Newsletter 48 - March 18 th 2022

St. Patrick's Breastplate prayer is a Christian hymn whose original old Irish lyrics were traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick and his Irish ministry in the 5th century.

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left…

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise…

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me…

I arise today Through a mighty strength,

the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

Amen.

Foundation 2023

Do you have a child due to start Foundation in 2023?  If so, please contact the office as soon as possible to add their details to the waiting list. 

Whilst enrolments are not due to open until Term 2, siblings of current students are prioritised and this early information assists the School in forward planning for the 2023 school year. 

  Anna Wadge, Business Manager

St Patrick's Primary School  55 Patrick Street

(P O BOX 856) STAWELL . VIC . 3380 Phone 03 5358 2493

As I'm sure you're all aware, we have just entered and almost completed week 7 of a 10 week term! Where are the weeks going? I'm sure parents, carers, teachers and students  are all feeling tired and in need of a wellbeing check in. 

Take some time at home to complete this small task to ensure that your mental health and wellbeing is on track. If you feel you need some help or someone to talk to please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

Have a lovely weekend and don’t forget to take time for yourself where possible. 

Thank you, 

Lillie Comitti - Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator 

Assembly:

How exciting - Assemblies are back for grade level only.  At this stage, we are only able to have parents & friends of students in the grade who are hosting the assembly.  Visitors to school buildings and assemblies will also need to provide evidence of vaccination. Classrooms that are not presenting assembly will be able to watch the assembly online. 

Assemblies will start at 2:50pm in the school hall. 

Assembly roster for term 1:  

Week 7 18th March Grade 2 

Week 8 25th March No assembly - Harmony day 

Week 9 1st April Grade 3/4

Week 10 8th April Foundation 

Junior H/C News:

What a great week we’ve had in Junior H/C. With a few tired bodies after a long weekend, we introduced the reading skill of predicting during our Comprehension/fluency lessons. We used our prior knowledge, as well as clues from the text, to predict what would happen next. Grammar was another focus during our InitiaLit lessons, with pronouns being the main focus - she, he, her, him, I, they, etc). Next week we look forward to welcoming our classroom helpers back into the classroom which will be so beneficial. 

Our ‘tricky words’ have proved to be a bit of a challenge lately, so we introduced a new game where in reading groups, spelling tests are given amongst  peers. I can see a big improvement already - we’ll done Grade 2s.

In Maths we have been learning to identify and compare amounts of money, including notes and coins. We have also participated in extension activities when consolidating place value. We have continued practising counting by 10s from random 3 digit numbers. 

On Thursday there was a spash of green in our classroom when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. All of the Junior classes joined together to celebrate with a beautiful Liturgy. In Religion we have started learning about the events leading up to Easter. 

It’s been wonderful watching all students work so hard, building on their stamina and being comfortable to ‘sit in mud’ when learning can pose a challenge. We acknowledge this is how our brain grows. Well done Grade 2s!

Visible Learning:

What did staff do on our School Closure day? 

Friday was our first Visible Learning plus professional learning session Foundation Day. This is the first in a series of professional learning opportunities that we will embark on over the next three years. 

Teaching is based on research from Professor John Hattie which seeks to ask us to stop and think about the vast amount we already know and evaluate what really does make the difference in student learning.

We are all very excited about starting our Visible Learning journey. 

Maryanne Comitti

Teacher & Learning Leader 

We are thrilled to be able to welcome Footsteps dance company back to celebrate Harmony Day with us. 

We invite our school community to celebrate Harmony Day on Friday 25th March, 2022 at 5pm.

We’re on the countdown till our Harmony day celebrations.  Footsteps dance company will work with each class throughout the day culminating in our evening concert celebration.

Foundation to Junior R & H/C will be dancing the Matariki.  Which is a Maori inspired routine, they will be learning about New Zealand. 

Middle B/H are focusing on India and will learn the Chammak Challo which is a Bollywood inspired dance. 

Senior M/F routine will be an Indigenous inspired routine called Marryuna.  They will learn about the Australian Indigenous culture. 

We can’t wait to welcome our community in for our Harmony Day celebrations next Friday 25th March, 2022 at 5pm .  

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. 

Each family will receive a Project Compassion box for their donations or you can donate online via our website at lent.caritas.org.au Let’s Go Further, Together!  

For more information:  https://lent.caritas.org.au/#blank

In previous years our school community has participated in the Assist a student fundraiser where we have raised money to sponsor anywhere from three to six children through the St Vincent de Paul Assist a Student program. 

Each classroom participated in our annual 5cent challenge. For more information please see:  https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Our_Impact/International_Impact/Assist_a_student_today/

We will also be contributing to the New South Wales and Queensland St Vincent de Paul flood appeal. 

Maryanne Comitti Religious Education Leader

PLEASE CONSIDER ETHICAL PURCHASING OF EASTER CHOCOLATE  In 2015, Pope Francis said that “every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act.” 

Cocoa is a key ingredient of chocolate. Much of the chocolate sold in Australia is made using cocoa beans picked by children, many of whom have been enslaved, or forced to work in exploitative conditions. Most of these children have never even tasted chocolate. 

To buy slavery - free Easter chocolate look for any of these three certification symbols on the wrapper:

We have had quite a few questions about the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, what they are, who can receive them and how this is done through our school and parish.

The Catholic Church celebrates seven sacraments:

Sacraments of Initiation  - Baptism, Eucharist (Communion) and Confirmation.

Sacraments of Healing – Reconciliation (Penance) and Anointing of the Sick

Sacraments of Service – Marriage/Matrimony and Holy Orders (Ordination to the Priesthood)

Catholics believe that the Sacraments are the means God uses to show His grace and help us achieve salvation.  The word sacrament means "a sign of the sacred," which is fitting as they are all outwards signs from God to us. Not only are they signs, but they are also celebrations of a continued journey and relationship with God, teachings to help live out God's word and ceremonies to show devotion to God.  The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith.

Only those who have been baptised into the Catholic Church may receive these sacraments. The Sacrament of Baptism is the first to be received and is usually celebrated when a child is an infant. This sacrament officially welcomes a person into the Catholic faith. There are also pathways for older children and adults to be baptised into the Church.

Whilst at school, we teach all our students about the Catholic sacraments, but focus on some sacraments in more detail, for particular year levels.

All the students learn about the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation). Those children who are baptised Catholics, are also prepared to receive this sacrament for the first time in Grade Two. This sacrament is also known as confession. Children receive this around the age of 8, when they can distinguish between right and wrong. It is the things they have chosen to do even though they know they are wrong, that they go and confess or speak to the priest about during this sacrament. The conversation is generally around repairing relationships. After their first reconciliation, a person may go to receive this sacrament as many times as they like during their lifetime.

Students learn about the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion). Those children who are baptised Catholics and have received the Sacrament of Penance, are prepared to receive this sacrament for the first time in Grade 3.  During this sacrament, the children receive the blessed sacrament, the host. After their first Eucharist, a person may go to receive the blessed sacrament, any time they go to Mass.

The Sacrament of Confirmation. Those children who are baptised Catholics, and who have received the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, are prepared to receive this sacrament in Grade 3.  This is the final sacrament of initiation.  During this sacrament, the students are asked to renew the baptismal promises that were made for them by their parents and god-parents at baptism, and they are anointed with the oil of chrism.  They select a sponsor to stand with them on the day and to support them on their faith journey.

During our classroom learning about the sacraments, we make links to other faiths and celebrations so that all our students have the opportunity to build on their understanding of the Catholic faith, while respecting their traditions and beliefs.

If you would like you child to take part in the Sacramental program please contact me before the end of Term 1.  Maryanne Comitti

Congratulations to all  our Students of the week:

Alfie Freeland - For always being a fantastic listener and giving all your learning tasks your very best effort every day. Well done!

Ethan Dunn - For working super hard in your Maths learning and getting 10/10 on your Check Up. Keep up the great work!

Arli Werry - for the great work you are doing when clapping syllables in words.  Keep up the hard work!

Mac Bibby - for your wonderful counting and ordering numbers from least to greatest.  You are a superstar! 

Kora Allen - For your wonderful persuasive pieces of writing. Well done Kora! 

Fletcher Thomas -For the wonderful stamina and effort you are making in your writing. Keep it up Fletcher. 

Andy Papadopoulos - For your positive approach to learning and your willingness to improve.  You have shown such growth and determination with your independent writing activities.  Keep up the awesome work!

Milla Woolley - For your mature approach to your learning.  You have grown in your independence and resilience in all subject areas.  Keep up the fantastic work!

Greta Thomas - for your excellent results in your Stepping Stones Check Up. Well done on achieving your goals.

Luke Fulton - for the efforts you have been putting into improving your writing skills. Keep it up!

Thomas Jess - For your fabulous efforts across all learning areas, especially the work you have been doing with your reading. 

Aiden Guerrero - For the positive outlook you have had towards your learning and the contribution you have been making to classroom discussions.

William Evans - For continuing to challenge yourself with concepts from the Year 7 curriculum in Maths.

Jack Cameron - For the choices you are making in class that are benefitting your learning.

Congratulations to our students having their birthday this week :

                                                                             Kayde Werry

Maddison Prydderch

SPACI is excited to run an information session on their 2022 musical theatre production of SPAMALOT and we would love it if you could help get the word out to our community by placing the attached flyer in your newsletter, on the staffroom notice board, on your Facebook page or anywhere else your students, teacher, parents and friends may see it!
Thanking you in anticipation and we hope to see you at the production in October!
Regards,
SaraTreasurer

Secretary