Principal's Message
It's Time to Say Goodbye
By the time the newsletter has been sent home, all of the students will be enjoying the very first full day of their school holidays. However, I know good times must come to an end and when the bell went at 3.00pm , there were tears, joy, relief as well as several mixed emotions expressed by both the students and staff.
The year 2025 has truly been remarkable! As I take a moment to contemplate, I am in awe of the achievements our school community has accomplished. I want to express my gratitude to every one of you for your unwavering support, valuable advice, and invaluable guidance. Without your contributions, our students would not have had the chance to attain the remarkable number of accomplishments they have achieved. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for being an integral part of our team, which plays a significant role in making St Patrick's an exceptional school and, in my humble opinion, the finest school in NSW.
I farewell the Year 6 students, knowing that St Patrick's Primary has prepared these students well for Secondary School. Farewell to Digby, Grace F, Lochie, Adelaide, Tom, Palesa, Ryan, Jessica, Indie, Katie, Kiara, Grace S and Claire.
I extend our best wishes and gratitude to the Year 6 families whose long association with us concludes at the end of 2025. Specifically, we bid a fond farewell and thank you to the Hoy, McMillan, Patterson-Kane, Powell, Robinson and Smith families.
I also say goodbye to Nina Blomfield, wishing her every success in her future endeavours.
A special farewell goes to Mrs. Kym Didlick-Godwin, who will be commencing a new role at St Mary's Primary School, Armidale next year.
To all our cherished families, I wish you a Christmas filled with love and tranquility, and a New Year that is both prosperous and joyous!
2025 Presentation Night Awards - See the following page for the award winners from last Friday
Staffing for 2026
It has taken some time but most of the staffing has been sorted and finalised for the 2026 academic year. Listed below are most of the staffing arrangements for next year.
Kindergarten- Ms Megan Wilson
Year 1- Miss Cian Cattelini (Monday-Thursday and Year 1-2 on Friday)
Year 2- Mrs Meggie Davey (Monday-Thursday)
Year 3-4- Mrs Sarah Hoy (Monday-Thursday) and Mrs Libby Makeham (Friday)
Year 5-6- Mrs Anna Flanagan (Monday-Wednesday) and Mr Dallas Hyatt (Thursday and Friday)
Mathematics Specialist Teacher Coordinator - Ms Wilson (1 day per week)
Mrs Makeham- Leader of Pedagogy and Release Teacher
Mrs Nicole Mackson- Release Teacher (3 days a week)
My Hyatt - Principal, Religious Education Coordinator, Release Teacher and Thursday and Friday in Year 5-6
IST-Mrs Meggie Davey
Congratulations to the School Leaders for 2026
As I mentioned last Friday at our Presentation Morning, I really find it hard to announce who are our official leaders for the 2026 academic year as I know all of our future Year 6 students are considered leaders of the school and are expected to be positive role models for the school community. Some of the positions hold special responsibilities such as representing the school at events such as Diocesan Masses, Remembrance Day & ANZAC Day.
School Captains 2026 – Florence Davey and Hugh Whillock
Sport House Captains Oxley (Red)- Josie Wauch & Apsley (Blue) - Rebee Wark
Back to school essentials 2026
All students in Years 3-6 in 2026 are encouraged to have a small pencil case with basic supplies to be used in the classroom next year. Items may include 12 x coloured pencils,
2 x lead pencils, a pencil sharpener, and an eraser.
Updated 2026 School Fees Structure
Three weeks ago, while attending the Principal's Conference, I received important information from the Armidale Catholic Schools Board regarding the school fee structure for the upcoming academic year.
The Board has determined that school fees across all schools in our diocese will see an increase of 5% for the 2026 school year.
I understand that any increase requires careful planning for our families. This adjustment is necessary to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality education, resources, and staffing to benefit all our students.
I want to confirm that St Patrick’s will be continuing with the Annual Excursion Levy as part of the 2026 fee structure.
This levy ensures that all programmed excursions and activities throughout the year are covered, including major events such as:
- The Canberra trip for our Years 5-6 students.
- The Lake Keepit experience for our Years 3-4 students.
All other local and educational excursions that classes will be involved with throughout the year.
This consistent approach is designed to provide you with a clear and predictable understanding of your total school commitments for 2026, eliminating the need for frequent, ad-hoc requests throughout the academic year.
New School Fee Payment Structure
We have receieved advice from Armidale Catholic Schools that there will be a new school payment structure commencing in 2026. All parents will transition to a monthly instalment payment schedule.
* Monthly Statements: You will receive a monthly statement clearly outlining the instalment amount due for that period.
* Payment Frequency: All school fee instalments must be paid monthly.
Overdue Payment Policy
To ensure the smooth operation of the school and the continued provision of high-quality education, it is essential that payments are made on time. The following procedure will be strictly followed for any overdue instalments:
* Overdue SMS Notification: If a monthly instalment is not paid by the due date, you will receive an SMS notification requiring payment within 7 days.
* Formal Letter from the Principal: Should the payment remain outstanding after the 7-day period stipulated in the SMS, you will receive a formal letter from the Principal regarding the overdue account.
Option to Pay in Full
You are welcome to pay the full amount of your school fees at any time during the year. However, until the full payment is received, the minimum monthly instalment payments must still be met.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we implement this new system. We believe this structure will make fee management clearer and more consistent for all members of our school community.
I appreciate your understanding and support as we implement these changes to maintain the standard of education and experiences offered at our school. If you have any specific questions regarding the new fee structure, please contact the School Office.
Dates for Term 1, 2026
The official start date for the 2025 school year will be Thursday 29th January 2026 for all students in Years 1 - 6.
Kindergarten will commence Monday 2nd February 2026 following Best Start Assessments.
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.
SCHOOL HOURS
Supervision of students commences at 8:30am. Students should not be on-site until after 8:30 AM.