Principal's Message

From the Principal

Last week Year 5 went on their major excursion for the year. Reports back from the teachers were all exceptionally positive. Not only did the students enjoy the various activities but comments on their behaviour were fantastic. Activities such as these would not be possible without a very committed and selfless staff. Thank you to the teachers and support staff and to our parents who gave of their time to help, it is greatly appreciated.

Congratulations to our two Brain Olympia teams who made it through to the final at Narrabri next Tuesday. Well done to: Chloe Rex, Thomas Errington, Ella Murray, Maddie Studte, Paige McMillan, Lily Androutsos, Sam Studte and Riley Miller (First Place) and Hannah Pawsey, Luke Fensbo, Sam Salvestrin, Alexis Masters, Jimmy He, Tahl Handsley, Lara Cartan and Tom Jeffreys.

Next Monday is Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day in Australia is dedicated to Australians who died as a result of war, particularly from World War I onwards. Originally called Armistice Day, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we stop for a minute’s silence to commemorate the end of the hostilities for the Great War (World War I) with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The minute of silence is dedicated to the deceased, especially for soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation both past and present. The captains and I will represent the school at the Tamworth Remembrance Ceremony.

I read an interesting article recently about the concept of “Digital Dementia”. This is a term coined by neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer to describe an overuse of digital technology resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities. Spitzer proposes that short-term memory pathways will start to deteriorate from underuse if we overuse technology. Poses the interesting question, how much time do we allow our children to use ipads, phones, computers and spend a great deal of time on social media.

The month of November in the Catholic Calendar is The Month of the Holy Souls. During this month it is customary to remember the dead. Please make some time to pray for the deceased members of our school, families and parish.