FROM THE PRINCIPAL
TERM 3 - WEEK 3
To the St Nicholas School Community,
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Today we celebrate the life our St Mary of the Cross, Mary Mackillop. She is Australia’s first canonised Saint and an amazing role model for all of us. As Catholics we marvel at all our Saints. However, Mary MacKillop’s impact in Australia and towards Australian Catholic Education brings greater significance to her feast day. Today at St Nicholas we have honoured St Mary of the Cross, Mackillop and prayed to her for continued support and guidance.
Educational Audit
On Tuesday St Nicholas School took part in an Educational Audit providing evidence of compliance to the New South Wales Educational Standards Authority (NESA). The audit is part of a 5 year cycle of compliance. The St Nicholas School Community can be very proud of the audit's findings, which presented a school not just content with compliance but moreover pushing the boundaries of 'best practice'.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank the staff for their dedication and professionalism. Considerable time and energy was spent collecting our evidence to ensure we could present St Nicholas in the best light possible. We have wonderful facilities and wonderful children at St Nicholas School. We also have amazing, hardworking staff!
Survey My School
An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified.
The surveys will be launched via email next Monday 12 August and close on 23 August 2019 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the survey at the following link.
https://www.research.net/r/StNicholasTamworthPARENT2019
Sydney School Visits
Today and Friday, I am in Sydney visiting a number of contemporary Catholic Schools. When driving continued improvement we must be prepared to look outside our own walls and be challenged by alternate processes. These visits have been organised by Paul Meldrum, Head of Learning Innovations for Catholic Education in the Diocese of Parramatta. Paul will then join us at St Nicholas School in October. We have engaged his services for two days with a brief of providing feedback on our strengths and areas for improvement. The contents of his report will form the basis of our 2020 Annual Improvement Plan.
Census
Last Friday was Census Day at St Nicholas School. Census Day is an opportunity for St Nicholas to celebrate the wonderful growth and esteem for which we are now held in by the Tamworth Community. Our student population on Friday was 590 students with a significant waiting list in many grades. This is a long way from the 376 figure we sat at in 2012.
Early Morning Drop Offs
A reminder to parents that our first duty of supervision each morning is at 8.15am. This is the earliest students should be arriving at school. Please be aware that if you drop your child at school earlier than this time, they are unsupervised and sitting in very cold temperatures.
Have a wonderful week.
John Clery
Principal