Newsletter 2022/03 ~ 18 February 2022
From the Principal
This is our school,
Let peace be found here.
May the rooms
Be full of happiness.
Let love abide,
Love for one another
The love of life itself
And the love of God.
It has been a hectic start to the school year with STOMP Dance, the Swimming and Water Awareness program, our Opening Mass, RAT Testing, staff professional development, absences due to COVID-19, Deaf Awareness Training, and we’ve only been back at school for three weeks!
At this stage we don’t look like slowing down either with another week of our swimming program, hockey clinics, Get to Know You meetings, more staff professional development, school photos, and more over the next couple of weeks - including the need to continue with the Rapid Antigen Tests.
Please remember to test your child on Monday and Thursday mornings before school. In the event of a positive test being recorded, please notify me immediately and do not send your child to school. See further information below.
I have been very impressed by how quickly our Foundation students have settled within our school community. It is wonderful to see their smiling faces as they arrive each morning and they each display wonderful personalities both in the classroom and in the school yard. It was interesting driving the bus to the pool on Monday as for the majority of our Foundation students, it was their first time on a bus. To hear the excitement in their voices as they boarded the bus was simply beautiful. Listening to their excitement about being “so high up” and being able to see the tops of the trees made a simple bus ride a memorable adventure. We look forward to sharing in many more firsts and learning opportunities with these wonderful children.
Recent Events
Opening Mass
Thank you to the families and parishioners who were able to join us for our Opening Mass last Friday. We greatly appreciate your presence with us. It was a great celebration and a fantastic way to welcome our new students and their families to our school. Thank you to Mons Glynn for his reflection, his welcoming of students, and for the commissioning of staff for the new school year.
Staff Professional Development - School-wide Positive Behaviour Support
During our School Review process last year, we identified a key priority for our school as being a need to develop a whole school approach to behaviour education. On Wednesday, our staff members worked with Anne Ruddell from Catholic Education Ballarat as we commenced our journey towards developing and implementing School Wide Positive Behaviour Support. The ongoing process will involve input from staff, students and parents.
Swimming Program and Carnival
Our Swimming and Water Awareness program commenced this week with beautiful conditions at the Nhill Pool.
Students have been developing their water safety skills with floating, the use of floating devices, and safe entries to water. There has also been progression in stroke techniques for those students with greater swimming abilities as well.
The program will continue on Monday and Tuesday next week and will culminate with our Swimming Carnival on the afternoon of Thursday 24 February.
Thank you to Mrs Dickinson, Mrs Bell, and Miss Williams who have been in the water running our program during the week.
Upcoming Events
Get To Know You Meetings
Parents have the opportunity to meet with your child's teacher for a brief chat about the start of the school year and your child's progress on the evening of Monday 28 February from 3.30 - 6.30pm.
Parents may book an interview time via the Parent Access Module (PAM). A link to Parent-Teacher Interviews appears on the homepage and you will be able to select the teacher you wish to meet with and the preferred time.
For those who are new at St Patrick's School in 2022, your PAM login details are on the SIMON information flyer that was given to you at the start of the year.
If you experience difficulties logging on via PAM, please feel free to contact the school to arrange a meeting time.
Hockey Clinics
On Tuesday we will be visited by representatives of Wimmera Hockey Association who will conduct Hockey clinics with each of the classes. Students can wear their sports shoes to school on Tuesday.
SAC
The School Advisory Council will hold its first meeting of the year next Wednesday. I thank the parent representatives who have accepted the positions on the SAC and I look forward to working with them throughout the year for the betterment of all students and families of our school.
St Paul VI Parish Wimmera-Mallee Survey
The St Paul VI Parish Council are wanting your feedback on how you, as a Parishioner, feel they are going at the moment.
The Parish Council are hoping you may be able to find the time to complete the short questionnaire they have compiled so they can get a sense of what is working well, and the areas in which they need to improve.
To provide your feedback simply enter the following web address into your internet browser and complete survey - https://forms.gle/8BGh1ZL9SJWffNn46 or click the link in the button below.
Parishioners have until Sunday the 20th of March to provide feedback.
St Patrick’s Music Bingo Night
St Patrick’s Day is fast approaching which means….
St Patrick’s School Music Bingo Night!!!!!
Friday, 18th March 2022 at 7.30pm
at St. Patrick's Community Hall
Tables of eight. $10 per person! There are capacity limits so book in now!!!! Those who were there last year can vouch for it being a night of great fun and laughs.
Don't miss out! Get a group of friends organised and book now!
World Social Justice Day
This Sunday is World Social Justice Day. The recent Australian Open Tennis Championships, combined with the Novak Djokovic saga, helped to highlight the plight of refugees who have been detained in Melbourne (and other locations) for more than nine years.
An article in Wednesday’s edition of CathNews spoke about the incredible financial cost to Australians to house detainees on Nauru and the ridiculous profits the company running the off-shore detention centre are making. The article is reproduced below.
Catholic Social Services Australia chair Francis Sullivan says it is a disgrace that the companies running Australia’s offshore processing regime in Nauru continue to make huge profits as the number of refugees on the island continues to fall.
The company running the detention offshore processing centre in Nauru made $101 million profit last financial year, according to its most recent accounts filed with the corporate regulator.
“The cost to hold a single refugee on Nauru has escalated tenfold to more than $350,000 every month – or $4.3m a year – since 2016,” Mr Sullivan said.
“In May 2016, Australia held 1193 people on Nauru at a cost of some $45,000 a month per person, or $534,000 a year according to Government figures.
“Australian taxpayers are now paying more than $4 million each year to hold a single refugee or asylum seeker on Nauru, or nearly $12,000 a day.
“Imagine what that sort of money could provide to Australia’s most disadvantaged if only the Government were to adopt a reasonable, compassionate approach to refugees seeking a safe home and a life beyond war-torn countries,” Mr Sullivan said.
School Photos Day
School Photos Day is Wednesday, 23 March. Order envelopes have been sent home with students this week. If Family Photos are to be ordered, please contact the office to collect a Family Package envelope. Spare individual envelopes are also available at the office.
Individual portraits are taken of every student, even if individual photos are not being ordered. Therefore, each Individual (Traditional) Package envelope envelope must be returned to school.
Please return order envelopes by Wednesday, 16 March.
Reminders
Label clothing
Please put your child's name on all their clothing and belongings, including swimming gear.
Uniforms, Jewellery, Make Up
A reminder to everyone of our school rules in relation to uniform.
If a child is not in correct uniform, a short note of explanation should be provided. Students can bring or wear suitable sports footwear on Wednesdays for their PE class otherwise school shoes as identified on our uniform list are to be worn.
Coloured nail polish, jewellery and make-up should not be worn to school. A watch may be worn. Sleepers or studs are the only earrings deemed appropriate for school.
Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied back or up at all times.
Parent Access Module (PAM)
We strongly encourage parents to use the Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere) to inform us of student absences. These notes can be set in advance (if, for example, you know that your child will be absent a week in the future). Notes written in the diary are for communicating with teachers. Absent notes need to be directed to the office.
Please speak with office staff if you have any questions about PAM.
Simon Everywhere
The Simon Everywhere app delivers instant notifications to parents' mobile phones, delivering the functionality of PAM (SIMON Parent Access Module) in an easy to navigate app.
We request that all parents please download the Simon Everywhere app, add St Patrick's School, Nhill and login using your existing PAM credentials.
We will use Simon Everywhere for all important notifications.
You will be able to manage all your day-to-day school needs from the Simon Everywhere app - notify us of absences, view the lunch orders menu, read the newsletter ...
Please contact the office with any questions.
Bus notes
Parents of bus travelling students please note that Nhill College has requested that any changes to travel arrangements (e.g. if you are picking up your child after school) be notified before 3.00pm on that day. You can do this by -
- calling our school office 53911575
- sending an email to principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au or krintoule@spnhill.catholic.edu.au
- use the Bus Change Notification Form on their website - this is a quick and easy process on your mobile phone (hint: add this as a quick link on your phone's home screen)
Book Club
When ordering using the LOOP platform, parents do not need to find their child’s class. Our BookClub is setup as a whole school, and we have not set an option to select individual classes.
Uniform Shop
The Pop-up Uniform Shop will close at the end of next week. Please contact office staff if you would like to make a purchase.
Remember to follow us on Facebook
Those who are on Facebook are encouraged to follow our page at St Patrick's School, Nhill. 'Like' our page, enjoy our posts, and share them with your friends. Stay connected through our Social Media page.
Coronavirus Information
Rapid Antigen Tests
Rapid Antigen Test kits have been made available to all families. A reminder that you are asked to complete a test on Monday and Thursday mornings and to notify me immediately on 0419929271 if there is a positive result.
Facemasks / Facemask requirements on school buses
All students in Year 3 and above MUST wear a properly fitting mask at all times when inside school buildings. Facemasks are also recommended for children in Years Foundation to Year 2.
Similarly, ALL PARENTS / VISITORS MUST wear a properly fitting facemask when inside school buildings.
Students (aged 8 and over) MUST wear a properly fitting facemask while travelling to and from school on school buses.
Vaccination
All parents must also have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine and be able to produce an original copy of their vaccination certificate. Parents cannot enter school buildings if not double vaccinated. More information (Visitors) is provided below.
Students aged 5 and above can now be vaccinated
The Victorian Government has announced that all students in Victoria, aged 12 years and above, are eligible to book and receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
The Victorian Government is encouraging everyone aged 5 and above to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
COVID-19 vaccines are an essential protection against serious illness. Vaccination is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged, except where your medical practitioner advises you otherwise.
Visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine or covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility to book an appointment.
Visitors to school
All visitors to school grounds must comply with vaccination requirements, density limits, face mask requirements, QR code check-ins and practise respiratory etiquette and good hand hygiene.
"If a person must provide verification of their vaccination status and they refuse or do not meet the vaccination/exemption requirements, that person should be asked to leave site. This is a reasonable request and enables us to maintain our COVIDSafe processes and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the school community." CECV School Operations Guide.
QR code check-in
The following people must use the hardcopy Visitor Register and QR Code when entering the school (and therefore must enter through the office, not the side entrance):
- All visitors, including contractors and CEB staff
- All parents who enter school buildings
Parents who come onto school grounds for drop off or pick up, but do not enter buildings are not required to use the QR Code.
Summary, when entering the school building please:
- wear a mask
- sign in using QR Code and Visitor Register
- provide verification of vaccination status
- use hand sanitiser.
World's Greatest Shave
A reminder that one of our parents, Tracey Matthews is doing the World's Greatest Shave to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation on Saturday 5 March at Jaypex Park. Tracey is quite recognisable with her coloured dreadlocks so it will be quite a transformation as she has her head shaved. Tracey is hoping to not only raise funds but also help give families facing cancer the emotional and practical support they need.
On the day there will be a Family Fun Day from 10am to 3pm. Please support Tracey by making donations at the Nhill Pharmacy and Mulhallens Mitre-10 or by visiting https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au and search for 'Tracey Matthews'.
Condolences
We keep Fr Peter Hudson in our thoughts this week following the passing of his brother Tony yesterday. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Fr Peter and his family at this time.
Sunday's Gospel Reflection
LUKE 6: 17, 20—26
Sunday’s Gospel from Luke contains the Beatitudes, a very well known piece of scripture. Unlike Matthew’s Gospel which identifies eight Beatitudes, Luke presents just four.
The Beatitudes are a way to teach about who will find favour with God. They should make us stop and pause and consider God’s message. As we listen to this Gospel, the Beatitudes jar our sensibilities. Those who are poor, hungry, weeping, or persecuted are called blessed. This is, indeed, a Gospel of reversals. Those often thought to have been forgotten by God are called blessed.
Are we really to believe that the times we are poor, hungry, grieving and insulted by others are the times when we are most blessed? And yet, if we are rich, or well fed and happy, then we need to be worried.
This Gospel is a ‘reality check’ from God. Jesus is setting about creating a new sort of society, the Kingdom of God on earth, in which the destitute, the starving, the sad, are blessed in the sense that they can expect their suffering to be alleviated in heaven. God is trying to get those who have what they want or need in life, to consider the reality of those who are homeless, hungry, or sad, and to think about what we can do to help those who have less than we do. It is through these good deeds that we bring ourselves closer to our loving God.
This is quite pertinent as we approach World Social Justice Day this Sunday too.
The Beatitudes are often described as a framework for Christian living. We should endeavour not to be first in this world, but rather to be first in the eyes of God. We are challenged to examine our present situation in the context of our ultimate horizon, the Kingdom of God.
As we reflect on last Sunday’s Gospel, ask, ‘What can we do for others who have less than we do?’
Our Josephite Heritage
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the "Josephites" or "Brown Joeys", were founded in Penola, South Australia, in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and the Rev. Julian Tenison Woods. In 1949, three Josephite sisters arrived in Nhill to open St Patrick’s School. In 1978, the Sisters of St Joseph informed the Nhill Parish that they would no longer be able to maintain their role within the school.
We endeavour to honour our Josephite heritage through the regular presentation of the Little Joey awards at our assemblies. In support of this we also include a reflection from Mary MacKillop on our newsletter each week.
By the Numbers
8 - Saint Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) was the eldest of eight siblings in her family. Her younger siblings were Margaret ("Maggie", 1843–1872), John (1845–1867), Annie (1848–1929), Alexandrina ("Lexie", 1850–1882), Donald (1853–1925), Alick (who died at 11 months old) and Peter (1857–1878).
To paraphrase someone, “What a big week it has been in sport!” The Winter Olympics have continued on, Australia has defeated Sri Lanka in the T20 Cricket series, Victoria is planning to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and Horsham Saints C Grade Black Cricket team are getting set to play West Wimmera in Sunday’s HCA T20 Grand Final. Go Saints!!!!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom News and Student Awards
Junior Class - Mrs Creek
Our weekly Big Book story is the last in our series of Mrs Wishy-Washy. She has gone to the Big Fair and her animals are a disgrace! Well you can imagine all the squealing, moaning and carrying on that occurred as the animals were made clean. They were sparkly clean just in time for the judges. The letter names and sounds introduced this week are C c, K k, H h, and E e.
The skill of counting in Mathematics continues daily, along with number patterns and number name recognition.
In Religion we have lots to celebrate after having our Beginning School Mass last Friday. May our candles remind us about God’s light and love that can be shared with each other throughout the coming year.
Our first week of Swimming lessons has indeed tired the students but lots of fun was experienced across all skill levels.
Middle Class - Miss Williams
The Middles have had a very busy week with swimming and a day off. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we have had swimming and being the first group in the water we have been finishing our learning in the classroom a little bit earlier each day. The students have super impressed me with how well they can get changed and how quickly they can do it.
In Reading we have been focusing on types of sentences we have been reading together ‘Little Polar Bear’. In Writing we have begun looking at narratives and what they need to include. In Maths we have been continuing to work on place value and have been looking at how to order numbers. In Religion we are continuing on looking at relationships and have discussed how through prayer we can be in a relationship with God.
Senior Class - Ms Murphy
We look forward to attending our swimming carnival on Thursday 24th and representing our house colours Yellow, Green, and Blue. Students are to wear Yellow if they are in Joseph, Green if they are in Patrick, and Blue if they are in MacKillop.
by Stella
Little Joey Awards
This week we continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Riley and Tyler with Little Joey awards.
Our Little Joeys receive a certificate, sticker and a voucher/goods donated by a local business. We are very grateful for the contributions from our local businesses.
Dates & Reminders
St. Patrick's Church Times
Sunday, 20th February, 11.00 a.m. - Mass
School Advisory Council
Parent Representatives
Helen Cannell
Moo Khu James
Zanther McEldrew
Emily Gladdis
Nathan Wheeler
Appointed Representatives
Ann Munro - Parish
Ex Officio
Mons. Glynn Murphy - Parish Priest
Kingsley Dalgleish - Principal
Next Meeting
Wednesday, 23 February 2022, 7.30pm
Our Mission
Community News
Showgrounds Testing Clinic
The new West Wimmera Health Service clinic replaces the Nhill Trailer Exchange clinic, which ceased at the end of January.
Location - Nhill Showgrounds (A & P Society Young Farmers' Pavilion), 91-95 Victoria Street, Nhill
Hours of operation - Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm
Bookings are required - call (03)53632201 during business hours to book a test
Historic Engineering Expo at Nhill Aerodrome
Saturday, 19th March, 10am-4pm
Free entry