Principal's News
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have reached the halfway point in our final term of this academic year. There is a lot happening in our classrooms, and it has been fantastic to look over the assessments that are being completed to aid our teachers in writing the end-of-year reports that you will receive on Thursday, 7 December.
We currently have two staff positions that are currently advertised. One is an administration position that is advertised as 38 hours per fortnight. We also have our canteen manager position advertised. This is 9 hours per fortnight. These positions close next week but might be extended if needed. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Teacher recruitment is actively happening behind the scenes. We are working closely with a number of recruitment agencies as well as the CSO Armidale. By the next newsletter, I hope to announce our teaching team for 2024.
Family Funraiser sponsorship
A big thank you to all our sponsors that made the St Joseph’s P & F Family Funraiser possible. The event was a great success, particularly because of all of our families supporting our school’s P&F and attending our event.
It was fantastic to see so many of us, not only our school community but members of our wider Wee Waa community. An event like our Family Funraiser cannot just happen without a strong team planning, preparing and executing a great event. Thank you to Rebecca Crutcher and her amazing team of P&F members who went above and beyond to make this event happen.
Annual Improvement Plan visit
Last Wednesday, 1 November, we met other teams from Catholic schools in the western region, as well as the Catholic Schools Office leaders. We were able to share our reflections on learning at St Joseph’s Wee Waa, as well as our draft Annual Improvement Plan 2024. Participants also saw learning in action in our classrooms when they conducted a learning walk, and left affirmations that were shared with staff about the learning they witnessed.
Our Annual Improvement Plan is still in draft form. However, this will be shared with families in our last newsletter of the year.
Lolly Jar Competition Winner
Congratulations to Blaine Edwards, who won the St Joseph’s P & F Lolly Jar Guessing Competition. Well done!
Remembrance Day
Today, Friday, 10 November, all the students commemorated Remembrance Day by attending a Liturgy in the Stage 3 classroom.
It was a solemn and respectful time where we joined together in prayer and gained knowledge about the history of this significant day. The liturgies were concluded with a minute of silence at 11 am and the reading of 'The Ode', an excerpt from the poem 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon.
Crazy Colour Day information & reminders
The St Joseph’s P & F will be holding the Crazy Colour Day on Friday, 24 November. There will be a free sausage sizzle held at lunch for the students, with the Colour Run starting at 2 pm and ending at 2:50 pm. All parents are welcome to attend.
The Crazy Colour Day is all about Fun! It will be a huge colourful mess and is undoubtedly one of the most exciting days on our school’s calendar, with everyone’s participation the aim, so please make sure they attend the day and cheer the other kids on!
Please note that students can choose to walk if they would like instead of running, and participating in the colour run itself is not compulsory.
What should my child bring/wear to the event?
Students should wear white or light sun-safe clothing to school on this day to get the most colourful experience. It's best to also run in old running shoes. No singlets and closed-in shoes, please (no thongs or Crocs).
Always remember to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide!
A few things you should pack are:
- A Water Bottle
- Hat
- A Change of Clothes & Shoes (if your child is going home on the bus on this day)
- Sunscreen
- A Towel
- Sunglasses (if preferred)
What if my child has a medical condition? (e.g. Asthma, etc.)
For asthmatic children, ensure they have their Ventolin/Asmol and Spacer on them or with a responsible person.
As this is a running event, please notify the teachers on the day of any relevant medical conditions and any potential treatments they may need to know.
If you would like to know what is in the colour, ask the school for a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet.
Please note that the colour contains food dye. It can stain very light/blonde hair. If there are students who do not want colour-stained hair for the next few days/weeks, we have found that rubbing coconut oil through the hair before they run and then washing it out with cold water afterwards helps the colour not stick to the strands.
Prizes MUST be ordered between 13 November and 22 November. Simply visit schoolfunrun.com.au to create/log into your Profile Page between these dates. Then click the ‘CLAIM YOUR PRIZE’ button and follow the prompts. If you have any questions, please contact the School Fun Run team on 1800 FUN RUN; they will gladly assist!
Thank you, good luck and happy fundraising!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
End of Year Awards Presentation
Please note that our End of Year Awards Presentation will be held on Thursday, 7 December, at Wee Waa Bowling Club, starting at 6 pm. Students will be required to wear their full summer uniform.
Further information regarding this event will be communicated closer to the date.
End of Year Mass
Please note that our End of Year Mass will be held on Monday, 11 December, at St Andrew’s Catholic Church, starting at 9:30 am.
This is a special time as our current Year 6 students will ‘pass on their light’ to the future leaders of our school during the Light of Leadership ceremony and receive their graduation certificates.
We look forward to celebrating with you all.
Have a great weekend.
God Bless,
Alistair Stewart
Principal