Stephen's News

Stephen Arthurson

Dear Families,

Sacrament of Confirmation

Please keep in your prayers our Y6 Confirmation candidates, who will be receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit during their Confirmation at St Patrick’s Cathedral this Sunday at 4pm.
On Wednesday, our new Auxiliary Bishop Rene Ramirez spoke to all the Y6 students. He explained to them the process for being ordained as a Bishop (which happened in February this year), and shared with them that he met Pope Francis back in 2023 on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of priesthood. In fact, he has a photo of himself and Pope Francis on his phone!
Most importantly, Bishop Rene explained the rituals associated with the Sacrament, including anointing the forehead with chrism, taking a saint name (someone whose example is an inspiration) and choosing a sponsor to be a spiritual support. The students were fortunate to have a chance to meet him ahead of Sunday, and to hear what a humble and down to earth person he is.

Spotlight on School Improvement at St Anne’s

Each year, our school sets a small number of goals upon which to focus. These are then shared with MACS to ensure our priorities are aligned with those of the system. Over the next few newsletters, we will share examples of how these goals are being enacted in different areas of the curriculum.

St Anne’s 2025 school improvement plan targets a number of key priorities in Mathematics. In line with Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools’ (MACS) Vision for Instruction, an emphasis has been placed on using data to teach the big idea of place value explicitly.

Our teachers are currently focused on the following priorities:

Continual development of capacity to understand how to effectively analyse data to inform teaching and learning;
Implementation of explicit teaching practices within our instructional model;
Embedding daily review practices to strengthen long-term retention, build fluency and promote mathematical reasoning.

We utilise data from a range of sources, including the Mathematics Online Interview (MOI), Place Value Assessment Tool (PVAT), Progressive Achievement Test - Mathematics (PAT-M), Essential Assessment, teacher-designed assessments and observations.

What can you do at home?

Continue to reinforce positive dispositions to Mathematics and be involved in your child’s learning. Ask them to explain their efficient use of strategies to count accurately and solve number facts appropriate to their age level. For further information or advice, please contact Jill Marr (P-2) jmarr@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au or Eamon Light (3-6) elight@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au.

Uniform

Year 4/5 Salesian Q&A with Mark Brokhus

Thanks to those families who attended this event last week. It was great to hear from Mark about the future plans for Salesian, the structures in place to manage increasing numbers, the opportunities for differentiated learning through the My Salesian Passport and the commitment of the College to supporting Catholic education P-12 in Sunbury.

Reconciliation Week

Check out the following page for news about what happened this week at St Anne’s.

School Reports

In June, School Reports will be sent digitally via the Simon Everywhere App. You will receive a notifacation via Simon when reports are ready to be viewed.
Please note that paper copies of reports will no longer be available.

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

Warm regards and God’s Blessings,

Stephen

sarthurson@sasunbury.catholic.edu.au