General News

Dhulu - Message Stick

Yaama!

Significant Dates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - Term 1

15th March - National Close the Gap Day

5th April - Bringing them home

Cultural Immersion Groups

At St Edward's School, we provide weekly Cultural Immersion lessons for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The lessons are programmed and taught by our Aboriginal Education Assistants. Each grade will have one lesson a week focusing on a significant part of Aboriginal Education and Culture.

Kindergarten - The Dreamtime

Year 1 - Aboriginal Art & Gamilaraay Language

Year 2 - Cultural practices & Gamilaraay Language

Year 3 - Identity, Family/Kinship & Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Role Models

Year 4 - Gamilaraay Language

Year 5 - Connections to Country

Year 6 - Indigenous History, Storytelling & Songlines and Men's & Women's business

Gamilaraay Word of the Week -

Term 1 - Greetings/Dhiiyaan (Family)

Week 2 - Yaama - Hello

Week 3 - Yaluu - Bye

Week 4 - Buliyaagu - Morning

Week 5 - Gaba Nginda? - How are you?

Week 6 - Dhiiyaan - Family &Maliyaa - Friend

Week 7 - Bubaa - Dad & Gunii - Mum

Week 8 - Dhagaan - Brother & Baawaa - Sister

Week 9 - Badhii - Nan & Dhaadhaa - Pop

Week 10 - Gawuu - Egg

What are we learning next term?

Maabu - Numbers

AEA team

Brittany Cloake - bcloake2@arm.catholic.edu.au

Primary AEA

Jarrod Peachey - jpeachey@arm.catholic.edu.au

Primary AEA

Amanda Gwalter - agwalter@arm.catholic.edu.au

Infants AEA

Sally-Anne Clarke - sclarke@arm.catholic.edu.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focus Teacher

Word of the Week

Our Word of the Week is back and we are excited to kick off another year of expanding our K-6 students' oral language skills, one word at a time! Each time a student uses our 'Word of the Week' in the classroom, they will earn a point. The student with the most points at the end of the term will receive a book prize to further expand their vocabulary.

We will publish our Word of the Week on Facebook and in the newsletter. Please support your child to use this word at home.

Term 1 Week 10 Word of the Week "POMPADOUR"

Easter Hat Parade - Infants students only

Families are welcome to join us for our Infants Easter Hat Parade on Friday 11th April (last day of term) at 8.45am under our Infants COLA. All Infants children will make their hats at school and our parade will start straight after the drawing of our Easter raffle. We hope you can join us to see all of the children's wonderful creations on display!

P & F Easter Raffle

Our wonderful P & F committee are busily organising our annual Easter Raffle. Raffle books were sent home with every student and extra books are available from either school office. Special thanks to the families who have already returned their raffle books and money.

Please note donations of easter eggs for the raffle are welcomed but not required this year.

Books and money must be returned to either school office by Wednesday 9th April, and the raffle will be drawn on Friday 11th April at 8.45am.

ANZAC Day March - Friday 25th April

St Edward’s students will once again join the Tamworth community in the ANZAC Day March on Friday 25th April (last Friday of school holidays). We encourage as many K-6 students to join staff and represent our school in this march. Children are asked to wear full summer uniform and meet the teachers at 9.30am in Bourke Street. Please ensure boys shirts are tucked in and all uniforms are neat and tidy (including hats). At the conclusion of the march, all students can be collected from Number 1 Oval in Kable Avenue. Thank you for your support of this important community event.

If your child/ren will be attending the march, please 'confirm' their attendance via the Compass Event on the parent portal.

PUPIL FREE DAYS

The following are the Pupil Free Days for the remainder of 2025. Please mark on your calendar.

Return to Term 2 - Uniform

All students may continue to wear their summer school uniform in Term 2. The official date for changeover from summer to winter uniform is after the June long weekend. However, if the weather turns chilly before this time students are allowed to wear their full school winter uniform. This includes a long sleeve shirt and tie. We ask that whichever uniform your child elects to wear, that they wear the full uniform correctly - please do not mix summer and winter uniform items. Thank you for your support with this. Lowes stock all our new St Edward's uniforms, or we have good quality second hand uniforms in our clothing pool at either school campus.

Compass Events

Please ensure you regularly log into your Compass parent portal and approve or decline any events shown for your child/children. Thank you to the families who have already attended to this.

2026 Kindergarten Enrolments - ENROL NOW

Applications for Kindergarten 2026 are NOW OPEN. Please contact the Infants Campus for an enrolment pack or download the online form.

Enrolment forms will not be processed until all supporting documents are received: ie. Birth and Immunisation Certificate; Baptismal Certificate (only required if your child is baptised Catholic) and proof of student’s residential address.

Please spread the word if you know of anyone with a child wishing to start at St Edward's School in Kindergarten 2026.

Please note enrolment applications close on Friday 11th April.

Labelling of Items

A reminder to please ensure your child/s school clothing, hat, lunchbox, drink bottle and pencil case items are clearly labelled with their name. Please see below our lost property procedure:

* Labelled Items - are returned to child

* Items not labelled or ex-student name - placed in lost property

Attendance

Children are required to attend school from 8.45am to 3.00pm. It is essential that children are always present at school, except in the case of sickness.

Whenever a child is absent, parents are required to explain this absence through the Compass App. An SMS message is sent to parents on the morning of the absence if no notification of absence has been received before 10.00am. It is a legal requirement that you log in to Compass to explain all absences within 7 days of your child being away from school, however it is so much easier if you attend to this on the day as soon as you receive the reminder.

You will NOT be able to complete this task after the 7 days has passed which means they will be recorded as 'Absent Unexplained'.

If you are having trouble accessing all of the Compass features, there is a drop down menu on your homepage which looks like 3 horizontal lines. Open this menu and choose 'open in browser'. This will help you access the school portal features.

Esteem Kids

Before school care is available in the Infants Hall for both Primary and Infants students. It operates from 7:00am to 8:30am, Monday to Friday during the term, and includes breakfast.

After school care is available in the Infants Hall for Infants students only from 3:00pm to 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Our Primary after school care operates from the Art Room for primary students only from 3:00pm to 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Afternoon tea is also provided.

Families are encouraged to make enquiries or express interest by contacting William Wong on 0410 841 628 or email: info@esteemkidsgroup.com.au or visit the website at www.esteemkidsgroup.com.au

ABSENCES - Please remember to contact (telephone or text) Esteem Kids St Edward's directly if your child is going to be absent on 0481 373 883. Thank you.

McCarthy Catholic College Information Evening - Yr 7 2026

Armidale Diocesan Investment Group (ADIG)

SWAP IT

SWAP IT is a free, evidence-based school lunchbox program. The program supports parents and carers to SWAP what is packed in their child’s lunchbox from sometimes foods to everyday foods. Visit their Website here.