Mr Hyatt
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walcha
Oh No! Summer is nearly officially over!
It is genuinely a little scary to think about how fast this year is already moving! We are rapidly approaching the halfway point of Term 1, and as we soak up the last few days of Summer before Autumn officially arrives, it is a wonderful time to pause and reflect on everything we have already achieved together. The energy around the school has been overwhelmingly positive, and it is a joy to see our students so engaged in their learning and faith.
We are now wrapping up our first full week of Lent. It has been beautiful to see the children embracing this season of reflection and preparation. In some of our classrooms, students have been learning about Monoranjon from Bangladesh through Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. Hearing how climate-resilient farming has transformed his community is a powerful reminder to our students of how our almsgiving can create lasting change. Thank you to all our families who are generously contributing to Project Compassion this year.
By now, our classroom routines are well and truly established. A reminder that weekly homework has officially commenced for all students in Years 1 through 6. I want to extend a sincere thank you to the many parents who have proactively connected with their child’s teacher to organise extension tasks.
Looking ahead, our Term 1 Parent-Teacher Interviews will be taking place in Week 9 (Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th, and Thursday 26th March). These meetings are an invaluable opportunity to discuss your child's start to the year. Further information regarding booking times will be sent home shortly.
A strong school relies on a strong community, and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended our P&F AGM on Tuesday evening, whether you joined us physically or tuned in via Google Meet. Congratulations and welcome to our newly appointed committee members! Your willingness to serve our school is deeply appreciated. Please mark your calendars for the next P&F Meeting on Tuesday, 31st March at 6:00 pm.
Finally, on a lighter note, the competition is fierce for tomorrow morning's Jelly Bean Cup! This highly sought-after award goes to the class with the tidiest bag area. With so many students showing such great effort to keep our school looking its best, choosing a winning class is going to be a very tough decision!
Enjoy these final summer days, and have a wonderful weekend with your families.
Questacon Science Circus Visit on Monday
Get ready for a morning of spectacular science! This Monday morning, I am thrilled to welcome the team from the Questacon Science Circus to St Patrick's Primary.
All of our students will have the opportunity to participate in these highly engaging presentations. The Questacon team is famous for making complex science concepts incredibly fun and accessible. Ican't wait to see our students' faces light up as science comes to life right before their eyes!
Armidale Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival - tomorrow
Wishing the best of luck to Shaun, Benji, Josie, Flo, Airlee, Will, Oscar, Freddie, Mila, Harry F and Archie as they represent our school at the Armidale Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival tomorrow in Inverell! Congratulations to each of them on this achievement—we are incredibly proud of you all.
A recap of the event will be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. Go team St Patrick’s!
Walcha Show Horticulture
Mrs Ireland visited school to drop off some horticulture samples for the upcoming Walcha Show exhibition. This year, students are being asked to complete their horticulture entries at home and to drop entries off at the Walcha Show Horticulture pavilion by the morning of Thursday 12th March.
Following are the themes for each class:
Kinder - Mosaic/collage picture (1/2 A4 size)
Year 1 and 2 - Mosaic/collage picture (1/2 A4 size)
Years 3/4 - Hanging decorated toilet roll
Year 5/6 - Fairy Garden or Decorated Boot
St Patrick's staff and students would like to thank Julie for visiting our school and providing us so many fantastic ideas. The horticulture group really wants to encourage as many entries as possible. Why not try to dry some flowers now in preparation?
Compass information up to date
If any families need to update details in regard to change of family dynamics, address, phone number, etc.
Please email school spwadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au or through Compass parent portal.
It is essential that all our records are current and up to date.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN testing will take place in Weeks 7, 8 and 9 (Wednesday 11th March- 23rd March) of this term. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit tests for Writing 11th March, Reading & Language Conventions 12th March and Numeracy 16th March. Please refrain from making appointments during school time on these test 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 20th March until Monday 24th 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
School Hours & Supervision
Teachers commence duty at 8:30am and finish duty when the last bus leaves St Patrick’s approximately 3:10pm.
Supervision begins at 8:30am in the COLA
School starts: 9am (Bell - 8:50am)
Recess: 11:00am – 11:30am
Lunch: 1:30pm – 2:10pm
School finishes: 3.00pm.
SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS
The school office hours are 8:30am to 3:30pm
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.