Principal's Message
Hello Parents and Carers,
We have our parent and student information and reflection evening tonight for the sacrament of Confirmation. We are so privileged to be a part of your student’s faith journey and look forward to celebrating with our Year 6s later in the term when they receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
This week, we celebrate and give thanks for the incredible women who guide, support, and inspire our students every day. Whether you are a mum, grandma, aunt, carer, godmother, or a special friend, your love and support help shape our children in the most meaningful ways. We are grateful for everything you do! We hope to see you all at our Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday.
Have a great week and God bless,
Ben.
Key Dates - 2025
- Tuesday 6th May - Parent and student Confirmation Information and Reflection Evening 6-7pm
- Thursday 8th May - Kinder Mother's Day Afternoon Tea @ 2.15pm
- Friday 9th May - Mother's Day Breakfast & Stall
- Wednesday 14th May - Book Club orders due
- Saturday 17th May - Confirmation Commitment Mass @ 6pm
- Sunday 18th May - Confirmation Commitment Mass @ 9.30am
- Wednesday 21st May - Athletics Carnival Yr 3-6
- Wednesday 21st May - National Simultaneous Storytime
- Friday 13th June - Year 6 Confirmation 6pm
- Thursday 19th June - St Anne's Disco
- Monday 21st July - Staff Development Day/Pupil Free Day
- Tuesday 22nd July - First day of Term 3 for students
- Friday 25th July - Grandparent's Day/Feast of St Anne and Joachim - 10.30am Mass
- Tuesday 29th July - Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Saturday 30th or Sunday 31st August - Sacrament of First Holy Communion
Canteen
School Fee Instalments
Reminder emails and SMS messages are being sent to families with overdue fees. 2025 fees were due to be paid in full by 28th February, unless an instalment option was selected. Any families who have not yet set up instalment payments, but would like to do so, will need to follow these steps;
1. Use this calculator https://ww.catholic.edu.au/school-fee-repayment-calculator/ to see the amounts which would be payable under each instalment option (ie. weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments).
2. Once you have chosen an instalment option, please enter your selection via this link - https://cefmsww.t1cloud.com/T1Default/CiAnywhere/Web/CEFMSWW/Forms/FillOut?formDef=4b5de090b36e1a882c9a68cb52ffb1e7&suite=CES. This will process your selection in our system and ensure that future instalment due dates and amounts will be shown on your monthly statements.
3. Set up the instalment payments with your bank.
If you have any questions, or need any assistance with this process, please contact Tina in the office. Thankyou.
Book Club
Book Club catalogue #3 was sent home last week. Orders are due by next Wednesday, 14th May. The catalogue can be previewed HERE.
RE News
Sacramental Dates
Year 6 - Sacrament of Confirmation
Students in Year 6 will be preparing for and receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this year in Term 2. Relevant dates are set out below:
- Parent and Student Reflection and Information Evening will be on Tuesday 6th May @ 6:00pm in the St Anne’s school hall.
- Confirmation Commitment Masses will be on Saturday 17th May @ 6:00pm and Sunday 18th May @ 9:30am. Students only need to choose 1 of these Parish Masses to attend.
- Confirmation Preparation Day will be held on Thursday 5th June at school.
- Sacrament of Confirmation this year is Friday 13th June @ 6:00pm in the Sacred Heart Church. Candidates will be confirmed by Bishop Mark Edwards.
Year 4 students - Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
- Parent and Student Information and Reflection Evening - Tuesday 24th June @ 6:00pm in the St Anne’s School hall.
- Sacrament of Reconciliation Evening will be Tuesday 29th July @ 6:00pm in the Sacred Heart Church. Students will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on this night.
- Commitment Masses for First Holy Communion will be held over the weekend of 9th August @ 6:00pm OR Sunday 10th August @ 9:30am.
- Sacrament of First Holy Communion - Students will be able to attend Mass on either Saturday 30th August @ 6:00pm OR Sunday 31st August @ 9:30am to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.
Sacred Heart Parish 70th Year Celebrations - Ignite Our Gifts For Future Generations
Join us as we celebrate 70 wonderful years of the Sacred Heart Parish with a weekend filled with community, history, and faith.
📅 Saturday, 6th September
- 🕐 1:00–5:00 PM: History Through the Ages 📍 Location: Sacred Heart Parish Hall
- 🕔 5:00 PM: Celebration Mass 📍 Location: Sacred Heart Parish Church
- 🕕 6:00 PM: Dinner 📍 Location: Xavier Catholic College
📅 Sunday, 7th September
- 🕘 9:30 AM: Celebration Mass 📍 Location: Sacred Heart Parish Church
- 🕚 11:00 AM: Morning Tea 📍 Location: Sacred Heart Parish Hall
- 🕧 12:30 PM: Celebration Concludes
We look forward to sharing this special time with you all! ✨
Sports News
Softball News
Congratulations to Tate upon gaining selection in the MacKillop boys Softball team!
House Cup
Our annual House Cup for Yr 3-6 commences this week. Students have signed on for Netball and Tag AFL or Newcomball and Hall Hockey.
Lunchtime Touch Football
58 students from Years 5 and 6 have registered for lunchtime touch football. Thank you to the staff who have volunteered their time in order for this to take place. Games will be played at Sarvaas Park on Wednesdays starting in several weeks time.
House Cup Junior
This Friday, Stage 1 (Yrs 1 & 2) will be commencing "House Cup Junior" in their sport lessons. Students will be put into house colour groups and work as teams to participate in different skills and games. During this time they will practice skills such as:
- Hand-eye coordination
- Cooperation
- Listening and following instructions
- Ball Skills ( catching, throwing & bouncing)
- Team work
In the final week of the program, there will be a finals round to determine the winning house which will receive the " House Cup Junior" Trophy.
We look forward to a fun and competitive term of sport.
Stage 1 Teachers
FUNdraising News
Mother's Day Breakfast
We will be holding our annual Mother's Day Breakfast this Friday 9th May for our families to join us and celebrate the amazing women in our school community.
Complimentary ham and cheese croissants and juice will be provided by TheirCare for families who completed the RSVP. Unfortunately due to a unforeseen issue with the Mobile Coffee van, we will be unable to offer coffee for parents to purchase this year. As we have been unable to secure an alternate coffee van, we suggest that parents grab a coffee on the way to school for breakfast.
Mother's Day Stall
Our Mother’s Day stall is back this year!! Children will be given the opportunity to purchase a gift for mums, grandma's and special people in their lives this Friday 9th May.
Each class will be given an allocated time to come and purchase their items. Classes will be bought to the stall by teachers in the morning. All gifts will be under $10 and it is recommended not to bring more than $10.
Lions Public Speaking
We have been in touch with the Lavington Lions Club. Our school has been well represented in past years with several state champions. Some classes have used time at school to get started. This year’s topics are as follows:
Years 3 – 4 (3 minutes)
Creative Invention - If you could invent something new, what would it be?Tell us about it e.g. what is it made of, who's it for and how could it be used?
Years 5 – 6 (4 minutes)
Technology - The impact of fast-moving technology on our lives and the environment is often overlooked, yet it can be far reaching. Is technology moving too fast for humans to keep up? Discuss.
Students are encouraged to write their own response, however parents are welcome to assist with rehearsing and fine tuning. Props are not permitted.
- Class and Grade finals Friday May 30
- Stage level finals Friday June 6
- School finals in the hall Friday June 20
Council of Catholic School Parents Webinars
Bus Travel Reminders
Bus travel can cause some confusion in students, especially in our younger year levels. In the office we frequently have visits from students who can't remember if they are catching the bus home. We also receive many phone calls during the day to confirm that children remember to catch the bus.
TheirCare Before and After School Care
Compass School Favourites
Did you know that the Compass Parent Portal offers a 'School Favourites' tab that has quick links to things like an extended leave application and the school fee instalment calculator?
When you open the Compass App, simply select more from the bottom right of the menu and you will see the School Favourites tab on the left.
Messages regarding changes to after-school plans
We are always happy to pass on messages to students from parents/carers regarding changes in after-school plans (eg. regarding catching or not catching a bus). However, please contact the office as early as possible in the day so that we can pass on such messages efficiently. In the afternoon, the office can become very busy and it can be difficult to locate specific students quickly (especially on sport days). Thankyou.
Uniform Shop
Our Uniform Shop is open weekly on Friday from 2.45-3.15pm. Please email sana-info@ww.catholic.edu.au with your requirements if you can't make that time and we will pass your request on to Luisa to process.
We have lots of good quality second hand uniform items for sale as well as new hats, bags and art smocks.
Bus Travel in 2025
- St Anne's students who have a bus pass in 2024, and remain eligible, should automatically received a new pass for 2025 (there is no need to reapply).
- A new application will need to be submitted for any student who is applying for the first time, or if the request relates to additional travel entitlement because of new shared parental arrangement (e.g. joint custody). These applications can be made here.
- Students who have changed their home address will need to have their details updated here.
Absences for after-school-care
If your child attends after-school-care and they are absent from school, please remember to advise the care provider. We often have providers waiting/searching for children who are absent from school.
Extended Leave
A reminder to families that if your child will be away for 10 or more consecutive school days (eg. for a family holiday), then you will need to submit an 'Application for Extended Leave'. See the 'Compass Attendance' information towards the end of this newsletter for further details.
Qkr! App
Our Qkr! App is the platform that we use to process transactions for our Canteen Orders and some special events, like the School Disco.
Qkr! is an efficient and accurate way of tallying our daily canteen orders and a brilliant time saver when collating and organising our students' lunch orders.
Recently we have had several students report that they have not received their lunch orders, only to find that the canteen has no record of their order. We would suggest that parents check their receipt on the Qkr! App to ensure that their order has been processed for the correct date and for the correct menu items and quantity.
Compass School Manager
Our Compass School Manager is the platform that we communicate with parents about all aspects of their child's school life. Our school attendance, calendar, news feed, student reports, parent teacher conference bookings, event consent/payments and many other services are accessible.
We strongly advise all parents to ensure that they have access to their Compass account on a mobile App or a desktop computer. All parents are issued a username and temporary password when their child is enrolled at St Anne's. If you are experiencing any difficulties accessing your account, please don't hesitate to contact Karon on grimmerk@ww.catholic.edu.au.
Student Attendance
On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:
- being sick, or having an infectious disease
- having an unavoidable medical appointment
- being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
- exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)
Following an absence from school you must ensure that within 7 days you provide your child’s school with a verbal or written explanation for the absence. This can be via Compass or by phone, email or in written form. Parents will receive a Compass notification with a link for parents to provide this information in Compass.
Principals may decline to accept an explanation that you have provided if they do not believe the absence is in the best interest of your child. In these circumstances your child’s absence would be recorded as unjustified. When this happens the principal will discuss their decision with you and the reasons why.
Principals may request medical certificates or other documentation when frequent or long term absences are explained as being due to illness. Principals may also seek parental permission to speak with medical specialists to obtain information to collaboratively develop a health care plan to support your child. If the request is denied, the principal can record the absences as unjustified.
When families take students out of school during the school term for holidays, there are strict legal requirements that need to be met. If a student is going to be absent for up to 9 days, no formal application is required and parents may enter the absence on Compass under the 'Travel' option. If the absence is for 10 days or more, an application is required to be completed by parents prior to travel and approval will be required by the Principal or officials from CEDWW. Extended leave forms are available from the school office.