Mr Hyatt
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walcha
What a week!
Welcome to this week's newsletter. It has certainly been a hectic few days for me, balancing busy school events with family commitments.
The week started strongly on Monday, where I had the opportunity to view the highly engaging Questacon Science Circus activities alongside our K-6 students. It was great to see them so focused on the practical demonstrations.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I had to step away from school duties to play nurse. I travelled down to Tamworth to take my mother to hospital to have a pacemaker installed. I am pleased to report the procedure went well, and I spent Wednesday making sure she was recovering comfortably before heading home.
Today, I was back on deck at St Patrick's and spent the entire day on class with Year 5-6. It is always grounding to step back into the classroom for a full day of teaching and learning with the students.
However, the travel does not stop there. Tomorrow, I will be on the road again, travelling to Armidale to convene the Boys Football Trials at the ACS Winter Trials. I am looking forward to a successful day of sport and hopefully catching a glimpse of our other students competing in their respective events.
Questacon Science Circus Visit on Monday
On Monday morning, St Patrick's Primary welcomed the Questacon Science Circus team for a morning of interactive learning.
We are pleased to report that both the K-2 and Year 3-6 workshops were highly successful. The students participated in a number of engaging and entertaining activities designed to demonstrate key scientific concepts in a practical way.
Through their hands-on experiments and clear demonstrations, the Questacon team captured the students' interest and made science accessible for all age groups. It was a highly worthwhile educational experience for our school, and the students gained a lot from the visit.
Armidale Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival
Last Friday, a group of students represented St Patrick's Primary at the Armidale Catholic Schools (ACS) Swimming Trials, held at the Inverell Aquatic Centre. By all accounts, it was a successful day of competition.
Congratulations to our Junior Boys Relay Team, consisting of Harry F, Oscar, Freddie, and Archie. The boys put in a strong effort in the pool and secured third place in their heat. Well done, boys.
I heard that all of our students swam exceptionally well in their respective events. While unfortunately none of our swimmers were selected for the ACS Swimming Team heading to the Polding Trials later this term, reaching this level of competition is an accomplishment in itself. You should all be proud of your effort and the way you represented our school.
Events like this are not possible without a support network. Thank you to Mrs Davey for taking the time to supervise our students on the day. I also want to extend my gratitude to the many parents and grandparents who made the trip over to Inverell. Your support from the sidelines is very much appreciated.
ACS Winter Trials Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is a massive day on our sporting calendar! I would like to wish the very best of luck to the eleven talented students heading off to participate in the Armidale Catholic Schools Winter Trials.
I will also be heading to Armidale tomorrow as well, where I will be convening the Boys Football Trials. While I will be kept quite busy on the football field, I am very much hoping to find some gaps in the draw to sneak away and cheer on our students competing in hockey, girls football, and netball!
Parent-Teacher Interviews – Term 1
Parent-Teacher Interviews for all students from Year 1 to Year 6 will commence on Monday, 23rd March. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for parents to gain insight into how well their child has settled into the school year, discuss their current progress, and collaborate with teachers to set individual learning goals for the remainder of the semester.
Parents can make a booking through the Compass portal Conferences, a notification will be sent out when bookings are open.
I encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with teachers and support their child’s learning journey.
Celebrating International Women’s Day
This Sunday, March 8th, marks International Women’s Day—a wonderful global celebration of women’s achievements and a call for continued gender equality. It is the perfect time to pause and acknowledge the profound impact women have in our homes, our local communities, and around the world.
Focusing on the themes of inclusion and empowerment, this day reminds us of the importance of uplifting the women and girls around us. Here at St Patrick’s Primary, we are deeply committed to nurturing a school environment where equality, respect, and boundless opportunity are central to everything we do.
This weekend, let us all take a moment to express our gratitude to the remarkable women who inspire us every single day—our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, teachers, and friends. By working together, we can pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive future for all.
Walcha Show Horticulture
Mrs Ireland visited the school recently to drop off some horticulture samples for the upcoming Walcha Show exhibition. This year, students are being asked to complete their horticulture entries at home and to drop entries off at the Walcha Show Horticulture pavilion by the morning of Thursday 12th March.
Following are the themes for each class:
Kinder - Mosaic/collage picture (1/2 A4 size)
Year 1 and 2 - Mosaic/collage picture (1/2 A4 size)
Years 3/4 - Hanging decorated toilet roll
Year 5/6 - Fairy Garden or Decorated Boot
St Patrick's staff and students would like to thank Julie for visiting our school and providing us so many fantastic ideas. The horticulture group really wants to encourage as many entries as possible. Why not try to dry some flowers now in preparation?
Compass information up to date
If any families need to update details in regard to change of family dynamics, address, phone number, etc.
Please email school spwadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au or through Compass parent portal.
It is essential that all our records are current and up to date.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN testing will take place in Weeks 7, 8 and 9 (Wednesday 11th March- 23rd March) of this term. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit tests for Writing 11th March, Reading & Language Conventions 12th March and Numeracy 16th March. Please refrain from making appointments during school time on these test days. It is important that your child is available on the day unless they are unwell. In the case of illness students will be able to sit the test on Thursday 20th March until Monday 24th March.
Further information for parents and carers can be found here:
https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support
I encourage all parents of students in Years 3 and 5 to explore the Public Demonstration Site with your child (click on button below). Here you will find sample questions for each of the areas assessed.
https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site
Click below to see a short video showing how to navigate the Public Demonstration Site.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElaxjY7xKzPkl4QijbH_YPs9IRtkr8FU/view
School Hours & Supervision
Teachers commence duty at 8:30am and finish duty when the last bus leaves St Patrick’s approximately 3:10pm.
Supervision begins at 8:30am in the COLA
School starts: 9am (Bell - 8:50am)
Recess: 11:00am – 11:30am
Lunch: 1:30pm – 2:10pm
School finishes: 3.00pm.
SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS
The school office hours are 8:30am to 3:30pm
Contacting Your Child's Teacher
Teachers welcome contact from parents, if you need to talk with staff please either contact the class teacher by phoning the school – 67772328 or email the school at spwadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au.