Principal's News
Dear Parents and Carers,
Not only have we been very busy with learning activities and events over the past fortnight, but we have also been introducing and adapting to new processes on how school fees, payments and canteen are managed via the Compass app.
CSO Data Ecosystem Launch
Last Thursday 18 August the Catholic Schools Office celebrated the launch of our Armidale Catholic Schools Data Ecosystem.
“Catholic schools in the diocese of Armidale have been on an exciting school improvement journey. A key driver for this system improvement is to build a Catholic Professional Learning Community focusing on mission, learning, collaboration and results. Over the last 3 years, the system has been collaborating with external consultants from Lime Theory, a Perth based agency to build the Armidale Catholic Schools Data Ecosystem (ACSDE) using the Microsoft Power BI tool. The data is sourced from the Catholic Education Network (CENet) and local origins using a standardised data entry template. This impressive tool is changing the way teachers, middle leaders, school and system leadership teams are approaching the continuous improvement agenda”.
Please see the following video for further information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B8SHWYnGag
Bpay, CompassPay, EFTPOS and direct debits update
Please note that our school has transitioned to a new financial accounting system.
The new system has added functionality in which you make payments to the school which include Bpay, CompassPay, EFTPOS and direct debits. Our current school's bank account will be closing soon and therefore we will be asking parents to make payments to the school via one of these new functionalities.
Shortly you will receive your new Fee Statement, and your new Bpay payment details will be included in the Statement. You can easily set up regular payments directly from your bank account to the new school Bpay account, and Bpay is our School's preferred method of payment for School Fees.
You can also make payments for School Fees and Events via the Compass App. Please contact the school office if you require assistance with the Compass app. We now offer EFTPOS facilities. This means you can make payments or purchases over the counter at the School rather than relying on cash.
We understand that these changes mid-way through the year can be difficult; however, we hope this will make communications, payments etc. easier, as it will all be through the one app instead of multiple.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Surveys
An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff is being 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 were launched via email on Monday, 22 August, 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 via the following link
https://www.research.net/r/StJosephsWeeWaaPARENT2022
ADPSC Athletics Carnival
Please see the following news from our Sports Coordinator, Miss Suttor:
Well done to all the children who competed at Diocesan Athletics in Tamworth on Tuesday, 23 August! For most children, it was the first representative Athletics Carnival they attended, which was amazing.
A huge congratulations to Edward Carolan, who made it to Polding for Long Jump, 100 m and 200 m and was awarded Runner Up Junior Boy. Percy Hayes also qualified for Polding for the 1500 m. A massive achievement for both boys!
Book Week Parade & Book Fair
On Wednesday, 24 August, students and staff celebrated Book Week by dressing up as their favourite book character or to match this year’s theme, “Dreaming with eyes open”. Afterwards, we held our long-awaited annual Book Fair, which was a hit!
A big thank you to our judges, Fr Sabu, Sr Geraldine and Roxanne Whitton, for helping to determine our prize winners and families and friends for supporting us on the day.
Fathers Day Breakfast & Stall
Today we held our Father’s Day Celebrations. A big thank you to all those who attended and were able to support us throughout the day!
Also, thank you to St Joseph's P & F for organising a delicious BBQ Breakfast and Father’s Day Stall, and the volunteers who were able to help this morning.
Please note that we will be holding our Father’s Day Liturgy at school at 2 pm next Friday 2 September.
Sydney Excursion
This is just a reminder that our Stage 3 students will be attending their long-awaited Sydney excursion next week!
Please ensure that your child arrives at the school by 7:00 am sharp next Monday 29 August, as the bus is due to depart at 7:30 am. Further reminders will be communicated over the weekend. A packing checklist, itinerary and other important information can be accessed via the event in the Compass app.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
We hope that the staff and students will have a great time!
Student Progress Meetings
Please note that Student Learning Progress Meetings will be available to book via Compass at 4 pm next Monday 29 August.
Meetings will take place as follows:
Monday 12 September from 3.15 pm to 6.00 pm
Tuesday 13 September from 3.15 pm to 5.30 pm
Wednesday 14 September from 3.15 pm to 5.30 pm
Our teachers look forward to discussing your child's learning with you.
For further information on how to make bookings, please go to https://www.compass.education/guide#section-09
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the Wee Waa Show!
God Bless,
Alistair Stewart
Principal