Dear Families,

Jesus is born in our midst; he is God with us. He comes to accompany our daily lives, to share with us, in all things: our joys and sorrows, our hopes and fears.” Pope Francis - 2022.

As we bid farewell to another year, it is fitting to reflect on the year just passed and how well our children have been engaged and experienced many successes. As was stated in our recent school review, student wellbeing was clearly evident and a visible priority, children found their learning engaging and generally challenging. The physical environment provided a broad range of play opportunities and the leadership team continually focussed on driving continuous whole school effective improvement.

I am very proud of our school community, particularly our children who have taken up the challenge to be engaged in their learning, the arts, digital technologies, sporting or language programs. They have developed a greater awareness of their emotional wellbeing and made positive interactions with friends. I wish to congratulate each of them for their efforts.

Therefore all of us are ready for our summer holidays, enjoying the break with our family and friends!

Congratulations to all our children on the way they participated in our Christmas celebration last Thursday. Our children sang our carols beautifully and it was great to see our community catching up with one another and enjoying themselves. Thank you to Elizabeth Grieves for organising the Carols, Marina Spiteri for the choir and organising the food trucks and to all our staff who helped to prepare our children to perform on the night.

Congratulations to our Year 6 children who will graduate tonight (Thursday). It’s a significant milestone, and it’s clear that they have worked hard to reach this point.

We are very proud of them for being a supportive and enthusiastic cohort. This is always a very special celebration for our children and families as we say goodbye for the final time. May our graduates continue to flourish and achieve success. We wish them all the best in their next chapter of their lives and may they continue to carry the values, dispositions and respect that they have shown at St Anne’s.

Thank you to our Year 6 teachers and Cath Woodhouse for organising the celebration.

As we approach the end of 2023, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every member of our wonderful St. Anne's school community. It has been a joyous and fulfilling year, and I am grateful for the privilege of working alongside each of you.

Thank you to our parents for your unwavering support throughout the year. Your involvement and commitment to your children's education have been instrumental in the success and achievements we've celebrated together.

I hope the upcoming Christmas season brings you rest, peace, and precious moments with your loved ones. Whether you are staying home or travelling, please take care and stay safe. I look forward to seeing you at the end of January.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the members of our School Advisory Committee and PFTA for their unwavering dedication and hard work. Your contributions have been instrumental ensuring our school continues to be a better place for our children and families.

Our School Advisory Board has played a pivotal role in providing valuable input into our planning processes and supporting the decisions that have been made to enhance the overall educational experience for our children. The ideas and perspectives they have shared have been invaluable, and I have been most appreciated. Thank you to Gayle D’Amico who is retiring from the SAC. I thank her for her contributions to ensure the decisions being made were for the betterment of the school community.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the families who will be leaving St Anne's. Some of you have been with us for over 20 years, and we sincerely appreciate the lasting contributions you have made to our school. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

A special thank you goes out to our dedicated staff members who continuously strive to meet the needs of the children in their classes. Your enthusiasm, hard work, care, and support are truly commendable, ensuring that our children look forward to coming to school each day. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we are grateful for all that you do.

Lastly, a big thank you to our children for the respect they have shown to one another and their teachers. This year, they have worked diligently and achieved impressive results. They have earned a well-deserved Christmas break. I’ve appreciated their cheery smiles and their commitment to always doing their best.

To our Year 6 students, we wish you all the best in your new schools next year. May you continue to excel and succeed in your academic journey.

Thank you to everyone for making St Anne's a thriving and supportive community. We look forward to the continued success and growth of our school in the coming year

To all our community - Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Christmas Masses:

This Christmas there will be five Masses across Christmas Eve and

Christmas Day. All Masses will be held at St Anne’s Church.

Christmas Eve - Sunday 24 December

8.30am & 10.30am

Christmas and Vigil Masses - 6.00pm and 9.00pm

Children are invited to wear Christmas costumes (e.g., Mary, Joseph,angels, shepherds etc..) at 6:00pm Mass.

Christmas Day - Monday 25 December

8:30am, 10:30am

2024 News

When our children met their new teachers and classmates there was a great sense of excitement and anticipation by both children and teachers. When we place children in classes we always look at academic ability, social and emotional wellbeing and then friendships. A lot of time and effort has gone into placing children in their 2024 classes. The teachers were all pleased with their new classes and are looking forward to working with them throughout next year.

Our Staff for 2024 are;

Prep - Jodie Sheedy, Rebecca Bourke, Karryn Grunden and Gail Pritchard / Cherisse Kenny

Year One - Sarah Jayne Street, Jess Less and Chloe Walker/ Rachel Dale

Year Two - Vanessa Mitchener, Kate Beattie / Sam Smith, Sarah Notaro / Trish Brennan and Sinead Pearse

Year Three - Whitney Gaudencio, Amelia Cross, Elizabeth Grieve and Nicole Lunn

Year Four - Bern Anderson, Jo Zahra, Jues Coad / Simone Robson and Caitlin Browning -Hull

Year Five - Michele Dunlop, Eamon Light / Susan Bourke, Kayla Wilson and Steph Young

Year Six - Katie Pollard / Cath Woodhouse, Alison Brochert - Krohn / Justin Cleur, Monique McIntyre and Rylee Connell

Literacy intervention - Cherisse Kenny

Numeracy Intervention -Jill Marr and Paul Hogan

Specialist Teachers - PE - Jacinta Fox / Justin Cleur Visual Arts - Sarah Cornall, Italian - Carlo D’Amico Performing Arts - Marina Spiteri / Lindy Brown, Digital Technology - Jo Hannan

Teaching and Learning Leaders - Leona Dean and Stephen Arthurson

Religious Education Leader - Cath Woodhouse

Student Wellbeing / Diversity Leaders - Kristie Browning, Sue Sexton, Jade Salpietro

Mental Health in Schools Leader - Lindy Brown

Literacy Leaders - Bianca Cutajar and TBA

Numeracy Leaders - Jill Marr and Eamon Light

Information Technology Leader - Caitlin Browning-Hull

Learning Support Officers - Kate Murphy, Libby Filla, Shayna Grice, Narelle Coughlan, Ann Guy, Kerry Cambridge, Ann Twomey, Lilian Hendy, Janine Sciortino, Virginia Cutfield, Christine Frantti, Lauren Comac, Melissa Clark, Erica Rizzuti, Bec Carling, Renee Carusso, Pip Ward, Nisha Prabhakaran, Amanda Ferraro, Hannah Haarhoff, Lorraine Earl, Deb Cardillo, Chris Tankard, Jodie Phelan, Anita Kovac, Nikki Trajkov, Caz Lynch, Ciana Bourne, Bianca Young, Ellie Cutajar, Tom Cardillo, Leanne Miller, Michelle De Brincat, Bardyn McIntyre

Administration - Emma Coulson, Nicole Asciak, Di McKinnon, Narelle Coughlan and Michelle Krohn

Maintenance - Robert Cambruzzi

Uniform Shop - Lynne Dillon

Canteen Manager - Pauleen Tanasi

Deputy / Teaching and Learning - Stephen Arthurson

Our new teaching staff come from many varied schools in our region. Karryn comes from McKeown Kinder, Jill Marr from St Joseph the Worker, North Reservoir, Sinead Pearse is from St Bernard's Bacchus Marsh, Steph Young is Coburn Primary School, Carlo D’Amico has taught at St Anthony’s Melton South, Sam Smith returns from Parental Leave, Trish Brennan also returns from Nauru and Susan Bourke has been doing emergency work and her last classroom role was in Ballarat.

2024

Wednesday January 31st 2024 - Prep Children Begin School

Our Prep children begin school - they are at school from 8.50 am to 12.30pm.

Children in Year One to Six will be participating in meeting their teacher conversations (this is for children only)

Thursday February 1st 2024 - Prep Children At School Today

Our Prep children are at school from 8.50 am to 12.30pm.

Children in Year One to Six will be participating in meeting their teacher conversations (this is for children only)

Friday February 2nd 2024 - All Children in Year 1 - 6 begin school

Prep Children At School - 8.50 - 12.30pm

Our School Closure Day in Term One is on Friday, March 22.

A reminder that our school year ends on Friday December 15th at 1.30pm.

May God bless you and take care

Ms Noelene Hussey

Finance News