Newsletter 31 - October 8th 2021
Prayer of the Week:
As a school community, we continue to pray for all those who are directly or indirectly impacted by these challenging times. Let us pray to God, who alone makes us dwell in safety:
• For all who are affected by coronavirus, through illness or isolation or anxiety, that they may find relief and recovery.
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
• For those who are guiding our nation at this time, and shaping national policies, that they may make wise decisions.
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
• For doctors, nurses and medical researchers, that through their skill and insights many will be restored to health.
Lord, hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
Principal's Report:
Welcome,
This week marks one year since I joined the St Patrick’s school community. It is fair to say that it has been an action packed year. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at St Patrick’s so far and look forward to many years to come.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over my time at St Patrick’s. I am hopeful that in 2022 the school will be able to re-engage with the school community and demonstrate the spirit which makes our school so special.
Return to School
Late last week Victorian Education Minister James Merlino announced that all students in regional Victorian schools will return to school in the next few weeks. Our Foundation, Grade One and Two students have been back onsite this week and will continue to do so.
From next week, a staggered approach will apply so all students are back in the classroom at least part-time. Grades 3-4 will attend school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Grades 5-6 will attend on Thursdays and Fridays.
From Tuesday 26 October (week 4), all students will be back in the classroom full-time.
The school will continue to supply remote learning and onsite supervision for eligible students until all students are back onsite full-time.
Health Protocols
While risk remains about the potential for the virus to spread in Regional Victoria, it is essential that any students who are unwell remain home and get tested. Any student or family members who have been exposed to a Tier 1 or 2 site, or have been identified as a ‘close contact’ must follow health advice and notify the school.
It is recommended primary-school-age children wear masks while indoors and outdoors, except when in the home or when an exception applies. However, it is not mandatory for primary-school-age children to wear masks.
Visitors to School
The school is limiting visitors to the site and we ask that parents and caregivers follow all health protocols when dropping off and picking up students. This includes wearing a facemask, socially distancing, checking in using the QR code, and using hand sanitiser.
Paddy's Paddock
Over the holidays work started on our ‘Paddy’s Paddock’ project. With the support of the Northern Grampians Shire Council we are resurfacing and irrigating the school oval. Once completed it will provide the students with more opportunities to be active. While the works take place the oval area is out of bounds. However, students are still able to use the grass area next to the basketball court. Entry and exit via Gray Street will take place via the gate nearest the Church until further notice.
With Faith in our Future
Chris McAloon
Wellbeing:
Welcome back to Term 4,
What a year it has been so far! We are pleased to have our junior students back at school and cannot wait to soon have the middle and senior school students joining us two days a week. I am certain that throughout all of this there have been some anxious children.
Supporting children with anxiety around coming to school
Some children find it hard to attend school regularly due to anxiety. It is a common problem that, if we ‘feed’ by allowing them to avoid situations, we don’t give them the chance to realise that the thing that scares them is actually safe.
The conversation website provides some useful tips on how to overcome social anxiety that I have summarised below :
- Use calming strategies like breathing exercises or mindfulness activities. Helpful apps include Breathing Bubbles.
- Allow opportunities to have small social successes by encouraging children to answer the question of a peer – so they can learn to feel safe in these situations.
- Start with small experiences to build their courage.
- Encourage children to face the fears that cause anxiety.
- Remind children that we all experience negative social experiences and that this is normal.
- Remind children that it is a perception that something is a threat – not a reality.
Please contact me if you would like any further information on supporting children with anxiety.
Thank you for tuning in, Lillie Comitti ~ Wellbeing Coordinator
Living in Faith:
The third edition of Faith in the Future commemorative magazine is available by clicking the link below. In this edition, it includes: Celebrations for Family week, Historical look at the Goulburn schools striking which impact Catholic school funding, religious orders that established Catholic schools, along with various reflections on Catholic Education.
Sacraments
The impact of Covid restrictions has had a major impact on our students preparing for their Sacraments. Please see our Parish news bulletin (click on the second link below), which outlines the roadmap out of COVID for churches. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.
Teaching and Learning
Fullness of Life for All Program
This resource was produced by the Catholic Education Office Ballarat (CEOB) in response to the
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria commitment to the Victorian Government child safety
reforms, which require all school governing authorities to ensure appropriate education about
healthy and respectful relationships (including sexuality), together with education about child abuse, awareness and prevention. The Diocese of Ballarat, has developed a curriculum scope and sequence that sets out what is to be taught in primary schools from Foundation to Year 6.
Please click on the first link for the Scope and Sequence of the Fullness of Life for All program.
We will be having an online parent/carer information session, which will be facilitated by Jim Waight from the Catholic Education Office. Jim was instrumental in writing the program. The Fullness of Life for All program will commence in Term 4. We will all be covering the “My Body” and “Life Cycles” themes this term.
Teaching and Learning:
What a wonderful start the Grade 1/2s have had for Term 4! It sounds like everyone had a good break and everyone is ready to do their best learning over the next 11 weeks.
Grade Two’s have started their InitiaLit learning with a bang with a lot of learning taking place. In Spelling we are looking at words that end in /le/ and the suffix ‘es’, in Comprehension and Fluency we are learning to identify the main part of a text and use the details to write a summary and in Grammar we are learning about speech marks in text. Our Storybook for the next few weeks is ‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs’ and we compared this to the story of The Three Little Pigs. We are linking Storybook to writing where we are writing a persuasive text about whether the wolf or the pigs are telling the truth about what happened.
Our Grade One’s are learning about ways to improve their writing using adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions. They have enjoyed starting with a simple sentence and adding to it to create a more complex sentence. In reading they have enjoyed learning about adverbs and acting them out. There is a strong focus on improving fluency and spelling skills.
In Maths, the Grade 1’s are learning about Fact Families. They are writing an addition number fact, its turn around fact and then two related subtraction facts to make this family of numbers. During Mental Maths and Ongoing Task time, we are continuing to consolidate our skills in Fast Facts, Friends of Ten, Grouping and Building to ten.
It is a credit to our Grade 2’s how hard they have been working during Math. We have been doing fluency practice with addition and subtraction strategies. Students have been working with three-digit numbers, reading, writing, rounding them and locating them on number lines.
In Wellbeing, we are building our skills on how to identify when someone needs help and how we can help them. We discussed things we can do at school, home and in our community to help others.
Our Religion unit this term is looking at how we can look after creation. The students have been captivated with our introduction lessons where they have been looking at some of David Attenborough's Our Planet clips. They have been exploring outside and thinking about things that they take care of in creation.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ryan and Ms Comitti
Around the town:
Stawell Tennis Club:
The online entry form and competition details commencing in this coming October. Hopefully it will encourage children and their families and friends to get active and become a member of our awesome club! Thankyou for your support, we hope to see you all on the courts for a cracking hit and loads of fun!
https://form.jotform.com/
Northern Grampians Shire Online Art competition:
Please find attached the updated poster for our Children's Week Online Art Competition, including two additional themes: Active living or Healthy places to help inspire all of the budding artists out there.
I look forward to seeing some wonderful creations, and ask if you could please indicate your participation and potential entry numbers in order for me to be able to make prize preparations.
If you have any queries, please let me know.
Kind regards,
Bernadette Thursby
SUPPORTED PLAYGROUP FACILITATOR
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Email: bernadette.thursby@ngshire.
PO Box 580, Stawell, VIC, 3380
Mobile: 0438 838 765
Upcoming Events
October 18th- Foundation 2022 1st Transition Day TBC
October 26th- All Students back on site
November 3rd - Foundation 2022 2nd Transition day TBC
November 5th - School photos
November 12th - School Closure Day - Staff Professional Development
November 15-17th- 3/4 Camp TBC
November 18th - Foundation 2022 3rd Transition day
December 7th- Statewide 2022 Transition Day
December 8-10th - 5/6 Camp TBC
December 16th- Students final day 3:15pm dismissal
December 17th-Teachers Final Day
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land on which our school stands.
We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of
living with the land in this place we all now call home.