Newsletter 2025/23~ 22 August 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
Australian Catholic Education Conference
This week I have been attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference in Cairns. This Conference is held every three years, however this is the first time I have attended. The theme for the Conference is Hope, Anchored in Faith. It has been a wonderful opportunity to gather with more than 1400 other educators and leaders involved in Catholic Education to listen to leading international and Australian keynote speakers and to engage in workshops across a range of topics. We have heard from Federal Minister for Education, The Hon Jason Clare MP, together with Most Rev Anthony Fisher, Archbishop of Sydney and Chair of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education.
There are in excess of 30 Principals and DOBCEL staff members in attendance at the conference.
A highlight has been the Conference Eucharistic Celebration with the Bishop of Cairns, Most Reverend Bishop Joseph Caddy AM, and more than a dozen Concelebrants.
(A prize if you can identify where I am in the photos below).
photos from ACEC website
RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS
WWSSA Athletics
Congratulations to all of our students who competed at the West Wimmera Athletics Championships in Warracknabeal on Wednesday. There were some outstanding results achieved by our students. Particular acknowledgement of Jack who won all four of his events and set a new record in the 9 Years Boys 100m, and of Daniel B who also won all four of his events.
Overall placings: 13 Firsts, 5 Seconds, 10 Thirds
- Results:
- 8 Year Girls
- Hannah G: 1st - 75m
- 9 Year Boys
- Jack: 1st - 100m (Record); 1st - 200m; 1st - High Jump; 1st - Long Jump
- Oscar: 2nd - Long Jump
- Freddie: 5th - Discus
- Xavier M: 5th - Shot Put
- Relay - 1st
- 9 Year Girls
- Hannah E: 3rd - Long Jump
- Mackenzie: 4th - Shot Put
- Hannah G: 5th - 200m; 5th Discus
- Relay - 1st
- 10 Year Boys
- Max: 3rd - Shot Put; 4th - Discus; 4th - Long Jump; 5th - 100m
- Julian: 6th - 200m
- Relay - 1st
- 10 Year Girls
- Tessa: 3rd - Triple Jump; 4th - Discus; 6th - 100m; 6th - 200m
- Gu Thay Paw: 3rd - Shot Put; 5th - Long Jump
- 11 Year Boys
- Nile: 3rd - Discus; 4th - 100m; 6th - Long Jump; 6th - Triple Jump
- Caleb: 4th - 200m
- Adoni: 6th - 800m
- 11 Year Girls
- Claire: 3rd - 200m; 3rd - Triple Jump; 4th - 100m; 4th - Long Jump
- Katherine: 3rd - Shot Put; 6th - 800m; 6th - Discus
- Relay - 2nd
- 12 Year Boys
- Daniel B: 1st - 100m; 1st - 200m; 1st - Triple Jump; 1st - Long Jump
- Ben: 2nd - Shot Put; 3rd - Discus
- Relay - 3rd
- 12 Year Girls
- Marnie: 1st - Discus; 2nd - 100m; 2nd - 200m; 3rd - Triple Jump
Congratulations to Jack, Daniel, Ben and Marnie who have qualified to compete at Stawell on Wednesday 10 September. Also having qualified are the Boys 9/10 Years Relay and the Girls 11 Years Relay teams.
Thank you to Mrs Bell and Mrs Woods who accompanied our students and to the parents who were able to attend, support and assist our students.
Book Week
Imagination and creativity was on display on Monday as students and staff embraced the opportunity to dress up for Book Week. There were plenty of characters spotted at school including Cat In the Hat, Minions, Rapunzel, Spiderman, a few (Where’s) Wallys, a dragon and even a couple of pirates.
Building update
Builders have continued with demolition works, which are now more than 90% complete. We have discovered how noisy the removal of concrete can be. The toilet block slab has proven to be particularly thick, and therefore a difficult and very noisy process. The remaining structure is very sound and a good basis for the construction.
Our Diocesan Community - latest edition now available
The July edition of “Our Diocesan Community” is now available via the following link.
UPCOMING EVENTS
No buses next Thursday
Please note that there will be no buses running on Thursday, 28 August due to a student-free day at Nhill College. Parents will need to make alternative arrangements to get your child/ren to and from school on that day.
Gifting Mass
We will be combining with Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, to celebrate a Gifting Mass next Friday, 29th August.
As part of this special occasion, we are inviting families to donate non-perishable food items. These will be collected and donated to local community services to help support individuals and families in need.
If you are able to contribute, donations can be brought to the Office.
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 12:49-53
Jesus says He has come to bring “fire” to the earth, and that His message will sometimes cause division, even within families. At first this sounds shocking—why would Jesus, who teaches love and peace, speak of conflict? What He means is that following Him requires courage and commitment. Not everyone will agree with our choices when we live by Jesus’ values, and this can create tension.
This Gospel passage reminds us that being a Christian isn’t always easy. Peer pressure, social media, and the desire to “fit in” can make it hard to stand up for what is right. But Jesus calls us to be strong, to choose love, justice, and truth even when it costs us something.
The “fire” Jesus brings is His transforming love and passion for God’s kingdom. That fire can also burn in us, giving us strength to live boldly as His followers.
By the Numbers
142 - The Sunbus Cairns 142 bus serves 32 bus stops in the Cairns area. (Relevant for where I am this week).
Tonight the Port Adelaide Football Club farewells its coach, Ken Hinkley, club AFL games record holder and former Captain Travis Boak, and, given the way we’ve gone this season, probably half the team as well.
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
Junior Class News
We have had a wonderful week celebrating Book Week! On Monday, the students came dressed as their favourite book characters and looked absolutely fantastic. Throughout the week, we enjoyed reading some of the 2025 Award Winner books, including Spiro, The Garden of Broken Things, and One Little Dung Beetle. Each story inspired us to create some fun and creative craft projects that the students were very proud of.
In Science, we have continued our learning in our unit The Changing Environment. Students explored the effects of excessive sunlight and heat and discussed the importance of shade. They looked at different structures that can protect living things from the sun’s rays and then planned, designed, and built their very own sun shelters for a frog.
In Mathematics, the focus has been on Sharing and Grouping.
- Year 1 students have been practising sharing equally into groups, finding halves, making arrays, identifying groups for equal sharing, solving sharing problems, and skip counting to find totals.
- Foundation students have been learning about equal shares, dividing between two and three, exploring what happens when there’s one left over, solving sharing problems, and making groups of two and three.
In Literacy, Foundation students have now learned all of their common letter sounds and names as well as many digraphs. They are becoming increasingly confident at blending to read words and sentences and have been working hard on their writing. Year 1 students have been exploring the different ways to spell the long /ē/ sound, including ee, ea, e_e, y, and ey.
It has been a busy and exciting week of learning, filled with creativity, curiosity, and wonderful effort from all the students. We are so proud of the way they continue to challenge themselves and support one another.
Wishing you all a safe and restful weekend!
Cheers, Mel
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 Nile, Valentino and Nile.
Little Joey Awards
We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Xavier H and William 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:
100 nights - Marina, Xavier H, Harlow, Srishti
175 nights - Shalom
Community News
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 and Reminders
Term Dates
2025
Term 3 21 July to 19 September (students finish 18 September)
Term 4 6 October to 19 December
See dates on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)
School Calendar
August
Fri 29 - OLHC visit and Gifting Mass 12pm
September
Wed 10 - Little Desert Athletics, Stawell
Thu 18 - Last Day Term 3 for students - dismissal time 3:15pm
Fri 19 - Student free day for staff professional development
October
Mon 6 - First Day Term 4
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
Anxiety and Young People
Anxiety is a natural and expected part of growing up. In fact, it plays an important role in helping young people prepare for challenges, stay alert to potential dangers and adapt to new situations. It can motivate them to study for a test, practise before a performance, or tread carefully in unfamiliar settings. However, for many children and adolescents today, anxiety can shift from being a helpful response to becoming intense, persistent and disruptive.
The world young people are growing up in is fast-paced and often demanding. Academic pressures, social expectations, family changes and the constant presence of digital media, can all contribute to heightened stress and worry.
When anxiety is left unrecognised or unsupported, it can begin to affect a young person's wellbeing, learning, friendships and self-confidence. That's why it's so important for adult carers to understand how anxiety may present in children. Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
This edition of SchoolTV raises awareness and provides families with practical strategies to help young people manage anxiety in healthy, constructive ways.
Here is the link to the Anxiety & Young People edition of SchoolTV.
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.
If the office is unattended, please use the QR code on the door (which will open the Passtab iPad in your phone).
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.