Newsletter 2025/05 ~ 7 March 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

This week saw us change seasons, moving gradually from the heat of the Aussie summer to the refreshing coolness of Autumn.  Along with the change of season we will see changes around us, such as our trees' leaves changing colour and eventually falling to the ground.  

The church also entered a new season, the season of Lent.  Lent is a liturgical season in which we prepare for the mystery of Easter.  This 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. 

The following reflection comes from Michael McGirr’s book 'This Cup We Bless - A tea or coffee break for every day during Lent'. 

Lent starts small. Over four days it will grow into a movement to change the world and us with it. But at the outset it asks us to remember that we are “dust”. To wear ashes on our foreheads as a reminder to keep what goes on behind our foreheads in perspective.

To use the colour purple in our worship, the colour of a bruise, a reminder that we are all hurt and need healing. To take a moment of honesty. To go into our private places and shut the door and to discover the God who finds us in our secret places and brings us into the light. To think about how we spend our time and energy and what really matters.

In our Religion classes this week,  we have been reminded that Lent is not a time for doing special things and saying prayers simply for the sake of it.  Our Lenten practices need to help us understand God’s word more clearly and to live according to that word more generously.  May we use this time to think about how much the Gospel means to us and how well we are living up to God’s law of love and the promises of our baptism.

RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS

International Women's Day

Tomorrow we recognise International Women’s Day - a day to recognise, respect, and uplift the women around us.

I am most fortunate to be able to work with the wonderful women on staff at St Patrick’s School.  It is not something that I acknowledge on just one day a year, but hopefully is displayed each and every day. 

Thank you also to all of our mothers, I hope you feel recognised, respected and uplifted on a daily basis for the most valuable role you play within your own family and in our society generally.

Project Compassion

The beginning of Lent 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.

The theme of Project Compassion 2025 is ‘Unite Against Poverty’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  You are encouraged to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Families will receive a Project Compassion box for donations (to be returned to school at the end of the term) or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website.

In Our Thoughts

Mrs Rintoule and her family are in our thoughts and prayers this week following the recent passing of her mother and serious injury to her father.  We pray that God will wrap His arms around the family, and that they may find some comfort in the knowledge that so many are thinking of them at this sad time.

UPCOMING EVENTS

NAPLAN

Students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week.  NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills across four tests - Language Conventions, Writing, Reading, and Numeracy.  The NAPLAN results will be sent to the school and parents later in the year. 

I have previously shared a letter which had been sent by a school principal to all the students in his school, as they received their state standardised testing scores, and I wish to share it again. It reminds us that our children are much more than their NAPLAN scores and that one test does not tell us everything about them as individuals or, indeed, as learners.

"We are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that makes each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you-- the way your teachers do, the way I do, and certainly not the way your families do. They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day. They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends. They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best... the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart." 

It is with these thoughts that I wish our students the very best in their assessment and remind them that we are very proud of them.

Public Holiday

A reminder that Monday 10 March is a public holiday.  There is no school on Monday.

School Photos

Next Wednesday morning we will be having our school photos.  Please ensure that your child is dressed in the correct school uniform and arrives at school on time.

If you have not yet returned the school photos envelope, please send these to school on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Foundations and Wednesdays

As from next Wednesday, our Foundation students will attend each school day.

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.

CDLP

Ms Farnham will be attending a Country Dioceses Leadership Program (CDLP) next week.  We congratulate Ms Farnham on being selected to be part of this program which hosts a limited number of emerging and established leaders from across the Ballarat, Sandhurst and Wagga Wagga dioceses.  

CDLP aims to deepen participants’ understanding of leadership within the Catholic school context; build capacity, knowledge and skills of middle leaders; and to provide opportunities for middle leaders to identify their effective leadership practice and to apply this within their particular school context.

"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.

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class News

Hello Parents & Caregivers,

Welcome to the Week 6 recap. Can you believe it’s been six weeks already? What an action packed time we’ve had since the beginning of term! We’ve had an amazing week of learning.

On Friday of last week, the Senior class had both an excursion and an incursion. ICE PACT - an Antarctica Exploration consisted of a visit to the Nhill Art Gallery where Jorg Metz gave a presentation on his experience as a laboratory manager at Casey Station. The students spent the morning looking at the exhibition and being told of all the various stories associated with the art works. They learned about the Antarctica Treaty which ensures that Antarctica remains untouched for scientists to study. They also learned that the Southern Ocean is the engine of the world’s oceans, controlling the currents and tides. They also learned about what it was like to live in Antarctica during the summer, how many tourists actually visit and what human impact we have on Antarctica. The Senior Class also learned that the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is being discussed about turning it into a marine park, and they also discovered that the parts that have already been declared a marine park have made that park the largest marine park in the world.

After recess, Jorg visited us at St Patrick’s to complete another presentation specifically aimed at students. He read to the class the story book “The Things to Do with Blue Whale Poo” and the students joined in with expressions of disgust. One of the things the students learned at the gallery was that the blue whale is the largest animal on earth (with the average being nearly 30 metres in length) so the said poo would be very, very large!

Additionally, the students have been looking at the beginning of Lent and discussing the traditions of Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season heading into Easter. They have talked about the significance of prayer, fasting and taking care of the poor, as well as the notion of sacrifice.

In Maths, they have continued to explore the ideas and concepts behind place value and how numbers are valued and organised. They have been focused on recapping whole numbers but in the coming weeks will start a more in depth exploration of how we look at partial numbers like decimals and fractions and how we organise irregular numbers.

Lastly, the next two weeks will also have a NAPLAN focus for the Grade 5s as they participate in the state wide testing. Thanks to all for the continued support and encouragement from home.

As we say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn, we hope you have a fantastic and relaxing long weekend and return to school on Tuesday well rested and ready to learn!

Regards,

Ms Farnham

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 Meena, Marnie and Ben.

Little Joey Awards

We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Paweh 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 - Rahitya, Valentino

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Bethany, Daniel and Matthew for this week.

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

March

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

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