Newsletter 66- August 19th 2022
Prayer of the Week:
A prayer for our community.
God, please guide St Patrick’s School.
Please give the teachers,staff, parents, friends and our community Your wisdom.
Please protect the young hearts and minds within.
We pray for our community that You will guide the hands, mouths and actions of everyone who comes into contact with our school.
Lord, In Jesus' name, Amen.
Principal's Report:
Welcome,
Last week we had the third term meeting of the School Advisory Council. As part of the meeting, I provide the SAC with a Principal’s report addressing the school’s actions in the five characteristics of highly effective schools as identified in Catholic Education Ballarat’s School Improvement Framework. Below is a summary of the Term Three report:
Catholic School Culture
The school has set the following goal in our Annual Action Plan: Build staff capacity to deliver recontextualised Religious Education learning programs informed by the school’s ESCI data. The teaching staff have undertaken professional development sessions with Gina Bernasconi to unpack the school’s 2021 Enhancing Catholic School Identity survey results. Two teachers have also continued with the professional development course - ESCI 101.
The staff took part in a professional development session with Jim Waight from DOBCEL. The session focussed on the history and charism of St Patrick’s Stawell. It was great to learn more about Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of Saint Joesph. Following discussions on the day, the school has reintroduced the weekly Mary MacKillop award at assembly.
In August, the school had a number of students receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation through the parish run Sacraments program. Due to current renovations at the Church, the ceremony was held at the school hall. Sunday masses will also be held at the school hall for a short amount of time until the renovations are completed.
Teaching and Learning
The school has set the following goal in our Annual Action Plan: Build a shared understanding of Visible Learning concepts to improve teacher practice and student learning outcomes. The school’s leadership team worked with Shane Crawford from Corwin to gather evidence around current school practices.
The school’s aspiration statement and focus areas were also determined:
Our aspiration is that at St Patrick’s Primary School show an effect size of 0.40 or greater (or 12 months or more growth) in Literacy (Reading) and Numeracy and exhibit the characteristics of an assessment-capable visible learner. All students understand what they are learning and the purpose of their learning. Through feedback and interpreting assessment results, they reflect on how they are doing, and where they will go next.
The school also determined the following focus areas:
- Defining and displaying the characteristics of an effective learner at St Patrick’s Primary School
- Consistent and effective use of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
- Consistent and effective use of effect sizes to measure progress
Community Engagement
It has been great to have School Assemblies back in full swing. It has been very pleasing to see the number of parents and family members attending increasing over time. The easing of restrictions has also allowed for students from the school to get out in the community to enhance their learning experiences. This included the Junior classes trip to the Town Hall and the Stawell Historical Society to further explore the town’s past.
Our links with other members of the local education community have also continued to be strengthened as we look ahead to transitions to 2023. A number of students took part in the Stawell Secondary College’s Discovery Day and Marian College’s Orientation Day. Lillie Comitti has represented the school at the Early Years Network where primary schools and kindergartens meet to plan for successful transitions. Miss Comitti has also started making kindergarten visits as we prepare for 2023.
Wellbeing
The school has set the following goals in our Annual Action Plan: Improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes; build staff capacity to support students with mental health and wellbeing concerns. The school has been a part of the Mental Health in Primary Schools Pilot program this year. We were very excited to hear that this program will be extended next year. This will ensure that the school will again receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator.
The school has been joined by Jodie McGeary from Catholic Care Victoria as our School Support Worker. Jodie has been onsite at school on Mondays from the beginning of Term Two. She is offering a very valuable service in providing one-on-one and group support sessions for students. Jodie has received a number of referrals from families and school staff. The school has also been implemented protocols around information sharing in regards to Jodie’s sessions.
Leadership and Stewardship
Letters of offer have now gone out to our Foundation class of 2023. We have had an overwhelming response and have not been able to offer places to all applicants. At this stage we will have a total of 25 Foundation students for next year with a good mix of new and existing families. The transition program will take place during Term Four.
The school has continued to work with architecture firm Morton Dunn to develop a Master Plan for the school. Students, staff and families were surveyed to determine shared areas of need. Russell Hawkes then developed some initial plans that were presented to staff and members of the SAC. These designs will continue to be finalised over the course of the year.
With Faith in our Future
Chris McAloon
A Word from the Office:
Wellbeing:
CALM: App for Mindfulness and Meditation. (Available on iOS, Android & Web)
Breathe2Relax: relaxation app trains you on the “belly breathing” technique that has proven benefits for your overall mental health. (Available on iOS and Android)
Stress Check by Azumio: deep breathing exercise to promote calmness and can bring your heart rate down in five minutes. The app provides instant feedback with breath and pulse monitoring and tracks long-term progress. (Available on Android)
Happify: a way to make a game of all the positive psychology tricks you know might work, but make you feel kind of silly when you actually do them. You’ll start by taking a quick test that assesses the areas of happiness you should work on. Then, you’re presented with a few “tracks” that can help get you to your goals. (Available on iOS and Android)
SAMAPP: to help you understand and manage anxiety. (Available on iOS and Android)
PACIFICA: daily tools for stress, anxiety, and depression alongside a supportive community. Based on cognitive behavioural therapy & mindfulness meditation. (Available on iOS, Android & Web)
Thrive: Feel Stress Free: different tips to help you relieve stress/anxiety, including meditation, deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, and more. (Available on iOS and Android)
BASE: designed to help manage stress and anxiety. By learning more about how and why we experience anxiety at different times and in different situations we can be less fearful. (Available on Android)
Smiling Mind: app to help you launch into a regular practice of mindfulness meditations. (Available on iOS and Android)
Wysa Happiness Chabot: build emotional resilience by talking to you about your situation. Over 60 psychologists and 10,000 users have provided specific inputs to shape how Wysa helps them. (Available on iOS and Android)
I love Hue: When you feel like you have no control, this app can help soothe you by creating simple visual harmonies from mosaic tiles. (Available on iOS and Android)
Anxious Minds: a charity that was set up by sufferers of anxiety and depression, to provide free support to all suffers of anxiety and depression. (Available on Android)
Worry Watch: a journaling tool to log instances of worry, fear, and anxiety and also add the outcome of each situation. It’ll provide a comparison between expectation and reality to help reduce anxiety over time. (Available on iOS)
What’s Up? Anxiety App: uses CBT and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Stress and more. (Available on iOS and Android)
WellMind: your free NHS mental health and wellbeing app to help you with stress, anxiety and depression. Includes advice, tips and tools to improve your mental health and boost your wellbeing. (Available on iOS and Android)
Cove: Free, personal music journal to help you with your emotional and mental health. Trusted by the NHS. (Available on iOS)
Reflectly: A personal journal and diary driven by AI to enable you to deal with negative thoughts, make positivity louder and to teach you about the science of well-being. (Available on iOS and Android)
Happy not perfect: Backed by science, designed for you – your go-to place for everything you need to look after your mind in a fun new way. (Available on iOS and Android)
Teaching and Learning:
What? Our Indigenous Book Swap is happening next Wednesday and Thursday.
WHAT IS INDIGENOUS LITERACY DAY ALL ABOUT?
“Aboriginal groups face many challenges in today’s world, with education and literacy being some of the most prominent. Did you know that there is an approximate gap of 2.5 years between the literacy rates of non-Indigenous and Indigenous children? Money raised helps purchase books to improve lives and open doors to further education for Indigenous Australians, there is also a focus on providing resources that cover a wide variety of Aboriginal languages. It is important for these children to have access to literature in their native tongue; this helps to strengthen the culture and allow it to thrive for future generations.” (Indigenous Literacy Fund)
Students are encouraged to bring gold coins to purchase books. We have hundreds of books to choose from ranging from picture books to chapter books.
When? Wednesday 24th August, 2022 and Thursday 25th August, 2022
Students will have the opportunity to purchase a book from the book swap throughout the day. Book swap will be open to the public 3:15-5:00pm on Wednesday.
Why? This is a Social Justice initiative and has been co-ordinated by our dedicated group of students that are in our Social Justice team. As a Catholic School as part of our education of the Catholic Social Teachings (learn more about Catholic Social Teachings at https://www.caritas.org.au/learn/cst-toolkit/ )
“Without the right to education there is no real freedom, which allows every person to be the protagonist of their own destiny!”
Pope Francis 2018
Thankyou to our community for making the book swap possible through the donation of the books.
Shout out to Stawell Secondary College who donated a large amount of chapter books to the book swap. We greatly appreciate their support.
Maryanne Comitti Teaching & Learning Leader
Book Week: The theme for this year is: Dreaming with eyes open…
All are welcome to our Book Week Parade in the school hall on Friday 26th August 2022 at 9:00am.
After the parade you are invited to visit our classrooms and take part in some of our book week activities.
Morning tea will be in the hall from 11:30am. This is a fundraising event run by the Parents and Friends. Cost is $5.00 per head. Thanks to all those who have volunteered their time to help or make food.
What is a community? What makes a community?
The Oxford dictionary defines community as “a unified body of individuals”.
We know at St Patrick’s our community is much more than this; it is a feeling of connection, a feeling of partnership and a feeling of belonging. At St Patrick’s we are always working towards strengthening our community partnerships with parents/carers and the wider community. Over the next few months we have several community events planned which we would love to invite you to. “When schools and families work together, children do better, schools improve and communities flourish” (“Family school partnerships – A guide for schools and families”, 2018, p. 4).
Save the date:
STEAM expo - Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th September, 2022.
St Patrick’s Primary School Hall
Parents and community members are invited to attend the Expo to view a variety of creative projects completed by our students this year.
Time to be advised.
What is STEAM?
Steam is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. STEAM education focuses on the foundation skills of developing science, technology, engineering, and art learning, promoting problem solving, critical analysis and creative thinking skills.
The expo will incorporate students STEAM learning over the course of the year.
Assembly:
It is fantastic to once again have our Friday school assemblies happening. Assembly starts at 2:50pm every Friday afternoon in the hall. All family and community members welcome.
Assembly roster for term 2:
Week 6 Senior M
Week 7 Middle B
Week 8 Senior F
Week 9 Junior H
Week 10 Foundation - Earlier time 1:50pm
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 which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.
Week 6.
22/8/2022 Miss Kerrie Ryan Learning Diversity Leaders PD. Lucy Scott in.
Senior M:
Well who can believe we are halfway through Term 3 already. Despite recently struggling to get all class members in the classroom due to COVID and other illnesses, students in Grade 5/6 M continue to work hard across all curriculum areas.
In Reading time, students continue to explore a set reading strategy each week, using the knowledge that they gain to improve both their literal and inferential comprehension skills. A highlight of our week is our Wednesday reading block where we read our class novel titled “Trash” and respond to each chapter in different ways. The novel explores the life of three dumpsite children Raphael, Gardo and Jun Jun and the repercussions they face when Raphael finds a bag which contains money, a key and a letter while sifting through rubbish at the local dumpsite in the fictional town of Behala. I think most students would agree that not only have the twists and turns of the story kept us on the edge of our seats every step of the way, but also challenged us to reflect on how lucky we are to live in a country like Australia.
For much of this term, our focus in Writing has been discussion writing, where we research and discuss the pros and cons of a certain topic before concluding with our own opinions. After completing a discussion piece as a whole class, then in pairs, the students are in the early stages of working independently to construct their own discussion piece on the topic: “Is electricity essential for life?”
In Math, Grade 5 students have recently completed lessons on time zones within Australia and around the world, converting between 12 hour and 24 hour times and are currently working with numbers that go into the millions.
On the other hand, Grade 6 students have completed a series of lessons focussing on adding mixed numerals, converting between improper fractions and mixed numerals and will later in the week look at the relationship between metres and centimetres.
In Religion, students have been exploring the term “promise” and what it means for both them individually but also Christians. In preparation for the STEAM expo later this term, students are working in small groups to construct a triorama which responds to a quote from Pope Francis’ encyclical letter titled ‘Laudato Si’ which calls on all global citizens to make a pledge to ‘care for our common home’.
In Inquiry, all students have been busy constructing towns which are: fireproof/flood proof and environmentally friendly to display at the upcoming STEAM expo, while in Science we continue to look at the many objects that occupy the Solar System. This unit will also conclude with the students constructing their own model of the Solar System which will be on display at the STEAM expo.
In Art the students are researching saving water - Past Present and Future and creating what this means to them for this years Annual GWM poster competition. Initial rough sketches below...
Annual Fathers day/special persons Celebrations:
Our annual Fathers day/special persons celebrations will take place on Friday 2nd September, 2022. While Fathers Day is a celebration of fatherhood, it's a time for us to honour, celebrate and to be thankful for all of the men, father figures and male role models in our lives. We recognise the very important role you have in the lives of children.
We will have an evening bbq and games where we invite all fathers and special male figures in our children's lives to come and celebrate as a community. More details to come.
Annual Fathers Day Stall:
The children take such pride and excitement in carefully selecting their gifts for their Father/special person in their life.
Could children please bring along a small amount of money gifts range from $1 -$5 if they would like to purchase a gift from the stall on Thursday 1st September, 2022 from 9am in the hall.
*A huge thankyou to all the ladies who have volunteered their time to help sort, wrap and sell the gifts, the response has been amazing. Libby or Rhian will touch base to schedule the days. Thankyou again to our wonderful community.
Living in Faith:
SAVE THE DATE...
ANDREW CHINN is back
WHOLE SCHOOL EVENING CONCERT & PICNIC
WEDNESDAY 19th OCTOBER, 2022 6.00pm
St Vincent de Paul Winter food appeal: Social Justice are keeping very busy this term as we will also be running our annual winter food appeal over the next four weeks of the Term.
As a Catholic school we hope to support the work of Vinnies and Stawell's Interchurch council by assisting these organisations with their efforts to help those in our community who are facing difficulties at this time. We are asking if families are able to donate any non-perishable items to the appeal (Items can range from tin food, toiletries, paper products etc.)
At the end of the Term these items will be donated to St Vincents to distribute to those in need in our community.
Each class will have a donation box where donations can be left. No matter how small or big the donation is, we always strive to teach our students at St Patrick’s how important giving to those in need is.
Thankyou for your support.
Church Bulletin:
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students having a birthday this week:
Henry Carter
Mahli Willis
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.
Aaliyah and Sophie are recognised for spending their playtime cleaning up the yard.
"We must teach more by example than by word".
St. Mary MacKillop
Students of the week:
Beau Cullen - For the incredibly hard work you have put into improving your writing. I am very proud of your persistence and resilience. Keep up the wonderful work Beau.
Saviero Di Pietro - For always striving to be the best learner you can be. You do a sensational job at always striving to do better and improve your skills in all learning areas.
Rosalie Dunn - For your wonderful work in sharing a collection of items into groups of two, three and four. You showed persistence and a great mindset. Well done!
Daniella Parkin Alamo - For the lovely prayer you wrote on wisdom. You are a very kind and thoughtful girl. Keep up the hard work!
Lily Sanderson – For your wonderful information report on the green sea turtle. Excellent detail and interesting facts.
Kora Allen – for your wonderful work with multiplication and working out groups of. Well done Kora!
Luke Fulton - For the great work you have been doing identifying and creating similes.
Mackenzie Farrell - For your fantastic illustrations comparing Christianity and Judaism
Chloe Pearce - For the wonderful poetry you have created during Writing. You have made sure to include rhythm and rhyme in your poem based on Charlie Cook's Favourite Book. Excellent work!
Eshaan Komerelly - For your awesome ability to come up with lines of poetry that rhyme and have the correct amount of syllables. It has been wonderful to see your creative side blossom during this unit. Keep it up!
Arlee Seehusen - For the creative way you have been completing your projects and for showing leadership qualities when including your peers in group work.
Maya Sanderson - For the independent way you have been completing set tasks and for your contribution to classroom discussions. Keep up the super work.
Will Evans - For the amazing job you are doing teaching the Grade 5 Maths group how to use formulas in Google Sheets to complete Mathematical tasks.
Edward Redford - For taking the opportunity to spend more time with the teacher during Maths to consolidate key concepts.
Parents and Friends:
* Black Ranges Athletics - we are catering again this year. If you think you can assist in anyway it would be greatly appreciated, please contact Libby, Rhian or the front office. Thank you.
Friday September 2nd at North Park
Around Our Community:
Maternal Child and Health
Dad’s Group
Positive Parenting for Men
Are you a new Dad?
Would you like to share some parenting knowledge and tips?
Are you looking for ideas on how to be a great parent?
Would you like to find out some great ideas on how to support your partner?
Get together with other great Dads like you!
Join us at our new Dad’s Support Group Introductory Session
Share a meal and enjoy our panel of Dad’s and others for an informative discussion
and Q&A session.
When: Monday 29th August, 2022
6.30-8.00pm
Where: Stawell Sports and Leisure Centre
Houston St, Stawell
All Dads and Grandads welcome
Light Tea Provided
RSVP by 22nd August, 2022
Email: mch@ngshire.vic.gov.au
Phone: 5358 9060
Upcoming Events:
Monday 22nd - 26th August - Book Week
Wednesday & Thursday 24 & 25 th - Indigenous Book Swap in the hall -
Gold Coin per Book
Friday 26th August - Favourite book Dress Up Day - open classrooms for special people and morning tea in hall from 11:30am, $5 donation to the P and F.
Thursday 1st September - Fathers Day Stall - Gifts from $1-$5.
Friday 2nd September - Father/Special Persons Day BBQ at school 5:30pm
- Black ranges Athletics Day - P and F are Catering any help Greatly Appreciated.
7th and 8th September - STEAM Expo - time -TBC
Friday 9th September - School Closure - Curriculum Planning Day
Friday 16th September - Last day of Term 3 early dismissal 2:15pm, Assembly 1:50pm.
Monday 3rd October - School Closure - Staff Visible Learning PD
Tuesday 4th October - First day of Term 4 - Students
Wednesday 12th October - Maths Olympics Grade 5/6 at the SSC
Wednesday 19th October - Andrew Chinn all day - Concert at school details to follow
Friday 21st October - Black Ranges Cricket Day- Grade 5/6
Friday 28th October - Grandparents Day - TBC
Monday - Wednesday 14,15 and 16th November - Grade 3/4 Camp
Acknowledgement of Country:
We acknowledge the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land. 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.