St Nicholas School-Term 2

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.

Winston Churchill

To the St Nicholas School Community

TERM 2 - WEEK 7

 

SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Last night 78 children joined members of St Nicholas parish in receiving the Sacrament of Penance, First Reconciliation. This will be followed this weekend by the Sacrament of Holy Communion, First Eucharist.

 

These two sacraments are significant moments in the lives of these children and their families. I congratulate our students and thank all those involved in the preparation and planning.

 

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Celebrating 200 years of Catholic Education

Last week St Nicholas joined many Catholic schools across the country in celebrating Catholic Schools Week and acknowledging 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. Enjoy the short video below, which includes having our 600 children form the number '200' on our school oval.

 

ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL FOCUS ON READING 

Arguably the greatest gift an educator can give a child is to teach them how to read! 

 

The earlier a child is taught to read, the more we set them up for success. With this as our mantra, St Nicholas School has been very deliberate in directing our human resources towards supporting our students reading in our younger years. The leadership team is being led by our classroom teachers, where our students are being exposed to the delivery of quality guided reading sessions up to 5 times a week. 

 

Today I would like to share with you the reading growth in Year 3 and Year 1 for the first five weeks of this term.

 

Year 1

In the first 5 weeks of Term 2:

  • The 55 targeted students  for "Learning Leaps in Reading" grew an average of 4.4 PM levels.
  • The average PM level for the whole cohort of St Nicholas Year 1 students at the conclusion of Week 5 Term 2 is 12.7

Year 3 

In the first 5 weeks of Term 2:

  • The 38 targeted Year 3 students for "Learning Leaps in Reading" grew on average 2 PM levels.
  • The 38 targeted students are now also reading on average an additional 19.74 words a minute correctly.
  • The average PM level for the whole cohort of St Nicholas Year 3 students at the conclusion of Week 5 Term 2 is 25.3

Our 24 Year 3 students who have been targeted for "Learning Leaps in Reading" for the duration of Term 1 and the first 5 weeks of Term 2 have grown on average 5.4 PM levels

 

KINDERGARTEN 2022 INTERVIEWS 

Currently Renee Dunst, Katie Daley and myself are conducting enrolment interviews for Kindergarten 2022. With approximately 115 applicants, St Nicholas School can rightly claim to be an educator of choice for the Tamworth district.

 

In 2022, 87 Kindergarten children will once again be led by four qualified and highly functioning teachers.

 

Conducting these interviews highlights the privileged position we hold, trusted to formally educate each parent's pride and joy. Our parents love their children and value education - a gift every child in the world deserves!

 

Have a wonderful week.

 

John Clery

PRINCIPAL