From The Principal

Dear Families,

A very warm welcome to Term Three (figuratively if not literally!).

Paul Hogan

As a school community, the term begins with us experiencing a range of emotions. The optimism of a full term of learning and the promise of spring to come is tempered by the extreme sadness we feel at the loss of our dear friend and colleague Paul Hogan. Paul’s love of learning, his warmth, generosity and compassion, and his genuine interest in others are all qualities that will be missed. The impact he has had on students across a number of schools is immeasurable, and as a staff we consider ourselves blessed to have reconnected with him upon his return to St Anne’s after working here for a couple of years in the early 2000s. Paul was one of those people who inspires you to be better at what you do, the hallmark of a true leader. He may no longer be with us in person but his spirit most certainly will be.

As a staff, we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during the semester break and leading up to Paul’s funeral. Returning to school this week, it has been the smiles of our students that have warmed our hearts and reminded us of the value of community and connectedness. Please keep the extended Hogan family in your prayers over the coming weeks and months. I know that they were touched to hear how special Paul was to us all, and the treasured place he will hold in our hearts.

NAIDOC Week

This week at St Anne’s we have acknowledged NAIDOC Week, which took place during the second week of the holidays. NAIDOC Week originated when groups of people wanted to raise awareness of how First Australians were being treated. As Catholics, we can make connections to the example of Jesus, who stood up for the oppressed and the marginalised. In classrooms, students have been involved in activities to deepen their understanding of the history, culture and traditions of First Australians. Check out the range of artefacts on display that have been gathered by Ms Woodhouse during her time teaching in different parts of Australia. Students had great fun exploring them this week. We also look forward to a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony taking place tomorrow.

St Anne’s Feast Day

Our school Feast Day will take place next Friday 26th July. We will gather for a whole school Mass at 9:30am, and join in some fun activities after lunch in our P-2 and 3-6 House Groups.

• There will be a BBQ sausage lunch provided in the middle block - beef or vegetarian options. Please let your child’s teacher know if they will require the vegetarian option.
• One sausage in bread per student, so please bring along some other food to eat!
• If you are available to help cook or distribute sausages between 11:30-1:30 on Friday, please let me know.

Other News and Notes

Our Mega Mathletes Day is on next Wednesday. It will be a day to celebrate all things Maths with an Olympic flavour. Students can wear green and gold colours to show support for the Australian Olympic Team.

• Congratulations to our amazing group of Prep students who will celebrate being “100 Days Brighter” on Monday.
• Good luck to our Year 6 Football and Soccer Teams who will compete in the Woodlands Division Round Robin over the next couple of weeks.