St Agnes' Primary School Newsletter

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Week 5, Term 3

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Boot-Scootin-Fun - Yeehaw!

Last Friday, we had a wonderful turnout for the annual P&F Social Night, the 2025 St Agnes’ Rodeo! With flannel, double denim, cowboy boots and chaps all on show, it was a boot scootin' good time! 

Community connection is a key strength of this wonderful school community and often one of the main reasons prospective families choose to send their children here. In recent days, I have heard plenty of commentary about this aspect of the school; from those who have been here for a long time and also from those who have been here a short time. Events like Friday night only strengthen this community and I am grateful to all who attended and contributed to the success of the evening. I’m certain there would have been some ‘sore heads’ on Saturday morning. 

Some key acknowledgements:

  • Thank you to Kosh Sothilingam from Rate Onefor being the major sponsor of the evening and for the raffle prizes drawn at the end. There are prizes for Emily Bishop and the Mindt family at the office for collection.
  • Thank you to school families Sarah and Kieron Bibby (Football Star Academy), Nick Harber (Coopers Brewing) and the Boot family (Bare Laser and Skin) for your donations.
  • Thank you to Bree Walsh, Sarah Gardner-Bibby and Alishia Boot for your efforts in organising the event. Much work goes into these nights; it doesn’t just happen. We are very grateful for your work.
  • Congratulations to Best Dressed Winners Dayna Wilkie with the unicorn and Trent Churchill featuring his father’s 50-year-old chaps from his bull riding days!
  • Thank you to the donors of the silent auction items. This was a very successful fundraising aspect of the evening.
  • Thank you also to the donors who contributed to the Liquor Loot and congratulations to the winner, Anna Wassell.
  • Finally, thank you to the team of volunteer cleaners for your efforts on Saturday morning.

Another very successful parent social event for our community and we look forward to hearing more about the overall fundraising efforts.

 

School Closure Day

On Monday, our staff gathered for our Term Three School Closure Day. The focus of the day's professional learning was around Explicit Instruction, Engagement and Behaviour. The staff engaged in professional reading, listened to a podcast and contributed to robust whole school planning around engagement of our students in explicit instruction. One of the key actions we have agreed to work on for the remainder of the term is ‘Silent Entry’. We know that learning routines are a very important aspect of enabling children to be successful in their day to day engagement at school. Routines help to minimise cognitive load and maximise the impact of the instruction. Therefore, we are going back to basics, with regard to movement, to ensure our students are starting every learning session in a calm and settled way. We are not expecting the children to ‘just know’ what is expected of them, we are teaching and practising the behaviour and routine to ensure it is automatic. For those interested, you can see below, the staff listening to a podcast (Anything but boring: The power of direct instruction - with Dr. Zach Groshell) and documenting ways for instructional improvement. We are very fortunate to have a group of highly engaged and quality staff in our school.

Upcoming Whole School Events

St Agnes’ Family Maths Night - Tuesday 26th August (6.30-7.30pm)

We warmly open our classrooms on Tuesday night next week, for all students and parents to join in our annual Family Maths Night. Often the forgotten domain, at St Agnes’ this year we have made a concerted effort to raise the bar in Mathematics. We have had a particular focus on Number Fact Fluency and as you saw in last week’s newsletter, it is making a significant difference. The emphasis throughout the evening will be around number fact fluency and the ‘gradual release of responsibility’ throughout Mathematics lessons. The presentations from the teachers during the session will be almost identical in each classroom, it is just the activities that will differ. So, if you have multiple kids, you can start in one child’s room and then move around afterwards.

 

Father’s Day Events

We look ahead to Father’s Day Activities in the next two weeks. The fun commences with the Father’s Day Stall on Wednesday 27th August. The children can bring up to $15 to shop for their dad or special someone. Siblings will shop together to ensure there is no double up. Thank you to Jenny Cummings for organising this year’s stall and the volunteers who have offered to help with sales! 

On the morning of Thursday 4th September, we celebrate all fathers and father figures of our community with the Father’s Day Breakfast and Mini Liturgy. The breakfast will be held in the hall and commence at 7.30am. The presentation from the children (mini liturgy) will commence at 8.20am and run for 15 minutes. We encourage all dads and special friends to get your tickets sorted to be involved in this wonderful community celebration. Please also head to the P and F page for further information on Father's Day.

 

 

Book Week - Thursday 28th August

This year, Children’s Book Week celebrates its 80th anniversary with the theme, “Book an Adventure!”. This theme encourages readers to explore new worlds and stories through books. On Thursday 28th August, the whole school will be involved in fun activities to celebrate Book Week. All students are invited to come dressed as their favourite book character or in a costume related to the theme, “Book an Adventure!”. The day will begin with a Book Week parade and conclude with a special performance by Perform! Education. We look forward to seeing everyone’s creativity and love for reading on display! Parents are invited stay at school for the parade at the start of the day.

 

Sacrament of Confirmation Family Faith Night - Tonight from 7pm!

Tonight our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates are formally beginning their preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, to be celebrated on Saturday 11th October. All candidates are expected to attend, with at least one parent. Children who are not receiving the sacrament are welcome to attend and also to participate in the confirmation mass with a blessing.

 

Year Six Graduation Meeting - Thursday 21st August at 8am

Tomorrow morning at 8am, we will hold the first meeting in preparation for the Year Six Graduation. This meeting will be held at school in the meeting room above reception. It is hard to believe that we are ‘there’ already, but it is exciting for the children and families. All Year Six parents are invited/encouraged to attend, as we rely on parent input for this event to be successful. Traditionally at St Agnes’, the Year 5 parent cohort has assisted with the organisation of the food and drink, as well as serving this on the night.

 

Year 3/4 Hooptime - Tuesday 26th August

Our middle school students will head to MSAC on Tuesday 26th August for the Hooptime basketball competition. All children will participate and parents are welcome to attend to support. All details have been communicated via Operoo.

 

School Advisory Council Meeting

The next School Advisory Council meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd September at 7.30pm.

 

Year 3-6 District Athletics

Our Year 3-6 Athletics team will compete in the District Athletics on Friday 29th August. Students have been notified if they are participating in this event. It is held at Duncan Mackinnon Reserve in Murrumbeena and parents are welcome to attend in support. Please note, all children are expected to be in their correct St Agnes’ Sports Uniform for this event.

 

St Agnes’ Snippets

From the Sport Fields

Last week, our Year 5/6 students went off to Hooptime to compete against other schools from our Sports District. All teams had a great day of fun and hoops, with the boys All Star team winning their competition. 

Also last week, the Year 5/6 Boys Soccer team went to the Beachside Division competition, after winning the previous round. The boys won some games and lost some games, with Mr Kost and Mr Otto celebrating the effort and behaviour of the students. Once again, we are very proud to hear of the positive spirit with which our students compete when at these types of events. 

 

CERES Excursion - Prep to Year 2

While it was a bit wild and windy, our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students had an amazing time at the CERES Community Environment Park last Friday. Students learnt about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures, developing an understanding of connection to the land and ways to care for the environment. Thank you to our Junior Leader Mrs Barton and the junior staff for facilitating this. Thank you also to our many parent helpers for going along.

 

Connor’s Run - Sunday 14th September

Connor's Run is an annual running event held in memory of Robert Connor Dawes, a Melbourne teenager who tragically died from brain cancer. It is focused on raising funds and awareness for paediatric brain cancer. The run is known for its supportive community atmosphere and offers various distances, including an 18.8km, 9.6km, and 3km route. Last year we entered a St Agnes’ team. We had over 20 parents, students, siblings and a couple of teachers take part. We invite everyone to join and be part of this great event. 

 

Click to register for Connor’s Run Link here. 

Assembly

Assemblies are in the Hall on Wednesday afternoons. Parents are welcome to attend. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, student awards, birthday acknowledgements and special announcements from student leaders.

 

Wed 27th Aug - Year 1

Wed 3rd Sept - Year 2

Wed 10th Sept - Year 6 Leadership

Wed 17th Sept - No assembly

 

Enjoy the rest of the week.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lachie.