Newsletter 2025/15 ~ 6 June 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

Pentecost

This Sunday marks the feast of Pentecost in the Catholic Church and the First Reading is from Acts 2: 1-11.

The season of Easter concludes with Sunday's celebration, a great day in our Christian year. Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem. 

 Pentecost occurs on the fiftieth day of Easter and is often referred to as the ‘birthday of the Church’ because on this day, many years ago, the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples. Jesus had promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to unify and strengthen his followers, and that they were to do as the Spirit guided them.  Jesus spoke to them of the Holy Spirit who would be God’s everlasting presence. 

After Jesus’ death the disciples were frightened; they went into hiding, too afraid to speak about the Good News that Jesus had shared with them. When the gift of the Spirit came to them on the day of Pentecost, they became transformed. They suddenly had the confidence to share the experiences they’d had with Jesus. It seemed as though they suddenly understood the significance of his life, his death and his resurrection. They spoke about Jesus’ message with such passion that many people were convinced by what they said. They were transformed by the gift of the Spirit and they began to transform the life of others.

The Holy Spirit brings God’s gifts of love, unity, wisdom and courage.  We pray that the Spirit may have the same transforming effect on us as we live our lives.

RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS

Building

We have seen more progress with the building program this week as the temporary toilet blocks arrived as well as a site office for the builders.  There was great interest on Wednesday morning as two large trucks arrived with the units on board and a crane was used to move them into position.  The toilets still need to be plumbed before they can be used.  The temporary office for Mrs Rintoule and myself will arrive next week.

World Environment Day

Yesterday was World Environment Day and the Senior students delivered a presentation at our assembly this week that focussed on some key issues. The students spoke about the need to care for our environment. Jesinta shared with us, “World Environment Day is good because it raises awareness about crucial environmental issues, encourages global action towards sustainability, and mobilizes individuals, organisations, and governments to protect our planet.” 

Each of the students then presented on different aspects of plastics pollution.  Well done to the students on a very interesting presentation which reminds us again of our need to care for our Earth.

Senior Science

In Science yesterday, the senior students were learning about viscosity. Viscosity is a term used to describe how easily a liquid flows. It helps us understand how thick or thin a liquid is. To help explain viscosity, students used various liquids to examine the concept. They conducted simple experiments to compare the flow of different liquids and observed how viscosity affected their behaviour. By understanding viscosity, students can learn about the physical properties of liquids and how they interact with each other and their environment. Students used scientific skills including hypothesising, fair testing, observing, measuring, recording, concluding and evaluating.

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day

Last Friday our staff wore red in support of Cystic Fibrosis awareness and fundraising.  Well done to the staff present for getting behind this special day and to Mrs Hamilton who was able to access memorabilia to sell on behalf of Cystic Fibrosis Community Care Victoria.

Colds & Flus

As the weather has turned cooler, we are starting to notice a number of students coming to school with coughs and colds. 

 To keep our school community healthy, it's important to keep sick children home.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Public Holiday

A reminder that it is the King’s Birthday Public Holiday on Monday.  School will be closed on Monday 9 June.

Winter Lightning Premiership

Our Year 4-6 students will be competing in the Winter Lightning Premiership at Nhill College next Thursday.  Parents are invited to come along and support our students as they play Tee-ball against other schools from across the Western Wimmera region.  Games commence at 10am and will conclude by 2pm.  All students are required to come to school first.

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 24:46-53

Sunday’s Gospel tells of the Ascension of Jesus.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples one last time before He returned to heaven. He reminded them of everything that had happened: He suffered, died, and rose again so that people could be forgiven and have new life. Then He gave them an important job—to go and tell the world about God’s love and forgiveness.

Jesus promised that they wouldn’t be alone. He said He would send the Holy Spirit to give them strength, courage, and guidance. After this, Jesus blessed them and was taken up into heaven. But instead of being sad, the disciples were filled with joy and hope. They went back to Jerusalem, praising God.

The Ascension teaches us something important: even though we can’t see Jesus the same way the disciples did, He is still with us. He is in our hearts, in our prayers, and in the people around us.

We might wonder what our role is in the Church. Just like the disciples, we are called to share Jesus’ love—by being kind, forgiving, and faithful. And just like them, we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us every step of the way.

By the Numbers

134 - STS-134, also known as the "Endeavour's Final Flight", was the 25th and final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, and a critical assembly flight to the International Space Station (ISS). This final flight took place in May/June 2011. Endeavour, which spent a total of 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled almost 198 million kilometres, wrapping up an illustrious spaceflight career.

Classroom and Student News

Junior Class News

Week 7 Update – Learning Highlights from Foundation and Year 1

It’s been an exciting week for our Foundation and Year 1 students – not just in the classroom, but outside too! The children were thrilled to watch the builders onsite as they used a crane to lift and place our new portable toilets and containers in preparation for the upcoming building upgrade. There was a real buzz in the air as students observed the action.

We’ve now reached the end of Week 7, with just four weeks left in the term. Here's a snapshot of what we've been learning:

Literacy
Our Foundation students are continuing to develop their reading and writing skills by learning new sounds, blending them together to read CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, and using their letter-sound knowledge to spell. They are also becoming more confident in recognising tricky words.
Year 1 students have been focusing on the /ir/, /ur/, and /er/ digraphs. They’ve been working hard to identify these sounds in words, recognise tricky words, and write thoughtful and well-structured super sentences.

Mathematics
In Maths, the Year 1s have been learning to partition whole numbers into parts, using subitising strategies, and writing number sentences based on worded problems.
Foundation students have also been exploring partitioning, focusing on numbers up to 10 and identifying number combinations that make a given total. They’ve been practicing their counting and numeral writing as well.

Science
This week in Science, students explored the absorbency of different materials. Through sorting and class discussions, they considered which materials would be best suited for specific purposes—like raincoats, gumboots, bath towels, or sponges – based on whether they absorb or repel water.

Religion
In Religion, students learned about the Ascension of Jesus and created a special craft to represent this important event. We also began exploring Pentecost, which we will celebrate this Sunday, and discussed its meaning in the Church.

Wishing all our families a safe, restful and happy long weekend!

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. This week's draw will be made next week.

Little Joey Awards

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

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

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

Digital Media Literacy & Safety Webinar

You're invited to an exclusive, free, one-off event to benefit from the insights of two of Australia’s leading experts, Susan McLean and Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, who will be sharing invaluable insights on how to empower young people to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. Topics include: Artificial Intelligence, Misinformation & Algorithms, Sexting & Sextortion, Online Grooming.

WEBINAR: Digital Media Literacy & Safety (Part II)
DATE: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
TIME: 7:30 pm

Participants MUST REGISTER PRIOR to the commencement of the webinar to gain access.

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.

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