30th Sep 2023
Dear Parents,
I hope this update finds you and your family well. The first two and a half weeks of term have flown by and we have been very impressed with how our pupils have adapted to being back in school after the summer break.
As a staff we began the year with a thought-provoking and inspiring staff training day on which we spent time reflecting on how our vision statement and LSU identity permeate everything we do, and help us strive to be the best that we can be, to prepare our students to take their place at the heart of our rapidly changing world, revealing God's love. It's lovely to take moments like that to pause and remember why we do what we do!
We are delighted to have welcomed over 200 new St Annians to the lower school in Year 7 and 83 Year 12 students to our Sixth Form community. New staff are finding their feet and school feels happy and safe.
I am so grateful to you for your support with maintaining our high standards of uniform. I know my colleagues have been working hard to remind everyone that we have these high standards so that nobody is left feeling out of place. We have been working on jewellery that is and is not allowed and socks in particular - small things to get right but which show that we all care and take pride in how we look. This year, we have introduced a £1 charge for any socks or tights that are not returned when they are issued when girls are out of uniform.
The weather is turning - slightly earlier than we might have liked - and I would remind you that we aren't prescriptive about coats (we want girls to be seen!) but we do require coats to be put away in lockers or in the shared cloakroom in the basement during lesson times.
This week includes the feast day of St Vincent de Paul. We are so grateful to Mr Slinn for launching an SVP group in school. It will start slowly but every act of service makes an impact. You can find out about the work of SVP here.With my very best wishes,
Mr Julian Waterfield
Acting Headteacher
School Life
Same website address, new website!
We have been eagerly awaiting the launch of our brand new
website and this week it has gone live! All of the same useful information is
collected together on the website for the benefit of prospective and current
parents and families but it's just had a much need refresh and a beautiful
facelift! We hope you love it as much as we do and find it easier to locate any
information that you might need. Any feedback is welcomed to consultation@st-annes.uk.com.
Successes to celebrate already!
We have only been back a couple of weeks and we already have
congratulations to share!
Firstly a massive well done to Alicia in year 9, who was a runner up in the Portsmouth Diocese Knights and Dames of St Gregory and St Sylvester's essay competition held last year for a research essay on St Gregory.
Secondly, huge congratulations to Madihah in year 10 who was
one of the three winners of the Southampton city schools art competition.
Madihah's art work can be seen below.
The competition was themed on homelessness and was open to all
schools and colleges in Southampton. The winning pictures will be included in
the programme for the Homeless Commemoration Service on 1st November at Saint
Mary’s Church. This service will remember the people who have died in
Southampton who have been homeless. The Bishop of Southampton will speak at the
first service of its kind, and it will be supported by the Southampton Council
of Faiths.
Finally, our team of athletes participated in last year's delayed City Athletics competition. Amazingly, despite no additional training since July, our awesome Annites won the overall girls trophy and the overall girls field trophy! Well done to everyone in the team and thank you to the PE department for their time and efforts in developing such a successful team!
Site News
A quick update on our recent building and upgrading projects!
Work on replacing the remaining old roofs is well underway and
we are delighted to already be using our newly refurbished food rooms and our
beautiful new toilets! The toilets have been something we have fought hard to
make a nice environment for all for a number of years, so it is brilliant to
finally see this dream realised and witness the positive impact it has had on
the students. A big thank you to Mrs Murphy, our Business Manager and the site
team and thank you, too, for the donations from families to our optional school
building fund, without which this upgrade would not have been possible. If you
would like to contribute to future building projects, then please do so via ScoPay.
Information and support for parents and families
Mental Health in Schools newsletter
Please see below the link for the Secondary Schools Mental
Health in Schools newsletter.
https://online.flippingbook.com/view/684388713/
It is full of tips to support your child with their well-being
and mental health.
It shows how to explore mental well being in lots of ways and
can really help if your child is feeling low in any way.
Why not take the 5 Day Challenge alongside your child and see how it can really help to focus on your mental wellbeing?
Parent Information Evenings for Years 8, 9, 10,
11 and 12
Our recent information evenings for he above year groups were recorded for those who have more than one pupil at St Anne's or who were unable to attend the live events. The recordings can be found using the links below, and a copy of the slides for each evening will be available on our website shortly:
Year
8 Information evening recording
Year
9 Information evening recording
Year
10 Information evening recording
Year
11 Information evening recording
Year
12 Information evening recording
The National Autistic Society, South Hampshire
Branch support group
Our local branch of the National Autistic Society would like
to invite you to their support group, which is delivered in partnership with
Hampshire Autistic Society. You will be able to meet other parents, chat over a
cup of coffee and have the opportunity to receive useful support and advice.
The dates of the next meetings are as follows:
Dates: Thursday 28 September, 19 October and 23 November 2023
Times: 5 -7 pm (on all of the above dates)
Venue: Elim Park Church, Park Road, SO15 3DE
