FROM THE PRINCIPAL

TERM 4 - WEEK 6

Last week the school was visited by Mr Dallas McInerney the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW. This is the organisation responsible for running every systemic Catholic School in the state representing 595 Catholic schools and their 255,000 students.  On Monday this week an article written by him was published in the Sydney Morning Herald that outlined the case for freedom of educational choice. The link to the article is: https://www.smh.com.au/education/healthy-competition-benefits-all-schools-says-catholic-schools-chief-20181116-p50gm2.html

As the end of the year is rapidly approaching could I ask that you finalise school fees over the next few weeks. The school’s financial year is a calendar year and we need to report to the Catholic Schools Office by the end of this year. Again thank you to our community for your ongoing financial support of the school.

Please make sure you read the PTF page in the newsletter for their meeting this Monday to be preceded by some thank you drinks and nibbles.

I know many, if not all of you are starting to think about next year’s classes and teachers. We have nearly completed our planning and you will be advised of your child’s class and teacher well before the end of the year. Please let the school know if you are moving or won’t be at St Nicholas School next year.

All the best to our chess team which is competing in the bi-annual Catholic Chess Challenge at St Joseph’s West Tamworth tomorrow.

One of the very important aspects of a school is that a culture of high expectation be set for our students in their academic studies, manners, attendance and their presentation for school each day. Please help us set these standards by supporting our endeavours including the uniform and grooming policy. Radical haircuts are simply not part of what we do at St Nicholas School.

IMPORANT NOTICE TO ALL PARENTS

A few housekeeping rules for all parents to read and be aware of. 

SCHOOL HOURS  - 8.45am to 2.55pm

Our school hours are strictly 8.45am to 2.55pm Monday to Friday.  For the sake of your child’s education, please make the effort to have your child attend a full day.  An average of 10 students arrive to school each day late and an average of 15 students are leaving early each day.  Do you realise that each time a child arrives late or leaves early from a classroom, the entire class is interrupted and can take 15-20 mins for the teacher to get ‘back on task’ to finish the lesson?  You are not only disturbing your own child’s education but those other children in the class.

CHANGES TO PICK-UP ROUTINE

Our office staff are receiving as many as 15-20 messages from parents each day changing or clarifying a child’s afternoon collection.  Many of these are received in the last 30 minutes of school, once again disturbing many classes with the teacher having to halt teaching, answer the phone, relay the message to the child and then start the class again. 

Children thrive on consistency and routine.  Discuss your child’s pick up routine before saying goodbye to them in the morning and stick to it.

CHANGES TO LUNCH ORDERS

Friar’s Tuckshop does not have the ability to make changes to lunch orders once they have been submitted.  Friar’s Tuckshop is currently filling close to 100 lunch orders on a daily basis.  Mrs Harding is often without volunteer help and must serve over the counter sales as well as prepare the orders.  Changes to lunch orders will no longer be accepted after 9.00am.

BIRTHDAY ICYPOLES

Many days, our staffroom freezer cannot cope with the amount of birthday icypoles.  Please be aware, that we can not store the icypoles for more than one day.  Left over icypoles muct be collected at the end of the day.