Learning Mentors: are your first point of call for all enquiries. Learning Mentors can be contacted via email at any time but please be mindful that between 8:55am and 3:15pm Learning Mentors are in class. Longer conversations regarding your child can be organised via email for a mutually agreed time.

Foundation

The new Foundation students have settled into school life at St Anne's College with ease over the past week. Students have spent a lot of time getting to know their new learning mentors, peers and Year 6 buddies this week. They have also spent a lot of time familiarising themselves with the school rules, routines and expectations at St Anne's.

Year 1

The Year 1 students have settled in well to the new school year, tackling the whole-class InitialLit instruction well. Children are beginning to become familiar with the college expectations and certain college routines. They have begun collaborating with familiar or new friends and learning in new learning spaces across the college. Overall, a fantastic effort by all the Year 1!

Year 2

We have had a terrific start to the school year, learning new routines, exploring different ways of learning, getting to know each other, and developing new friendships. In Maths, we have been learning about place value, identifying the value of digits in three-digit numbers. We have also begun our InitiaLit program, focusing on spelling, reading, handwriting, and grammar. The children have transitioned well into this approach to learning and are demonstrating our school expectations by doing their best.

Year 3/4

Children have settled into the new Year 3/4 spaces really well. They have shown they can follow our new routines and expectations well.

This term, students in Year 3/4 have started reading the novel Matilda by Roald Dahl as part of our literacy unit. Through this story, children will engage in a range of activities designed to strengthen their reading, writing, and grammar skills.

Our Maths lessons are exploring place value as how to read, write and represent five and six digit numbers. We have also investigated the concept of odd and even numbers.

In inquiry, children have started looking at ‘How we express ourselves’ and looking at the main idea of how identity can be expressed through the arts. Children began by attending a series of workshops learning the skills of collage, how symbols can represent our identity and how we can express our identity through movement & music.

We are very excited for the year ahead.

Year 5

The Year 5 students have been competently demonstrating the new routines and expectations for our learning space. We are embracing the changes with positivity, maturity and understanding that change takes time. Students have developed a set of class expectations - those they will demonstrate and those they expect from their peers.

We began our class novel ‘War Horse’ and are looking into building vocabulary to describe and explain nouns and verbs.

Throughout maths students unpacked dot plots. Looking into the data display and its parts, understanding and identifying information from the data sets.

Students were wonderful role models for others as we attended our first College mass for the year. It’s exciting to see their growth since I last taught some in 2022. We also began our first unit ‘People and Prayer’ - beginning to look at the different ways that we all pray.

Bek and I are excited for the year ahead and the learning experiences that we have to come.

Year 6

Our very first set of Year 6 students at St Anne’s College have begun to blaze the trail for years to come. They have settled into their new routines and a large stage space!

We began reading our class novel “A Ghost in my Suitcase”, exploring the language and writing. We look forward to what it has in store.

Our maths lessons explore graphing and the new slides have been providing a lot of information. Our young leaders of the primary section have also been exploring what it means to be a leader as they prepare to lead by example for our junior school.

Ivy and Ryleigh are excited to be a part of these students' final year of primary school and see them grow into young adults!

Specialist

This term, our STEAM program has been buzzing with energy and creativity across all year levels. Our Foundation and Year 1 students have been busy making play dough - a fun, hands-on activity that lays the groundwork for future lessons in science and engineering.

Moving up to Year 2, students are exploring the exciting world of chemical reactions, where they learn about the fascinating changes that occur when substances interact.

In Year 3/4, our budding engineers are putting their problem-solving skills to the test by designing and testing buildings against challenges like wind, water, and shaking -experiments that simulate real-world forces and promote critical thinking.

Meanwhile, our Year 5 students have taken STEAM to the next level by capturing slow-motion footage of a chemical reaction, allowing them to analyse and appreciate the details of this dynamic process.

We're thrilled to see our students engaged in such diverse and stimulating activities, sparking curiosity and a passion for learning in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Stay tuned for more innovative projects in the coming term!

Reminders

We remind all parents/carers the college opens at 8:30am. This enables educators time to prepare for their day ahead. We appreciate your support in helping our educators be successful. Yard duty staff begin at 8:30am to monitor play spaces before the school day begins at 8:55am.

Upcoming Dates:

Please monitor the calendar on PAM for up-to-date activities and events:

February 10 - 9.05am Primary Assembly

February 10 - North Melbourne FC visit Years 3-6.

February 12 - Foundation Rest Day

February 19 - Foundation Rest Day

February 20 - Swimming Carnival (capable Year 3-6 students only - further info to come)

February 26 - Foundation Rest Day

February 27 - School photos

March 4 - Bravehearts Ditto (F - Yr 2)

March 7 - Student Free Day

March 10 - Public Holiday - no school