Dear St Anne's Community,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. 

Siloam

This week I spent a night and day at St Clements retreat centre in Galong. Twice a year, I meet Principals from within the Catholic Education system at the retreat centre to work through a program of Faith Formation. The theme for this year has been Truth, Beauty and Goodness. 

HSC Trials

Congratulations to our Year 12 students on completing their HSC Trials this week. Thank you to staff, students and parents for your support during this time. 

Canapes in the Canola

We are looking forward to this upcoming fundraiser. A unique opportunity to socialise and raise funds at the same time. 

School Climate Survey

I appreciate your survey response. We now have 60 completed responses from parents. If you have not had a chance yet, the survey closes tomorrow afternoon at 4:30pm. 

Showcase

I am excited about this year's showcase performance. Students and staff are busy planning for this fantastic display of talent. 

Take care,

Grant Haigh

Principal

The world, in all its diversity,

is eager to be guided towards

the great values of mankind,

truth, good and beauty;

now more than ever...

Teaching means to accompany young people in

their search for truth and

beauty, for what is right and good. 

Educating Today and Tomorrow;

A Renewing Passion, 2014

Sacrament of First Eucharist (First Communion)

A reminder that the Sacrament of First Eucharist Parent Meeting is to be held next week - Wednesday 28th August at 6:30pm (Week 6 Term 3)

The enrolment weekends will be Sunday 8th, Saturday 14th or Sunday 22nd September

The Retreat Day for First Eucharist  - Thursday 14th November (Week 5 Term 4)

The Sacrament of First Eucharist Sunday 17th November at 10am (Week 5 Term 4).

SHINE for Year 9 and 10  

The annual Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn’s SHINE Youth Conference is being run by the CSYMA (Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia) team again this year at Merici College on Friday 13th September. Please note that it is an early start and late return. The students gain the opportunity to explore Youth Ministry further through a variety of talks, drama, testimony and other elements, as well as practical workshop experiences, where students’ eyes are opened to the gift of faith. They also have the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about developing a relationship with Jesus. SHINE is also a great opportunity for hundreds of young people across the Archdiocese from Years 9 & 10 to come together and learn from each other and build relationships outside of their school community with other students from across our expansive Archdiocese. Notification should be available on Compass.

This week, our new playground seats arrived. A huge thank you to Dan Talbot, Simon Gaynor and the senior construction class for their hard work putting them together. It was a time consuming and tidious job. Thank you to the School Community Council and to everyone that has contributed to fundraising efforts. We appreciate the financial contribution of $10,000 towards the purchase of these seats. 

Scholastic Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who was able to support our annual Book Fair. Your support has earnt our school reward points with Scholastic to the value of $1222.50. The reward points will be used to purchase new books and resources for our Library.

Book Parade

On Wednesday morning we had our annual Book Week Parade. It was amazing to see so many students and staff dress up. 

Thank you to all the parents who came and watched the parade or helped their child dress up, the costumes seem to get better every year.

Prizes:

Kinder- Ada Harris and Lucas Oliver

Year 1- Jake Morton and Isla Pike

Year 2- Duke Krause and Peyton Derrick

Year 3- Frances Moroney and Tristan Swanston

Year 4- Alice Reid and Archie Block

Year 5- Annabelle Gray and Clancy Gibbs

Year 6- Grace McCrone and Leo Drenovski

The Group awards went to Zephanie Lancaster and Lucy Taylor and also Brooke Gilchrist and Hannah Pham.

The class "Hot Chips" prize for the best costumes was won by Year 2.

Thank you to the SRC for being our judges, with so many amazing costumes they had a tough job.

During Book Week celebrations, students in Year 6-8 had the opportunity to listen to a talk by a Melbourne-based author named Andrew Plant. Andrew refers to himself as an 'authorstrator' due to having written 12 books and illustrated 140 books. Apart from his writing and illustrating, he has also been involved in designing sets for musicals such as Les Misérables and Wizard of Oz, as well as creating murals. 

Despite having no formal qualifications, Andrew is a self-taught artist with a deep passion for art. He draws inspiration for his stories from everyday experiences, often transforming ordinary events into extraordinary narratives.  Additionally, Andrew has travelled around the world photographing animals in their natural habitat to influence his illustrations.

Andrew published his first book at the age of 12 and encouraged the students to build a world that allows readers to believe in the story or truth being conveyed. He emphasised the importance of not resolving the characters' problems too quickly or opting for an easy and predictable ending when crafting a narrative.

An interesting detail about Andrew's artistic process is that he exclusively uses paper and acrylic paint, steering clear of any digital assistance. Each piece can take up to seven days to complete, as Andrew meticulously adds the final touches.

Here are some reflections from the Year 6 students:

I loved his ability to make up stories on the spot. Andrew really expanded my thoughts on narrative writing. (Georgie)

Andrew has inspired to use our imagination more and write stories with twists and turns. (Kayde)

I loved how creative Andrew was with his illustrations and how much detail he puts into his work. (Lilah)

Andrew has inspired me to try and make my writing more interesting and eye catching (Barney)

Andrew was hilarious and inspiring. He encouraged us to take risks with our writing. (Elsie)

Andrew advised us to think outside the box and not take the easy path when writing (Alex)

Andrew has inspired many kids to use their imagination and never give up on your dreams. (Brooke)

I will keep on going and not give up so easily when writing (Leo)

Editing your story doesn't mean that your story isn't any good, it means that you can make it better than it already is. (Hannah) 

Andrew is an amazing writer and illustrator and that’s why he is one of the greatest. (Mikey)

Andrew has inspired me to keep writing and create fascinating and exciting stories. (Eliana)

Andrew suggested that the easiest character to write about is you. (Ayden) 

Andrew reminded us to read books that you enjoy. You don’t have to finish the book if you're not enjoying it.(Paige)

Week 3

Kinder: Hunter Swanston, Ada Harris, Zara Lynch

Year 1: Billy George, Katie Hartwig, Charlie Crawford

Year 2: Patrick Wallace, Knox Wooden, Duke Krause

Year 3: Harrison Pham, Evelyn Tait, Bodhi Reardon, Flynn Gilchrist

Year 5: Noah Swanston, Ava Crawford, Primrose Minchin

Year 6: Elsie Keith, Barney Taylor, Leo Drenovski, Eliana Adeyemi

Week 4 

Kinder: Molly Bush, Leo Donoghue, Alba Kite

Year 1: Ivy Taylor, Ellie Fisher, Charlotte Williams

Year 2: Duke Krause, Bree Puertos, Zahlie Oliver, Mack Carnie

Year 3: Phillipa Gibbs, Tristan Swanston, Evelyn Tait, Erin Octavio

Year 4: Ari Bryon, Rosie Wooden Simran Singh

Year 5: Belle Wilesmith, Adele Oliver, Clancy Gibbs

Year 6: Lilah Caldwell, Sarah Smith, Alexander Mattner, Brooke Gilchrist 

Our St Anne's students have performed very well in the Primary CCCG sportsperson of the Year Points:

Grace McCrone 75 (2nd overall)

Annabelle Gray 40

Zephanie Lancaster 40

Georgie O'Connor 40

Lucy Beurckner 10

Quinn Crawford 10

Elsie Keith 10

Ella McCrone 10

Mailee Reid 10

Addie Warren 10

Abby Watts 10

Belle Wilesmith 10

Barney Taylor 30 (=11^th overall)

Michael Macauley 10

Joey Guymer 10

Congratulations to all of our representative students, in particular Grace for her second place.

Year 7 - Harvey Drumore  - creative solutions in Mandatory Technology, Liam Oliver  - Creative solutions in Mandatory Technology

Year 10 - Jett Nguyen - Excellence in Maths,  Lillian Oliver  - Excellence in Maths

Our Year 7/8 and 9/10 boys had a great day out at the Small Schools Rugby League Competition today in Wagga. This is a modified game played with only 11 a side, against other schools of a similar size to ours.

Our 7/8 team was very competitive all day, there was plenty of try scorers and the boys played really well together to make it to the Grand Final. Unforunately, their run ended against a well versed McAuley Catholic College. 

Our 9/10 boys started their campaign going down narrowly to Parkes. Before coming up against a tough Junee side. They truly demonstrated the spirit of the Small Schools Competition when they played Hay where 3 of our players jumped into their team to assist with numbers. 

Well done to all the players

Stage 5 Photography and Media have been mastering the skills of stop motion animation this term

Year 11 Active Volunteering students have been busy helping out at the Rural Museum

Year 7 Geography have recently enjoyed making models of landscapes and landforms.

Grace had a great week at the State NSWPSSA touch football championships this week. Tuesday August 6 to Thursday August 8, 2024. 

MacKillop played 12 games over the 3 days, and won 6 games, had two draws and 4 narrow losses (3 only by one try and 1 by 2 tries) to finish 5th overall. They were unlucky to just miss out on the finals as MacKillop had beaten 4th place earlier on the last day 3-0.

Grace played well and was excited to be named the best player for MacKillop for the championships and was awarded the team ball.  

The MacKillop girls were excited to be coached by ex-Australian touch football player, Claire Winchester who passed on mountains of knowledge to the girls throughout the tournament. 

This year St Anne’s participated in the Bullying No Way: National week of action, 12 to 16 August 2024.

Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected.

“Positive school climates that value diversity and inclusion can foster a sense of belonging and provide a protective factor against negative peer relationships and reduce bullying.” (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023). For more information about Bullying No Way Week and bullying prevention, visit the Bullying No Way website.

Years 3/4/5 & 6 students wrote what was unique about them and places they belong to on strips of paper. They traded pieces with each other and wove them into an art work. This is the year 5 class mosaic where we all belong embracing our diversity.