Principal's Report

What fun we had at this week’s Swimming Carnival! While the photos on Facebook and printed in this newsletter give you some idea of the quality of competition and rivalry between the Sports Houses, the parents and staff who were there would certainly attest it was a really great community day. Special thanks go to all of the parents who volunteered as officials, and, of course, the staff who generously worked so hard to ensure everyone was organised and had a good time. Mrs Jackie Barratt planned and coordinated a high-quality carnival for the first time and we are deeply indebted to her for her hard work.

As a school committed to excellence and ongoing academic improvement, we constantly invest in improving the capacity of our team of skilful helpful adults. Hence, note that on the upcoming Pupil Free Day on Monday 27 February, our Teachers and Education Assistants will be engaging in deliberate professional learning to grow our ability to improve students’ understanding and practice of Comprehension. While reading, many of our children have excellent Decoding and Fluency skills, however, getting children to completely understand what is actually ‘going on’ in the story and even ‘inferring’ some deeper meaning, is not as well understood and applied as it could be. This deliberate PD session on Comprehension for our staff will allow us to attack this potential deficit with precision and grow an expertise that is lacking in many Australian schools. Another example of how St Joseph’s School Glen Innes never rests in looking for ways to improve learning and wellbeing.

Another past student has demonstrated high-level success post-St Joseph's schooling. Glen Innes High 2022 School Captain - Isabelle Wright not only achieved an ATAR of 93.45 being awarded second Dux but has also been accepted into the QANTAS Pilot Academy in Toowoomba. This elite achievement once again showcases aspirational targets for both current and past students to reach for the stars. Well done Isabelle!

Mark your calendars for the first P&F meeting of 2023 on Thursday 2nd of March at 6:30 pm. This hard-working and very friendly group of parents meet once per term to plan and coordinate fun events and fundraisers that benefit both our kids and build a strong community. New parents are most welcome! A reminder will be sent out on COMPASS with the meeting location closer to the date. See you there!

Our collective strategic focus for 2023 will be to continue to encourage all families and parish community members to feel welcome to attend much more regularly our school and parish liturgical and Eucharistic gatherings. This paragraph is another big ‘plug’ for our 2023 Ash Wednesday service that marks the beginning of the Lenten season and will be held onsite at St Joseph's School in the Undercroft on Wednesday 22nd February. All parents, grandparents and parish members are encouraged to attend as we intentionally and actively grow our Catholic faith community together.

Until next time.

May God go with you.

Geoff McManus

Principal