A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Brain Olympia

Last Wednesday our first Primary Brain Olympia competition was a great success. The students worked collaboratively all day to answer General Knowledge questions; to solve tricky Mathematics problems; to present a speech which persuaded the audience 'How primary students should spend their freetime' and the day concluded with a drama performance titled 'The Best Day Ever'.

Congratulations to all the teams for your enthusiastic participation - only one point separated the first two teams! The winning team was Team 5 ‘The Brainiacs’ consisting of:

Hannah Coghill, Felicity Carroll, Willson Davis, Bethany Pain, Lincoln Darnell, Charles Lee & Joel Morris.

Special commendation also to the students who delivered the speech on behalf of the team. Ella Jamieson won this section with the most entertaining and clearly presented speech; closely followed by Lachlan Quigley.

Not all the teams can win but the following photos show what fun learning can be!

Semester 2 Reporting to Parents/Carers

During Week 9 of this term, beginning on Monday 7th December, we invite parents to attend a parent/teacher interview to discuss your child’s progress. We will be using the new Diocesan Report which is a Summary of Learning; rather than a traditional report. For each Key Learning Area, teachers will now report as to whether students are:

• Working at the expected level of achievement.
• Working beyond the expected level of achievement (this is split into two sections, working beyond and working well beyond the expected level).
• Working towards the expected level of achievement (this is split into two sections, working towards and working well below the expected level).

I ask that all parents make every effort to attend this important meeting about your child's learning progress.

Staff News

We have been busy behind the scenes organising staff for 2021. The Catholic Schools’ Office has generously supported our school with additional staffing to ensure each and every student at St Joey’s receives the best possible Catholic Education. The added bonus is we have a small dedicated Kinder class. We still have room for another student or two in this class, so please spread the word to your friends in the community.

I am pleased to announce we have two new staff members for 2021:

Mrs Rebecca Hofman was the successful applicant for the Leader of Pedagogy role. This role is a leadership role in the school and assists all teachers to improve their classroom practice. Rebecca began her teaching career at St. Joseph's West Tamworth before moving on to St. Nicholas' Primary School, where she has spent the past 7 years. During this time, she has been involved in and led numerous initiatives throughout the school, developing her passion for continued improvements in literacy and numeracy as well as the inclusion of STEM within the curriculum. She is excited and looking forward to joining the community of St. Joseph's Quirindi and getting to know you all in 2021. 

Miss Sallie Pilgrim joins our staff as the Kindergarten teacher for 2021. Sallie is an experienced Kinder teacher and she is also looking forward to joining the Quirindi Community and meeting new families in the area. Sallie has taught at small schools in Hernani and Manilla. She also has experience in a large school, teaching at St Edward's in Tamworth for the past 6 years. Sallie lives on a property just out of Willow Tree running contract rodeo cattle, beef cattle and horses. Sallie is a keen horse rider and competes regularly in rodeo events. 

I know you will join me in welcoming these teachers to our community.

Our class Teachers for 2021 are:

Kinder: Miss Sallie Pilgrim

Year 1/2: Mrs Amanda Bartholomew

Year 3/4 : Mrs Robyn Wilson

Year 5/6: Mrs Sharnie Meade

Other staff related news

Mrs Wendy Rheinberger, our current amazing Kinder teacher, has decided to work part time next year and she will continue to be our Religious Education Coordinator. Wendy will also take on the role of Student Support Inclusion Teacher and the Release from Face to Face teacher. 

Mrs Amanda Mondy and Mrs Sarah Murray will be with us in Term 1 before they take a period of maternity leave. Although we will miss them immensely we wish them all the best for this special time in their lives and we look forward to welcoming Amanda & Sarah back again in 2022. 

Have a wonderful week

Pauline Long

Principal