Newsletter 130- April 18th 2024
Prayer of the Week:
Lord,
As we prepare for the coming of a new term make us ready, attentive and available to hear you.
Thank You for the gift of being able to rise each day with the assurance that You walk through it with us.
Thank You for the gifts of creativity and uniqueness, and the energy to put them to good use.
Amen
Principals Report:
Dear St Patrick’s community
We are now back into the swing of things with a new school term underway. Term Two will be a long but busy term with a number of special events taking place. We celebrated the miracle of Easter as a school community, finishing off the Stations of the Cross on Tuesday and will acknowledge ANZAC Day next week. Looking forward to the rest of the term, we have a number of special events and occasions including Mother’s Day, Catholic Education Week, and Winter Sports. Many people, including staff, parents, and volunteers, play a key role in ensuring these events run smoothly. I would like to thank all involved in advance.
2025 Enrolments
The 2025 Foundation information sessions and school tours will be held on Tuesday, April 30th. If you have a child who will be starting school next year or know someone who does, please contact the front office to lock in a time for your tour. There will be four tour times to choose from.
Working Bee
Thank you to those who were able to give up a little of their Sunday to help make our playground safer for our students. The many hands made light work, and we finished in about an hour or so. There were many comments about how good it looked when the students saw it on Tuesday.
SWPBS
As a staff, we have continued working on our understanding of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support in the last weeks of Term One. We now have a consistent approach to minor and major behaviors. There are posters in classrooms and other areas of the school that staff, students, and adults can refer to, setting out the expected behaviors for that area and the steps that will be taken when students are not showing positive behaviors. Staff are unpacking the language and points on these posters with the students in classrooms this week. It was very pleasing to have only one incident in the yard in Term One that was recorded as major, and we look forward to continuing this improvement in Term Two.
With Kind Blessings,
Bettina
Wellbeing:
In Lillie Marshman's absence this term, I'll be taking on the temporary position of Wellbeing Leader. As she enjoys her honeymoon in Western Australia, I'll be undertaking some of the responsibilities that come with the role.
‘The Imperfects’ podcast
I'm a big fan of "The Imperfects," a weekly podcast that celebrates embracing imperfections. I find it to be an easy listen, especially with the incredible guests who bravely open up about their experiences with failure and imperfection.
One of my favourite episodes is with Dr Billy Garvey, paediatrician from Royal Children’s Hospital, so much so I have listened to it several times. Dr Billy Garvey speaks in such a positive manner about parenting , you can’t help but feel inspired after listening to this.
Here is the link to this particular episode or go to your podcast app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcFRN4znFZU
Enjoy!
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 1: Middle C
Week 2: Senior H
Week 3: Ms Comitti
Week 4: Foundation
Week 5: NO ASSEMBLY - Athletic Sports
Week 6: Middle B
Week 7: Junior R
Week 8: Senior M
Week 9: Middle C
Week 10: Junior FB
Week 11: Foundation
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 1- 18 - 19th April Mrs Bettina Bird - Principals Induction Conference
Middle C:
Welcome to Term 2! After a restful, relaxing holiday, Middle C have returned energetic and ready to get into some great learning!
Although we have only just started back, the students have hit the ground running in the first week and are already showing lots of hard work, dedication and enjoyment in their learning.
At the end of Term 1, we shared what we were most proud of in our learning so far. This week, we are going to share some of the learning and activities that we are most excited for in Term 2!
Akech - This term I am excited to learn Auslan this term.I’m also excited for athletics as i love sports.
Arli - This term I am excited to learn more Auslan and to have more fun with Mr Cunningham this term and for athletics.
Curtis - This term I am excited for math and art.
Daniella - This term I am excited about writing because I love writing. I am also excited for math and Auslan.
Edie - This term I am excited about athletes, math and lots of learning.
Fletcher - This term I am excited for next level cross country and athletics.
Isaac - This term I am excited about whatever Mr. Cunningham throws at us.
Jack - This term I am excited to compete in the athletics carnival. I am also excited to learn Auslan this term.
Kora - This term I am excited about all of the fun learning and I could be putting more and more knowledge. I’m excited for Auslan and I'm so ready for more and more art and maybe athletics.
Lily - This term I am excited about all the fun things that we can do. I am also excited about athletics. Hopefully everyone does their best.
Lucas - This term I am excited for athletics.
Marianne - This term I am excited to go to the regionals for cross country.
Nathaniel - This term I am excited to do more math and do lots of algorithms.
Oliver - This term I am excited about going to the next level cross country and representing St. Pats. I also can’t wait for athletics this year. Once I have learnt my subtraction algorithms I hope that math will be a lot easier. I also can’t wait to learn Auslan.
Oscar - This term I am excited about the athlatics carnival. I am really excited for events like shot put, discus and javelin.
Tanner - This term I am excited to go to the next level for cross country i went last year but that was with people older than me this year same age i got 8.23 times. That's pretty good! We are also writing letters about the book we were reading called The Dragonsitter.
Texas - This term I am excited to do narrative writing and also information reports. I hope it is about animals this year. I love writing!
Teachers as Co Learners - Auslan
On Monday 15th April our whole staff travelled to Ballarat to undertake Professional Development in Teachers as Co Learners (TCL) - Auslan. TCL is a whole school approach to learning language. Last year we conducted a community survey seeking input on a preferred language to teach this year. Considering all survey responses from students, staff and community it was decided that we would learn Auslan. In Victoria it is compulsory to teach a language. We will start implementing our learning into the classrooms and our students will begin their journey into learning Auslan in Term Two. Following are a few points about this learning:
About Auslan:
- Auslan in referred to as a “visual language”
- Auslan is a language that has cultural custodians
- Sentence structure of Auslan is more similar to french rather than English
- We will be learning the southern dialect
- Auslan is NOT gesture or mime - it is a legitimate language
TCL aims to:
- Develop language skills and knowledge
- Explicit reference to literacy
- Multiple exposures in a fun and interactive way
Language Assistant - We will welcome Chantelle to our staff next term who is a fluent or native user of Auslan and a Member of the Deaf community. Chantelle will work with our staff and students to assist and guide us around sign accuracy and cultural understanding. Chantelle will facilitate a combination of online and face-to-face learning.
All classes will begin their Auslan lessons this week.
Here is some feedback from our students on their Auslan experience so far:
“It seems pretty fun, I like it.” Jayde
“I give it a 10 out of 10, it's not too bad.” Maddox
“Auslan is good, it wasn’t hard.” Andy
“It is fun, it’s a good time to relax.” Lexie
“Even if you don’t know how to do it you just have a try.” Henry
“We learnt: I, see you tomorrow.” Sophie
“Out of 10 it would probably be a 10 or something.” Lenny
“It is relaxing.” Peter
“It’s when we have time to enjoy learning a different language.” Emila
Maryanne Comitti Teaching & Learning Leader
SAVE THE DATE:
Mothers day/ special persons day celebrations
When: Friday 10th May 2024
Where: Multipurpose Hall
Time: 12:30pm sharp
Around the School:
Anybody happen to notice the fresh new paint that has appeared over the school during the holidays? We have had the exterior of the main school building painted and all the back verandah posts and railings painted to match in with our new middle/senior hub colour. More work to come.
Thanks to Brad Cassidy painting for this work.
A shout out to our families that were able to come along to our outside working bee on Sunday 14/4/24. We were able to clear all the storm damage, distribute mulch and a general tidy up. We greatly appreciate all the support our families give us throughout the year.
Students of the week:
Anthony Truong - For writing some fabulous sentences during our writing time. Congratulations on being such a wonderful risk taker! Keep it up!
Mackenzie Bourke - For writing some fabulous sentences during our writing time. Congratulations on being such a wonderful risk taker! Keep it up!
Mackenzie Stevenson - For the wonderful start you have had for the term. It is great to see you using all of your superpowers for your learning. Keep up the fabulous work!
Evie Gready - For the excellent effort you have put into all areas of your work this week. You are using all your superpowers and have achieved great things. Keep working hard!
Henry Tyler - For showing great self-motivation when writing sentences this week, thanks for sharing your amazing ideas Henry!
Max Lasslett - For always making sure everything you do is your best work and challenging yourself, well done Max!
Alivia Rolph - For demonstrating a great understanding of our Learning Intentions and Success Criteria during our recent Morphology lessons. Well done!
Jack Driscoll - For using your Curious and Collaborative Learner Superpowers during class discussions and your learning. Keep it up!
Fletcher Thomas - For demonstrating your self-motivation in your writing and maths. Keep it up Fletch!
Lily Sanderson - For being a risk-taker in maths and always being willing to accept a challenge. Great work Lily!
Jayde Lowe - For showing confidence in all areas of learning, in particular the self-motivation she has shown during our Cars and Stars reading program. Well done Jayde!
Maya Goodes - For being such a self-motivated and determined learner. Keep the great work up Maya!
Awuom Kur - For always striving to achieve your best across all subject areas. Keep it up Awuom!
Monti Repper - For your willingness to work independently in the classroom, you are demonstrating the qualities of a self-motivated learner.
Living in Faith:
Catholic Education Week - 29th April, 2024 to 3rd May, 2024
Catholic Education Week is an annual opportunity for the 63 Catholic schools across the Diocese of Ballarat to celebrate their achievements celebrate their distinctive ethos and mission within our school and wider community.
This year our Diocese is celebrating its 150th Anniversary of formation. There are 54 catholic schools in our Diocese, more than 18,500 students and a staff of over 2,500 across our diocese. Our Diocese spans from Mildura down to Portland and across to Edenhope and Nhill.
Please find following an exert from Bishop Pauls letter to our Diocese on the occasion of our 150th Anniversary.
Our Scripture for Catholic Education Week 2024 is “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12:12). When we celebrate a birthday, we often reflect on the years that have passed, as well as wishing the person happiness in the present and blessings for the time ahead. Celebrating the anniversary of a diocese is something like that. A community anniversary provides an occasion to reflect on the past, affirm people in the present and look hopefully to the future. We can see these elements in the themes for the 150th anniversary of our Diocese of Ballarat.
The word “Community” highlights the fact that a diocese is essentially a community drawn together by Christ. The word “Remember” refers to the history of the diocese. In this remembering, we acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of that history, celebrating the achievements and recognising the failures to live our Christian faith to the full. The word “Revitalise” calls us to invest ourselves in bringing new life to the community today. The word “Hope” encourages us to look forward to the future with confidence in God.
On Friday 3rd May we will celebrate Catholic Education Week as a community of Catholic schools. Our Foundation to Grade 3 students will host Foundation - Grade Two students from St Mary’s Ararat. They will begin the day with a liturgy which all are welcome to attend at 10:00am in the school hall. We are in the process of planning a variety of activities for the day. Meanwhile our Grade 4-6 students will travel to Marian College, Ararat and join with St Mary’s Grade 3-6 students and Marian College Year 7 students. Parents are welcome to join celebrate mass at 10:00 in the Marian College gymnasium.
We will provide more details next week as our plans are finalised.
Thank you for your support of the Project Compassion program this year.
Could all boxes please be returned by end of next week, so we can count and donate funds.
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. “May God bless and strengthen you. Confide all to God. See how God carries us through the storms” Saint Mary MacKillop
Congratulations to this weeks award recipient: Maddox Austin
For seeing that his buddy was having a hard time and asking if he could go and help him.
Thank you for your kindness.
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday over the Holidays and this week:
Ethan, Ruby, Jack S, Charlie S, Fletcher, Imogen, Archer, Beverly, Finn, Mason and Tanner.
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 March 2024 edition of
“Our Diocesan Community”
This Magazine is a way to share the good news stories of our schools, parishes and agencies across the diocese.
https://www.ballarat.catholic.
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.