Principal's Panorama

Week 6 Term 1

Prayer for the Pope

Loving and Merciful God,

We come before You in prayer, lifting up Your servant, Pope Francis, in his time of need. You are the Source of all healing, and we ask You to surround him with Your loving presence, granting him strength and recovery. May Your divine grace rest upon him, restoring his health and filling him with renewed vigor to continue leading Your Church with compassion and wisdom.

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.”(Jeremiah 30:17)

We place Pope Francis into Your hands, trusting in Your eternal care. May he be comforted by the love of the Church and the prayers of all the faithful. We ask, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that his recovery be swift, and his spirit be strengthened in Your peace. May Your will be done in his life, O Lord, and may Your healing power be with him always.

We offer this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Credit: Caritas Jerusalem

As we complete the halfway point of this term  we would like to acknowledge the staff and students for their efforts so far this term. It has been a magnificent start to our learning.

In  Week 5 our first learning conferences took place, as a student-led, these are the first opportunity where our young people can demonstrate to their parents and caregivers, their goals and aspirations in their learning, as well as celebrate their achievements already!  This process allows our young people to take ownership of their school experience but not only providing them the opportunity to have a voice but also to be accountable for their learning processes and their behaviour.

Once again, these conferences were very successful and proved to be a fantastic opportunity for our students to discuss and reflect on their individual learning goals for the academic year ahead with their teachers and parents. Thank you to those who provided feedback, it is always affirming to know what the majority of our parent/carer community see as positive changes and of course, allows us the opportunity to engage with feedback for the 'Even Better If', just like we expect of our young people.

Research shows that strong parent-student-school partnerships have a positive impact on student achievement. 

One common thread is when parent/carers say: "I asked what my child did today and they say.. Nothing".

A simple way of being involved is to ask your child what they have 'learned' at the end of each school day, not what they have 'done'.  A simple change of language places the focus on learning rather than on completing tasks. Remember the 5 questions for learning!

ACS Director Visit

Last week, we had the privilege of welcoming Regina Menz, Director of Armidale Catholic Schools to our school. After the Leadership Team visit on the 13th February, where  we had the opportunity to present our 2025 Annual Improvement Plan and share our priorities areas for the year, it was a delight to celebrate with Mrs Menz, the growth that we have had at SMOTA over the past few years.

Mrs Menz joined in learning walks and talks throughout the learning spaces and were highly impressed by our calm classrooms, the engagement of our students and the quality learning and teaching taking place. It was a valuable and productive visit for all of us, and such a proud moment for St Mary of the Angels.

Congratulations Dio Swimmers

Congratulations to our young people who attended Diocesan Swimming Carnival in Gunnedah last Friday! I heard everyone had a great time and swam their hardest. Huge Congratulations to Hugo S for making it to the next level! 

Additional thanks must go to Emma Newberry from St Joseph's Glen Innes for 'keeping a supervising eye' over our young people as a staff representative.

Enrolling Now for Kindergarten 2026

Our enrolment period for Kindergarten 2026 is now open! Please visit contact our admin team via email for enrolment details or contact the office on (02)67791661 for further information.  Enrolment applications must be accompanied by the relevant supporting documents as listed on the cover page of the application form. If you know anyone who has a child wishing to start Kindergarten at St Mary of the Angels, please share this information with them.

NAPLAN 2025 - Year 3 & Year 5

NAPLAN testing will take place in Weeks 7, 8, and  9 (Wednesday 12th March- 24th March) of this term. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit tests for Writing, 12th March, Reading & Language Conventions, 13th March and Numeracy, 18th March. Please refrain from making appointments during school time on these test days. It is important that your child is available on the day unless they are unwell. In the case of illness students will be able to sit the test on Thursday, 20th March until Monday, 24th March.

Further information for parents and carers can be found here: 

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support

I encourage all parents of students in Years 3 and 5 to explore the Public Demonstration Site with your child you will find sample questions for each of the areas assessed. 

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Click below to see a short video showing how to navigate the Public Demonstration Site.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElaxjY7xKzPkl4QijbH_YPs9IRtkr8FU/view

International Women's Day

This Saturday, 8th March , is International Women's Day.  A day on the calendar that has been around for the past 100 years, that highlights many of the issues that still impacting women today.  On this day we celebrate the achievement of women and raise awareness of gender bias discrimination.

Until next time, may the road rise up to meet you.

Zoe

Principal