Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope that all families had a relaxing holiday break and are raring to go for a busy and productive term of learning here at St Joey’s.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and well wishes over the past few weeks. To make the decision to finish my time here in Wee Waa, was a tough one to make. It took a lot of prayer and deliberation. We have a fantastic school here at St Joseph’s and a fantastic community here in Wee Waa. My family and I have always felt welcomed, and we have made lifelong friends within this community. I know that our school will continue to reach lofty goals and that students will always be at the centre of learning, and staff here will continue to strive to extend all students in their academic, spiritual and emotional development.

The principal’s role has been advertised and recently closed. Over the coming weeks, Armidale Catholic Schools will work alongside Fr Joseph Armah to shortlist, interview, and then appoint a new principal for 2025. The blessing of having this role advertised so early is that there might be an opportunity for the new principal to have additional induction and transition within the school prior to starting in 2025. It will also give me time to have a similar process in Moree at St Philomena’s.

It is a privilege to be a school principal. You get the opportunity to oversee the academic growth of all children, support all staff in their journey, and support our school community.

I am proud of all of our learners, and enjoyed reading all student’s reports before they were sent home. I wanted to share a couple of highlights from our current academic data:

• 44% of our K-2 learners have already reached their end-of-year benchmark in reading (This is fantastic!)
• Our Year 3 & Year 5 NAPLAN results have been released (This, too, is so exciting!)
  • 74% of our students had a Strong or Exceeds Expectations proficiency score in Reading
  • 84% of our students had a Strong or Exceeds Expectations proficiency score in Writing
  • 79% of our students had a Strong or Exceeds Expectations proficiency score in Numeracy

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students will take home their individual scores and results from NAPLAN 2024 tomorrow.

Annual Improvement Plan

As we are starting a new semester here at St Joseph’s Wee Waa, it is important to reflect on our school's Annual Improvement Plan goals and make sure that these goals reflect our current practice and where our school is aiming to grow over the coming 6 months:

Great Learning and Teaching

Develop a coherent instructional framework to improve achievement in literacy.

An Authentic Catholic Community of Care

Build self-efficacy of students, staff and school community. 

Strong Teams

Increased capacity of staff to enhance the collective efficacy of all.

As a staff, our professional learning is currently mainly focused on developing our instructional framework in regard to teaching comprehension skills and strategies. We have been reflecting on our current practice, researching and learning more about ways to enhance comprehension skills for students of all levels. This will help our staff to become better educators and help us to ensure that we have literate, numerate students for a hope-filled future. 

NAIDOC Week

Last term, on Friday, 5th of July, we held our NAIDOC Week celebration. We celebrated with a smoking ceremony, the opening of our new cultural space, a liturgy, and a shared morning tea, followed by a range of fun activities. Students enjoyed their day learning the language, doing art, listening to music and dancing.

A big thank you to our Aboriginal Education Assistants, Caitlin Smith and Darcy Lang and our special guests, Clinton Lamb, Fleur Magick Dennis and Laurance Magick Dennis, for leading us in these sessions and sharing their knowledge of language and culture with us. 

Also, thank you to Nurruby Wee Waa Early Education Service, the Wee Waa and District Preschool and families for joining us for the morning session and activities.

Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday, 25th July, we held our annual Sports Carnival at Cook Oval. It was great to see so many students and families attend.

A big thank you to Lucy Suttor, our Sports Co-ordinator, for organising the event, the P & F for organising the canteen, and to all the staff, volunteers, families and friends who made the day possible.

Congratulations to all the students for their efforts and sportsmanship and to St Andrew’s House for their win. 

A special mention to Edward Carolan, who set a new record for the 11 yr Boys 100 m at 14.03 seconds, surpassing the previous result of 14.37, set in 1996, as well as the 11 yr Boys 200 m at 28.66 seconds, surpassing the previous result of 28.85 set in 1999, and Jag Carroll, who set a new record for the Senior Boys 200 m, at 28.94 seconds, surpassing the previous result of 29.09 set in 1998.

Further congratulations go to the following students who have qualified for the upcoming ADPSC Athletics Carnival on Friday, August 9th, held at the Tamworth Regional Athletics Centre. Well done, and good luck! 

Lincoln B, Alexis B, Lucas B, Edward C, Jag C, Leyton C, Jillian C, Wylie C, Sophie C, Danny C, Bailey C, Harper D, Xavier E, James G, Reggie G, Marlee H, Ruby H, Blaikley H, Laycey M, Elizma N, Sophia S, Ava S, Tyler S, Quinn T, Gracie T, Poppy W, Johno W, Henry W, Charles W and Sophia W.

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Green and Gold Day (Friday 2 August)

The Australian Olympic Committee is aiming to turn the country Green and Gold this Friday, 2nd August to support our nation's athletes over in Paris. They have put out the following call:

We're turning Australia green & gold on Friday, 2nd August, in support of the Australian Olympic Team.

‘Green & Gold Day’ is for everyone. The athletes, the fans, the businesses, the schools, the young, the old and everything in between. It doesn’t matter who you are, your sporting ability or your background; we believe sport has the power to unite us all.

This day is about painting the country in our national colours and being proud of Australia’s sporting achievements, it’s about all Australians coming together and celebrating the green and gold.

Get involved and show your support!

At school, we will be holding a Green and Gold Mufti Day to support our athletes. There is no gold coin donation required as this is not a fundraiser but an opportunity to unite with other Australian schools and businesses who are dressing up in their best Australian garments to support the team!

100 Days of Kindergarten (Monday 5th August)

This is a reminder that Monday, 5th August, marks over 100 days of learning for Kindergarten students.

We will be holding a small classroom celebration on this day to congratulate students on their achievements. Kindergarten students are invited to dress as if they are 100 years old and participate in a range of fun-themed activities throughout the day.

Book Week & Book Fair (Friday 6th September) 

Please note that this year, our Book Week Celebration will be held on Friday, 6 September, starting at 9:15 am. Your child is invited to dress up as a book character or in a costume to match the 2024 Book Week theme, “Reading is Magic”.

Please note that the later date is due to clashes with our Stage 3 Sydney Excursion other other school events.

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 from the Canteen. Parents are also asked to pack food to share with their child/children.

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.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Have a great week.

God Bless,

Alistair Stewart

Principal