FROM THE PRINCIPAL

To the St Nicholas School Community  

TERM 1 - WEEK 2

With shirts a little big, dresses a little long and shoes as black as a model T Ford, our Year 1-6 students skipped through the front gate on Tuesday morning ready for another school year. The wide smiles hid some nervous energy, though this same energy brought St Nicholas to life. 

The stability and structure of a school day is timely for our students and families. While a break is crucial, so too is a return to some form of normalisation particularly where a pandemic has caused great uncertainty.

The 2022 school year brings with it a few changes and challenges. Rapid Antigen Tests, positive cases, self isolation and restrictions will cause disruption. The St Nicholas community is more than ready to accept these challenges and counter them with a positive outlook.

While the virus will continue to determine timelines, as a school we once again commit to providing our community with clear and up to date communication. There may be times when we do not have an immediate answer, we ask for patience, to ensure we provide the correct answer.

In welcoming our students on Tuesday, St Nicholas also welcomed new staff. At a time when recruitment is one of the biggest issues facing the education sector, I am absolutely delighted in the quality of staff we have joining us in 2022. While each of the following is looking forward to learning from us, we too will learn an enormous amount from them. Welcome:

Mrs Amy Willis (Kinder Support Teacher), Mrs Amy Iles (3I Teacher), Miss Grace Maher (5M Teacher), Mrs Jodi Woolaston (5HW Teacher), Mrs Jess Clery (Teacher Relief), Mrs Laura Chapman (Educational Assistant), Miss Gabby Beer (Educational Assistant) and Mr Ethan Ross (AEA Trainee) to our 2022 school staff.  

In 2022 St Nicholas will once again place enormous energy into ensuring a good school becomes an even better school. This will be achieved through a detailed plan and thorough process. Our focus in 2022 will be:

• Reading: Embedding 2021 ‘s quality teaching and learning practices for reading
• Writing: Developing the sophistication of teaching and learning in writing to match reading
• Boys Education:
  • Are our boys reaching their potential? What support could be available to our boys to have them learning at a level like our girls?

These pillars of improvement will be delivered through a catholic context with Jesus at the core of all we do.

In coming weeks I look forward to sharing the 2022 St Nicholas Annual Improvement Plan.

John Clery

PRINCIPAL