Newsletter 2022/14 ~ 20 May 2022

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.

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

A Prayer for the election

God of this land and of every people,

who shape all things according to your own design

and write your law in every human heart:

we thank you for this country we call home,

from the First Nations people to others born here

and those you have gathered from across the earth.

We pray for the citizens of our land in this troubled time,

that we may be committed to justice,

to the dignity of each human life,

and to solidarity with all Australians and with the world.

Guide all who seek election to serve the nation;

may the Holy Spirit inspire them to pursue a better politics

that is wise and courageous and governs for the good of all.

May all of us see and hear you in the most vulnerable,

that we may respond to the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poor,

that we may respond to you. 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

RECENT EVENTS

Pre-Service Teacher - Joshua Keller

This week we welcome Mr Joshua Keller to our school.  Mr Keller, who is studying at La Trobe University, is spending three weeks with us as a Pre-Service Teacher.  Whilst he will spend time with each of the classes, he will be predominantly working with Ms Murphy’s 4-6 class.  We trust that Mr Keller will enjoy his stay with us and that he will take away some wonderful learning experiences from his time at St Patrick’s School.

NAPLAN

On Tuesday, our Year 3 and 5 students completed their NAPLAN testing for 2022.  We will not receive their results until later in the year and these will then be forwarded to parents.  Once again, I wish to point out that NAPLAN is only one means of testing for our children and results are based upon the child’s performance on that particular day.  Ongoing regular assessment within the classroom provides a more accurate assessment of where our children are at, given that their results are not affected by the health and wellbeing of the child on the one day of testing.

The piece I shared in our newsletter two weeks ago is worth repeating today.

"We are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that makes each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you - the way your teachers do, the way I do, and certainly not the way your families do. They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day. They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends. They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best ... the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart."

Emergency Management - Practice Drill

Yesterday we held a Code Purple Drill, to practice our response to a bomb threat or suspicious package at school.  Our students responded calmly to their teachers’ directions to evacuate and the drill was completed satisfactorily.  

We regularly hold practice drills so that in the event of a real emergency we are able to keep all of the school community safe in the most efficient manner.

We will hold another drill sometime in Term 3.  Families are encouraged to discuss these scenarios with your children.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nhill College Year 7 2023 Transition Program

Year 6 students have been provided with further information about the Nhill College Year 7 2023 Transition Program.  The Information/Open Evening will be held in the Nhill College Administration Building at 7.00pm next Wednesday, 25 May.  The evening will provide you with the information about the transition process, programs offered and general information about Nhill College, including student speakers and a guided tour of the school.  Please RSVP by calling the school on 53912111 or emailing Miss King alannah.king@education.vic.gov.au by Tuesday 24 May.

National Simultaneous Storytime & Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

St Patrick's School will be combining our Biggest Morning Tea with the National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday 25 May. 

Parents and friends of St Patrick's School are invited to join us in the hall from 10.45am for the reading of Josh Pyke's Family Tree.

You will be able to listen to the story with our children and enjoy a 'cuppa' as we celebrate Australia's Biggest Morning Tea (ABMT).  We will have a donations box so that you may contribute to supporting Cancer Council's raising of vital funds for life-saving research, prevention programs, and information and support services.

If you are unable to join us on the day, you can still donate via our ABMT Fundraising page by clicking on the link below.

Students are encouraged to dress up for the day, based on the story and its theme.  The story line is about a tree and a family who play with it, climb on it and grow with it.  And just like a family, the tree's seeds leave the tree and spread to various locations to grow.  Children may wish to dress in traditional dress of their families’ culture or in some other manner that represents family.

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week 2022 is going to be celebrated next week.

“Share the Good News!”

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” – Mark 16:15

How might we understand the “Good News’ from the perspective of Mark’s gospel?

Mark’s gospel is written with a sense of urgency about it with his message demanding the same. Midway through this gospel Jesus asks his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). ‘Who is Jesus and how might I be invited follow him?’ are the conjoined questions still asked of the church and invited to reflect on within our communities now. Mark’s gospel addresses Jesus’ identity and how to follow him – through the call of discipleship.  In the beginning, Mark announces Jesus’ very identity with the titles Christ and the Son of God (Oddly, it is the Roman officer at the foot of the cross who recognises this first). The disciples as depicted in Mark’s gospel are full of enthusiasm to follow Jesus but have so many misunderstandings and failures in doing so. This was reflected in Mark’s community as it is in ours as we are human and repeat the same. The resurrection of Jesus as announced through Mark is the offering of Jesus’ forgiveness and the hope of following his way again in the remembering of “Who do you say I am?”

Our communities are beautiful places that can and do enrich the mystery of Christ’s identity and enable his way to be continually raised up in and by community. “Go into the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation,” is an urgent invitation to our community to comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ life to grasp what this looks like in following and enacting God’s dream for the world. We pray that our communities inspire from within to be people of peace, hope and love in these times of displacement, anxiety and concern for Earth as our common home: to realise each unique community’s intimate connection in proclaiming who Jesus is and what it means to follow in the light of the gospel for these times. Catholic Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate and enhance the reality of this identity, to dialogue with the Catholic faith tradition and the world in which we live to interpret and proclaim the good news.

As part of our Catholic Education Week celebrations, we will be joining with three other schools from within our Diocese for Mass at Warracknabeal next Friday morning.  Students and staff will travel by bus from school at 9.05am and will return to school at 3pm.  Please complete the consent form which has been distributed via PAM.

As well as Mass, students will share in activities with students from St Mary’s Primary School, Warracknabeal, St Joseph’s Primary School, Hopetoun, and Our Lady Help of Christians, Murtoa, which will coincide with the theme of ‘Share the Good News!’

Student Free Day

A reminder to all families that next Thursday, 26 May, is a Student Free Day.  No students are to attend school on that day as staff will be participating in Professional Learning.

Questacon

All students will be attending a science show presented by Questacon on Thursday 2 June.  We are fortunate to be able to have this travelling show visit Nhill and we look forward to their presentation with enthusiasm.

Kinder Visit

Current 4-year-old Kinder students and their families are invited to visit our school on Friday 17 June from 9.15am until 11am.

Children and their parents will be able to join our Foundation-Year 1 class during the morning session.  There will be an opportunity for a short walk-through of our school to see our classes in action.  Parents will then be invited to an information session in the hall whilst the children continue with the classroom activity.

An information letter is being distributed to all Kinder families regarding the possibility to visit each of the local schools over a three week period.

I invite all families who are considering their Primary School options for 2023, to come and take a look at what we have to offer at St Patrick’s School.  

If you are unable to attend on 17 June and would like to arrange an alternate time, please contact me on 0419929271 or principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au

We look forward to nurturing your child’s future.

Enrolments for 2023 are now being accepted.  Please contact the front office for an enrolment package.

Sunday's Gospel Reflection 

John 13:31-35

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus challenged all people to ‘love one another; just as I have loved you’.  He tells us not just to love one another, but to ‘love as I have loved you’.  Jesus’ love for us is sacrificial love, where he laid down his life that we might live.  Sacrificial love is not something we hear much about or that we embrace readily.  It is demonstrated in deeds not words.  It states that there is no point in saying we love anyone unless our actions follow the profession we make.  Sacrificial love is not just about warm and fuzzy feelings; it is an intensely practical affair where our love is judged by our gentleness, kindness and patience with each other.  Loving as Jesus has loved means telling the truth with compassion, forgiving, working at trust and holding on to faith in the face of difficult times.  Jesus does not promise us that this commandment is easy, just necessary if we are to love as he loves us.  If we love in this way then we become better people and the world in which we live will also be a better place.  By loving our brothers and sisters the way Jesus loved us, his followers, we are changing the world.

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.

Classroom and Student News

Junior Class

Mrs Creek

What fun our class has had reading the shared story The Fun Bus together. Mr. Bigelow does not like all the fuss happening on his bus. The animals and people are making such a noise. Tessa helped us sing the song, and everyone wiggled and jiggled to the beat. Just as well, Mrs Bigelow became a bus driver to drive the noisy people around town. The whole class is becoming more confident as writers too.

During Mathematics, time has been our focus. I can see that the students need further knowledge about time duration. So it would be helpful if at home you could dialogue around the terms - minutes, hours, days, weeks.

Show and Tell starts next week. Inside each of your student’s diaries is the timetable.

In Religion, the students are learning the songs for our excursion for Catholic Education Week. They are Shine, Jesus, Shine and Go into the World. Each song encourages us to be people of faith and shine forth the light of God’s love into the world.

Middle Class

Miss Williams

This week we have been reading a poem in class called It’s the Camel. We have been identifying sounds represented by different letter combinations as well as having discussions about how rhythm and alliteration create enjoyment and shape the reader's reaction to the poem.

In Writing we have been moving our knowledge of poems and poetry across to create alliteration and rhyming poems. We have had some wonderful rhyming poems about animals using information and use of structure and word choice from our scaffolding literacy last week to create some wonderful poems. We have showcased some of our amazing work this week at assembly.

We have been having lots of fun in Maths learning about money. We have set up a little market in our classroom and students have been practising counting money for their purchases as well as counting the change to be given by the market assistants. Students have also been working on completing jobs to earn money in class and then have had the chance to spend their money and learn how to budget and use their money wisely or for some very unwisely. 

This week we hosted assembly and showcased some of our amazing work to the school.

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Senior Class

Ms Murphy

This week we welcome pre-service teacher Mr Joshua Keller into our class. Mr Keller has grown up in Nhill and he attended Nhill College prior to heading off to LaTrobe University in Bendigo to commence his teaching journey. Josh is very familiar with the way of life in our area and we hope he continues to develop his career right here in Nhill! We are so excited to have a new face in the classroom with fresh ideas! So please make Josh feel welcome in the St. Pat’s community.

We are busily learning the ins and outs of information report writing and will begin our own Information Report next week, so put your thinking caps on about the topic you’d like to choose. I am looking forward to seeing the effort students put into this piece of work and we look forward to sharing these with you in the near future. There has certainly been an improvement in the standard of work in our room ... keep it up, the sky's the limit!.

Yesterday we enjoyed our excursion to the Nhill Gallery and WestVic Maps. We were lucky to have good weather as we ventured out into our wonderful community wearing our uniforms with pride. 

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Little Joey Awards

This week we continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Tessa and Caleb 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 this week for their reading achievements:

50 nights - Xavier, Amity, Hannah E, Liberty, Jack M.

75 nights - Nile.

100 nights - Kelsey, Stella.

Important Dates and Reminders

Term Dates

Term 2

26 April to 24 June

Term 3

11 July to 16 September

Term 4

3 October to 20 December

School Calendar

Reminders

Parent Access Module (PAM)

We strongly encourage parents to use the Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere) to inform us of student absences. These notes can be set in advance (if, for example, you know that your child will be absent a week in the future). Notes written in the diary are for communicating with teachers. Absent notes need to be directed to the office.

Please speak with office staff if you have any questions about PAM.

Simon Everywhere

The Simon Everywhere app delivers instant notifications to parents' mobile phones, delivering the functionality of PAM (SIMON Parent Access Module) in an easy to navigate app.  

We request that all parents please download the Simon Everywhere app, add St Patrick's School, Nhill and login using your existing PAM credentials.  

We will use Simon Everywhere for all important notifications.  

You will be able to manage all your day-to-day school needs from the Simon Everywhere app - notify us of absences, view the lunch orders menu, read the newsletter ...

Please contact the office with any questions.

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 -

• calling our school office 53911575
• sending an email to principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au or krintoule@spnhill.catholic.edu.au
• use the Bus Change Notification Form on their website - this is a quick and easy process on your mobile phone (hint: add this as a quick link on your phone's home screen)

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.

Coronavirus information

Face masks

• Face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in Years 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. 
• Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may, however, do so.
• Everyone over 8-years-old must wear a face mask when travelling to and from school on school bus services,  public transport, taxis or rideshare vehicles.

Screening requirements

• Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. This was previously 8 weeks.

Household contacts

• Students and staff who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are no longer required to quarantine. They can return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times within their 7-day period and wear face masks indoors if they are aged 8 and above unless they have a valid exemption.
• Household contacts are required to inform the school that they are attending during the 7 day period.   
• If any household contact returns a positive RAT result during this period, they must isolate for 7 days and not attend school.
• Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. 
• If a student tests positive or is a household contact of someone who tests positive, the school must be notified as soon as possible. They must also  follow the Checklist for COVID cases.

Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools

• Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.  

RAT screening program extension

• Students and staff are to continue with Rapid Antigen Testing twice weekly (recommended to be the first school day of the week and Thursday mornings). 
• The supply of RATs will continue for the first 4 weeks of this term.

Practise good hygiene

• 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 is available at entry points to classrooms.
• Sharing of food is not permitted.

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.

School Advisory Council

Parent Representatives

Helen Cannell

Moo Khu James

Zanther McEldrew

Emily Gladdis

Nathan Wheeler

Appointed Representatives

Ann Munro - Parish

Ex Officio

Mons. Glynn Murphy - Parish Priest

Kingsley Dalgleish - Principal

Next Meeting

Tuesday, 19 July 2022, 7.30pm

Our Mission

Community News