Newsletter 2024/13 ~ 10 May 2024

As partners in Catholic Education and open to God’s presence, we pursue the fullness of life for all.

St. Patrick’s School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students.

St. Patrick's School is a child safe school.

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples. 

This newsletter comes to you from the lands of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk Nations.

From the Principal

Mother's Day

Today we welcomed mothers and those-like-mothers to our Mother’s Day activities and morning tea.  It is always a special event when our family members are able to join us at school and engage in activities with their children.  We thank you all for your attendance today.

No doubt Sunday will be a day filled with love as your children present you with their special gifts.  Enjoy your day!

"A Mother's Love"

A Mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may,
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away …

It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .

It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .

A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

— Helen Steiner Rice

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CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Walk Safely to School Day

Well done to all those who were able to walk to school today as part of the 25th National Walk Safely to School Day.  This annual event encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers, to walk safely and regularly to school.

National Walk Safely to School Day is a community initiative that aims to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking (especially to and from school) can provide for the long-term well-being of our children.  Physical activity has many social, emotional, physical and mental health benefits.  Apart from the physical benefits, regular walking also has a favourable impact on children's cognitive and academic performance.

School Saving Bonus

This week the Allan Labor Government announced a $400 School Saving Bonus for all school students in government schools regardless of income, but only for Health Care Card holders in Catholic schools.

This is deeply unfair.

We believe the payment should apply to all students or be means tested for all students.

It should not be based on which school you attend. 

This policy punishes families for choosing to send their children to a Catholic school.

Our school, together with other non-government schools and our peak body, the Victorian Catholic Education Authority, are working hard to oppose this policy and we need your help.

We need to show the Victorian Government that punishing families who choose a Catholic school is unacceptable.

Please consider contacting our local Member of Parliament, Emma Kealy, to express your concern.

Emma Kealy’s office can be contacted by calling 53820097 or by emailing emma.kealy@parliament.vic.gov.au 

A template letter is available at the below link to assist you with making your voice heard. 

Diocesan Leadership Gathering

Yesterday I attended a meeting of Diocesan Principals in Horsham.  As a Diocese, we are developing DOBCEL’s strategic plan for the next five years and beyond.

Condolences

We extend our condolences to past staff member Ann Munro and her family following the passing of her mother last week.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Little Desert Cross Country

Qualifying students will compete in the Little Desert Cross Country to be held at the Nhill Racecourse on Monday, 13 May 2024. Competing students will travel by bus driven by Mrs Bell, departing school at 10:30am and returning by approximately 12:00pm. This event is visible on the school calendar (PAM/SIMON Everywhere). All students have permission to attend this activity via the Local Excursion Consent Form signed by parents/carers earlier in the year.

SIMON Conference

Mrs Rintoule and myself will be absent from school on Monday and Tuesday next week as we will be attending the SIMON Conference in Melbourne.  The Conference will provide greater insight for our usage of SIMON Everywhere and PAM for parental engagement, as well as applications for teachers in classes and with reporting and communicating with parents and carers.

Please be aware that phones may not be able to be answered during class time.  I will still have the school mobile phone with me.

National Simultaneous Storytime & Biggest Morning Tea

Families and friends are welcome to join us in St Patrick’s Community Hall on Wednesday 22 May from 11am for the annual National Simultaneous Storytime followed by a Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser. 

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. This year’s book is Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. Aura Parker is an award-winning illustrator, writer and designer. Her picture books are joyful with a playful sense of humour, brimming with details to explore. Aura Parker’s storytelling through words and pictures inspires imagination, courage and confidence in young readers as well as a love, curiosity and passion for nature. 

We will follow the story with a quick morning tea of biscuits and a cuppa. 

Donations to the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea support those impacted by cancer.

If you wish to come for the cuppa, please RSVP by Friday 17 May using this link:

Sunday’s Gospel

John 15:9-17

Jesus sets a high standard for love, modelling it after his own sacrificial love for humanity. He calls us to love not just with words but with actions, just as he laid down his life for us. This challenges us to demonstrate love through kindness, compassion, and selflessness in our interactions with others.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples to remain in his love and to love one another as he has loved them. This passage emphasises the depth and significance of love in our relationship with God and with others.

Jesus assures his disciples that they are not just servants but friends, chosen by him to bear fruit that will last. This reminds us of the intimate and personal nature of our relationship with Jesus.

The Gospel calls us to embrace the transformative power of love in our lives. It challenges us to abide in Jesus' love, to love others selflessly, and to experience the joy of friendship with God. As we seek to follow Jesus' example of love, may we bear fruit that reflects his love to the world around us.

By the Numbers

94 - American Alejandro Fragoso set a Guinness World Record in 2016 for the longest TV watching marathon.  He watched TV for 94 hours straight (he was allowed only a five minute break each hour).

Classroom and Student News

Junior Class Report

Welcome to the end of Week 4! This week F/1 students have been exploring length. The children enjoyed engaging in hands on activities, where the Foundations have been identifying items that are longer, shorter and the same whilst the Year 1s have been using informal units to measure.

In InitiaLit the Blue group have learned a new word – trigraph. They understand that a trigraph consists of three letters that make one sound, e.g. igh make the long /i/ sound. They have also been exploring the letter ‘y’ and how it is sometimes a vowel making the long /i/ and /e/ sound as in ‘my’ and ‘baby’. The Green group continue to learn letter sounds and their names and blending these together to read words. They have also begun learning tricky words. This week they have learned the tricky words ‘I’, ‘the’ and ‘my’. I have challenged them to see how many tricky words they can find in their home readers and write them down each time and count how many in total their books have. I have created a keychain with all the letters/sounds and tricky words we have learnt so far for Green group to take home and add to. It would be great if you can encourage your child to tell you the sound that each letter makes and have them create words, sound out each sound and then read the words to you.

This week in Auslan, the F/1 students have been learning to sign ‘I am feeling’ and ‘I am excited because…’. They are learning the importance of facial expressions when signing to ensure the person they are signing to really understands what they are trying to communicate.

Thank you to all the mothers and special carers who came along and celebrated a special Mother’s Day morning. The students really enjoyed decorating your gifts and spending quality time with you. We would like to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day for this Sunday and hope you have a fabulous day.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support SWPBS

Throughout the day, staff monitor for students demonstrating aspects of Respect, Responsibility
and Safety within our school. Students are issued a ticket to place in their classroom container. During assemblies, a draw takes place and those who have their ticket drawn out are invited to place a marble in their House container. The House with the most marbles at the end of each term will be rewarded.

Congratulations to all children who were recognised for their positive actions around the school. This week Katherine, Nile & Hannah G were randomly drawn from the nominations for Respect, Responsibility and Safety, and have added tokens to their respective Houses' tallies.

Little Joey Awards

We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Zoe, Sophie and Jonas 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. 

Reading Achievements

The following students were recognised for their reading achievements:

25 nights - Caleb, Gu Thay Paw

50 nights - Kyan, Katherine, Eliza, Harlow, Charlotte M

School Advisory Council

Parent Representatives

• Rebecca Curtis 
• Emily Gladdis
• Moo Khu James
• Michaela Koop
• Zanther McEldrew
• Ashleigh Meyer

Ex Officio

• Mons. Glynn Murphy - Parish Priest
• Kingsley Dalgleish - Principal

Meeting Dates

• Tuesday, 23 July 2024, 7:30pm
• Tuesday, 15 October 2024, 7:30pm

Dates and Reminders

School Calendar

May

Mon 13 - Little Desert Cross Country (Nhill)

Wed 22 - 11-11:30am National Simultaneous Storytime & Biggest Morning Tea

June

Mon 10 - King's Birthday Public Holioday

Wed 12 - Senior Class Iona Visit

Fri 28 - End of Term 2

St Patrick's Nhill

Church Times

11:00am Mass each Sunday

Community News

Horsham College Chaplaincy - Book Fair

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

SchoolTV

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating Mother’s Day

The very first Mother’s Day was celebrated in West Virginia in 1908. It was organised by Ann Jarvis as a memorial to honour her beloved mother who spent much of her life helping others. Ann’s mother devoted her life to educating mothers and improving sanitary conditions to stem her community’s appalling infant mortality rates. By 1911, Ann had successfully campaigned to have Mother's Day recognised as a national holiday in most US states honouring all mothers, living and deceased.

It was not until 1924 that Mother’s Day was officially celebrated in Australia with the help of Janet Heyden. She had campaigned for donations to assist lonely and aged mothers in a Sydney hospital making personal requests to many leading business houses and enlisting the help of local school children to help fill small bags with donated goods.

Today, Mother’s Day is more of a commercial venture, but it is important to remember the true nature and meaning of Mother’s Day and mark it with sincerity, especially now in the post-pandemic environment we currently find ourselves in. Mothers have played multiple roles over recent months providing care and support to those they love under difficult circumstances, often putting the needs of others ahead of their own. However, Mothers sometimes need reminding to also take care of themselves, especially when it comes to mental health. A mother who experiences good mental health, is more available to her children and family, more alert to their needs, and more able to engage in everyday activities.

If you are a Mum and struggling a little bit, it is advisable to seek help from a medical professional. Or, if you just want to talk to someone who understands, you can always call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36.

Reminders

Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere

The Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere) is our "go-to" for all parent information. Download the SIMON Everywhere app from the app store on your mobile phone and login using your PAM credentials.

Simon Everywhere delivers instant notifications to parents' mobile phones, delivering the functionality of PAM in an easy to navigate app. We will use Simon Everywhere for all important notifications.  

You will be able to manage all your day-to-day school needs from Simon Everywhere, including:

• notify us of absences;
• view the school calendar;
• provide permission for student activities;
• update medical/contact information;
• view the lunch orders menu; 
• read the newsletter.

Please contact the office with any questions.

Student late arrival, early departure, temporary absence procedures

All student late arrivals, early departures or temporary absences must be recorded in the Passtab iPad located in the foyer.  Please ask office staff for assistance.

Lunch Orders

Lunch orders should be written onto an envelope with correct money sealed inside.  Please don’t use plastic bags or waxed bags.  The writing wipes off these and the staff at the bakery find it hard to read.

You can find the lunch orders menu in SIMON Everywhere: - >Home, scroll down to >School Links

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 -

• use the Bus Change Notification Form on their website (link below) - this is a quick and easy process on your mobile phone (hint: add this as a quick link on your phone's home screen)
  • we have put this link onto PAM (Simon Everywhere) >Home, scroll down to >Parent Links
• calling our school office 53911575
• sending an email to principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au or krintoule@spnhill.catholic.edu.au

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.

What you need to know about COVID-19 in Victoria

Please visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria website (link below) for all up-to-date information about the response to COVID-19.

• All staff, students and visitors to schools should undertake regular hand hygiene, particularly on arrival to school, before and after eating, after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing or using the toilet.
• Hand sanitiser will continue to be available for staff, students and visitors.
• The most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is to ensure that any unwell staff, parents/carers and students do not attend school sites, even with the mildest of symptoms, and get tested.

*Six simple steps to protect yourself and those most at risk

1. Wear a face mask
2. Take a test
3. Stay at home
4. Meet outdoors
5. Talk to your GP about COVID medications
6. Get vaccinated

*coronavirus.vic.gov.au