Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 3. Term 3 is traditionally one of the quieter terms at school, but our calendar is indicating something very different for the weeks ahead. We look forward to another action packed term of learning and fun.

NAPLAN results have been released to parents today. Your Year 3 or Year 5 child has their NAPLAN results in their bag. Please take the time to read the report and make contact with the school next week if you have any questions or comments. NAPLAN is now reported in four bands, not five. Children are compared to students of the same grade/age across the nation and have been slotted into the bands of Needs Additional Support, Developing, Strong or Exceeding for each area tested - Reading, Writing, Numeracy, Grammar/Punctuation and Spelling.  

On Tuesday, Katie Hanes our School Performance Leader visited St Michael's to complete the annual compliance audit in the areas of Attendance, Child Safety, Complaints and Discipline. During Term 1 the Key Learning Area of Mathematics was audited against NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) standards and during Term 2 HSIE (History and Geography) was audited. During this Term CAPA (Creative and Practical Arts) will be audited and in Term 4 Science will be audited. We operate in a five year cycle and are currently in the fourth year. Audits ensure compliance with NESA and Catholic Schools NSW high expectations in the areas of teaching and learning and general operations. While at St Michael's, Katie was very complimentary on the behaviour of the children, the interaction of the children with their teachers and learning and the overall sense of calm that is present in our school. 

Staff members have been particularly busy with professional learning since the start of Term. Day 1, all staff travelled to St Xavier's in Gunnedah to join with them for a day presented by Dr Dan White. Dr White spoke about the the Mission of Catholic Education. Tuesday staff meetings for weeks 1 and 2, teaching staff has engaged with Denise McHugh from NESA. Denise covered the topics of Allocating A-E grades effectively and 

the general requirements of NESA re programming and answered questions staff had. Yesterday, staff interacted with a presenter from MANSW (Mathematical Association of NSW) re Number Talks and will continue this PD next Thursday after school. Number Talks are a wonderful tool to warm up the children's thinking before their daily Mathematics lesson.

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2024 are now open and will close on Friday September 8. Once all enrolments are received, information regarding the transition program will be forwarded to families. We look forward to welcoming new families as well as the many siblings of existing families. 

The Uniform Committee has approved an addition to the girls' summer uniform - a short and shirt option for Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The P&F has agreed that the uniform addition is a viable option for St Michael's girls to wear during the hotter months. The uniform addition will be on display in the front office from Monday July 31 for everyone to look at. A system of voting will be made available to ascertain whether or not the uniform addition is accepted by the school community. I encourage all parents to have a say. A voting slip with a photograph will be sent home to each family on Monday to accommodate parents who cannot make it into the school office. The option is both stylish and practical.

I wish all the students making their First Holy Communion on Sunday all the best. The Mass will commence at 10.00 a.m. in St Michael's Church. Thankyou to Fr Curran for being so supportive of our students in their faith journey. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful Parish Priest, who is totally invested in the sacramental life of our school.

Enjoy a wonderful weekend,

Bronwyn