Principal's News
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are now over halfway through Term 2! This term is going by too fast. All students are engaged in their learning, and seeing so much growth in our students' achievement is fantastic.
One area that does impact on student achievement is attendance. There are a lot of expectations for schools to manage attendance and follow up on absences. Armidale Catholic Schools system has embedded a range of new procedures that will be implemented to follow up on unexplained absences and follow up with students with low attendance rates.
The Department of Education has posted a poster outlining the impact of taking days off during the school week. It is important to note that even just one day per fortnight equates to missing 4 weeks of school a year. If this continues during your child’s time at primary and secondary school, they effectively miss 2.5 years of school! Attendance can have a massive impact on a student's success.
This is not to say that students should not take time off for special reasons. I am very blessed that a number of families have reached out to the school to let us know that they are heading away for an event or having to travel for a family function or funeral, etc. What is important is knowing that attendance is important, and if there are times when you know that your child will be away, please let us know.
Below is a couple of reminders about attendance procedures:
In the event of a student's absence, an automatic SMS and email will be sent at 10 am each day if an attendance note has not been submitted. If the absence remains unexplained by Friday, a second email will be sent out at 11 am on this day. The attendance note will need to be added via Compass, or the office notified of the reason within 7 days of this communication.
Additionally, if a student arrives at school after 8:50 am, please note that they will need to report to the office first to be signed in by a parent before going to the classroom.
Catholic Schools Week
This year's theme for Catholic Schools Week is 'PRAY with HOPE'.
On Tuesday, 28th May, we had a shared lunch, open classrooms, prayer, and a special assembly where each class performed an item. We then cut a celebratory cake. Thank you to all the families who joined us in celebrating.
Please see our opening messages of Catholic Schools Week from the Armidale Catholic Schools Office:
P & F Meeting
This is a reminder that we will hold the P & F AGM tomorrow, Wednesday, 5th June, starting at 6 pm.
Reminder: School Closure Day (Friday 7 June 2024)
We communicated last night that St Joseph’s Wee Waa will be closed on Friday, 7th June. We received a notification from the council that work needs to be completed on the town's water systems, and it will affect our section of Alma Street. The Armidale Catholic Schools Office approved a school closure day due to toilets being inoperable.
Thank you to you all for understanding. This was not something that we had planned to happen.
School Closure Day (Public Holiday)
This is a reminder that the school will be closed on Monday, 10th June, due to the King’s Birthday Holiday.
Future Enrolments Parent Information Night
This is a reminder that our Future Enrolments Parent Information Night will be held on Wednesday, 12th June, starting at 6 pm in the Kindergarten classroom.
You will have the opportunity to meet our teachers, see the classroom, and learn everything you need to know about the start of your child's educational journey.
If you are able to attend, please complete the following RSVP via https://bit.ly/3UM00X5
God Bless,
Alistair Stewart
Principal