Principal's Report
Snow Snow Snow!
Thank you all for your support for the school during the significant weather event over the weekend of the 3 and 4 August. The power and phone failures resulted in our school (along with a number of others) as being non-operational on the Monday. As there was no phone coverage in Uralla, it was very hard to communicate this change to families. Thank you all so much for your understanding as safety is always at the front of all our thinking when making decisions such as this. Our school suffered some major damage to our shade sails and lunch area. We also had a significant number of branches fall. We are working as fast as we can to have these resources restored. Here are some photos of the school from the weather event:
An Evening with ACOS - Thursday 28 August
We have a number of students who are working hard, preparing for An Evening with ACOS. This event brings together every public, high and central school from Uralla, Rocky River and Armidale for a night of creative arts. The event will be held at Armidale Secondary College on Thursday 28 August from 6pm. There are limited tickets available and can be purchased using the information below:
https://www.trybooking.com/DAWBT
Our school is involved in school productions (Years 1 and 2 and a high school music group) along with students involved with the ACOS choir and orchestra.
Book Week - Next Week
We will celebrate Book Week next Wednesday. All students, K-12, are invited to come to school dressed as a book character. We will hold a special Book Parade in the hall from 10am.
School Badges for Sale
We have school badges for sale at the office for $8.00 each. These can be purchased at the office for any student who wishes to purchase one.
Public Education Week 2025
Schools across NSW celebrated Public Education Week last week and our school was certainly part of the action. We hosted the Armidale Principals Network Public Education Week Awards for all of the schools in our network. At this event, we presented our three awards to the following people from Uralla Central School:
- Outstanding Student Achievement - Hannah Khan
- Outstanding Contribution to Uralla Central School by a Staff Member - Dan Williams
- Outstanding Contribution to Uralla Central School by a Member of the School Community - Lucy Byrnes
We also held our Week 3 Assembly and trivia quiz events for primary and secondary.
Emails to Teachers
Just a reminder to parents and carers that teachers are not required to read or answer their work emails outside of school hours. The NSW Department has set in place guidelines for the use of communication devices such as emails to protect a healthy work/life balance. Our staff will reply to emails as soon as they can, during school days/hours. Thanks for your understanding.
Year 1 Phonics Assessment
All students in Year 1 will complete a Department of Education phonics assessment this week. This will be completed in class by their classroom teacher, Mrs Cotter.
Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds and is vital in learning to read. Some children struggle with learning to read, so it is important that these children are identified quickly. This way, teachers can plan for any specific support they may need.
The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a short state-wide assessment that tells teachers how your child is progressing in phonics. This screening check observes how your child can read English words with different letter combinations. Your child will sit with Mrs Cotter and will be asked to read 40 words aloud. The test normally takes 5-7 minutes. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child. The main purpose of the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is to provide your child’s teacher with information which will allow them to plan for your child’s learning. Each child is individually assessed by a teacher and all Year 1 students will be assessed.
Marion Cameron Memorial Seat
During Last week's assembly, we had a very special presentation of a hand-made wooden seat, in memory of Marion Cameron and her long association with our school. Mrs Cameron was our school's food technology teacher for nearly 30 years. The seat was made by members of her family and will be positioned behind the food technology building where Mrs Cameron spent so much of her time. I would like to thanks Mrs Cameron's family for such a kind donation.
Flying Start Transition Program
If you would like to involve your child in our Kindergarten Orientation Program, please contact us at the school. Our dates are as follows:
Uralla Intermediate High School 1962-1972 Class Reunion
A reunion of students who attended Uralla Intermediate High School (Uralla Central School's previous name) from 1962-1972 will be held over the October long weekend. The group is seeking help in locating students who attended during this time.
Please see information below:
Have a great week!
Brad Hunt
Principal