Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to another term!

The second week of term has only just ended, and we have already been busy with various activities and events:

NAIDOC Week

Last Thursday, 21 July, we celebrated NAIDOC Week with a ceremony, liturgy and shared morning tea, followed by a range of activities. Students enjoyed the day having group discussions about cultural understanding, eating scones, listening to music and dancing.

Many thanks to our AEAs Caitlin Smith and Darcy Lang and our special guests Clinton Lamb and Aunty Teresa Combo for leading us in these sessions and sharing their knowledge of language and culture with us. 

Also, a big thank you to Nurruby Childcare Wee Waa and families for joining us for the morning session, and Karen Tighe, our Indigenous Education K-12 Subject Matter Expert from the CSO Armidale, for celebrating with us on the day.

100 Days of Kindergarten

Last Friday, 22 July, our Kindergarten class celebrated 100 days of learning! The students enjoyed the day by dressing up as if they were 100 years old, playing different games, and writing about what they will be doing when they are older. 

Thank you for a fantastic 100 days. Congratulations Kindergarten!

Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday, 26 July, we held our Annual Athletics Carnival. A big thank you to Lucy Suttor, our Sports Coordinator, for organising the event and all the families, friends and staff who made the day possible! 

Please see Miss Suttor’s Sports news below:

All students ran their fastest, threw their furthest, and jumped the highest and longest that they could! To see the smiling faces as they ran over the finish line was amazing. Congratulations to all students for their efforts and sportsmanship, and St Andrew’s house for their win.

On Wednesday, 27 July, we live-streamed the Athletics Award Assembly via Facebook, which can be accessed via https://fb.watch/eyVIERT09-/

Further congratulations are needed for the following 31 students who have qualified for the ADPSC Athletics, held at the Tamworth Regional Athletics Centre on Friday 12 August. Well done, and good luck! Please see News & Notices for further information regarding consent and payment via Compass.

Cameron Baird, Lincoln Baird, Alexis Bartz, Edward Carolan, Jag Carroll, Leyton Carroll, Ava Collett, Sarah Coutts-Smith, Demi-Renee Cruickshank, Wylie Cruickshank, Sophie Crutcher, Nate Dewson, Linc Driscoll, Archie Driscoll, Xavier Edwards, James Gleeson, Ava Hall, Marlee Hannaford, Charlii Hardy, Ebonie Hatton, Percy Hayes, Sarah Lennon, Rosie Lennon, Laycey Maxwell, Loela Palmer, Trey Towns, Quinn Towns, Edee, Towns, Jack Wilson, Henry Wilson and Sophia Woolcock

Christmas in July Jolly Jumpers Night

This is just a reminder that St Joseph’s Primary Wee Waa P & F will be holding the Christmas in July Jolly Jumpers night tomorrow, Saturday, 30 July. It will be a great night, with the opportunity to raise money for our school, with many great prizes up for grabs, including raffles and an auction.

Compass Pay & Canteen

All schools in our diocese will be transitioning to new financial and school management systems this year. This transition will be happening at St Joseph’s Wee Waa over the coming weeks. This will impact some of our existing payment processes as well as our Qkr! App.

The first major change will be the way that we order for our school’s canteen. All canteen items will be pre-ordered via the Compass app under the Canteen section from Friday 12 August. Further details and a quick how-to video will be posted soon. You can see the new canteen ordering platform on your Compass app now. However, it will not be active until Friday, 12 August.

Other financial changes will be happening in the coming weeks. These will include the ability to pay school fees and other payments via EFTPOS on-site at school. There will be changes to how our direct debits and automatic payments will be set up, and these details will be communicated to you over the coming weeks.

Before the end of Term 3, we will not be utilising the Qkr! App for payments. All online payments will be made via Compass, BPAY or Direct Debit. 

For further information on how to order Canteen via the Compass app, please see the attached guide.

School Fees

Please note that statements have been emailed today. If you have a balance owing, please ensure that you are making regular payments. If you are experiencing any financial hardship, please contact the school office to make an appointment with Mr Stewart, and other arrangements can be made to help.

Book Week Parade, Book Fair & Special Lunch Day

This year, our Book Week celebrations will be held Wednesday, 24 August, at 9:15 am.  

Your child is invited to dress up as a book character or in a costume to match the 2022 Book Week theme "Dreaming with eyes open".

Two small prizes will be awarded in each class for Best Costume and Costume that displays the Children’s Book Council of Australia theme.

After the parade, we will be holding a Book Fair for parents and children to purchase books under the COLA area. EFTPOS will be available. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Finally, we will also be having a special lunch day for the students in place of the usual Canteen lunch. Morning Tea will still be available to pre-order for this day. Further information regarding the menu will be communicated next week.

Have fun preparing your costumes!

Father’s Day Stall & Breakfast

Please note that the date for our Father’s Day celebrations has changed from Thursday 25 August to Friday 26 August. The date c is due to our Stage 3 students being on their Sydney excursion.

The St Joseph’s P & F will be holding a Father’s Day stall. Gifts will be available to purchase by students for $5 and $10.

If you are able to volunteer on the day and have a valid WWCC, please complete the following Volunteer form via https://bit.ly/38w6xPU. Your help is greatly appreciated!

We will also be holding a special Father’s Day BBQ breakfast before school on this day, starting at 7:30 am. Coffee and Tea will also be provided.

If you are able to attend, please complete the following RSVP via https://bit.ly/3zGtRFN

Enrolment Interviews & Transition

This is just a reminder that our 2023 Enrolment Interviews have commenced and will be available until mid-August. All families who have completed an Expression of Interest have been sent an email with a link to make an appointment. If you have not received this, please contact the school office.

If you would like to enrol your child for Kindergarten next year and have not already done so, please complete the following Expression of Interest Form via bit.ly/3emRyau, and we will be in contact soon. Please note that School Tours are also available upon request.

Our Kindergarten Transition Program will start on Tuesday, 13 September.

Please visit our website for further information or contact the school office on 6795 4038 or email weeadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au.

Have a great weekend.

God Bless,

Alistair Stewart

Principal