Newsletter 2022/27 ~ 9 September 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.

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

The world awoke to sad news this morning with the announcement of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.  

We join the world in mourning the loss of this great monarch who had reigned for longer than most of our lives.

We give thanks to God for her life and her service as our Queen.

May she Rest in Peace.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

F-1 Excursion

Our Junior students had an exciting excursion to Kaniva on Wednesday and it was wonderful to hear them share their stories and drawings of the day during their assembly yesterday.  You will be able to read more in their Class News below.

R U OK? Day

We acknowledged R U OK? Day yesterday.

R U OK? Day is an annual campaign aiming to inspire and empower people to meaningfully connect with those around them and to provide support when someone is in need.

We are all encouraged to Ask R U OK?, Listen, Encourage Action, and Check In. ​

Explore what's happening and the ways that you can connect and support others by simply asking R U OK?

You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life, it's as simple as ALEC:

Ask R U OK?

Listen

Encourage action

Check in.

School Wide Positive Behaviour 

During play times, staff have been monitoring for students demonstrating aspects of Respect, Responsibility and Safety within the school yard.  Names were collated and shared during yesterday’s assembly.  A draw then took place from the names within each category and that student’s House received a token for their House jar.  The House with the most tokens later in the year will be rewarded.

Congratulations to all children who were recognised for their actions around the school over the past week.   Claire (Joseph), Declan (MacKillop) and Ma Thay Thay (MacKillop)  were randomly drawn from the names listed for Respect, Responsibility and Safety, and have added tokens to their respective House's tallies.

UPCOMING EVENTS

F-2 Sports Carnival

On Monday afternoon we will be hosting students from both Nhill College and Nhill Lutheran School as the F-2 students participate in a sports carnival.  

The carnival will commence at 1.45pm and students from each of the schools will be divided into groups and rotate through various activities/events during the afternoon.  Parents are welcome to come along and join in encouraging the students.  Thank you to Mrs Dickinson for her coordination and planning for the day.

Science Extravaganza

Our Senior class has been very busy in science with Mrs Bell and in recent weeks they have been planning a science extravaganza that they will present to the other classes next Wednesday morning. 

The displays will also be available for parents to come and view and hear about in the Hall on Wednesday afternoon from 1.45pm.

The display will also lead into our assembly which will be held a day earlier than normal due to the early end to the term.

Dates/Reminders

End of Term 3

Students will finish classes for this term next Wednesday at 3.15pm. 

Start of Term 4

Term 4 will commence for all students on Monday 3 October.

Staff Retreat

Staff members will be attending two days of professional learning in Halls Gap on Thursday and Friday next week.  This professional learning will be focused on our Catholic Identity and Faith formation.

SIMON Everywhere Important App Update

SIMON and Hordern IT have done significant work improving the functionality and reliability of the SIMON Everywhere app.  Consequently, new versions of the app are now available on the Apple and Google Stores and the existing SIMON Everywhere app will no longer function.

It is important that users of SIMON Everywhere uninstall and then re-install the SIMON Everywhere app to ensure that they have the latest version with all of the new improvements. If you have been having issues accessing PAM through SIMON Everywhere, this process will be the solution.

The following image sets out how to complete this 5-minute process.  Please contact Karen at the school office if you have any questions.

Casual Relief Teachers

I am interested to hear from any suitably qualified and registered teachers who are available for Casual Relief Teaching during Term Four.  Expressions of interest can be forwarded to me at principal@spnhill.catholic.edu.au or call 0419929271 for further information.

Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project

The Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, a project lead by Sr Brigid Arthur, is currently collecting donations of small toiletry items that have been collected from hotels (shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash).  These items are then provided to refugees and asylum seekers.

If you have items that you are happy to donate, these can be dropped in to the box in the front foyer at school.  Thank you to those who have already dropped items in.

Something so little to us can make a big difference to someone else.

Sunday’s Gospel Reflection

Luke 14:25-33

Jesus tells the crowds two short stories to explain what being a disciple means and what it means to “carry our cross” - accepting the things we find difficult in our lives and asking for God's help in these difficult things. These difficult things might be people we find it hard to get on with, lessons in school that we find boring or wanting something we can't have. Throughout our lives as followers of Jesus we might have to choose to do what Jesus wants even if it means not always being popular. 

Our Challenge: Think about what you find difficult and ask for God's help now.

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 a week this was!

Our Big Book shared story followed the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk. We watched a few different versions of this traditional tale, however the main character Jack was very brave in all of them. It is also time to focus our attention towards patterned writing. Our story is called Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer. I really enjoyed telling this story at the very beginning, and the students hoped, as most storytellers hope, that the main character will stay safe. Lars, the little polar bear, had the adventure of his life. Our main sentence to work with in writing sessions was ‘After the storm, Lars drifted on the sea for a long time’. Our excursion to the Kaniva Puppet Shop and town was in reference to the F-1 Integrated Studies this term with Mrs Bell. 2D and 3D shapes are back on the menu for mathematics. We hope you enjoyed our Assembly this week.

Below is one of our reading groups reading the play Little River Otter to the rest of the class, and some photos from our excursion.

Middle Class

Miss Williams

This week we have been reading Edward the Emu. We have had fun with this book and looking at how the main character Edward feels as he makes his way around the zoo, wanting to be the most liked animal. We discovered that he is very jealous of the attention that the other animals are getting.

In Writing we have been working on our handwriting and finishing off our information reports. It has been a week of finishing off and completing writing that we haven’t been able to get finished during the term.

In Maths we are continuing to work on multiplication and have been finishing off work that we started last week and didn’t get to finish. We have also been using our knowledge and skills that we have gained in multiplication to complete multiplication wheels and multiplication challenges.

In Religion this week we are finishing off our unit on Call. We have decided that we can be helping out others in the community who need help and could do this by drawing pictures, writing letters and talking to those who might need some company.

Senior Class

What we are excited about ...

By Jonas

I am looking forward to watching the Kaniva Hockey Women in the Grand Final.

By Jody

I am looking forward to going to my sister's friend's house.

By Sophie

I am looking forward to going to Ambers, the park and the Pin Ball museum.

By AJ

This weekend I'm going to Ballarat for a wedding and I am excited since it is my first time.

By Declan

I'm excited to play with my sister. Her name is Tegan. My sister went to Kaniva. 

Jack's weekend and holiday plan

This weekend I'll be going on a Harley ride to a pub to commemorate a member's death. Also I'll be going to my nan's house in Emerald, which is about 5 and a bit hours away (with stops).

By Georgia, Kelsey, Olive and Ma Thay Thay

This weekend I am excited for hockey Grand Finals. Georgia's mum is taking some kids to Horsham in the holidays.

By Stella, Lexi and Sienna

We are all looking forward to the holidays. In Term 3 we enjoyed drawing our hands and decorating our door. We have also enjoyed science. For the holidays we are excited for our trips to Melbourne.

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 Sienna  with a Little Joey award.

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:

100 nights - Gu Thay Paw, Amity, Jody, Caleb, 

125 nights - Tessa, Gu Thay Paw, Daniel

150 nights - Sophie

175 nights - Sophie

200 nights - Stella

Important Dates and Reminders

Term Dates

Term 3 11 July to 16 September**

**Students' last day is Wednesday 14 September

Term 4   3 October to 20 December

School Calendar

SEPTEMBER

Monday 12

F-2 Athletics

Wednesday 14

Science Extravaganza 1.45pm

Last Day Term 3 for students- dismissal time 3.15pm

Thursday 15

Student free day - staff professional development

Friday 16

Student free day - staff professional development

OCTOBER

Monday 3

First day Term 4

Tuesday 4

School Advisory Council Meeting 7.30pm

Thursday 13

Local public holiday - Nhill Show

Reminders

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.

Wimmera Bakery has advised that they have recently reviewed their prices, and the price of some items will increase in the near future.  We will provide an updated price list when this happens.

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 - Term 3 update

Rapid antigen testing

• The Victorian Government is providing up to three further deliveries of rapid antigen tests in Term 3 and again in Term 4 to schools.
• It is recommended that rapid antigen tests are used by students and staff when symptomatic.
• Household contacts are required to test negative using a rapid antigen test on at least 5 out of 7 days if they are attending or working at a school onsite.
• If staff or students receive a positive test result at any time, they must report this through the Department of Health system (a link is provided below) or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.
• Students (or their parents) must also report a positive result to their school by phone or written notification; this is so the school can support them, record that they will be absent while in 5-day isolation, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms.
• Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, have completed their 5-day isolation period and are subsequently asymptomatic do not need to undertake surveillance testing for four weeks.

Face masks

• Current advice from the Victorian Government on the wearing of face masks is available (see the link provided below)
• Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you. Face masks stop droplets spreading when you talk, cough, sneeze and laugh, which lowers your chance of spreading or catching the virus.
• The advice also strongly recommends the wearing of face masks in indoor settings (noting that exceptions to the recommendation apply to teaching circumstances when clear enunciation or visibility of the mouth is essential).  Further, the Victorian Government is recommending that, through to the end of winter, students aged 8 and over and staff will wear masks when in class.
• Household contacts attending school who are over 8 years of age are required to wear face masks indoors unless they have a valid exception. 
• Everyone including students aged 8 years and above must wear a face mask when travelling on school buses, public transport, taxis or rideshare vehicles.
• If face masks are required, they should be worn for up to four hours and replaced after this time.

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.

Stay home if unwell

• 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, 4 October at 7.30pm

Our Mission

Community News

Your Help Is Needed! Primary Basketball Coordinator

The Nhill Basketball Association is on the hunt for a Primary Basketball Coordinator to assist for the 2022/23 season.

• No basketball experience necessary – just need to be organised!
• Support, training and templates provided by Committee and past Coordinators
• Flexible around work and other commitments

Primary Basketball can be hosted on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday nights (Secondary will be Wednesday) from mid-October to early March (with a break over Christmas Holidays) and negotiable.

This is a great opportunity for someone who would like to take on a volunteer role but can’t commit to a 12 month program or would like an introduction to sport administration – you don’t have to be a parent, but it would be great to have parents involvement to ensure the Primary Competition continues.

If you would like to discuss the Coordinator role in more detail please contact Kat Colbert on 0409 527 041 or nhillbasketball@gmail.com.

School Holidays Activities

Free Animals & Kids First Aid Session