A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Staff Professional Learning

Last week Amy Willis, a teacher from St Nicholas’ School in Tamworth, who is also studying to be a speech pathologist, presented a staff meeting on Oral Language. Oral language is an important foundation for all academic learning. Developing oral language skills helps students communicate effectively. At St Joey’s we model, scaffold, support and guide speaking and listening opportunities in the classroom. We prompt and question students to deepen their thinking and we encourage students to collaborate with their classmates. 

Oral Language is more than just being able to speak clearly. Students need to learn how to: 

• Be active listeners and be attentive for sustained periods of time;
• Remember instructions and process this information to carry out a task;
• Speak so others can understand, using vocabulary suitable to the topic of conversation;
• Interact with adults and other students using appropriate vocabulary.
• Retell a story and sequence events in a story. 

How can parents help? 

Regularly talk to your children about their school day. 

Read to your children every day and ask questions about the text.

Have fun with language: sing songs together, say poems and rhymes.

Be patient if your child struggles with articulation of some words and seek professional help if you are concerned about your child’s speech development.

Catholic Schools' Week:  Monday 23rd- Friday 27th May

Each year we look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools’ Week and inviting our parents and friends to join us at school. It is a time to commemorate our Catholic traditions and also share the amazing learning that occurs in our school with our community. 

Next Wednesday 25th May all the students from Years 3-6 will attend a Diocesan Mass at St Nicholas’ Church in Tamworth. The Catholic Schools Office is kindly paying for the bus and providing lunch to our students. Please complete the consent form via Compass by this Friday 20th May.

On Thursday 26th May we will have a liturgy at 11.30am followed by open classrooms where we encourage parents, carers and grandparents to join with the students. We will then have a sausage sizzle lunch, provided by the school. Please return the note sent home today by Friday to assist us with catering. I am looking forward to seeing MANY visitors on this special day.

We would also like to update our display in the local shop window with the theme of this year’s Catholic Schools’ Week “Our Hope Filled Future”. Today each family will receive special ‘clouds’ for you to write and draw about your hopes for the future. Please return the clouds by next Monday 23rd May.

Have a wonderful week

Pauline Long

Principal