Mr Hyatt
I'm glad to be back
On behalf of St Patrick's, I hope all the wonderful mothers and grandmothers in our community enjoyed a truly special and memorable Mother's Day last Sunday. We appreciate all that you do and the love you pour into your families each and every day. It was our sincere wish that you felt cherished and celebrated.
On a personal note, it's great to be back on familiar grounds at St Patrick's this week after spending the majority of last week in Brisbane attending a leadership course. While the course itself was a valuable experience, and I certainly gained some insightful perspectives, my heart truly belongs here at St Patrick's. There's no place I'd rather be than amongst our students, staff, and families.
However, it seems my time on site will be brief once again. Next week, I'll be joining all the principals from Armidale Catholic Schools for our termly meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Cessnock for the entire week. While these meetings are important for the collaborative work across our system, I must admit I am already looking forward to the time when I can be present at St Patrick's for a more extended period without any travel disruptions.
Finally, I'd like to give a big shout-out to all our students who represented the school in various sporting competitions last weekend. It was fantastic to be at the annual Walcha Junior Rugby Carnival on Sunday to cheer on all our junior rugby players. I'm also looking forward to getting out to the netball, rugby league, soccer, and hockey fields in the coming weeks to support all our students as they compete.
Catholic Schools Week
Armidale Catholic Schools will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week from May 25th to 31st, 2025. This special week is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the accomplishments of all the school communities and to thank the incredible individuals who are committed to delivering excellent education and a supportive, caring atmosphere for every student and staff member throughout the diocese.
On Wednesday 28th May, as part of the celebrations, our school leaders will join other schools for Mass at the cathedral.
Remaining Staff Development Days for this year
Following up on last week's newsletter, please find below the six staff development days that will be occurring throughout the year. I understand that these transitions may present some challenges for our families, and I sincerely apologise for any disruption they may cause.
*Friday 6th June 2025
*Tuesday 10th June 2025
*Wednesday 11th June 2025
*Monday 21st July (First day of Term 3)
*Monday 13th October (First day of Term 4)
*Thursday 18th December (Last day of Term 4)
OPEN MORNING
It was a pleasure welcoming families to our Open Morning on Tuesday. I'd like to express my appreciation to our wonderful captains, our special guests, our dedicated faculty, and our supportive parent representative for sharing their perspectives during the information session. Your insights were invaluable. Each speaker conveyed their message with such passion, highlighting the numerous ways we thrive as a leading professional learning community.
We look forward to having the children back to start Transition in Term 3, Week 7.
LET'S GET READY FOR KINDERGARTEN 2026
Enrolments are now open for Kindergarten 2026.
Please contact the school for an enrolment package - 67772328 or email
GRIP Leadership Workshop
Yesterday saw our Year 5 and 6 students engaging in valuable leadership development at the GRIP Leadership Conference held at the Ex Services Club in Armidale. This day provided our senior students with practical opportunities to cultivate and apply a range of essential leadership skills, skills that will benefit them not only now but also in their future endeavors. Throughout the day, our students actively participated in various workshops and were encouraged to connect and collaborate with peers from across the region. It was a fantastic day for all involved. I extend my gratitude to Mrs Davey for her supervision of the students and to all the parents who ensured their children were at school bright and early to catch the bus.
NSWPSSA Hockey Carnival next week!
From all of us here at St Patrick's Primary, I want to send my best wishes to Jessica and Josie as they head to Newcastle next week to represent Polding at the NSWPSSA Hockey Carnival! We'll all be cheering you on as you compete against the finest junior female hockey players from schools across New South Wales. Good luck, girls! We know you'll do us proud!
The Winner of 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' Award Is.......
Brayden has been chosen as the recipient of the 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' award for this week. We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Brayden for consistently demonstrating pride in his school and sports uniform.
SCHOOL HOURS
Supervision of students commences at 8:30am, there is no supervision prior to this time, therefore no students should be onsite.
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.