From The Principal

Dear Families,

Next weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day, a time dedicated to honouring the remarkable women who nurture and guide our children. I extend my warmest wishes to all our mothers, grandmothers or special women in our children’s lives, hoping next Sunday brings you the joy and relaxation you deserve. Mother’s Day is a special significant day when we acknowledge the incredible impact all mums have on their children. I hope the day is filled with love and appreciation. 

To those of you who have lost your mother, our thoughts are with you. May the cherished memories you hold dear offer you solace and support. 

Pope Francis exhorts us to treasure the contribution of women and mothers:

"Every human person owes his or her life to a mother, and almost always owes much of what follows in life, both human and spiritual formation, to her. Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centred individualism. "Individual" means "what cannot be divided". Mothers, instead, "divide" themselves, from the moment they bear a child to give him to the world."

Our Mother’s Day Stall will be held next Thursday, May 9th. Gifts range from $2 - $10. I hope you enjoy the presents your children will buy for you. I would like to thank the PFTA for their work in purchasing and setting up the stall for our children. 

Don’t forget to come along to our Mother’s Morning on Friday, May 10. where you can be pampered, dance, make some jewellery just to name a few activities.  It begins at 7.45am and will end at 9.00am. Once the morning activities end we will have a prayer service followed by morning tea in the staffroom. 

This is a great morning for our school community so come along and have some fun with your children. 

Senior School Sports

Tomorrow our Year 3-6 children will be taking part in their Sports Day - a much anticipated event that is embraced by all. The children will participate in running, jumping and throwing events whilst representing their teams. They will be aiming to win the coveted shield at the end of the day. I would like to remind you about the origin of the names of our teams. 

Crowley is named after Peter Crowley, the original PFTA member who played a pivotal role in fostering a sense of community throughout our school. His legacy continues today.

Feenan owes its name to Fr Feenan, whose foresight led to purchase of the land where St Anne’s now proudly stands. His vision for Catholic education in Sunbury is being fulfilled as our student body continues to grow. 

St Mary of the Cross, our first saint, was the inspiration for MacKillop. Mary MacKillop began the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The Josephite nuns have had a long history in Sunbury, in education and pastoral care in our community. 

Edmends is named after our first principal, Carmel Edmends. She was an inspirational leader who dedicated herself to ensure that St Anne’s had a successful beginning over 40 years ago.

Year 5 Camp

Congratulations to our Year 5 children who had an amazing time at Phillip Island camp. They embraced the outdoors, participating in activities such as the giant swing, climbing ropes, flying fox and archery to name a few. It was a chance for them to push their limits fostering independence and teamwork. Camps are a great learning opportunity for the children to go beyond their classroom. Camps take a lot of work to organise so I would like to thank our dedicated staff who worked extremely hard to ensure our children had a great, enriching camp experience. Thank you Michele Dunlop, Eamon Light, Susan Bourke, Kayla Wilson, Lindy Brown, Steph Young, Kristie Browning, Melissa Clark, Amanda Ferraro, Bianca Young and Hannah Haarhoff.

Positive Behaviour For Learning - PBL

We continue to focus on being responsible. It is important that our children learn to be responsible as it will assist them to be dependable, good citizens who make good choices and are accountable for their actions and their impact on others and the world around them. 

When children are responsible they are able to build positive relationships with their friends and adults. They are able to live out values such as honesty, integrity and accountability. As children develop their sense of responsibility, they are more adept at problem solving and decision making. As they become aware of the consequences of their action on others, they develop a greater sense of empathy for others. 

At school our focus is that our children will;

• Use equipment properly
• Take care of others
• Follow instructions
• Tell an adult if there is a problem
• Recognise and manage emotions. 

At home you can also focus on the above points. As we work together, we can assist our children to grow into young people who have a positive sense of themselves, others and their world. 

May God bless you and take care

Ms Noelene Hussey