Newsletter 2024/30 ~ 20 September 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
Today we come to the end of Term 3 - the year certainly seems to be flying by.
During the term, we have celebrated Grandparents Day and Father’s Day, our Foundations celebrated their first 100 Days of school; we’ve enjoyed Meerkat Productions’ presentation; our students competed in Hockey 7s and Athletics carnivals; we’ve dressed up for Book Week and for our Footy Colours Day; and last week our Year 2-3s went to Halls Gap for their overnight camp.
I thank all of the staff for ensuring that learning has been paramount and has continued side-by-side with all of the above extracurricular activities. Their dedication to our students is outstanding!
And to the students, well done on another successful term of learning. You are the reason we are all here. Seeing your smiles every morning and your determination in the classroom makes coming to school each day such a pleasure. Enjoy the holidays, you have earnt them.
To all of the parents and families, thank you for the support you continue to provide for St Patrick’s School. I hope that you are able to find some time to relax together and enjoy family-time over the next two weeks. Hopefully you may even be able to enjoy a few sleep-ins.
We pray..
- In this Season of Creation, may all world leaders reflect upon Pope Francis’ question in Laudate Deum: “What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power, only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?”. May they instead choose liveable solutions for our planet.
- In this Season of Creation, may we remember that our planet cannot sustain us all seeking to be first. May we instead share what we have, remembering that all is a gift from God, so that all may have enough.
CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS
Middles Camp Report
By all accounts the students and staff attending the camp in Halls Gap last week had a terrific time. See the full report in Middle Class News.
Book Fair at Nhill Market
Thank you to the parents and Mrs Rintoule for running our Book Fair stall at the Nhill Market on Sunday. Commission on sales from the Book Fair adds more book stock to our library.
School Saving Bonus
Parents of eligible students will be contacted early next term in relation to allocation of the proceeds.
First Holy Communion
Last Sunday Nile received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion at St Patrick’s Church in Nhill. Congratulations Nile and we wish you well on your faith journey.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Term Dates Reminder
Don't forget that today's dismissal time is an hour earlier than normal - 2.15pm.
We hope you all have a terrific two-week break and we look forward to seeing your children refreshed and eager to learn on Monday, 7 October.
Return to school for Term 4
Students and staff return to school on Monday 7 October. We will have the Dental Health Van visit school during week 1 of term. There is an SAC meeting on Tuesday 8 October and Daniel and AJ will be attending the Regional Athletics Championships in Ballarat on Friday 11 October.
PSG Meetings
A reminder to parents involved in Parent Support Group (PSG) meetings with Cathy Grace and classroom teachers, meetings are scheduled for Tuesdays 8 and 22 October. Please refer to your recent emails to book for these gatherings.
Year 6 students who have PSG meetings will have theirs in November and will be contacted early in Term 4 with dates and times.
Term 4 Dates
Please make a note of the following dates for Term 4
- 16 and 23 October - Year 6 visits to Nhill College
- 17 October - Nhill Show - School Closure Day
- 18 October - Excursion to Horsham Town Hall (F-6)
- 20 October - 75 Years celebrations
- 28 October - Year 5,6 visit to St Brigid’s College
- 9-13 December - Nhill College Year 7 2025 Headstart program
- 18 December - Last day for students
75 Years of St Patrick’s School
St Patrick’s School is celebrating 75 years since its opening in 1949. To mark this occasion we will be celebrating the milestone on Sunday 20 October. This will tie in with the Nhill Heritage weekend celebrations.
In February 1949, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart opened St Patrick’s School, in the J.P. Ryan Hall, on its current site. Their dedicated service continued until 1979, when lack of numbers forced the Order to inform Bishop Ronald Mulkearns of Ballarat that they could no longer supply teaching staff. The first Lay Principal and Teacher were appointed in 1979 and a few years later a decision was made to build a new school. The new school building was completed in time for the 1983 school year. There has since been significant capital works culminating in our current facilities.
Current families, past students and staff and families, and the general public are welcome to join us on 20 October to celebrate our 75 years. We will commence with Mass in St Patrick’s Catholic Church at 11am. Celebrations will then move to the school from 12.15pm with speeches and official welcome taking place in the St Patrick’s Community Hall. The school building will also be open for visitors to wander through.
If you have any memorabilia or photos that would be relevant to display on the day, could you please contact me at school.
Piggery Lane Players Colouring Competition
Piggery Lane Players are in rehearsal for their upcoming performance of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. They are holding a colouring competition for the design of the Emperor’s coat which will make it the best in the land. Winning entries will have their design worn by the Emperor himself and receive free tickets to the performance. All students were given their entry form for the competition to work on during the school holidays. Entries must be returned to school by the beginning of next term.
Sunday’s Gospel
Mark 8: 27-35
In the Gospel reading from last Sunday, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" They give various answers, but Peter declares, "You are the Messiah." Jesus then explains that He must suffer, be rejected, and die, but will rise again. Peter, shocked by this, tries to stop Jesus, but Jesus rebukes him, saying, "Get behind me, Satan!" Jesus teaches that following Him means accepting not only His glory but also the hardships of discipleship.
This passage emphasises that Jesus' mission was not to bring earthly power, but salvation through suffering and sacrifice. He challenges His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. This means putting God’s will above our own desires, even when it's difficult. True discipleship requires both faith in who Jesus is and a willingness to follow His path of humility and service, knowing that eternal life comes through self-giving love.
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
111 - the emergency services phone number in New Zealand.
I guess we learnt two things out of last Friday night’s match between the Power and the Hawks:
- - Hokball (whatever that is) was over-inflated (and now deflated); and
- - There is a huge price to pay when “old” men pretend to be an aeroplane around small children.
As for tonight, C’arn the Power - a repeat of Round 21 would be just wonderful!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
Middle Class News
Happy end of term everyone! It’s been a busy few weeks for the Middles as we’ve finished off some things for the end of term. We had our final mushroom harvest and another cooking experience with Mrs Bell, filmed and presented our nursery rhymes plays in Drama and have been learning all about division in Maths.
But the biggest excitement has been our camp in Halls Gap last week. So now over to the Middles to tell you all about it:
Our first activity at camp was boomerang painting. They were very fun to do. We did dots and patterns on our boomerangs. Every boomerang was very unique and different. Most people finished early so Miss Attard taught us a new game called ‘Bang!’ We also played some other games.
- By Max, Tessa and William
After the boomerang painting we went to take on the challenge of the low ropes. This included activities that needed team work to finish, like balancing, climbing, wobble bridge and tight rope.
We even tried the wooden balance log blind-folded. It was a bit challenging, but we still had success!!
We worked in groups of 3 to finish the low ropes activities carefully. Our group members needed to spot each other in case we fell. This was lots of fun!
- By Shalom, Hannah E, Tegan and Fabian
On Thursday afternoon we went on the flying Kookaburra. Each person had to wear a harness and hold a ball. Then the class would pull the rope backwards and you would try to get a goal in the hoop while people pull you up into the sky. It was a little bit scary, but it was still fun.
- By Jewel, Isabella and Freddie
On Thursday night we made damper in the campfire. We only needed 3 ingredients, flour, water and sugar. Miss Attard made it into dough. Miss Dickinson wrapped it in tin foil on the end of a stick. Mr D put everyone’s damper in the fire.
While we watched the damper cook for 20 minutes, there was lots of smoke hurting our eyes. After the damper was cooked, we unwrapped our own and discovered some were burnt hard like a rock and some were soft as marshmallows. We were excited to taste the damper, we all loved it. It was so yummy with our chocolate.
- By Hannah G, Matthew, Daniel and Julian
On Friday we went to Halls Gap Zoo. There were lots of animals. Some of our favourites were the snakes and the red pandas. We saw a peacock that had its feathers out. We saw some reptiles and a white deer that we got to pat. All of us had to walk for 3 hours and we saw a rhinoceros that looked like Mr Dalgleish.
- By Jack, Xavier, Amity and Oscar
Triple Zero Challenge - Junior Class
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 MacKillop House, the Term 3 winners. The students of MacKillop House chose today's casual dress day with nachos lunch and fun afternoon activities as their reward.
Little Joey Awards
We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Isabella with a Little Joey award.
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:
100 nights - Shalom, Hannah E
125 nights - Hannah E, Hannah G, Charlotte M, Katherine
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
Dates
- Meeting - Tuesday, 8 October 2024, 5:00pm
Dates and Reminders
Term Dates 2024
Term 3 15 Jul to 20 Sep
Term 4 7 Oct to 20 Dec (students finish on 18 Dec)
See dates on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)
School Calendar
September
Fri 20 - Last Day Term 3 - dismissal time 2:15pm
October
M-F 7-11 - Dental HealthVan at school
Mon 7 - First Day Term 1
Tue 8 - 5pm SAC Meeting
Fri 11 - GWR Athletics Ballarat
Wed 16 - Year 6 visit to Nhill College
Thu 17 - Nhill Show Day (local public holiday)
Fri 18 - Excursion to Horsham Town Hall (F-6)
Sun 20 - 75 Year Anniversary, starting with Mass at 11am
Wed 23 - Year 6 visit to Nhill College
Mon 28 - Years 5,6 visit to St Brigid’s College
December
M-F 9-13 - Nhill College Year 7 2025 Headstart program
Wed 18 Dec - Last day for students (dismissal time 3:15pm)
St Patrick's Nhill
Church Times
11:00am Mass each Sunday
School Holiday Programs
Community News
Junior Cricket - U12, U15, U17.5, Cricket Blast
Basketball
Hopetoun Theater Club
Seeking expressions of interest from all those in and around Hopetoun, who are interested in the Performance Arts. This could be from acting, painting, crew management, door sales etc. All ages and all abilities welcome.
Our Mission
Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards began in Victoria in 2016. The 11 Child Safe Standards are designed to help keep children safe from abuse and harm. Organisations working with children must comply with these Standards.
The Commission for Children and Young People have produced a plain language guide for the Standards which will be shared through our newsletter.
From: Victoria’s Child Safe Standards: Plain Language Guide
All students enrolled at St Patrick’s School have the right to feel safe and be safe. The safety and wellbeing of children in the school’s care will always be our first priority and the school will not tolerate child abuse. The school will create a child-safe and child-friendly environment where children are free to enjoy life to the full without any concern for their safety. Particular attention is paid to the most vulnerable children and young people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, those from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with a disability, children who are unable to live at home, international students, and LGBTQIA+ students. The full policy can be accessed via our school’s website: https://spnhill.catholic.edu.au/policies-procedures
The school’s Child Safety Officer is the Principal, Mr Kingsley Dalgleish.
We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and well-being and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures, and practices. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, please contact the Principal either by phone or email principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au
SchoolTV
Body Image
“Children today are exposed to more discussion about body image than children of previous generations. Parents should not obsess about their own weight issues in front of their children.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.
Follow the below link for more information.
Reminders
Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere app
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
- Wear a face mask
- Take a test
- Stay at home
- Meet outdoors
- Talk to your GP about COVID medications
- Get vaccinated
*coronavirus.vic.gov.au