Newsletter 128- March 21st 2024

Prayer of the Week:

Dear Lord,

You created all people in your image. We thank you for the variety of races and cultures within our St Patrick’s community. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us. Grant that we may always promote the justice and acceptance that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony. Grant that we may show equal respect to all persons of different cultures that we may come across. And help us to remember and appreciate that we are one community, with many stories.

Amen

Principals Report:

Dear St Patrick’s community

It has been a busy time in the school with a variety of events taking place. As a parent, I understand that additional events can add strain to families. As a school, we aim to only hold events that align with our school ethos or directly impact our students. Unfortunately, sometimes these events coincide closely, resulting in a packed schedule. We also strive to provide families with ample notice for upcoming events.

Last Wednesday, it was delightful to meet the families of our Foundation students at our BBQ. I was impressed by the parents' level of engagement as they introduced themselves to one another, fostering the community aspect of our school. I feel honored to share my journey as Principal with this group of students, having started here during their first transition experience. I eagerly anticipate continuing this journey with them and their families.

The St. Patrick's Day celebration last Monday was a joyous occasion as we dressed up in green to commemorate the day. Harmony Day holds a special place in our school community, and I am excited about tomorrow evening's celebration and we have the cross-country coming up next week and I thank the Parent and Friends Committee for their work in getting Harmony Day, Cross- Country and the Easter Raffle organised.

Regarding NAPLAN, congratulations to all the students who completed their assessments. It was heartening to witness their positive attitude throughout the process. I extend my gratitude to the staff involved in administering the assessments for their calm and professional demeanor, which helped alleviate student anxiety. Achieving a 100% completion rate for all tests will provide us with valuable data when the results are released in the coming months.

Our leadership team will meet on Monday to check on our calendar for next term, so I am hopeful to have a Term Outline available on Dojo next week to assist in the forward planning for families. 

With Kind Blessings, 

Bettina

A word from the Office:

Dear Parents & Guardians,

School Photos - Monday 25th March 2024

Book in your haircuts - School Photo Day is happening on Monday 25th March 2024!.  

This year, we have moved to MSP's online ordering platform, meaning no envelopes will be sent home with students.  Please see the attached flyer for further information and instructions on how to place your online order.  Should you have any questions, please contact MSP directly.

The photographers are working to a tight schedule with the first class group photos starting at 9.00am so please make sure your children are at school on time on this day. Your assistance with ensuring photo day runs smoothly is greatly appreciated.  

Foundation 2025

Do you have a child due to start Foundation in 2025?  If you have not already done so, please contact the office as soon as possible to ensure their details are registered on our waiting list.  Whilst the enrolment process will commence in Term 2, siblings of current students are prioritised and this early information assists the School in forward planning for the 2025 school year.  

School Fees

With the end of Term only days away, families paying school fees by Term instalments are reminded to please ensure your Term 1 payment is made by Thursday 28th March.  For families who applied for fee assistance this term, discounts have now been applied and a new Statement of Account has been sent home today. Any families wishing to establish a direct debit plan to pay off their school fees via fortnightly instalments over the duration of the school year are asked to complete a Direct Debit Agreement from, available from the office.

With kind regards,

Anna Wadge
Business Manager

Wellbeing:

D-A-S-H
(DYNAMIC, ACTIVE, SAFE, HEALTHY)

DASH is an 9-week program for Years 5 and 6, in which students develop and practise critical competencies through a range of modalities and experiences. The program encourages awareness of local community and builds relationships with community experts.
DASH is facilitated in the classroom by Blue Light Victoria and supported by Victoria Police. Blue Light’s long-term relationship with the police provides a unique opportunity for students to engage beyond the school and to interact directly with their community.

St Patrick’s Primary School would like to take this opportunity to thank Blue Light for their partnership with us for the DASH Program involving us with some connection with our local Eventide Homes. The students who have participated in the sessions at Eventide Homes have thoroughly enjoyed their time connecting and sharing with the residents. 

We would also like to thank Jacinta Smith who is the Project Lead of Healthy ageing Hubs and Intergenerational projects at NGSC. 
As part of a broader project promoting "active ageing" across the NG Shire community, NGSC were funded to establish/support intergenerational projects that will bring together older and younger residents for meaningful activities. 

Our connection with Eventides and NGS has been a rewarding and humbling experience that we hope to continue throughout the remainder of the year and years to come. 

Our grade ¾ classes are yet to attend: 

• 3/4C Wednesday 27th 1.45pm - 2.45pm 
• 3/4B Term 2 week 2 Wednesday 24th April 1.45pm - 2.45pm 

This week Foundation were lucky enough to head down for their session check out some of the images below: 

 Lillie  Marshman - Wellbeing Co-Ordinator

DASH  - Mindfulness Boxes

Thanks to our past students; Molly, Maddy and Akuol who won a community project last year through our DASH project,  we are thrilled to introduce a new addition to each classroom: the mindfulness box. These boxes are designed to foster a sense of calm and presence among our students by providing them with tools to engage their minds in the present moment. Each box is filled with a variety of activities, including jigsaw puzzles, lego, chess games, fidget toys, and mindfulness coloring sheets. These resources offer students opportunities to explore different ways of centering themselves and practicing mindfulness throughout the day. Whether they're working on a puzzle, strategizing in a game of chess, or simply coloring mindfully, students can use these activities to ground themselves and cultivate a greater awareness of their thoughts and emotions. By incorporating these mindfulness boxes into our classrooms, we aim to support our students' overall well-being and create environments that promote focus and relaxation.

Fiona Harney

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 8: No Assembly - Harmony Day

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 9:   NIL

Middle C: 

What a term it has been! It is crazy to think that Term 1 will be over next week and we will be gearing up for Term 2 on the other side of a well deserved break!

We have had an awesome start to 2024 in Middle C! Everyone has been engaged in a wide range of learning throughout the term, and the effort, dedication and enjoyment all students have shown has been wonderful to watch. I am incredibly proud of the success that has been achieved by every student so far this year

While we won’t be able to show you our learning at assembly until next term, we are going to share some of the learning we are proud of in Term 1 in Middle C.

Akech - This term I am proud of my maths. This term I have improved my algorithms. 

Arli - This term I am proud of my artwork that I am making and how I am improving in my maths. 

Daniella - This term I am proud of my Literacy, art, narrative and my Maths. I love how I have  improved a lot and that I  had lots of fun.  I also think that I am going well in OREO persuasive writing. I love writing, it's my strong point. I like learning lots because I get lots of knowledge and I get smart  

Edie - This term I am proud of my Maths, OREO persuasive Writing and my Art. 

Fletcher - This term I am proud of my maths because l have been going really good on my algorithms and they are really fun.            

Isaac - This term I am proud of all of my learning, even my literacy.

Jack - This term I am proud of my maths.  I feel like I understand the strategies in grade four maths well. 

Kora - This term I am proud of my learning in Art because I have a passion for art and creativity getting messy with colour that you need to wash off.

Lily - This term I am proud of my maths, my writing and I am also proud of my artwork.  

Lucas - This term I am proud of Math learning.

Marianne - This term I am proud of my writing with the OREO persuasive text that we are writing.

Nathaniel - This term I am proud of my maths because  I have been doing my maths questions right.

Oliver - This term I am proud of my maths, so far this year because I have just learnt my algorithms and it makes life so much easier. I also love how my narrative Bushfire went. I think it's amazing.

Oscar  - This term I am proud of my math work. I found learning about time really easy.

Tamieka - This term I am proud of my family,  friends and myself. My math, writing and pulse.  I am proud of the teachers effort, art and my narrative  

Tanner - This term I am proud of my maths because I like doing my 8 times tables and algorithms.  We have also been doing oreo writing. 

Texas - This Term I am proud of learning my maths algorithms. I have learnt my 100's, 10's  and 1’s places and have also learnt to carry the 1’s on to the next number place and it has been really FUN!  I have also almost finished my narrative and am getting to type it. It was about a birthday explosion. I have also finished my OREO Persuasive writing draft.

Parents and Friends news:

A reminder that both your Easter Raffle books and Cross Country Lunch Order form were due back to school TODAY - Thursday, March 21st. The raffle will be drawn on Monday, March 25th and winners will be annouced via Class DoJo this is so prizes can be collected prior to the end of term.

Thank you to everyone that contributed and sold tickets for our Fundraiser. 

Living in Faith:

We are all looking forward to our Harmony Day celebrations tomorrow Friday 22nd March, 2024. Celebrations will commence at 5pm on the school oval.   The school children will perform a dance and then we will all join together for an International Feast. The Parents and Friends committee kindly ask all our families to provide a casserole to share with our school community. If you are unable to provide a casserole, but would like to enjoy a shared dinner the cost will be $5 per person. 

Children are encouraged to wear orange, the colour of Harmony Day. 

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

Harmony Day Schedule. 

8:50am  Whole school Prayer in the hall.  ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND 

9:00 - 3:00pm - Learning in classes

Foundation/Grade 1/Grade 2 - Learning about New Zealand

Grade 3/4 - Learning about America

Grade 5/6 - Learning about India

3:00 - 3:10pm pack up 

5:00pm  gather back at school for performance and dinner.   

You are invited to our Grade 6 presentation of the Stations of the Cross.

When: Thursday 28th March, 2024. 

Where:  School Hall 

Time: 1:45 pm sharp 

Next Thursday our school community is invited to watch the Stations of the Cross which will be performed by the Grade Six students.  

The Stations of the Cross is a form of prayer used traditionally in Lent. Each of the 14 Stations retells part of Jesus’ Passion (his suffering and death) through images and words. These Stations of the Cross introduce children to Jesus’ Passion, breaking it down into stages that they can reflect upon and remember. The Stations are more than the retelling of a story: they are a prayerful participation in the event that lies at the heart of Christianity – Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. 

The stations of the cross and other acts of prayer forms were used as an imaginary pre print press to enable the ordinary person to reflect on their faith and life of Jesus. In the Stations of Cross we follow Jesus from his Judgment to his Resurrection. Some modern forms include the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

As this is a solemn reflection we ask that upon the conclusion of the Stations of the Cross families exit in a quiet respectful manner. 

Maryanne Comitti, Religious Education Leader

During Lent, Christians are asked to focus on ‘Almsgiving’, which simply means donating money or goods to those in need. In every classroom, in the office area and each family will have been sent home a Project Compassion money box from Caritas that we have made available for monetary donations. We encourage students to think of those in need and donate when and if they can. An example of being kind and generous can be when a child donates their money and goes without buying a treat such as a lunch order or an ice-cream that’s Almsgiving

Thankyou for your support.   

A quote from Pope Francis:

"Love and charity, are service, helping others, serving others. There are many people who spend their lives in this way, in the service of others. When you forget yourself and think of others, this is love! "

Ethical Easter egg purchasing.

Around 70% of the chocolate we consume comes from West Africa, where it's estimated that more than two million children and young people under the age of 18 work as labourers in cocoa harvesting. Some of these children are trafficked; many are working under harmful labour conditions. The cocoa they produce that ends up in the chocolate we eat.

Some suggestions for ethical chocolate brands following:

• Aldi's UTZ Certified Dairy Fine, Choceur, Moser Roth and Specially Selected Easter chocolate ranges.
• Chocolatier Australia's Fairtrade milk and dark chocolate 100g eggs, available through Coles, Woolworths, David Jones and other chocolate suppliers.
• Coles also has a range of branded UTZ, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance-certified Easter chocolates.
• The Haigh's Chocolate-made Easter egg range is UTZ Certified.
• Devine chocolate eggs and bunnies are Fair Trade certified, and are available through IGA, other selected stores and online. 

You can find the Be Slavery Free Chocolate Scorecard here. The scorecard features most of your favourite brands and explains how they rate in several key areas including child labour, payment of a living income and the impact on climate. 

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. 

Birthdays:

Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday  this week: 

Maya, Nate and Archie M

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

Parks Victoria - Junior Ranger
Easter School Holiday Program

Cockatoo IQ - Saturday 30 th March
Time: 10am -11am
Location: Meet at the front of Brambuk the National Park and Cultural Centre. It is located
approximately 2km south of Halls Gap at 277 Grampians Rd.
Description: Head off from Brambuk on ranger-led short walk through the nearby backroads of Halls Gap. Taking an interesting look at the relationship between people and the wildlife that lives here on the edge of the National Park. Especially, the cockatoos!!!

Tracks and Traces - Thursday 4th April
Time: 10am – 11am
Location: Brambuk the National Park and Cultural Centre
Description: On a short explorative bushwalk with Parks Victoria Rangers, spot the clues along the way that creatures leave behind! These discoveries help form a picture of the wildlife who live here and how they relate to each other and the environment.

Flora Explorer - Saturday 6 th April
Time: 10am – 11am
Location: Meet at the entrance to the Halls Gap Botanic Gardens near the Venus Baths Trailhead.
Description:Learn about the fascinating lives of plants and the amazing diversity found in Gariwerd.

Bookings open from Wednesday the 20 th of March
To make a booking please visit:
https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/junior-ranger/
Group size is 15 maximum

Stawell Warriors Football Netball Club is looking for any young players interested in playing mods netball. Please see below link.

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.