Principal's Report

SASS Recognition Week

This week, is School Administration and Student Support (SASS) Recognition Week across all public, high and central schools in NSW.  This is a week to acknowledge the incredible support our SASS staff provide our students, staff and parents. I would like to publicly thank you all for your hard work and please know that we all appreciate everything you do for us.  Thanks again!

Book Week @ Uralla Central

Congratulations to our students on their effort to dress up as a book character yesterday as part of our Book Week celebrations.  Due to a clash of events, we are celebrating Book Week a week later than other schools. Thanks also to the many parents who came along and joined us for our Whole School Assembly.  I also congratulate our staff for making the effort to dress up as well.  Thanks to Mrs Rebecca Tobler for her organisation. A great day all round!

P&C Meeting on Monday Afternoon

The P&C executive apologises for the late cancellation of this week's meeting.  They will meet on Monday afternoon from 3.30pm. The meetings times have been changed to try and better accommodate parents who may be able to come along and join the P&C meetings at home time. Meetings are held in the library and everyone is most welcome.

Just a reminder that the P&C are running a Father's Day Stall tomorrow (Thursday) selling small items for $5.00 each.  

Spelling Bee Finals

Congratulations to Harrison and Patrick on their amazing effort, competing at the Regional Spelling Bee Finals last week.  It is incredibly difficult just to qualify for the finals, let alone achieve such great results.  Please see more information in our Middle School Section of today's newsletter.

Uralla Rotary Club Donation

I once again thank the Uralla Rotary Club for their kind donation of $5000 towards our senior excursion to Sydney.  Our school leaders joined with me to make a presentation at this week's Uralla Rotary Club meeting.  Thank you again for your support.

Contacting Our School

As a parent or carer, you are an important part of our school community. We know that you play a crucial role in helping your child become a motivated learner. Communication between our school and our community is critical for us to partner together.

To give our teachers the opportunity to recharge, spend time with their families and bring their best creative selves to work, the NSW Department of Education has asked schools to set clear expectations for when and how they respond to communication outside school operating hours. This means teachers may not reply to non-emergency messages or emails outside of school operating hours.

Please use the school’s email address to contact staff. We will respond to your queries within two school days under normal circumstances.

For longer discussions or complex matters, we ask parents and carers to make an appointment to speak to teachers directly, at a time that works best for everyone.

Our staff will always stay in touch because open communication is what’s best for your child and their education. We don't want you to stop communicating with your teachers – we still want to hear from you if you have any questions or need to discuss a matter about your child. We know it’s often easier to send emails or messages after work. We will make sure we read and respond in school operating hours.

Our dedicated teachers want to help our students achieve their best – we’re on the same team.

Thank you for treating our staff with kindness and respect.

Armidale Lights Festival

Congratulations to our Years 3-6 students on creating their amazing tree as part of the Armidale Light Festival last Friday night.  What an amazing creation. Thanks to Tom McLean for coordinating our entry and thanks to those families who were able to go along and see our tree in lights.  Please see more information and photos further in this newsletter.

Bus Area Safety Concerns

We have had some concerns regarding the safety of students near the bus area and along the road between the canteen and library. We will be asking bus students to line up in the COLA area at home time, just to organise students before getting on to their buses. We are going to also ask students who walk home or who are collected from school in this area, to walk out the front of the school, or use the gate just to the left of the hall.  We are hoping this will make sure everyone is a little safer when leaving the school.  Thanks for your help. 

Attendance - Well Done Everyone!

Thank you for ensuring your child is at school each and every day.  Our attendance rate has increased significantly over the last couple of weeks.  Our overall attendance rate is just under 90% which is a phenomenal increase. Thank you everyone for your efforts. Keep up the great work!

Brad Hunt

Principal