Principal's Report

Welcome back to Term 2 as we continue to work together in partnership to support positive growth in learning and wellbeing for your sons and daughters! As I write we are moving full steam ahead to enhance growth in literacy and numeracy in a variety of innovative and evidence-proven ways.

Firstly, the COVID-ILS funding received from Catholic Schools NSW has allowed us to employ Mrs Bernadette Phelps for 3 days per week for Terms 2 & 3, to tutor students in small group settings who have been identified as being affected by the COVID restrictions to onsite learning during 2021, both as students needing extension and students who need to be supported to ‘catch-up’. These small group settings combined with Mrs Phelp’s expertise in tight 3-4 week intensive sessions are highly-likely to reap great rewards in learning growth for our kids. 

Similarly, our strong staff team of skillful helpful adults have been working for 6 weeks now to ensure that our Year 3 and Year 5 students are fully conversant and ready for the NAPLAN assessments both in online technical requirements and practical elements of the manipulation of the online environment. Also, all of our Stage 2 and 3 students have been exposed to the Narrative and Persuasive genre choices inherent in the Writing component of the NAPLAN assessments. As a reflection of our previous work in 2021, St Joseph’s students achieved wonderful results against the National Curriculum Standards and our informed prediction for 2022 would suggest comparable if not even better results are possible.

As an example of our capacity for informed prediction, 50% of the 2021 Year 3 students were achieving at or above the age-appropriate reading standard for their age (PM Benchmark) by the end of Term 1. Hence, it was no surprise to us that 50% of our 2021 Year 3 students achieved at the two highest bands for NAPLAN Reading (Bands 5 & 6) in 2021. With 75% of our 2022 Year 3 students achieving at or above the age-appropriate reading standard for their age (PM Benchmark) already, we would be confident of a high proportion of Band 5 & 6 again in 2022. While NAPLAN is but one measure for schools to determine the impact of our targeted teaching on individual and cohort learning growth, it is worth celebrating when our Glen Innes kids are able to demonstrate their excellent understanding and application of their knowledge and skills against the National Curriculum Standards. Stay tuned for an update and make sure you also check out Mrs McCarthy’s article in today’s newsletter about our Reading Sprints!

While I am writing about targeted teaching, I am putting out an early ‘plug’ for the P&F Meeting 6:30pm on Wednesday 25 May (Week 5). At this meeting in the Stage 1 learning spaces, I will personally be walking parents through some simple school and cohort data from the CSO Data Ecosystem that allows our teachers, school leaders and system staff to be able to tightly focus their professional work on the exact learning and wellbeing needs of our students. It will not be a night full of ‘educational jargon’ and will provide some emerging insight for families to understand how our expert team of skilful helpful adults actually determine WHERE kids are currently placed with their learning, WHAT we can do in a precise and informed manner to grow their learning NOW and WHAT can we do NEXT based on their improvement? I will put another reminder in next fortnight’s newsletter (Week 4).

Finally, I wish to commend everyone (staff, students and parents!) who contributed to an extensive list of school events over the final week of Term 1 and the first couple of weeks of Term 2. I would be writing for days if I attempted to provide adequate and respectful detail of the hard work and generous effort put into these significant events for our school community. Suffice then to say from Cross Country to Stations of the Cross, to Easter Egg Raffles and Hat Parade, to ANZAC Day Dawn Service and Community March, and the Celtic Choir, my overwhelming thanks to all those who planned, prepared and participated. As I said to the children at Assembly this week, there is absolutely no success for any individual or group without hard work and effort being put in beforehand. St Joseph’s Glen Innes students, staff and families have really put in a massive effort and many hours of hard work to make all of these events a resounding success. Well done to all!

May God go with you.

Geoff McManus

Principal.