FROM THE PRINCIPAL

TERM 1 - WEEK 7

To the St Nicholas School Community  

Last week  I was in Armidale for two days at Principals Meetings where the focus was once again on School Improvement from a system's perspective. St Nicholas Primary School is very fortunate to be part of a system of schools that demands continued growth.

The keynote speaker for our two days was Sally Egan, Deputy Director of the National Catholic Education Commission. Sally is an extremely passionate educator of the highest quality. It was a privilege listening to her views of school improvement and how we can maximize our impact. 

St Nicholas School was particularly fortunate to have Sally visit us on her way to Armidale. Accompanied by our Director Chris Smyth, Sally saw first hand our Literacy block in action and then sat with me while I outlined the deliberate practices she had just witnessed, our current focus and future directions. 

Sally was very complimentary of the “deliberate approach (St Nicholas) is taking in utilising data and staff expertise to ensure every student has access to strong learning experiences everyday”. Just as pleasingly she offered her thoughts on our next steps, as we take a good school to an even better school.

Commissioning of Captains

Last Friday morning, accompanied by their parents, St Nicholas' student leaders for 2022 were commissioned into their roles in front of the entire school. This was a truly proud day for these students and their families.

Leadership is challenging! Too challenging to provide students with a title and expect them to succeed without support. At St Nicholas we are committed to developing our leaders, both badge and non badge wearers. An example of this development and learning occurred on Tuesday.

Our elected leaders attended the Halogen Young Leaders day in Sydney, while all Year 6 students participated in a whole day of leadership skills at St Nicholas. Fantastic opportunities for all students were provided, with students speaking highly of the events of the day.

Katlin Kelly Maternity leave

On behalf of our school community I would like to wish Katlin and her husband Kirk the very best for the impending arrival of their second child, a brother or sister for Emma. 

Katlin commenced her maternity leave this morning after working tirelessly in ensuring our Year 6 students had a positive start to the year.

I also thank Emma Elliott who is returning to a full time load, providing this class with stability.

eSafety Webinars

One of the great concerns our parents and school share is the safety of our children in an ever increasing online world.

eSafety's free webinars provide parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools

to support children to have safe, positive online experiences. Each month,  eSafety provides either a new webinar topic or a video with simple tips to keep young people safe online.

This is a fantastic resource to support our parent community, please click on the link to access the 2022 schedule

SPECIAL REPORT: Managing Overwhelm

Due to the pandemic, recent world events in the Ukraine and the impacts of the floods in Queensland and NSW, the world we now live in is a very different place. The hyperconnected nature of our current environment means that we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. As a result, many children and their parents are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety.

This can be inherently stressful and overwhelming, not only for parents and carers, but children alike. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.

This Report, from School TV, suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings of overwhelm that you or your child may be experiencing. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Have a wonderful week!

John Clery

PRINCIPAL