Newsletter 2024/18 ~ 14 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

The Child

I dreamed I stood in a studio

And watched two sculptors there.

The clay they used was a young child’s mind

And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher, the tools she used

Were books and music and art;

One was a parent with a guiding hand

And a gentle, loving heart.

Day after day the teacher toiled

With touch that was deft and sure

While the parent laboured side by side

And polished and smoothed it o’er.

And when at last their task was done

They were proud of what they had wrought

For the things they had moulded into a child

Could neither be sold nor bought.

And each agreed they would have failed

If they had worked alone

For behind the parent stood the school

And behind the teacher, the home.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

WWSSA Winter Lightning Premierships

Our Years 4, 5 and 6 students participated in the West Wimmera School Sports Association Lightning Premiership yesterday.  We submitted two Teeball teams (St Patrick’s Red and St Patrick’s Blue) to play against Nhill College, Nhill & Dimboola Lutheran combined, Warracknabeal, Kaniva College and Dimboola Primary School.

Both teams enjoyed success throughout the day and qualified to play in the finals rounds.

St Patrick’s Red team played in the Grand Final against Dimboola Primary School and came away victors. St Pat's Blue finished third overall.

Congratulations to both teams and thank you to Mrs Bell and Mrs Dickinson for looking after the teams.

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Social Media

I have been made aware of a social media Messenger group which includes a number of our students as well as students from other schools.  I would encourage parents to check with their children about whether they are part of the group and some of the inappropriate content which is being shared online. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

End of Semester Reports

This semester's Student Assessment Reports will be provided to families via PAM on the last day of Term, Friday 28 June.

If your preference is to receive a hardcopy report, please email your request to principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au before Monday, 24 June.

You will be able to find your child’s reports in PAM (SIMON Everywhere) >Select student >Profile Menu - Assessment Reports. See the below flyer for step by step instructions.

Kinder Visits

Current 4-year-old Kinder students and their families are invited to visit our school on Friday 26 July from 9:15am until 11:00am. Notices are being sent home with Kinder children this week.

Children and their parents will be able to join our Foundation-Year 1 class during the morning session.  There will be an opportunity for a short walk-through of our school to see our classes in action.  Parents will then be invited to an information session in the hall whilst the children continue with the classroom activity.

Children are to bring a drink bottle with water, and a piece of fresh fruit to eat during our fruit-break time at 10am.

I invite all families who are considering their Primary School options for 2025, to come and take a look at what we have to offer at St Patrick’s School.  

If you are unable to attend on 26 July and would like to arrange an alternate time, please contact me on 0419929271 or principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au

We look forward to nurturing your child’s future.

Enrolments for 2025 are now being accepted across all year levels.  Please contact the front office for an enrolment package.

St Brigid’s College Enrolments

A reminder to families of the Year 6 students who are enrolling for Year 7 at St Brigid’s College in 2025, your enrolment forms need to be forwarded to St Brigid’s by the end of this term.

Our Lady Help of Christians 60th Anniversary

Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, Murtoa, is celebrating its 60th Anniversary tomorrow. All past students, families, staff and the Murtoa community are invited to join in the celebrations which begin at 12pm Saturday.

Christmas in June

Friday, 21 June, 6.00pm in the hall.

RSVPs for this event closed last week. SAC members are busy preparing for the event, and we are looking forward to another fun family evening.

F-3 Excursion

The F-3 students will be travelling to Horsham Town Hall on Friday 28 June to attend a performance of Grug by Windmill Theatre Company.  Students will travel by bus at the start of the school day and return for dismissal at 2.15pm.  This will be the last day of term.

A Diocese is Born

As we acknowledge 150 years of the Diocese of Ballarat, Sr Berenice Kerr rsm has written about the events leading up to the establishment of the diocese.

Historical journals hold accounts of the formation of Ballarat Diocese, and the issues which provided the background to this event have been explored in other publications by students of Church History.  A continuous, detailed narrative is, however, difficult to come by. Hence this attempt to provide an outline of the process by which the vast territory of the diocese of Melbourne was divided into three separate dioceses in 1874, noting that subsequently a fourth diocese, Sale, was created in 1887.

One hundred and fifty years have passed since Rome issued the decree which stated:
We [Pope Pius lX] by Our Apostolic Authority … erect and constitute … two new dioceses, one in the City of Sandhurst and one in the City of Ballarat … 

During this anniversary year, it is opportune to revisit the story … our story, and in doing so certain questions spring to mind. Why was the diocese formed? Who made the decision? How was it arrived at? and possibly, the most fundamental question: What is a diocese, anyway?

To read Sr Bernice’s documentation of the establishment of our diocese, please click the link here.

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 3:20-35

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us about family and God's will. When people told Jesus that His mother and brothers were outside, He said that anyone who does God’s will is His family. For us, this means that while our families are very important, we also have a big family in God. Anyone who loves God and follows His teachings is part of this special family. It reminds us to love and care for everyone around us, just like we do with our own family, because we are all connected through God’s love.

When we see that there are people who need help across the world, this Gospel reminds us that they are family too - that means we should do our best to listen to them and to help them in difficult times.  We can care for others, even if they live far away, just the same as if they were members of our own family, as if they are our brothers and sisters. 

How can we show that we care for our brothers and sisters around the world this week?

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

99 - The song ‘99 Luftballons,’ by Nena (translated as ‘99 Red Balloons’) spent 5 weeks at Number 1 in Australia in 1984.

Classroom and Student News

Middle Class News

It's been a short, but busy week for the Middles, it's hard to believe that it's almost the end of term. 

In Literacy we’ve been writing narratives. We’ve been learning to make our writing more interesting by including adjectives to create noun groups and also how to use varied sequencing language.  In Maths we’ve been learning to tell time and have even made our own clocks to help us out.

We’ve continued learning all about sustainability and caring for creation in Integrated Studies and RE, and this week we’ve put compost bins in every classroom. It’s been great to see everyone using the bins and to see a little less rubbish going into general waste. We will hopefully be able to put our compost to use in some gardening projects next term.

Now over to the Middles for some sustainability tips and some reminders about what goes in our different bins at school:

Xavier says “We can recycle paper by reusing the back of the piece of paper and if you have some left over space you can draw a little bit more.

Liberty says “We have new compost bins to put our fruit scraps in when we’re done eating our fruit.”

Hannah G says “We’re going to put signs on the bins so we can remember what goes in each bin.”

Jack says “Food scraps go in the compost bin.”

Tessa says “Paper, cardboard and hard plastic like yoghurt containers go in the recycling bin. Look for the signs coming soon!”

Isabella says “In the general waste bin we put things like chip packets and other things that can’t be recycled or composted”.

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 Adoni, George and Gu Thay Paw 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 Srishti, Samual and Daniel B 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 - Jack

50 nights - Freddie, Jewel, Srishti

100 nights - Valentino

125 nights - Tegan, Destiny

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

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

Casey Kosch First Aid Training

Horsham Neighbourhood House - Participants: Kids 6 - 12 years (parents can participate if they want but not essential) - Monday 8th April - x2 sessions (non-accredited) - Educators: Your Family Vet & Casey Kosch - Cost: FREE - All Bookings are through Horsham Neighbourhood House. Children will learn basic First Aid for humans and animals.

Warracknabeal Neighbourhood House - Participants: Family Session (parents and children 6+ years) - Thursday 11th July - x2 sessions (non-accredited) - Educator: Casey Kosch - Cost: FREE - All bookings are through Warracknabeal Neighbourhood House. Children will learn basic First Aid.

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

SchoolTV

Cyber Safety Guide & Social Media & Digital Reputation

A useful parent guide from ySafe outlining how to keep your family cyber safe. It outlines a step by step process on how to turn on restrictions and privacy settings in some of the more popular social media platform used by kids. There is also a list of useful websites for families to access.

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