Newsletter 2025/29~ 20 October 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 Mission Month & World Mission Day
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Yesterday was World Mission Day with the theme of “Missionaries of Hope among the peoples.” World Mission Sunday is held every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October.
The theme highlights hope and unity, emphasising how we can collectively turn our faith into action.
By standing in solidarity and creating opportunities for transformative change, we become partners in shaping a brighter future. Trust is one of the foundations upon which hope is built, paving the way for lasting transformation.
Prayer for Mission Month
Heavenly Father, when your only begotten Son Jesus Christ rose from the dead,
he commissioned his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations”
and you remind us that through our Baptism
we are made sharers in the mission of the Church.
Empower us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be courageous
and zealous in bearing witness to the Gospel,
so that the mission entrusted to the Church,
which is still very far from completion,
may find new and efficacious expressions that bring life and light to the world.
Help us make it possible for all peoples to experience
the saving love and mercy of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Pope Francis, October 2019
RECENT & CURRENT EVENTS
Middles’ Camp
The Year 2,3s had a great couple of days away on camp last week as they visited Naracoorte in South Australia. Miss Attard and the Middles will provide a report on the camp for Friday’s newsletter. Thank you to Miss Attard, Mrs Bell and Mr McCumstie for their supervision during the camp.
Seniors’ visit to St Brigid’s College
Our Year 4,5,6 students joined with other senior students from St Mary’s Warracknabeal, OLHC Murtoa, Ss Michael & John’s Horsham and other Horsham-based primary schools on Tuesday for a day of experiencing a day in a secondary school . Students traveled by bus to St Brigid’s College in Horsham where they participated in Physical Education, Textiles, Science, and Drama classes as well as mixing with students from each of the other schools. Thank you to Ms Farnham and Miss Dickinson for accompanying our students.
F-2 Sports
St Patrick’s School was a hive of activity on Friday afternoon as the Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 students from Wimmera Lutheran College, Nhill, and Nhill College joined with those from our school for a combined sports afternoon. In excess of 80 students, together with teachers, LSOs and parents were present as the children participated in activities including Rob The Nest, Tunnel Ball and Equestrian. Thank you to Mrs Kupper for her organisation of the day’s groupings and activities and to our Year 5 and 6 students for coordinating the activities during the children’s rotations.
NEXUS Training
SIMON is going through a transformation at the moment and Mrs Rintoule spent most of last week working with other Business Managers and DOBCEL staff completing training for these changes. Parents will be kept informed of any changes that affect PAM or SIMON Everywhere.
Nhill Show
It is always pleasing when we have good weather for Nhill Show Day and generally that was the case last Thursday. Despite the wind and some spattering of rain, there was a great turnout for the day. Thank you to those who were available for the parade and to the parents who assisted with getting the children organised for this.
Our students submitted a number of entries for a variety of competitions. Congratulations to all who received prizes and/or certificates for their work.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Cancelled SAC Meeting
Tomorrow's SAC meeting has been cancelled.
Student-Free Days
We have two student-free days next month. The first one was already planned for Wednesday 12 November. On this day, St Patrick’s staff will be working with DOBCEL staff to look at Indigenous perspectives on religion. The second day will be Friday 28 November. This day will be a planning day for teaching staff to review this year’s learning and teaching and to plan curriculum for 2026. This day coincides with a student-free day at Nhill College.
PSG meetings
A reminder that there are PSG meetings scheduled for tomorrow. This only applies to a handful of parents who were notified accordingly.
PAT Testing
Student assessments continue over the next two weeks with PAT tests taking place for Reading & Comprehension, Maths, Grammar and Punctuation, and Spelling.
Learning Support Officers
We are currently advertising for two Learning Support Officer positions to commence at the start of 2026. Written applications outlining experience in any similar role should be emailed to me at principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au by 5pm Friday 24 October.
Bus Travel - preparing for 2026
Nhill College notes in preparation for 2026 have been sent home with bus travellers today. Please complete and return the form to Nhill College by 31st October so that bus allocations for 2026 can be confirmed before the end of the year.
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 18:1-8
In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of a widow who keeps asking a judge for justice. The judge doesn’t care about God or people, but he finally helps her because she never gives up. Jesus uses this parable to teach us about the power of persistent prayer and trust in God.
God is not like the unjust judge—He is loving, patient, and always listens. But sometimes, we may feel like our prayers aren’t being answered. Jesus reminds us to keep praying and not lose heart. Faith means trusting that God hears us, even when things don’t happen straight away.
The widow’s determination shows us that real faith is active and hopeful. When we keep praying, we grow closer to God and learn patience, courage, and trust. Jesus ends by asking, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”—a question that invites us to keep believing and never give up.
By the Numbers
148 - The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Victoria on 25 August 2020 (as reported by the state’s health department).
Great wins by the Power girls over Hawthorn on Friday night, and by the Aussie cricketers in the Women’s World Cup last week and Men’s ODI last night. My Saints also started the season well with a big win on Saturday, although I wasn’t playing - maybe that helped!
Have a great week.
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
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:
- 9 October - Katherine, Amity, Valentino
- 17 October - Tyler, Nile, David.
Reading Achievements
The following students were recognised for their reading achievements:
125 nights - Stella, Harlow, Charlotte M
150 nights - Matthew
175 nights - Valentino
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
Next meeting date
- Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 5:30pm
Dates and Reminders
Term Dates
2025
Term 4 6 October to 19 December
2026
Term 1 27 January (staff) 28 January (students) to 2 April
Term 2 20 April to 26 June
Term 3 13 July to 18 September
Term 4 5 October to 18 December
See dates on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)
School Calendar
October
Tue 21 - 5:30pm SAC Meeting - CANCELLED
November
Wed 12 - Student-free day (staff professional development)
W-F 19-21 - Senior Camp, Sovereign Hill
Fri 28 - Student-free day (curriculum planning)
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
Bushfire and asthma season
School Preparations for the Bushfire Season
Each year, the Department of Education runs an annual fire risk assessment of schools and early childhood services. They are allocated a category of risk (categories 0 to 4) and are published on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).
All schools and early childhood services listed on the BARR list will also close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district.
When the Bureau of Meteorology provides public fire danger rating forecasts or fire weather warnings, they use fire weather district areas. In Victoria, there are 9 fire weather districts, which are based on Local Government Area boundaries. Our school is in the Wimmera fire weather district.
As part of preparing our school for the fire season, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and have conducted other relevant preparedness actions, such as reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and cleared our facility’s grounds and gutters.
What does this mean for our school?
Our school has been identified as being at risk of bushfire or grassfire and is listed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).
The school is not a neighbourhood safer place. The neighbourhood safer place in Nhill is Davis Park Recreation Reserve, South East Quarter of the Oval (Bounded by Davis Avenue, Park Street, King Street and Fraser Street, Nhill. Entry off Davis Avenue.)
DOBCEL, in accordance with the department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy, requires our schools on the BARR list to close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district. All school bus routes which travel in or through a district with Catastrophic fire danger must also be cancelled.
Our school will close on any day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Wimmera fire district.
Closure of the school due to a forecast Catastrophic day will be confirmed on the day prior and we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day when possible. Any information regarding potential or confirmed Catastrophic fire danger days will be communicated to you by PAM.
Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, even if the weather forecast changes. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child/ren. It is also important to be aware that:
- No one will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
- All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
- School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for fire weather district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.
In addition, families are encouraged to action their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days. On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.
For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day.
What can families and the school community do to help us prepare?
- Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers.
- Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking PAM, and by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
- Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is learning from home due to elevated fire danger or closed due to a Catastrophic fire danger. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
- Action your family’s bushfire survival plan if your own triggers are met. Our school community may be spread out across many areas and some families may be at higher risk than others. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are actioning your bushfire survival plan and if your children will be absent on these days.
- If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.
You can find more information on emergencies, warnings and preparedness actions here:
- VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices
- VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
- Website https://emergency.vic.gov.au
- Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/vicemergency)
- ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters
Thunderstorm asthma
St. Patrick’s School reminds our wider community that grass pollen season brings an increased risk of asthma and hay fever.
Thunderstorm asthma is thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high amounts of grass pollen in the air and a certain type of thunderstorm (typically between October and end December). It can result in people wheezing, feeling short of breath, and tight in the chest with coughing. This can be sudden, serious, and even life threatening.
Anyone can be affected, even if they don’t have a history of asthma.
If your child has current, past or undiagnosed asthma or seasonal hay fever they are at risk of thunderstorm asthma. Don't ignore symptoms like wheezing or shortness of breath.
St. Patrick’s School encourages families to communicate any updated asthma action plans with staff. Our staff will monitor the Vic Emergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify a greater level of risk.
Protect your family this pollen season
For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who wheeze and sneeze during spring, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.
There are things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and those in your care:
It’s important for everyone in the community to know the four steps of asthma first aid so they know what to do if they or someone is having an asthma attack.
Avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October through December – especially in the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows. Turn off any air conditioner that brings outside air in (e.g. evaporative air conditioners).
If your child has ever had asthma – talk to your doctor about what you can do to help protect them from the risk of thunderstorm asthma this pollen season, including updating their asthma action plan. Remember, taking an asthma preventer as prescribed is key to preventing asthma, including thunderstorm asthma.
If your child has ever had hay fever – see your GP to make sure they don’t also have asthma and discuss how to stay safe during grass pollen season.
Asthma reliever medication is available over the counter at pharmacies. Ideally, this should be used with a spacer, for both children and adults. If your child is needing to use their reliever medication more than usual, this may mean that their asthma management plan needs updating – see your GP and make sure that you communicate updated asthma action plans with your child’s school.
Monitor the epidemic thunderstorm asthma risk forecast on the Vic Emergency thunderstorm asthma forecast webpage or download the VicEmergency app (App Store or Google Play) – you can set up a 'watch zone' for your location to receive advice and warnings about potential epidemic thunderstorm asthma events during the grass pollen season.
Protect yourself and those in your care this pollen season – preventing and managing asthma matters. There are a range of videos for caregivers on the Asthma Australia website https://asthma.org.au/resources/videos
Translated resources can be accessed at:
School TV
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.