Dear Parents, Grandparents and Friends,

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing two families new to our community and to Australia. Both families have moved from China, and at this stage speak little or no English. Previously, in mid-March we enrolled another Chinese-speaking girl, Luna into Year 8. At that time she spoke very little English. Today I sought her assistance with the interview. I was astounded by the rapid improvement of her ability to speak and comprehend English. She was very confident and pleased to be asked to assist with translation. She was able to put both families at ease and positively beamed when asked to lead a tour of the Secondary campus. Luna gave them a comprehensive outline of the facilities, was particularly animated when showing the Library, and helped them load the 'Duo-lingo App' on their phones.

As education evolves, teachers are in a constant state of providing feedback to parents, as they recognise the immense value in parent involvement in their child’s learning. On a daily basis, our staff make phone calls, conduct meetings, report through personalised plans, provide information on assessment and learning to parents so that they have the most current information about their child and the progress that they are making. So too, we are so very happy to receive phone calls from parents requesting information or asking questions to better support their child. A child can improve and make progress in this ideal environment.

When all the stakeholders are up-to-date with the most relevant and current, information then we can move forward together. The Google Classroom platform will host the bulk of Secondary subject specific feedback providing access to assessments, rubrics and feedback for both parents and students, as it is available throughout the year.

Therefore, we are reviewing the way we report to parents currently. The comments provided at the end of the semester report are accurate at the time of writing but are not received until many weeks later after a rigorous and extensive editing process that takes an inordinate amount of time. As a result, the Secondary reports will not include subject comments this semester. This decision has been made collaboratively with other Central Schools in our Archdiocese, as well as our governing education (Catholic Education) body in Canberra. What this will allow is time for parents and teachers to make more consistent contact with each other. This could take many forms, possibly additional interview options. We are in negotiations with CE about this model and researching how other schools provide current information to parents that are not limited by word counts.

These changes do not affect the Primary classes only the Secondary reports. If you have, concerns we would appreciate the feedback.

Kind regards to you all. 

Rodney Little, Principal

 “We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” 

Please click on the link below: 

Electronic School Calendarhttps://mcauleytumut.nsw.edu.au/calendar

Year 5.6 and Miss Cole presented our weekly Mass on a wet and windy Wednesday. During the Mass they prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide them as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday 22nd June. 

We pray our School Community be alive to Christ and the Spirit!

Fee statements were emailed to all families earlier this month. If you are paying by the term, please ensure you have paid in full by the 14th June.

If you have not received your email, please contact the school. Thank you for your support.  

Thank you to the students (and parents!) for your continued support in ensuring you are wearing the correct school uniform. As we head into the cooler months, please ensure your child is wearing their winter uniform. A requirement at McAuley, particularly for Secondary students, is black leather school shoes. This is a safety requirement as students will be participating in practical lessons eg: Wood Work, Food Tech, Science and Agriculture.

Black joggers are NOT permitted as school shoes. Joggers are to be worn on sports days only. 

Thank you for your support. 

You can now enrol online at McAuley by selecting the link on the school website (below) or alternatively, please contact the school for an enrolment form. To complete an application form you will need to submit the following information.

Best wishes to Reese Keenan, Zahli Dean and Jaden Keenan (all from Year 6) who take on the Archdiocese's best this Friday as they trial for a place on the prestigious MacKillop Touch Football team. 

Good luck to you all from the school community. Have fun and enjoy this big stage experience. 

We will be holding an Information Session for all families and students who are considering McAuley for their Year 7 child next year. This will be held on Tuesday 11th June at 6pm in the McAuley Hall. Enter via Carey Street (near the upstairs room). 

This will be followed by Orientation Day 1 on Friday 14th June. 

Please contact the school if you require more information. 

Well done Ethan Watts and Natalie Mather who delivered our school news this week. Listen in, most Wednesdays at "Sounds of the Mountains" for our students. They are doing a great job!

Last week 3/4 and Ms Gray had the pleasure of visiting the residents at Blakeney Lodge. We asked the residents what they liked about their home and these are some of their responses:

We are well looked after and cared for. The nurses are beautiful!

We have exercises each morning and we go for bus trips

Students come to visit us

The food is delicious

The staff are helpful and reassuring- optimistic in their outlook

We play cards and games and go for walks.

We enjoy each other’s company and meet new people

It is a home away from home

Sounds like Blakeney Lodge is the place to be!!

CANTEEN ROSTER NEXT WEEK (Primary Canteen)

Monday 3rd June - Kristy McPherson. Wednesday 5th June - Marg Forrest, Karen Clarke and Sue Clarke, Friday 7th June - Mel Pearce and Anna Mather. 

DON'T FORGET OUR CANTEEN NETWORK MEETING Next Tuesday 4th June.

Are you a healthy Foodie? Interested in healthy eating? Please come along and inspire a great healthy menu for our students. Canteen Network Meeting Tuesday 4th June 10am to 1pm in the Hall. Please RSVP for catering purposes. Lunch will be provided. LIVING LIFE WELL AT MCAULEY SCHOOL. It's not too late to attend. We would love to see you!

We also take this opportunity to thank Tiff Casey and Vicki Cribb for their help in our Secondary Canteen the last couple of weeks. We really appreciate your support. 

Last Thursday all Year 3 and 4 students participated in their bi-annual excursion to Yarrangobilly Caves, excitedly catching the bus at 8am. Arriving at Yarrangobilly, we all enjoyed recess before being split into two groups for the day. The first group enjoyed a tour into ‘The North Glory Cave’ with their tour guide Bernie. The second group went on a 4km round-trip through the bush, via the Thermal Pool.

We gathered for lunch, before the groups participated in the opposite activity. We all met again for a quick snack before departing home on the bus.

It was a very fun and informative day. Students were well behaved and engaged. Exhausted after their big day! Special thanks go to Bernie our tour guide from National Parks and Andrew and Anthony our bus drivers. Thanks also to our great parent helpers – Linda Rasanen, Kerry Ambrose and Alex Walker who assisted us on the day.

Thanks everyone, Miss Groves, Ms Gray and Mrs Black.

Thanks to everyone who is saving the Woolworths Earn and Learn stickers for McAuley. Please place your stickers in the box in the Tumut Store or in the box at school. A special thanks to Nash Fife for helping the office ladies get un-stuck! :) 

Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) has launched a 'Name the Crane Colouring Competition' to coincide with the arrival of the tower crane on the Wagga Wagga Health Service Redevelopment Stage 3 construction site.

The Competition is open to all primary school children across MLHD. It will close at the end of NSW school term 2 2019.

Please click on the link above if your child is interested and send your entry directly to MLHD.