Newsletter 2023/11 ~ 5 May 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

Welcome to our first newsletter of Term 2.

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy some quality time together with their families over Easter and the school holiday break.  From my perspective it was certainly pleasing to be able to relax and recharge in readiness for what will be another busy term at St Patrick's School.  

This term is a shorter one with only nine weeks and already it has been a busy one!  Teaching staff have attended an Auslan training day in Ballarat, many of us joined in with the ANZAC Day commemorative service, and our Year 3-6 students competed in the Athletics carnival last Friday.

It was lovely to have Mrs Munro back in the front office last week while Mrs Rintoule was still away on Long Service Leave and it was also wonderful to welcome Mrs Rintoule back to school this week following a few exciting weeks away in Italy.

As we make our way through the term ahead, please continue to follow what is happening at school through our newsletters, our Facebook page, PAM and the various forms of communication between teachers and parents - Seesaw, email, and diary notes.

I look forward to seeing you all at school events or simply giving me a wave each morning.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

ANZAC Day

It was wonderful to see so many students at the ANZAC Day march and commemorative service last week.  As we gathered with our local community to remember the brave and courageous sacrifice of our fallen heroes who fought for our freedom and peace, we gave thanks to those who served and those who continue to serve.  This was an opportunity for us to stop and reflect on the ANZAC’s values of mateship, loyalty, selflessness, and service.  

Let us endeavour to display these same values in our own lives on a daily basis.

Lest we forget.

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Athletics

Our Years 3-6 students had a very successful day at the Nhill Athletics last Friday.  Unfortunately the day was affected by rain and the wet conditions made some events more difficult, however our children still had a lot of fun competing and many returned with an array of ribbons for their efforts.  Whilst we haven’t yet received the results of individual events, it is pleasing to note that we finished second overall - a mighty achievement!  I hope to share individual results next week.

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Project Compassion

Thank you to everyone who supported Caritas Australia through Project Compassion during Lent.  As a school community we raised $669.60 to go towards assisting with projects identified throughout the world.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Church Trivia Night

A reminder that tonight, St Patrick’s Church is holding its Trivia Night in the school hall.  It is not too late to book in or simply turn up at 6.30pm.  There are still seats and tables available.  BYO supper and drinks and a mind full of general knowledge or basic trivia.

Mother’s Day Luncheon

We are looking forward to welcoming the Mums along next Thursday afternoon for our Mother’s Day Luncheon and Activities afternoon.  Please remember to return the RSVP slip from the invitation that was sent home earlier this week (by Tuesday).

Cross Country

We wish Claire and Sophie well as they compete in the next level of the Cross Country running in Horsham next Wednesday.  Good luck girls!

Seussical the Musical

All students will be heading to Horsham next Wednesday as we attend Horsham Arts Council’s production of Seussical the Musical at the Horsham Town Hall.  The bus will be departing school at 9.15am and should be back at school by 2.45pm in readiness for the afternoon dismissals.

We are still waiting on some consent forms to be completed - if you haven’t already done so, please login to PAM (SIMON Everywhere) and complete this consent by Tuesday (or sign and return the green form brought home by your child today).

Student-Free Day

Next Friday, 12 May, teaching staff will be attending Professional Learning programs in Horsham.  This means that next Friday will be a Student-Free Day - no classes will be running on that day.

Walk Safely to School Day

Friday 19 May is National Walk Safely to School Day.  Now in its 24th year, the annual campaign encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school.  The event aims to promote health, road safety, public transport and the environment.

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

Sunday's Gospel

John 10:1-10

Last Sunday was the fourth Sunday of Easter. The Gospel told the parable of the Good Shepherd. 

In Jesus’ time, flocks of sheep were very small.  A good shepherd knew each sheep by name, and the sheep knew the sound of the shepherd’s voice.  They knew whom to follow each morning when all the shepherds call their sheep out of their pens.  

In Sunday’s Gospel,  John reflects that a ‘good shepherd’ cares for, and keeps his sheep safe from harm. They ‘recognise’ his voice and will follow him. In telling this parable, Jesus is identifying himself as the shepherd who will keep his flock (us) safe from harm. But Jesus goes further when he identifies himself as the gate of the sheepfold. If the sheep are to flourish they have to go through the gate of the fold. If they stay within the fold they will become malnourished due to the lack of pasture, so they must venture out for food only to return to the fold at night for the protection provided by the shepherd. So too, we are called to come and go from God’s care into the wider world to search for nourishment and to spread the good news of the gospel. However, we must continue to seek interaction with God and members of our faith community to continue to grow and be nourished by God’s word. It is only in this way that we are able to have ‘eternal life’ with God.

Jesus calls us by name and we follow him.

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

Port Adelaide’s winning margin against the Brisbane Lions in Round 1 this season.

Classroom and Student News

Junior Class

This week in the Junior Class we have been busy settling back in for the term.

On Monday we mixed things up, having Mrs Dickinson (Bianca) and Mrs Pilgrim in the classroom. I did hear that they were very busy and well behaved, showing how wonderful our Foundation and Year 1 students are.

In Reading we have been working on narratives and learning about who the audience are for certain books. We have learnt how different stories written by Dr. Seuss have been made into a musical, which we are going to see in Horsham next Wednesday.

In Writing, Year 1 students have been carrying their knowledge of audience and purpose of narrative stories over to their writing. We have been writing narrative stories for our mums for Mother’s Day. Foundation students have been sounding out and mapping words and then using those words to make a simple sentence.

In Maths, we have been working on addition. Year 1 students have been counting on, meaning they don’t have to count up to the number they are starting on, just say that number and continue to count on how many more they need. Foundation students have been working on showing how we can add numbers together to 10.

In Spelling, Year 1s are learning about y making a long i sound, as in 'fly'; and Foundation students have been working on showing what they know about our four sentences: ‘The cat sat on the mat.’ ‘That ant had a hat.’ ‘It is in the big tin.’ and ‘This tap is on and that tap is off.’

We began a new Religion unit: "Wonder". We have been out in the school yard looking at all the parts of nature that we think are awesome and amazing. We have had lots of rocks, leaves, feathers and sticks come into our prayer table and lots of photos of all the little bugs and creatures that we could find.

Middle Class

Welcome to term 2! What a great start we have had.

See below for what we have been working on each week.

Spelling: split digraph i-e making the ‘i’ sound as in kite and t making the ‘ch’ sound as in nature.

Reading: reading poetry and learning about syllables.

Writing: learning about and writing acrostic, 5 senses and diamond poetry.

Maths: addition strategies including 10 friends, jump strategy and split strategy.

Art: digital art - using our ipads to take photos and then use the ‘markup’ feature to draw and decorate our photos.

With the new term starting I am asking all students to return their homework books so we can start fresh. Thank you.

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 Olive, Meena and Freddie 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 Meena, Jack and Sienna 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:

25 nights - Ben, Marnie, Kaw Mu, Samual.

50 nights - Declan, Tyler, Claire, Tegan, Sophie, Olive, Xavier, Gu Thay Paw, Freddie.

75 nights - Tyler.

Important Dates and Reminders

All calendar dates are available on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)

Term Dates

2023

Term 2   24 Apr to 23 Jun

Term 3   10 Jul to 15 Sep

Term 4   2 Oct to 20 Dec

School Calendar

May

Fri 5 - Church Trivia Night 6.30pm

Wed 10 - Excursion: Seussical The Musical, Horsham

Wed 10 - Little Desert Cross Country, Horsham

Fri 12 - Student free day for Staff Professional Development

Tue 16 - SAC Meeting 7.30pm

Fri 19 - Walk Safely To School Day

Mon-Fri 22-26 Catholic Education Week

Wed 24 - Excursion: Catholic Education Week Mass, Hopetoun

June

Mon 12 - King's Birthday Public Holiday

Thu 15 - West Wimmera Lightning Premierships

Fri 23 - Last Day Term 2

Church Times

Reminders

Student late arrival, early departure, temporary absence procedures

A reminder to parents that any student late arrival, early departure or temporary absence must be recorded in the SIMON KIOSK located in the foyer.  If you have any difficulty following the instructions at the kiosk, please ask office staff.

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

Seussical The Musical - Horsham Arts 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