Newsletter 149- September 12th 2024

Prayer of the Week:

A Prayer for our Earth. 
All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.

A prayer for our earth was published in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. It is for all who believe in God who is the all-powerful Creator.

Principal's Report:

Dear St Patrick’s community,

I want to extend our deepest gratitude to all our families for your support and understanding earlier this week as we navigated the recent safety concern within our community. Your cooperation and vigilance were invaluable to keeping our students safe.

In response to this, we have reached out to the Proactive Policing Unit to explore future opportunities for student and family sessions focused on "Stranger Danger." Our goal is to ensure we are having age-appropriate and meaningful conversations with our young people on this important topic, equipping them with the knowledge and awareness to stay safe.

Thank you once again for your partnership in ensuring the well-being of our students.

We are incredibly proud of our students for their outstanding representation of our school at the Black Ranges Sports last Thursday. While not everyone may have achieved a time or distance to advance to the next level, the camaraderie and school pride on display were nothing short of inspiring.

The way our students supported one another and carried themselves throughout the event was a perfect example of the spirit we strive for as a school community. You all truly embodied the values we hold dear, and we couldn't be prouder.

Have a great week, 

Bettina

From the Office:

2024 School Fees are due

A friendly reminder for families paying School Fees in one instalment, payment is due to be received by Friday 20th September 2024.  Payment can be made by electronic transfer to;

National Australia Bank
Account Name:  St Patrick’s Primary School Stawell
BSB 083-408
Account:  873223326

Please remember to include your surname as a reference.

Alternatively, please contact the office to make payment by credit card, cash or cheque.

For families on direct debit plans, as we near the end of Term 3, please review your account and contact the office should you need to adjust your instalment amount. 

Anna Wadge
Business Manager

Wellbeing:

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress
Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practise meditation whenever you need it most.
By Mayo Clinic Staff

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, you might try meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can practise meditation. It's simple and doesn't cost much. And you don't need any special equipment.

You can practise meditation wherever you are. You can meditate when you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a business meeting.

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been around for thousands of years. Early meditation was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is most often used to relax and lower stress.

Meditation is a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can help you relax deeply and calm your mind.

During meditation, you focus on one thing. You get rid of the stream of thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process can lead to better physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit your emotional well-being and your overall health. You also can use it to relax and cope with stress by focusing on something that calms you. Meditation can help you learn to stay centred and keep inner peace.

These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help take you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of some medical conditions.

Meditation and emotional and physical well-being

When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.

The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include:

• Giving you a new way to look at things that cause stress.
• Building skills to manage your stress.
• Making you more self-aware.
• Focusing on the present.
• Reducing negative feelings.
• Helping you be more creative.
• Helping you be more patient.
• Lowering resting heart rate.
• Lowering resting blood pressure.
• Helping you sleep better.

Types of meditation

Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to get to a relaxed state. There are many types of meditation and ways to relax that use parts of meditation. All share the same goal of gaining inner peace.

Ways to meditate can include:

• Guided meditation. This is sometimes called guided imagery or visualisation. With this method of meditation, you form mental images of places or things that help you relax.
  You try to use as many senses as you can. These include things you can smell, see, hear and feel. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher.
• Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to keep out unwanted thoughts.
• Mindfulness meditation.This type of meditation is based on being mindful. This means being more aware of the present.
  In mindfulness meditation, you focus on one thing, such as the flow of your breath. You can notice your thoughts and feelings. But let them pass without judging them.
• Qigong. This practice most often combines meditation, relaxation, movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qigong (CHEE-gung) is part of Chinese medicine.
• Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts training. In tai chi (TIE-CHEE), you do a series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful way. And you do deep breathing with the movements.
• Yoga. You do a series of postures with controlled breathing. This helps give you a more flexible body and a calm mind. To do the poses, you need to balance and focus. That helps you to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

Parts of meditation

Each type of meditation may include certain features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who's teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

• Focused attention. Focusing your attention is one of the most important elements of meditation.
  Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many things that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on things such as a certain object, an image, a mantra or even your breathing.
• Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the muscle between your chest and your belly, called the diaphragm muscle, to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe better.
• A quiet setting. If you're a beginner, meditation may be easier if you're in a quiet spot. Aim to have fewer things that can distract you, including no television, computers or cellphones.
  As you get more skilled at meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere. This includes high-stress places, such as a traffic jam, a stressful work meeting or a long line at the grocery store. This is when you can get the most out of meditation.
• A comfortable position. You can practise meditation whether you're sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation. Aim to keep good posture during meditation.
• Open attitude. Let thoughts pass through your mind without judging them.

Everyday ways to practise meditation

Don't let the thought of meditating the "right" way add to your stress. If you choose to, you can attend special meditation centres or group classes led by trained instructors. But you also can practise meditation easily on your own. There are apps to use too.

And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes a day for meditation.

Here are some ways you can practise meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

• Breathe deeply. This is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function.
  Focus all your attention on your breathing. Feel your breath and listen to it as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.
• Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on each part of your body. Become aware of how your body feels. That might be pain, tension, warmth or relaxation.
  Mix body scanning with breathing exercises and think about breathing heat or relaxation into and out of the parts of your body.
• Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra. It can be religious or not. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.
• Walk and meditate. Meditating while walking is a good and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking, such as in a forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall.
  When you use this method, slow your walking pace so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on where you're going. Focus on your legs and feet. Repeat action words in your mind such as "lifting," "moving" and "placing" as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground. Focus on the sights, sounds and smells around you.
• Pray. Prayer is the best known and most widely used type of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions.
  You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about possible resources.
• Read and reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts and taking a few moments to think about their meaning.
  You also can listen to sacred music, spoken words, or any music that relaxes or inspires you. You may want to write your thoughts in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.
• Focus on your love and kindness. In this type of meditation, you think of others with feelings of love, compassion and kindness. This can help increase how connected you feel to others.

Building your meditation skills

Don't judge how you meditate. That can increase your stress. Meditation takes practice.

It's common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you've been practising meditation. If you're meditating to calm your mind and your mind wanders, slowly return to what you're focusing on.

Try out ways to meditate to find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs as you go. Remember, there's no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you reduce your stress and feel better overall.

Lillie Marshman - Wellbeing Leader

Teaching and Learning:

School Assemblies:  Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall.  Students are dismissed from the hall on this day.  We invite all our community to come along

Week 9: Junior R
Week 10: 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.

Term 3 Week 10-
Wednesday 1/09/24 Mrs Bettina Bird Compliance workshop Ballarat

Junior R:

As we begin to finish up Term Three, I have to express how proud I am of the Grade One students.  We have many extra events such as Kindness Day, Eventide Homes visit, St. Patrick’s Olympics, Indigenous Book Swap, Book Week, Book Week Dress Up Day, Father’s Day celebration and next Friday we finish the term with our Oodie, Hoodie, Footy Day.  Amongst all of this, the students have continued to learn and achieve this term.

Our InitiaLit lessons have stepped up a gear and we recently learned about the FLoSS and Zack rule of when to double the end letter of a word.  Our Tricky Words at the moment are about, ask and our and we have also been revising many other Tricky Words we have been learning.  Next week, we will complete Lesson 100 just before the holidays which is very exciting.  We have been working hard on reading fluently.  It is amazing to see how many words a minute students in Grade One can read!  

In Writing, we have been busy.  We wrote and published information reports on France and Australia to link with our learning on the Olympics.  We continued to build on our skills of fragments and sentences and then began adding conjunctions.  This week we have moved on to narrative writing where we will try to transfer our skills of sentence writing into this.  On Friday we will complete a cold writing sample in our assessment books.  

In Stepping Stones, we have all been taking risks in our learning and trying new things.  We have been learning different addition strategies that can help us solve problems including count-on, doubles, doubles+1, doubles+2, build to 10 and turn around facts.  We then moved on to number lines and I was so impressed with the confidence students showed when locating 2-digit numbers on their number line.  We are now learning about 3D shapes and that will finish off our learning before we complete our quarterly test next week.

We loved learning about the Olympics in Inquiry.  We looked into the history of games, events, athletes, host cities and what an athlete needs to eat to be healthy.  We wrote information reports where we learned about France and compared this to our own country of Australia.  The biggest highlight was our own St. Patrick’s Olympics!

In Auslan, we are now starting to sign sentences.  I have to say the students are learning faster than I am and they are more than happy to help me out when I make a mistake or forget a sign. If you would like them to show you some we have been learning:

• Can I go to the toilet?
• Can you sit?
• Can you stand?
• Do you want to ‘watch’ together?
• Do you want to read together?
• Can you come to the toilet with me?

In Religion, our topic is Wisdom and for the last two weeks we have been learning about different religions around the world.  We have been reading books to help us understand different beliefs, symbols and sacred texts.  It was a pleasure seeing the students intrigued and asking questions about this.  What a beautiful and inclusive group they are!

In Wellbeing, we have been working towards building relationships.  This includes how to be a good friend, the importance of listening, why we should follow rules and identifying how we are the same and different.  We read several picture story books that demonstrate this and have been learning how we can include these skills in our lives.

After typing and reading all of this, I can see why the students and myself are so tired.  I thank everyone, especially the Grade Ones, for such an amazing term.  We look forward to seeing those that can make assembly on Friday!

Miss Kerrie Ryan 

Catholic School Parents Australia Survey: 

Catholic school parents Australia are currently seeking parents to undertake a short ten minute survey on students' wellbeing and learning. This is a quick survey which will provide much needed information on various aspects of our students wellbeing and learning.  It is a confidential survey.  

Parents offer a unique perspective and understanding on their child/children’s learning and well-being.  Recognising the specific needs of our students and families, schools can target interventions and offer resources to support overall learning and wellbeing.  

Please scan the QR code to complete the survey.

Teachers as Co Learners - Auslan. 

In Term Two we started our journey learning Auslan.  Some may remember that at the end of 2023 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. For Term Two we welcomed Chantelle to our staff who was a fluent or native user of Auslan and a  Member of the Deaf community.  Chantelle worked with our staff and students to assist and guide us around sign accuracy and cultural understanding.   Chantelle visited us once for face-to-face learning and to facilitate our online learning. Chantelle will not be back with us due to her heavy teaching commitments at other schools.  We thank Chantelle for her passion, commitment and mostly her patience with us whilst we began the process of TCL.  

 Following are a few points about Auslan 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

This term we welcome Jane Hage as our new Language Assistant.  Jane will come next week for our first face-to-face learning.  Moving into Term Four we will have a variety of face-to-face and online Auslan lessons. 

Welcome to St Patrick’s Jane. 

Students of the Week:

Regional Athletics

Last Thursday, a group of St. Patrick’s Primary School students attended the Black Ranges Regional Athletics at North Park. In pretty ordinary conditions, each student performed admirably, representing our school brilliantly both on and off the track. As a result of their performances, Logan, Greta, Archie M, Mahli, Jack S, Jack D, Charles, Adi, Fletcher, Tanner, Marianne, Maya and Aaliyah have qualified for Divisionals in Ballarat. A big thankyou to Miss Bonney and Mrs. Evans for supervising on the day, our P & F for catering, Mackenzie, Chloe, Ally and Milla who helped out in the kitchen and all the family and friends that supported the children on the day.

Sustainability:

Throughout the last few years we have been fortunate to work with Lauren Dempsey from the Northern Grampians Shire, who represented the Healthy Kids program and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Lauren kindly donated a $100 voucher for the school to use. We purchased worms for the worm farm, bags of Plant food and seaweed solution. Thanks Lauren!

Living in Faith:

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. “When I could not see my way God kept my heart full of trust to make all come right.” Saint Mary MacKillop

Birthdays:

Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday  this week: 

Judd, Jack Du & Mackenzie F

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 July 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.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ODC-July-2024-web.pd

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.