St Anne's Catholic College - Temora eNewsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

The Community Council hosted an Open Meeting this week and the Annual General Meeting. Thank you to Fr Alex, parents, carers, staff and friends of the school who attended the meeting. The participation and involvement of parents in the life of the school is integral to building an open, inclusive, welcoming and collaborative school community. We are very fortunate to have enjoyed the service of dedicated and dynamic individuals throughout the history of St Anne’s. The success and growth of the school would not be possible without the support and contributions of the Community Council.

After 5 years of dedicated service, Duncan McCrone has stepped down as Chair of the Community Council. On behalf of the St Anne’s community, much gratitude is extended to Duncan who has lead the Council with great expertise, enthusiasm and commitment. His term as Chair has been particularly effective and significant as the College transitioned to offer Year 11 and 12 and to a new model of governance. Duncan also steered the Council through a period of change in structure, implementing the changes in coordination with Mr Haigh and Catholic Education. Thank you, Duncan for all your contributions in leading the Community Council during a successful period of change.

We thank Karissa Roberts and congratulate her as she steps into the position of Chair, having served as Deputy Chair. I am very much looking forward to working with Karissa during the next phase of the development of St Anne’s Catholic College.

Cassie Coddington will also be stepping down after serving as Treasurer. We also thank Cassie for her contributions and expertise.

Thank you and congratulations to Kristi Blachut who is moving from Secretary into the role of Treasurer. We very much appreciate Kristi’s continuing commitment.

We thank the 8 ordinary members of the Executive of the Community Council too:

Rachel Gray

Lauren Krause

Nicole Talbot

Cathy Drumore

El Warren

Carolyn Tait

Amber Crawford

Renae Sinclair

Congratulations and thank you to all Community Council Executive members!

By having a child enrolled at St Anne’s, parents/cares are automatically members of the Community Council. There will be many opportunities for everyone to contribute and participate as the year progresses.

NAPLAN 2025

Well done to all the students for their efforts throughout the NAPLAN testing! It was great to see the students giving their best and showing perseverance. The results will be shared with you in due course.

School Photos

Thank you to Virginia Bent for coordinating school photos yet again this year. The day went very smoothly. Each student will receive an access key code on Monday. These are to be used to place your photo orders. Ordering will open on Tuesday 1st April 2025.

Harmony Day 2025

Congratulations to the Student Representative Council for coordinating Harmony Day this year! Harmony Day is celebrated in Australia on March 21st each year. It is a day to recognize our country's many cultures and Indigenous Australians. Harmony Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The students experienced a wide range of activities designed to reflect the cultures represented at our school. We focused on Indonesia, Fiji, Kenya, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia and England. In groups, the students from K-12 participated in everything from cricket (India) to art (indigenous) and lots in between.

It was a great day and the Student Representative Council did an amazing job leading the school to new insights and respect for a range of cultures.

Inquiry into Foundational and Disability supports (NSW)

A NSW Parliament select committee has been established to inquire into and report on child development, early childhood intervention services, and other foundational and disability supports available for children and young people with developmental concerns, delays, differences or disabilities in NSW.
As part of the inquiry, the committee is seeking online submissions from NSW residents through a questionnaire. Please see the link below for those who may be interested in making a submission.

Link: Select Committee on Foundational and Disability Supports Available for Children and Young People in New South Wales

In Conclusion…

This week we welcomed two colleagues from Catholic Education, Chris De Britt, Senior Officer Educational Performance and Kylie Coll, Public Relations and Communications Officer. Chris worked with the staff on analysis of the student data from past and recent assessments so that we can track progress and identify strengths and areas for development. It was great to plan promotions and communication for the school with Kylie. We are very fortunate to have the expertise and support of Catholic Education colleagues. Chris and Kylie highlighted the positive culture of St Anne’s; always commented on by our guests!

The Sacred Heart, Temora Parish Council is hosting a Welcome Bar-be-que for Fr Alex this coming Sunday 23rd March immediately after Mass. St Anne’s families are warmly invited to attend.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Principal

St Anne’s Catholic College, Temora

Father Alex’s Parish Welcome BBQ

You are invited to join with the rest of the parish community to officially welcome Fr Alex to our

community this Sunday 23rd March. There will be a BBQ straight after the 10am Mass. Meat will be provided. Please bring a salad or a dessert to share. Please come to help make Fr Alex feel welcome.

A reminder that there is now an additional Sunday evening Mass time each week at 5pm at the Sacred Heart Parish.

First Eucharist for Year 4

We continue to keep the students preparing for the Sacrament of First Eucharist in our prayers as they grow in faith and finish their preparations for the Sacrament of First Eucharist on Sunday 30th March at 10am. Please come and join with the Sacred Heart Parish, to celebrate this special day with our students.

Family and Community Parish Mass - Sunday 6th April 5pm

Sunday 6th April 5pm - mass will be lead by the St Anne’s Catholic College community. All students and families are asked to make a special effort to attend this mass. Our students will lead the mass - being readers, singers etc. After mass we will have a sausage sizzle on the verandah of the School Hall.

Project Compassion boxes:

A reminder to please give as generously as you are able towards the Project Compassion Lenten Appeal. Could donations please be returned to the school office by the end of the term. The generous support of our community will help vulnerable communities forge a path out of poverty.

Year 9 Western Region Retreat in Temora

The date for the Year 9 Western Region Retreat is 27th May.

Students will receive further details in the near future. It is a great opportunity to bring together our students with those from Sacred Heart Cootamundra and McAuley Catholic College Tumut.

Anzac Day Liturgy

Anzac Day this year will fall in the school holidays. On Wednesday 9th April at 9.00am we will have a short Liturgy in the Church, to remember this special day and the sacrifice of many.

Passion Play

You are warmly invited to join the students from Stage 5 for the Passion Play on the last day of term Thursday 10th April at 2:30pm in our Sacred Heart Parish Church.

In 2025 we are excited to continue working alongside The Resilience Project (TRP) at St Annes Catholic College.

My name is Lisa Morton, and this is my second year as the Student Wellbeing Officer here at the school. I am looking forward to working with students to support and guide them into achieving their personal and wellbeing goals.

TPR is a partnership program that consists of online presentations and weekly in class lessons for students, professional development for staff, and a Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.

Here at St Anne’s Catholic College, we will continue to implement TRP’s 4 key pillars, Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. These pillars will be applied in our day-to-day language and actions throughout the classrooms and into the playground. Keep an eye on our school newsletter and on social media to see what we have been doing at school and how we can continue to implement this at home.

Each week the teachers have an opportunity to reward our students with a GEM award at assembly. GEM Awards are presented to students that display their own characteristics and skills towards Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness in the classroom and playground. A nice way to recognise and reward their efforts.

The program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our students and wider community. I am excited to see the positive impact we can have together with TRP and sharing a school/home connection.

Any questions or concerns please contact the school.

Term 1

Week 7

What’s been happening in careers:

Year 11 and 12 students participated in a lighthearted and informative session by a visiting representative from the University of Wollongong. It was a great opportunity to consider university as an option, consider course choices, learn about Early Entry and gain insight into campus and uni life.

Recently four of our Year 10 students, Darcy, Jonte, Ethan and Jack participated in the Made For a Trade Program at Temora TAFE to gain a taste of a variety of trades including; plumbing, carpentry, welding, electrical and tiling.

The Be a Health Hero program gave Ella in Year 11 a valuable opportunity to explore various health careers whilst participating in 4 days of workshops at Calvary and Wagga Base Hospitals and TAFE Wagga.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities:

Jobs Information Night: Transgrid

Are you looking for an exciting career opportunity after finishing school? Transgrid invites you to their Jobs Information Night to explore potential career paths, meet industry professionals, and learn more about opportunities available to you.

Date: 27th March 2025

Time: 5:30 – 7pm

Location: Transgrid Discovery Hub 27 Kincaid Street Wagga

What to Expect:
✅ Insights into available job opportunities

✅ Meet local businesses
✅ Networking opportunities with recruiters and hiring managers
✅ Q&A session to get all your questions answered

They look forward to seeing you there!

Australian National University Open Day

Experience your future at ANU Open Day.

What to expect:

Dive deeper into degrees at information sessions.
Connect with experts and students at the Study Options Expo.
Take a campus tour.
Explore student accommodation.
Wander around the campus and discover our welcoming community.

Register here: ANU Open Day | The Australian National University

Build a Bridge…and get over it! Engineering Camp: Boorambola

Build a Bridge…& get over it! Engineering camp is an exciting 3 day career immersion camp.

The camp is an annual initiative designed to promote Civil Engineering careers to young people in Years 10, 11 & 12.

During the camp, participants will work in teams alongside current industry professionals and Civil Engineers from REROC Councils, Riverina Water, Goldenfields Water and Evolution Mining. As a participant, students experience real-life hands-on experience with a range of Engineering activities, such as laser levels, compaction testing, soil sampling and testing and spatial coordinates.

Camp will be held at Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre on Monday April 28 to Wednesday April 30, 2025..

Take a look at the link below and register your interest before 12 noon 28 March 2025:

Build a Bridge | COMPACT Incorporated

Library Days for Infants and Primary Students:

Kinder - Tuesday

Year 1 - Thursday

Year 2 - Tuesday

Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Wednesday

Please remember to check your child brings their library bags with their borrowed book inside on these days so that your child can borrow a new book to take home.

The Land newspaper is now available for students to read in the library if anyone is interested.
Bookclub issue 2 orders are due by the Wednesday the 26^th of March.

Focus topics this term:

Infants - Australian Animals

Year 3 and 4 - Author Study- David Walliams

Year 5 and 6 - Australian Bushrangers

Week 5

Kinder: Madison Hartwig, Ronald Lim, Macey Morton

Year 1: Maggie Breust, Joey Hughes, Molly McHattan

Year 2: Katie Hartwig, Jake Morton, Rupert Coleman, Liliana Van Duuren

Year 3: Sophie Irving, Claudia Lancaster, Bree Puertos

Year 4: Ella Hartwig, Ruby Crawford

Year 5: Olive Coddington, Simran Singh, Ned Hale

Year 6: Adele Oliver, Zephanie Lancaster, Edie Bett

Week 6

Kinder: Maya Miller, Poppy Veneris, Noah Lynch

Year 1: Molly Bush, Leo Donoghue, Callie Van Duuren, Boston Allen

Year 2: Ruby Mitchell, Austin Oliver, Lucas Mattner

Year 3: Frankie Townsend, Hunter Chown, Peyton Derrick, Evie Smith

Year 4: Bentley Combe, Erin Octavio, Riansh Kapoor, Skyla Morton, Bailey Bickham

Year 5: Quinn Crawford, Elvie Crawford, Ari Bryon

Year 6: Addison Gilchrist, Noah Swanston, Lucy Taylor

Week 6

Year 7: Lilah Caldwell - Identifying visual techniques in 'Fox'. Anna Chalmers - Identifying and explaining visual techniques in 'Fox'. Eliza O'Shea - Showing consistent effort in Georgraphy. Paige Reardon - Showing consistent effort in Georgraphy. Barney Taylor - His ongoing effort and application in English.

Year 8: Jake Buerckner - Showing excellent application in Maths class. Hunter Ferguson - Showing consistent effort in Georgraphy. Archie Foster - showing consistant effort in Maths. Liam Oliver - Excellent involvement in Sport. Larna Pilon - Having an enthusiastic approach to Maths tasks.

Year 9: Robbie Bett - Showing great application to Maths tasks

Week 7

Year 7 - Anna Chalmers - Excellent points made in the discussion using observations and results from the experiment in Science. Bailey McCormack - Good recall of independent, dependent and controlled variables. Charles Minchin - Excellent recall of independent, dependent and controlled variables.

A reminder that supervision at school does not begin until 8.30am. Students are not to be on school grounds before this time.

Direct Debits are now an option for the payment of school fees - please contact the front office if you would like to set this up.

A Message from our School Counsellor

Social media and internet safety

The use of social media and its potential effects on children and adults is a hot topic, especially since the pandemic. Navigating the world of social media and keeping our children safe can be a daunting prospect.

Once we are informed, we can make choices that we are comfortable with. It is important to recognise that our choices may differ from those of other parents. Your personal decision may be influenced by the maturity of your child/ren, your personal understanding of technology and the content you feel is appropriate for your child.

The following information on social media use in children was taken from the Kid’s Helpline website under the parent tab:

Young children mostly start using social media to play online games; they may then graduate to platforms such as Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook. Children as young as 6 access social media sites and their access increases with age.

Social media can be enjoyable and beneficial for your kids

Risk does not always equal harm on social media. Social media can offer many benefits for your kids:

To connect with family and friends
Expand their social circle
Share their creativity through music and art
Explore different ideas
Develop and express their unique identity
Provide opportunities to learn with others

However, there are some concerns that we must all be aware of as potential risk when accessing social media, including:

- Potential access to inappropriate content

- Having their personal information shared

- Being groomed online

- Being embarrassed, harassed, or attacked on social media

- Accidentally downloading viruses or malware

Empower yourself and your child to take steps to stay safe

Talk to them about things they can do to minimise the risks. Educate yourself about the steps you can take if things get out of hand or potentially dangerous.

Provide a clear expectation about their online behaviour
Use strong passwords and update them regularly
Encourage them not to share passwords with friends
Teach them about the consequences of sharing something online
Encourage them to connect only with people they know offline
Keep identifying information to a minimum e.g. do not reveal their location
Encourage them to talk with a trusted adult about online issues
Contact Police immediately if you become aware of grooming on social media
Change privacy settings so only friends and family can view their profiles and posts
Be aware of what your child is doing online and who they talk with

To access this information online follow this link: https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/social-media-and-safety

The Beacon app is a great resource for helping parents navigate suitable online content for their children

Also, check out https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ for reviews of movies, TV, games, apps, podcasts and books, including reviews from other parents and children. This can be a helpful guide in checking whether the content of something is suitable for your child.

Below is the school counselling referral link:

https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

Rebecca McCarthy

Student and Family Counsellor

St Anne's Central School Temora - Monday, Tuesday

McAuley Catholic College Tumut - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

rebecca.mccarthy@mccg.org.au

Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn
P. 02 6162 6106
PO BOX 3167 Manuka ACT 2603 | mccg.org.au