Principal Reflections

Dear Parents and Carers,

Science, Art and a Very Persuasive Request!

Our Year 2 students had a wonderful day of hands-on learning at the Tamworth Regional Gallery, extending their current Science and Creative Arts learning about the world around us and how different materials can be transformed.

The gallery installations and workshops provided a fantastic opportunity for students to explore, create, question and think differently, making meaningful connections between Science and Creative Arts.

It was also lovely to receive such positive feedback from the Gallery:

“Thanks so much to the wonderful staff and students at St Edward's Primary, Tamworth, for a wonderful day of hands-on learning. The students were a delight to work with”.

However, it appears the excursion also sparked a new idea! Following the visit, I received some very persuasive writing from our students explaining why St Edward’s absolutely needs 3D pens! Their arguments included improving handwriting, helping with tricky letters, supporting learning, being safe to use, costing less than a 3D printer and even creating less mess for our teachers. I particularly enjoyed the confidence of one student who began, “We ABSOLUTELY need a 3D pen!”

It is wonderful to see an excursion inspire not only creativity and curiosity, but also such purposeful writing back at school. I think I may have some very convincing young advocates on my hands!

A big thank you to the team at Tamworth Regional Gallery for welcoming our students and providing such an engaging learning experience.

Visit from School Performance Leader

Yesterday, we welcomed John O’Connor, School Performance Leader from Armidale Catholic Schools, to St Edward’s for a compliance check-in and a walk through our classrooms.

John was very positive about what he observed, describing the school as calm, purposeful and consistent. Across the school, John noted students' active engagement in their learning, consistent teaching practices and routines, and the purposeful use of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. He was also impressed by students’ ability to talk about their learning, use classroom supports and confidently take risks and have a go. John described his visit as impressive, with clear evidence that our shared practices and expectations are becoming embedded across the school.

This feedback is a wonderful acknowledgement of the collective work of our staff and students, and of our continued commitment to providing safe, consistent, and high-quality learning environments for every student.

Keep smiling, 

Alison Hatton 

(Principal)