Dear St Anne's Community,

Welcome to Term 4!

I hope that you and your families had a safe and enjoyable term break. It has been a nice start to Term 4, with students presenting refreshed and well in their summer uniforms. 

COVID Update

In Term 4, Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) Schools, will not utilise a roadmap to inform the activities that can be conducted, due to the removal of many COVID restrictions. All CECG Schools, Early Learning Centres and Out of School Care Services will return to normal activities, subject to any adjustments that may be required to be made from time to time due to staffing shortages or any COVID requirements that are implemented.

Key points to note: There is no longer a requirement to wear masks in the ACT and NSW on public transport and school buses.

• Positive COVID case requirements continue for students and staff until midnight 13 October 2022.
• From 14 October 2022, there will no longer be any requirement to quarantine where a person tests positive to COVID-19.  It is requested that persons who are COVID positive do not attend school when they are unwell as they would if they had flu like symptoms.

CECG has not yet been advised of any other requirements after 14 October 2022 and will be advised by early next week. We will provide further communication when this is received.

School Uniform

Update: we are waiting for samples to arrive from Lowes. These samples will then allow us to sign a contract with Lowes and permit them to enter production on all the items that they didn't already stock. If you are looking for uniform now or for next year, you have the following options:

• Millers, Temora- I spoke with them today and they still have a large portion of our school uniform in stock. They are light on sports uniform though. Hats can still be ordered through Millers as well. Please support them in clearing out their stock. 
• Lowes- Lowes can be accessed both online and in person at the store in Wagga. Online- got to the Lowes website and type in St Anne's Temora and you will find our items of uniform. 
• School clothing pool- visit the front office and ask for access to the school clothing pool. There is a lot of uniform in there that is still of good quality.

Year 11 2023 parents- we will notify you when the new shirts become available. 

High Impact Teaching Practices (HITP) and Catalyst

Our staff continue to engage with professional learning surrounding HITP, which is part of the bigger Catalyst initiative. The NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has picked up on the momentum in our system with regard to Catalyst. He mentioned our program in his James Martin Oration, focusing on education policy, on 28 September.

Mr Perrottet said:

“I can see value in the approach that some Catholic schools have taken to teacher development with a program called Catalyst. By working with teachers one-to-one - schools are sharing best-practice methods among teachers, making sure every teacher is equipped with tools to excel. The teachers have welcomed the chance to upgrade their skills And students are benefiting from higher quality teaching and consistency through their schooling life. It’s another reform opportunity that I look forward to exploring in the future.”

The Premier’s speech is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCP1srmJi90&t=4015s

Community Council

Thank you to the School Community Council for their recent support of $10,000. This money supported the purchase of new desks and chairs for our students. The Year 10 room has been fitted out with new tables and chairs, the Year 7 room has new chairs and we have created a new classroom upstairs near the art room and fitted it out with tables and chairs. 

Don't forget to sign up for a job for Garden Viewing. This link will take you to a Google Form and you can choose the job you would like and the time frame you can help for. https://forms.gle/LuUSHBHvhJ125gDG8

Rotary Peace Pole Ceremony

To mark the Centenary of Rotary in Australia, the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, ACT, set a goal to see 100 Peace Poles donated to 100 Schools to recognise 100 years of Rotary service in Australia in 2021. This goal has been achieved through collaboration with schools, organizations and Rotary clubs around Australia and today there are Rotary Peace Poles in every state and territory. We have number 44 and it can be found at Fr Hannan's entrance garden. Today, we held a ceremony to recognise the installation of this pole, which was hampered by COVID last year.

Maintenance

Over the term break, both Mr Goode and Mr Williams spent time maintaining our grounds. Mr Goode has been busy preparing our lawns and gardens for Garden Viewing and Mr Williams has been clearing gutters, fixing leaks and taking an overall proactive approach to maintenance. 

Showcase

Another big thank you to the staff and students for the amazing performances and time and effort that was put in to creating showcase. The feedback I received has been excellent. 

Take care,

Grant Haigh

Principal