PRIMARY (F-6)

School Leaders Report - Emily

Happy Week Eight to all our wonderful St Anne’s College families. Now that we are finally beginning to feel some relief from the heat in the mornings, I thought it would be a good time to remind families to make sure all your child’s jumpers are jackets are clearly named. The mornings are getting colder, but the afternoons are still very warm, and we are finding lots of lost clothing left around the primary end of the college.  

To celebrate Harmony Day on Monday, students are encouraged to wear a ‘touch’ of orange, cultural clothing or colours of their flag. During the day students will participate in Harmony Day activities in their Pastoral Groups and will have the opportunity to partake in a BBQ at lunch time (there will be a vegetarian option). Special thanks to Azem from People Supporting People for donating his time and produce to run this event! 

Class Reports

Foundation

Religion 

Lent & Easter 

As part of our Lent & Easter topic the children are learning to see the cross as an important symbol related to Jesus’ life. The children went on a cross learning walk to identify the crosses in our college. 

Humanities 

Family Celebrations is our current topic in Humanities. The children will be exploring the special celebrations that are important to themselves, their families and their communities.  If you have time to have a chat with your child about celebrations, they then can share this at school. 

Literacy 

The children have been focusing on the sound and letter for Mm, Ss, Tt and Aa.  Talking with your child about the letter and sound when you are reading with them is a great way to support their learning. 

Buddies 

The Foundation students enjoy spending time with their Year 6Buddies. They do this each fortnight.  This week their Year 6s led the Foundations in a quiet meditation. They then coloured in Easter Bunnies to create a Easter paper chain. 

Art 

Foundation students immersed themselves into an art class with Mark today, exploring their creativity through a project inspired by Romero Britto. 

Romero Britto is a Brazilian artist who combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colours and bold, playful patterns.

Following Romero's style, students designed and painted the first letter of their name, transforming it into a vibrant and symbolic representation of themselves. Using repeated patterns and bold, bright colours, each piece reflected their unique personality and style.

Year 1

In Year 1 students have been busy building their skills in reading, writing and maths. In Literacy, they reviewed and practised reading and writing their tricky words: said, are, her, was, you, very, out, have, were, there and they. It has been wonderful to see students growing in confidence as they recognise and use these words in their learning.  

In Maths, students have been working on comparing and ordering 2-digit numbers, using their understanding of tens and ones to help them explain which numbers are bigger or smaller. We are very proud of the effort Year 1 students are showing in class each day. 

Year 2

Our storybook focus has been Pete the Sheep. Students have been enjoying the story and exploring the characters, events and key ideas from the text. 

In Writing, we are beginning to learn about adjectives and how they help make our sentences more interesting by describing people, places and things. 

In Mathematics, our new topic is addition and subtraction. Students are building their confidence using different strategies to solve number problems. 

In Humanities, we are exploring the topic “Representing Places.” Students will learn about different ways places can be shown and described, such as through maps, pictures and words. 

Year 2 students immersed themselves into an art class with Mark today, exploring their creativity through a project inspired by Romero Britto. 

Romero Britto is a Brazilian artist who combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colours and bold, playful patterns.

Following Romero's style, students designed and painted the first letter of their name, transforming it into a vibrant and symbolic representation of themselves. Using repeated patterns and bold, bright colours, each piece reflected their unique personality and style.

Year 3

Please note, the Year 3 Learning Space (Stage Area) will be open for parents/carers for around 20 minutes prior to the Primary Assembly on Monday 23 March to view the students humanities projects with the focus of communities. Parents/carers are welcome to use this opportunity to view their student's work.

This week in Year 3, we started a new Literacy unit based on the book ‘Off We Go Around Australia’ by Roland Harvey. Students have enjoyed reading the text and exploring different places around Australia. We have also started a new spelling program, with students learning and practising new spelling patterns and words.  

In Maths, students have been using arrays to show multiplication and division equations. It has been a great week of learning in Year 3. 

In Connections we have been learning about Contributions to Community. Students are busily working on creating their own communities individually or in small groups using a range of materials. They need to think about what a community needs, roles and responsibilities of the people within their community and how their community may evolve in the future.  

It has been a great week of learning in Year 3. 

Year 4

In Year 4 we have been developing our persuasive writing skills. As well as learning the structure of a persuasive text, students have been exploring the effects persuasive techniques like rhetorical questions, high modality language and supporting details have on a reader to see their point of view. Nora from Ryleigh’s class has been kind enough to share her piece of why we should stop deforestation:

Deforestation  

Deforestation can have devastating impacts on the animals that call our rainforests home. 

When trees are cleared for Human Resources, the animals lose their homes, food and shelter, just for wood. Do you think that’s fair for them? 

We also risk humans lives because we cut trees and plants down. 

Do you want to risk human lives as well? 

Deforestation gets rid of it all! We must stop deforestation right now to save animals and humans, or we might become  

Extinct! 

Secondly, we definitely need to protect our rainforests because it takes away the “air cleaners”. 

When we deforest forests, we release months' worth of Co2. 

The trees clean the air and trap Co2. They also hold the soil together. If we continue to cut trees down, floods, erosion  

and landslides will harm others. Do you want to breathe Co2? 

This is why we must protect our rainforests. 

Thirdly, Deforestation wrecks the beauty of Mystical auras. Do you like relaxing in places that seem Magical?  

Deforestation literally chucks it out the window! This is why we absolutely need to ban deforestation! 

Do we continue, Recreational activities such as birdwatching or hiking will be gone. If you cherish those things, don’t cut  

trees down. It takes a long time to grow back. I’m talking a couple of decades, sometimes centuries! 

Do you like that idea? If we stop, the earth and atmosphere will slowly heal. 

For all these reasons, we obviously need to protect our rainforests, so we can enjoy them in the future. So, let’s all stop deforestation and protect our earth to maintain our forests. 

By Nora Bellette 

Well done Nora and the rest of Year 4 on your learning.  

Year 5

In Year 5, students have recently begun exploring our new class text How Was That Built? by Roma Agrawal. This engaging book introduces students to the fascinating world of engineering, showing how inspiring structures are created through clever design, innovative thinking, and the use of materials such as steel and concrete. Students have shown great enthusiasm as they begin to develop their understanding of how structures are designed and built.  As we come to the end of our Connections unit on safety for Term 1, students have been busy applying their learning in a creative way by designing their own towns and creating detailed road safety maps. This task has encouraged students to think critically about how to keep communities safe, while also showcasing their creativity and understanding of real-world application. 

Year 6

Our Year 6 students have been exploring the powerful novel The Silver Donkey. The story has led to thoughtful discussions about bravery, hope, and the impact of war. Students have been answering comprehension questions, analysing characters, and sharing their interpretations of important moments in the book. Alongside our reading, we’re continuing to build strong writing skills by focusing on sentence structure, vocabulary expansion, and thoughtful written responses.

In Maths, we have been strengthening our understanding of multiplication and division. Students are learning to solve problems in multiple ways: using area models, repeated addition, factor pairs, mental strategies, and written methods. They’re being encouraged to explain their thinking clearly and to choose strategies that work best for them. Problem-solving tasks have helped them think more flexibly and confidently.

In Religious Education, we are studying the parables of Jesus. After reading several examples, students have been discussing the deeper messages behind each story. They are now creating their own parables that teach meaningful lessons about kindness, fairness, responsibility, and making good choices. This activity has allowed them to use creativity while exploring moral concepts.

In Humanities, our focus has been on developing mapping skills. Using these skills, they are now designing and mapping their own towns. Their maps include landmarks, roads, natural features, and imaginative details that show a strong understanding of how real maps work.

Specialist

Year 5

This term Year 5 students have been learning how to discuss their houses. Students know how to say if they live in a house, apartment or on a farm and to describe it e.g. La mia casa e nuovo e grande. Il giardino e belle e piccolo (My house is new and big. The garden is beautiful and small). Students also know how to ask each other about their homes e.g. Tu dove abiti? Io abiti in una vecchia casa (Where do you live? I live in an old house).  The Year 5s are also designing their dream homes which they must label and can include whatever they like such as a bowling alley, swimming pool, slides or music theatre. 

Year 6

The Year 6 students have been learning how to discuss their hobbies. This term they have conducted surveys to discover which hobby most people in their class like, have correctly identified and matched the hobby name with the image and have been able to discuss what hobbies they like and dislike e.g. Mi piace andare in spiaggia, non mi piace ascolatre la muisca (I like going to the beach, I don’t like listening to music). The Year 6s are busy putting together a poster stating which hobbies they do and don’t like and are writing a conversation between two people discussing their hobbies. 

Reminders:

If you haven't already done so, please ensure you have completed the Annual General Permission on SIMON via the Connect Field. It is imperative this is completed in order for your student/s to attend important excursions throughout the school year.

The Opening The Doors Foundation (OTDF) invites eligible families to apply for a 2026 student grant. Grant applications are currently open and close on 2 April 2026. 

The Foundation prioritises students with the highest financial need to ensure fair access to support. Applicants with a Health Care Card or Pension Card will be processed first. Other applications are still welcome however processing may be slightly delayed.

• Please attach a copy of your Health Care or Pension Card to your online application.
• Missing documents will delay processing.

All applications must be submitted online via the OTDF Grant Portal.

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🎒 Items you can apply for from OTDF:

• School books & stationery
• School uniforms
• One pair of shoes (school or sport shoes)
• IT equipment (laptops, calculators, etc.)
• VCAL/VET levies 
• School camp costs

⚠️ Funding is up to the OTDF grant limit and up to OTDF Trustee discretion. You may not receive the full amount requested.

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🚫 What We Don’t Fund

• Independent school fees (families are responsible for paying private school fees and levies)
• Applications where OTDF funds are used for school fees may affect future eligibility.

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⚖️ Other Funding

If the student is already receiving support from:

• Traditional Owner education grants
• First Nations scholarships
• Other charities
• School financial assistance

The application may not be successful. Final decisions are made by OTDF Trustees.

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✅ Eligibility

To apply, the student must:

✔️ Be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent

✔️ Provide a Confirmation of Aboriginality

✔️ Be enrolled in a Catholic or Independent school in Victoria (Prep–Year 12)

❌ OTDF does not support students attending government schools

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🎟️ How Grants Are Provided

• Grants are mostly provided as vouchers from approved suppliers
• Vouchers must be used by 31 May 2026
• For camp levies, school uniforms, or school IT items, funds may be sent directly to the school if the school supplies these items​

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📅 Key Dates

* Applications Open - 10 November 2025

* Applications Close - 2 April 2026 (strict deadline)

* ALL Vouchers expire on - 31 May 2026

Apply here!

Parents/carers are reminded there is a very important process to follow if your student must leave the college at any time throughout school hours. Please ensure you follow these steps:

Parents/carers MUST provide a note to the front office, at the start of the school day, stating the following:

- Student Name

- Date of leave required

- The time the student must present to reception to take their leave

- If they will return to the college the same day, and if so what time they will return

- The reason for the leave being requested

- The parent/carer’s name and signature

Please note, students will only be permitted to be collected by their parent/carer unexpectedly and without a note if it is an emergency.

We remind all that 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 refer to the calendar on PAM for upcoming dates for activities and events.