Newsletter 2023/05 ~ 3 March 2023

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

A Prayer for Lent

Almighty and ever living God,

you invite us deeper into your world, your people, your Lent.

May this time be one of outward focus; seeking you in those we often ignore.

Help us live a Lent focused on freedom, generosity, and encounter.

Give us hearts hungry to serve you

and those who need what we have to give.

Amen.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Get To Know You Meetings

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend the Get to Know You meetings on Monday evening.  It was a wonderful opportunity for parents and teachers alike to meet and discuss your child’s progress at this early stage of the school year.  I encourage all parents to remain in regular communication with your class teachers as we work in partnership for your child’s educational journey.

If you were unable to attend on Monday and would like to arrange another time to meet with staff members, please feel free to email them to arrange a mutually convenient time to do so.

Project Compassion

Laxmi, 16, lives in in Jajarkot, a remote district in Nepal where almost half of the population live below the poverty line. Tragedy struck when Laxmi was 10 years old and her father passed away. Her father worked hard to pay for his children's education and after losing him Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty.

With the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club at her school where she was encouraged to resume her education. Through the child’s club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader, advocating for clean water taps at her school. 

Laxmi is now excelling in her studies and working towards her dream of becoming a civil engineer. She continues to be involved in the child's club, serving as an advisor and mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her old school.

Please donate to Project Compassion 2023.

Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations.

You can donate through the distributed Project Compassion donation boxes, by visiting the website (link below), or by calling 1800 024 413.

Little Desert Division Swimming Championships

Nhill combined schools entered the Girls 11-year-olds relay race in the Little Desert Swimming Championships in Horsham yesterday.  Nhill College, St Patrick’s (Sophie and Claire) and Nhill Lutheran schools were all represented.  The girls swam well and won third place. 

The open medley relay girls team had a fabulous swim after swimming in other events during the day.  Sophie swam the butterfly leg and Sienna Philip swam backstroke.

Thanks to Tracey Bell for organising the relay teams and getting permission for a combined school event, and for accompanying Claire, Sophie and Sienna to the event.

Data Collections

Student Residential Address data collection

The Australian Government Department of Education would like to notify you that it have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information.  Please see the notice at this link for complete information about this data collection.

NCCD Information Sheet for Parents, Carers and Guardians

Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability.  Please see the notice at this link for complete information about this data collection.

Australian Catholics Magazine

The Autumn edition of the Australian Catholics Magazine is available to collect at school. Get your copy from the hall when you come to assembly, or from the office. The magazine can also be read online at -

Student update

I travelled to Melbourne today and took the opportunity to visit David, Hser Wah and Doh Wah.  David is gradually recovering from injuries sustained in a recent motor vehicle accident while his father John remains in hospital. We continue to pray for the family as they continue their recovery process.

Child Safe 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 (link below). 

The school’s Child Safety Officer is the Principal, Mr Kingsley Dalgleish.

All parents and volunteers that are onsite when students are onsite, or attend school events, are required to hold a Working with Children Check (WWCC) and sign the school’s Child Safety Code of Conduct. If we do not have a current copy of your WWCC, please present your card to the office for photocopying. We will endeavour to get all families to sign the code of conduct in the very near future.

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Student Free Day

A reminder that staff are involved in Professional Learning on Monday and so it will be a Student Free Day. 

No students are to come to school on Monday 6 March.

Sound Scouts

All Foundation students will be having their hearing tested in school using the Sound Scouts hearing screener. 

If any parents do not wish for their child to have their hearing tested at school, please notify me by Friday 10 March.

Swimming News

Next Thursday afternoon we will be conducting our school Swimming Carnival.  Students are invited to wear their House colours to school for the day on Thursday.  Parents are welcome to come along to the pool for our carnival and cheer along the children in their events.

As mentioned earlier, Sophie, Claire and Sienna attended the Little Desert and Black Ranges Divisions Swimming Championships in Horsham yesterday.  Sienna improved her Backstroke time by 20 seconds yesterday, while Sophie and Claire were members of a combined Nhill schools’ Relay team which finished third.  Well done to all three girls and thank you to Mrs Bell for taking the girls to the Championships.

School Photos

Order envelopes have been sent home with your children this week.  

• Family Envelopes can be picked up from the office.  
• Please return envelopes to school, even if you are not ordering (as individual portraits are taken of every student regardless of if they are ordering any photos).
• If paying cash, please include correct money in the envelope - no change can be given.

School photos day is Wednesday, 15 March.

CDLP

Miss Williams will be attending a Country Dioceses Leadership Program (CDLP) next week.  We congratulate Miss Williams on being selected to be part of this program which hosts a limited number of emerging and established leaders from across the Ballarat, Sandhurst and Wagga Wagga dioceses.  

CDLP aims to deepen participants’ understanding of leadership within the Catholic school context; build capacity, knowledge and skills of middle leaders; and to provide opportunities for middle leaders to identify their effective leadership practice and to apply this within their particular school context.

Family Get Together

At the School Advisory Council meeting last week, it was decided to hold an evening for families to come together for a social evening at school. This will take place on Friday 17 March.

Families are invited to come along for a BBQ dinner and an evening of socialising.

Please mark the date on your calendar and we will have more details available for families next week.

Sunday’s Gospel

Matthew 4:1-11

Sunday’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. This teaches us important lessons about facing challenges and making good choices.

In the Gospel story, Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and was very hungry.  The devil tried to tempt him by suggesting he turn stones into bread, but Jesus replied that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

This reminds us that sometimes we have to make tough choices and resist the temptation to take the easy way out.

Next, the devil suggested that Jesus throw himself off a high place, saying that God would protect him.  But again, Jesus refused, saying that we should not put God to the test.  This teaches us to be careful about taking risks and to trust in God’s plan for us.

Finally, the devil offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would worship him.  But Jesus refused, saying that we should worship and serve only God.  This reminds us to stay true to our values and not be swayed by worldly temptations.

Overall, the story of Jesus’ temptation teaches us to stay strong in the face of challenges and to make good choices based on our values and faith.

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

Miss Williams

This week the Juniors have continued to enjoy swimming. It’s great to see them grow in their confidence in the water and for some of them to finally let us push them out of their comfort zone. 

In Reading the Foundation students continued to work on letters and sounds. We have added in Rr, Mm and Dd this week. Foundation students have also been showing me what they know about how to read a book. We are currently working on pointing to the words as someone else reads. Year 1 students are finding rhyming words and syllables in the words from our books. 

In Writing we have been exploring persuasive texts. Year 1 students have been exploring our own opinion and how each person has their own personal opinions and reasons for them. We have been writing some sentences on our favourite planets and all the reasons why they are our favourite. Foundations students have been learning how to write the letters Rr, Mm and Dd and some words we can create with the letters we know. Some Foundation students have even had a go at writing some sentences. I have … and I see …

In Maths we have continued with representing and ordering numbers. 

Next week I will be away for the week for some professional learning. Mrs Quarrell will be in the class for the week. Mrs Quarrell spent some time at St Patrick’s last year and knows our school very well. We look forward to having her spend the week with us.

Middle Class

Miss Squires

This week I’ve asked the Middles to give a report on English, Maths and Art what they got up to this week!

Reading: Claire says

We read a book together about ‘The Lost Stars’. It is about a city with bright lights, so bright that you cannot see the stars. So the stars decide to leave and go on holiday!

Writing: Claire says

This week we have editing and writing good copy stories of ‘How to Catch a Star’. My story was about Cookie the dog trying to catch a star. After three attempts Cookie finally caught the star.

Maths: Steev says

We have learnt a new game, called Soccer Shootout, where we had to round a number we made with cards to the nearest ten.  We also enjoyed playing bingo where we also had to round numbers using dice and counters.

Art: Moe says

In art we used pastels to make patterns.

Senior Class

Miss Attard

The Senior Class have had another busy week. 

We have been learning to write persuasively in Writing, and started by finding out what a strong opinion looks like. We’ve been practising by learning to state our own opinions about issues that affect us at school.

In Science students have been learning about the sun, earth and moon, and have created models showing how the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth.

In Maths we have continued with place value and practising our multiplication facts. 

We’ve continued creating with colour in Visual Art and also started to explore another Art Element: Line.

The class have also been excited to prepare and host assembly for the first time this year.  We’ve been busy practising our singing, reading and Auslan so that we were ready to present this morning.

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 Oscar and Georgia 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. 

Important Dates and Reminders

All calendar dates are available on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)

Term Dates

2023

Term 1   27 Jan (Staff), 30 Jan (Students) to 6 Apr

Term 2   24 Apr to 23 Jun

Term 3   10 Jul to 15 Sep

Term 4   2 Oct to 20 Dec

School Calendar

March

Monday 6

Student Free Day

Tuesday 7

Water Safety/Awareness Program (after lunch)

Wednesday 8

Foundation students rest day

Thursday 9

Water Safety/Awareness Program (after lunch) - Carnival

Monday 13

Labour Day Public Holiday

Wednsday 15

School Photos Day

Friday 17

Family Get Together

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.

You can find the lunch orders menu in PAM (SIMON Everywhere): - >Home, scroll down to >Knowledge Bank, >Parent Documents, >Action, >Preview

Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere

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.

The Simon Everywhere app 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 PAM (Simon Everywhere) - notify us of absences, provide permission for student activities, update medical/contact information, 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.

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.
• It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff if they:
• • have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
  • are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
  • are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.
• The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians report their positive RAT result via the online form or by calling 1800 675 398 and inform those with whom they have recently been in contact, including their workplace, school and household.
• Principals are no longer required to inform their school community of a positive case associated with the school.

RATs are available for all Victorians from council sites. Individuals can obtain two free packs (10 tests) for themselves and two free packs (10 tests) for each household member. People with disability and their carers can get up to four free packs (20 tests) in line with existing RAT distribution for people with disability.

School Advisory Council

Parent Representatives

• Rebecca Curtis
• Emily Gladdis
• Moo Khu James
• Michaela Koop
• Zanther McEldrew
• Nathan Wheeler

Ex Officio

• Mons. Glynn Murphy - Parish Priest
• Kingsley Dalgleish - Principal

Next Meeting

• Tuesday 4 April 2023, 7.30pm

Our Mission

Community News