Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to Book Week! Actually, I have learnt that at St Anne’s it’s more like Book Month, and there can never be enough time given to nurturing a love of books and literature. 2025 is a milestone year as the Children’s Book Council of Australia celebrates 80 years of Children’s Book Week! For 8 decades, CBCA has been dedicated to inspiring young minds to journey through the countless worlds that books offer.

Celebrations at St Anne’s commenced with the Book Fair and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your terrific support! (grandparents too!). Thanks to your enthusiasm in nurturing your child’s reading habits, the library will be able to order $1,585.00 worth of new books for the students to enjoy. Thank you!

The author Georgie Donaghey visited St Anne’s and the children learnt about the processes of writing and publishing. We hope some budding authors were inspired and empowered so that we soon can celebrate St Anne’s authors in print.

The students have enjoyed a whole range of activities in class too to deepen their appreciation for literature. And no Book Week is complete without a Book Character Parade. Well done Primary students (and parents!) for a fabulous parade – just look at the photos!

On behalf of the School Community, thank you very much to Mrs Nina Gaynor, our librarian extraordinaire for coordinating such an outstanding Book Month at St Anne’s.

Spelling Bee

Students from Year 3-8 were invited to participated in the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee this week. We look forward to sharing the results with you in the coming weeks. We feel confident that the results will reflect the strong and comprehensive spelling program, Spelling Mastery, the students experience at school.

Elevate Education

Students from Yr 9 – 12 experienced sessions with Elevate Education this week to help them to cultivate and sustain effective study skills. Please ask about the sessions as teaching someone else about what we have learned, helps to reinforce that learning so this will provide a great opportunity to revise. A little about Elevate Education:

“Since 2001, Elevate has been transforming the way study skills programs are run across Australia. Drawing upon over 20 years of research into the habits of the country’s top students, Elevate's high impact seminars & workshops help students improve their study techniques, increase motivation, build confidence, and lift exam performance.”

The students learnt all sorts of useful tips on planning a workable schedule that balances all aspects of their lives, the way to prioritise to aim high and achieve their goals, how to create a study group to save time and support each other and why we procrastinate and how not to.

St Anne’s and Sacred Heart Parish Community Masses

Over the past 4 weeks we have had three beautiful Masses celebrated with the whole College and members of the parish which have all connected us with our faith, history and heritage. We have celebrated Saints Anne and Joachim, Saint Mary Mackillop and the feast of the Assumption. Thank you to Mrs Gaynor for coordinating the Masses with Fr Alex who has celebrated them with such thoughtfulness, helping the students to connect personally with our patrons. Thank you also to the readers, altar servers, slide show operators and all those who have participated with respect and reverence.

In conclusion…

As well as being Book Week, this week coincides with Family Week when staff are encouraged to take some time out during our usual staff meeting time and focus on their own families. We also celebrate our St Anne’s Family this week, as reflected in the prayer in today’s Newsletter.

The Year 12 students (and Yr 11 VET Primary Industries) have now completed the trials. As the students prepare for the HSC exams which are just around the corner, we ask the community to remember the students in their prayers that they may give their best and achieve their goals.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Principal

St Anne’s Catholic College

Prayer

For My Family 

Lord God,

I give you all the members of our family. You know them all so well and love them all. I ask that you would cover us with a rainbow of hope. 

Hope that draws us together to work out our differences. 

Hope that helps us to celebrate together and care for one another. 

Hope that rides like a banner in our lives and watches over us where we go. 

Hope that overcomes adversity and gathers strenghth to overcome. 

Hope that guides us and gives us vision for our future alone and together. 

Hope filled with love. 

Hope that fuels faith. 

Hope that breathes peace. 

May our family live in you 

Underneath your promises. 

Sacrament of Reconciliation

We keep the Year 3 students in our prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

A reminder that candidates are to enrol over the next few weekends (dates are in the information sent home at last week’s parent meeting).

Year 11 & 12 Retreat 

Next Monday and Tuesday Year 11 and 12 will be on retreat at Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre. We thank Fr Alex and Mr Inch who will be joining us for the retreat, as well as members of the Youth Ministry Team from Canberra. Students are reminded that this is a school event and attendance is expected. Please be sure to reply on Compass to accept as soon as possible, if you are yet to do so.

Communities of Collaboration

The Religion teachers of K-10 have been undergoing regular professional development over the past few years to continually develop rigorous, engaging curriculum. We thank the teachers for their ongoing commitment to this important curriculum area.

School Parish Mass 21st September

At the end of Week 9 on Sunday 21st September the school will be leading the Parish Mass. Please keep an eye out for more details closer to the date. We really encourage as many students and families as possible to attend and support this Mass.

EmpowerHER STEM Summit in 2025

The University of Wollongong is thrilled to announce the return of the EmpowerHER STEM Summit in 2025. This hands-on, two-day event, taking place during the Spring school holidays, is designed for fierce female students in Years 7, 8 & 9.

Brace yourself for an exciting experience as we raise the STEM-bar for girls and ignite their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM)!

Students will journey through UOW's vibrant Wollongong Campus and mind blowing Bluescope site to witness STEM in action. Accompanied by faculty, current students, and industry professionals, this event promises an enriching, yet collaborative experience.

Mark your calendars for the EmpowerHER STEM Summit on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd October, 2025.  Save the date and share the excitement with your future STEM-inists!

Cost is only $110 per student for the two-day event (GST inclusive). Places are limited, apply now via the link below!

EmpowerHER Junior 2025

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University CAPA Workshops

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is excited to present a new series of school holiday workshops designed to ignite creativity and foster skill development among high school students. Led by UOW academics who are experts in their respective fields, these workshops offer hands-on experiences in creative writing, journalism, and visual arts.

These workshops aim to inspire students and strengthen their connection with the university community, providing a glimpse into the vibrant academic environment at UOW. Register now to attend!

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Dates: Wednesday 1 October and Thursday 2 October

Time: 9:00am-3:30pm each day

Location: University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus

Cost: $100 for a 2-day workshop, price includes a lunch pack. 
Sponsored places are available for eligible students, find out more below.

Who can attend? Any students currently in Years 9 and 10

Registration closes: Friday 5 September

2025 CAPA Workshops

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YOUTH IN AVIATION DAY - 6TH SEPTEMBER

This is a final reminder about the huge Youth in Aviation Expo at Temora Airport  on 6th September.  There are over 700 teenagers booked already to attend this day of 'all things Aviation' event..  World champion Matt Hall will be doing aerobatics, along with Paul Bennet Airshow aircraft.  Aircraft owners will be giving limited free flights.  Over 50 aviation-related Careers displays.  Aircraft will be flying all day.  Free World War 2 Fighter full-motion Simulators .... and much more.  Don't miss this Unique Aviation Discovery Day for Youth - Temora Airport, 6th September, 9am - 4pm. (free entry)

Free Tickets Available here

More information: Google "Temora Flyers Youth in Aviation"

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TAFE NSW Virtual - Information sessions for Parents/Caregivers

TAFE NSW are offering virtual subject selection information sessions for interested students and parents/caregivers. There are four identical sessions- anyone can join the session that suits them by clicking on the link below.

Topics covered in the sessions will include:

TVET courses, types of courses and how they relate to the HSC

• Work Placement
• Pathway options to further study and a career
• School based apprenticeships and traineeships
• Attendance at TAFE
• Reporting to schools
• TAFE NSW website – how to navigate the TVET Guide and further information
• Next steps for a TVET or SBAT course in 2026
• Q&A Session

Another big week in the library celebrating Book Week. In Library, the students have been having lots of fun, doing activities such as Book Character Trivia, Guess the Book Title using emojis, Musical Books Game and of course our Book Parade.

Thank you to all the students for making a great effort to dress up and a big thank you to the parents who helped with this. You are all helping to celebrate the joy of reading, making reading fun and fostering a love of books and story telling.

Week 3

Kinder: Eadie R, Madeleine T, Audrey W

Year 1: Alba K, Bailey J, Hudson M

Year 2: Nick M, Jesse O, Callum R, Isla P, Reed G

Year 3: Spencer L, Zoe S, Duke K

Year 4: Thomas H, Bodhi R, Chad O, Karzon R, Bailey B

Year 5: Lucy P, Stella K, Quinn C, Ned H

Year 6: Primrose M, Jack C, Annabelle G

Week 4

Kinder: Scarlett M, Dusty C, Paddy H

Year 1: Ada H, Stella B

Year 2: Lucas M, Pippa H, Jake M, Liliana V

Year 3: Hunter C, Claudia L, Sophie I, Leo J

Year 4: Isabella I, William B, Phillipa G, Harrison P

Year 5: Evie K, Elvie C, Simran S

Year 6: Will T, Dusty C, Lucy T

Year 7: Ayden George - His consistent work ethic in English. 

Year 8: Livvy Blackwell - Pleasing detail in her HSIE homework. Ava Derrick - Pleasing detail in her HSIE homework. Hunter Ferguson  - Pleasing detail in her HSIE homework. Blake Matthews  - His positive attitude and work ethic in HSIE. Hannah Maxwell  - Pleasing detail in her HSIE homework task. Ciarha Oakman  - her creativity in her HSIE homework task. Jake Buerckner  - His effort and application in English. Olivia Roberts  - Her effort and application in English. Clementine Tillman  - Her effort and application in Religion.

Year 9: Macey Coddington  - Great detail on her biomes points task. Charlie Cooper  - An excellent pamphlet explaining biomes. Addison Matthews - In-depth understanding of the importance of food production. Connor Oakman  - Great understanding of sustainable food production. Lani Summerfield  - A well-detailed biome activity sheet. Robbie Bett  - His amazing answers in English. Ruby Prentice  - Her amazing answers in English.

Year 10: Jonte Reid - Rebuilding and starting engine in Automotive. 

Year 11: Kayla Edwards  - Great application to developing textual analysis in English. Matilda Reardon  - Her diligent attitude and work ethic in Advanced English.