Newsletter 2023/33 ~ 10 November 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
Remembrance Day
On the 11th day
of the 11th month
at the 11th hour,
at this time each year, we join our fellow Australians and people around the world in respectful, silent reflection, as we remember the tragedy of World War I and the sacrifice made by the men and women who have served there and in other wars that our country has been, and continues to be, involved in.
We pause,
we reflect and, with grateful thanks,
we remember them.
CURRENT & RECENT EVENTS
Kinder visit
Today we had the second visit from our 2024 Foundation students. Last Friday they joined us until recess time and today they are at school until lunchtime. The children will return again next Friday for a full day at school.
Planning Day
Teaching staff had a very productive day on Monday as they worked collaboratively with their counterparts from Our Lady Help of Christians School, Murtoa. The day was focused around planning of curriculum for the remainder of this year and for 2024. Both schools have been working in partnership in recent years and look forward to continuing to work in conjunction with each other again next year.
Items being brought to school
I am concerned about the many ‘treasures’ being brought to school recently. There have been a number of students bringing items of jewellery (rings, bracelets, necklaces), special toys, calculators, and a range of other assorted items that do not need to come to school. The only times these items may come to school is when the child is rostered on for Show and Tell in their classroom. On such occasions, children should give the item to the teacher to look after at the start of the day and collect it again at the end of the day.
There is too great a risk of items being lost outside or damaged if they are being played with throughout the school day.
Fishing Rods
A reminder that the Victorian Government is investing $1.5 million from the Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Fund to provide up to 95,000 Little Angler Kits to Year 5 children in Victoria.
Parents of Year 5 children may call in to the school to collect a free Little Angler Kit.
See last week’s newsletter for more information.
Book Club
Book Club Issue 8 is now open. This is the final Book Club for 2023. It's full of books to spark magic and joy in students so they read more for fun, including
- Christmas and Holiday Gift Ideas
- Hot New Releases
- Over 350 Summer Reading Ideas
- Big Savings on Packs
- $3 Value Books, and much, much more!
Order online via LOOP, or return order forms with payment to school by Monday, 27 November.
Victorian Virtual Emergency Department
Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) is a public health service for non-life-threatening emergencies.
Access emergency care from anywhere in Victoria, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You will be connected to doctors and nurse practitioners, who are trained to assist you.
Interpreter services are available for patients who prefer to speak in their own language.
The dedicated pathways below are designed to ensure all calls are handled efficiently.
www.vved.org.au
Call Triple Zero 000 for life-threatening emergencies.
Australian Catholics Magazine Schools Edition Summer 2023/24
The Summer edition of the Australian Catholics Magazine is available to collect at school or read it online here:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Beats 'N Pieces
Next Thursday morning we will have a live performance at school. Beats ‘N Pieces is a performance for all students to attend. Built upon STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts and driven by audience participation, Beats ‘n Pieces immerses students into a world of music and looks at the technology, science and history behind it. Using an ancient Chinese stringed-instrument, the ‘ruan’, together with fascinating, cutting-edge technology, the performance weaves together a narrative on the role of music in Chinese culture, both ancient and modern.
DOBCEL Board visit
St Patrick’s School will be hosting the DOBCEL Board on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 November. Board members will gather in the St Patrick’s Hall on Tuesday afternoon and will open their meeting with a prayer led by some of our students. During their two-day visit, Board members will also take time to visit each of the classes and speak with students and staff.
We look forward to welcoming the full DOBCEL Board to St Patrick’s School.
Book Fair at Nhill Market
Our SAC Community Engagement group are hosting a Book Fair at the Nhill Market on Sunday, 19 November.
Roster:
9:00-11:00am - Virgina Reichenbach and Ash McEldrew
10:00am-12:00pm - Moo James and Kimberley Philip
11:00am-1:00pm - Vanessa Triana and Courtney Taylor
Any queries, contact Emily Gladdis.
Nhill Carols
Nhill Town Community are again presenting an evening of carols at Jaypex Park this year. The carols will be held on the evening of Saturday 16 December. It would be great to have as many students available to sing and represent our school as possible. Please make a note of the date. We will have more information available to us in future weeks.
School staff may be present at this event but as this is not an official school activity all children are the responsibility of their parents/carers.
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 23:1-12
In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking with the people and his disciples and he shares with them that there are those who are always telling others what they should do and yet never practise what they preach. They say one thing and encourage others to follow their advice, but do not necessarily do this themselves. “Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares…”
Jesus reminds those gathered that they must always listen to God first for He is our Father and our Teacher. Jesus tells us not to show off or to bring undue attention to ourselves. We should be like servants to others. “The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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
76 - The number of new enrolments at St Patrick’s School since the beginning of 2018.
It has been a great week (despite getting older) - Port finished their AFLW season with a big win over the Giants, the Aussies ensured England had no chance of making the World Cup finals, and The Big Show (Glenn Maxwell) played what has been proclaimed the greatest One Day International innings of all time to help Australia climb from 7-91 to defeat Afghanistan in their most recent match, and in turn secure their place in the Semi-Finals. Now for my Saints to have a similar performance against Laharum tomorrow!!
God Bless you all.
Kingsley Dalgleish
Principal
Classroom and Student News
Senior Class Report
It’s been a busy week in the Senior room.
Everyone has been very excited to start their business plans for Integrated Studies. The students have to plan, create and sell a product so keep an eye out for our Seniors selling sausage rolls, smoothies, snow cones, fidgets and cakes soon. We also have been learning all about advertising in English so that we can promote our businesses.
We have been learning about chance in Maths. This was the perfect opportunity to play a Melbourne Cup themed horse racing game where we calculated the different probabilities of rolling different outcomes on dice. The Seniors have also enjoyed the chance to play some card games and rock, paper scissors to investigate and experiment with chance and outcomes.
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 Julian (twice!) and Amity 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 Michael 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:
75 nights - Sienna
250 nights - Tegan
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
- Annual Meeting - Monday 4 December 2023, 7.00pm
Dates and Reminders
Term Dates 2023
Term 4 2 Oct to 20 Dec
(St Pat's students finish Friday, 15 December)
Term Dates 2024
Term 1 29 Jan (Staff) 30 Jan (Students) to 28 Mar
(St Pat's offical start date to be confirmed)
Term 2 15 Apr to 28 Jun
Term 3 15 Jul to 20 Sep
Term 4 7 Oct to 20 Dec
All calendar dates are available on PAM (SIMON Everywhere)
School Calendar
November
Thu 16 - Incursion: Beats N Pieces Performance
Fri 17 9am-3pm - Kinder Visit
Sun 19 9am-1.30pm - SAC Book Fair at Nhill Market
Wed 22 10-11am - Senior RE Class Iona Visit
Fri 24 - 3.45pm 2024 Sacramental Program Information Session (in St Patrick's Church)
Mon 27 - Book Club orders due
Thu 30 - Middles Camp
December
Fri 1 - Middles Camp
Mon 4 7pm - SAC Annual Meeting
Wed 6 10-11am - Senior RE Class Iona Visit
Wed 13 10-11am - Senior RE Class Iona Visit
Thu 14 12pm - Graduation Mass
Fri 15 - Last day for students (dismissal time to be confirmed)
Sat 16 from 6.30pm - Nhill Carols in the Park
St Patrick's Nhill
Church Times
Mass is held every Sunday at 11.00am
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
- Wear a face mask
- Take a test
- Stay at home
- Meet outdoors
- Talk to your GP about COVID medications
- Get vaccinated
*coronavirus.vic.gov.au