Dear Parents & Carers,

Thursday 25th of April was ANZAC Day. ANZAC Day is a national day of rememberance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations and the contribution of all those who have served. I am extremely proud of the number of students who marched with us on ANZAC day with our local ceremony.

It was wonderful to have a number of parents attend our Kindergarten Information Session for 2025. The Session explained our playbased approach to Kindergarten and was also our FACE/Parent Engagement Group (PEG) Meeting.

We look forward to seeing Mother's and significant others for our Mother's Liturgy on Wednesday at 10:45am and wish our Mother's a wonderful day on Sunday. 

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2024 have now open. Enrolment forms can be collected at the office or emailed out. The first round of offers for enrolments close on Monday 24th May. If you know of anyone that may be interested please let them know. 

Warm regards,

Amy Maslen

Principal

Thank you to our students and their families who came to join the ANZAC March on Tuesday 25th March. We also thank Miss Emerson and 4/5/6 for leading our school ANZAC Ceremony on Friday 28th May.

Next Wednesday, 8th May, we will be celebrating Mother's Day with a Liturgy and Picnic Lunch. We are inviting all our wonderful mother's, stepmother's, and grandmother's to come and celebrate this important occasion. The Liturgy will commence at 10:45am. Please bring your lunch and stay for a picnic lunch with your child/children.

Congratulations to Sienna Forbes who competed at Tamworth for POLDING Trials on Friday 3rd May. Sienna represented the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese in the selections and we are very proud of her achievement. Well done Sienna!

Hello Parents/Carers,

We require new Volunteers for Shared Table to continue 2024 school year. 

Can you spare an occassional Monday morning for 3 hours?

Please contact myself to discuss further.

Thankyou Lisa Moore

In Term 2, students in years 2 and 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.

2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.

3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or specific educational needs, please schedule a meeting with your child's teacher. They will discuss your child's strengths and areas for growth based on various assessments. Additionally, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor (GEM), Gary Pomplun (gary.pomplun@mn.catholic.edu.au) or Education Officer - Gifted Education, Maree Karaka (maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au) for further assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.