Newsletter 2023/09 ~ 31 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

Next week is Holy Week, the last week of Lent.  It is a special time for us to remember and reflect about the death of Jesus on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

During Lent there is a spirit of joy.  Many people are listening to and turning to God.  Many are helping one another, working for peace and carrying the good news of Jesus to every corner of the world.  We have especially seen this through our weekly Project Compassion stories as well.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday when palms are blessed in memory of Jesus entering Jerusalem peacefully on a donkey.  Lent concludes on Holy Thursday when the church celebrates the three holiest days of the year - the Paschal Triduum.  “Triduum” is a Latin word meaning “three days” and the word “Paschal” means “passover”  These three days, from sunset on Holy Thursday to sunset on Easter Sunday, are the Christian Passover feast.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Tom Sexton visit

On Tuesday we had a visit from Mr Tom Sexton, Executive Director of Catholic Education Ballarat.  Mr Sexton has been travelling around to visit each of the 64 Catholic schools of the diocese.  On Tuesday he met with the staff of St Patrick’s School and then visited each of the classrooms where he also learnt a little bit of Auslan from the students.  In the photo below, Mr Sexton is being greeted by the F-1 class who had been practising their writing and were keen to show what they had been doing.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Daylight Saving Ends

A reminder to turn your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday night.

SAC Meeting

Please note the next SAC meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 16 May 2023 at 7.30pm

Cross Country

Our Years 3-6 students will be attending the Nhill schools’ Cross Country event on Monday.  The event will be held at Nhill Golf Course from 11.30am.

Students will be transported by bus to and from the venue.  There will also be a sausage sizzle for students to be able to enjoy after their run.

No School Buses on Tuesday

Parents, please note that there will be no buses running on Tuesday 4 April due to Nhill College’s student free day for Parent-Teacher interviews.

Parents will need to make other arrangements for ensuring that children who normally travel by bus are able to get to and from school on Tuesday.

Holy Thursday and End of Term 1

As we enter Holy Week and the last week of Lent, we will be having a special liturgy on Holy Thursday at 9am.  Parents are welcome to join us in the hall for this Liturgy which will then lead into an, earlier than normal, assembly.  

Students will finish the day at 2.15pm on Thursday and commence two weeks of school holidays.

Term 2 Dates

Term 2 officially commences on Monday 24 April, however there will be an Auslan training day in Ballarat for our teaching staff on that day.  The following day is a public holiday for ANZAC Day and so students will not commence the term until Wednesday 26 April.

ANZAC Day

Nhill RSL group have invited us to participate in the ANZAC Day march on Tuesday 25 April.  Students are encouraged to participate in the march and to stay for the commemorative service.  The march will convene near the Information Centre in Goldsworthy Park at 10am.  Students are asked to wear their school uniform for the march and service.

Athletics

Nhill College has invited our Years 3-6 students to participate in the Athletics carnival being held on their school grounds on Friday 28 April (first week of Term 2). 

Permission notes have been sent out via PAM.

St Brigid’s College Open Day

St Brigid’s College Open Day is coming up on Monday 1 May. Families have the opportunity to participate in a Learning Walk to see the college in operation between 9am and 2pm, then at 6pm, the chance for them to tour on their own. There will also be an Enrolment Information Session at 7pm in the STEAM Centre.

Families can register via the QR code or by completing the Google form at the link below.

If you have any queries, please contact St Brigid’s College on 5382 3545.

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: https://spnhill.catholic.edu.au/policies-procedures

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

Project Compassion

Project Compassion brings together Australian schools, parishes and supporters to raise funds for people in vulnerable communities across the world. This year, we introduced you to the story of four inspiring people whose lives have been transformed with your generous support: Laxmi, Tereesa, Priscilla and Thu.

Today, they are creating a better world for their families, their communities and for all future generations.

Project Compassion is a demonstration of the faith, empathy and generosity of our supporters. It is the lifeblood of Caritas Australia – without it, we could not do the vital work we do. Thank you for helping transform lives today and for all future generations.

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.

All families are reminded to return their Project Compassion boxes to school before the end of term.

Sunday’s Gospel

John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33-45

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus showed his divine power by calling Lazarus back to life and setting him free.  Many who saw this great sign came to believe in Jesus.  The whole story asks us to put our faith in Jesus.  He has the power to give us life without end.

In this Gospel story, John is shedding light on Jesus’ true identity and summoning us to the fullness of 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.

By the Numbers

The number of weeks in a year and the number of  playing cards in a deck.

Classroom and Student News

Junior Class

This week the F/1s have been working hard on getting quality work completed. 

In Reading we have been reading ‘The Great Aussie Animal Egg Hunt’ and have been working on creating rhyming words to the words in our book. 

In Writing we have continued to learn more letters and sounds and have been exposed to all letters and their most common sound at the end of this week. 

Foundations have been working on writing simple sentences, while our Year 1s have been working on ‘dressing up’ a simple sentence by adding in adverbs and adjectives to our sentences. 

In Maths we have been continuing on with counting, number representation and recognition. 

In Art we have been learning about weaving and have made some woven fish to hang up from a net in our classroom. 

In Religion, we continued our learning about baptism and experienced what would happen in a baptism when we baptised a doll.

Middle Class

Week 10 rundown, 1 more week to go.

Spelling: Steve says we are learning the split digraph, a-e as in tape.

Reading: James says we read the book, ‘Who was here?’ We had to figure out whose footprints belonged to each animal.

Writing: Marnie says we are looking at information texts again on different animals. We researched facts on our iPads about our chosen animals.

Maths: Daniel says in maths we have been learning about length. We have learnt about millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres .

Art: Tessa says we have been creating art with patterns. We looked at Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. We have made our own Van Gogh at my school art by using paint and oil pastels.

Senior Class

Our Seniors were back hard at work at school this week, having recovered from last week’s adventure in Melbourne. 

In Maths we have been learning all about length. We’ve been learning about different units on measurement and how to calculate perimeter.

In Writing we’ve been writing persuasive essays, putting all the persuasive skills we’ve been learning about in the last few weeks into practise. 

In Art we’ve continued working on our line and pattern drawings. 

The class was excited to present assembly again this week, and everyone worked together to write and perform a presentation all about school camp. 

Everyone’s looking forward to a little bit of Easter fun for our last week of term next week.

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. This week Declan, Olive and Moe Tha Zin were randomly drawn from the nominations for Respect, Responsibility and Safety, and have added tokens to their respective Houses' tallies. 

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 Moe Tha Zin 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:

25 nights - Charlotte K, Stella, Agnes, Freddie, Hannah G, Olive, Declan.

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

April

Mon 3 - Cross Country Yrs 3-6

Thu 6 - Last day Term 1 - dismissal at 2.15pm 

Mon 24 - Student free day for Staff Professional Development

Tue 25 - ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Wed 26 - First day Term 2 for students

Fri 28 - Athletics Yrs 3-6

May

Fri 12 - Student free day for Staff Professional Development

Tue 16 - SAC Meeting 7.30pm

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 -

• 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)
• 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.
• 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 16 May 2023, 7.30pm

Our Mission

Community News

Play Netball - starting soon

School Holiday Program (Hindmarsh Shire Council)

Homework Club - Nhill Learning Centre

Karen families are welcome to enrol their children in the Homework Club.

When: Tuesdays during school terms

Time: 3.30 - 5.00 pm

Where: The Patch, Clarence Street, Nhill

Contact for more information:

Nan Da San Bleh Dah (Coordinator) 0469064696

Saver Plus

Saver Plus is a free financial education program where participants can plan ahead for next year’s expenses and get up to $500 for education costs.

Register for the April’23 information sessions by clicking on this link.

About Saver Plus:

Saver Plus is a free community program where you can get up to $500 in matched funding for education costs.

The program was developed by Brotherhood of St Laurence and ANZ in 2003. It is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and ANZ.

There are three parts to the program:

1. SAVING – ANZ bank will match what participants save up to $50 a month to a total of $500 over 10 months
2. WORKSHOPS - fun workshops where participants build on their money management skills and we share lots of resources. These are held on Zoom and have never been more flexible to attend.
3. CLAIMING - On the 11th month of the program participants claim their matched funding.

In the information session we will discuss how the program works, eligibility criteria and how participants can get up to $500 as matched savings for education costs. Also answer questions about the program.

Zoom link: https://bsl.zoom.us/j/68016074995?pwd=K2d4dWI4WjRMbGRlRng0NGhoVVVVZz09

Meeting id: 680 1607 4995

Passcode: 027166

Auskick

Nhill & District Sporting Club

Registrations are now open!

Join in the fun at Nhill: Davis Park, 4:30 Thursday afternoons.

Come Try Free Session: 27th April 2023. Week 1 starts 4th May.

Boys and girls (best suited to ages 5-12). All skill levels welcome.

For more information contact Zanny 0410 292 094

To register:

Get Active Kids Voucher Program

Are you or your family eligible for the Get Active Kids Voucher Program?

If you or your child has a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost of each child's Auskick registration (Nhill & District Sporting Club provider number 2942452).

Visit the link below to arrange for your reimbursement.