Dear Families,

Congratulations to our Year Four students who received the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time over the last two weekends at St Anne’s Church. Our school community is so proud of you on this important occasion. We will continue to keep you in our prayers as you live out Jesus’ message: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

In his Homily during one of the Eucharist Masses, Fr Denis spoke to the children about the word “Amen”, asking them what it meant. The children knew it meant “Yes” or “I believe”, after which Fr Denis added that it was a verbal commitment to living out the message of the Eucharist in their daily lives.

We pray that the Year 4 students, along with all baptised members of our school community, continue to draw strength and sustenance from the Sacrament of the Eucharist. May we continue to be living signs of God’s love in our world.

This morning we celebrated our much loved annual Fathers’ Morning. During my time at St Anne’s it has been great to see this event grow from “have a kick of the footy on the oval before school” to a fully fledged “Circle the Date on Your Calendar” event. A huge thanks to the Parents & Friends for organising a Dad’s breakfast menu that far surpassed anything we’ve done before. I know that many hours went into organising both the breakfast and the Fathers Day Stall, and we thank Patrece, Rosa and Clare for their coordinating efforts.

We continue to review and refine the way we share information through our newsletter. With the increased ease of electronic communication, and the ability to directly target messages to specific parties within the school, the days of “everything is contained within a fortnightly newsletter” are behind us. Next term we will trial a newsletter every three weeks, supplemented by targeted communications as required. We will also send out a weekly one-pager with an “At a Glance” calendar and any other key information that people need for the following week. If you have specific suggestions or feedback for the newsletter, please email principal@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au

In 2025, our school will once again take part in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS), which gathers feedback from students, families, and staff to guide school improvement. Families received an email today with a unique pin code to access the survey, which is open from Monday 1 September to Friday 19 September 2025. Please complete it with reference to your eldest child. Participation is voluntary, responses are anonymous, and there are no right or wrong answers, just an opportunity to share your voice in shaping our school’s future.

LSO Appreciation Day

We had a wonderful morning celebrating the incredible work our Learning Support Officers (LSOs) do across the school. Our LSOs play such an important role in supporting our students, and yesterday was an opportunity to recognise their dedication, care, and the positive impact they have on our school community.

As part of the celebrations, each class created a special thank-you card to show their appreciation. These heartfelt cards were presented to the LSOs during the morning.

It was a lovely way to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our LSOs and to let them know just how valued they are by both staff and students.

Fathers Day Stall

A huge thank you to all the PFA and all the parents that helped out with the Fathers Day Stall.

Patrece Brazelis, Rosa Falcone-D’urso, Clare Jackson, Melanie Talevski, Kelly Kimpton, Clare Campbell, Sarah Magro, Louise Temming, Janelle Ferrinda, Georgina Van Essen, Michelle Sneddon and Natalie Barbour.

Finally, I will be on Long Service Leave for the remainder of Term Three. My Mum turns 70 in October and my siblings and I are all heading to Thailand to mark the occasion. Leona Dean and Lauri Plummer will be Acting Principals in my absence. Please see them with any questions or concerns you may have.

News from Around the School

Prayer

Coming Up at St Anne’s - Our “at a glance calendar” that highlights what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks

Spotlight on School Improvement - Deputy Principal of Learning & Teaching, Leona Dean, shares how the focus of last Friday’s Staff Professional Learning Day links to our Annual Action Plan goal of consistent, evidence based teaching practices.

Parents and Friends Association - A huge thanks to our new Parents & Friends group for organising the Fathers Morning Breakfast, which was very well-received by all our Dads and other adults. If you are keen to help out with future PFA initiatives, please text Patrece on 0424 784 010 to let her know you are interested.

Uniform News - If you have old St Anne’s uniform that you’d like to get rid of, there are collection tubs in the office foyer. We are working with Noone to recycle the uniform items into something usable. Stay tuned!

Child Safety - At St Anne’s, the safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority. We are committed to creating a nurturing, respectful, and secure environment where all children feel valued and protected. To guide this commitment, we uphold the Child Safe Standards outlined below, which shape our policies, practices, and everyday interactions within our school community.

Please continue to reach out with questions, compliments or concerns,

Warm regards and God’s Blessings,

Stephen

sarthurson@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au

Spotlight on School Improvement