From the Principal

Week 8 Term 1

Autumn Festival Parade 21st March

The Autumn Festival Parade is this Saturday 21st March.  The Parade starts in Tingcombe Lane, Central Park at 12pm and finishes in Civic Park, the corner of Dumaresq Street & Dangar Street. Children & parents are encouraged to walk with the school in the Parade. The children wear the full Summer Uniform, School Hat & bring their water bottle. We will gather at 11:40am near the toilet block in Central Park - Tingcombe Lane and walk to Civic Park and meet families there at the corner of Dumaresq Street & Dangar Street.

Easter Prayer Assmblies Thursday 2nd April

Celebrate Easter with our students.  Please join us in Week 10 as our students share their Easter Prayer reflections. These assemblies are a beautiful opportunity for our children to lead the school community in reflecting on our shared beliefs of Easter and the Risen Jesus.

Thursday 2nd, Last Day of Term 1. In our School Hall (Please enter and sign in via the Rusden Street entrance)

SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY Friday 27th March

Our annual Cross Country is on Friday, at Harris Park on Friday, 27th March. We will be starting events at approximately 11.20am to 1.30pm. We will begin with the 8/9 yr olds and finish with the 12/13 yr olds.  

Kindergarten & Year 1 will have their own Cross Country at school in the Paddock at 9am on Friday morning. 

EAL/D Classroom Teacher Temporary Part time  ( 0.4 FTE)

• Applications close: 26 March, 2026
• For more information or how to apply please visit 

             http://arm.catholic.edu.au/job-vacancies/

P & F - AGM 17th March

Thank you to our out going 2025 P & F Committee for all of your amazing work to build a stong school community for our children & families.  

We congratulate our new 2026 P & F Committee:

President - Mrs Jo Ward

Vice President - Mrs Belinda Heffernan

Treasurer - Mrs Rowena Macrae

Secretary - ??

Catering ??

Disco Convenor - Kristyn Barker

As you can see we have two positions still availiable. Please consider if you are able to take on one of these positions. Please contact Mrs Belinda Burton if you are interested.

P & F Welcome BBQ 

Thank you to Christime Fittler (2025 P & F President) and the parents who helped at the welcome BBQ, it was a lovely gathering for new and old families to connect.

Annual School Art Show

Please save the date for the 2026 School Art Show which will be in Week 3 of Term 2 - Tuesday 5th May!

Two winning pieces of work, (an Infants & Primary piece) go to the 'Operation Art Competition' in Sydney, and the highly commended pieces go to the 'Let's Hang It" UNE & NERAM Competition.

Venue: School Hall, Jessie Street entrance from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm.

• Doors open 5:30pm - $$ Donation entry fee (this helps to cover the entry fee cost for 'Operation Art Competition')
• Winners will be announced at 5:45pm
• 6:00pm P & F Auction Art 
• P & F will be catering on evening - with cheese, biscuits, wine & juice.

The P & F are asking  for donations of Art works to be auctioned on the evening. Last year we had three pieces of work donated by artist Mrs de Stoop, Grandmother of James Graham who was in Yr 6.  Please contact Mrs Jo Ward (P & F President), if you are able to donate any of your works for the auction. ph 0429831382

The Armidale Show

Congratulations to the children for your Show enteries. Your class posters were excellent. A big shout out to Year 5 for 1st Prize and Champion for your Show Theme Poster. Year 6 third place and Year 3 for third place.  

ACS Winter Trials Friday

Congratulations to the students who were successful at gaining selection in the Diocesan Winter sporting Teams - Molly Kelly, Miniong Akot, Abigail Schumacher and Olivia Duff.

NAPLAN - Information for Year 3 & 5

We have almost completed NAPLAN for 2026! Monday will mark the completion of all NAPLAN sessions. Well done Year 3 & Year 5, we look forward to your results mid Term 2.  

Keeping Our School Safe and Respectful

At school, our goal is to provide a safe, focused, and inclusive environment where every student can learn without distraction. To maintain this environment, we want to share a friendly but important reminder regarding our expectations for student conduct.

Respecting Personal Space 

We are seeing an increase in "hands-on" behaviour. We ask all students to remember the "Hands to Self" rule. Physical contact—whether it is intended as "play" or otherwise—is not permitted. Respecting personal boundaries is a vital life skill that ensures everyone feels comfortable and safe at school.

Words Matter

Our school is a professional environment for our students. The use of foul language or inappropriate sexual comments is not permitted.

• Foul language: Using profanity or derogatory terms.
• Inappropriate content: Making comments of a sexual nature or using "adult" jokes/slang.

These behaviours not only disrupt learning but can also be deeply hurtful to peers. We want our students to be known for their kindness and excellent manners not for bad language they use.

How Parents Can Help

We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about:

1. The 'Personal Space' Rule: Keeping a respectful distance from others.
2. Digital Citizenship: Reminding them that language they hear online, in videos and music isn't always appropriate for school.
3. Empathy: Asking them how they would feel if someone used disrespectful language toward them or family members.

We appreciate your partnership in helping our students grow into respectful, responsible citizens.

Important Dates: End of Term 1 & Start of Term 2

As we approach the end of Term 1 the final day for students will be Thursday, 2nd April. 

First Day for Term 2 is Tuesday 21st April.

Term 2 Winter Uniform

Our uniform is a symbol of pride and belonging. By taking care of their appearance, students demonstrate respect for themselves and our school community. Please ensure the studednts Winter Uniform is ready for Term 2. 

ANZAC Day 25th April Term 2

Our school proudly participate in the ANZAC Day March on April 25th. A Compass notification will be sent home in Week 10 with details of the event.

Monday 27th April will be a Public Holiday and students do not attend school on this day.

Hate Speech

Recently, the introduction of new hate speech legislation and updated NSW anti-bullying statements has served as a timely reminder of our commitment to LWLW. Two of our ‘Rules for school are:

1. I am safe.

2. I am valued, respected, and cared for.

    

In a world currently facing much turmoil, Jesus’ message—to treat others as you would like to be treated—is more necessary than ever.

Congratulations to the many students who consistently show kindness and respect to everyone they interact with. Thank you to our families for partnering with us to instil these vital values in our school.