Dear Parents, students and the wider community,

Firstly thank you for all your hard work this term now we have come to the end of it. To the students I will say you have done your very best in very difficult times, working as best you can. I am sure the thing you have missed most about school is seeing your friends and being free to play with lots of different kids. I hope we can get you back here as soon as possible so you can play with your friends, learn with your teachers and do something other than stay at home. We are certainly planning to have lots of great things for you to do on your return.

To the parents and carers I wish you all a well-earned rest from the support you have been providing to our teaching staff at home. When you had your children I am certain you never envisaged that you would be helping them do all of their school work at home. I am pretty sure you would have thought once they were ready, off they would go to school at about 5 years of age, and then spend most of the time doing that until they were 18. Weren't we all so wrong! Nevertheless, I think you have done a great job especially when you have had to combine it with a mixture of changed family circumstances, working from home as well and probably toddlers as well in many of our homes.

I thanked the teaching staff myself, and on your behalf, when I met with them on-line Wednesday after school. They have done a phenomenal job as they have tried to deliver a pared down curriculum that was accessible to the students at home, provided opportunities for learning, endeavored to keep a sense of fun happening to support wellbeing and adapted how we were delivering the curriculum as feedback was received from parents. They have really worked at maintaining and strengthening our relationship as co-teachers of your children between home and school. I am also incredibly appreciative of our support staff who have been tireless in supporting the remote learning program of the students that have had to be on-site. The teaching staff have been rostered on at school as well as providing the remote curriculum but the support staff have been the consistent ones at school helping the students to unpack what teachers have asked the students to do. Also a special thanks to the families who occasionally dropped treats off to the staff. It was certainly not looked for but I don't think anything went to waste and it was great for our staff's wellbeing.

Thank you to Mrs Carr and Choir Leader Kassie for organising St Anne's Has Got Talent again this year. I certainly look forward to sitting down and being entertained by you all when Mrs Carr releases it to our community.

Thank you to Mrs Winduss for her organisation of the Health and Responsibility fortnight. I trust our students found the guest speakers and activities engaging and that they all learnt something. I certainly enjoyed putting on my son's Akubra hat and channeling Steve Irwin to introduce the students to my sons' menagerie of animals at my home! It's ok- I haven't got a stingray but you might be a little surprised if you ask your kids what we do have!

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Footy Day today. I know staff adjusted their program to have a bit of fun around a football theme to finish off the term. I imagine many of us are looking forward to a great Grand Final between the Dogs and the Demons. I hope it is a close game and am not overly fussed as to the winner. Both have been great teams to watch during a challenging year.

We are being provided with a roadmap for the future on Sunday by Premier Dan Andrews. I am hopeful that students will return to school early in the term but imagine that we may commence again with remote learning. If that is the case hopefully it won't last too long. Our staff are desperate to have the students back at school.

I trust you are sharing tips on new things with your families to do to keep everyone's spirits up. Term 4 commences on Monday 4 October.

Here is a prayer that might help us all to enjoy what we have around us as we enter the season of Spring:-

God of wonders, you show us your beauty in all created things.

Help us to pay attention:

to the taste of the ocean on our lips,

the warmth of the sun on our hands,

the song of birds in the morning and evening,

the fragrance of the earth after rain,

and to the star that guides us.

Creator God, we stand in awe of all that you have made.

Fill our hearts with gratitude for every good gift, great and small,

that feeds and forms us, inviting and enabling us to become people who are fully alive in your amazing grace.

Amen

God Bless You All

Rod Shaw

Principal

School Attendance and Unexplained Absence

Please ensure you contact the school before 9:30am if your child is going to be absent or late by leaving a message on 9786 4736 and press #1.

If you are running late (after 9:00 am ) please attend the office to sign your child into school.

As per our policy this will be our morning routine for absences:

Parents will be contacted as soon as practicable on the morning a student is absent via a phone call or text message.

If parent does not reply or is unreachable the emergency contacts will be contacted by the school.

If there is still no response, and the school feels that the child is in danger, the police will be contacted.

Ongoing unexplained absences or lack of cooperation regarding student attendance will result in a formal conference being organized. Unresolved attendance issues will be referred to D.H.H.S.

This is a legal requirement.

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