Newsletter 123 - February 15th 2024

Prayer of the Week:

Compassionate Lord, we pray for those who have been devastated by the recent fires. We hold these families and communities in our hearts as they are forever changed.  Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them with our prayer for strength  and heal their memories of trauma and devastation. 

We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security and their hope.  May they have the courage to face the long road of rebuilding ahead.  Bring them comfort at this difficult time. 

Bless the work of  our volunteers and those providing emergency assistance. May their work be guided by the grace and strength that comes from You alone. Amen

Principals Report:

Dear St Patrick’s community

In the wake of the events of this week, our hearts ache for the families who have endured unimaginable losses. The devastation inflicted upon our community has left deep scars, with some families facing the heartbreaking reality of losing their homes and experiencing significant property damage. In these trying times, our thoughts are with each and every family affected, as they navigate through the profound challenges and uncertainties that lie ahead. Let us come together with compassion, support, and solidarity, extending a helping hand to those in need, and offering solace to those who need. 

This week as a school we acknowledged Ash Wednesday with prayer in our classrooms.   Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent. Usually, the marking of the ashes on our foreheads on this day is a public expression of our faith and humility however in light of Tuesday’s events, we will do this another day. 

On Friday, our staff will gather together as we embark on the journey of rebuilding our School Wide Positive Behaviour approach. We will introduce a Behavioral Expectation Matrix, crafted through a consultative process involving the entire staff, ensuring that our values and expectations are clear and agreed upon by all. This matrix will serve as a guiding framework for building consistency in managing both minor and major behaviors across all aspects of our school- classroom, yard, excursions and online. Additionally, we will develop a flowchart, for a consistent process for responding to behaviors, fostering a supportive and unified approach in addressing challenges and nurturing a positive learning environment for all students.

For what is quickly coming on the horizon for next week: 

Swimming Sports 

On Friday of next week we will hold our annual Swimming Carnival which is a real highlight of the school year. As you would be aware, for events like this to be successful it takes the efforts of lots of different people. I thank everyone in advance for helping out to make sure the day runs smoothly. Please help the Parents and Friends Group by getting the form back in a timely manner so food can be purchased. 

Here is a brief timeline for day: 

9:30 am - Middle and Senior students will head to the pool via bus

10:00 am - Swimming events begin

12:00 pm - Sausage sizzle lunch served in classgroups. 

12:15 pm - Junior students will head to the pool via bus to watch. 

12.30 pm- Juniors are eating.

1:30-2 pm - Event finishes, students are able to go home with parents. Students not collected will head back to school via bus for 3:10 pm dismissal. 

With Kind Blessings, 

Bettina

A word from the office:

Teaching and Learning:

School Assemblies:  Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall.   Please note change of time due to school now finishing at 3:10pm.  Students are dismissed from the hall on this day.  We invite all our community to come along.  Whole school community invited to attend.

 Week 3: No assembly  - due to Staff PD no students on site.                                            Week 4:  No Assembly Swimming Carnival                                    

Week 5: Senior M                                                                                                    

Week 6: Middle B

Week 7: Junior FB                                                                                                      

Week 8: Middle C                                      Week 9: Stations of the cross Thur 28th March 1:45pm

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.

Week 5:

Thur 9/3/24  Mr Josh Cunningham                                                           New to Awakenings PD

School Sustainability: 

Whilst we were on holidays the vegetables have been growing and some are ready to pick,  thanks to all the lovely rain we had.The students have excitedly collected the vegetables that are ready. The students below have collected onions, zucchinis and silverbeet.

Learning Dispositions

St Patrick’s Primary School Learning Super powers St Patrick's Learner Superpowers  please click for further details. 

Collaborative:

This week we will unpack the Collaborative superpower “Collaborative”

Research shows that educational experiences that are active, social, contextual, engaging, and student-owned lead to deeper learning. The benefits of collaborative learning include:

• Development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, self-management, and leadership skills.
• Promotion of student-faculty interaction.
• Increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility.
• Exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives.
• Preparation for real life social and employment situations.
  

We are thrilled to be able to welcome back our classroom helpers for 2024.  We value and appreciate everyone who supports our classroom learning. At St Patrick’s Primary School we encourage our community to actively support student learning by becoming involved in a range of school and classroom activities and greatly appreciate the parents and community members who assist and support our programs. 

If you would like to help in our classrooms please contact me via dojo or leave a message at the office and I will get back to you.  

Maryanne Comitti   Teaching & Learning Leader 

Living in Faith:

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. 

Each family will receive a Project Compassion box if you would like to donate or you can donate online via our website at lent.caritas.org.au 'Let’s Go Further, Together!'  

For more information: https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/

A prayer for Lent

God of all generations, We thank you for those who have gone before us, especially those who have cared for your earth and who inspire us to help respect your creation and contribute to its healing. We thank you for those with whom we share our lives today, especially those who work for justice and peace. May we welcome the opportunity that Lent brings to walk more closely with you, especially through fasting, almsgiving and prayer. We thank you for the challenge of the future. May the cross of Jesus remind us that only love finds a way forward. As we work with big hearts, may we join with Mary in her hope that from now on all generations will experience the great things you will do through us. We ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Shrove Tuesday on Thursday:

All students were treated to pancakes on Thursday.   

The name Shrove Tuesday comes from the custom of ringing the ‘shriving bell’ to summon the people to church to be ‘shriven,’ that is to confess their sins at the beginning of Lent. At that time, certain foods like eggs, milk, meat and rich buttery dishes were given up for the duration of Lent. One way that they used up the eggs, milk and fats in the house was to add flour to make special pancakes. In England, the popularity of pancakes caused Shrove Tuesday to be called Pancake Day, a tradition we also follow here in Australia.

 Lent is a time for strengthening of  faith, a time to reflect on who we are and where we are going. It is a time of quietness and prayer, a time of penance and meditation, a time to become aware of our strengths and weaknesses. During Lent we Christians try to  make a conscious effort to prepare ourselves for Easter. We can do this by increasing  prayer, helping others, fasting, giving up things we particularly like, and supporting Project Compassion. Lent urges us to identify and walk with Jesus as he travels towards Jerusalem and the place of his death and resurrection. In the spirit of renewal and conversion we observe Lent by reflecting on the central events of Jesus’ life and welcoming the opportunity to grow through changing our lives.

This year we will be celebrating our Harmony Day on Friday 22nd March, 2024.  

Harmony Day is a day where we celebrate our cultural diversity, it is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. 

We are thrilled to announce that footsteps, a Melbourne based school dance program will once again be visiting St Patrick’s.  

“ Footsteps specialises in curriculum, age-based movement programs for Foundation to Year 12 students. We deliver engaging and relevant dance and drama programs which have been developed around the Australian National Curriculum. Our programs develop students’ social skills, confidence, fitness levels, creativity, expressive skills and coordination, ensuring we provide a safe, positive and stimulating environment for all students.”  https://footstepsdancecompany.com.au/

In the footsteps dance sessions children will explore this idea of belonging through dance.   Students will work with the footsteps dance instructor at an allocated time during the school day to learn their dance.  Students and our St Patrick’s Community are then invited to come together for an evening celebration which will commence at approximately 5:00 pm.  Details regarding catering to follow.  

A detailed timetable will be sent out closer to the date. If anyone has any queries or would like to become involved in our Harmony Day activities please contact me.

Each Friday till the end of Term 1 our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program. As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support. 

Congratulations:

To Sarah(nee Howard) and Lee on the safe arrival of 'Bobby John Parry'. A blessing on Tuesday and a much loved brother for May and a grandson for Mr and Mrs Howard we hope he brings you much joy and laughter as he grows up. 

Birthdays:

Congratulations to this student who celebrated their birthday  this week:      Curtis

Parents and Friends news:

Welcome to my first P&F report for 2024 as President - Last week we held a successful AGM for the P&F and I can happily announce that all positions were filled. Our committee is made up of 10 new and existing school families. It's been lovely to see a couple of new prep Mums join us this year too. Term 1 is a busy one, we have a jam packed calendar, and will be calling upon as many of you in our school community to help us out for the events we have coming up. Any donation of your time will be much appreciated. 
We hit the ground running next Friday with a BBQ lunch for everyone to enjoy at the Swimming Sports. A lunch order form should have made it to your homes by now, but if it hasn't please reach out to me for one. This year we are giving you the choice to pre order for the entire family, not just students. This will help guide us more accurately for catering purposes. We ask that you please return the form by next Monday.
We are seeking offers of assistance on the day, so if you could spare us an hour, please let us know via the lunch order form. We're aware of some families already volunteering themselves to help Mr Moloney and understand you can't do both. 

Thank you to those who have already donated to our Easter Raffle. All donations can be left at the front office. 

Some key dates to remember for later in Term 1 are Harmony Day (shared casserole dinner) and Cross Country (canteen helpers). We will send out a further call for help as those dates creep closer. 

If you haven't already, we encourage you to follow our Facebook Page - St Patrick's Primary School Stawell, Parents & Friends Association - for updates throughout the year. 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on 0439 479 994, Kate Field

We are now accepting donations from our school community for our annual Easter raffle.

Any contributions are greatly appreciated. Suggestions include but are not limited to:
-Easter chocolate
-Books
-Travel games
-Gift vouchers

*Families are encouraged to drop donated goods into our school office for collection by Friday 15th of March.
Any enquiries regarding the annual Easter raffle, please contact Hannah on 0400615275.

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

Around Our Community:

Please follow us on instagram; stpatsstawell

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.