From the Principal

Book Week, Grandparents Day & Open Classrooms

A huge thank you to all the wonderful grandparents and special friends who attended our Book Week and Grandparents Day on Friday! We were blessed with a perfect day to celebrate and acknowledge the significant role that grandparents and education play in our lives.

The sunshine provided the ideal backdrop for a shared morning tea, where many families enjoyed each other's company and took the time to browse through the Book Fair display organised by Mrs Cain. Then came a highlight of the day,  the highly anticipated Book Week Parade! Our students and staff members looked fantastic in their costumes.

Thank you to Mrs Cain and the staff for all their efforts. Special thanks to our families who assisted with the costumes. A big thank you to our students for their enthusiasm.

Thank you to our special visitors for coming to school for the morning we loved having you at school! 

See the Photo Gallery Page for more photos!

Term 3 Principals Meeting

Last week I attended the Term 3 ACSO  Principal's Meeting in Tamworth. I was sorry that   the Book Week & Principals Meeting were scheduled for the same time. I have thoroughly enjoyed the photos and the children's account of the day. 

Our Term 3 Principals meeting looked at our 2024 AIP (Annual Improvement Plan) achievement to date and going forward into 2025. We celebrated the success we are having in supporting our students to be literate and numerate for a hope-filled future. It is so pleasing to see the NAPLAN results indicate the great work that is happening in our schools. Our Year 3 reading results are incredibly strong showing how many students are reading at the strong or exceeding level.  We looked at the importance of  Year 3 reading.  At the Law Symposium Murat Didaz, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, said that if students have not met their benchmark by the end of Year 3, only 1 in 5 will by the end of Year 9. The graph below shows that 73.4% of our students are meeting, or exceeding, the benchmark at the START of Year 3. Congratulations to our teachers & students on the focus and growth in Literacy & Numeracy. 

Uniforms - Term 3 is Winter Uniform

We are currently experiencing four seasons in one day. Please ensure your child's jumpers & jackets are named. Summer Uniforms are not worn until Term 4. However the girls can wear blue school socks instead of stockings, and the children can fold their long sleeves up if they get hot during the day.  The children can also wear shorts with their sports uniform on their two sports days each week, if they wish. I would still pack their tracksuit pants to cover the change in temperature during the day.

Brain Olympia 

On Wednesday we entered two teams in the Brain Olympia competition. The Brain Olympia offers our students the chance to participate in a variety of academic challenges against their peers from other schools. The challenges include tackling a range of general knowledge and mathematical problems, engaging in public speaking, and performing a drama presentation on a chosen topic. Each of our teams, consisting of eight students from Years 4, 5, and 6, and competed against schools in our Tablelands Cluster. 

Thank you to Mrs Reinke and all the parents who volunteered to transport our teams to Inverell on Wednesday; your support is greatly appreciated. Congratulations to the children who had an action packed day. See the Photo Gallery Page for photos!

Happy Father's Day

Best wishes to all of our fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, uncles and special males, who play an important part in our lives. 

 Father's Day is a celebration of fatherhood; a time for us to honour, celebrate and to be thankful for all of the men, father figures and male role models in our lives. 

We recognise the very important role you play in the lives of  our children, so thank you to all of the dads and father figures in our school community. 

TERM 3 - PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parent Teacher Meetings will take place over Weeks 7 to Week 9 of Term 3.

Please be advised that the booking cycle meetings for Term 3 has opened. 

Please use the Compass app to book an appointment with your child's teacher/s.

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to come into school and hear about the growth and development of your child's learning.

Term 3 School Fees 2024

A friendly reminder that school fees are due at the end of this week. 

School fees are essential to the financial viability of our school. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our school.  To provide the high standard of education, facilities, and programs that we offer, we rely heavily on the financial contributions made by our families through school fees. School fees ensure the smooth operation of our school. Fees allow us to plan and allocate resources effectively, ensuring that all aspects of the school can run effectively. 

Dio Gala Day Netball & Soccer 26/9/2024 Tamworth!

On Thursday 26th September there is a Diocesan Gala Day for Soccer and Netball at Tamworth for interested students in Yr 3-6. This is a fun day! Expression of Interest has been called through Compass and closes on Tuesday 3rd Sept. 

2024 School Improvement Survey 

The Catholic Schools Office has once again collaborated with Survey My School in 2024 to facilitate parents in giving feedback on our Catholic School. Please be aware the structure and questions have been changed and are more user-friendly. Parents should have received the surveys via email this week.

National Child Protection Week 2024

National Child Protection Week 2024 emphasises the theme ‘Every conversation matters’ alongside its core message, ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go.’Conversations are crucial for understanding issues, crafting solutions, and building social connections and brains of children and young people. They matter between children and caregivers, peers, families and professionals, friends, neighbours, and decision-makers in communities.

This National Child Protection Week, we invite you to engage in meaningful dialogues that can drive change and ensure every child is safe and supported. Let’s use this theme to highlight the importance of conversations in safeguarding children and supporting families. Discover how you and your family can find out more about NCPW.

 https://www.napcan.org.au/

FETE HELPERS NEEDED

Are you able to organise a stall?  Please contact Sarah Clarke 0417 518 099 or Jo Ward 0429 831 382

Convenors are needed for several stalls.

Families with businesses that can donate Sponsorship or donations of prizes for the Fete.           Pleasecontact Sarah Clarke 0417 518 099 or Jo Ward 0429 831 382

P & F Dates

FETE Save the Date Saturday 23rd November - St Mary's Fete

P&F Meeting, Term 3,Week 7, 4 September - 5.30pm in the Staffroom.

FETE Meeting  Term 3, Week 7,  4 September - 6 pm in the Staffroom (to follow P & F Meeting) 

P&F TRIVIA NIGHT - POSTPONED, new date to be set

KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS FOR 2025 ARE OPEN

If you know anyone who has a son/daughter ready to start school next year please let them know that enrolments are now open. Enrolment forms can be obtained from the School Office. 

Attendance Matters Every Day Counts

Please remember that we are a nut aware school and have a number of students who have severe and mild allergies to both peanuts and tree nuts. We strongly encourage parents not to send food containing nuts to school as the smallest traces can cause a severe anaphylactic reaction. Thank you for your continued support.