Newsletter 2025/04 ~ 28 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
Lent 2025
Next week we will enter the season of Lent. On Wednesday we will celebrate Ash Wednesday with a Liturgy at 2pm.
Lent is a special time in which we joyfully embrace a conversion of heart. A new heart and a new spirit, these are God’s gifts during Lent. Our Lenten call is ‘Repent and believe the Good News!’
Lent is a time of self-discipline, generous concern for those in need, and prayerful reflection.
Ash Wednesday also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. More will be shared about Project Compassion next week.
RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS
Mental Health in Primary Schools
Tracey Bell has been appointed our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) for 2025. The role of the MHWL is to work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Mrs Bell and myself attending a whole day training session on Tuesday with more to follow. The appointment of a MHWL is a requirement of the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) program which is being implemented across all Victorian primary schools.
As part of the program, MHWLs receive evidence-based training in mental health literacy, supporting student need, and building school capacity, and receive ongoing professional development through Communities of Practice. The training program is developed and facilitated by the University of Melbourne.
Swimming Carnival
On Wednesday, nine of our students went to Horsham to compete in the Little Desert and Black Ranges Swimming Carnival. These students qualified for the carnival based on their results at the Nhill College Swim Sports earlier in the month.
The students competed against students from 58 schools. Our best performance came from Claire who finished 3rd in Butterfly and our relay team of Jack, Max, Tessa and Hannah G who finished 4th.
Claire has now qualified to compete at the Greater Western Region Championships in Horsham on 26th March.
Thank you to Mrs Bell for coordinating our team and driving the bus.
Get To Know You & PSG Meetings
Thank you to those who were able to attend our Get To Know You and PSG meetings this week.
A reminder that we encourage open communication between school and home. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s progress, please feel free to contact their teacher
ICE PACT
Today our senior students attended Gallery Central to see Jorg Metz’s ICE PACT exhibition. The ICE PACT project is an art, science and history exhibition that Jorg is travelling around regional Australia. It highlights and focuses on the Antarctic Treaty and the moves to include the Southern Ocean in such a treaty. Jorg then attended school to discuss the project with our students.
EMP Drill
Yesterday we held an emergency evacuation drill. These drills are held regularly throughout the year and cover a range of possible scenarios. Yesterday's scenario was a fire in the paddock behind the school. The students and staff moved briskly and orderly to our designated safe zone. We will have our next drill in Term 2.
SAC Parent Engagement Survey
Parental engagement recognises the important role that both parents and teachers play in developing positive attitudes towards learning and education for children, building their motivation and confidence as learners, and fostering their enjoyment of learning.
Each year our School Advisory Council forms active Working Groups to assist with school operations. On occasions, these groups ask for assistance from our families.
We have prepared a survey which will assist us to better serve parents, with the ultimate goal of improving the school and your child's education. It is a simple survey with just five questions and it should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Please complete it by 9am on Tuesday, 11 March.
Parents should have received a notification in PAM/SIMON Everywhere to complete the survey, or follow this link:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Ash Wednesday
Next Wednesday at 2pm we will hold our Ash Wednesday Liturgy.
NAPLAN
Our Year 3 and 5 children will be undertaking the NAPLAN testing between Wednesday 12 and Tuesday 18 March. If any parents do not wish for their child to participate in NAPLAN, please inform me in writing before Friday 7 March.
School Photos Day
Wednesday 12 March
Flyers with details about how to order your school photos have been sent home with your children. Order online is preferred. There are envelopes available if you don’t want to order/pay online - please ask at the office.
Note that we had previously included this date in the calendar on 18 March - this is incorrect.
St Patrick’s Day Family Fun Night
The SAC will host a “Family Fun Night”, St Patrick’s Day themed, on Friday 14 March from 6pm.
We hope to see as many St Patrick’s School families in attendance as possible.
This is a wonderful opportunity for us all to come together and enjoy a social setting with each other.
Please RSVP by Tuesday, 11 March by completing the form that was sent home this week, or use the link below.
"Tough Talks" Parent Information Session
Have you booked your spot yet? This is a wonderful opportunity for parents/carers of our Years 5 and 6 students.
- Where: Nhill College (Administration Building)
- When: Tuesday, 25 March, 5:30pm
The session is titled ‘Tough Talks’ and is based on tips in how to talk with our tween-teen(s). Each presenter aims to provide parents/carers with the confidence and resources to start conversations around the uncomfortable topics of drugs and alcohol, social media, mental wellbeing, relationships and sex.
We strongly encourage parents/carers of our Years 5 and 6 students to attend. Please RSVP to Nhill College on 53912111 by 18 March.
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 6:27-38
Jesus’ words in this passage can be challenging, but they teach us something very important—how to love like God does. He tells us to love not just our friends and family, but even those who are unkind to us. That might seem difficult! But Jesus wants us to respond with kindness, not anger.
Think about a time when someone was mean to you. Maybe they said something hurtful or didn’t include you in a game. Our first reaction might be to be mean back, but Jesus asks us to do something different. He tells us to show love, just as God always loves us.
Jesus also tells us not to judge others and to be forgiving. That means we should be kind and patient, even when people make mistakes. When we are generous with kindness, forgiveness, and love, God promises that we will receive these things in return.
This week, let’s try to live out Jesus’ words. If someone upsets us, let’s choose to be kind instead of getting angry. Let’s be compassionate, just as God is compassionate with us. By doing this, we help make the world a more loving and peaceful place!
By the Numbers
123 - The name of a 2018 song by Jess Glynne.
It’s all happening!
The Aussies need to beat Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy tonight. England have been eliminated in the first Round of matches.
My Horsham Saints are chasing 195 runs tomorrow in order to play finals next week.
The AFL kicks off next Thursday.
Busy times ahead - but so good to have the footy back!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
Junior Class News
We’ve had a fantastic week of learning. Here’s what our students have been up to in F/1 and how you can support their learning at home.
Foundation Learning
This week, our Foundation students have been practicing the sounds /s/ and /m/ and linking them to their corresponding letters. A fun way to reinforce this at home is by playing ‘I Spy’ with words that start with these sounds. For example, “I spy something that starts with ‘s’…sun!”
Reading together is also a great way to build language skills. Try focusing on rhyming words while reading books, singing songs, or making up silly rhyming sentences to enhance phonemic awareness.
In Maths, our Foundation students have been working on identifying numbers and practicing making them. They’ve also been enjoying memory games that strengthen number recognition and recall.
Year 1 Learning
Our Year 1 students have been focusing on nouns—learning how they represent people, places, and things. A fun way to practice at home is by playing ‘I Spy’ using nouns. For example, “I spy a person…a firefighter!” or “I spy a place…a park!”
In Maths, students have been mastering counting up to 120. They’ve been having fun assembling 120-chart puzzles and exploring which numbers come before and after others. They have also been developing their skills in skip counting and are becoming experts at counting by 5s! You can encourage this at home by skip counting while walking up stairs or counting groups of objects in sets of five.
Science Exploration
Last week, our students began exploring Physical Science, focusing on movement. They had a fantastic time making a Ferris wheel and observing how it spins. They also investigated different playground movements, predicting whether objects would roll or slide, and then tested their predictions through hands-on experiments. Encouraging curiosity and discussion at home can help reinforce these scientific concepts!
Looking Ahead
As we head into a warm autumn, we hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with fun and learning opportunities. Thank you for your continued support in fostering a love of learning at home!
Cheers, Mel Kupper
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 Rahitya, Srishti and Valentino.
Little Joey Awards
We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Avery 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:
25 nights - Tegan
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
Term Dates
2025
Term 1 28 January (Staff), 30 January (Students) to 4 April
Term 2 22 April (Staff), 28 April (Students) to 4 July
Term 3 21 July to 19 September
Term 4 6 October to 19 December
See dates on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)
School Calendar
March
Wed 5 - Foundation Rest Day
Wed 5 - 2pm Ash Wednesday Liturgy
Mon 10 - Labour Day Public Holiday
Wed 12 - School Photos Day
Mar 14 - 6pm St Patrick's Day Family Fun Night
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
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.
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 and eSafety
Confidence & Motivation
"Confidence and motivation are two critical ingredients for young people's success. Supporting your child to help nurture these qualities allows them to believe in their abilities and navigate life's challenges with resilience and a positive outlook." Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Nurturing confidence and motivation encourages your child to set realistic goals and celebrate their achievements.
From the office of the eSafety Commissioner - some links
The following real stories show the harm and distress cyberbullying can cause and the steps the people involved have taken to deal with it.
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
- 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
Community News
Calling all junior footballers & netballers!
Come down to the sporting club for our Junior Registration Night. Meet the coaches, get help with registration and enjoy a BBQ dinner!
- Date: Monday March 3rd
- Time: 5:30PM onwards
Whether you're new to the game or returning for another season, we can't wait to see you there!
