Message from the Director of Schools

Dear Colleagues,

As this is the last eBulletin for Term 2, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all the work you have done this term to support our young people to be literate and numerate for a hope-filled future. Your commitment to our Non-Negotiables including a coherent instructional framework is leading to more students achieving strong learning outcomes. 

Congratulations - Matthew Paton

Congratulations to Matthew Paton on receiving the National ACEL Keith Tronc Award for Outstanding Leadership! 

This award goes to an early career teacher who has demonstrated outstanding practice in the classroom and as a result has made a significant difference to colleagues and the lives of students. The awardee must have made a significant contribution to the improvement of student and educational outcomes. This category is open for nominees in their first five years of teaching. The Australian Council for Educational Leaders National Awards are presented to those individuals or teams who have made a significant educational contribution and influenced education at a national level in Australia and beyond.

Matt is the Leader of Pedagogy, MaST and classroom teacher at St Joseph’s Primary School, Warialda. He joined the team this year after working at St Joseph's Primary School, Tenterfield. 

Thank you Matt for your dedication to our system of schools within your first years of teaching! This is an outstanding recognition of your work!

Wii Gaay Learning Hub 

Last week I was lucky enough to visit the first Wii Gaay Learning Hub for 2025. Wii Gaay means clever child in Gamilaraay language. Wii Gaay has been running in the Armidale Diocese for more than 21 years. It is a program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary students who have high learning potential. This video is a great introduction to the program.

The focus of the program is outlined below:

When I visited the program last week, the students were engaged in planning their project which will culminate in them interviewing an Elder from their community to produce a video to show in Term 4. The students were learning about writing and asking good interview questions, using gantt charts to project manage the timelines, and exploring camera angles and editing software. All of this was supported by skilled helpful adults. What a wonderful program!

Congratulations Tim Unwin 

Tim Unwin is now officially accredited as a Highly Accomplished Teacher. 

The assessor's feedback highlighted that Tim demonstrates evidence-informed practice and effective leadership of professional learning, shares effective practice with colleagues, and applies knowledge about how students learn. Tim communicated impact with a focus on improved student outcomes, growth in colleagues’ teaching practices, and active community engagement. A big thank you to SPL John Clery for his support of Tim during this process and his excellent interview with the assessor. 

Congratulations, Tim, on a significant achievement and a reflection of the excellent practitioner and leader you are across our system.