Loving Father,

I invite you into my life today
and make myself available to you.
Help me to become the-best-version-of-myself
by seeking your will and becoming a living example
of your love in the world.
Open my heart to the areas of my life that need to change
in order for me to carry out the mission
and experience the joy you have imagined for my life.
Inspire me to live the Catholic faith
in ways that are dynamic and engaging.
Show me how to best get involved in the life of my parish.
Make our community hungry for best practices
and continuous learning.
Give me courage when I am afraid,
hope when I am discouraged,
and clarity in times of decision.
Teach me to enjoy uncertainty and lead your Church
to become all you imagined it would be
for the people of our times.

Amen.

Source: https://dynamiccatholic.com/best-lent-ever/prayers-for-lent

Dear St Anne's Community,

Our prayers have been answered with the recent rain. While the drought is not over, it is nice to see the lift that some proper rain provides for the community.

Last week I attended the Archdiocesan Principal's Retreat in Bowral, NSW. 56 Principals and Catholic Education Office staff spent 3 days working through Education Reform, also known as The Learning Agenda. As part of this agenda, it was decided last year that we will become a pilot school in Explicit Instruction (K-2 only). This is a 3 year pilot program funded and supported by Catholic Education. K-2 teachers have a number of Professional Learning committments this year that will support the program. K-10 teachers will also attend a Professional Learning day on the 27th April in Batemans Bay. More specific information can be found below. K-2 parents will receive seperate details in the coming week. 

School Community Council

I am pleased to announce that we held the School Community Council AGM on Tuesday 10th March and a new executive team was appointed. Congratulations to Margo Townsend on her appointment as Chair of the School Community Council. I look forward to working with Margo and the Community Council in this next chapter of the school. The new Community Council is made up of:

Chair- Margo Townsend

Deputy Chair- Cassie Coddington

Secretary- Christine Collins

Treasurer- Paula Godde

Principal- Grant Haigh

Parish Priest- Fr Sijo Jose

Parent Representatives- Emily Watts, Ben Cassidy

Staff Representative- Kelly-Anne Coleman

Appointed by the Principal- Dennis Sleigh

Well done to our Primary Swimmers on their efforts at the Archdiocesan Primary Swimming Carnival in Narooma on Monday 3/3/20. From all accounts, Will, Chelsea and Lani represented St Anne's with pride.

Thank you to Mrs Sutherland for her work with organising the St Anne's Chess team and for their recent trip to Wagga High School. Great work to our students for winning 2 out 4 games. 

On Tuesday 10th March, 5 of our teachers attended a Numeracy Professional Learning day in Cootamundra (Sacred Heart Central School). Opportunities such as these provide our teachers with a chance to network with other professionals and to engage in rich professional learning. 

The St Anne's Long Lunch is on this weekend and I am looking forward to attending my first one. Thank you to Kris and Kylie Dunstan, Cindy Cassie and Georgina Breust for their work in organising the event. 

I have advertised for a Wood/Metal Industrial Technology Teacher to start at the beginning of Term 2. I would like to thank Mr John Hogan for stepping in at short notice this term. John will be leaving us to focus more of his time on his farm. If you know of anyone that is qualified, please ask them to contact Mr Haigh, via the office. 

Please take the time to read the information in this newsletter about the Coronavirus.

Explicit Teaching and Learning Pilot Program

This year St Anne's is one of three Archdiocesan Schools participating in an Explicit Teaching and Learning Pilot. This project seeks to improve student outcomes by supporting teachers to develop their classroom practice. Whilst the focus is on K–2 students, the content of the project is relevant for all teachers. At the centre of the program, the model is a twelve-month professional development and instructional coaching program offered by Associate Professor Lorraine Hammond each term for four terms.

Through a combination of professional learning, lesson demonstration (modelling by an instructional coach), lesson observation and feedback, teachers are supported to improve their knowledge of the learning brain and capacity to teach students using instructional strategies that are systematic, direct and explicit. By providing practical professional learning, with follow-up instructional coaching, this program supports teachers to transfer evidence-based strategies into their own practice, in their own classroom, efficiently and effectively. Participating schools will not be required to stop any initiatives or programs currently underway – the explicit teaching and learning project is additive. 

The Explicit Teaching and Learning Pilot experience is a spaced program, over four terms, that includes:

Four hands-on professional learning days
Teachers learn the why and how of explicit instruction through discussion of the evidence, lesson demonstrations with students and video exemplars. Critically, each professional learning day provides teachers with the opportunity to practice explicit lesson delivery with students and receive immediate coaching and feedback.

Multiple rounds of instructional coaching to consolidate learning
In addition to coaching during the professional learning days, teachers are supported as they implement new strategies in their own classrooms. Lorraine Hammond will travel to each school to observe teachers, offer feedback on their instruction and provide opportunities for self-reflection.

Leadership support
Leaders are supported to develop the necessary skills to sustain and embed explicit instruction in the school, including taking part in professional learning, lesson observation and instructional coaching.

Building a network and shared resources
Teachers can support one another and build a network committed to further developing their expertise and sharing resources and materials.

Who will deliver the program?
Associate Professor Lorraine Hammond is a specialist in high-impact instruction, including explicit instruction and direct instruction. She has worked with schools in numerous cities and regions across the country to support the sustainable implementation of effective instruction. She is experienced in coaching leaders, adapting to the challenges of each school’s unique context and working one on one with classroom teachers to support effective practice. Dr Lorraine Hammond will deliver the professional learning, demonstrate lessons, observe lessons and provide feedback for each participant of this project.

Take care,

Grant Haigh

Lent

Last Sunday was the second week of Lent, and it is not by accident that we heard the story of the Transfiguration with God revealing the true identity of His Son; Jesus transfigured, appearing to his chosen disciples enrobed in dazzling light. This momentary unveiling of Jesus in his true splendour was a very important moment for those present. They were filled with awe and wonder, reinvigorated on their journey, and growing stronger in their mission. Sunday Mass is our own mountaintop experience. We hear God’s word, then through the sacrifice at the altar, we experience his unfailing, life-giving love for us, and we delve deeper into a relationship with him as we receive the Eucharist. We leave Mass with clarity on what is important, re-energised and invigorated in our faith, and ready to continue in our mission. May this Lent be a time for us to truly journey away from the bustle of daily life to take time to contemplate our lives in Christ and the ways that we can be life-giving in our relationships with others.

Altar Server Training Continues

Training has begun for new altar servers. We have had an encouraging number of students volunteer. If your child has missed out on the first session of training and they are interested, you are asked to please see or email Mrs Collins as soon as possible. The next training session will be early next week with the new altar servers being added to the new roster which will begin in approximately three or four weeks. Please email Mrs Collins at jacqueline.collins@cg.catholic.edu.au to indicate whether you would prefer your child to be rostered on for either 6pm Saturday evenings (1st & 3rd weekends of the month) or 10am Sunday mornings (2nd & 4th weekends of the month). Otherwise a combination of both will be assumed. For any queries regarding this training please also feel free to make contact. Sincere thanks is extended to the current altar servers who are assisting with the training and to Mrs Rachael Sheridan for her assistance. 

A reminder for the Calendar: Reconciliation Information Evening is Thursday March 26th. The Year 3 class are about to begin their program. Any students who have missed out on making the Sacrament in the past are welcome to contact Mrs Collins for further details regarding joining the program.

Thur 26th March - Reconciliation Parent Meeting, St Joseph's Hall, 7pm

Sun 29th March - Reconciliation Enrolment during Mass, 10am

Mon 30th March - Cross Country

Tues 31st March - Small School Rugby League, Cootamundra — U13 & U16

Wed 1st April - Yr 9 Retreat Temora

Thur 2nd April - Yr 8 Retreat Temora

Fri 3rd April - Primary Winter Trials Netball & Rugby League, Canberra

Sat 4th April - Reconciliation Enrolment during Mass, 6pm

Mon 6th & Tues 7th April - Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

Thur 9th April - Last Day Term 1

Thur 9th April - Stephen Bleyer Cup Rugby Union, Yr 5 & 6

Thur 9th April - Easter Hat Parade, 9am

Thur 9th April - Passion Play, 2.30pm

Fri 17th April - Catholic Debutante Ball

Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting a coordinated practice test on 23rd March at noon. This will test the online assessment platform with a large number of users from around Australia.

Have your contact details recently changed? If they have, eg email address, address, phone number, could you please let the front office know immediately.

Renovations

The renovations are progressing slowly at present with various hold ups happening along the way. As you will see in the photos below, some walls have been demolished to make way for the new steel support beams and subsequent walls. I look forward to sharing more photos with you in the coming newsletters.

New school yard fencing

We have ordered the material for our new school yard fence. The new fencing will replace the old fence along the War Memorial park side of the school and it will also replace the existing fence and gates next to the hall. The new fencing will cost the school approx. $16,000. We will be organising a working bee later in the term or possibly in the holidays to pull down the old fence and put up the new one. 

Minor works

The air conditioning unit in the Year 4 classroom (upstairs computer room) has been fixed. We have engaged a tiler to fix the broken tiles on the senior stair case next to the Food Tech room and the light globes have been replaced in the hall.

Mr Haigh

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sending Home Sick Students

As the impact of the virus on children can be quite mild there may be a tendency to continue attending school and hence increase the risk of infecting others. This is in contrast to SARS and Swine, where most people were quite unwell if infected. The advice from Health is that schools should be very strong on sending home students who have the slightest sign of illness. This is not a time for soldiering on with coughs and colds.

Hygiene 

Good hygiene remains the best protective measure against the spread of the virus:

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or hand sanitiser (for 20 seconds).
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (dispose tissue into the bin) and then wash hands thoroughly.
• Avoid close contact with anyone displaying cold or flu-like symptoms and stay away from others if you are unwell.

To ensure the continued health and wellbeing of our students, staff and school communities, the following update is provided in relation to COVID-19 (previously referred to as Novel Coronavirus). This information has been provided by Catholic Schools NSW in consultation with NSW Departments of Education and Health. The following recommendations should be followed in both our NSW and ACT schools.

Effective 1 March 2020 the Federal Government has issued a travel ban on foreigners coming to Australia from Iran. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran will be allowed entry to Australia and from 1 March they are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days after departing Iran consistent with the restrictions for those entering from China. Additionally, Australians have been advised NOT to travel to Iran.

The updated advice from the NSW Government for parents and affected staff is:
* Any student or staff member who has been in, or transited through, mainland China (not just Hubei province) or has been in Iran is excluded from work, school or child care services for 14 days from the date they left mainland China or Iran (as the COVID-19 incubation period can be as long as two weeks).
* Any confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded until they are medically cleared to return.
* Close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded for 14 days since last contact with the confirmed case.
* Students and staff who have returned to Australia from mainland China or Iran more than 14 days ago and have shown no symptoms are able to return to school.

The NSW Ministry of Health has processes to identify any close contacts of cases confirmed in Australia. Advice about not attending school would be provided to these close contacts by the NSW Ministry of Health.

Consistent with our current guidelines, staff and students unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. Further information on COVID-19 is also available from NSW Health.

30th March - School Cross Country, Nixon Park

31st March - Small Schools Secondary Rugby League Knockout, 13's and 16s         

3rd April - Primary Winter trials Canberra Goulburn selections, under 11's and              12's Rugby League, Netball, Hockey

3rd April - MacKillop AFL, Wagga

8th April - Primary Touch Selection trials Lyneham, ACT

9th April - Stephen Bleyer Cup, Rugby Union, Yr 5/6 Boys

Next Monday 16th March will be the final primary swimming session for sport. In Week 9 students will commence Winter sport.

There are a number of sports trials/competitions being held this term. Individuals enter via the website csnsw.sport.

Parents are encouraged to check out the website if there is a sport trial your child is interested in attending.

Four members of the GWS Giants visited the school last Monday to promote the upcoming Auskick season and to brag about their win over the Richmond Tigers the previous day in Wagga. Each player spoke about their AFL journey to the Giants and they signed memorabilia brought in by the students.

Yearbook

2019 Yearbook’s are still available for purchase.  Cost is $25.00 and they are available from the front office.

Saturday 28th March - G Drumore & A Wiencke

Mon 30th March - Meg Morton, Ali McCrone, Carissa Bett, Klara Kite

Mon 6th April - Sally Cassidy, Marna Crawford, El Warren