Newsletter 2025/08 ~ 28 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

Prayer for Reflection

Loving God,

as we reflect on the journey of Jesus,

may we be reminded of His love, courage, and sacrifice.

Help us to walk in His footsteps,

showing kindness to those in need,

standing up for what is right,

and finding strength in times of challenge.

May this deepen our faith and bring us closer to You.

Amen.

RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS

Swimming

Congratulations to Claire who finished 7th in her Butterfly event at the Greater Western Region Swimming Championships in Horsham on Wednesday.

Cross Country

Our Year 3-6 students competed in the Cross Country event at Nhill Golf Course today.  We will have a report on their achievements in next week’s newsletter.

Positive Partnerships

Mrs Bell and Mrs Kupper attended a Positive Partnership Professional Learning in Hamilton on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  Positive Partnerships workshops help educators strengthen their understanding of autism and improve their skills and expertise when working with autistic students. They also provide strategies and resources for strengthening relationships between home and school.

Harmony Day

One Harmony Day class photo was missed on last week’s newsletter.  It is shared for you this week.

Project Compassion

Irene lives in a remote village in the Kongolo Region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Life hasn’t been easy for Irene. After losing her father in a war, Irene and her family were forced to flee their home. Life became even more challenging when her husband left, leaving Irene to raise her 2 children alone. Without finishing her education and with few job opportunities in her village, she struggled to provide even the basics for her family.

Things began to change when Irene joined the Youth Capacity Strengthening Program (YCSP), run by Caritas Kongolo with the support of Caritas Australia. Through the program, Irene learned sewing skills and was provided with a sewing machine and fabric. Irene also gained farming skills. Now, she grows enough food to feed her family and even shares her sewing knowledge by mentoring other women in her community.

“Before, women depended on men's income, but now, with our sewing skills, we can take care of ourselves,” Irene said.

Your support of Project Compassion helps women like Irene to create brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Will you stand in solidarity with people like Irene this Lent?

You can support Project Compassion 2025 through the donation boxes that were sent home.

Or online at: caritas.org.au/project-compassion
Or by calling: 1800 024 413

Thank you for standing with us, as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent. 

If you have Project Compassion boxes to return to school, please send these in before the end of term.

Uniform

Students who like to wear a long-sleeve during the cooler weather will be able to wear this new uniform option. It is now available from Cambrelle’s for $28. A full Uniform List is on our website.   https://spnhill.catholic.edu.au/uniform

UPCOMING EVENTS

End of Term

This first term of 2025 has flown by and will conclude next Friday.  Students will be dismissed at 2:15pm on Friday 4th April.

Week 1 Term 2 for students

A reminder that students have a three week break at the end of this term.  The first week of Term 2 is a staff Professional Learning week.  Staff members will be at school on Tuesday 22 April and will be collaborating with staff from other schools on Wednesday 23 (Horsham) and Thursday 24 April (Warracknabeal and Horsham).

Students will return to school for classes on Monday 28 April. 

Year 3-6 students will be able to compete in Athletics at Nhill College on Thursday 24 April.  See separate notice below.

Athletics

As mentioned above, Week 1 of Term 2 is a student-free week.  No students will be at school in the week of Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 April.

Similar to recent years, Nhill College has invited our Years 3-6 students to compete as the ‘fourth House’ at their Athletics carnival.  This is being held on Thursday 24 April.  Mrs Bell and the LSOs will be in attendance at the sports to supervise and assist with students from St Patrick’s School who will be in attendance.  Students will, however, need to meet with Mrs Bell at the venue at the start of the day.  More information about the Athletics will be sent out to parents of Year 3-6 students next week.

ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day will be commemorated at Goldsworthy Park on Friday 25 April as we pay our respects to all who have served.  Any students who wish to march in the parade are asked to gather by the Information Centre in Goldsworthy Park by 10.10am.  Students are asked to wear their school uniform for the march and commemorative service.

Premiers’ Reading Challenge

Students are invited to participate in the 2025 Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge. Now in its 20th year, the Challenge is all about discovery: helping children discover new books, and a love of reading.  All participants who complete the Challenge will also receive a Certificate of Achievement. 

Children can register for the Premiers’ Reading Challenge using the link below.

Concussion Protocol

Concussion is a serious situation and children, like adults, need time to rest and recover after receiving a concussion. Schools have obligations for understanding if activities need to be adapted for students recovering from concussion sustained outside of school.

Given the requirement to rest, recover and adapt activities it is important schools are made aware when a student receives a concussion outside of the school setting.

Concussion – Important information to be aware of

If your child has experienced concussion outside of the school setting it is important that they rest for a period of 24 to 48 hours and then gradually return to activities after this time. Returning to school can be a graduated approach with the aim of increasing tolerance to a full day, the same situation could occur with sporting activities. It is always important to check with your doctor and seek medical treatment after a child sustains a concussion.

It is important to inform the school if your child has sustained a concussion outside of school; this is to ensure the school can monitor your child’s wellbeing and adapt activities as required.

Links:

• Factsheet from the Royal Children’s Hospital is valuable to read and understand.
• There is also a great evidence-based app from the Murdoch children’s research institute that walks you through what to do in the result of a concussion.

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 Reflection

Luke 13:1-9

In this story, Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that has not grown any fruit for three years. The owner of the tree wants to cut it down, but the gardener says, "Give it one more chance! I will take care of it and help it grow."

This story teaches us about God’s love and patience. Sometimes, we make mistakes or forget to do good things, but God does not give up on us. Like the gardener, He gives us time to change, learn, and grow.

The fig tree reminds us that we should try to show kindness, love, and goodness—just like a tree that grows sweet fruit. When we pray, help others, and listen to Jesus, we grow into better people.

During Lent, we can think about how we can be more like the fig tree that grows good fruit. What can we do to show love to our family and friends? How can we say sorry and try again?

Jesus wants us to keep growing in faith and be patient with others, just as God is patient with us!

By the Numbers

127 Hours is a 2010 movie based on a true story about a hiker trapped in the bottom of a canyon for more than five days, and the desperate measures he resorts to, in order to survive.

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class News

So we find ourselves at the end of the second last week of school. What an amazingly jam packed term it has been! This week the Senior Class has been training hard for the Cross Country which was held today. The Year 3-6s have spent the last four or so weeks getting into peak condition. Results will be shared next week.

The Seniors have also been hard at work in their academic pursuits. In Mathematics, the students have been working on decimals, fractions, percentages and integers. They have also been working on how all these concepts apply within a whole number and how decimals, fractions and percentages are all ways to talk about the “in between” of a whole number. They have also been finalising the idea of place value and how whole numbers as well as partial numbers can be represented in a variety of ways. Next week, they will look at how we measure and the terminology for that.

In Literacy, we continue to go from strength to strength with their focused spelling and writing routines. They continue to look at different types of sentences and how to construct awesome sentences as well as expand their vocabulary and word choices. We continue to practice important skills like crafting well developed paragraphs using edited sentences and are also working on how to practically use their spelling words to build their word bank for writing. We have also been reading and have continued to have a Library session every Thursday to develop curiosity and explore different text types. The students will be expected to read a book over the holidays and present a book report in the first week back at school in Term 2.

In Integrated Studies, students are exploring the weird and wonderful of something to do with space, sea or animals and have had a great time researching all the fascinating facts they could find and deciding what they would include in their presentations to the class. These presentations will be next Monday and I can’t wait to see what weird and wonderful things they’ll speak about!

Lastly, a note on the Maths homework for next week. There is no new and additional Maths homework to focus on. Instead, students are asked to spend this time completing any unfinished homework from the term. Spelling homework remains unchanged.

Thank you to all the parent/guardian/carer support and with only one week of term remaining, the countdown is on to a restful and relaxing holidays!

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 Srishti, Tessa and Marnie.

Little Joey Awards

We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Mckenzie 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 - George, William, Samual, April, Daniel P, Matthew, Oscar, Julian.

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

April

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

Mon 21 - Easter Monday Public Holiday

Tue 22 - Thu 24 - Student Free Days

Thu 24 - Athletics at Nhill College Years 3-6

Fri 25 - ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Mon 28 - First Day Term 2 for students

St Patrick's Nhill

Church Times

11:00am Mass each Sunday

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

School TV

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating Harmony Week

Harmony Week is celebrated annually during March to highlight our diverse cultures and help us better understand each other’s experiences and backgrounds. During this week, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is also acknowledged on the 21 March. Harmony Week is an opportunity to recognise Australia's multiculturalism, which embraces people from all over the world, especially indigenous Australians. As a nation, we are encouraged to promote respect, understanding and appreciation for all cultures.

Read more below:

SPECIAL REPORT: Social Media & Comparison Culture

In today's hyper-connected world, young people are constantly exposed to carefully curated snapshots of other people's lives - from picture-perfect holidays and academic achievements to the latest fashion trends and fitness goals. This relentless stream of comparisons, often amplified through social media, creates what is known as comparison culture.

Follow the link below to read more.

Reminders

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

School Holidays Activities - Hindmarsh Shire Council

Horsham Rural City Council