From the Principal

Dear Families

This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. The theme, The Way of the Gospel, is based on Archbishops Peter Comensoli’s 2021 Pastoral Letter. It challenges us to find the living Christ in our lives. We have been challenged to ask the questions;

• How might our Catholic school communities continue to bring to life the messages of the Gospels?
• How do we continue to invite our school communities to be witnesses of the Gospels

There are 335 Catholic primary and secondary schools across Melbourne, enrolling more than 150,000 students and employing approximately 17,000 staff. Catholic schools provide a high-quality education in a faith-centred environment. This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.  

At St Anne’s we will celebrate this very special week by opening our enrolments for 2023. We begin our tours of our school for prospective families. This is an exciting time for our school as we welcome in our new families and begin to develop partnerships with them so our children can receive an education that meets their needs, academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally. 

On Thursday we celebrate St Patrick’s  Feast Day. St Patrick is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. He once said: ‘if I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples’. He recognised the value of education in evangelising children and young people, and spreading the gospel in our communities.

Next week we celebrate Harmony Week. This year's theme is ‘Everyone Belongs’. It's about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. Harmony Day is celebrated on March 21 as it coincides with the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

At St Anne’s we have 20 cultures represented amongst our families. Our children have many opportunities to learn from each other about their cultures and family stories. We will be celebrating Harmony Day with activities. Students are invited to wear a touch of orange on Monday which is the colour chosen for Harmony Day. 

Congratulations to our Year 6 children who had a wonderful time at camp last week. They participated in many fun activities, from high ropes to canoeing. I am sure they all had a good sleep on Friday night. Camps just don't happen and a lot of time is spent organising activities, cabins and so on so our children have a positive camping experience. Thank you to our staff for their time and energy, not only ensuring the children had a great time but that they did as well! Thanks to Kerry Cambridge, Janine Sciortino, Michael Corcoran, Katie Pollard, Alexis Seddon, Greg Lane, Jane Barlow, Leona Dean, Monique McIntyre and Stephen Arthurson. 

Adventure Playground 

A reminder to all parents and children that the Adventure Playground is not available for our children to play on before or after school. This is due to our OH&S regulations and a teacher not being present to supervise the children. This is also an OH&S regulation. Your cooperation would be most appreciated to ensure your children, including toddlers do not play on the playground 

Positive Behaviour For Learning - PBL

We continue to focus on being respectful and using respectful language. There are a number of reasons why children may use inappropriate language. It may be accidentally, repeating a word they have heard without knowing the meaning of it. A child may swear as if they are imitating a friend or family member. It may be that, they want to get a reaction or they are upset and want to hurt the other person. 

Sometimes when we hear a child use inappropriate language we laugh or don’t respond. It is important we address the issue by staying calm, keeping a straight face and saying”that is a word we do not use here”.  It is also important to explain our reasons so our children are not confused. 

If we can be good role models then our children will understand the importance of using appropriate and respectful language.

If we work together then we will have very respectful children at St Anne’s!

God Bless

Ms Noelene Hussey