Newsletter 2025/02 ~ 14 February 2025

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

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

A Prayer of Hope

God of love,  

In this Jubilee Year you remind us of our call to love creation. 

Help us to work together to replant, repair, and renew. 

Jesus, our light, 

In this Jubilee Year, you remind us of our call to love  our neighbours and to set free those who suffer. 

Help us to treat everyone with dignity; to be fair, forgiving and kind. 

Holy Spirit, our inspiration, 

In this Jubilee Year, you remind us of our call to grow in faith and love. 

Help us to hear you in scripture, to see Jesus in others, and to be united as God’s global family. 

Amen

RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS

School Advisory Council

The School Advisory Council (SAC) held its first meeting of the year on Tuesday.  Emily Gladdis was elected as Chair of the SAC for 2025 and Zanny McEldrew continues as Treasurer.

The SAC are planning a Family Fun Night for Friday 14 March.  Please watch for upcoming notices about this night.  We would love to see as many families as possible being able to attend.

The Beating Heart of Educational Transformation

Mrs Kupper has been selected by Catholic Education Ballarat to participate in a 12-month program, ‘The Beating Heart of Educational Transformation.’  The program will be facilitated predominantly by renowned international educational leaders Andy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg and David Runge. Mel and I attended the program launch in Ballarat last Friday.

The Beating Heart of Educational Transformation program is designed to develop aspirant leaders and foster collaborative cultures through:

• action research projects tailored to school-specific challenges;
• co-designed and developed content with the participants; and
• conversations with global thought leaders.

Through her involvement in this program, Mel will be leading some aspect of transformation within our school.  Mel and myself are required to complete an action research project as a part of this 12-month leadership program.

FLARE - Structured Literacy

Yesterday, all educational staff attended a FLARE - Structured Literacy training day in Horsham.  The training day introduced staff to the FLARE resources and assessment schedule. The Structured Literacy program is ongoing and incorporates a systematic, synthetic phonics program.

Our school is one of ten who have been selected to be part of a coaching program with support from La Trobe University. 

Swimming

Our Years 3-6 students are competing in Nhill College’s Swimming Sports today.  St Patrick’s School is competing as the ‘fourth House’ in the Primary section of the carnival.  Thank you to Mrs Bell for coordinating our entries.  Thank you also to Ms Farnham, Mrs Dickinson, and Mrs Pilgrim who have been involved in training sessions earlier this week.

Mental Health In Primary Schools

Mrs Tracey Bell has been appointed our Mental Health Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) as we engage in the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) program over the next twelve months.  Mrs Bell and myself are undertaking training in the delivery of the MHiPS program.  Mrs Bell will incorporate facets of the training across the curriculum as she works with each of the classes.  She also has a designated time for focusing on mental health within our school.  More information about MHiPS will be included in future newsletters.

Auslan

Staff and students were introduced to Jane Hage on Wednesday.  Jane is our new Auslan Language Assistant.  She will join us online on a weekly basis and have two visits to the school per term.  We are also looking to continue to engage the services of Buffy Harrison for special projects throughout the year.

Safer Internet Day

Tuesday 11 February was "Safer Internet Day".

Together, we can create a safer internet

The internet is a space for learning, connection and playing – but for many, it can also be a space where harm occurs.

This Safer Internet Day we invite you to pause and reflect: what role can you play in making the internet safer and more positive? Even small actions from each of us can make a big difference.

Visit the Safer Internet Day hub (link below) from the office of the eSafety Commissioner for some handy resources, and watch the video for some tips for a safer, more positive internet.

1. Be kind - practice respect, empathy and kindness online
2. Be mindful - balance your time online and consume and share factual, respectful content
3. Speak up - report online abuse and harmful content to the platform and eSafety
4. Start the conversation - talk about online safety with your networks and communities, family, friends and colleagues
5. Share resources - promote online safety tools and tips with your community.

Parent Code of Conduct

St Patrick’s School, Nhill is committed to ensuring a respectful learning environment that is safe, positive, and supportive for all students, staff, and visitors of the school.

It is the intention of St Patrick’s School to provide clear guidelines to all parents/guardians/carers regarding the conduct expected of them while in all school environments, engaging in school-related activities or representing the school. Parents/guardians/carers are expected to uphold the school’s core values at all times.

To this end, DOBCEL and the school have a “Parents/Guardians/Carers Code of Conduct” which applies to all parents, step-parents, guardians, carers, grandparents and extended family members attending the school and school related places. These documents will be sent home with your children in the near future (for existing students - parents of new students were provided with this document with enrolment documentation). Please read, sign and return the form to school as soon as possible.

The code of conduct can be read on our website, with other documents related to student enrolment - https://spnhill.catholic.edu.au/enrolment.

Digital Technology Agreements

All users of digital technology (students and staff) are required to sign the Digital Technology Acceptable Use & Cybersafety Agreement annually. Classroom teachers have discussed this with their classes and notes have been sent home for parents to read and sign. Please return these to school as soon as possible.

Fees

Thank you to those who have returned the paperwork and commenced payment of school fees. A reminder that these forms are due. We would appreciate the return of outstanding forms. Forms were posted to all families at the end of last year. Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding the forms, or to arrange replacements if yours have been misplaced.

Please contact me to discuss payment arrangements if payment of fees is an issue for your family.

Reminders from the office

All parents/guardians/carers are reminded to login to their PAM account (SIMON Everywhere app) and complete the actions/notifications:

• Medical Profile update
• Connect Fields* - photography permission, local excursions consent, PG movie consent

*All documents are available to read in your SIMON Everywhere app >Home page >scroll down to >School Links >Parent Links. Hardcopies are available on request (email admin@spnhill.catholic.edu.au).

UPCOMING EVENTS

Building Update

Over the past fortnight we have had several builders visit St Patrick’s School as they finalise their tenders for our building project.  Tenders close next week and we hope to be able to announce the successful tenderer soon after. 

School Review

Every five years, schools are required to undertake a whole school review with an external facilitator and panel. St Patrick’s School will have its next review in 2026.  The review process itself is under review. On Monday, Ms Kate Farnham and myself will attend a keynote address on international best practice in School Improvement, presented by Professor Emeritus David Hopkins.  

David Hopkins has been Chief Advisor to three Secretary of State on school standards in the UK, Dean of Education at the University of Nottingham, and consultant to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Health Organisation (WHO). He has also been an advisor to some twenty ministries globally.

Together with other leaders of schools who are due for review in 2026, we will then be part of a School Improvement Action Research Group who will meet regularly over the next six months to co-design a school improvement framework.

Opening Mass

Our Opening Mass will be held on Thursday 20 February at 12pm in the Church.  Fr Sajan will lead us in the Mass.  All parents and friends of St Patrick’s School are invited to join us for this special occasion.

Get To Know You Meetings

Get To Know You meetings will take place after school on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February.  

These meetings will provide you with 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.  

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.  

If you experience difficulties logging on via PAM, please feel free to contact the school to arrange a meeting time.

Marriage encounter weekends

Live Your Best Life in Love...

A Marriage Encounter weekend is for you…

Every married couple deserves this very special weekend.

Time-out to nurture your most precious relationship away from daily distractions.  

The two of you will come away from your weekend feeling more deeply connected 

and with tools to help keep the passion alive.

No group sharing required.

The weekend is based around Catholic values. Couples of all faiths are welcome.

Please check our website for more details and to book your special weekend:

Our next weekend is: 25-27 April 2025 at St Paul's Retreat Centre, Wantirna South.

Starts Friday evening at 7pm and finishes Sunday afternoon around 4:30pm

Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or

Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au    Website: wwme.org.au

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.

Sunday’s Gospel

Luke 5:1-11

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching a crowd by the Sea of Galilee. He steps into Simon Peter’s boat and tells him to go out into the deep water and let down his nets. Peter is tired—he and his friends have been fishing all night without catching anything! But he trusts Jesus and does what He says. To Peter’s surprise, the nets fill up with so many fish that they start to break! Overwhelmed, Peter falls to his knees, realising Jesus is someone special. Jesus then tells Peter and his friends, James and John, that from now on, they will be fishing for people. That means they will share God’s love and invite others to follow Jesus.

This story teaches us an important lesson about trust and faith. Sometimes, like Peter, we may feel tired or unsure, but Jesus invites us to listen to Him and follow His guidance. When we trust Him, amazing things can happen!

Jesus also calls us to be His disciples. We may not fish for people like Peter, but we can share kindness, love, and joy with others. 

This week, let us think about how we can listen to Jesus and bring His love to those around us!

By the Numbers

121 - the value of eleven squared.

Tomorrow is day 2 of the A Grade cricket match between Horsham Saints and West Wimmera Warriors.  Unfortunately (from my perspective), the Nhill team had us chasing the ball for much of the afternoon last Saturday.  Hopefully we can reel in the 270 run target that has been set for us!

Meanwhile, thank you for all the birthday wishes this past week.  My birthday was back in November, however it seems that many of you have seen a Facebook post of a cake and assumed it was for me. Whilst I may look and feel 70, it’s still a few years away!

God Bless you all.

Kingsley Dalgleish

Principal

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class News

We’ve had an exciting and busy week in the classroom! Here’s what we’ve been up to and some important reminders for the week ahead. 

Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons were scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for our Years 3-6 students to practice their skills in the lead up to the swimming sports. Thank you for  ensuring students brought their swim gear, including a towel, goggles, and a dry change of clothes on the short notice. It was appreciated by the students and the teachers!

Swimming Sports
Today is our swimming sports event! We look forward to seeing all students participate and showcase their swimming skills. Thank you for your encouragement to help this event run smoothly!.

Literacy
Students have been diving into the world of bushrangers and explorers, focusing on the infamous Victorian bushrangers Ned Kelly and "Mad Dan" Daniel Morgan. We’ve been analysing their impact on Australian history and exploring their adventurous (and sometimes notorious) lives. We also explored  Safer Internet Day and discussed a variety of different ways we could make using the internet and interacting online a safer experience. We also thought of many ways to help make the internet safer for our friends and family and what to do if someone is being cyber bullied. The last scenario we debated was how to protect yourself from identity theft and how we could prevent it from happening in the first place.

Mathematics
We have now completed our unit on Statistics, Probability, and Chance and are moving on to Algebra and Exploring Patterns.

🔢 Homework Focus Please continue supporting your child with Order of Operations (addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication) and Times Tables practice at home.

Art
In Art, we are exploring the colour wheel, learning about primary, secondary, and tertiary colours and how they can be mixed to create different shades. Encourage your child to notice colours in their surroundings and discuss how they change with light and blending

Thank you for your ongoing support. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Have a restful and relaxing weekend.

Warm Regards,

Kate Farnham

Little Joey Awards

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

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. Students who were randomly drawn from the nominations for Respect, Responsibility and Safety, and have added tokens to their respective Houses' tallies, were Isabella, George and Charlotte K.

School Advisory Council

Parent Representatives

• Clint Beattie
• Rebecca Curtis 
• Emily Gladdis
• Bonnie McEldrew
• Zanther McEldrew
• Ashleigh Meyer
  
• Courtney Taylor

Ex Officio

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

Dates

• Meeting - Tuesday 6 May 2025, 5:30pm

Dates and Reminders

School Calendar

February

Wed 19 - Foundation Rest Day

Thu 20 - 12pm Opening Mass

Mon 24 - 3:20-5:00pm Get To Know You Meetings

Tue 25 - 3:20-5:00pm Get To Know You Meetings

Wed 26 - Foundation Rest Day

March

Wed 5 - Foundation Rest Day

Mon 10 - Labour Day Public Holiday

Mar 14 - 6pm St Patrick's Day Family Fun Night

Tue 18 - School Photos Day

April

Fri 4 - Last Day Term 1 - dismissal time 2:15pm

St Patrick's Nhill

Church Times

11:00am Mass each Sunday

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

Reminders

School Preparations for the Bushfire Season

Each year, the Department of Education runs an annual fire risk assessment of schools and early childhood services. They are allocated a category of risk (categories 0 to 4) and are published on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).

All schools and early childhood services listed on the BARR list will also close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district.  

When the Bureau of Meteorology provides public fire danger rating forecasts or fire weather warnings, they use fire weather district areas. In Victoria, there are 9 fire weather districts, which are based on Local Government Area boundaries. Our school is in the Wimmera fire weather district.

As part of preparing our school for the fire season, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and have conducted other relevant preparedness actions, such as reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and cleared our facility’s grounds and gutters.

What does this mean for our school?

Our school has been identified as being at risk of bushfire or grassfire and is listed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).

DOBCEL, in accordance with the department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy, requires our schools on the BARR list to close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district. All school bus routes which travel in or through a district with Catastrophic fire danger must also be cancelled.

Our school will close on any day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Wimmera fire district.

Closure of the school due to a forecast Catastrophic day will be confirmed on the day prior and we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day when possible. Any information regarding potential or confirmed Catastrophic fire danger days will be communicated to you by PAM.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, even if the weather forecast changes.  This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child/ren.  It is also important to be aware that:

• No one will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
• All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
• School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for fire weather district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.

In addition, families are encouraged to action their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days.  On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day.

What can families and the school community do to help us prepare?

• Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. 
• Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking PAM, and by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
• Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is learning from home due to elevated fire danger or closed due to a Catastrophic fire danger. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
• Action your family’s bushfire survival plan if your own triggers are met. Our school community may be spread out across many areas and some families may be at higher risk than others. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are actioning your bushfire survival plan and if your children will be absent on these days.
• If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan. There is a link below with some activities to assist with this discussion.

You can find more information on emergencies, warnings and preparedness actions here:

• VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices
• VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
• Website https://emergency.vic.gov.au

• Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)
• Twitter (https://twitter.com/vicemergency)

ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters

School Office Hours

• M 8:45am - 4:15pm
• T 8:45am - 4:30pm
• W 8:45am - 4:30pm
• T 8:45am - 4:30pm
• F 8:45am - 1:00pm

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

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

Community News

Horsham Youth