Newsletters
Annesley News Issue 253

From the Principal

2026 Marks a New Strategic Phase for Our School

As I shared in our first newsletter of the year, 2026 marks the beginning of a new strategic phase for Annesley Junior School. Sustained and purposeful engagement with students, staff, families, old scholars, our school souncil, and our wider community over the last two years, has led to a new Purpose and Vision statement for our school, new Annesley Values and three Strategic Focus Areas to shape our future.

Our Purpose and Our Vision

Our refreshed Purpose and Vision statements capture the unique strengths of Annesley. They articulate why we do what we do, and how we go about our work with children, families, and each other every day.

Annesley Values

Annesley adopted ten values in 2012, which have served us well as a community during this time. Through stakeholder engagement during the last two years, six values have emerged that define us as a school and will guide our decision‑making, our culture, and the way we live and learn together.

Our Strategic Focus Areas

Our Annesley Team has identified three interconnected areas for ongoing Strategic Focus. These areas are represented visually within the A for Annesley, set in our Gillingham font, demonstrating how they support and strengthen each other. These Strategic Focus Areas will shape our priorities, our development, and our collective work in the years ahead.

I look forward to sharing more detail about each Strategic Focus Area in Annesley News each fortnight throughout this term.

Jo Rossiter
Principal

Madhavi Tawana Parker – Anxiety and Children

 Tuesday 24 February, 6pm in our Dining Room

You asked, and we listened! Last year’s participants valued Madhavi’s presentation so much that we have brought her back again to start this workshop series for the year.

Madhavi from Positive Minds Australia speaks at school nationally and, as a parent herself shares in the journey of parenting, while offering valuable insights and practical take-home tips for families. This year will be a different focus this year, speaking specifically to the increased anxiety children experience today in their generation, a valuable session about parenting children in this generation, now and as they get older.

Listen to the Podcast created by the Wellbeing Committee last year about Bullying No Way Week and the Dare to Become Parenting series, here.

Register for the Dare to Become Parenting Series, starting next week through School Stream, link here.

Child minding is available on Tuesday evening with Pastor Pete and Penny Rawinski, register for this service through School Stream, link here.

Our Community Leaders Chloe and Philly would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Mother Language Day activity today. We look forward to creating a display that will make our Annesley Values visible in many of the wonderful languages spoken in our community.

As an IB World School we recognise that home and family languages support students’ identity, confidence, and sense of belonging, which are foundational to wellbeing and learning. They also strengthen cognitive development and help students transfer skills across languages, enhancing overall academic achievement.

Annesley Parents Association (APA)

Thank you to everyone who attended the Welcome Back Drinks in week 2. It was wonderful to celebrate the start of the new school year, see so many familiar faces, and warmly welcome the new families joining our community.

The APA plays an important role in strengthening our school community, supporting family engagement, and raising funds to enhance the school experience for our students.

Below is a list of APA events for 2026—please save these dates in your diaries:

• Primary Sports Day Sausage Sizzle – Term 1, Week 9, Friday 27 March
  (Alternate date in case of weather: Monday 30 March)
• Mother’s Day Morning – Term 2, Week 3, Friday 8 May at 8:15am
• Quiz Night – Term 2, Week 6, Saturday 30 May
• Father’s Day Morning – Term 3, Week 7, Friday 4 September at 8:15am
• Christmas Concert Sausage Sizzle – Term 4, Week 6, Friday 20 November
  (Alternate date in case of weather: Monday 23 November)

Volunteer Callout

The APA is seeking volunteers to assist with the following events. If you can offer your support, please let us know.

APA Volunteers 2026 – Register your interest here
• Sports Day – We are looking for some volunteers to help with the BBQ for the sausage sizzle.
• Quiz Night – Looking for helpers and prize donations to support the event.
• Christmas Concert – Volunteers to help with the BBQ for the sausage sizzle.

We are always grateful for assistance with APA events and welcome any fundraising donations. If you would like to help with events, provide donations, or both, please email Georgie Burns apa@annesley.sa.edu.au or complete the relevant form on School Stream, indicating which events you are able to support.

A big thank you to Alfred and Hettie’s dad, Jack Horsnell, and to Windsor Meats (https://windsormeats.au) for their generous support in providing sausages for our APA sausage sizzles.

Welcoming Tania Wood – Visual Arts

We are delighted to welcome Tania Wood to our school community in 2026 as our Visual Arts Specialist Teacher. With over 25 years of experience nurturing creativity in young people, Tania brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and artistic energy to our team.

Tania has spent her career inspiring students to express themselves through art, guiding them to explore ideas, experiment with materials, and celebrate their individuality. She works across a wide range of mediums, but her constant creative focus is acrylic painting, where she finds endless opportunities for colour, texture, and expression.

Drawing deep inspiration from nature, Tania brings a sense of wonder into her classroom—encouraging students to look closely, think deeply, and discover beauty in the world around them. She believes strongly in the wellbeing that creativity brings, and she strives to make Visual Arts a joyful, inclusive, engaging, and uplifting experience for every learner.

Tania is committed to helping students discover their strengths, build confidence, and experience the satisfaction of creating something uniquely their own. We are excited for the fresh ideas, warmth, and creativity she will contribute to our school.

Please join us in giving Tania a warm welcome into our community!

We are incredibly proud to have been named a Science Active School by the SA Science Teachers Association again in 2026, that is now three years in a row!

This reflects our dedicated focus on primary science, with the science curriculum taught by our talented specialist science teacher, Christiana in her engaging Science learning space, where our curious, young scientists love learning.

Last year’s highlights include a student-led project to develop a native frog habitat in our farm, prizewinner success in the Oliphant Science Awards, hatching chicks in our Science Lab, ongoing partnerships with #theforktreeproject, #clelandwildlifepark and #zoossa in our Quest program and many Enterprise projects, such as growing produce in the farm or Year 3 students sourcing native shrubs and planting them in our gardens, learning from our property team in the process.

Year 4 Bernie Buddy Afternoon

Bernie’s Year 4 class recently enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with our buddies, Year 1 Bonnie’s class. We focused on our school value of kindness. Students worked together to create colourful posters, sharing ideas and listening carefully to one another. It was lovely to see our Year 4 students confidently explaining their thinking while encouraging their younger buddies to contribute their own ideas.

After completing the posters, the Year 4 buddies read stories with the Year 1 students. This was a special opportunity to practice clear communication, patience and expressive reading, while helping our younger students feel supported and valued.

The session helped build new connections across year levels and strengthened friendships within our school community. Both classes showed great teamwork and respect, and it was a joy to see kindness in action throughout the afternoon.

In our Year 2 French lessons we have started our study of their Inquiry Sharing the Planet. In week 3, students shared about their visit to the Marine Discovery Centre, where they deepened their understanding of marine ecosystems, environmental responsibility, and hands-on inquiry. We looked at our Annesley School Values in French and students brainstormed and discussed how these values underpin the way in which we share and care for the planet. They focused on la joie, la connection, la reconnaissance and le courage and came up with some insightful ideas in groups.

We looked at some statements in French about our planet, how it is précieuse, grande but en danger. Students used their knowledge of English to identify cognates and help them understand the new language. They completed wordsearches of the key vocabulary for this topic in French and then designed a bookmark with a motivational slogan that could encourage others to respect or look after the environment better.

Students have already shown a real interest and engagement in this unit and have many ideas of ways in which we could make positive changes ourselves that impact the wider community. In future weeks we will look at a French-speaking community in a different part of the world and explore how their experience of life differs to ours.

Shrove Tuesday at Annesley

On Tuesday, our students enjoyed one of the most anticipated days of the year, Shrove Tuesday, better known as Pancake Day! Students were treated to a fun surprise visit from Penny Pancake, adding extra joy to the festivities as we marked the beginning of Lent together.

A big thank you to Jim and Neil, who cooked hundreds of delicious pancakes for everyone to enjoy. We’re also grateful to Pastor Pete, Cat, and our wonderful parent helpers for making the morning run so smoothly.

Year 5 & 6 Tee Off with LIV Golf Experience

LIV Golf was the place to be in Adelaide last Friday, and our Year 5 and 6 students had the chance to get amongst the excitement this week as part of their PE program. Students explored golf skills, learned more about the sport, and enjoyed a taste of the energy surrounding the event.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our budding golfers to try something new and be inspired by a major sporting showcase.

At the start of each school year, we seek 1-2 Class Representatives for each class (ELC-Year 6). This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in our school community and make a positive impact.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to those parents who have already nominated themselves. Your willingness to contribute is greatly appreciated!

There are still a few positions vacant, so if you’re interested, please reach out to your class teacher. We look forward to working together to create a vibrant and supportive environment for our children!

The 2026 school year has begun smoothly, with students settling confidently into their new classes. Teachers have already started sharing news items and photos on Anney, helping families stay connected to classroom life from the very beginning of the year. Communication about classroom and year level activities will continue to be shared via News on Anney with consent and payments being completed on School Stream, while we embed this approach into Anney.

As with any new technology, there is a period of adjustment, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to refine and strengthen Anney. Since launching the parent‑facing version in Term 3, 2025, we’ve made several important improvements—including resolving the previous login issue that caused frequent logouts. If you continue to experience any difficulties, please reach out to Anney Support.

A range of written and video guides is available on the Anney support page. You may find this video helpful on how to access the Anney support page useful: Anney Support Video

More parent‑friendly videos, including how to view News and Learning Moments, will be released soon and will be published on the Anney support page.

Anney brings together several platforms to support communication, learning, and family engagement. Our long‑term intention is for Anney to become a one‑stop shop for families—a single place where communication, learning, consents, payments, and essential information can be easily accessed. Building a system with this level of integration takes time, and ongoing coordination and feedback are essential. Emails sent to the support address inform our weekly implementation meetings and have already led to updates such as improved login processes and layout enhancements.

Throughout 2026, Anney’s features will continue to grow including the development of an Anney App which is currently in development. We will provide updates – and a step by step guide – once release date is confirmed.

Scholastic Book Club has returned for 2026

By making a purchase you are supporting your child with their engagement and love of reading. The school also benefits with credits earned from orders placed. Items are then acquired and added to the library collections.

For those of you are new to the school community please read the Book Club LOOP parent information sheet and frequently asked questions.
All orders are to be placed and paid online in advance of the items being delivered to school free of charge for distribution. The closing date for placing an order for Issue 1 is 4pm Friday 13^th February 2026. The items will be delivered in the coming weeks and sent home with your child.

Thank you for supporting Scholastic Book Club at Annesley Junior School.

Sarah Scott
Library Officer

A reminder to families

If you have younger children for whom you have not yet submitted an application form, applications can be submitted via the following link: Enrolment

An application must be submitted for a child to be considered for a place. Places are subject to availability and are not automatically guaranteed for siblings, so early application is strongly recommended.

If you are unsure whether you have already submitted an application and would like to check, or if you have any other questions, please contact Laura in the Student Enrolments Office on 8422 2211 or email enrolments@annesley.sa.edu.au.

The safety of our students and their families, along with respectful consideration for our neighbouring residents on Rose Terrace, remains a priority at Annesley.

Kiss ’n Drop Zone

• 8:15am – 8:45am and 3:15pm – 3:45pm each school day
• Extends from the Pedestrian Crossing to the Cubby House
• 3‑minute stop only — please remain within 1 metre of your car

For the safety of children, please avoid:

• Making U‑turns on Rose Terrace
• Double parking

Please consider our neighbours by not:

• Parking across driveways or in no‑standing zones
• Moving rubbish bins on bin day (Tuesday)
• Parking in permit zones

Thank you for your ongoing attention to these guidelines — it makes a positive difference for everyone.

Through recent engagement with the Unley Council, they have confirmed guidelines for our community to follow when using the Kiss & Drop zone. Drivers must remain within 3 metres of their car in this zone and can only remain stopped for 2 minutes. If a driver moves further than 3 metres away, the 2-minute period no longer applies. We have had regular inspections from Unley Council of this zone recently. We ask our community members to adhere to these guidelines to avoid getting fined, and to keep our Kiss & Drop zone functioning effectively.

A reminder to Primary families that supervision for our students is provided from 8.30am on school grounds. Prior to this time, students are not to be left onsite without an adult family member. Our Before School OSHC Service is available to families requiring early supervision from 7.30am to 8.30am. Similarly, staff supervision is provided after school until 3.45pm. OSHC is available to families needing care after school until 6pm.

From 4.30pm each day, OSHC requires exclusive access to the eastern playspace (including the soccer field and Adventure playground). After this time, families are asked to move to the western end, utilising the Court and Daphne Gum playground.

Calling all families to donate gently used Annesley uniforms to Unify, our student-led pop-up shop for second-hand uniforms. Your contribution not only promotes sustainability but also helps support many of the school’s initiatives. Your ongoing participation is greatly appreciated and contributes to the continued success of our school community. Donations can be left in the Unify tub located in the Front Office.

Our Bouncing Bean Café and Unify Second-Hand store are open at the following times each week:

Before School: 8.15am – 9am, Everyday
Morning Break: 11.05am – 11.45am, Everyday
Tuesday & Wednesday Afternoons: 3pm – 4pm

We have a busy and exciting Term 1 ahead at Annesley, with a range of learning experiences, excursions, and community celebrations planned for our students. Please see the key dates below and add them to your calendar.

Our website now has a volunteering page under the Community Tab that outlines clearly the process we require our family members to follow to volunteer at Annesley. This process meets legislative requirements in order to keep our children and volunteers safe at Annesley. See more here.