From The Principal
Stephen Arthurson
Dear Families,
Grandparents Morning
How blessed we were to be joined by so many grandparents and other special family members at our annual Grandparents Morning last Friday. With our patron saint being Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, the event holds particular significance for our community. The excitement with which grandparents waited to meet grandchildren, and vice versa, in our undercover area last Friday was a joy to behold, and the hugs and welcome embraces were indeed signs of love. I can only imagine Jesus embracing Anne with such warmth when they encountered each other so many years ago. Lots of things have changed in our world over the last 2000 years, but the bond of love between grandparents and grandchildren is not one of them.
- As I have mentioned in previous communications, the significance of St Anne to our school is why we hold Grandparents Morning later in the year, rather than on the Feast of St Anne and St Joachim in July. In a school of our size, it is important to separate our Feast Day celebrations from the acknowledgement given to our grandparent community. Our students also love the chance to show off their amazing art pieces to an extended family audience!
2025
- We have begun the process of welcoming the Prep students who will be commencing at St Anne’s next year. As well as a number of siblings who are already very familiar with the St Anne’s environment, a number of new families are excited to be joining the St Anne’s community, and I’m confident they will find their time with us rewarding. It is clear that parents are speaking positively about our school in the Sunbury community, for which we are very grateful.
- The process of creating class groups for 2025 is well underway, with teachers taking into account a broad range of factors including social connections and academic balance. We thank you for the trust you place in us to undertake this challenging task with the diligence it requires. If you have any questions about the process, I am happy to chat with you.
- Finally, if you will not be returning to St Anne’s in 2025 and have not yet let the Office know, please do so as a matter of urgency.
Staffing
- Kristie Browning, who has been Wellbeing Leader at St Anne’s for the past 5 years, will be leaving us at the end of the year to take up a similar position at Holy Spirit Primary School in Geelong. Kristie has been a valuable member of the school’s leadership team during her time at St Anne’s, and we wish her all the best for her next adventure in education.
- Lynne Dillon will be concluding her time with St Anne’s after an association of more than 20 years when she retires from the Uniform Shop at the end of the year. Many of you will know Lynne as the person who worked with you to buy your child’s first Prep uniform, and I know she has many happy memories of these times. Additionally, Lynne worked tirelessly sourcing products from different suppliers to ensure uniform costs were kept as low as possible. Moving forward, we will be working with one supplier to provide our uniform, with any changes being phased in over the next 12-18 months.
- Further news about other staff leaving or joining the St Anne’s community will be shared in the next newsletter.
School Fees
- Information about 2025 school fees and the increases directed by MACS went out last Friday. Not only do fees go directly to funding the amazing staff that work with our children, but they also help ensure that the St Anne’s learning and play environments remain modern, fresh and fit for purpose. The school provides one-to-one Chromebooks for all students from Y3-6, while the furniture in almost all classrooms has been recently updated to allow for more flexible modes of learning. Outdoors, the addition of the Ninja course and additional soccer goals enables students to be active and energetic at break times.
- As mentioned in the letter last week, please reach out if you wish to discuss financial matters.
Share your Thoughts
- Thanks to the 32 parents who shared their thoughts about what we do well and what we might do differently via the recent form. Communication and support for students were some of the areas identified as strengths, while there were a range of different points raised under the second heading. These will be discussed with staff to ascertain if there are changes we might need to make.
As always, I am happy to receive direct emails or phone calls with pressing concerns.
Warm regards and God’s Blessings,
Stephen