Mr Hyatt
A Very Busy Time Indeed!
I have been in the teaching profession for 23 years and there isn't any time when it is not busy. But when I began writing this article, I looked at the staff calendar noticeboard and noticed that rather then having a quiet end to the term, we still have a number of items/events coming up in the next three weeks. Some students in Years 2 and 3 are halfway through their preparation to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first term. On the sporting front, we have students taking part in the Diocesan Winter Trials next Friday, as well as all classes preparing themselves for our School Cross Country on the second last day of the term. Band and Mini Minstrels is still continuing. While some of our teachers have been preparing various materials for the upcoming Early Stage 1/Stage PDHPE Curriculum Audit for next Friday as well.
We have all members of our P and F Community busily planning and preparing various fundraising events that are happening now as well as the near future.
Even today was busy with the various activities that the school conducted to marked the celebration of our patron saint, St Patrick. We celebrated Mass, wore green theme clothing, in which the money raised went to the Lismore Diocese Flood Appeal. Participated in a golf ball scavenger hunt and also the students ate a lot of green coloured lollies and healthy snacks. Also, we had one class participated in a Life Education visit.
From this you can definitely see why, we rarely have a quiet day where something is not happening!
Congratulations on a very successful Show
Congratulations on a wonderful show on the weekend. The entries in pavilions from the children and St Patrick's families were excellent. Congratulations to everyone and well done to those who received a prize for their efforts. Please see other photos in the upcoming page - 2022 Walcha Show.
Life Education Visit
Today we had have our first visit from Life Education who conducted sessions with both Kindergarten and the Year 1-2 class. Due to ventilation protocols related to COVID, these sessions have and will take place in the library instead of the Healthy Harold van. The other sessions for our Year 3-4 and Year 5-6 classes will take place on Tuesday 22nd March.
Parent Teacher Interviews Yr 1-6
We are nearly at the halfway point of our Parent Teacher Interviews. It is crucial that these meetings take place as it provides opportunities for all members of our school community to work together in setting out short and long term learning goals for our students. Thank you to all of the parents who have already participated in their meeting already. I hope this experience has strengthen the working relationship between yourself and your child's teacher. The remaining interviews will take place in the upcoming week. I know there have been some more difficulties associated with the booking of interview times on COMPASS and I have been told this has now been rectified. There are some remaining interview times free, if you haven't already made an appointment.
A Whole Diocesan Initiative Following the Request from Pope Francis
All schools in the diocese, including St Patrick's have been asked by the Catholic Schools Office to play our part in saving our environment as requested by Pope Francis in his 2015 document, 'Laudato Si'. As a Catholic Learning Community, we are focusing our efforts on recycling, particularly in the area of collecting medication blister packs. A box has been set up in the front office for collection of these packs. So rather then just throwing them away, it is greatly appreciated, if you and/or your child can drop them in the collection box at any time. More information about this collection drive is included below.
NAPLAN 2022 Dates
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will take part in this year’s National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) on the following dates:
- NAPLAN 2022 online test window: 10–22 May
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is held in May each year for Year 3 and Year 5 students. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. The results of the tests provide information for students, parents, teachers and principals and can be used to improve student achievement.
Online Naplan Practise Assessment
As mentioned last week, our Year 3 and 5 students will be taking part in an online NAPLAN Practise Assessment. This assessment is designed to assist schools in preparing for the upcoming NAPLAN Assessment that will be held in early May to ensure that we don't encounter any difficulties during this period. The results from this practise test will not be released as this is a dummy run, so the students have familiarised themselves with the outline of the program as well as the various tools that they will need to use to complete this assessment. Both of our Year 3 and 5 students will be having a number of opportunities to prepare for this assessment in the classroom. If some students/parents would like to start preparing for either of these assessments, please click on the link below.
https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site
This is not the whole assessment but it gives you an idea on what certain types of tasks our Year 3 and 5 students could be asked to do: