Principal

Karen Jagers

Yesterday afternoon, clear evidence of our strong home-school partnership was apparent.Thank you to the many parents who took the chance to take ten minutes or so to catch up with 2017 teachers. Staff appreciate the opportunity to meet parents and learn from them about their child/children.

Continuing with the home-school partnership is the school’s provision of information to support your children as writers, based on Seven Steps to Writing Success strategies. Further to this, for the K-6 school, are the Key Learning Overviews which will be emailed to all parents shortly. This document set will allow parents to know of the learning focus areas throughout the term. Conversations with your child/children about the day’s learning intentions and success criteria should provide further windows into the many learning experiences at St Philomena’s School.

To support and work with our parents to acquire a  better understanding of the Google Suite your children are working with/ will be working with, a terrific hands on information night has been organised for Monday 27 February. This is something parents have asked for! Please refer to the advertisement in this newsletter. We hope to have lots of parents in attendance.  

Our 2017 school leaders have been on the job for two weeks. Yesterday, the student leadership team of Alliyah Davison, Damien McMillan, Dimity Hunter, Max Downes, Camilla O’Neill and William Finlayson pledged their commitment to their fellow students. During our Beginning School Year Mass, badges were blessed by Father Abmar and pinned to each leader, by their mentor.

On Monday, February 13, our school community recognised the 9th Anniversary of the National Apology to Australia’s First Peoples, in the form of a liturgy. The Apology related to past laws, policies and practices which have impacted on Australia’s First Nations Peoples, and in particular, to the members of the stolen generation. St Philomena’s School acknowledges the importance of this day for our ATSI students and their families.  

After an extensive consultation period, commencing in 2014, nineteen new HSC syllabus documents have been released this week. The syllabuses have not been updated since the current HSC was launched nearly 20 years ago. These changes will apply to our current Year 10 students in 2018 (who will commence their HSC studies in Year 11) and our Kindergarten children in 2028!   If you are interested in more information click here: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/news/media-releases/media-release-detail/new-hsc-syllabuses

Tomorrow, the Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre will be buzzing with swimmers from our many diocesan primary schools.  Swimmers will be competing at Diocesan level, striving to make the Polding team which will head to Homebush in March. Thank you to Tony O’Donnell and his team of staff and parent helpers who have brought the day together. In our third year of hosting the carnival, the Moree home location is a welcome attraction for us and our western schools!  Good luck to all our swimmers competing tomorrow.