Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, our school hosted some members of the Leadership Team from the Catholic Schools Office in Armidale and some staff from St Joseph's Quirindi, as we unpacked our Annual Improvement Plan for 2023. Our guests visited classrooms and spoke with the children during the Literacy Block.  We received many affirmations from our guests and the children were commended on their commitment to learning.

We were asked to identify two goals from our AIP for the year regarding teaching and learning. Our focus areas fall into two main categories: 

1. Prioritising the Armidale Catholic Schools (ACS) Non Negotiables and
2. Implementing the K-2 Mathematicsand English Syllabi. Both these syllabus documents are new in all schools this year. In conjunction with implementing the Mathematics Syllabus, we are also implementing the Diocesan program for Mathematics, MaST into our K-3 classrooms. 

Each fortnight in the newsletter, we will highlight an area of interest within our Annual Improvement Plan, as we continually work to improve the learning outcomes of all our students. An area of interest and community celebration is our increase in enrolments for 2023 - an increase of 7% from 2022. 

Thankyou to all parents and carers who attended Parent/Teacher Interviews during the week. These interviews are as important for teachers as they are for parents and carers. They  are a fantastic opportunity to discuss your child's learning and inform teachers of any points of interest that may or may not be impacting your child's learning. If you have not yet met with your child's teacher and wish to do so, please contact the Office to make an appointment.

Over the coming weeks, our students in Years 3 and 5 will undertake NAPLAN testing. All students will commence with the Writing task on Wednesday March 15. Students in Year 3 will do a hand written test and students in Year 5 will complete an online test. All other NAPLAN tests will be online for both Year 3 and Year 5. If you have any questions, please contact the school.

The AGM of the P&F will be held in the Staffroom on Tuesday afternoon, March 14, commencing at 5.30 p.m. After the AGM, the monthly meeting will be held and the Diocesan Constitution for the School Advisory Council will be tabled. The Constitution was reviewed and updated by the Diocese in December 2022.

Miss Fraser has organised an information afternoon for Kindergarten parents and carers. The meeting will be held in the Kindergarten room on Wednesday March 15, commencing at 5.30 p.m. Miss Fraser will discuss learning to date and give some helpful tips for home reading. Please see the flyer in the General News section of our Newsletter. We look forward to seeing you there. Don't forget our Playgroup every Thursday morning at 9.15 a.m. in the Library. Playgroup is for all children 0-5 years.

Our Meet and Greet is set down for Thursday March 29 commencing at 5.30 p.m. This will be an Easter Hat Parade (both adults and children), Open Classrooms and Sausage Sizzle. We are having an after school event to enable as many families as possible to attend and it is the week before Easter Week, due to Daylight Saving coming to an end on Sunday April 2. We look forward to a wonderful roll up of families and friends of St Michael's.

The Diocese of Armidale has launched a Diocesan Prayer. Today, every staff member and student has received a copy of the prayer. Please take the time to read through the prayer with your child/ren.

Head Lice has been present in our school. All children with long hair are encouraged to wear their pulled back to reduce direct contact with other children's hair, which is the main source of infection. The following is an extract from the NSW Health website.

How do you catch head lice?

Head lice are most common among primary school aged children. They cannot fly, jump or swim and are spread by direct contact with the hair of the infested individual. A head lice infestation is not the result of dirty hair or poor hygiene and it can affect all types of hair regardless of its condition or length. Head lice are rarely transferred through clothing, hats, furniture or bedding.

Female head lice lay eggs close to the scalp on the hair shaft. Eggs hatch after 5-7 days, leaving empty eggshells (nits) glued to the hair shaft. These eggshells are more noticeable as hair grows and they get carried away from the scalp. Nymphs that emerge from eggshells take 7-8 days to grow to adult sized lice. They may take another 7 days to start breeding and hence it is important to remove them to stop them spreading.

Enjoy a wonderful weekend.

Bronwyn Underwood

PRINCIPAL