Well done team!

On the previous Friday, a total of fourteen students from our school participated in the Diocesan Swimming Carnival held in Gunnedah under scorching weather conditions. Each student should take pride in their performance, having competed against top contenders from all corners of the Armidale Diocese. Congratulations goes to the Senior Girls Relay Team as they came third overall as well as Jessica, who was placed second overall in the 11 Years Girls 50m Freestyle. Jessica will now be representing the Armidale Diocese at the Polding Swimming Trials on the 3rd April at Sydney Olympic Park.

All members of our team excelled in terms of enthusiasm and sportsmanship. I extend my gratitude to the family members of our team who made the effort to leave Walcha early in the morning. Your support is greatly valued. For a detailed overview of our team's achievements, please refer to the sports section of this newsletter.

Walcha Show

Best wishes to all the children and families who have participated in this year's Show, which will take place tomorrow and Saturday. Last year, when I attended the show, I felt immense pride witnessing numerous students from St Patrick's winning several prestigious awards across various categories. This year, I eagerly anticipate witnessing the exceptional talents of our students once again, and I extend my heartfelt wishes for success to everyone. I truly admire all of you and your remarkable abilities, particularly in the cooking section!

Parent Information Night Follow-Up

Thanks again to the parents who took part in our annual Parent Information Night held recently. A wide range of topics was discussed and it allowed all of the teachers to present an information session on the general operation of their classrooms for this academic year.

I know due to various reasons a number of our parents were unable to attend the meeting and I have had some requests on whether we can share the slides used in the presentation with our families.

In the attachment below is a copy of the slides used last Tuesday.

Collection Notice for parents/guardians-2024 Student Residential Address and Other Information

Please find in the attachment below a notice from the Australian Government Department of Education and Training regarding student and parent/guardian residential address collection. As a parent/guardian you do not need to provide any information directly to the department. The only thing you need to do is ensure your address details are up-to-date with our School. If you need to update your or your child’s/children’s residential address details, can you please let the school know.

We will provide the department with de-identified address information for all of our students’ families. This means we will provide addresses but no student names. The attachment below provides more information.

International Women's Day- Tomorrow

Tomorrow marks International Women's Day. This day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality across every domain while celebrating women's achievements. Raising awareness about discrimination and taking action to drive gender parity.

Kindergarten Parent Best Start Interviews

A letter was sent home recently to all of our Kindergarten families with a report of their child's Best Start Assessment results.

Compass parent portal is now taking bookings for Parent Teacher interviews.

Parent Teacher Interviews Years 1-6

Next week, The teachers will be conducting Parent Teacher Interviews to discuss how students have settled into school and set individual goals for 2024.

Please book appointments though Compass.

If you haven't already responded, could you please do so as soon as possible as spots are filling up fast.

Walcha Central Taster Day

On Monday, students in Years 5 and 6 took part in the first Walcha Central School's Taster Day for the year. From all accounts, the students had a great day and are already looking forward to the next taster day that is going to be held later in the year.

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

Harry F deserves our congratulations for winning the 'Wearing Uniform With Pride' award this week. Choosing a winner was a difficult task, as there were several students who could have been deserving of this recognition. Harry, your achievement is well-deserved and we commend you for it!

2024 Staff Development Days (PD Days)

All schools within the diocese have been granted a total of eight staff development days for this year. These designated days aim to improve the teaching capabilities of the staff, with a specific focus on the curriculum. Additionally, they provide an opportunity for the staff to implement the new teaching syllabus for the upcoming year. So far, we have already utilised two of the allocated staff development days. To minimise any inconveniences caused to our families who need to arrange care on days when the school is closed, I have scheduled the remaining six PD Days to occur either on the last few days or the first few days of each term. Below are the dates when the remaining six staff development days will take place.

Friday 12th April (Last day of Term 1)

Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th April (First two days of Term 2)

Monday 22nd July (First day of Term 3)

Monday 14th October (First day of Term 4)

Friday 20th December (Last day of Term 4)

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing will take place in Weeks 7, 8 and 9 (Wednesday 13th March- 25th March) of this term. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit tests for Writing 13th March, Reading & Language Conventions 14th March and Numeracy 19th March. Please refrain from making appointments during school time on these tests days. It is important that your child is available on the day unless they are unwell.

In the case of illness students will be able to sit the test on Thursday 21st March until Monday 25th March.

Further information for parents and carers can be found here:

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support

I encourage all parents of students in Years 3 and 5 to explore the Public Demonstration Site with your child (click on button below). Here you will find sample questions for each of the areas assessed.

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Click below to see a short video showing how to navigate the Public Demonstration Site.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElaxjY7xKzPkl4QijbH_YPs9IRtkr8FU/view

Playground development progress

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.

2024 Walcha Show

WALCHA SHOW