Thank you for the very warm welcome I have received since I commenced working here at Uralla Central School earlier this month. I am so proud to be working along side our students and staff to deliver high quality teaching and learning opportunities for our students. We have a great school and offer so many amazing programs for our students. I hope our newsletters help to showcase some of these wonderful offerings.

Congratulations Déchen!

Congratulations to Déchen Kandro (Year 12) for having her artwork chosen as a finalist in the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)/UNE art exhibition called Let's Hang It! This is such a wonderful achievement. Déchen and her family will be invited to attend a function at NERAM in July where the winners of each section will be announced. Congratulations again Déchen!

North West Cross Country

Congratulations to Evie Byers (Year 3) and Josh Goldspink (Year 9) on being selected to compete at the North West Cross Country held in Coolah recently. Well done on being selected to compete a such a high level.

State Netball Success!

We also congratulate Eloise Oxley on her selection in the North West Netball Team which is currently competing at the state level in Griffith, NSW. Another amazing achievement from one of our students. Well done Eloise!

Bus Issues

Just a reminder to parents and carers that if there is an issue with your children on the bus going to and from school, that you should contact the bus company about this. Each bus company has processes in place to support any questions you may have.

Kindergarten 2025

We have received a number of enquiries from families wishing to enrol their children in kindergarten next year. We are currently accepting enrolments and will be inviting prospective children to our transition program commencing next term.

We also have an "Open Day" next Wednesday 3 July for parents and carers to come along and join us for an informal chat about starting kindergarten.

Please see information below:

Touch Football Success

Our success in sport continues with our under 16's girls and boys teams qualifying to compete at the state knockout next term in Dubbo! Please see further information in our Around the School section of today's newsletter.

School Uniform

Our school requests all students wear correct school uniform every day. We are committed to ensuring our students wear uniform correctly such as not wearing different coloured jumpers, shorts, etc. If any family needs some assistance to purchase school uniforms for their children, please contact us at the school. This is a confidential discussion where we will provide you with support to access a uniform for your children. I thank families in advance for helping us to make sure our students are in their uniform each day.

Assembly - Tuesday 25 June 12.25pm

We welcome all members of our school community to our next K-12 assembly on Tuesday 25 June from 12.25pm. Our assemblies provide us with an opportunity to acknowledge our students and their hard work.

Changes to Our School Structures for 2025

Over the last 12 months, the staff at Uralla Central School have been actively seeking feedback from students, parents, staff and members of our community about the current structures at our school.

We currently have three areas of the school:

Junior School (Years K-4)

Middle School (Years 5-8)

Senior School (Years 9-12) - Embraces a "compressed curriculum" approach

Our work in seeking information about these current structures also included research into our school results, to see if student results and improvements have been gained by adopting this approach. The purpose of our work was to see if what we are currently providing is the best possibly learning environment for our students. If it is, keep it, if it isn't adapt or change it.

It is clear from our research that there are concerns with the current Middle School approach. This is from all stakeholders (students, staff, parents and the community).

There has been a mixed response to the "compressed curriculum" approach in our Years 11 and 12 area of the school (known as "Academy").

Therefore, we have made the decision to change our structures from the commencement of the 2025 school year.

There will be two areas of the school:

Primary: Kindergarten to Year 6

High School: Years 7-12

We will continue to adapt the "compressed curriculum" for students in Years 11 and 12 from next year, pending further feedback and evaluation over the next 12 months.

This will mean that students will NOT move to the next year level in Week 6 of Term 4 this year. This was previously known as "roll over". Only students in Year 10 will move into Year 11 in Week 6 of Term 4, to make sure they adhere to compulsory HSC hours.

We will always maintain our K-12 identity. It is important for Uralla Central School to do this and we will work out a plan to ensure such programs as transitions to high school (from Years 6-7) continue.

Please know, we have honestly gone into this with an open mind. We have genuinely wanted to seek the opinions of everyone to make sure we make an informed decision.

Our decision is based on what we feel is in the best interest of the students here at Uralla Central School. It is important for us to be confident that we are leading a school where we believe we are providing the best possible learning opportunities for our students, and we are confident that by moving back to this common model, which is used by nearly every school across the state, we will provide this optimum learning environment for every student at our school from K-12.

There will need to be a lot of work done between now and the end of the year, to transition back to this model. This work will commence immediately and we will communicate all information to you in a timely manner. For now, we continue to work as three areas (Junior, Middle and Senior Schools) until the end of the year. We will be working around the clock to have our K-6 and 7-12 approach in place to start next year.

We thank everyone who spent time speaking, phoning and emailing us to provide feedback to assist in making this important decision.

As always, please come and see me if you have any further questions.

Attendance at School

The evidence is clear that consistent attendance is the essential first step for your child to have a positive experience at school. Every day matters for your child’s learning. In recent years we’ve seen too many students miss a day of school here and there. Missing school for students means missing assignments, time with friends, an important math lesson or getting picked for a sports team. With days missed, years are lost.

Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions.

Help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stay ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn, make new friends and improve their wellbeing.

If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school (like when they are unwell).

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or me directly. Our staff are here to work with you and your child to help them attend school each and every day. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the Every Day Matters website.

Thank you again for working with our teachers and support staff to make sure your child is at school, on time, every day. We all want to see our students learn, grow and belong in our great school.

Brad Hunt

Principal

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