Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Week 5. We’re nearing the end of the year and there is still so much to happen. Please read the newsletter carefully. 

From week one to three the entire school engaged in the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) for both Maths and Reading. Looking at the results, I was very impressed with the school’s growth. The graphs below are for the reading assessments and are from each of the last 4 semesters. As you can see, the bottom results have steadily improved. The median results have grown from Semester 1 2023 to Semester 2 2024. These are shown with the white line in the blue box. The top results have also demonstrated excellent growth. We look forward to seeing these results continue to improve in the future. I congratulate all the staff and students for their hard work. 

On Friday, our new school counsellor, Natalie Cowled, began her time at St Mary’s. We look forward to having her work with our students both individually and in small groups. Ms Cowled will be here every Tuesday and she will work closely with our Classroom Support Teacher Kylie Tulloch to meet student needs. She has already begun the task of continuing with the excellent work our previous counsellor, Amy Kennedy, was doing online. If you feel your child would benefit from spending some time with Ms Cowled please do not hesitate to contact either myself or our Learning Support Coordinator Kylie Tulloch.  

Yesterday we marked Remembrance Day with a small ceremony after lunch led by Mrs Harland. Years 3 and 4 also attended the West Wyalong Remembrance Day service at the Services and Citizens club where Jack Connellan and Halle Judd laid a wreath on behalf of St Mary’s. 

Remember my door is always open. 

Principal  

Damian Collins