Assistant Principal's Message
Welcome to Book Week. This is one of my favourite weeks of the year as we celebrate and recognise Australian authors and illustrators whilst continuing to instil a love of books and reading in our students.
I would like to begin this newsletter by thanking all of you for your generous donations to the Country Fair’s spinning wheel. Last Thursday’s donation day was a big success and the staff at St Anne’s are very, very thankful for your generosity and thoughtfulness. We have also had a large number of donations from businesses within our community and we are also very appreciative of these. We will name these businesses in next week’s newsletter to acknowledge their generosity.
I am aware that this term has had a lot of extra activities and would like to thank all our families and staff for supporting these and taking the time out of all your busy lives to participate. I have received extremely positive feedback about last week's Family Maths Night and I hope you found the information from this night informative and valuable.
This Wednesday we will be hosting our whole school Book Week celebration. Children are invited to dress up as a book character and our parade will begin at 9.10am. Our Reading Night will begin at 6pm in the hall. We have had over 70 children volunteer to read and we are looking forward to them showcasing their reading talents. Our book fair is also opened in the library before the Book Reading Night.
This weekend our Year 4 students will be making their Sacrament of First Eucharist/HolyCommunion. Can you please keep these students, families and the Year 4 teachers in your prayers.
Once again I would like to thank you all for your continued support of our school during this very busy term. I would also like to thank our staff again for their ongoing commitment to our students and always being willing to do extra to support our community involvement.
Have a great week and remember to keep reading-
Kind Regards
Lea
Key Dates
- Monday 21st - Thursday 2th August - Book Fair open (times below)
- Wednesday 23rd August - Book Week dress-up day (Parade at 9.10am)
- Wednesday 23rd August - Book Week 'Reading Night' (details below)
- Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th August - Sacrament of First Holy Communion
- Wednesday 30th August - RSVP due for Father's Day Breakfast
- Friday 1st September - Father's Day Breakfast and Stall
- Wed 6th & Thurs 7th September - Matilda Jnr Matinee and night performances
- Friday 22nd September - Last Day of Term 3
- Monday 9th October - First Day of Term 4
- Friday 13th October - Country Fair
- Tuesday 17th - Wednesday 18th October - Yr 5 Ballarat Excursion
- Monday 13th - Wednesday 15th November - Yr 6 Canberra Excursion
- Friday 1st December - school fees to be paid in full by this date
- Monday 11th December - Yr 6 Graduation
- Friday 15th December - Last Day of 2023 School Year
Our Canteen has been extremely busy recently, with orders being up more than 25% this year. If you need to cancel a food order in our regular winter or summer menu (for example because your child is away sick), you will need to cancel your order via the Qkr! App before 9am on the day of service. Orders cannot be cancelled after 9am and will unfortunately be forfeited. In the case of special order days, the order must be cancelled before the cutoff time for orders. Cathie can no longer hold food orders over to future weeks for families, as this is very time consuming in an already busy canteen. We thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Sacred Heart Parish—Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of our Sacred Heart Parish will be held on Thursday 31 August at 6pm in our Parish Hall.
Our guest speaker is Michelle Hensel who will offer a reflection on ‘Finding Purpose & Gratitude through grief’ Michelle has a remarkable story of her transformation to tell.
Reports will be kept to a minimum. Finger food and refreshments provided. Heating in the hall is great! Please consider coming along to support one another in faith. For catering purposes please contact the parish office by phone/email or Karen Purtle 0407 260 834 or bevispurtle@internode.on.net
Book Week
BOOK WEEK DRESS-UP DAY - TOMORROW
- Parents/carers are invited to come along to watch our parade in the hall, beginning at 9.10am
- We do NOT want families to incur any expense for their child's costume, so please just make a costume from whatever you already have at home.
- There are no prizes for dressing up, we do it just for the fun of it!
BOOK FAIR
Our Book Fair offers families the opportunity to purchase from a wide selection of children's books (including picture books, fiction and non-fiction titles, diaries and posters). Books make great Christmas gifts, so you might like to do some Christmas shopping at the Fair.
- Parents/carers can visit the Fair (opening times below) to review the books and make purchases using EFTPOS or cash (please note that we will have only limited cash for change).
- This week, each class will preview the books and each child will compile a ‘Wish List’ of books. Families are under NO OBLIGATION whatsoever to purchase any books on their child’s Wish List.
- If you do wish to purchase any Wish List books but are unable to attend the Fair in person, please highlight your selection on the list and pay online as per the instructions supplied, then complete the required details and return the Wish List to school. Alternatively, please send the Wish List and correct money to school.
- If you have paid online, please ensure that your child returns their completed Wish List (including receipt #), otherwise we will not know that you have made an online payment and we will not know what items you have paid for.
- Wish List orders will be filled on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. If we run out of stock of any books, we will place an order with the supplier and send them home with the children as soon as we receive them.
- Children will only be permitted in the Book Fair if accompanied by their parent/carer.
Our Book Fair will be open at these time:
LIBRARY COMPETITION
Thank you to everyone who entered! All the fantastic entries in our competition are on display in the Library. The lucky winners were Millie P. (Kinder), Noah S. (Yr 1), Sophie C. (Yr 1), Millie I. (Yr 2), Arlo L (Yr 3), Weston C. (Yr 4), Erica S. (Year 5) and Darcy L. (Yr 6).
Book Week Family Reading Night - tomorrow 6pm
We have a slight change of plans and the night will now begin with a sneak-peek performance by some of our Matilda Jnr. cast, at 6pm. Families will then move to classrooms to share stories until 7pm and the evening will conclude in the hall with supper (Milo, fairy bread and biscuits).
All families attending on the night can enter a draw to win a $20 Book Fair/Book Club voucher.
A roster has been sent home with our volunteer student readers. This shows the time and room number for the readers.
Students are invited to wear their warm pyjamas or their Book Week costumes for the evening. They can also bring along a comfy pillow or bean-bag.
Our Book Fair will be open for half an hour prior to the beginning of the Reading Night.
Mr Lewis and the Library Crew.
Matilda Jr
Wednesday 6th September 11am and 7pm & Thursday 7th September 11am and 7pm
Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale now!! Don't miss out!!
ONLY available via CompassTix, no cash sales are available.
PRICES: All tickets $10 each. Infants no charge provided that they are seated on an adult's lap. All seats must be ticketed.
Please note the following important information regarding the performances-
- Tickets are not allocated to a seat therefore seating will be based on a ‘first in, first seated’ basis.
- The hall can only seat a certain number of people (due to its size and safety regulations), therefore seats are strictly limited.
- Strollers/prams are NOT permitted in the hall during the performances.
- An area for wheelchairs will be set aside near the restrooms on the left side of the hall. If you require space for a wheelchair, please contact the office prior to the performance.
- Groups of students from local schools will attend the matinee performances.
- Due to copyright, audience members are NOT PERMITTED TO PHOTOGRAPH, VIDEO or in ANYWAY RECORD ANY PART of the performance.
- The duration of the performance is approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.
Father's Day Breakfast
Father’s Day breakfast will be held on Friday 1st September from 6.30am - 8.30am in the St Anne’s hall – please RSVP for catering purposes. Students can share a bacon and egg roll with their father, grandfather or other special person free of charge. We will also have a coffee van in attendance if the adults wish to purchase a hot drink. If you have the capacity to assist, the FUNdraising committee are seeking donations of eggs, bacon and juice to the office by Tuesday 29th August plus volunteers to assist on the day – further details in the RSVP form below.
Father's Day Pop Up Stall
Spoil Dad this Father's Day with our fundraising pop up stall. Children will be given the opportunity to purchase a gift for dads, grandfathers and special people in their lives.
Friday 1st September
Each class will be given an allocated time to come and purchase their items and classes will be bought to stall by teachers in the morning.
Gifts will all be under $10 so it is recommended not to bring more than $10.
We are also looking for donations for our Fathers Day stall. Items will be sold at max $10. Ideas include plants/succulents, seeds, pots, herbs, mind puzzles, mugs/cups, fishing lures or golf items.
Please contact Cassandra on 0407 268 575 if you are able to help.
CENTACARE'S GIZMO BEAR
Last Thursday, Year 2 had a surprise visit from Gizmo the Centacare Wellbeing Bear. They shared with Gizmo what they learnt from their 'Friendship Treasures' session they had with Mahlia and Alice.
The highlight was dancing with Gizmo and giving her a fist pump to say goodbye.
CREATIVE KIDS LUNCHTIME ACTIVITY
Many children in Years 3 - 6 have been taking up the opportunity to come into a quiet and calm place to relax, create, explore, invent and make new friends during lunchtime.
St Anne's Family Maths Night
Thank you to all those families who attended our Family Maths Night last Wednesday evening. Our aim was to provide opportunities for you to gain an insight into St Anne’s mathematical journey since 2017 and engage in a variety of mathematical learning tasks that are used within our classrooms.
As I wandered through the classrooms it was wonderful to see the engagement and enjoyment that students and parents/carers were having participating in these activities and hear our students use mathematical language confidently and in context.
This Maths evening also highlighted our strong family-school partnership and the commitment our families place on their child’s learning. We hope you have a clearer understanding of our approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics and we look forward to continuing this journey with you.
It was a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to connect with the learning taking place in our classrooms and the mathematical journey that has taken place over the past years. Wandering through our classrooms it was wonderful to see and hear the engagement and enjoyment that students were having with their parents. Our evening highlighted the strong family-school partnerships, the commitment family’s place on their child’s learning, as well as generating much excitement about maths. We thank you for taking the time to join us.
RE News
First Holy Communion
First Holy Communion will be celebrated in the parish of Sacred Heart North Albury over the weekend of Saturday 26 August at 6.00pm & Sunday 27 August at 9.30am.
The Eucharist is essential for us: it is Christ who wishes to enter our lives and fill us with his grace. (Pope Francis) The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. Make a list of all the things you give thanks for in your life, the life of your family, the life of our parish community. Is the Eucharist significant in my life? How do I show this? When am I Eucharist for others?
We encourage you to support our children preparing for First Eucharist in prayer over the coming weeks.
Sacred Heart Parish - Children’s Liturgies
Due to the Sacrament of First Holy Communion held on the weekend of Sat 26th and Sun 27th, the Children’s Liturgy will not be held. The next Children’s Liturgy will be held on the second Sunday of September which will be the 10th.
Year 5 & 6 camps
Next term, our Year 5 students will be travelling to Ballarat and our Year 6 students will be going to Canberra. Initial information regarding these camps including costs (and payment plan details) have been shared with parents of these children. Consent and payment are to be made via Compass.
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.
Volunteering at school
We are very grateful for the assistance that parents/grandparents provide in our school. Any helpers/volunteers (including canteen, sport, fundraising and classroom helpers) will need to either -
- Provide the details of their Working With Children Check (if they have one). We require full name, date of birth, WWCC number and WWCC expiry date. These details need to be verified before a volunteer can help in our school, so please email this information to the office (sana-info@ww.catholic.edu.au) well in advance.
- Complete a CEDWW Volunteers Declaration and show an identity document (eg. drivers licence). These forms are available from the office. This declaration needs to be completed annually, therefore anyone who completed a form last year will need to complete a new form.
Uniform Shop
Our Uniform Shop is open each Friday from 3-3.30pm. 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.
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.
Compass Attendance
A reminder that all students who arrive at school after the morning bell at 8.55am, must be accompanied by an adult into our office to sign in on our Compass kiosk. This is a legal requirement and students may not sign themselves in. You will now be asked to provide a reason for the late arrival.
If you are picking up your child during the school day, for any reason eg. medical appointment or early departure, please send a written note in with your child to their teacher with all relevant details. Compass can not be used to notify teachers of early pickups. Compass is only to notify the school of full day absences. If you arrive at school to collect a child without prior notification, please allow extra time to locate your child on the school grounds, especially during break times and when at music, science or sport.
Parents/carers are required to submit an attendance note for any full day absences of their child from school. This can be done in the Compass App or in the Compass portal online. Please ensure you provide all the relevant details for why your child/children are not at school, as any notes added without a comment or details will be recorded as an unjustified absence. Please see the relevant link below for guidance on how to record an absence on the Compass App.
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. If the leave is 21 days or more, parents are required to provide an educational plan to the school for approval. Extended leave forms are available from the school office.
Bus Pass applications
Bus Pass applications for travel between home and school, can be made via this link
Past Newsletters
- Term 1 Week 2
- Term 1 Week 3
- Term 1 Week 4
- Term 1 Week 5
- Term 1 Week 6
- Term 1 Week 7
- Term 1 Week 8
- Term 1 Week 9
- Term 1 Week 10
- Term 1 Week 11
- Term 2 Week 1
- Term 2 Week 2
- Term 2 Week 3
- Term 2 Week 4
- Term 2 Week 5
- Term 2 Week 6
- Term 2 Week 7
- Term 2 Week 8
- Term 2 Week 9
- Term 2 Week 10
- Term 3 Week 1
- Term 3 Week 2
- Term 3 Week 3
- Term 3 Week 4
- Term 3 Week 5