PRIMARY (F-6)

School Leaders Report - Kara

Rain rain come again!

We had a little sprinkle this week which has been welcome to all! A reminder that this Autumn weather might mean some uniform changes. Layers are best so students can cool down and warm up when they feel. The buildings can be warm, but the outside air is sometimes cool.

The Primary School uniform has multiple pieces to choose from:

School shoes are to be black, or runners when wearing PE. However, gumboots are welcomed to come along on wet days to change into at break time for puddle jumping!

We are already halfway through Term 2 - how time flies. Teachers are busily working on Semester 1 reports which will be distributed at the end of the term. PSGs are also coming up, keep an eye on PAM for the booking information if this impacts you.

A reminder that Assembly is on Monday in the Blackbox at 9:05am. Also, Tuesday is Cultural Celebration Day and students are permitted to come to school in costume related to their culture. This isn’t a dress up day. Students could wear colours, or items that are appropriate for comfortable for a day at school. If students do not wish to dress in their own cultural wear, they must wear their school uniform. 

Inspiring kindness and compassion

“Some cats are house cats. Some are apartment cats.

But Tinka is a truck cat. Tinka lives everywhere.”

Tinka the cat was the main character today as students settled down at the same time as children across the nation to listen to a reading of The Truck Cat.

The book, written by Deborah Frenkel, was selected for this year’s National Simultaneous Storytime which celebrated its 25th birthday this year.

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.

Foundation

This week our Foundation students have continued their inquiry into farmers and processes products go through before we can buy or consume them. Students explored sheep farmers and learnt about the process wool goes through before it is turned into products like clothing, doona covers, blankets, mats etc.

After learning about the process, students learnt how to weave wool and created their own weavings. Next week we move onto the process of bees and we are very excited to welcome the Bee Man to St Anne's College for our workshop next week.

Foundations gathered together this week to engage in National Simultaneous Storytime 2025. The story book this year was ‘The Truck Cat’. The book covered themes of belonging, family and home. Students then had a discussion about their home, what was something special about their home, what is something that reminds them of home, what language might you speak at home, who lives in your home etc. Students created an art work of their home using water paint and fine liners.

Year 1

Our storybook this week has been about The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg. We've used the book as a springboard for discussions about storytelling, problem-solving, and creativity.

In Maths, we’ve been exploring the world of measurement! The children have enjoyed comparing lengths, heights, and capacities in a variety of hands-on ways.

We took Wonderplay outside, and we came together as one big Year 1 team. The children loved collaborating, engaging in play-based learning experiences that encouraged creativity, cooperation, and communication. It was heartwarming to see so many friendships forming and ideas blossoming through shared play.

We’re approaching the end of our inquiry unit, How the World Works. Students have taken part in hands-on workshops exploring materials like plastic, cotton, rubber, and clay. They’ve investigated where each material comes from, how it’s used in everyday life, and what makes it special. We’re now looking forward to our upcoming expo next week, where the children will proudly share what they’ve learned.

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹-𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲!

Year 1 and 2 students are inquiring into 'materials' this term, both man-made and natural, studying different materials and their purpose. Students received a ceramics demonstration from Visual Arts Learning Mentor Mark, where they learnt about the properties of clay and what it can be used for including how it has been used in the past.

Students watched on as Mark showed them how to mould and manipulate the clay into various shapes on his pottery wheel, bringing it up and squishing it down, hollowing it out and finally creating a bowl. 

The bowl will be dried for a week before firing in the kiln, where it will then be gifted to the class to use in their space as a prayer candle holder. Students will then paint and decorate their bowl together.

Year 2

Year 2 students have continued developing their comprehension strategies. So far, we have focused on making predictions and connections. This week, we introduced the strategy of visualisation, which we will continue to explore in the coming weeks.

In Mathematics, we have been studying the addition and subtraction strategy of bridging - 10 and have used number lines to explicitly teach this concept.

We are nearing the end of our inquiry unit, How the World Works. As part of this unit, students have participated in workshops exploring materials such as plastic, cotton, rubber, and clay. These workshops have focused on where each material comes from, how it is used, and its unique features. We are looking forward to our expo next week, where the children will showcase their understanding.

Year 3/4

The Year 3/4s have been working hard learning all about measurement. We’ve measured a range of objects in our learning spaces including books, bookmarks and even bookcases! 

In Literacy, we’ve just started reading our new class novel ‘Yirra and her Deadly Dog, Demon’, and are excited to see what adventures Yirra and Demon get up to in this story. 

We’d like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the two police officers who visited the Year 3/4 students to talk about Rules, Rights and Responsibilities in our society. Students learned lots of new things including some of the newest laws around riding e-scooters and some of the strangest laws we have as well. 

National Simultaneous Storytime – The Truck Cat

As part of National Simultaneous Storytime, the Year 3/4 students along with the Year 1 and 2 students joined thousands of other children across the country to enjoy this year’s featured book The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell.

The story, which celebrates friendship, adventure, and finding a place to belong, captured the imaginations of our students. Following the reading, classes engaged in a variety of meaningful activities, including a collaborative art work, designing their own truck, and how to use Google Maps to calculate the time between different places.

It was a wonderful opportunity to promote a love of reading and connect with the other primary school students at St Anne’s College. 

Year 5

Cross Country that brings a little tear to the eye

We were so proud of all the Grade 5 and 6 students that participated in the Cross Country, not only for their participation, but also their behaviour out of the school environment and team spirit of supporting their peers and cheering them on when they needed it most. 

I would, however, like to congratulate and share a special mention - a good news story and journey of one brave Grade 5 student.  Xavier Wynn commenced at St Anne’s College in Foundation in 2020. Xavier was born with a genetic conduction called NF1 which impacts every individual differently. Xavier has several internal tumors, one which impacts his spine, causing scoliosis. To help this condition and straighten his back Xavier underwent a partial spinal fusion in October 2021 where a metal rod was inserted into his back and connected to his spine to correct the curve.

While Xavier gained a few inches in height from this process, it was a long painful journey which included six weeks of post-op recovery where he couldn’t attend school. This was followed by the slow, gradual return to school where he would quite quickly fatigue, only managing five or so days of school during Term 4 that year. 

Xavier underwent lots of physio and hard work during this time and over the summer holidays of 2021/22 and Xavier began to gradually increase in his physical capabilities and what physical activities and interactions he could. Most of which at school required support from staff, to ensure he was safe and not at risk of falling. 

Now 2 and a half years on, all of Xavier and his family's hard work has paid off. Xavier is now able to participate in most sports with his peers, which brings him so much joy, especially being able to kick an AFL ball with his mates.  

On Wednesday 7 May, Xavier completed another milestone when he competed in and completed his first ever cross country and it was 3kms in distance. While Xavier did experience some pain, he pushed through, proudly running down the finish straight, where his peers cheered him on. Xavier even crossed the finish line with a little jump to hit the flags. A moment he was so proud of and I may have had a little tear creep into the corner of my eye. 

Xavier your determination to not only give things a go, but commit and finish them off is one that should continue to inspire those around you. You are an exemplary example of what the college expectations are; of respecting everyone and everything, helping others succeed and being your best. Well done on this monumental achievement.

-Bek Ryan

Please enjoy this video of Xavier crossing the finish line at the Cross Country:

How that was built! By Roma Agrawal

This fiction text has been our focus over the past few weeks. It is all about how things are built long, strong and wide and the structures and shapes that make this possible. Skyscrapers have been a big feature. The students have been very interested in the process of foundations and how they are built. Last week the book posed a challenge, a mini science experiment to demonstrate the process used to produce glass using the float method. 

The experiment used two common household ingredients in vinegar and water and what happens when they are mixed together. The answer: the oil floats on top of the vinegar. This is due to the difference in molecule make up and density of the products that does not allow them to bind together. Students even tried mixing the products together, but over time they continued to separate back to vinegar on the bottom and oil on the top. The oil is representative of the glass sitting on top of the liquid to create a smooth finish. 

Year 5/6 Division Sports

Our Year 5/6 students braved the rain today when they participated in Division Sports throughout the region. St Anne's College put together one teeball, one netball and two soccer teams.

The teeball team won three games and lost one game. They have excitingly made it through to the next round in Benalla in August.

The netball team had a great day battling through the rain to win two out of their five games.

The soccer team also had a great day. Drawing for their first game, winning the next two games won them a spot in the finals. Unfortunately they lost their final.

Well done to all students for persevering in today's weather and congratulations on your fantastic sportsmanship and results.

Year 6

The Year 6's have been reading the novel “Us Mob Walawurru”. The book follows a little indigenous girl named Ruby, she travels to Tulu with her family and school. Ruby lives at Dry River Station with Aunty Alice and Uncle Archie. Throughout the book she discovers a lot more about ‘whitefellas’ and how important country and family is to her people.

The Year 6’s have also been learning how to write a factual recount on the 1960s referendum. We have learnt about significant events like life before the referendum, life during the referendum, and life after the referendum. These are just some of the many things we've been learning throughout the year. 

By Zander Corrigan 

We remind all that the college opens at 8:30am. This enables educators time to prepare for their day ahead. We appreciate your support in helping our educators be successful. Yard duty staff begin at 8:30am to monitor play spaces before the school day begins at 8:55am.

Upcoming Dates

Please refer to the calendar on PAM for upcoming dates for activities and events.