Newsletter 158- December 5th 2024
Prayer of the Week:
This week marks the second Sunday of Advent and gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and prepare ourselves for his second coming. The second week of advent's theme is Peace.
We bring peace to the world when we bring peace to our world. Jesus came to bring peace. He tells people, over and over, not to be afraid. But peace begins at home, within our walls and within ourselves. Jesus offers us peace, but we have to be willing to take the step to rid ourselves of all that gets in the way of that peace. If we change our lives for the better and try to do the right things, we can help to make the world a happier place for other people too. How are you going to change your life for the better this Advent? What will you do for others so that you are ready when Jesus comes?
The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolises the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.
Blessing:
God, thank you. Thank you for being the One we were waiting for.
Help us open our hearts and minds to all you have for us this Advent season. Bless our efforts to extend the love you have shown us to others.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Principal's Report:
Dear St Patrick’s community,
As we approach the end of the year, I am pleased to share the teacher placements for the upcoming school year. Our staff structure has been carefully considered to align with the needs of our students and the school community, ensuring we continue to provide a nurturing and engaging environment for learning.
Foundation- Lauren Broadbent with Allistair Gehan as LSO
Year 1- Celine Bush with Anne-Thea Barber and Klancy Repper as LSO
Year 2- Josh Cunningham- with Jen Stevens as LSO
Year 3/4- Melissa Bonney- with Marnie Smith as LSO
Year 3/4- Unknown at this stage with Nita Evans as LSO
Year 5/6- Kerrie Ryan- with Jo Gehan as LSO
Year 5/6- Leon Moloney- with unknown LSO
Families will receive letters outlining their child's class placement prior to our Transition Day on Tuesday.
We are continuing to work closely with DOBCEL and a recruitment agency to fill the available Year 3/4 teaching position, interviewing next week. Additionally, interviews for the remaining Learning Support Officer (LSO) position are taking place this week, and we remain committed to finalising our team.
A reminder that the Parents and Friends Network (P&F) Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday evening. This is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible contribution the P&F has made throughout the year. Their dedication to fostering community spirit and enhancing the experience of students and families is truly remarkable. I would like to thank the wonderful P&F team for their hard work and commitment to building the vibrant, welcoming atmosphere that makes our school so special.
Kind blessings,
Bettina
From the Office:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
2025 School Fees have now been finalised and are attached for your information.
The School continues to endeavour to keep fee increases to a minimum whilst aligning with DOBCEL and CPI recommendations. We are pleased to be able to keep our 'Per Student' items unchanged in 2025, however our 'Per Family' and Camp costs have increased as follows;
- Capital and Tuition Levy increased by a total of $40 per family, from $1,320.00 to $1,360.00 in 2025.
- Camp fee increased from $350.00 to $375.00 per student (Grades 3-6) in 2025.
The School continues to seek cost saving opportunities for our families such as bulk purchasing of student devices through DOBCEL and subsidised sport and affordable camp and extracurricular activities, however these increases are reflective of increasing costs for providers and associated expenses.
We will communicate with families early in Term 1 regarding fee assistance available to eligible concession card holders, and as always, encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulty to reach out at any time for a confidential discussion around available support.
In the meantime, please take this opportunity to review your school fee account and payment arrangements with next years' fees in mind. Families with additional children commencing or students moving to grades 3 and above in 2025 are encouraged to consider increasing their payments now if possible, in order to minimise the instalments payable throughout next year. Anyone wishing to commence or amend a fortnightly direct debit payment plan is asked to please contact me in the office as soon as possible.
Thank you to all of our families for your ongoing support.
Anna Wadge
Business Manager
The Opening the Doors Foundation provides grants to families to assist with the extra costs incurred in the schooling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary or secondary school students. The 2025 Grant Round is now open, with a closing date of 14 March 2025. For students to commence the 2025 school year with the necessary items, the ideal time to apply is now or before the start of Term 1.
Please note that due to a substantial increase in applications, the Foundation’s Trustees have had to modify the eligibility criteria. The updated criteria and guidelines are outlined on both the Opening the Doors Foundation website and the Opening the Doors Foundation Application.
Wellbeing:
MATES End of Year Celebration
Wednesday, we hosted the end of year MATES Celebration in the Hall, marking another successful year of this incredible program.
We were treated to a special visit from Jamie’s Mobile Zoo and shared a wonderful lunch together. It was a joyful day, reflecting the positive impact the MATES program has had on students in our community.
The MATES program plays a vital role in enhancing student well-being and fostering a sense of self-worth among our students. We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of the MATES mentors, Kate, Jane, Annethea and Natalie, whose dedication to our students is truly invaluable.
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer as a MATES mentor, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.
Thank you,
Bettina
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 & Junior B Week 10: Grade 5
Week 11: Farewell
Please note the change in Assembly host for week 10 due to Grade 6 Excursion.
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 4 Week 10- NIL
Junior 1 & 2:
What a fabulous year 2024 has been! All the students in Grade One and Two have learned so much and Mrs Bush and I are very proud of each and every student. Today we started to prepare for our assembly and it was a joy to reflect back on the experiences we have had this year. We have had the swimming sports, Harmony Day, St. Patrick’s Day, athletic sports, cross country, movie night, an excursion to see The Gruffalo, Eventide Homes visits, swimming lessons, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Mission Day - Socktober, Mini Olympics, liturgies, masses, Book Week and Oodie, Hoodie, Footy Day just to name a few. On top of these special days there was a lot of learning in Reading, Writing, Maths, Auslan, Inquiry, Religion, Wellbeing, Art, Sport and Science. We are now going to share with you our favourite thing this year.
Junior R:
Allyshia - Craft activities during Book Week
Archer - Learning numbers in maths
Chelsea - Dressing up for Book Week
Chevy - Doing subtraction in maths
Chizaram - Learning the cultural dance for Harmony Day
Elektra - Our excursion to see The Gruffalo
Evelyn - Cross country because running is my hobby
Evie - I liked the athletics sports because I liked high jump
Finn - Learning soccer in sport with Mrs Bird
George - Cross Country because we had to run a race
Harry - Learning soccer in sport
Imogen - Writing nda maths because we learned about fact families and write stories
Kaison - Maths and writing because I like adding and writing stories
Mackenzie - Maths because I learnt about numbers
Madilyn - Eventide Homes because you get to do lots of activities
Mia - Cross Country because I like running
Nasar - Sport at school because we got to learn about soccer
Oliver - The Gruffalo because it was funny
Ruby - The Mini Olympics because I like sports
Scarlett - The Gruffalo because we got to have lunch at the Botanical Gardens
Valeria - Harmony Day because we got to learn a dance
Zoey - Movie night because I made friends with Marnie
Junior B:
Ace - Movie night because I hadn’t seen Kung Foo Panda 4
Alfie - Movie night because it was fun and you could bring your own snacks and water
Beau - Mini Olympics because I got my first ribbon
Charlie -Movie night because it was great to see everybody there
David - Cross Country because I ran faster than I ever have before
Delilah - Maths because I love it and it is really good
Dixie - Harmony Day because I saw my friends and had fun
Evie - Harmony Day because I got to hear lots of songs
Georgia A - Oodie, Hoodie Footy Day because I got to wear my Cats singlet
Georgia C - Cross Country because I got second
Harry - Socktober because there was a lot of fun games
Henry - School photo day because it was my first St. Patrick’s school photo and family photo
Hunter - Athletic sports because you could get first, second and third place ribbons and do lots of fun stuff
Jai - School athletics because I ran really good
Jarli - School athletics because it was the fastest I’ve gone in running
Khoor - Oodie, Hoodie, Footy Day because I wore a hoodie and played soccer
Marley - Movie night because you got to bring a bean bag or sleeping bag and watch a movie
Saviero - Maths because it never ends and there is always stuff to do
Ted - Reading because I get stuck into a book
Klia, Bonnie, James, and Max were away today so unfortunately could not share their favorite thing.
We wish all our families a safe and Merry Christmas. Have a wonderful and well deserved break and we will see you all in 2025!
Miss Ryan
Students of the Week:
Billie Carlsen - For the great enthusiasm you are showing during your writing sessions. You should be very proud of yourself.
Aurie Lyons - For the wonderful growth mindset you are displaying in all your learning areas. Well done Aurie.
Mia Ampt - For the outstanding results you achieved in your reading assessments. Congratulations on all your hard work!
Evie Gready - For the growth you have made in your reading fluency. All your hard work has paid off. Congratulations!
Harry Devery - For the kindness you show your classmates. Thank you for always including others and helping out when needed. You are an asset to our class!
Max Lasslett - For being such an active and engaged member of the class this year. Thank you Max for all of your contributions this year. It has been wonderful to work with you.
David Duxson - For achieving excellent results in the Year 3 PAT Maths Test. Congratulations David! You should be very proud of yourself.
Khoor Kur - For being such a kind, caring and thoughtful member of our class this year. You are such a pleasure and delight to be around Khoor. Thank you and well done!
Ruby Allan - For the fantastic efforts you have been putting into improving your maths skills and strategies. Well done, Ruby!
Sophie O'Callaghan - For the dedication and self-motivation you have demonstrated towards your learning and achieving your goals this year. I am extremely proud of you! Well done, Soph!
Edie MacPherson - For the tremendous efforts you have put into developing your maths skills and strategies this year. Your assessment scores reflect all your hard work! Well done, Edie!
Texas Davenport - For the fantastic effort and self-motivation you have been putting into all of your learning and assessments this week. I am proud of your hard work Texas, well done!
Nate Jantzen - For always giving 100% to every learning tasks and for producing impressive written work. Well done Nate!
Jackson Notting - For excellent post-test results in Maths. You have worked so hard and deserve these impressive results. Well done Jackson!
Adi Ratcliffe - For achieving an amazing result in your final Grade 5 Stepping Stones Quarterly Test. Well done Adi!
Awuom Kur - For achieving another perfect score in your recent Stepping Stones Quarterly Test. Great job Awuom!
End of Year Celebrations:
End of Year Mass
Our End of Year School Mass will be held next Thursday, December 12, at 9:30 am in the church. This special celebration provides a meaningful opportunity to conclude the year together in prayer and reflection.
As a Catholic school, we embrace education as a holistic journey, nurturing the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of our students' lives. The End of Year Mass serves as a profound reminder of our commitment to their overall well-being and growth.
We warmly invite all families to join us for this important occasion as we give thanks for the blessings of the year and look ahead with hope to the year to come.
We are excited to celebrate a significant milestone for our Year 6 students, who will graduate next Thursday evening. The graduation ceremony will begin at 5:30 pm for the year 6 students and their families. This will be followed by our school Christmas concert at 6:30 pm—a wonderful opportunity to come together and reflect on the year.
Our classes are busily preparing their performances to showcase their creativity and talent, alongside instrumental students who will share their progress as budding musicians. It promises to be a night filled with joy and celebration!
To make the evening even more enjoyable, the Stawell Lions Club will be onsite, running a BBQ for those who wish to purchase a meal. Alternatively, feel free to bring along a picnic to enjoy
We look forward to seeing you there for this fun-filled evening as we close out the school year together.
Living in Faith:
Sustainable Christmas
With only a few weeks till Christmas most have begun our preparations. In Pope Francis’ encyclical
Laudato Si’ published in 2015, Pope Francis invites us to choose a different lifestyle in a world where “the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products” (No. 203).
Pope Francis calls us to move towards “more sustainable lifestyles”. There are ways to live a sustainable Christmas in harmony with our common home.
Below are a few ideas to consider for a more sustainable Christmas:
Cards
- Have you heard about “plantable” cards? They can double as a card and a gift!
- Reuse old Christmas cards to create your own unique ones.
Gifts
- Consider the packaging when purchasing gifts and food. Look for items with as little packaging and plastic as possible.
- Shop in local stores.
- Give a potted Christmas tree as a gift. The receiver can grow it and even plant it later on.
- Opt for fabric products that are certified to be eco-friendly and toxin-free.
- Buy toys or gifts that have the least amount of plastic, and do not use batteries.
- Use your creative talents to make a gift or vouchers for services you will provide.
- Offer an experience like concert tickets, a hot air balloon trip or a spa day.
Gift wrapping
Instead of paper, wrap gifts in reusable materials like fabric or recyclable ones like recycled wrapping paper or brown paper (especially for large packages), children’s artwork or newspaper.
- Make gift bags and tags made from old newspapers, cloth or other strong recycled material.
- Raffia, string or twine are eco-friendly replacements for colourful plastic ribbons.
Reuse shipping materials when sending packages and avoid purchasing bubble wrap.
After Christmas
- Recycle as much as you can! Collectively, we can make a huge difference in the world we live in—let’s make it a joyous time for Mother Nature as well.
- Decide how to save your potted Christmas tree.
- Think about any unwanted presents. Return them, regift them, or give them to charity rather than letting them collect dust or tossing them into the trash. Remember that one person’s trash is another’s treasure!
Fundraising:
Each Friday till the end of the year our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each.
The money raised will go towards St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program.
As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support.
Do you know someone who is doing it tough?
Please ask them to come to The Cottage 20 Sloane St Stawell. We are open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm. For out of hours emergencies ring 0408038949. If anyone needs help at Christmas, please come to the Cottage in November to put their name down. Christmas distribution will be on Tuesday 17th December.”
Thanks,
Mary Rita Thomas
Secretary Stawell Inter Church Council
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.
“We have much to be thankful for” Saint Mary MacKillop
Congratulations to this weeks award recipient: Saviero
For displaying the qualities of Mary MacKillop each and every day - kindness and thoughtfulness to others and for being the best version of himself at all times.
Thank you for your kindness.
Parents & Friends:
As we approach the end of the year I would like to extend my thanks, on behalf of the P&F committee, for everyone’s contributions throughout the year. Whether you donated your time to cook sausages, serve in the canteen, make a slice or donate a raffle item, it has helped ease the pressure immensely of the P&F.
We have had an incredibly successful fundraising year and the school will receive a nice little cash injection to put towards new supplies and equipment for our students.
One last reminder that your raffle books (both sold and unsold) are now due back – in time for the raffle to be drawn next Friday (13/12) at assembly.
We hope all the children are keen for our disco tomorrow night. It’s a $5 entry which will get the kids a goodie bag for the night. BYO water bottle please.
Our AGM is this Monday night (9/12) at 6pm in the school hall. If anyone is interested in joining our committee next year please come along.
Thank you again for your support in 2024.
Kate Field
President
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday this week:
Fletcher J
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 November 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.