Newsletter 118 - November 30th 2023
Prayer of the Week:
This weekend marks the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the Catholic Church’s Year. It is a time of promise, expectation and participation as we prepare for the great celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Advent is the time we wait in joyful hope for God to be born in our hearts. The season of Advent recognises the coming of Jesus, the Son of God in a special way. God’s Son became one of us and one with us, to share our human experience fully and completely.
The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolises the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ.
The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.
The first week of advent we light the first candle which symbolizes Hope. Let us awaken from our slumber! Let us try to ask ourselves: am I aware of what I am living, am I alert, am I awake? Do I try to recognize God’s presence in daily situations, or am I distracted and a little overwhelmed by things?
- Pope Francis, Angelus 27 November 2022
Blessing: We are looking for God in our world.
May we see what God wants us to see.
We are looking for God in our lives.
May we be who God wants us to be.
And may God our Shepherd, Protector, Awakener, and Holy Spirit, bless us through these Advent days. Amen
Principals Report:
Dear St Patrick’s community
We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Georgia welcomed a precious addition to her family this past Saturday. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Georgia and Tyler on the arrival of Stella Grace. We wish them abundant love, and countless memorable moments as they embrace the journey of parenthood.
At the assembly on Friday, I mentioned the commendable efforts of our students and the notable successes we've been celebrating as part of the end-of-year assessment process. Our commitment to Structured Literacy throughout 2023 is being rewarded and we will continue with this work in 2024 as a centrepoint of our annual action plan for the year. We are also placing a strong emphasis on implementing School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). The primary objective is to establish a uniform approach to school expectations, fostering a common language and streamlined processes around behaviour management. This initiative aims to elevate the overall well-being of both our students and staff.
Additionally, we are dedicating efforts to enhance staff comprehension of the Ten Elements of Prayer. This focus aligns with our commitment to spiritual growth and reflection within our school community. Our aim is to revisit and update our school prayer to ensure it resonates with the values and aspirations of our dynamic educational environment.
Through these strategic initiatives, we are confident in our ability to create a positive, cohesive, and spiritually enriching atmosphere for everyone at St Pats. Your support in these endeavors is crucial, and we look forward to the positive impact these efforts will have on our school community.
I wish all our families a great weekend as we move into the first week of Advent.
With Kind Blessings,
Bettina
Georgia and Tyler
Stella Grace
Congratulations to Georgia and Tyler on the safe arrival of their first baby. Stella Grace was born on Saturday afternoon (25/9/23) weighing 7lb 2oz, 49cm.
All are doing well. We can’t wait to meet Stella and welcome her into our St Patrick’s community.
An Irish Blessing for a Baby
May you always walk in the sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings
beside your nursery door.
And for the proud parents:
May God grant you a wee bit of heaven
to cradle in your arms -
a sweet bonny baby
to hold close to your heart.
A newborn babe
brings light to the house
warmth to the hearth
and joy to the soul
for wealth is family
and family is wealth. - Author Unknown
A word from the office:
Wellbeing:
Therapy Dog
Benji and Kerren come each Wednesday to visit our school from 10.00am - 11.00am.
Benji is a qualified Therapy dog - A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas.
When Benji and Kerren come it brings much laughter, smiles and joy to many students' faces as well as the staff. Benji and Kerren hang out in the Art room with Mrs Cox-Hayward and help those students who may be having a rough time to settle into the school environment.
Benji and the students enjoy doing many different things like, colouring, playing with play dough, doing tricks and most importantly just being in each other's presence.
As a school we truly appreciate the voluntary time that Kerren has allowed us to be involved in over the last three terms. We endeavour to continue to work with Kerren in 2024 and help bring smiles to all of our students' faces each and everyday.
Teaching and Learning:
School Assemblies: Our assemblies are led by a different class each week and tomorrow's assembly begins at 2:50pm. Students will be dismissed from the hall at 3:15pm. We invite all our community to come along.
Week 9: Middle B & C Week 10: Junior R & F Week 11: Grade 6 Week 12: No assembly
Professional Development:
At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team. At various times staff members will be working off site or online which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.
Term 4: Week 10
Reports:
*Written reports for this semester will be available online via Simoneverywhere (PAM) app, for viewing on Wednesday 6th December.
The written reports are one way that information about your child's progress is communicated with you. When looking at your child's report please read slowly through the comments as well as the graphs. Resist the temptation to simply look at the graphs as the entire report contains many celebrations of your child’s learning journey. Remember to celebrate the success and growth your child has shown throughout the year. Please come and see your child’s teacher if you need further clarification (or a printed report) around the written report.
Middle B and C:
Awuom
I enjoyed working on my two trioramas over these four weeks because I have put a lot of work, details and facts into it. Doing geography and our trioramas for inquiry have been super fun.
Archie
In inquiry we have been making trioramas and I really enjoyed making my triorama because we got to find out about a country and put all the information into one big piece of art. I did mine on Brazil.
Ethan
I enjoyed making my trioramas because we first had to get information for the countries then we drew on paper.
Thomas
I enjoyed going to Artvo and doing my trioramas. I also saw a fake cow in a tree.
Bill
My trip to Melbourne was interesting because we found a cow in a tree, don’t panic, it wasn't real
Vibeesh
I enjoyed building and writing my triorama my whole class did the activity.
We first typed our ideas on chromebooks. Then we did good copies on a piece of paper
Luke
I enjoyed my triorama because I like Madagascar and Brazil.
Harper
My country slideshow, I enjoyed making a slideshow about Japan with Beverly. It was really, really, really fun.
Beverly
I enjoyed going to Melbourne to see ArtVo because we had a lot of fun and took loads of amazing pictures, although we were stuck in traffic for two hours, we still found ways to be entertained on the long bus ride. It was a very fun experience for all of us.We missed out on the Lume because of the traffic,but maybe someday we will get to see it. I also enjoyed making the Japan slideshow with Harper and doing my narrative.
Zarli
I enjoyed going to Melbourne because we went to Artvo its illusion art, sadly we missed out on the lume curse you traffic it's all your fault and a 6 hour bus ride back, made it worse although we had a sleep sorry Elenanor:(
Charli
When we went to Melbourne on Friday we went to Artvo with illusion art where we took photos. We were in little groups and we went to every room and took really realistic photos. We were also going to a place called Lume but because of the traffic we couldn't go to it so we had to go home. Although we couldn’t go to Lume it was really fun and I enjoyed it!
Eleanor
Over the last few days we have been writing a narrative about 4 boys who go into a forest. Everyone wrote a different story. For example mine’s about some kids who go into the Forbidden forest. We also went to Melbourne and went to Artvo. We also attempted to go to the Lume but we got stuck in traffic and missed the deadline. We still had a great time. There was a whole line of parents waiting for us. I forgave Zarli for sleep talking and went home with my dad. We also have been making trioramas about different natural features. Mine are the Amazon river and the Amber mountain national park. E out ( ;
Adi
In Artvo I really enjoyed taking lots of photos with all of my friends and getting the chance to leave the school to go to a really fun place 3 hours away. The only part I hated was the fact that instead of driving 3 hours back home to stawell we had to go through a whole bunch of traffic and beeping, and not to mention we had to drive 6 HOURS back.
Mia
On Friday last week we went to Melbourne. We went to Artvo and I really enjoyed taking some really cool photos but unfortunately we did not make it to The Lume because the traffic was hectic, instead we had a 6 hour bus ride home.
Nate
We went to Artvo and took cool photos and had some fun in there.
Jack D
This week we have been making trioramas. It was really fun. I made the amazon river and Hells Gate. Did you know that the Amazon river is the second largest river in the world?
Charles
On Friday we went to Melbourne to Artvo and had a great time. The bus ride was very fun. We played UNO and tried not to laugh and had some popcorn and chips. We had a great time.
Maya
I have enjoyed making my trioramas, going to Melbourne for our excursion. Everyone had so much fun but there were down sides. There was a lot of traffic when we were going to the next place but we did not get to go. But everyone still had fun.
Tamieka
I have enjoyed the Artvo because everyone was smiling and laughing.
Akech
I really enjoyed our excursion to Melbourne city. Even though we got stuck in traffic and missed the Lume sadly. On the other hand Artvo was a fantastic blast and we took amazing pics. Then we had lunch then the whole Lume thing. Next we got some chips or popcorn on the 3 hour drive. We got to close the curtains and sleep. When I went to the toilet the person I sat next to left me, but I didn't mind.
Lily S
I really loved the excursion to Artvo. My favorite thing in Artvo was the watermelon picture. We sadly missed out on Lume but we got a lollipop and I got chips. I got to play a fun game with Tanner and Nathaniel. Everyone was very happy when we got off the bus. It took 6 hours but no one was tired when we got of the bus.
Peter
I really liked doing my Peru triorama with a jaguar and cactus.
Lenny
When we went to Melbourne all the photos and paintings in Artvo were so realistic that I even thought that it was real. It was amazing. I really want to go back some day. We were stuck in traffic so we missed out on the Lume.
Boston
Google slides are fun to do. We could do any country we'd like to do. It was fun. We did trioramas and went to Melbourne to go to Artvo and sadly didn't go to the Lume.
Tahlia
We went on a excursion on Friday to Melbourne and we did Artvo and Lume but we sadly didn't go to the Lume because the traffic took our time off Lume, it was so much fun when we did Artvo. It was really 3D on thepictures.
Aaliyah
We went on an excursion to Artvo and we brouht the ipads so we could take pictures of us and it looked so cool. We didn't get to go to Lume because there was lots of traffic. We had lunch there too. On the way back to stawell we had a little nap.
Fletcho
I like doing sentences a day this week because l have been doing a lot of writing in sentences a day this week and now trioramas. It has been so fun doing it.
Jack W
We went to Artvo in Melbourne but unfortunately we got stuck in traffic so we couldn't go to the Lume. But we might be able to make up for the canceled trip to The Lume.
Lilly H
I liked the excursion to Artvo but we were on the bus four 6 hours. The bad news is that we did not get to go to the Lume, so we went back to school in Stawell.
Tanner
I really liked the excursion to Melbourne. We went to Artvo and had lots of fun. We were on the bus for so long because there was so much traffic.
Kora
When we went to Melbourne we went to this place called Artvo, my favorite thing was the space area! Also I didn't have to go on the bus because I was already in Melbourne. There was A LOT of traffic on the bus to Lume, we were supposed to go to Lume but it got canceled because of the traffic.
Willow B
We went to Melbourne and didn't go to the Lume.
Texas
Last Friday we went to Artvo and we had to sit on a bus for 6 hours. Everyone on the bus was so bored so we got a lollipop and a packet of chips for everyone on the bus. When we were at Artvo the looked 3D. We were also supposed to go to the LUME and the people were really nice to give us four books, two for each class of 3/4s and yesterday we got to read some of it.
Sophie
I really enjoyed going to Artvo and traveling to Melbourne.
Bailey
These past few weeks I have enjoyed doing my triorama because it's nice and peaceful when we do it although the noise level is very very loud but other than that it has been very very peaceful. All the boys were loud. The trioramas have been a lot of work. Every person has to do at least 2 of them. If people want to do more they can they are all very good.
Ollie
I really enjoyed going to Melbourne on Friday when we went to ARTVO. Sadly we didn’t get to go to the Lume because of the most traffic, the entire classroom including Mr Cunningham and Ms Bonney had never seen the amount of traffic ever. I rate the trip an 8/10. The scenes in Artvo were so cool they were even 3D! Because we missed out on the Lume, the people who worked there gave us some books to look at.
Kayde
I really liked going to Melbourne last Friday because I loved seeing the humongous building and going to Artvo where you take photos and when you see the photos on your device they look 3D and it looks like you’re actually in it. Sadly we didn’t get to go to the Lume but we still had a great time expect traffic and it was so big!
Second hand uniforms: At this time of year please consider if your child’s uniform is too small and donate it to the second hand uniform bank. Likewise if you need a new uniform for next year please call into the office as we have a large amount available.
*If you are able, uniform purchase is a gold coin donation.
End of school celebrations:
End of school year mass:
Who: Whole school community
When: Wednesday 13th December
Time: 9:15am
Where: St Patrick’s Catholic Church Stawell - Community cuppa to follow in the school hall. All Welcome
Grade 6 graduation liturgy:
Who: Grade 6 families only
When: Thursday 14th December, 2023
Where: St Patricks School Hall. Details to follow.
Time: 5:30pm - Grade 6 students are to wear their school uniform.
Followed by -
Whole school - Family Carols on the Green:
When: Thursday 14th December, 2023.
Where: St Patrick's Primary School Oval -
Time: 6:30pm Gates open
Catering: To be advised
BYO: chairs/picnic blanket
Carols: Students are also busy learning their Christmas Carol which they will present on the night.
Our end of year celebration is where we can come together to celebrate our school year and the Grade 6 Graduation. It will be an evening to celebrate our learning, our achievements and our personal growth. It is also a chance to say goodbye to our Grade 6 students and families that will be leaving at the end of 2023. We hope you can join us in celebrating a terrific year of learning, teaching and growing together as a community of learners. Foundation to Grade 5 students can wear casual clothes.
Living in Faith:
Fundraising activities this term: Non Perishable food drive: The Stawell Inter Church Council welfare Cottage is struggling to keep up with the demand for help and they are seeking grocery donations to help them help those in need. They are particularly looking for donations of canned items like stew, soup, tuna, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, soaps, toothbrushes, shampoo, clothes washing powder and dishwashing liquid. We realise there is significant extra pressure on our families with cost of living prices, however if you feel able to, could you please buy an extra item or two when you go grocery shopping. Donation tubs are in each classroom and we will present our donations to Mary-Rita Thomas (St Vincent de Paul rep) at assembly in a few weeks. There are many in our town and region who are having a hard time making ends meet.
Fundraising: Each Friday till the end of Term our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00each at lunch time under the shade sails. The money raised will go towards Stawell Inter church Council Welfare Centre and St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program. As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support.
*Help is available:
Do you know anyone who is doing it tough at the moment and would like help this Christmas?
Please ask them to come to the Stawell Inter Church Council Cottage at 20 Sloane St during November to apply.
The Cottage is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm.
Students of the week:
Evie Gready - For the self-motivation you have developed towards your own learning. Keep up the great work Evie, I’m very pleased with how you’ve been working.
Imogen Nelson - For the curiosity you bring to each learning area, your questions and ideas are very valuable Immy. Keep up the wonderful work.
Harry Sutherland - For your inquisitive approach to our Science lessons on gravity. Your questions were excellent and you really thought out how to complete your car experiment. Keep up the great work!
Hunter Weavell - For always being an inclusive member of our class. You invite and welcome your peers in to your group and make sure no one is left out. What a great gift you have!
Max Lasslett - For the wonderful focus and effort you are putting into your writing. You are adding more detail and expanding your sentences. Well done!
Johanna Santosh - For being an extremely self-motivated and collaborative learner. The effort you put into all of your work is outstanding. Congratulations!
Henry Carter - For being an extremely responsible, kind and caring member of our class at all times. Thank you for always being such a happy and friendly student.
Eleanor Erwin - For your absolutely amazing narrative. The imagination, attention to detail and language features you included show just how far you have come with your writing skills this term. Well done!
Vibeesh Ranjay - For your incredibly detailed and artfully drawn tri-oramas. They look wonderful!
Awuomlual Kur - For the self-motivation you have displayed in completing all of your tasks this week. You have done an awesome job Awuom, keep it up!
Sophie O'Callaghan - For the hard work you have displayed in maths this week. The effort you are putting in is paying off. Great work Sophie!
Kobe Power - For excellent end of year assessments, particularly in reading! Keep up the great work Kobe!
Catherine Fulton - For showing impressive growth in all end of year assessments! What a great year you have had!
Matilda Egan - For your outstanding results in your end of year Maths and Reading assessments. Keep working hard Matilda!
Logan Piatkov - For the self-motivation you display in class. You've had an amazing finish to the year across all subject areas. Well done Logan!
Mary MacKillop Award:
Mary MacKillop lived a life dedicated to her faith and serving the needs of others. Wherever and however she could, Mary MacKillop did everything possible to improve the lives of others. This award acknowledges the thoughtful actions of the students at St Patrick’s to help others.
“Do all you can to assist and love one another”. Saint Mary MaKilllop
Congratulations to this weeks award recipient Kayde.
For his quiet and caring manner in & out of the classroom and
his initiative in the care of our school yard. Thank you.
Who was Mary Mackillop & why is she important to St Patrick’s school:
Mary was an ordinary Victorian farm girl who devoted her life to the service of God and did great things for Australian and New Zealand families.
Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day is celebrated on the 8th of August. This is also the date of her death in 1909.
In 1866 Mary MacKillop and Father Tenison Woods started the religious order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites) and in 1867 Mary MacKillop became a nun – Sister Mary of the Cross.
Mary and the Josephite nuns set up schools in Australia and New Zealand.
They also set up houses for elderly women, young girls and women without jobs. They gave their life to people in need, often giving comfort to the sick and dying and even visiting people in jail to give them whatever help they could.
At times in her life Mary MacKillop met people who made it hard for her to perform her good works but she never gave up and today the Sisters of St Joseph are still doing the work that she started. Mary is Australia’s first Saint.
St Patrick’s primary school was run by the Josephite nuns for approximately 80years. This is why we celebrate Mary Mackillop and the Josephite tradition which has been very much part of our school life.
Diocesan/Parish news:
Mass Times:
Ararat Sunday 8.30am
Stawell Sunday 10.30am
Lake Bolac 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays 6.30pm Vigil Sat
Landsborough 2nd, 4th Sundays 12.30pm
Glenthompson (Hamilton Parish) 2nd, 4th Sundays 8.30am
Please find below the link for the November 2023 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”:
https://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ODC-November-2023-web.pdf
Parents and Friends news:
Raffle:
A special shoutout to our hardworking and dedicated parents and friends who tirelessly contributed their time and effort to organise our school raffle. A huge thankyou to the many local businesses that donated to the raffle, without their support our raffle wouldn’t happen.
As our raffle books start to come in and raffle prizes are wrapped it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the collective power of our school and town community. Your generosity is the spirit of community and shared purpose that is shared by all at St Patrick’s.
Position Vacant:
Around Our Community:
Upcoming Events:
Our Vision and Mission:
Vision Statement: St Patrick's School is a community which reflects and celebrates Christ as its centre point: By honoring our story we value our whole community. By coming together our vision is for a loving, just, compassionate and tolerant world. Mission Statement: In the tradition of St Patrick, we are committed to: Promoting and celebrating a love of God, self and community. Recognizing and enhancing the talents and uniqueness of each person through our vision of Prayer, Care and Learning. PRAYER We nurture and grow our relationship with God as members of a faith community. CARE We foster recognition of difference, compassion for others and the strength to act on our beliefs. LEARNING We develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills essential to reaching our full potential as life- long learners.