Principal's Message

Embracing the End-of-Year Whirlwind!

It's official: school life at St Patrick's Primary is wonderfully hectic right now, and it looks like that energy will carry right through to the end of the school year!

The final term is always a flurry of activity, but between exciting excursions, competitive sports days, important transition programs, and special liturgical events, our calendar is bursting. This fast pace is a sign of a vibrant, active school community where students are fully engaged in learning and celebrating their achievements.

From the sidelines of the NSW PSSA Championships to the classroom workshops led by the Real Talk team, our students are maximising every opportunity before the holidays arrive. While the pace is demanding for students and staff alike, we are committed to making these final weeks memorable, meaningful, and fun for everyone.

Please keep a close eye on the school newsletter and the calendar to stay on top of all the important dates, including the Transition Graduation Ceremony and the final P&F Meeting. 

I encourage everyone to embrace this exciting sprint to the finish line—there is so much to look forward to!

School Satisfaction Surveys

Earlier this week, I received the highly encouraging results from the St Patrick's School Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which is administered by an outside provider, gathers feedback from parents, staff, and students across the entire Armidale Diocese.

I am delighted that the results from our parents were strongly positive and affirming of our school! With the highest possible score being four in each category, parents responded very positively regarding the educational opportunities provided for their children and complimented our safe and happy school environment. We received numerous positive comments, including:

The way my children are encouraged and constantly supported by fellow students and staff. The teachers.  No child is left behind. School community. The support and community that is created within the school for the kids. Everyone is an equal and there because of this there doesn’t seem to be any bullying which is a big plus for us! The bond between staff and students is beautiful, you can tell the staff really care about the children. All students display a strong sense of inclusiveness and sense of belonging which is cultivated and nurtured by staff. Strong communication and welcoming environment. My child is always encouraged to do his best. Strong no bullying policy. Just how loved and cared for my child is. Friendly and welcoming. Exposure to all the extra curricular activities. I love walking into the schools and all the kids are okay together, no matter there year K-6. It's how it makes you feel like you are part of the the school family The comradery, instillation of values and ethics. The teaching staff are approachable and overall, the school feels like a family, there are no divisions. That it has a friendly, family feel. The inclusive nature of the school, the focus on good morals, good habits and friendliness. The staff are excellent at identifying children’s issues and helping to address them.

Along with the positive feedback came some constructive suggestions on how to further improve our school which will be useful moving forward into 2025.  I would like to thank the parents, staff and students for their feedback, providing us with data on which to reflect and plan for the future.

Transition Graduation Ceremony 10th November!

It feels like just yesterday that our ten wonderful Transition students—Amelia, Ava, Bill, Dougal, Eleanor, Isabelle, Kolby, Marlie, Ollie, and Rudy—had their first day! I've been happy to hear that each child has thoroughly enjoyed their experience and is now well-prepared for Kindergarten next year. A special thank you goes to Miss Dunn for her leadership and guidance throughout the program's various sessions. To celebrate the fantastic accomplishments of these students, we warmly invite you to their Graduation Ceremony as part of our school assembly on Monday, November 10th, starting at 2:30 PM. Please join us!

Year 3-4 Excursion to Thalgarrah

The Year 3-4 students will be participating in an overnight excursion to Thalgarrah on the 13th and 14th of November. Miss Cattelini and myself will be supervising the students on this excursion. More Information will be sent home to our Year 3-4 families soon via Compass. 

Real Talk Workshop 

Our Years 4 and 6 students had an enriching day on Tuesday as they participated in interactive workshops led by the Real Talk team. Joined by students from St Joseph's Primary, Uralla, the sessions explored vital topics like self-image, making good choices, cyber safety, and the real-life impact of social media. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive! Students enjoyed the engaging format and left feeling inspired by the powerful discussions.

Parent Opportunity: Real Talk Workshops

I am excited to share that the Real Talk team is extending their valuable work by hosting a series of Parent Workshops across our Diocese.

The Real Talk program offers parents practical advice and engaging sessions on key topics that impact our children today, including navigating self-image, social media, and healthy relationships. These workshops are an excellent opportunity to gain insights and tools to continue these important conversations at home.

Please see the attached flyer below for full details on the workshop topics, dates, locations, and registration information. I strongly encourage all interested parents to attend!

CRAZY SOCK AND HAIR DAY TOMORROW- Friday 31st Oct for Catholic Missions Fund Raising.

October is Catholic Mission Month and this year the theme is 'Missionaries of Hope for All People' with a focus on the mission of building a stronger economy and society in Zambia, where it is hoped that the vulnerable will be able to access social services.

Our Mini Vinnies team are in the process of organising and coordinating several fundraisers for this project and they have decided to have our annual CRAZY Sock and Hair Day tomorrow. Everyone is encouraged to wear something crazy in their hair, wear some crazy socks and bring a GOLD coin for the Mission appeal.

Still recovering from last year's taping trauma, I'm thrilled to announce a new twist for this year's fundraiser! Tomorrow, students will vote to select a brave staff member (who has already agreed!) to be "kidnapped" and taped to the wall. I have a funny feeling I might be the target again—I'm hearing I'm on everyone's hit list! Students, bring in an extra dollar if you'd like to purchase a strip of tape and make the lucky staff member truly uncomfortable. I'm hoping to get a strip myself to secure one of my colleagues! Stay tuned to see who goes up!

Updates to Our End-of-Year Events

This year, we've made some significant changes to our end-of-year Presentation, Performance, and Mass, based on valuable feedback from our families and the availability of priests.

Here are the details for your calendars:

• "Ali Baba and the Forty Bikies" Performance: Our annual school performance will be held at the Walcha Multi-Purpose Centre on the evening of Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
• Annual Presentations : On the morning of Friday, December 12, 2025, the Annual Presentations will take place at 9:30 am in the school COLA. Immediately following, the school community is invited to a morning tea picnic in the school playground.
• Graduation Mass & Whole School Barbecue: The celebrations on Friday will conclude with the Graduation Mass at 12:00 pm, followed by a whole-school barbecue lunch.

The Winner of 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' Award Is.......

A big congratulations to Hannah! She is the well-deserved recipient of this week's 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' award. Fantastic work, Hannah, for consistently showing pride in both your school and sports uniforms!

2025 School Fees - Due end of November

This is a friendly reminder that all outstanding school fees are due by the end of November. If you have any questions regarding your account balance or wish to discuss a payment plan, please contact the school.

2025 Remaining Staff Development Days (PD Days)

Thursday 18th December (Last day of Term 4)

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.

SCHOOL HOURS

Supervision of students commences at 8:30am. Students should not be on-site until after 8:30 AM.