Newsletter 2023/25 ~ 25 August 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

The last Sunday in August each year is recognised as Social Justice Sunday. Social Justice Sunday will be this weekend.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference releases a major social justice statement each year in the lead up to Social Justice Sunday.  These statements encourage the Catholic community to reflect and act on the social, economic and ecological aspects of the Church’s mission.

The title of the Social Justice Statement 2023-24 is Listen, Learn, Love: A new engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Read the statement by clicking the link below.

Later this year, many of us will be asked to vote on the referendum, the Voice to Parliament.  Much has been shared for both sides of the discussions via political and media campaigns.

As you endeavour to block out the noise of the debate, we are encouraged to read the Bishops’ Social Justice Statement which calls for the church and wider society to listen, to learn and to address the pain of First Nations Peoples. 

The statement addresses the upcoming referendum and encourages us to seek out and carefully consider information about the proposal.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Book Week

This week we have been celebrating Children’s Book Week.  The theme this year is Read. Grow. Inspire. Books that have been shortlisted by the Children’s Book Council of Australia have inspired some of the work by our children this week.  Samples of their work are shown below.

Yesterday we also had our Book Week Dress Up Day.  It was wonderful to see the array of characters and costumes on display.  Well done to all the children and parents for joining in with the fun of the day.

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WWSSA Athletics

As mentioned briefly in last week’s newsletter, our students did particularly well in their efforts at the West Wimmera School Sports Association Athletics Championships in Warracknabeal.  We have since received the results from the day.  Congratulations to the following students who achieved outstanding results.

7 Year Boys

• Jack - 1st 75m

8 Year Boys

• Max - 2nd 75m

9 Year Boys

• Nile - 2nd 100m; 3rd Discus
• Adoni - 3rd Shot Put; 5th Triple Jump
• Relay (combined with Nhill Lutheran) - 1st

10 Year Boys

• Ben - 1st Discus; 3rd Shot Put; 4th Triple Jump
• Daniel - 1st Long Jump; 4th 100m; 4th 200m
• Relay (combined with Nhill Lutheran) - 2nd

11 Year Boys

• AJ - 1st 100m; 1st 200m; 3rd Discus; 5th 800m
• Relay (combined with Nhill Lutheran) - 2nd

7 Year Girls

• Hannah G - 5th 75m

8 Year Girls

• Tessa - 5th 75m

9 Year Girls

• Claire - 2nd Discus; 4th 200m; 5th 100m; 6th Long Jump
• Gu Thay Paw - 3rd Shot Put; 5th Triple Jump
• Relay (combined with Nhill Lutheran) - 2nd

10 Year Girls

• Marnie - 5th Long Jump; 5th 100m; 6th 200m
• Relay (combined with Nhill Lutheran) - 2nd

11 Year Girls

• Sophie - 2nd Triple Jump; 2nd 100m; 3rd 200m; 6th Triple Jump

12 Year Girls

• Sienna - 2nd Discus; 6th Shot Put
• Relay - 6th

Thank you again to Mrs Bell and Mrs Dickinson for travelling with the students last week.

Congratulations to Ben, AJ, Daniel, Sophie and Sienna who have all qualified to compete at the Little Desert Championships in Stawell on 7 September.

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First Holy Communion

Last Sunday AJ and Sophie received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion at St Patrick’s Church in Nhill on Sunday. Congratulations to both of these Year 5 students and we wish you well on your faith journey.

Shade Sails

As we approach the warmer (and sunnier) months of the year, the shade sails have been re-installed above the playground area today.  We have also extended the sails to cover the sandpit area as well.

We are now in the “No Hats, No Play” part of the year (UV levels are 3 or higher).  Sun protection measures (sunscreen and hats) must be used each day when outside (recess and lunch breaks and classes held outdoors). Children are being reminded regularly to bring their SunSmart sun hats* to school.

• Any child without a suitable sun hat will sit in the shaded area during recess and lunch times.
• The school does not supply spare hats, unless required for class activities.
• Peak caps and visors are not suitable hats as they do not provide adequate protection from UV to the face, ears and neck.
• School sun hats can be purchased from Cambrelle’s.

Think UV, not heat.

• Temperature does not affect UV radiation levels.
• UV radiation can be high even on cool, windy and overcast days.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Student Free Day

Staff will be updating their First Aid Training on Tuesday, 29 August.  This is a whole day training and update course for staff members and will cover First Aid, Anaphylaxis, Asthma and CPR updates. Consequently this will be a student free day.

Father's Day

Next Friday afternoon we will be celebrating Father’s Day at school.  Fathers and father figures will be invited to come and share a hot dog lunch and a game of Tee-Ball (for the older students) or small games on the hardcourt (for the junior students).  Invites have been sent to all families today. Please RSVP by Wednesday.

Principal's Retreat

The Principals of the Northern Zone of the Ballarat Diocese, of which I am one, will be attending a Retreat in Mildura early next week.  Retreats have featured throughout the Church’s history and can take many different forms.  Regardless of the format or schedule, the purpose of Retreats is always to allow one to come closer to the Lord and to come away with a deeper communion with Christ.  I look forward to sharing a couple of days with my colleagues in spiritual reflection.

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

Matthew 15:21-28

Last Sunday’s Gospel focused on a Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter. Initially Jesus responded with a dismissive answer, probably because she was a pagan woman who asked a Jewish man for help. This was not how society was supposed to operate. However the woman stood her ground and again sought Jesus’ help. At this point Jesus recognised the faith of the woman and granted her prayer. 

This story demonstrates Jesus’ inclusiveness and his saving mission to all people; Jews and non-Jews alike. Throughout the bible there are many examples of Jesus’ willingness to accept everyone. 

Certainly this message is as relevant today as it was in Jesus’ time.

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

68 - The score that both Collingwood (9-14) and St Kilda (10-8) shared in the drawn 2010 AFL Grand Final.

Classroom and Student News

Middle Class

What an exciting week it has been celebrating Book Week 2023.

We have been reading a different book and doing an activity for the book each day in class:  Monday we read Our Dreaming and made some footsteps; Tuesday we read Tiny Wonders and made some wishes on flowers; Wednesday we read Crumbs and then wrote about what kindness looks like; yesterday we read Koala’s Ark, so we made a raft and/or a boat to put the animals in it which we chose to save; and today we read Summer Blue and drew a picture with one half dry and one half wet.

In Science we have observed the growth in our bean and sunflower seedlings.  The bean seedlings are growing well outside.  When the weather warms up our sunflower seedlings will go into the school garden.

In Performing Arts we have been continuing with dancing and mime and having lots of fun.

In Maths we are learning about division and how it relates to multiplication. 

In Writing we are learning about trying to persuade our audience to our point of view in persuasive writing.  Our introduction to this type of writing was the story ‘Hey little Ant’.

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 Steev, Marnie and Tom were randomly drawn from the nominations for Respect, Responsibility and Safety, and have added tokens to their respective Houses' tallies. 

Little Joey Awards

We continue to acknowledge the significant role of the "Brown Joeys" in the establishment of St Patrick's School, and recognised Declan 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 - Jesinta, Julian, Fabian 

50 nights - Jesinta, Julian, Fabian, William

75 nights - Oscar

100 nights - Meena, Charlotte M

175 nights - Tegan, Declan

Important Dates and Reminders

School Calendar

August

Tue 29 - Student Free Day - Staff PD (First Aid training)

September

Fri 1 - Father's Day hot dog lunch & games 1.30pm

Thu 7 - Little Desert Division Athletics

Fri 15 - Eye Health Screening

Fri 15 - Last Day Term 3 - Dismissal time 2.15pm

October

Mon 2 - First Day Term 4

Tue 10 - School Advisory Council Meeting

Thu 19 - Local Public Holiday - Nhill Show

St Patrick's Nhill Church Times

Mass is held every Sunday at 11.00am

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 Passtab iPad located in the foyer.  Please ask office staff for assistance.

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.

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 >School Links

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.
  

*Six simple steps to protect yourself and those most at risk

1. Wear a face mask
2. Take a test
3. Stay at home
4. Meet outdoors
5. Talk to your GP about COVID medications
6. Get vaccinated

*coronavirus.vic.gov.au

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 10 October 2023, 7.30pm

Our Mission

Community News

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