Welcome to this week's school newsletter. It has been a busy and wonderful start to the term, and it is great to see our students settling back into their learning routines with such enthusiasm.

A major highlight of our week was yesterday’s Mother's Day stall and afternoon tea. It was absolutely wonderful to catch up with so many of our mothers, grandmothers, and maternal figures. Events like these are a reminder of the strong, supportive, and welcoming community we have here at our school. Thank you to everyone who attended and to those who helped organise such a special afternoon for our families.

I would also like to take this opportunity to officially welcome two new students to our school community. A very warm welcome to Max, who has joined our Year 3-4 class, and to Lucy, who has joined Year 2. It has been fantastic to see them both settling in so well and already making new friends. Please join me in making Max, Lucy, and their family feel right at home.

As you will see in the rest of this newsletter, we have a lot happening around the school, from visits from the Life Education Van to our first Term Mass tomorrow. Below, I have also included some important updates regarding our class structures and staffing for the remainder of the term.

Happy Mother's Day this Sunday

As I briefly mentioned in the previous section regarding our wonderful Mother's Day Stall and Afternoon Tea held yesterday, this Sunday, May 11th, marks Mother's Day. It is a cherished occasion to honour and celebrate the incredible mothers and grandmothers who enrich our lives in countless ways.

Mothers are truly the cornerstones of our families. They are the guiding lights who nurture, support, and love unconditionally. Their influence shapes us from our earliest days, instilling core values and providing a constant source of strength. From the scraped knees and bedtime stories of childhood to the triumphs and challenges of growing up, a mother's love remains a steadfast and unwavering presence.

To all the mothers and grandmothers in our school community: thank you. Thank you for your love, your guidance, your strength, and your unwavering belief in our students. On behalf of our entire staff, I wish you a truly happy Mother's Day filled with laughter and the warmth of family. May this Sunday be a wonderful reflection of the beautiful impact you have on our lives every single day.

Class Structure and Staffing Updates

As previously mentioned in the letter sent out to all families earlier this week, I have recently reviewed and adjusted the structure of some of our classes. The primary goal of these changes is to ensure greater routine for our students and to lessen class sizes, particularly on Fridays.

To keep you fully informed, I would like to outline the new arrangements, some of which will be commencing tomorrow:

Year 3-4: Mrs Hoy will now be teaching the Year 3-4 class for the entire week (Monday to Friday), rather than her previous Monday to Thursday schedule.
Year 1 and Year 2: As our combined Year 1-2 class has grown quite large in numbers—especially on Fridays when they combine with Mrs Baldry—I have decided to keep Year 1 and Year 2 as separate classes on Fridays, starting tomorrow.
- Year 1 will now be taught by Mrs Baldry for the whole week.
- Year 2 will continue to be taught by Mrs Davey from Monday to Thursday, and Mrs Makeham will now be teaching the class every Friday.

Furthermore, I want to provide an update regarding the 0.6 temporary teaching position vacated by Mrs Mackson over the school holidays. Unfortunately, we have not received any applications for this role at this stage. However, to ensure that consistency and established routines are maintained for our students, I have put the following arrangements in place:

Kindergarten: Mrs Kelly Makeham will now be taking Kindergarten every Tuesday to cover Ms Wilson's MaST release.
Release & Library: Mrs Kate King will be working with us every Wednesday and Thursday. She will be covering some of the class teachers' release time, as well as leading Library sessions every Thursday.

Finally, I would like to extend a very special and heartfelt thank you to Jessica Healey. Jessica has done a wonderful job stepping in and filling this release role over the last two weeks. Thank you, Jessica; the sacrifices you have made to help us out during this time are very much appreciated by the students, staff, and myself.

Thank you to all our families for your continued support as we implement these positive changes for our students.

OPEN MORNING for 2027 Kindergarten Students - 19th May 9:30am-11am

St Patrick's School will host our 2027 Open Morning on Tuesday, May 19th, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

This event provides prospective parents with the opportunity to discover what our school can offer their children. Guests will be able to meet our staff, take a tour of the campus, and enjoy morning tea. Additionally, children preparing to start school are welcome to attend and participate in activities with our current Kindergarten class.

If you know any families with a child starting school next year, or anyone interested in learning more about St Patrick's, please extend an invitation for them to join us.

LET'S GET READY FOR KINDERGARTEN 2027

Online Enrolments are now open for Kindergarten 2027.

through Compass and website https://stpatrickswalcha.catholic.edu.au/

Polding Winter Trials

A massive congratulations to Airlee, Lucy, and Josie (Girls Hockey), alongside Phoebe (Girls Football), for proudly representing St Patrick's and Armidale Catholic Schools at the Polding Winter Trials in Bathurst last Friday. All four girls put in fantastic performances, and they should be incredibly proud of their dedication and achievements on the field.

I am thrilled to announce that Josie has been officially selected to represent the Polding team in Girls Hockey! She will be competing at the upcoming NSWPSSA Hockey Carnival in Bathurst, which kicks off on Monday, May 18th.

Josie, your selection is a wonderful testament to your hard work and exceptional hockey skills, officially placing you among the finest players from Catholic Primary Schools across Northern NSW. All of us at St Patrick's Primary are immensely proud of you, and we wish you the very best of luck as you prepare to compete against top-tier talent from across the state. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

Healthy Harold Visit-Life Education Van

Our school will host the Life Education Van week 4. This mobile classroom provides students with interactive educational sessions focusing on health, safety, and making positive choices, alongside the program's mascot, Healthy Harold.

First Term 2 Mass Tomorrow

Tomorrow, our students and staff will be gathering to celebrate our first Mass of the term.

The Mass will commence at 11:30 am.

Celebrating together is an important part of our school's spiritual and community life, and it is always a wonderful way to begin the new term.

I warmly invite all parents, carers, and members of our wider school community to join us for this occasion. We look forward to welcoming you and coming together in faith and fellowship.

Staff Development Day- Monday 25th May

Please be advised that Monday, 25th May will be a pupil-free day at St Patrick's Primary. All of our staff will be traveling to O'Connor Catholic College in Armidale to participate in the Armidale Cluster Schools Staff Development Day.

I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this mid-term closure may cause your family. When scheduling staff development, my priority is always to place these days immediately before or after the school holidays to minimise disruption to our families. However, on this occasion, the event organisers scheduled the day to coincide with the beginning of Catholic Schools Week so that schools across the region could gather together. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

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.

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