From The Principal

Dear Families

I understand that many of you are unsure about who will be leading St Anne’s at the beginning of Term 3. Stephen Arthurson will continue in his role of Acting Principal and Leona Dean will remain our Acting Deputy Principal. The position for principal has been advertised and once a candidate has been appointed and ratified it will be announced to the school community. 

I am sure you will continue to support Stephen and Leona and all our staff as they work tirelessly to ensure your children are receiving the best possible education at St Anne’s. 

First Semester Reports

Our first semester reports will be sent home on Thursday June 20th, Parent teacher student conversations will be held on Thursday June 27th and Friday June 28th. I would like to remind parents that you have received notification about booking a time to meet your child’s teacher to discuss the progress of your child. If these times are not suitable for you then please arrange another time with your child’s teacher. 

On Friday, June 28th we ask that if you can keep your child at home that you do so. If this is not possible then an alternative program will be arranged on Friday.

Please note that school will finish at 3.30pm on Thursday 27th June.

When your child brings home their reports you may have mixed feelings. Pleasure if they are performing well or angst if they are not progressing as you hoped. Our children can also feel anxious wondering if their parents are going to feel disappointment or be proud. Psychologist Michael Grose has some helpful hints when you rip open the envelope containing your child’s report

1. Are your expectations for your son or daughter realistic and in line with their ability? Pitch your expectations in line with your child’s abilities. A quick check of your child’s last report cards may provide you with a good yardstick. 

2. Do you believe that children learn at different rates? Avoid comparing your child to siblings, your friends’ children and even yourself when you were a child. Instead look for individual progress. 

3. Are you willing to safeguard your child’s self-esteem rather than deflate it? Self-confidence is a prerequisite for learning, so be prepared to be as positive and encouraging as possible. 

4. Focus on strengths. Do you look for strengths or weaknesses first? The challenge is to focus on strengths even if they are not in the traditional 3Rs or core subjects. Take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning. If your child is putting in the required effort, then you cannot ask any more than that, regardless of the grading. 

5. Broaden your focus away from academic performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social setting. How your child gets along with his or her peers will influence his happiness and well-being. The skills of independence and co-operation are highly valued by employers so don’t dismiss these as unimportant. 

6.Discuss the report with your son or daughter talking about strengths first before looking at areas that need improvement. Ask for their opinion about how they performed and discuss their concerns. 

7. After reports are read and discussed, celebrate your child’s efforts with a special activity or treat. In this way you will recognise progress and remind them that the holidays are just around the corner when they can forget about assessment, tests and reports 

Prep SRC

Please welcome Ivy S, Aurelia C, Abigail D and Poppy S from Prep's to the school's SRC. 

Interschool Sport

Yesterday our Year 6 children competed in the Sunbury Primary Schools Winter Sport Competition. Congratulations to our children who tried their best and showed true sportsmanship throughout the day. Congratulations to our football and soccer teams who won their finals and now move to the divisional level next term. It was great to see our children competing in their selected sports and having fun representing our school.

Our Cross Country squad made us very proud by the way they competed in the recent Divisional Championships. We wish the following children all the best as they represent St Anne’s at the Regional Championships - William R, Eli O’S, Rossi F, Ben R and Chase J.

Playpod Items Request

If you have any of the following equipment/items that you no longer require we would really appreciate them being donated to the playpod for the children to play with.

PVC pipe

Bread crates

Hard, thick cardboard (tv, fridge, washing machine size)

Wooden wire/cable reels

Tyres

Planks of wood

Weed matting/material

Tarps

Traffic cones

Traffic/Road work signs

Room dividers

Letterboxes

Old carpeted rugs

Lino squares 

Positive Behaviour For Learning - PBL

We continue to focus on being responsible which means we will be playing safely with our friends. 

All our children have a right to feel safe, have a voice, have access to modern resources and be treated fairly by their friends. 

Therefore we teach our children that with every right or privilege there is a responsibility. The following are what you can also talk to our children at home;

We have a right to a safe environment - we have a responsibility to follow safety rules

We have a right to voice our opinions - we have a responsibility to respect the opinions of others

We have the right to use our resources at school - we have the responsibility to take care of all our school property

We have the right to be treated fairly by others - we have the responsibility to treat others fairly

We have the right to learn - we have the responsibility to try our best and follow our teachers directions. 

May God bless you and take care,

Ms Noelene Hussey