Jan 2024
Dear parents and carers,
Firstly I would like to wish you and your families a very happy new year 2024. I hope that you and your loved ones have enjoyed a joyful and restful Christmas break. It has been lovely to welcome back all of our students and to see their smiling faces and positive resolve as they tackle the new term. Last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, and I was struck by the 'delight' shown by the wise men in the Epiphany story. This season is a chance to reflect on everything we are grateful for and to take time to appreciate the joy in our lives.
Of course, we continue to delight in the achievements of our students! Our department heads for Creative Design, Mrs Plowright and Miss Taylor are delighted to share one such moment: a group of Year 8 and 9 pupils have been given the exciting opportunity to have their artwork on show at Southampton City Art Gallery. The work is currently on display and will remain until 24th March. We would love for as many members of the St Anne's community to show those pupils their support by visiting the exhibition and congratulating them for this wonderful achievement. The gallery is free to visit, and current opening times are on the gallery website.
We have another busy term ahead so below you will find some useful information and reminders of key dates and events for the term, including next week's early closure (at 2.25pm) on Tuesday 16th January.
With every good wish.
Mr Julian Waterfield
Acting Headteacher
Useful school information for parents and carers
Sustainable transport event - Thursday 18th January - Smoothie Bike
All students and staff who cycle to school on Thursday 18th January will receive a token which they will then be able to exchange for a free smoothie at break time to celebrate their efforts!
Calendar reminders for the term ahead
There are lots of events taking place this term. Some of the key ones to get in the diary now are below.
All year groups events
Tuesday 16th January - early closure at 2.25pm
Thursday 18th January - Curriculum Enrichment Day 3 - please note Year 7 only are asked to come in in PE kit on this day (do ensure they are dressed warmly e.g. trousers if they have them and school jumper as well)
Monday 12th - Friday 16th February - Half term
Thursday 7th March - early closure at 2.25pm and World Book Day celebrations
Thursday 28th March - End of Spring term - early closure at 12.30
Year group specific events
Wednesday 24th January - KS4 Curriculum Evening for Year 9 18.00-20.00 (at school)
Wednesday 21st February - Year 13 Parents Evening 16.00-19.30 (online)
Tuesday 12th March - Curriculum Enrichment Day 4
Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd March - School production performances
Wednesday 27th March - Year 8 Parents Evening 16.00-19.30 (online)
(NB: You can find details of parents evenings for all year groups here on our website )
PFA
The Parents and Friends Association is the name for our PTA. The Parents and Friends Group of St Anne’s was formed in 1989 to support the aims of the school. It consists of parents of pupils past and present, members of the staff and anyone else who has an interest in the school. There is no membership fee.
Its aims are to raise money for extra resources for our pupils and to organise school and educational activities for everyone associated with the school. The PFA is always looking to welcome new members and is very flexible in term time you may have to spare.
The next PFA meeting is taking place at school on Thursday 8th February 17.30-18.30 and is the AGM.
If you would like any further information about the PFA don't hesitate to email PFA@st-annes.uk.com or simply come along to the next meeting!
Too ill to come to school?
It's particularly true at this time of year that as parents it can be hard for us to assess whether our child is well enough to be in school or not. There are a number of resources that can support with that but in particular, the NHS have a helpful page of advice called: Is my child too ill for school?
Second hand coats and uniform
We are continuing to collect preloved warm clothing and coats so that we can donate them to families in need. For either, do just leave them at reception. If you have good quality school uniform that you would like to donate to our second-hand uniform shop, do also it at reception.
Worried about something? Worried about your young person or are they worried about themselves or someone else?
Since re-launching our website, we have had a few students or parents looking for our well-used support page for families. It can be found via the link below and contains is lots of information on the page below from our website about support for families as well as links via which students can report any of their worries or concerns about others.
Worried about something? | St Anne's Catholic School Southampton (st-annes.uk.com)
The safe@st-annes.uk.com email address continues to be well-used. School must be a place of safety where anyone feels able to talk about what is going on in any aspect of their lives and to seek support.
Year 11 Revision Timetable
As the exam period draws closer, some subjects have decided to run extra revision/catch-up sessions at lunchtime or after school for year 11 pupils.
Please see the timetable below for when these sessions are going to be run and their locations, and encourage your daughters to take up these great opportunities to get support with their exam preparation.
Pupils may wish to speak to their subject teachers about who is expected to attend and the format that the revision sessions will be taking, as each subject will be different. They can also give you more detail about what will be covered when.
Useful information from beyond school
Family Hubs Information
The Local Authority are pleased to offer ‘Family Hubs’ around the City to support with a range of different needs. They offer support for families with children who are 0-19 years old.
A Family Hub is a welcoming place where services can be accessed by parents-to-be, parents, carers, families and young people in one place. They offer support and advice in a range of different areas including, but not exclusively, parenting, infant feeding, finance support, adult mental health, midwifery, Dadzclub and many more.
We have attached a timetable of the courses and activities which are happening this term.
If you would like any advice or information about how to access the Family Hub please either contact them directly or speak to your child’s Head of Year.
If you would like to know more this link will take you directly to their website: Family hub locations (southampton.gov.uk)
