From the Principal's Desk

There have been plenty of happenings at All Saints’ over the last two weeks.

Of note, we held our first Little Learners session for the year. For those who don’t know, Little Learners is our transition-to-school programme for prospective 2027 All Saints’ students. Mrs Barclay did a fantastic job with our little learners with the help of Miss O’Sullivan and Miss Ness. I think the Little Learners were all a little tired after a big day at "big school!"

This week is very important in the Catholic tradition. We had Shrove Tuesday, with a big thank you to Miss Ness and our Year 6 students who cooked the pancakes and served them to the rest of the school.

On Ash Wednesday, the entire school went to Mass at 9:30 am. We all received a cross on our foreheads from ashes made from the burnt leaves of the palms used on Palm Sunday. The ashes signify penance and contrition. Ash Wednesday also marks the beginning of the Liturgical season of Lent. Another big thank you to Father Perry for a wonderful Mass.

Last Friday, Mrs Middleton and I joined fellow Principals and leadership teams from the Wagga Diocese at a professional development meeting at St Francis Xavier College in Albury. There, we participated in a day with global educational leadership expert Simon Breakspear. This was the first day of a programme we will be attending for the 2026 calendar year, which will help us recognise what we are doing well and identify future focus areas for improvement.

Looking forward to Week 5, I will be in each of the classrooms conducting formal lesson observations. This is to assist in the professional growth and development of the wonderful teachers at All Saints’. I will be looking for Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, teacher talk time, instructional time, and student engagement. I will also be asking students the following questions:

What are you learning?
How are you doing?
How do you know?
How can you improve?
Where do you go for help?

Lastly, next week students from All Saints’ will be participating in the Deanery Swimming Carnival in Wagga Wagga. I will be the supervising teacher for the day. Good luck to all of our swimmers and remember to try your best!

God Bless

Daniel Francis

Principal

All Saints’ Primary School