Principals' Message

A message from Alison and Lisa

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been wonderful to see the level of engagement in learning from all students here at St Eddies. Our key focus over the past few weeks has been to ensure that classroom expectations and structures are being adhered to so our students can 'bounce back' to learning here at school. Teachers have been very busy working with students to collect data to inform the next best steps in regards to teaching and learning. We would like to thank our wonderful teachers and support staff for all the great work they are doing in the classrooms. 

This week we have commenced 'Big Write' and from visiting the classrooms today it was wonderful to see the level of success that students are achieving in writing during this time.

Three Way Learning Conversations - Semester 1 Reporting

This year we are conducting a Learning Conversation between the student, parent/carer and teacher. Three way conversations are an opportunity for learning to be discussed between students, parents/caregivers and teachers. The aim of these conferences is to celebrate success, highlight student strengths and current achievement and then determine the next learning steps. It also allows for student ownership of learning. Following these meetings parents/caregivers should have a clearer picture of their child’s developmental learning needs and goals for Semester 2. We are excited to be able to use the Parent Portal in Compass to offer online booking for our Semester 1 Learning conversations. Parents can log in to Compass and book a convenient time with your son/daughter's class teacher.  If you have not yet logged into Compass, please contact the office to have your login details sent to you. Learning Conversations are scheduled for Week 8 and 9 this term. The Compass Portal opened this week for parent bookings. We look forward to these learning conferences and thank you for your on-going support in working together to provide quality educational opportunities for all our students. Please make sure that you do make an appointment to engage in these very worthwhile Learning Conversations. All parents will receive a copy of the Learning Conversation Report in Week 10.

Please make sure you visit the 'Focus on Learning' section in this newsletter as we have clearly outlined what our 'Learning Conversations' will look like at St Edward's School.

Kinder 2021 Interviews

This week we commenced our Kindergarten 2021 interviews. This is an important process which allows us to plan staffing and other organisational matters for 2021. If you are aware of anyone wishing to enrol their child for 2021, but are yet to complete and hand in an enrolment form, please encourage them to contact our Infants Campus Office as soon as possible to ensure they do not miss the opportunity for an interview. 

Health and Hygiene

We remind parents that your child’s mental health and well-being is an important consideration in the decision to have them return to school.  Centacare has expanded its services to ensure that support can still be provided during this period. Students are still able to access the free and confidential counselling service by calling Centacare Armidale on 6738 7200.

Students Who Become Unwell at School

Knowing whether a child is well enough to attend school can be tough. Any students showing symptoms of illness will be required to go home until symptoms are resolved. Attached is a guide to help you decide if your child should stay home:

Sports Uniform

To accommodate our students (for physical activities) and parents (for washing!) all students are now permitted to wear their sports uniform to school on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Winter Uniform Reminder

Our St Edward's School uniform is something that sets us apart from other schools and something which should be worn with pride. All students should now be in full winter uniform. Please ensure this includes the correct black school shoes (not sport shoes) and a school tie. The following new school winter items are available for purchase: jumper ($35), jacket ($70), tie ($25), girls navy knee high socks ($10), girls winter navy tights ($10), scarf ($10). To help minimise parent contact, our preferred method of purchasing uniform items is via the Qkr! App and your clothing order will then be sent home with your child.

Cakes at School

Even though we are back to full time face to face teaching, there are some things we still cannot do at school eg. sport and assemblies. Unfortunately another activity we can't partake in at present is the sharing of birthday cakes. We thank you in advance for supporting us in this matter.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Alison Hatton and Lisa McSweeney