The Learning Zone

"Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress,

and working together is success." - Henry Ford

Learning Improvement Agenda

Last Thursday, our Leadership Team attended the Annual Improvement Plan Review Meetings at McCarthy Catholic College.  Along with St Nicholas' and St Edward's, we presented our review to members of the Armidale Catholic School Executive Team. This was a great opportunity to share the wonderful learning and teaching taking place in our school community. 

We were proud to present the impact that our learning improvement agenda has had this year on student outcomes. Our student data, which is monitored very closely by the staff and leadership team, is very positive and is evidence that our research informed, consistent teaching practices work. NAPLAN is one external data set used to measure success and we were more than pleased with the results this year. The two tables below show the average NAPLAN score for students at St Joseph’s and how they compare to those from inner regional schools, across the state and nationally. These comparisons clearly show how impressive our student results are, and they are also testimony to the quality learning and teaching that occurs every day here at St Joseph’s. 

School Disco

Our recent school disco was such a fun filled school community event. It was fantastic to see so many students in attendance.  There were definitely some dancing dynamos on display throughout the evening. Thank you to the P&F for organising and assisting with the canteen on the night, it was certainly a hit! Thank you to Miss Sampson for organising the music and Mrs Holland for lending us her speaker for the night.

A massive thank you to the members of staff who gave up their time to attend the disco and make it such an enjoyable evening for our students. Your dance moves were amazing! Please see an array of photos in the 'Photo Gallery' section of the newsletter.

World Teachers' Day

World Teachers’ Day is a day set aside to recognise the more than 170,000 primary, secondary and early childhood teachers who work in NSW.  This year, World Teachers' Day was held last Friday 25th October and was celebrated at St Joseph's during a delicious morning tea. Our amazing staff go above and beyond every day to ensure our students are supported, valued and cared for in their learning journey. We are blessed to have such a dedicated and professional team of educators at St Joseph's. 

Special thanks to the many parents for the surprise deliveries of food and gifts for the staff to enjoy on World Teachers' Day.  The special treats were thoroughly enjoyed and your kind words and generosity appreciated by all of us. 

Stage 3 Canberra Excursion

Next week, the majority of our Stage 3 students will embark on a journey to Canberra to learn more about our nation's capital and its importance to Australia. Upon reviewing the itinerary, it is clear that Stage 3 are in for a week filled with numerous activities and valuable learning opportunities. 

Among the experiences they will engage in are visits to the Australian War Memorial, an exploration of the history of our currency system and the coin production process at the Australian Mint, testing our athletic abilities at the Australian Institute of Sport, and a tour of Old and New Parliament House, which merely scratches the surface of their planned adventures. We wish them a safe trip and can't wait to hear about the great events they took part in on their return. Look out Canberra, here they come!

Have a wonderful week of learning and fun!