Newsletter 2024/17 ~ 7 June 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

God of the Universe, 

Thank you for your many good gifts. 

For the beauty of creation, its rich and varied fruits, animals and plants, clean running water and fresh air. 

Forgive us for the times we have taken the earth’s beauty and resources for granted and wasted what you have given us.

 Help us to touch the earth and to respect all life with love and care. 

Amen.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Found - a bracelet/necklace (appears to be broken) was found on the school crossing this morning. Please come to the school office if you believe it's yours.

Shekere Beats

On Monday we were fortunate to have a visit from Uncle Jonas who came to share his music and instruments with us.  Jonas is originally from Ghana. His performance was called Shekere Beats.

Shekere is the name of an African percussion instrument made from the dried fruit of the gourd vine and loosely covered with a wide decorative band of beads. The sound is produced by holding the outer cover of beads in one hand and twisting the gourd across them or simply shaking the entire instrument.

Uncle Jonas shared the various African rhythms produced by the shekere and other percussion instruments. With his quirky African style, numerous drums and percussion instruments, and a uniquely African wood and seed-pod xylophone, Shekere Beats was both a great exploration into the world of live music and a wonderful glimpse into another culture.  It was also interactive with several students being invited to join in with the playing of the various instruments.

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Aboriginal Message Stick

In Aboriginal culture, Message Sticks were passed between different clans and language groups to establish information and transmit messages.  They were often used to invite neighbouring groups to corroborees, ceremonies, right of entry to Country and invitation to religious rituals.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, five Aboriginal Message Sticks are carrying the message to “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  These Message Sticks were crafted by Trevor Clark from River Red Gum from the Mallee region and Vicki Clark, artist Mutthi Mutthi / Wamba Wamba.

This week we have welcomed one of these Message Sticks to St Patrick’s School. Following on from National Reconciliation Week, we spoke earlier this week about why we have an Acknowledgement of Country and how it differs from a Welcome to Country.  We also talked about what is meant by “Country.”

This week’s arrival of the Message Stick was quite timely given that we acknowledged NRW last week. Next week the Message Stick will journey to Our Lady Help of Christians School, Murtoa.  The five Message Sticks are making their way around all Catholic schools in the Ballarat Diocese.

The Story on the Message Stick

From the Murray to the Sea, the creator Spirit spoke to the Ancestors thousands of years before Abraham and Moses.  The Creator Spirit touched the sacredness of Country and all that had been created, gifting the Ancestors with the Law to care for country, the water ways, care for the animals and to co-exist with all that had been created.

The Journey Track - this represents the 1000s of students, teachers and staff and the many gifts shared along the journey.

Southern Cross - this guides us as we travel in the four directions.

Four U Design - these represent the leaders in the regions gathering to share stories, ideas and to support each other.

The Circles - the two circles represent the Murray River to the north of our Diocese and the ocean to the south.

Rubbish and Sustainability

Students in the Year 2-3 class have been learning about what happens to their rubbish each day during their Integrated Studies lessons as well as sustainability and care for our world in Religion.

On Wednesday, all the rubbish that was created at recess and lunchtime was collected and weighed and it came in at 4kg of rubbish just for that day.  The students are looking at ways to reduce rubbish and promoting the use of bins for recycling and composting.  The students are making posters to remind people to separate their rubbish and place in the appropriate bins.

The children found that a lot of food was going to waste.  Some disposed items of food were still unopened in their original wrappers while some had only been partially eaten.  Students have been asked to let their parents know if there are things in their lunchboxes that they are not eating, instead of just throwing them in the bin.

Welcome

Congratulations to the Kyi family on the arrival of their baby daughter on Monday.  A little sister for Valentino.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Long Weekend

A reminder that this weekend is a long weekend.  Monday 10 June is the King’s Birthday Public Holiday.  There will be no school on that day.

WWSSA Winter Lightning Premierships

This year the Winter Lightning Premierships will be held at Nhill College on Thursday, 13 June. The Years 4-6 students will be participating in Tee Ball. Parents are welcome to come and support the students. Students must wear school sports uniform. Students will need to bring a water bottle, lunch and snacks. Students with medical needs will need to bring their medications with them. Transport - Coach. Cost - $0.00. Teacher in charge - Mrs Bell. We will leave school at 9:00am and return by 3:15pm.

You can read the full details in the calendar event in PAM (SIMON Everywhere).

St Paul VI Parish Sacramental Preparation

First Holy Communion

Parents of those children who have celebrated their First Reconciliation sacrament earlier this year will be notified by email in early June of an Information Session date, where resources for First Holy Communion preparation will be distributed. Initial guidance will be given at the Information Session along with the resources and two further meeting dates will follow, to complete the necessary requirements before the sacrament is received.

Celebration of First Holy Communion will occur in Sunday Masses on set dates across the parish, most likely over August/September.

Confirmation

Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation will take place with a similar structure (home preparation and consolidation discussions in different churches) on a slightly later date scale.

Confirmation will be celebrated with Bishop Paul attending/visiting the parish as part of our Diocese 150th Year jubilee. Currently that timing is set for November.

Any questions, please contact the Parish Office on 5382 1155.

NCCD Information Sheet for Parents, Carers and Guardians

Sunday’s Reading

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Sunday’s Gospel recounts important moments leading up to and including the Last Supper. In these verses, Jesus instructs His disciples to prepare for the Passover meal, a significant Jewish festival. They follow His detailed instructions and find everything as He said, demonstrating their trust in Him. During the meal, Jesus breaks bread and shares wine, saying these represent His body and blood, given for them. This moment establishes the foundation for the Christian practice of Communion, a way to remember Jesus' sacrifice.

Reflecting on this passage can deepen our understanding of trust and remembrance. Jesus' disciples trusted His word, finding everything as He described. This teaches us about faith and obedience. The sharing of bread and wine invites us to remember Jesus' love and sacrifice. When we participate in Communion, we connect with Jesus' teachings and reflect on how we can live out His love and sacrifice in our own lives, fostering a deeper sense of faith and community.

How can we apply the lessons of Jesus' sacrifice and love in our daily lives?

By the Numbers

98 - Alex Carey’s not out score in the second innings of the second Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in March this year, as Australia chased down NZ’s score to win the series with an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class News

Welcome to the exciting recap of Week 8! Monday started the week well with an assembly where Mr Dalgleish spoke to the whole school about National Reconciliation Week and the 150 Years of Catholic Education and how they were united in the creation of Aboriginal Message Sticks to celebrate the Indigenous communities in the Ballarat Diocese.

Later that afternoon the entire school was treated to the exciting, percussive experience of “Shekere Beats.” As mentioned in previous newsletters, shekere is the name of an African percussion instrument made from the dried fruit of the gourd vine and loosely covered with a wide decorative band of beads. The sound is produced by holding the outer cover of beads in one hand and twisting the gourd across them or simply shaking the entire instrument. We were introduced to a variety of wonderful African percussion instruments through Uncle Jonas, who taught us about Ghana and his culture. The students were all called on to sing, dance and to play their way through this experience.

Students of the Senior class have been exploring geographic themes and investigating the land around them. They have looked at map making through BOLTSS (Border, Orientation, Legend, Title, Scale and Source) and are currently in the process of making their own fictional map. They are beginning to explore the geographic themes of SPICESS (Space, Place, Interconnection, Environment, Scale and Sustainability) which they will do for the remainder of term.

This also coincided with an exploration of World Environment Day which was Wednesday 5th June. Students participated in activities designed to highlight problem areas and the way we can deal with those. Such issues include land restoration, drought resilience, desertification and how we might make a difference.

To cap it off, the students continue their training for the Lightning Premiership that will be held next Thursday. All in all, it has been an action packed and well rounded week for the students at St Patrick’s School!

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 Harlow, Tessa and Charlotte M 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 Noah, Stella, Liberty and Gu Thay Paw 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 - Isabella

50 nights - Rahitya, William, Fabian, Xavier, Jonas

75 nights - Tyler, Charlotte M

100 nights - Liberty

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

June

Mon 10 - King's Birthday Public Holiday

Wed 12 - Senior Class Iona Visit

Thu 13 - WWSSA Winter Lightning Premierships - Tee Ball - Years 4-6

Fri 21 - SAC's Family Fun Night "Christmas in June"

Fri 28 - Years F-3 excursion to Grug, Horsham

Fri 28 - Last day of Term 2 - dismissal time 2.15pm

July

Mon 15 - Student free day for staff professional development

Tue 16 - First Day Term 3 for students

St Patrick's Nhill

Church Times

11:00am Mass each Sunday

Community News

WWHS Oral Health Survey

WWHS Cooking Competition

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

SchoolTV

“If you swear at someone, or about someone, you are actually committing an act of verbal violence. You transgress the usual rules of social interaction, impinging upon someone's self-image and their sense of dignity."  Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

...In today’s world, it is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language around them....

...Using disrespectful language is considered socially unacceptable, and if not addressed early, can become a serious problem....

...Parents and carers also need to play an important role in enforcing this approach by proactively monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to and discussing the use of words or their origin....

...As young people develop their language skills, it is important for them to have a clear understanding of the impact of their choice of words on others and how their words can impact other people’s perspective of them - an important and essential skill to learn as they progress in their personal and professional development....

Reminders

Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere

The Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere app) 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