Newsletter 2023/27 ~ 8 September 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

After some beautiful weather last weekend and at the start of this week, a touch of Antarctica has arrived again! I am pleased to see that so many students are dressing for the conditions and wearing their coats and long pants.  Some, however, are obviously not feeling the cold as much as I am.  The number of students wearing our new beanie on the cold days is also pleasing.

I wish to remind parents to ensure that all items of clothing are labelled as we have had quite a number of children unable to locate their coats, jumpers, hats and beanies over the past couple of weeks.  We have several items in our lost property bin and it would be so much easier to return these items to their rightful owners if the items had names on them.  Even if you have labelled your child’s items previously, please check that the name is still visible.

CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS

Little Desert Athletics

Unfortunately, weather caused yesterday’s athletics in Stawell to be postponed until next Monday.  Once again we wish Ben, Daniel, Sienna, Sophie and AJ well for their events next week.  Hopefully the weather is more conducive to competition proceeding on the day.

Miss Hockey

It has been a pleasure to have Miss Hockey join us this week as a Pre-Service teacher from Melbourne University.  Miss Hockey is completing her studies towards her Masters of Education and we wish her well for the remainder of her studies and the commencement of her teaching career in 2024.

Buffy visit

Buffy Harrison visited us this morning as part of our Auslan program.  Buffy joins the students online each Wednesday afternoon, however she also visits us twice a term to provide extra support for the teaching staff and to check that the children are signing correctly.

Father's Day Gallery

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 74

Next

UPCOMING EVENTS

House Activity

Congratulations to MacKillop who have won the weekly SWPBS draws for Term 3.  The students met today to decide upon a whole school activity for next week. 

On Wednesday we will have a Crazy Hats and Socks day and enjoy a school disco party in the afternoon.  Students will also enjoy a pizza lunch.  No lunch orders will be available on Wednesday.

Eye Screening and Vision Testing

A reminder that the Lions Eye Health Program will be conducting Free Vision Screening for children at St Patrick’s School next Friday.  Children of all year levels will be able to have their vision tested at school on that morning.  

Parents are reminded that if you haven’t already done so, you need to complete a permission form for each of your children in order for them to be tested.  These forms need to be returned to the front office by Tuesday 12 September.  Forms were sent home last week.

Mass and End of Term

Fr Matt will be joining us next Friday to celebrate Mass before the end of the school term.  Mass will commence at 12.30pm in the Church and all parents and friends are invited to attend.

Students will be dismissed at 2.15pm on that day, however students will be permitted to leave with their parents if they are attending the Mass and wish to take them at the conclusion of the service.

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 16:21-27

Jesus was speaking with his disciples about what was going to happen to him, how he would be put to death and how he would rise again on the third day.  Peter started remonstrating with Jesus and said, “This must not happen to you.”

Jesus responded by saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God's way but man's.”

Jesus was telling Peter that sometimes we may not understand why something has to happen, however we have to have faith in God’s plan.  Jesus knew he had to endure hard times in order to help us and to show us how much God loves us.

Just as Jesus had to go through hard times, we too have to face challenges in our lives.

Jesus also said, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  He wants us to face up to our challenges, to do the right thing, and to follow Jesus’ example.

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

70 - The number of years Queen Elizabeth II reigned as monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Classroom and Student News

Senior Class Report

It's been another busy few weeks for the Seniors. We’ve been working hard on mimes in Drama and were very excited to share them at assembly last week. We were also excited to make lunch for the rest of the school and our dads at the Father’s Day Afternoon last Friday.  In Writing we’ve had our journalist hats on as we’ve been writing news reports and in Maths we started learning about transformations. As this is the Senior Class’s last newsletter for the term the class are now going to share their term highlight, now over to you Seniors:

Sophie - Interschool athletics, I'm glad everyone got to do their events even though it rained.

Treesa - Our Book Week dress up was amazing and fun.

Olive - Hockey 7s. I like playing hockey and it was fun.

Sienna  - Having lots of new experiences at the Nhill College visit.

Declan - The Father’s Day afternoon. We got to play with our Dads.

Riley - Making a s’mores oven in Science.

Kaw Mu - Looking around Nhill College

K’lu Doh Soe - Learning division in Maths, I found it easy. 

Ma Thay Thay - Drawing our identity in Religion.

AJ - The PE class at Nhill college, I liked playing soccer.

Jody - Making hotdogs on Father’s Day.

Jonas - Working on our Science project, we got to make and eat s'mores.

Georgia - Drawing our identity in Religion.

Literacy Groups

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 Gu Thay Paw, William and Max 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 William and Max 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:

50 nights - Matthew

100 nights - Stella, Amity

125 nights - Destiny, Liberty

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

Dates and Reminders

School Calendar

September

Mon 11 - LD Division Athletics in Stawell

Tue 12 - Vision screening forms due

Wed 13 - Crazy Hats & Socks Day (no lunch orders today)

Fri 15 - Vision Screening

Fri 15 - End of term Mass 12.30pm

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

October

Mon 2 - First Day Term 4

Tue 10 - School Advisory Council Meeting 7.30pm

Thu 19 - Local Public Holiday - Nhill Show

St Patrick's Nhill Church Times

Mass is held every Sunday at 11.00am

Community News

Nhill Primary Basketball

Little Athletics - Horsham

Junior Cricket

What's on at Horsham Regional Art Gallery ...

Our Mission

Reminders

Parent Access Module PAM / SIMON Everywhere

The Parent Access Module PAM (SIMON Everywhere) is our "go-to" for all parent information. Download the SIMON Everywhere app from the app store on your mobile phone and login using your PAM credentials.

Simon Everywhere 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 Simon Everywhere, including:

• notify us of absences;
• view the school calendar;
• provide permission for student activities;
• update medical/contact information;
• view the lunch orders menu; 
• read the newsletter.

Please contact the office with any questions.

Student late arrival, early departure, temporary absence procedures

All student late arrivals, early departures or temporary absences must be recorded in the Passtab iPad located in the foyer.  Please ask office staff for assistance.

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 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)
  • we have put this link onto PAM (Simon Everywhere) >Home, scroll down to >Parent Links
• 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