New Annesley Values

In 2012, Annesley Junior School adopted ten school values at its commencement. Over the last 14 years, these ten values served our community well, they led our values-based education and guided the conversations and actions of our staff and students.

With a new strategic framework came the opportunity to review our school values. Through stakeholder engagement over the last two year, six new values emerged

The previous ten values of Annesley could’ve belonged to any school. What I love most about our new six Annesley Values, they truly reflect the essence and heart of what makes Annesley unique and special. They reflect the heart of the school we enjoy today and will guide the way we live and learn together into our future.

Connection
We prioritise relationships, community and meaningful bonds with others

Kindness
We treat others with respect, compassion and understanding

Wisdom
We apply knowledge thoughtfully and ethically, and make sound judgements

Bravery
We are creative, and accept new challenges as we pursue excellence

Gratitude
We appreciate what we have and express thankfulness

Joy
We celebrate strengths, and success, and see moments of delight.

In this newsletter, you’ll meet Patch, an example of our new Annesley Values in action, this term.

Please see our full Strategic Framework here.

Patch was introduced at Assembly this week, and by now many of our students will have already met him, either during RAVE lessons or out in the yard during playtime. Patch has come to Annesley because he knows that our school community works together to create a safe and supportive environment where everyone is ready to learn.

How Patch Got His Name

Patch’s name has a special connection to the history and heart of Annesley. He is named after the Patchell Building, the historic building on Greenhill Road where the story of Annesley began. Just as the Patchell Building sits at the centre of our school and represents the foundation of Annesley, Patch symbolises the heart of our community.

Because Patch represents being a good human, showing kindness, care, courage and respect, it felt only fitting that his name links our school’s rich history with the values we live every day. Patch connects the past, present and future of Annesley, reminding us that our values sit at the heart of everything we do.

Patch, Play and Our Values

Patch understands that playtime is a time for fun, friendship and trying new things. He also knows that play can sometimes be tricky. That’s why Patch is a strong supporter of our Yard Essential Agreement, helping students understand expectations and make positive choices during play. Patch is especially keen to see our Annesley values in action across the yard.

To help him in this role, Patch is supported by a group of trusted helpers known as Patch’s Pals. Patch’s Pals look out for great play, kind behaviour and brave problem‑solving, noticing students who demonstrate our values of Joy, Wisdom, Gratitude, Kindness, Connection and Bravery.

When these positive behaviours are seen, Patch’s Pals record the class the students are from and share this information with Patch. Each week, Patch uses this information to decide which class he will visit and stay with. Classes hosting Patch may also have the opportunity to “pay it forward” by supporting Patch’s Pals in collecting Patch Points in the yard.

JOY 
Patch loves seeing students having fun, playing fairly and enjoying their time together

WISDOM
Patch is very clever at knowing the best way to play, share and solve little problems when they pop up

GRATITUDE
Patch is thankful for the Annesley community, our playspaces and all the people who make our school a great place to be

KINDNESS
Patch notices when students include others, listen carefully and help fix mistakes in a kind way

CONNECTION
Patch enjoys seeing new friendships grow and loves it when everyone feels included

BRAVERY
Patch knows it can be brave to try again, say sorry, stand up for others or keep going when something feels tricky.

Congratulations!

After the first week of Patch Points being collected, we are excited to announce that Year 4 Bernie is the first class Patch will be visiting. Well done to Year 4 Bernie for demonstrating positive play and strong values. Patch has settled into Year 4 Bernie well, having read some books and getting involved in Maths learning too. Students in Year 4 Bernie have become Patch’s pals and have been helping in collecting Patch Points to find out which class Patch will be visiting next Wednesday, which will be announced at Chapel.

Thank You

A very special thank you to Teresa Hudson for the generous donation of Patch. His presence is already making a positive impact across the school and helping to strengthen a culture of respectful, inclusive and joyful play at Annesley.

We look forward to seeing Patch continue to encourage strong values and positive connections across our school community.

The Annesley Parents Association and Bouncing Bean Café warmly invite you to our 2026 Mother’s Day Morning.

Date: Friday 8 May
Time: 8:30 – 9:15am (ELC – Year 6)

Bring along mums, grandmothers, or special friends to enjoy a lovely morning together.

Primary Classes: From 8:30–8:45am, guests are invited into classrooms to take part in activities within the learning spaces alongside your children. This will be followed by a complimentary hot drink and a sweet treat at Bouncing Bean Café from 8:45–9:15am.

ELC Rooms: If your child attends the ELC please come and enjoy an extended drop off with each other before joining other parents at the cafe from 8:45am.

For catering purposes kindly RSVP (in the link below) by 4pm Wednesday 6 May.

Mother’s Day Raffle

Raffle tickets are available for purchase at $5 each or 3 for $10, with winners drawn on the day. A big thank you to our generous community for donating the following prizes:

• KX Pilates Unley – Voucher plus water bottle, towel and socks
• O2wear – Voucher
• Just Down the Road – Voucher

To purchase raffle tickets and to RSVP, please click here: Annesley Junior School | Mother’s Day 2026

We look forward to celebrating with you and the wonderful mums and special people in our community!

Old Scholar Families Morning Tea 2026

To foster connections among our current families who are also Old Scholars, the Old Scholars Committee is hosting a special morning tea.

We warmly invite Old Scholars of Annesley College and MLC who are current parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or special friends to join us for breakfast with their children or grandchildren. This gathering is an opportunity to celebrate our multigenerational Annesley families and our proud history.

BREAKFAST
When: Thursday 14 May
Time: 8:15 – 9:15am
Where: Bouncing Bean Café / Dining Room
RSVP: By Friday 8 May rogowskic@annesley.sa.edu.au

A light breakfast and coffee will be provided. Please advise of any dietary requirements when you RSVP.

As we continue to use Anney, we are making ongoing improvements and appreciate the support from our community as we continue to evolve our systems.

At present, most school communication is shared through Anney. Consents and payments, however, are still being processed through Schoolstream. Over the coming weeks, a new system will soon make these possible within the Anney platform, and Schoolstream will no longer be required.

Later this year, we will be launching the Anney app. At that time, Anney will become our single platform for all school communication, consents, payments, and for viewing your child’s learning progress.

We will provide further information and support closer to the launch to ensure this change is smooth and well supported for all families.

If you would like to watch instructional videos on how to navigate the current features in Anney, please visit the Anney support page. This page also includes an email address should you wish to ask any questions. You can contact support at anneysupport@annesley.sa.edu.au.

Join us at Gillingham Hall on 30 May 2026 for a night of laughs, friendly competition, and unforgettable fun!

• Prizes up for grabs
• Best Dressed Prom King & Queen
• Good vibes guaranteed

Tables
Tables of 4 are ideal — if you can get a table of 8, even better!
No team? No stress. Simply tick “Pair Me Up” and we’ll match you with others for the ultimate fun table.

BYO food & drinks

RSVP by 23 May – To book your ticket, please email Cat: rogowskic@annesley.sa.edu.au.

Get your crew together, plan your outfits, and get ready for a night to remember!

Today’s Annesley Cross Country was a warm and enjoyable day, and it was wonderful to see so much effort and House spirit both on and off the track. Congratulations to all participants for giving it your best and for upholding the Annesley values throughout the event.

A big thank you to Zac Venning for organising such a successful day, to all Annesley staff for your support, and to our community members who came along to cheer on our amazing students.

Well done to Nemea! the winning House for a fantastic team performance.

Our school was represented on Saturday morning by a group of Year 6 Senior students at the Unley RSL Anzac Day Service.

Blair, one of our School Leaders, read a prayer at the service, and other Year 6 students laid a wreath next to the MLC/Annesley plaque on the schools’ memorial, also as part of the service.

Our wreath was made that week by our Reception students, and is now sitting proudly in the Unley Memorial Gardens.

We will remember them.

Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge

As part of our Term 3 unit of inquiry, Year 6 students recently attended the Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge. This excursion strongly connected to our Term 3 central idea:

“Social justice is enhanced when we increase access to equal opportunities.”

The experience provided students with a powerful, real world example of inclusion in sport and highlighted how access, adaptability and representation can create meaningful opportunities for all individuals to participate and excel.

During the excursion, students watched elite wheelchair rugby athletes compete at an international level. They learned about the rules of the sport, wheelchair classifications, teamwork strategies and the physical demands required to play at such a high standard.

A highlight of the day was the opportunity for students to meet the players, ask questions, have their programs signed and interact closely with a wheelchair rugby chair. This hands on experience helped students further develop empathy, challenge assumptions and gain firsthand insight into how sport can be adapted to ensure fairness and inclusion.

This excursion was a valuable first step in developing our understanding of inclusion in sport and social justice more broadly. It has helped students recognise that equal opportunities often require intentional changes and support to ensure everyone can participate fully.

Next term, students will build on this experience as we continue our learning journey, exploring how inclusion in sport can be promoted in schools, communities and beyond. The knowledge and perspectives gained from this excursion will act as a strong foundation for deeper inquiry and action.

We would like to thank Zac and Christian for making this experience possible and commend the Year 6 students for the curiosity, respect and enthusiasm they demonstrated throughout the day

On Wednesday, we enjoyed an extra-special ELC Grandparents and Special Friends’ Morning, with families filling Gillingham Hall for a joyful celebration. Guests were treated to a fantastic performance by the Amazing Drumming Monkeys, one of Australia’s most popular children’s entertainment acts, and they certainly did not disappoint.

Gillingham Hall came alive with jumping, clapping and laughter as children, grandparents and special friends joined in the fun, while also learning a few important lessons along the way. Smiles and giggles were shared across generations, making it a truly memorable occasion.

Thank you to Donna, our ELC Director, and the ELC team for organising such an engaging event, and to the grandparents and special friends who joined us and helped make the morning so special.

Reception Celebration of Learning – Sounds-Write lesson for parents

Our Reception parents were invited take part in a Sounds-Write lesson this week as part of their child’s Celebration of Learning! The Sounds-Write linguistic approach to learning is explicitly taught daily in Reception, teaching children about the sounds in speech, with a particular focus on moving students from the sounds to the written word. It improves writing achievement, as children are taught to sound out the words to read them and then spell them in every lesson, starting in Reception. Thank you to our Reception team Gaby, Michaela and Olivia, for running a Sounds-Write lesson for the parents and students to engage in each morning this week.

Parent and Teacher Meetings

We share learning in many ways throughout the year at Annesley.Families were invited by teachers to a Settling In Meeting in Term 1. At the end of this term, a Written Semester Report will be shared on Anney. In Term 3, there will be an opportunity for families to attend a 3-Way Conference (which involves the child, teacher and parent/s) and also Specialist Area Learning Walks.

In addition to this, we invite families to make a time to meet with their child’s theacher to discuss finer details of their child’s learning at anytime throughout the school year. Teachers at Annesley will also contact families, should they have any reason for further discussion at anytime.

Please contact your child’s teacher, to set up a meeting, should you wish to discuss your child’s learning growth and progress at anytime throughout the school year.

Last week our Year 6 students received delivery of their seniors jackets!

This is an exciting moment that symbolises so much about their special year as leaders of our school, but also the culmination of their design process they undertook for their seniors jackets in Term 1.

We are proud to partner with 4th Seed Designs, who specialise in sustainable and ethical sourced clothing design.

At Annesley, there are designated toilets for student use and other toilets available for adults to use while onsite.

The designated and clearly labelled adult toilet facilities are located:

• In the Gym
• Courtyard
• Opposite the Front Office.

Annesley staff are always happy to assist if you need directions.

This expectation supports our commitment to maintaining a safe, child‑focused environment for all students and visitors.

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.

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.