Mr Hyatt

A Week of Connection, Commemoration, and Community

The past week at St Patrick’s Primary School has been nothing short of eventful, filled with activities that have brought our school community together in meaningful ways.

We kicked things off last Friday with our Welcome Assembly and Lunch. It was wonderful to catch up with a number of families who came along to celebrate the start of the year. I must apologise for losing my voice at various times throughout the assembly—thank you for your patience as I struggled to get the words out!

The spirit of community continued into the weekend. On Sunday, I had the privilege of joining our School Captains in Armidale to represent St Patrick’s at the National Servicemen's Commemoration Service. It was an honour to stand beside our student leaders to pay our respects.

Yesterday saw the celebration of our Ash Wednesday and Opening School Year Mass, a beautiful and reflective occasion where we gathered in faith to ask for guidance and blessings for the year to come. 

To round off this busy period, I am currently attending the first Principal’s Conference of the year in Armidale. This is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with fellow principals and gain new perspectives that will benefit our school community.

Swimming Carnival Wrap Up

As celebrated at our Welcome Assembly and Lunch, we extend a huge congratulations to Oxley House for securing the title of Overall House Champions at this year's Swimming Carnival! We also wish to recognise the outstanding achievements of our 2026 Swimming Champions and Runners-up listed below:

2026 National Servicemen's  Commemoration Day Service 

On Sunday, the 16th of February, the Armidale and District National Servicemen's Association held a moving Commemoration Service at the National Servicemen's Monument in Central Park, Armidale.

The solemn occasion was dedicated to the memory of the National Servicemen—our 'Nashos'—who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II and the Vietnam War. It also served as a tribute to those who lost their lives while in service to their country, as well as those who have passed away since fulfilling their military duties.

Representing St Patrick’s Primary School, our School Captains, Florence and Hugh attended the service alongside their families and myself. Together, we had the honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the school community.

I would like to commend Florence and Hugh for their involvement. They represented St Patrick’s with excellence and were outstanding ambassadors for our school on this important day of remembrance.

Ash Wednesday and Beginning of School Year Mass Highlights

At yesterday’s combined Ash Wednesday and Opening School Mass, we proudly commended our 2026 student leaders. A highlight of the service was the blessing of their badges and their solemn recitation of the 2026 Student Pledge. These students are already demonstrating exceptional leadership qualities across all facets of school life, and we congratulate them on this significant milestone.

P and F AGM Meeting this upcoming Tuesday at 6.00pm

I warmly invite all parents and friends of the school community to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held this coming Tuesday, 24th February at 6:00 pm.

To make the meeting accessible to everyone, we will be hosting it in a hybrid format. You are welcome to join us in person in the Year 3-4 Classroom, or if you prefer to join from the comfort of home, the meeting will be broadcast live via Google Meet.

The AGM is a wonderful opportunity to hear about the P&F's achievements over the past year, discuss plans for the year ahead, and elect our committee for 2026.

Your P&F Needs You

Call for Nominations: Secretary & Treasurer

Our P&F Association is looking for two organised and enthusiastic individuals to join our Executive Committee for the upcoming year. 

Available Roles

Role                       Key Focus

Secretary            Records minutes, handles correspondence, and keeps us organised. Treasurer            Tracks fundraising, and reports on funds.

It would be great to see as many faces as possible, whether in the room or on the screen!

Compass information up to date

If any families need to update details in regard to change of family dynamics, address, phone number, etc.

Please email school spwadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au or through Compass parent portal. 

It is essential that all our records are current and up to date.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing will take place in Weeks 7, 8 and  9 (Wednesday 11th March- 23rd March) of this term. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit tests for Writing 11th March, Reading & Language Conventions 12th March and Numeracy 17th 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 (click on button below).  Here 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

School Hours & Supervision

Teachers commence duty at 8:30am and finish duty when the last bus leaves St Patrick’s approximately 3:10pm.

Supervision begins at 8:30am in the COLA

School starts: 9am (Bell  - 8:50am)

Recess: 11:00am – 11:30am

Lunch: 1:30pm – 2:10pm 

School finishes: 3.00pm.

SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS

The school office hours are 8:30am to 3:30pm

Contacting Your Child's Teacher

Teachers welcome contact from parents, if you need to talk with staff please either contact the class teacher by phoning the school – 67772328 or email the school at spwadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au.