Principal’s News

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope that you have had a fantastic week, and have an enjoyable weekend. The school has been a buzz the past few days with students preparing writing and artwork for the upcoming Wee Waa Show.

Our Stage 3 students are now counting down too, with a week at school left, before they embark on their excursion to Canberra for 5 days. We all wish them an enjoyable time, and we will be posting updates and photos of their time away on Compass and Social Media.

In regards to Social Media, with the increased use of social media by young people, we, as parents and carers, need to ensure that our children’s use of social media is monitored to ensure that they are safe, and that they are using these platforms respectfully. If you do not regularly talk with your children about the use of social media, it would be a good thing to do so. Making comments or sending messages to individuals or as part of a group, can be fun, and friendly. However at times, young people, as well as adults, can send things that they later regret. The discussion about what a person puts on social media is forever out there, is an essential one to have.

Please have a read through the following notices and events that are occurring within our school community.

Attendance

We have a current Attendance Rate of 90% (The number of days attended as a percentage of the total number of days we have been open for instruction.)
We also have 55% of students with an attendance rate equal to or greater than 90%.

This attendance rate has been stable for the past few weeks. I know if we all focused on this as a school community, we would be able to drive these figures higher.

Attending school is very important, especially as there is a direct link between attendance and achievement. If you have any questions regarding your child’s attendance rate, please get in touch with the school office, and we can discuss this.

School Fees

This is a reminder that if you have not yet paid your school fees for this year, please consider doing so soon. We understand that circumstances can vary, and payment plans can be organised to make the process more manageable.

Monthly Compass school fee statements are communicated via email each month. If you have not received a copy of this, please get in touch with the school office so we get this organised.

Ricky Walford, George Rose Memorial & Jenny Wright Shield

Last Wednesday, 9 August, the following students joined St Joseph’s Primary, Walgett, in participating in the Ricky Walford, George Rose Memorial & Jenny Wright Shield in Walgett:

Lucas Bartz, Leyton Carroll, Sarah Coutts-Smith, Demi-Renee Cruickshank, Wylie Cruickshank, Danny Crutcher, Toby Dewson, Emma Dixon, Blaine Edwards, Emma Gleeson, James Gleeson, Hemi Hartas, Chase Humphries, and Jack Wilson.

All students played very well and represented our school with pride and sportsmanship. A big thank you to the parents for your support.

A special mention to the Year 3/4 Team, who claimed runner-up in the Ricky Walford Shield!

ADPSC Athletics Carnival

Today, Friday, 18 August, nominated students represented our school at the ADPSC Athletics Carnival in Tamworth.

Congratulations to all the students for your efforts and sportsmanship, Miss Suttor for her guidance and organisation, and to the parents for all your support.

At the time of writing this newsletter, we have had a number of our students make it to Polding to represent our diocese in a variety of events.

Congratulations to:

Our Junior Boys Relay Team, Edward Carolan, James Gleeson, Wylie Cruickshank and Lincoln Baird (1st Place)
Sophie Crutcher (High Jump)
Sam Carolan (Shot Put)
Edward Carolan (100m, 200m, High Jump, Long Jump)
Jack Wilson (100m)

Also, congratulations to Edward Carolan, who has been awarded "Junior Boys Champion" for the Armidale Diocese.

Survey My School - Annual Survey

An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential, and individuals can not be identified.

The surveys will be launched via email on Monday, 21 August 2023, using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the survey via the following link https://www.research.net/r/StJosephsWeeWaaPARENT2023

The survey will close on Wednesday, 30 August 2023.

Please see the letter on Compass regarding the annual satisfaction survey.

Book Week Parade & Book Fair

This is a reminder that the Book Week Parade & Book Fair is on Wednesday, 23 August, starting at 9:15 am. Your child is invited to dress up as a book character or in a costume to match the 2023 Book Week theme “Read, Grow, Inspire”.

Two small prizes will be awarded in each class for Best Costume and Costume that displays the Children’s Book Council of Australia theme.

After the parade, families are invited to join us for a picnic morning tea, with tea and coffee provided by the Canteen. Parents are also asked to pack food to share with their child/children.

Please note that the Canteen will be holding a Nachos Special on this day. While the usual morning tea menu will remain, there will be an adjusted Lunch menu. Pre-orders for Nachos will close on Monday, 21 August, via the Compass app. Pre-orders for all other items will be as usual, closing the same day at 9 am.

Finally, we will also be holding a Book Fair during the day for parents and children to purchase books under the COLA area. EFTPOS will be available.

Father’s Day BBQ Breakfast, Stall & Liturgy

This is a reminder that we will be celebrating Father’s Day on Friday, 25 August. The P & F will hold a BBQ Breakfast starting at 7:30 am and a Stall starting at 9:15 am, with gifts available for $5 and $10 (cash only). This will then be followed by a Liturgy held at school at 2 pm. All are welcome to attend!

If you can join us for Breakfast, please complete the following RSVP via bit.ly/45hOFR9 by Sunday, 20 August, and if you are available to volunteer on the day to help with either the BBQ or stall, please complete the following form via bit.ly/3LBL6gr by selecting the event, date and start time.

Wee Waa Show Stall volunteers needed (St Joseph’s P & F)

The St Joseph’s P & F will be selling show bags and glow sticks at the Wee Waa Show next week, on Friday, 25 August.

If you would be able to volunteer on this day to help with the stall from 4 pm (even for an hour!), please complete the following form bit.ly/3LBL6gr by selecting the event, date and start time.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Barefoot Bowls & BBQ (St Joseph’s P&F Event)

The St Joseph’s P & F will be hosting a Barefoot Bowls and BBQ (Dad’s Night Out) on Saturday, 9 September:

Come and join us for a game of Lawn Bowls, some delicious food from the BBQ and an auction with some awesome prizes up for grabs at the Barefoot Bowls & BBQ, hosted by the St Joseph’s Primary Wee Waa Parents & Friends Association!

Please note that is event is 18+

Tickets can be purchased via https://www.trybooking.com/CKOSU

Furniture Request

As you all know, we are welcoming a new teacher who is relocating from overseas over the school holidays. We are reaching out to ask if anyone has any spare furniture that they will be willing to donate. Specifically, we are looking for a bed, white goods, a table, a desk, or any other furniture that would suit a small flat.

Your contribution would be greatly appreciated.

Please let us know if you have any items you would like to donate, and we can arrange for pick-up at your convenience.

Thank you for your support.

Have a great weekend.

God Bless,

Alistair Stewart

Principal

St Joseph's Primary School

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Issue 12 · 18 Aug 2023

In this issue