Newsletter 2025/13 ~ 23 May 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

Mary Help of Christians

Tomorrow is the Feast Day of Mary Help of Christians.

Mary Help of Christians is the Patroness of Australia. The establishment of the feast has an interesting history, and a unique place in the Catholic history of Australia. The feast focusses on Mary’s help to those in need through her intercession to confront sin and to stand against anti-Christian forces.  

Pope Pius VII established the feast in honour of Our Lady Help of Christians in
1815. After being imprisoned by Napoleon Bonaparte, he established the feast in
thanksgiving for his release. Australia, a new colony at that time, had no Catholic
priests and therefore no Mass available. The faithful recited and relied on the
Rosary to sustain the Catholic community. 

In 1844, Australia became the first country in the world to have Mary Help of Christians as Patroness.  
– From the ACBC Resource Entrusting Australia to Mary Help of Christians. 

We wish our friends at Our Lady Help of Christians School in Murtoa a Happy Feast Day!

RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS

National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday we joined with schools around Australia for National Simultaneous Storytime.  This year’s book was ‘The Truck Cat’ by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell.

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family day cares, childcare centres, bookshops, family homes and many other places around the country.

Now in its 25th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.  The story inspires kindness and compassion in young children everywhere.

Some cats are house cats. Some are apartment cats. But Tinka is a truck cat. Tinka lives everywhere.

Along with his human, Yacoub, Tinka travels roads wide and narrow, near and distant. But no matter how much they travel, home feels very far away – for both of them.

Yacoub drives his truck to make a living, learning the landscape of a new country along the way, and longing for connection. When Tinka and Yacoub are unexpectedly separated, they are determined to find their way back to each other – and, in doing so, might find more than they expected …

Thank you to Mrs Dickinson for reading the book to all students on Wednesday.

Auslan visit

We enjoyed another visit from Jane Hage on Wednesday.  Jane is our Auslan coordinator who takes our online sessions each Wednesday.  This week, however, was mid-cycle assessment week and so Jane was on-site to help with the assessing of students.

Cross Country

Last week we recognised our students who competed in the Little Desert and West Wimmera Cross Country Championships in Kaniva.  At yesterday’s assembly, these students received certificates acknowledging their performances.

School Fees

If families are experiencing financial hardship due to the drought, please feel free to arrange a confidential discussion with me. Catholic Education Ballarat offers various support mechanisms, including the Family Fee Assistance Scheme, which provides reduced fees for eligible families.

Representative Hockey

Hockey’s Junior Country Championships were played in Melbourne last weekend.  Year 6 student, Ben, represented the Wimmera Hockey Association in the Under 14 Boys team.  The boys enjoyed a couple of wins and finished ninth overall for the Championships.  Well done, Ben.

Building Update

Mat and Sharele from 4Front Construction visited on Wednesday morning as they prepare to commence our building project next week.  The team from 4Front will be here on Tuesday to start installing a wall in the hall which will allow two classes to operate in that space.  The Middles will then move across and set up their classroom.  A portable office will be installed between the hall and Leahy St for Mrs Rintoule and myself.  A toilet block will also be put in place as the old toilets will be demolished.  We will then be out of the existing building while the works take place throughout the remainder of the year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Catholic Education Week

Next week, the schools of the Ballarat Diocese will celebrate Catholic Education Week.  The theme for 2025 is: 'May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace.' (Romans 15:13)

Catholic Education Week is an annual opportunity for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat to celebrate our distinctive ethos and mission.  This year we will be joining with two other schools from within our Parish as we combine with St Mary’s, Warracknabeal, and Our Lady Help of Christians, Murtoa.  This will take place in Murtoa next Tuesday.  Students will celebrate Mass with Mons Glynn and then engage in activities with the students from the other two schools.  A BBQ lunch will be provided for the students before returning to school.  Please refer to the note that was sent home via PAM earlier this week.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week is recognised from 27 May to 3 June each year.  These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 Referendum, and the High Court Native Title "Mabo" Decision respectively.  

The 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future.  Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

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

John 13: 31-35

In John 13:31-35, Jesus is talking to His friends, the disciples. He knows He will soon go back to His Father in heaven, so He gives them something very important to remember. He says,
“I give you a new commandment: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

Jesus loved His friends by being kind, patient, forgiving, and always helping them. He wants us to love others the same way. That means we should care for people, share, help when someone is sad or hurt, and forgive when someone makes a mistake.

Jesus says, “People will know you are my followers if you love one another.” That means when we are loving, people can see Jesus through us!

At school, at home, and on the playground, we can all show Jesus’ love in small ways every day. A smile, a kind word, helping a friend, or saying sorry are all ways to love like Jesus.

Let’s remember: Love is the most important thing Jesus asks us to do. When we love one another, we make the world a brighter, happier place!

By the Numbers

132 - In November 2024, what was supposed to be a straightforward flight to Lisbon for Air Portugal, turned into a four-day ordeal after 132 hamsters escaped from their carriers mid-journey. The furry escapees, part of a shipment for a local pet store, had chewed through their cages during transit. Baggage handlers discovered the chaos after finding shredded crates in the plane’s hold.

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class News

Happy Friday to the wonderful St Patrick’s School Community. The term has been flying by and as usual, filled with exciting opportunities for all our students. Last Friday was “Walk Safely to School” Day which was the culmination of “Road Safety Week.” The Senior class looked at how to be safe as both pedestrians and bike riders, as well as how they can impact and be aware of the road environment they are in in any familiar situation.

In the last couple of weeks, the Senior class has been fortunate to participate in the Circus Incursion where they had a targeted workshop to discover unknown circus skills; the next level of two divisions of the Cross Country where we had some outstanding results and a face to face visit with our Auslan Tutor, Jane Hage on Wednesday.

In class, the students have been working diligently and gaining confidence in various skills and concepts. In English this week, we  focused on strengthening students' reading comprehension, writing skills, vocabulary development, and oral communication through a variety of activities and routines. Each day built upon the last, encouraging deeper thinking and application of literacy strategies across texts and genres. We have started to explore the text of the term “When Marnie was Here” and have also explored the Pope’s open letter of “Laudato Si’” as a cross curricular text with Religion and Integrated Studies.

In Maths, students have continued to explore the topic of Addition. We have been exploring a range of strategies to build strong number sense, problem-solving skills, and flexibility in mathematical thinking. Through hands-on activities, visual models, and real-life applications, students deepened their understanding of how and why different addition strategies work. The three main strategies this week have been the Jump, Split and Switch Strategies.

The week began with a review of basic addition facts and an introduction to the jump strategy using number lines. Students practiced solving problems by “jumping” in parts (tens, then ones) along a number line. Visual demonstrations helped students understand how this strategy supports mental addition. Focus shifted to the split strategy, where students broke numbers into place value parts (e.g., 36 + 27 → 30 + 20 and 6 + 7). Students solved 2-digit and 3-digit problems using this method and compared it to the jump strategy.  Students investigated the switch strategy, learning that changing the order of addends doesn’t change the sum (e.g., 45 + 19 = 19 + 45).
Practical examples and mental math challenges showed how switching can make calculations easier.
In Religion and Integrated Studies, as mentioned, we have been looking at the Pope’s letter “Laudato Si” and focusing on the “cry of the earth” component. We have started an investigation into endangered species and what are some possible solutions that we can do at a local, national and global level.

This rounds up our week and it has been a busy one. We look forward to Catholic Education Week which is the focus of next week. As such, we will be participating along with Our Lady of Help of Christians Murtoa and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Warracknabeal in Murtoa next Tuesday.

The cold weather has also arrived and I’d like to remind everyone to make sure clothes, hats, gloves, lunchboxes, water bottles or thermos have all been labelled. We can’t return property to the students if we don’t know who it belongs to!

Rug up nice and cozy for the rest of the week and have a warm and comfortable weekend!

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 April, Charlotte K and Caleb.

Little Joey Awards

We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Hannah E and Julian with Little Joey awards.

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 - Brodyn, Tessa

50 nights - Harlow, Samual, Xavier H, Srishti, April, Jesinta

75 nights - Shalom

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 5 August 2025 5:30pm

Dates and Reminders

School Calendar

May

M-F 26-30 - Catholic Education Week

Tue 27 - Excursion: Catholic Education Week Mass in Murtoa

June

Mon 9 - King's Birthday Public Holiday

Thu 12 - Winter Lightning Premierships

July

Fri 4 - Last day Term 2 - dismissal time 2:15pm

Mon 21 - First day Term 3

St Patrick's Nhill

Church Times

11:00am Mass each Sunday

Our Mission

Child Safe Standards

School TV

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating IDAHOBIT

The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) emphasises the importance of educating children about diversity and inclusivity.

IDAHOBIT is celebrated annually on May 17 and serves as a global day to promote tolerance and combat discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. It was established in 2004 to mark the removal of homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organisation.

Read more by clicking the link below.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in these editions of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact your child's teacher or the principal for further information or seek medical or professional help.

eSafety - Parent/Carer News

(from the office of the eSafety Commissioner)

Looking for practical ways to support your child's online safety? Join our free webinars designed specifically for parents and carers. 

Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online

Learn how to effectively use parental controls to protect your child from harmful content, manage their online time, and monitor their communications. This 45-minute webinar will cover: 

• Types of parental controls for smart devices, apps, gaming platforms, and computers. 
• Integrating parental controls with other online safety strategies to build your child's digital and critical skills. 

3 June, 3.30pm AEST

Suitable for parents and carers of children and young people in primary school and lower high school.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what parents are saying about eSafety webinars: 

“I now know where to start the conversation with my teens! I definitely will spread the word! Thank you so much!” 

“This was excellent - very useful and I learned some great tips.” 

“Love the concise presentation. Looking forward to implementing the practical help on refreshing feeds and app preferences. Thank you.”

I-CEPS Parent Day

Parent Day is an innovative online parenting event, taking place on 7 June 2025, providing parents and carers with cutting-edge research from the world’s leading universities and institutions.

Evidence shows that well-informed parenting is one of the most powerful influences on a child’s success and happiness, and this day is dedicated to making that knowledge accessible to parents everywhere.

We are committed to making Parent Day accessible, inclusive, and relevant to all. Our program is carefully designed to reflect the diverse experiences and needs of families from all walks of life. Through our “My Say” survey, we also hope to collect the views and experiences of parents and carers, shaping future studies and programs.

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

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.

Community News