GENERAL NEWS

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS

SAY CHEESE ....

School photographs - Tuesday 28th & Wednesday 29th June, 2022

Parents will receive notification and ordering details through the Compass Parent Portal.  

To place your order, make sure you have your Compass login details.  Please contact our office staff for assistance with your Compass login.

For photo day queries, please call the friendly staff at MSP Photography on 6772 3519.

PARENT READING WORKSHOP

We would like to extend an invitation to all parents/carers of Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students to attend a Parent Reading Workshop in “The Hub” next Wednesday, 1st June at 6.30pm. 

The aim of the workshop is to demonstrate to parents the current teaching practices that are used at St Nicholas School to help develop our students into balanced readers. We will also provide strategies and ideas on how parents can best support their child’s reading development.

This is intended to be a relaxed, “hands on workshop” so it would be great to see as many parents as possible attend. To help us prepare we need to gauge the number of people who will be attending. We will have a creche available if alternative arrangements for care cannot be made. 

An event was sent out on Compass for our K-2 parents. Please rsvp through Compass by Friday so that we have an idea of how many people are attending. 

STUDENT-LED LEARNING CONFERENCES

To continue the wonderful support you have for your child’s education, please access bookings for Student- Led Learning Conferences via the Compass Parent Portal. These conferences will take place between 6th - 17th June (Week 7 & 8).  Click here for further steps to book a time with your child's class teacher.

Parents with more than one child please be mindful of not booking back to back conferences so as to allow enough time to move between rooms and for any unforeseen delays. Please also be conscious that while Student Led Learning Conferences are being undertaken, all other children will have access to some small passive activities in the shared spaces to assist with keeping all areas quiet and calm.

As the name suggests, the Student-Led Learning Conference will focus on learning. If parents wish to discuss matters other than learning, a meeting can be booked with your child's class teacher/s or teachers may make contact at another time.

As the Student-Led Learning Conference replaces the formal Parent Teacher interviews, please remember, every day is an opportunity for a parent to make contact with a teacher. If a parent wishes to meet with their child’s teacher, they simply need to contact them to arrange an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

Please view the following brief clip to give you an idea of the way a Student Led Learning Conference is held.

DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARDS

Submissions are now welcome for the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, Australia’s longest-running annual poetry competition for school children.

Some great prizes are available for all ages this year as well!

WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY

Last Friday was Walk Safely to School Day. It was lovely to see many families enjoying their morning walk to school or parking a little further away than normal. Thank you to everyone who participated and we hope you enjoyed the fresh air and morning exercise. 

MOBILE PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Here at St Nicholas School, students are not permitted to use mobile phones whilst in our care. However we do appreciate that some students have phones to make communication with parents easier, especially after school hours. Our policy is that all students with phones, ipods or other electronic devices must hand these in at the office at the start of each day and collect them at the end of the day. Smart watches are not to be used as a means of communication during school hours. If phones or watches are used inappropriately by any student they will not be permitted to bring it to school.

VERITAS AWARDS

Congratulations to the following children who received Veritas Awards in the last two weeks:  

Lily McNair, Max Bensley, Isabella Harding-Brown, Charlie Nguyen, Klara Bunnemeyer, Bella King, Tim Tran, Sofia Michell, Iona Burns, Ariel Pannan, Chelsea Ryan, Liam Gallagher, Azarlee Ramirez, Ben van Aanholt, Patrick Johnson, Harry Wilson, Ebony Creighton, Pippa Smith, Cooper McAuley, Archie Barry, Scarlett Connor, Oliver Clydsdale, Ella Klasen, Deacon Ireland , Sara Belfield , Mason Hill and Miles Pearce. 

These children have been noticed by a variety of teachers leading by example and showing empathy and compassion towards others.

SRC TERM 2

Congratulations to the following children who have been elected by their peers to represent their class on the SRC.

3T - Sara Scott

3R - Georgia King

3I - Sophia Shanahan

4P - Cohen Jones

4M - Klara Bunnemeyer

4B - Ruby Wall

5S - Archie Taylor

5M - Tyler O'Neile

5HW - Morgan Tyrrell

These children represented St Nicholas School at the Catholic Schools Week Mass at St Nicholas Church yesterday. They are looking at fundraising ideas for the school and things to purchase with these funds.

YEAR 5 LAKE BURRENDONG EXCURSION

WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER TO FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2022

Our Year 5 students and staff will be travelling to Lake Burrendong Sport and Recreation Centre (in Central NSW) for their annual excursion.  

In the coming weeks, parents will receive a Compass Event Notification which will include full details, consent forms and payment options. Approximate cost will be $300.00 and this will be confirmed in the Compass Event Notification. 

If we have any parents willing and daring enough to accompany us, then please email lsedon@arm.catholic.edu.au indicating your interest. Please note, you will need a current Working With Children Check.  

We are really looking forward to this excursion to close out the 2022 school year and to give our 2023 school leaders the opportunity to come together as a group before they begin their final year of primary education.  Thank you for your support.  If you have any queries, please contact our office staff.  

YEAR 6 CANBERRA EXCURSION

MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER TO FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2022

Our Year 6 students and staff will be travelling to Canberra for their annual excursion.  We have had a few problems with the confirmation of our Year 6 excursion this year (ie. clash of dates and closure of our accommodation venue in Sydney) both of which have been totally out of our control.  Our usual Sydney excursion has been magnificent over the past 10 years but we believe that Canberra will offer our students a new and greater educational experience.

In the coming weeks, parents will receive a Compass Event Notification which will include full details, consent forms and payment options. Approximate cost will be $600.00 and this will be confirmed in the Compass Event Notification.  Please note, we are trying very hard to keep all costs to a minimum.

If we have any parents willing to accompany us, then please email eelliott@arm.catholic.edu.au indicating your interest.  Please note, you will need a current Working With Children Check.  

Thank you for your support and please do not hesitate to contact our office staff if you have any questions or are experiencing any difficulties.

2022 Competitions & Assessments for Schools (ICAS) - Years 4, 5 and 6 students only

This year our Year 4, 5 and 6 students from St Nicholas School have the opportunity to sit for the ICAS Exams.  ICAS is the largest independent competition and assessment program for schools in Australia.  Each student receives an individual report as well as a certificate of acknowledgment for participation.  These certificates make valuable additions to student portfolios.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE NOT COMPULSORY AND YOU MAY WISH TO DO AS MANY AS YOU WISH OR NONE AT ALL.  EXAMS WILL BE ONLINE AND CONDUCTED IN EXAM CONDITIONS AT SCHOOL.  You will be informed of exact sitting dates once scheduled.

Parents/Carers must go online to the ICAS Parent Portal to register and make payment for the exams your child wishes to complete. 

Your ICAS Parent Portal Link is:  https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

Your ICAS Parent Portal Access Code is:  RLT738

• The ICAS Parent Portal will close on 1 August 2022. 
• No registration or payment will be accepted at school.
• Late entries will not be accepted. 

Any queries, please contact our office staff.

PUPIL FREE DAYS - Term 3

Please place the following dates in your diary. These dates are when staff will be undertaking professional development therefore will be pupil free days in Term 3.

Monday 18th July (First day of Term 3)

Friday 23rd September (Last day of Term 3)