Principals Message

Dear parents and carers,

We have had a really wonderful Catholic Schools Week! Starting with our Monday Assembly which included  a beautiful prayer led by Year 6 students, a whole school performance of “Our School on the Plains” and Living Well Learning Well certificates presented to students from each grade. 

There have been Eisteddfod performances, Mass in Armidale, parents helping in reading groups, rugby trials, First Eucharist Retreat day and today a heartfelt farewell for Sue Strachan after 13 years as Canteen Manager. This has been a fulfilling week in many ways for all of us. 

As we continue to teach and learn and gather information on each child, teachers are already collaborating on report grades and comments. The reports will be released on Compass in Week 9 this term. There are some really important points to consider before reading your child's report. 

• The grade reported reflects student achievement using the five point common grade scale in relation to the NSW syllabus outcomes for your child’s relevant stage of learning. Your child's performance is compared to a set of standards, not to other students.
• Teachers have used a variety of assessment strategies and considered what has been taught to this point in time to determine the grade that best matches the standards demonstrated so far by the student.
• The scale below describes the knowledge, understanding and skills that students working at each grade typically demonstrate and are outlined as follows:

• The inclusion of social skills in semester reports reflect how a student navigates interactions in a way that fosters an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, respected, and cared for. Developing strong social skills, such as collaboration, communication and respect, demonstrates students ability to contribute positively. 

The grade a student receives is based on the current body of work being assessed. The grade they received last semester for the same subject area has no relevance to the grade they might receive this time around. The concepts are different. 

On Monday I will begin my 4 week period of Acting System Performance Leader at Armidale Catholic Schools. This involves working with our Director, Regina Menz, fellow System Performance Leaders and the Principals of Walgett, Wee Waa, Narrabri, Boggabri, Gunnedah and Quirindi Primary Schools. Leisa Shortis is to be Acting Principal of St Xavier’s for this period and is excited by the opportunity. 

Kind regards,

Jen