End of Year Countdown: Full Steam Ahead!

The countdown is officially on! With the school year rapidly drawing to a close, life at school is absolutely buzzing with excitement and activity. This final period is always a whirlwind of events, celebrations, and important final preparations, and the energy across our school community is infectious!

Every day is packed with action—from wrapping up major lessons and projects to planning special end-of-year celebrations. Our students are demonstrating impressive focus as they complete their final tasks, while our dedicated staff are ensuring every step is covered for a smooth finish. This season highlights the joy, creativity, and incredible teamwork that makes our school so special.

While the pace is quickening, I encourage everyone to soak up this festive spirit! Take a moment to reflect on the fantastic journey and the many achievements that have defined this year.

A huge thank you to our students, staff, and families for your ongoing dedication and support during this wonderfully busy time!

A Star is Published! Jessica's Ebook Released on SORA!

I am absolutely thrilled to announce the exciting publication of Jessica Patterson-Kane's award-winning entry for the prestigious Arimidale Catholic Schools Authors as Writers Competition!

Jessica's story, 'Boris the Bruise—A Tale of Jealously and Adventure,' has just been released as an official ebook and is now available for borrowing on the SORA reading platform!

This is a monumental achievement, and the entire school community extends its heartfelt congratulations to Jessica. To have your work published and shared with students and families across the diocese is a testament to your talent, creativity, and hard work. Jessica, you should be immensely proud of what you have accomplished!

The book is a fantastic read! Having just finished it, I can confidently recommend 'Boris the Bruise' to all of our students and families. It offers a wonderful blend of engaging adventure with valuable lessons on themes of jealousy and friendship.

I encourage everyone to log into the SORA platform today and borrow 'Boris the Bruise' to support our very own published author!

Be a Bright Star Day

Monday was a truly vibrant day at our school as we celebrated "Be a Bright Star Day," and what a resounding success it was! The school grounds were a dazzling display of colour, with students and many staff members embracing the spirit by dressing in their brightest and most cheerful outfits. It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm and creativity on show!

Beyond the brilliant attire, the generosity of our school community truly shone. We were overwhelmed by the incredible number of non-perishable food items donated. These thoughtful contributions demonstrate the wonderful compassion within our community and will make a tangible difference to those in need.

A huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who participated, contributed, and helped make "Be a Bright Star Day" such a memorable and impactful event. Your involvement, whether through wearing bright colours or bringing in donations, was deeply appreciated.

We are delighted to announce that all the collected food items will be delivered to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Your generosity will help ensure that many families and individuals in our area can enjoy a dignified and joyful Christmas meal.

Thank you once again for embodying the "bright star" spirit and for your continued support of our community initiatives.

Carols by Candlelight - December 9th

The students of St Patrick’s have been invited to sing carols at the Carols by Candlelight event at McHattan Park on Tuesday, 9th December, starting at 7:15 pm.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their talents and spread the festive spirit within our community. I encourage families to come along and support our students as they perform.

I look forward to seeing you there for an evening of music and celebration!

THE LAST DAY FOR RETURNING LIBRARY BOOKS IS TOMORROW!

As we approach the end of the year, it is essential to begin the process of inventorying all the books in the library. This undertaking will be substantial, and to guarantee its completion prior to the conclusion of the school year, all books must be returned by Friday, December 5th. We extend our gratitude to all students and their parents who have already returned their library books, as this will greatly facilitate our upcoming stocktaking efforts.

Updated 2026 School Fees Structure

Last week, while attending the Principal's Conference, I received important information from the Armidale Catholic Schools Board regarding the school fee structure for the upcoming academic year.

The Board has determined that school fees across all schools in our diocese will see an increase of 5% for the 2026 school year.

I understand that any increase requires careful planning for our families. This adjustment is necessary to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality education, resources, and staffing to benefit all our students.

I want to confirm that St Patrick’s will be continuing with the Annual Excursion Levy as part of the 2026 fee structure.

This levy ensures that all programmed excursions and activities throughout the year are covered, including major events such as:

The Canberra trip for our Years 5-6 students.
The Lake Keepit experience for our Years 3-4 students.
All other local and educational excursions that classes will be involved with throughout the year.

This consistent approach is designed to provide you with a clear and predictable understanding of your total school commitments for 2026, eliminating the need for frequent, ad-hoc requests throughout the academic year.

New School Fee Payment Structure

We have receieved advice from Armidale Catholic Schools that there will be a new school payment structure commencing in 2026. All parents will transition to a monthly instalment payment schedule.

* Monthly Statements: You will receive a monthly statement clearly outlining the instalment amount due for that period.

* Payment Frequency: All school fee instalments must be paid monthly.

Overdue Payment Policy

To ensure the smooth operation of the school and the continued provision of high-quality education, it is essential that payments are made on time. The following procedure will be strictly followed for any overdue instalments:

* Overdue SMS Notification: If a monthly instalment is not paid by the due date, you will receive an SMS notification requiring payment within 7 days.

* Formal Letter from the Principal: Should the payment remain outstanding after the 7-day period stipulated in the SMS, you will receive a formal letter from the Principal regarding the overdue account.

Option to Pay in Full

You are welcome to pay the full amount of your school fees at any time during the year. However, until the full payment is received, the minimum monthly installment payments must still be met.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we implement this new system. We believe this structure will make fee management clearer and more consistent for all members of our school community.

I appreciate your understanding and support as we implement these changes to maintain the standard of education and experiences offered at our school. If you have any specific questions regarding the new fee structure, please contact the School Office.

School Opening hours

To ensure the safety of students, please remember students should not be dropped off at school any earlier then 8.30am. The main school gate will be opened at 8.30am. There is no supervision of students prior to this time.

Updates to Our End-of-Year Events

This year, we've made some significant changes to our end-of-year Presentation, Performance, and Mass, based on valuable feedback from our families and the availability of priests.

Here are the details for your calendars:

"Ali Baba and the Forty Bikies" Performance: Our annual school performance will be held at the Walcha Multi-Purpose Centre on the evening of Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

Annual Presentations : On the morning of Friday, December 12, 2025, the Annual Presentations will take place at 9:30 am in the school COLA. Immediately following, the school community is invited to morning tea.

****** Students to wear full summer uniform Friday 12th December 2025*****

Note: To allow for a clean uniform for Friday 12th December students may wear mufti clothes to school Thursday 11th December 2025.
Graduation Mass & Whole School Barbecue: The celebrations on Friday will conclude with the Graduation Mass at 12:00 pm. Students can order their lunch through compass - BBQ

Semester 2 Reporting

At present, the educators are engaged in the preparation of student reports for Semester Two. Parents will have the opportunity to access these reports through the parent portal during Week 9. Should you prefer to receive a printed report, please inform the school.

How to access the Semester Two reports on Compass in Week 9:

Log into Compass

To view the Semester 2 report, click on your child's profile and select report.

The Winner of 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' Award Is.......

A massive congratulations to Hugh, the final recipient of this year's 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' Award! We commend Hugh for consistently upholding our school standards. The entire St Patrick’s community appreciates the commendable pride and care he shows in wearing both his school and sports uniforms. Well deserved!

Dates for Term 1, 2026

The official start date for the 2025 school year will be Thursday 29th January 2026 for all students in Years 1 - 6.

Kindergarten will commence Monday 2nd February 2026 following Best Start Assessments.

2025 Remaining Staff Development Days (PD Days)

Thursday 18th December (Last day of Term 4)

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.

SCHOOL HOURS

Supervision of students commences at 8:30am. Students should not be on-site until after 8:30 AM.

Community Announcements

School Holiday Bookings - Belgrave Cinema Armidale