St Aloysius Catholic Primary School Chisholm: 2014

Last Friday a team of 14 from the Catholic Schools Office including the Director, Ray Collins, visited our school and were pleased to see it so close to completion. Ray was joined by the four Assistant Directors, staff from the Director's Office and Heads or representatives of RE & Spirituality Services, Financial Services and Employee Services. There were also representatives from the Primary and Secondary Principals Associations.

The landscaping is almost complete. We even have some garden beds! We will be looking for some interested parents or grandparents to help us set up a Gardening Club in the new year!

The timber flooring has been laid in three of the buildings and has made a big difference to the appearance and feel of these buildings.

Fixtures and fittings are being added to the classroom learning spaces as well.

Welcome to our Year 4 teacher - Miss Larissa Quigley

Hi everyone, my name is Larissa Quigley and I am feeling very blessed and excited to be beginning this new adventure with you all at St Aloysius.

I grew up in Maitland, attending All Saints College, before studying and completing my Bachelor’s degree of primary teaching at the University of Newcastle in 2012.

I have had the pleasure of teaching at Rosary Park Catholic School in Branxton for the past 18 months where I have taught Year 4 and Year 6.

I am an active member of the East Maitland parish and am looking forward to seeing many members of our school community there.

I have a passion for dance, visual arts and sports and I look forward to being able to share my love of these areas with you all.

I am excited for what 2015 holds and cannot wait to meet the St Aloysius community of parents and students.

We have also employed our part time Teacher Librarian - Mr Stewart Ison

Hi everyone. My name is Stewart Ison and I am honoured to be a member of the teaching team at St Aloysius. I am an enthusiastic and energetic person and look forward to being strongly involved in the St Aloysius Catholic School community.

I am a country boy at heart being born and bred in Dubbo, however I have studied, worked and lived in Sydney prior to moving to the Hunter Valley.
My wife Kristin and I have two children, Ben aged 8 and Alex aged 7, and we have lived in the Branxton community for over 10 years.

Prior to entering into Education, I was awarded a Bachelor of Business majoring in Land Economics at UWS and worked in the commerical property sector and in the telecommunications sector in research and IT roles.

I completed my Post Graduate Master of Teaching Degree whilst managing the Wine Clubs at McGuigan Wines, and this year I have been working as Teacher/Librarian at Rosary Park Catholic School in Branxton.

Tennis is one of my passions, and I am President of our local tennis club and coach our junior players. I also coach our local Under 10’s Cricket Team and Soccer Team.

Music is also a passion of mine and I have been playing the guitar since I was 7 years of age. I have tutored guitar and vocal lessons to students of all ages as well as played in bands, composed music, recorded and produced music and last year was audio engineer for our local school performance. I am part of the music ministry in our local parish and school, and encourage students to participate in mass through music.

These are exciting times in education, and I am looking forward to being a member of the St Aloysius Teaching Team and meeting all the families of the St Aloysius Catholic Community, as we embark on this journey together.

To assist Stewart and the school in many ways we have also employed a part time School Officer - Library. Her name is Mrs Nadine Leighton

Hi, my name is Nadine Leighton and I am thrilled to be joining the St Aloysius team as School Officer - Library.

I have previously held senior human resources roles, as well as positions in finance, administration and event management. I currently work as a casual Support Officer for schools in the Diocese of Maitland/Newcastle. In keeping with my philosophy of lifelong learning and my love of books I returned to study last year with a view to gaining employment in a school library.

I am married with two young daughters, we are part of the Warners Bay Parish community.

I've been lucky to have travelled extensively for both business and pleasure and enjoy meeting people from all walks of life. I look forward to getting to know everyone in the St Aloysius community in 2015.