focusinterview.
Today we have thirteen very dedicated staff members covering our five classes. We have 90 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. We also have a brilliant Transition class that operates each Wednesday. This allows our littlest students to arrive on the first day of Kindergarten knowing all about the school, having solid foundations to begin learning and full of confidence, with friends from Kindy all the way to Year 6. What do you feel are some of the school's greatest strengths? People who visit our school often notice that there is something special about the way that people interact with each other. There is a warmth that is clearly visible. St Mary of the Angels School is all about relationships modelled on the Core Catholic Principles and Values, which are based on the dignity of the human person and respect and fidelity in relationships. These relationships are what make our school special. The care and consideration
ST MARY OF THE ANGELS / 100TH ANNIVERSARY
visiting workshops and performances that are WE HAVE MOVED FROM not available in other SIMPLE COMPUTERS that our older students schools. These cover TO INTERACTIVE show for our younger content in literacy, PROMETHEAN BOARDS, children, and the love science, geography CHROME BOOKS AND and dedication that and maths, as well as INDIVIDUAL IPADS. WE ARE the staff show towards the usual creative arts NOW EXPERIMENTING all students, is one of performances. We are WITH ROBOTS, CODING constantly updating our the greatest strengths AND AUGMENTED REALITY. resources to provide the in our school. There is latest in technology. also a love of learning Our greatest resource which radiates from our is our staff; they are classrooms. It is a great highly competent, professional people who place to come to work each day! are constantly participating in professional As a school in a smaller, more development to build their teaching skills. geographically isolated town, what are Our school invests in additional support staff some of the challenges you face - and in our classrooms, to make sure that our how do you overcome these? younger students build a strong foundation Current educational data would clearly to support their future learning. outline that rural and remote students are Most of our families are closely tied to life at a disadvantage compared with their city on the land. With the ongoing drought we counterparts. We are constantly aware of notice that our families are under pressure, this and work very hard to overcome these and this is a considerable challenge that is differences. We try to offer our students a unique to the country. As a school we try wide range of extra-curricular activities. to be aware of the additional workload and Our P & F is very active and often subsidise pressure being faced by our farming parents and the flow on effect on their children. We just try hard to be aware and provide whatever support and care we can. June 22nd and 23rd marks the centenary of the school with some special celebrations. What activities are planned? We have a weekend of exciting things planned. The celebrations kick off with the Centenary Dinner on the Saturday night, a chance for people to mingle over nibbles, drinks and a three course meal. There will be music for dancing and lots of time to talk. Sunday morning begins with Mass, a few formalities and morning tea. We are hoping
to plant some trees to create a garden space to remember this special occasion. There will be viewing of memorabilia in our Parochial School Building, games from yesteryear and kite flying. Celebrations will finish with a BBQ lunch. What are some of the upcoming projects/activities planned for the rest of the school year? A centenary is a very special landmark in the life of any school, and preparations are consuming a lot of our energy at the present. Early next term we have a full school audit, designed to ensure that we are compliant across all aspects of school management and student learning. That will keep us on our toes! We have some exciting events on the horizon, with visits by the UNE Voyager Science Team and a Gala Sports day coming up. We also have some students representing our school at inter-diocesan sporting events. We look forward to some great results from these students. Where can we find out more information about the school, or book for centenary celebrations? Our fabulous school secretary is able to provide information about our school, or she can arrange an appointment with the Principal. She is also the friendly face who can help with all enquiries and booking of tickets for the Centenary. If you have not already booked your tickets, please get in contact and come along to make this celebration worthy of one hundred years of Catholic Education in Guyra. www.stmarysguyra.catholic.edu.au Thanks Sharon. Interview: Jo Robinson. New England focus. 9