Mrs Makeham

St Patrick's Staff Embark on Learning Road Trip

While students at St Patrick's Catholic School enjoyed an extended, albeit freezing cold long weekend, their dedicated teachers and support staff were hard at work, embarking on a valuable professional development initiative. 

On Friday, and the following Tuesday and Wednesday, staff visited schools in Inverell, Tenterfield, and Glen Innes Catholic Primary Schools.The purpose of these visits was to observe and learn from the classroom practices and organisational strategies of other schools within our system. Teachers focused on English and Mathematics learning blocks, keenly watching classes in action to gain fresh perspectives on school organisation, teaching methodologies and classroom management.

Educational Assistants also found the trips highly beneficial, observing their counterparts performing similar roles in different school environments. This provided a unique opportunity to compare and contrast approaches, fostering new ideas for their own work.

This proactive approach to professional development underscores St Patrick's commitment to continuous improvement and providing the best possible learning environment and outcomes for its students.

As much as we enjoyed our time away together, it was really lovely to see all the rested, happy little faces arrive at school this morning. With any luck, the extended long weekend may have served to eradicate some the lingering illnesses and bugs.

Have a good week. I hope you all have plenty of fire wood!

ICAS Assessments 2025: Key Dates Approaching

The annual International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) are just around the corner for 2025, offering students an opportunity to challenge their academic skills in various subjects. These online assessments are designed to recognise and reward academic excellence, encouraging higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities.

ICAS Assessments cover a range of subjects, including:

• Digital Technologies

   

• Writing

   

• English

   

• Science

   

• Spelling Bee

   

• Mathematics

   

For many subjects, the main sitting windows will occur in August 2025. 

ICAS provides a valuable benchmark for students, allowing them to see how their performance compares against peers nationally and internationally. All participating students receive a certificate, with top performers also eligible for Distinction, High Distinction, and even medals.

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  

1. read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas)  
2. go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/YHA639  
3. enter the parent’s access code – YHA639
4. enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment.  

Semester 1 Reports 

Teachers are beginning to collect data as well as completing student assessments in preparing for this semster's reports. These reports will be on Compass parent portal. Should you have any questions after reviewing your child's report, please feel free to contact their class teacher during Week 10. 

The Semester 1 Report provides parents with an overview of their child's achievement and development in all key learning areas, as well as their level of engagement and socialinteraction.

The government requires a five scale grading system. In place of the A-E grade, a new language is being used to describe the level of knowledge and skills demonstrated by each child. This is comprehensively explained in your child's report.

SCHOOL HOURS

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

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.