During 2024 our educational focus will be to improve Literacy and Numeracy skills — staff, students and families working together so all our students achieve at least 12 months growth. Other goals for the year are:

Build a community that continues to learn - Implement system Literacy and Numeracy initiatives which will increase student assessment data.

Enhance and maintain the wellbeing of all - Continued increase of attendance rates and implementation of school-wide Well Being Policy.

Build a community that is connected - Increased promotion of the school Vision and Mission statements throughout the community and to continue to increase family attendance at school events.

A big Welcome Back to our students, families and community for Term 2.

We hope you all managed to relax and recharge over the holidays. We all enjoy watching the students reconnect with each other, share their highlights and make plans for the coming term. The staffroom is a bit the same! Teachers returned on Monday to participate in professional learning around Cognitive Verbs – what they are, why they are important and how we explicitly teach them to students. We focused on Identify, Analyse and Justify. These verbs are repeated throughout the Curriculum across all Key Learning Areas. It is how student demonstrate their knowledge. On Tuesday, our Infant Teachers spent time with a Literacy consultant from Catholic Education to fine tune their morning sessions. Many thanks to Lisa, Anne and Gillian for providing the opportunity for us to further our knowledge and understanding!

Many thanks to the students and families who were able to join with us to observe ANZAC Day. It continues to be my favourite community gathering. The commitment of the teachers and students to represent their schools in the holidays demonstrate the ongoing importance of this day. The preschoolers and boarding students in our community get an extra shout out! This year was extra special for our school community with Mrs Carter delivering the address. Mrs Carter’s address is included below.

We have several events happening this term that we hope families will be involved in – School Masses, Mother’s Day morning tea, Small Schools Carnival, Assemblies, Reconciliation Week, Biggest Morning Tea and Do it For Dolly Day, CAPA Day at NPS. Please check the What’s On for dates. We make every effort to stick with the dates set, however there are occasions, that there will be changes. Additional information for events is provided closer to each date.

Students in Stages 2 and 3 will participate in the Sacramental program this year. This begins with the Sacrament of Reconciliation next week. Please keep Macayla and Elwina Wu in your prayers as they join our parish family this week through the Sacrament of Baptism. Many thanks to Mrs Golding for preparing the students for these special celebrations.

There will be an increased focus on School Attendance this term.

Term 1 attendance was:

Kinder       96.60%

Year 1       64.60%

Year 2       89.10%

Year 3       81.90%

Year 4       75.70%

Year 5       97.80%

Year 6       80.40%

The aim is to have all classes with an attendance rate of 90% plus. Students who fall below 80% will receive a letter requesting a planning meeting to discuss concerns.

Our school will participate in a Registration visit later this term. Part of the visit is ensuring all Policies and Statements of Practice required to operate a school are in place. As we review these Statements of Practice, we invite families to review and comment on the drafts. If you are able to support us with this please contact Rachael.

We look forward to sharing some photos of our Cross Country representatives who compete in Batlow tomorrow. Big shoutout to Mrs Elwin and Mrs Carter for organising transport and accommodation and to the parents providing additional support and supervision. Our students would not have these opportunities without the commitment and dedication of these amazing teachers. Safe travels and good luck!

Mrs Morris

Celebrating Reconciliation

While reconciliation is what God does, receiving it and celebrating it are what we do. For Catholics, the sacrament of reconciliation is a most natural way to celebrate God’s reconciliation. We used to think of this sacrament as only about confession—it was like a dumping ground for our sins where we were forgiven and had to pay a toll. One of the great recoveries in our Christian history is the rediscovery of the meaning of this sacrament.

It is God who forgives sins. God forgives us the very moment we realize we need forgiveness, which itself comes through God’s grace. At that moment, we feel sorrow and a desire for forgiveness and healing, and we are reconciled with God. The reunion, the bond, the connection, and the joy are all there. Three more things remain: forgiveness and healing deep within our heart, celebration of that forgiveness, and participation in the healing process.

Part of the sacrament of reconciliation is healing. Often that will simply be prayer. Often expressing our gratitude to God is one of the most important steps on the road to recovery from our independence from God. 

May our Lord grant us all the gift of reconciliation, and may we all receive it and celebrate it well in the holy days ahead.