Newsletter 2025/16 ~ 20 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
World Refugee Day
This week is National Refugee Week.
It is saddening to turn on the news each night and see the horror and atrocities occurring throughout the world, and the millions of people fleeing their homeland to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. We continue to pray for all who are displaced from their homes through acts of war and violence.
Today is World Refugee Day and culminates Refugee Week, however the displacement of people from their homes and homelands and their loss of freedom is not just an issue for a day or a week – it is an ongoing global crisis.
According to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) reports at the end of 2024, a record 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes, an increase of 7 million from the previous year.
Conflicts in Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar are driving this unprecedented movement.
“This Refugee Week, we’re reminded that the community is at the heart of the refugee experience. Welcoming people with compassion strengthens our society and affirms our shared humanity.” Deputy CEO of Refugee Council Of Australia, Adama Kamara
He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)
God of Safety,
We remember that Mary and Joseph escaped to safety in Egypt when Herod tried to kill baby Jesus and we remember how Mary MacKillop found safe places for homeless mothers and children.
Let our country now find room for the refugees who come begging for safety.
Let our hearts be big enough to welcome them so that they can forget their terror and sadness and find peace here.
Let us give them a home and a good future in our country.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who knew what it was like to be a refugee.
Amen.
It is not illegal to be a refugee or to seek asylum!
As we read in Matthew 25:37-40,
Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask him, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”
The King will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”
RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS
Winter Lightning Premierships
Congratulations to all of our Years 4-6 students who participated in the Lightning Premiership games last week. Most students played Tee-Ball, as we entered two teams for the competition - St Pat’s Red and St Pat’s Blue.
At the end of the pool rounds, St Pat’s Red were top of their pool and St Pat’s Blue finished third in their half of the draw.
In the cross-over rounds, our Red team was eliminated by the Combined Lutheran Schools team and our blue team defeated Kaniva.
St Pat’s Blue then defeated the Lutheran team in the Semi-Final before defeating Dimboola in the Grand Final.
Back-to-back winners of the Tee-Ball after having won last year’s Grand Final as well.
Max filled in for the St Mary’s Warracknabeal football team and enjoyed his day.
Marnie and Claire also played for St Mary’s, but in Netball, and they finished top in the pool matches and then defeated Warracknabeal PS in the Grand Final.
Thank you to Mrs Bell and Mr Robarts and to parents who supported and assisted on the day.
Building Update
Whilst our Seniors were at the Lightning Premiership, the builders were back installing another wall in the hall. This one has been installed on the front of the stage area to allow for a separate work area and some privacy for when students are working in small groups with staff members.
Earlier this week, fencing was erected to close off some access to the main building.
The portable office for Mrs Rintoule and myself will arrive sometime soon and will be assembled on site.
Colds & Flus
Wow, no sooner had our last newsletter gone out with a reminder of keeping sick children at home, that I started getting notifications of COVID. Can I remind again please, in order to help keep our school community healthy, it's important to keep sick children home.
UPCOMING EVENTS
End of Semester Reports
Students’ reports will be uploaded to PAM at the end of the term. Please note that paper copies of the reports will not be sent home.
Maths Curriculum
School holidays ideas
Keep your kids busy in the school holidays by creating a poster in the GWMWater Poster competition. This year’s theme is ‘Water Heroes: Save Every Drop’.
Visit the following link for more information.
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.
By the Numbers
135 - DownUnder135 is an authentically challenging ultra endurance foot race, designed to provide the Australian ultra community with an experience like no other. DU135 is one of the gnarliest, super demanding and extreme foot races offered anywhere in Australia and covers 135 miles (220 km) in a single stage non-stop foot race from start to finish.
We’re back. Good wins against GWS and Melbourne, with home games against Sydney and Carlton to come. C’arn Port!!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
Middle Class News
It’s been another busy week for the Middles. As we near the end of Term we’ve been finishing off units and preparing for assessments.
In Maths, we’ve been learning all about subtraction. We’ve been practicing our reverse doubles and 10 facts and using fact families to solve problems quickly and efficiently. We’ve also been learning some new strategies called the jump strategy and split strategy to help us with 2 and 3 digit subtraction.
In Literacy we’ve continued learning some new spelling rules. We’ve been practising our irregular vowel sounds and learning about homophones. In Grammar we’ve been learning all about verbs.
In Art we’ve continued our focus of line and have created some beautiful seascapes, based on the book Turtle’s Song. Students used different mediums - watercolour paint, pastel and fineliner marker - to create different types of line on each part of the artwork.
In Integrated Studies we’ve continued learning about mapping. Students have been bringing together the skills they’ve learnt over the term to create their own maps of Nhill.
Finally, in Auslan we’re preparing for our end of term assessment. We’ve been practising noun-verb pairs and how to use these signs in a sentence.
Wishing everyone a great weekend, and see you all next week!
Regards, Miss Attard
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 Samual, Fabian 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 George and Gu Thay Paw 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 - David, Jack, Mckenzie
50 nights - Marina, Fabian, Oscar, William, Julian, Mckenzie, Zion, Jesse, Tessa, Mckenzie
75 nights - George, Valentino, Hannah G, Hannah E, Meena, Daniel P, Matthew, Xavier M
100 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
Term Dates
2025
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
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
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
School TV
Centre for Multicultural Youth
The Centre for Multicultural Youth is a not-for-profit organisation based in Victoria, providing specialist knowledge and support to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. By removing the barriers many young people face as they make Australia their home, they use a combination of support services and programs, sector capability building, advocacy and knowledge sharing.
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
- 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
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
School Holiday Program
