Mr Hyatt
Diocesan Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday, I was very fortunate to accompany 16 of our students to the Diocesan Athletics Carnival held at Tamworth! Up against over 500 competitors from all of the primary schools in the diocese, all of our team performed extremely well and should be very proud of their achievements. It was a great day had by all and I know the team manager for the day, lost his voice from cheering! Congratulations goes to Annie who came second in the 11 years Girls 800m. Annie has qualified to represent the Armidale Diocese at the Polding Athletics Trials to be held at Glendale on the 9th September. Annie ran so well that if she was at our school athletics carnival, she would have beaten the school record time by a minute. A full report is included in the sports section of the newsletter. Thanks again to all of the parents and grandparents who came and supported their children on the day.
On Friday 16th September, there is a Diocesan Sports Gala Day. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend as on this day our Year 5-6 students will be returning back to Walcha from Canberra. We will be definitely competing at this Gala Day next year!
We Are In The Spring Edition of Regional Lifestyle Magazine!
As mentioned in the school newsletter last week, the Spring edition of the Regional Lifestyle Magazine has arrived and they have dedicated a feature to Walcha, in which we have a two page spread. It is definitely worth a read. The magazine is available at all newsagencies across the region as well as online for $15.
School Beanies
Our new school beanies have arrived last week. I know that I might sound very biased but I believe these beanies look absolutely fantastic and a large number of our students as well as myself have been wearing them on these chilly mornings. If you would like one as I am sure that we haven't seen the last of winter yet, they are available at the front office for $15.
Kindergarten Transition Program Starting Tomorrow!
Very, very soon, our Kindergarten Transition program commences! We are looking forward to having our 2023 Kindergarten children come to big school tomorrow, Friday 26th August for their first day of transition. This program will be on every Friday for the rest of Term 3 as well as the first five Fridays in Term 4. Mrs Hoy will be leading transition and she has organised a lot of fun activities that will be conducted throughout the program.
Transition Days for children are significant in helping children familiarise themselves with the school environment and helping to make the transition to ‘big school’ so much easier.
Year 5-6 Canberra Excursion
Last week, more information was sent home to our Years 5 and 6 students in regards to their excursion to Canberra on the COVID protocols that we need to acknowledge and abide by. Many thanks to the parents who have already sent back their acknowledgments so promptly. Please remember these acknowledgments need to be returned back to school by Friday 2nd September. A copy of this document is included in one of the links below.
Information that was sent home included an itinerary, School Excursions to the ACT COVID-19 Protocols Parents/Guardians Checklist, COVID-19 Personal Declaration Form as well as details on what to bring, medications, expectations of behaviour, spending money and other various items. Unfortunately some parents still need to send in their child's medical information form. Can these be returned back to school as soon as possible? Also all participants will need to complete their COVID-19 Personal Declaration Form in the 24 hours leading to our departure.
Below are links and attachments for the various pieces of documentation that were sent home.
Personal COVID Health Declaration Form
SCHOOL EXCURSIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY COVID-19 PROTOCOLS PARENTS/GUARDIANS/CARERS CHECKLIST
Year 5-6 CANBERRA EXCURSION 2022 GENERAL INFORMATION AND MEDICAL INFORMATION FORM NOTE
Year 5-6 CANBERRA COVID INFORMATION, PROTOCOLS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Grandparents Day, Book Fair and Book Week Fashion Parade-Friday 2nd September
Friday 2nd September is definitely going to be an action-packed day with a number of activities that are happening. We will be beginning the day with our annual Father's Day Breakfast and more details are included in the canteen section of this newsletter. Also, in the morning session (9.15 am-11.30 am), we are inviting all of our grandparents to join us for Grandparents Day, where there will be a number of activities coinciding with this special occasion in all of the classrooms. Everyone is invited to call into the library to view our Book Fair Display and we will be finishing off with our annual Book Week fashion parade. Also, Bridget from The Herd Bar will be here all of the morning for parents, grandparents and students who wish to purchase a coffee or a hot chocolate when they are here at school. Our Mini Vinnies will also be operating a Father's Day Stall as well as a "How Many Lollies Are In The Jar" competition.
The theme for Book Week this year is: Dream With Your Eyes Open and for the fashion parade, we are encouraging our students (including transition) to dress up as: 'What They Want To Be When They Grow Up!'. I have finally sorted out my costume for the fashion parade and it is still going on the green theme like last year. Can you guess what I am going to dress up like?
As mentioned in the paragraph above, next week will be our Annual Book Fair & Book Week Parade. Our Library has been transformed into an
As we did last year we are sending home a catalogue with the Books available at the Fair for you to order. If you would like to purchase a book & donate it to the library please make a note of this on your order form. The book you donate to the Library will have a donation label inside the cover with your families name, a gift of reading to pass onto to other children.
Premier's Reading Challenge 2022
The Premier's Reading Challenge for this year finished last Friday! Again, well done to all of the students who participated, and from what I have heard there were a large number and wide range of texts read. The validations close on Friday 2nd September. If you have any questions and/or queries in regards to anything associated with the reading challenge, please contact Mrs Healey.
2022 School Improvement Survey
In 2022, the Catholic Schools Office has once again engaged the services of Survey My School to provide a platform for parents to supply St Patrick's School with feedback on our current practices and procedures. These surveys were emailed to parents at the beginning of this week. If you haven't received an email in regards to accessing and completing this survey, can you please let the school know? The survey closes on Friday 2nd September.
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New England Sings 2022 Term 4 for Years 3-6
Thank you to the parents who responded to the survey in regards to indicating if their child/ren are willing to participate in the New England Sings Concert early next term. At the moment, we have 10 students participating in this event.
NEW ENGLAND SINGS! 2022 COMBINED PRIMARY CHOIRS REHEARSAL SCHEDULE Armidale and surrounding schools – outreach schools will have rehearsals scheduled at their own school. However, outreach schools are welcome to attend the Armidale workshops if possible.
This exciting event is beginning to take shape, 16 schools (with approx. 500 choristers) in the combined Primary choirs and 14 schools (with approx. 450 choristers) in the Secondary choir.
The 2022 project will include:
The commissioning of two works from wonderful Australian composers – Justine Clarke for the Primary choir and Luke Byrne for the Secondary choir.
Paul Jarman will be attending workshops throughout the year and will conduct the Primary choirs at the final weekend of rehearsals and concerts.
FINAL REHEARSAL (all schools, including outreach schools to attend):
Date: Saturday 22nd October (directed by Paul Jarman)
Time: Primary Choir 1 9:30am – 11:00am (arrive by 9:15am)
Venue: Armidale Secondary College
CONCERTS: Date: Sunday 23rd October (directed by (with Paul Jarman)
Time: Primary Choir 11:00am – 1:00pm (arrive by 10:15am)
Venue: Armidale Secondary College (Butler St)
St Patrick’s School is an outreach school for the rehearsals but we will attempt to attend two of the rehearsals in Armidale.
Parents will have to commit to the Saturday 22nd October - Final Rehearsal and Sunday 23rd October Concert. If they wish their child to participate in New England Sings.
A short video on what New England Sings! is all about is included below: