Message from the Director of Schools

Dear Colleagues,

Schools visits

It is always a source of great joy to visit our schools in the Diocese. Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to visit St Joseph’s Tenterfield, St Joseph’s Glen Innes, St Mary of the Angels Guyra, St Mary’s Armidale, St Joseph’s Uralla, St Joseph’s West Tamworth, St Nicholas’ Tamworth, St Joseph’s Wee Waa, St Francis Xavier Narrabri and St Joseph’s Walgett. At all schools, I have seen strong teams working together to improve the faith, learning and wellbeing of our students. 

How great are these- St Joseph’s Walgett Stage 2 students drawing what they ‘see’ their hope-filled future being

Armidale Catholic Schools Office Staff Meeting

On Monday, we held our ACSO Term 2 staff meeting. We focused on our Vision and Mission, particularly how and what we do supports 

‘Our Work - Literate and Numerate Students for a Hope-filled Future’

We explored the questions: 

1. How does my work contribute to the vision?
2. How does the work of my team contribute to the vision?
3. How does the work of the office contribute to the vision?

We also spent time reviewing our 2026 Annual Improvement Plan. We reflected on how we are going in achieving our goals and what is our evidence of impact. We focused on what our work will look like over the next 2 weeks, 1 month, and 6 months. After reviewing our 2026 AIP, we began our discussion on our work in 2027. 

Congratulations Emily Murphy

Congratulations to Emily Murphy from St Joseph's Tenterfield, who has successfully completed her Lead Teacher Accreditation site visit. All six descriptors were met. Emily's feedback highlights her exemplary ability to model high-impact, evidence-based instructional strategies and guide colleagues through targeted data triangulation, significantly upskilling both early-career and experienced teachers.

Cherie’s Principal interview was exceptional and highlighted Emily’s collaborative and inclusive leadership style, noting that she never imposes change from above but instead focuses on “bringing everyone along.” She also emphasised Emily’s professional impact in strengthening consistency across the school through clear “standards for practice” that effectively support both new and existing teachers.

Thank you to Cherie Yates and Millie Woolaston for their support of Emily throughout the process. Emily now has her Module 2 submission to complete. Congratulations Emily!

Congratulations Fr Deleep

Congratulations to Fr Deleep, Warialda, who became an Australian Citizen last week. So happy for you to officially join our community!